CONTENT
- 7 Wonders of Britain Results
- London's Waterways
- Herefordshire Tourism website
- UK Travel tips and news
Welcome friends, its time to put the kettle on, settle into a comfortable armchair, and enjoy the best of Britain with Britain Update. But before you do, please take the time to forward this newsletter to someone who loves Britain as much as you do.
David Ross, Publisher
In the last issue of Britain Update, I challenged Britain Express readers to send in their choices for "Seven Wonders of Britain" that truly represented ALL of the British Isles.
The submissions I received were certainly varied and reflected the wide variety of wonders, both natural and human-built, which can be seen in Britain. My thanks to everyone who contributed their choices. See the list of the most popular submissions below.
Today's issue looks at travel on London's waterways (there's more than just the Thames to see!), and a variety of cultural and event news. Let's get to it!
Seven Wonders of Britain
Seven Wonders of Britain
As chosen by Britain Update readers (several sites received almost the same number of votes, so I've included them here, bringing the number of "wonders" up to 10).
Stonehenge (nr Salisbury, Wiltshire)
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
Hadrians Wall
The White Cliffs of Dover (Kent)
Snowdonia (North Wales)
The Roman Baths (Bath, Somerset)
Callanish Stone Circle (Isle of Lewis, Scotland)
The Canal System (all across England, Scotland, and Wales)
Westminster Abbey (London)
The BA London Eye (London)
Destinations
London Waterways
For over a thousand years travel by water was the easiest, and in some cases the only, way to get around London. From the time of the Romans until the 18th century there was only one bridge across the Thames, and naturally it was clogged with traffic. It was quicker and easier to hire water boats to carry travellers from one bank to the other, or up and down the Thames.
Thames travel - A number of boat tours and ferries operate on the Thames. Here are a few of the most useful for visitors.
Catamaran Cruises offer tours with an entertaining commentary, leaving from Waterloo and the Embankment. Waterloo: From 10.45 until 17.45 every hour (except 14.45) Embankment: From 10.15 until 20.15 Westminster: From 14.30 until 21.30 every hour
Circular Cruises offer return trips from Westminster Pier (Victoria Embankment) as far as St. Katherine's Pier in the Docklands. Cruises depart every 30-80 minutes with an option of getting off at London Bridge Pier. You can also take boats the other direction to Hampton Court, Kew, and Richmond.
City Cruisers offer a range of trips, including service between London Bridge and Westminster Pier, and a Pool of London hop-on, hop-off shuttle. calling at St. Katherine's Pier, Butler's Wharf, HMS Belfast, London Bridge City Pier, and Tower Pier.
Note: with commentaried cruises, the crew will pass a hat at the end of the trip and you will be expected to toss in a quid or two as a tip. Be prepared with a handful of change.
Canals and Waterways - The early 19th century saw a proliferation of canals built into and around London, usually for goods transport. These canals fell out of service as rail transport became a viable option, but now they offer a relaxing way to travel about the city. For an overview of London canals see the excellent British Waterways site at http://www.british-waterways.co.uk.
Regents Canal travels for 2 1/2 miles through northern London from Little Venice to Camden Lock. On the way, it passes London Zoo and Regent's Park. The London Waterbus Company runs enclosed narrowboats between Little Venice, London Zoo and Camden Lock. There are a variety of tickets which can also include entry to London Zoo. http://www.camdenlockmarket.com/ (Rail: Camden Town) and Little Venice (Tube: Warwick Avenue).
Jason's Canal Trips (www.jasons.co.uk) travel the same route in open-sided boats, leaving 60 Blomfield Road in Little Venice at 1030, 1230, and 1430 daily from April to October, with an extra 1630 departure from July-August.
Jenny Wren offers cruises travelling from Camden Lock, and also operates dinner and Sunday lunch cruises from the Waterside Cafe at 250 Camden High Street. From March to October there are four sailings per day on weekends and 3 per day on weekdays. They also operate a restaurant boat, "My Fair Lady" for private charters. http://www.walkersquay.com/
British Waterways, the organization which oversees the operation of Britain network of canals and navigable rivers, has a free leaflet called "Explore London's Canals" outlining six walks along London's canal towpaths. Website: www.british-waterways.co.uk
Websites worthy of note
VisitorLinks.com is the official tourism website for Herefordshire, and it's worth a good browse. Ther's a very nice selection of local accommodation specials featured right on the front page of the site. Special sections focus on Activities, Fine Food and Drink, Venues, Things to See and Do, Walking resources, and Black and White Villages (the half-timbered medieval architecture which has given so many Herefordshire villages a lovely medieval feel). You can also opt to have the Tourist Board send you a selection of brochures by post
Included is information on a new "Black and White Village Trail", which offers visitors a 40-mile route, starting and ending at the ancient market town of Leominster. The route takes in nine of the most picturesque villages, with suggested brief detours including Monkland Cheese Dairy; the 900-year-old Great Oak of Eardisley; the Small Breeds Farm and Owl Centre; and Dunkertons Cider Mill.
