AboutLondon Laura – July 2024 Newsletter
Summer is here (no, really) so this month I’m focusing on a great reason to explore London.
But before we get to that, did you try any of my recommendations from last month? I got to a few of them and had a day trip at a National Trust property (Standen House and Garden).
And, as always, I’ve got lots of ideas for this month so keep on reading.
Heritage Summer ‘Journey Through Time’ Trail
The London Heritage Quarter is the new collective name of four central London Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). The Quarter brings together the BID districts of Victoria, Victoria Westminster, Whitehall and The Northbank.
In short, it covers a large area of central London and promotes reasons for visiting.
The Heritage Summer Trail arrived on 18 June and is staying until 4 August. It’s a sculpture trail so you can see eleven iconic British symbols in central London locations. Each sculpture has been painted by artists from Artiq.
Added Bonus
When you find each (they are not hard to find) you can scan a QR code for augmented reality of archival imagery of nearby landmarks and the surrounding area.
Where Are They?
Taxi – King Charles Island (close to Trafalgar Square)
Top Hat – Whitehall Gardens
Teapot – Lower Grosvenor Gardens
Bus – Strand Aldwych
Teacup – Victoria Embankment Gardens
Telephone Box – Westminster Cathedral Piazza
Crown – St James’s Park Pocket
Watch – QEII Centre
Postbox – The Supreme Court
Rain Boots – Victoria Tower Gardens
Guard – The Guards Museum*
* The Coldstream Guard sculpture is at The Guards Museum so you only see it during the museum’s opening hours.
There is a map you can download here.
Easy to Include in a Day Out
I think these are fun and a good extra to include on a day out. You could be at Somerset House and see the bus. Or at the National Gallery and see the taxi. How about when going to the summer opening of Buckingham Palace (from 11 July) you could see the crown. The teapot of close to Victoria station and the wellies, pocket watch and postbox and near the House of Parliament.
As always, you’re not supposed to climb on the sculptures but good luck telling that to tourists who plonk their kids on the corgi for a photo opportunity.
PS The sculptures aren’t all life-size so it takes some crafty photo tricks (lying on the ground) to make them look bigger.
What’s Happening This Month?
Many of last month’s recommendations are still useful in July. I’m hoping to see Naomi in Fashion at the V&A and Six Lives: The Stories of Henry VIII’s Queens at the National Portrait Gallery is getting great reviews.
Opening on 5 July, Barbie®: The Exhibition at the Design Museum should be fantastic. When I bought my house 30 years ago, I got the usual type of housewarming gifts but one friend bought me a collectable Barbie saying I’d need something else to waste money on and not just the house. I did collect Barbies for many years but sold them all to fund family life. (My daughter may not have forgiven me for selling the Wizard of Oz dolls.)
Rooms Through Time 1878-2049 at the Museum of the Home opens on 23 July. There are seven new period rooms and we’re going to be able to step inside. The new rooms include a Jewish tenement flat from 1913, an Irish couple's house in the 1950s, LGBTQ+ renters sharing an ex-council home in 2005, a British-Vietnamese home in 2024 and the Innovo Room of the Future which explores real homes amid challenges such as the climate crisis and technological advances. The 1870s Parlour and Front Room in 1976 have also been expanded as part of this project.
Untold Lives is now open at Kensington Palace uncovering the forgotten stories of those who worked at the royal palaces over 300 years ago. Did you know, if you receive Universal Credit, you can get a £1 ticket?
The National Theatre Sumer Stage is back on the Southbank for the weekends this month. From drag to dance and family fun, it’s great free entertainment.
And you can see a movie in King’s Cross for free at Screen on the Canal. There’s something on every day from 1 July to 18 August starting at 1pm, 3pm, 5pm and 7.30pm daily.