Travel Tips and News
Sir Christopher Wren's House Hotel
A Windsor house which was once the home of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul's Cathedral, London, has been transformed into a luxurious 92-room luxury hotel, with the addition of new rooms in an adjoining 17th-century building. Reservations.
Museum of London Prehistory Gallery
A new prehistoric gallery opens at the Museum of London on October 18. "London Before London" takes visitors back over half a million years, and looks at the times when the area was tundra and the site of Heathrow Airport was an Iron Age settlement.
The River Thames is central to the story, and the gallery will explore the lives of the early human communities beside it: a ‘river wall’ will display nearly 500 objects recovered from the banks, including numerous bronze and iron swords. The communities established trade networks, and their tools and weapons will be on display. By the time the Romans arrived in 43 AD, the foundations for London were already firmly laid. Admission to the museum is free. Website: http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk.
Autumn Highlights on London's Cultural Scene
Hollywood star Glenn Close in A Streetcar Named Desire; masterpieces from Catherine the Great's collection; a retrospective of fashion designer Gianni Versace; unpublished fashion photographs; and great paintings from the renowned Merzbacher Collection...these are among the highlights of the London cultural scene this autumn.
Glenn Close makes her British stage debut at the National Theatre, as Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' play. Iain Glen is Stanley, and the director is Trevor Nunn (who also directed Ms. Close in "Sunset Boulevard" in the USA). The play opens on October 8, with previews from Sept.28, and runs until Nov.23.
Other autumn plays at the National include Tom Stoppard's new trilogy "The Coast of Utopia"; and a new version of Chekhov's "Ivanov". Website: http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk.
Catherine the Great's paintings are on view at the Hermitage Rooms, Somerset House, from Sept.28 to Feb.23, 2003. They had previously belonged to Sir Robert Walpole, Britain's first prime minister, but in 1778-79 his grandson sold 204 works to Catherine. Now, 34 of them will be seen in Britain for the first time since, including works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin, Lorrain and Murillo. Admission £6, concessions £4, children under 16 free. Website: http://www.hermitagerooms.org.uk.
Versace at the V & A (Oct.17 - Jan.12) will be the largest exhibition ever dedicated to one fashion designer at the Victoria and Albert Museum. More than 130 of his creations will be on display, including clothes worn by Princess Diana, Madonna, Elton John, Courtney Love and Dame Kiri Te Kanawa - and the famous safety-pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley. Admission £7, concessions £4, under 18 free. Website: http://www.vam.ac.uk.
Unseen Vogue - the Secret History of Fashion Photography (Design Museum, Nov. 1 - Feb.23) shows commissioned but never published pictures from British Vogue's archive of 1½ million images. Admission £6, concessions £4, family tickets £16. Website: http://www.designmuseum.org.
Until Nov.17, the Royal Academy is showing Masters of Colour, 80 paintings and sculptures from the Swiss-based Maerzbacher Collection. They include works by Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Modigliani, Derain, Klee and Kandinsky. Admission £7, £6 concessions, £5 students, £2.50 age 12-18, £1.50 age 8-11. Website: http://www.royalacademy.org.uk.
The Geffrye Museum in East London, devoted to English domestic interiors, has engaged two leading British ceramicists, Kate Malone and Edmund de Waal, to create Ceramic Rooms (Sept. 24 to Jan.19), free. Website: www.geffrye-museum.org.uk
Sussex Castle hotel's 90th Birthday
Not many hotels get the chance to celebrate their 900th anniversary, but that is what owners Martin and Joy Cummings will be doing at Amberley Castle, in the West Sussex countryside, throughout 2003. Amberley began life as a hunting lodge for the Bishops of Chichester, and in 1377 King Richard II gave permission for the high walls and massive gatehouse (the mighty oak portcullis is still lowered at midnight, to ensure guests' privacy!). A later owner was Queen Elizabeth I, who held the lease from 1588 to 1603.
In 1988 the castle was transformed into a luxury hotel and restaurant, with 19 bedrooms and suites, all with jacuzzi bathrooms. To mark the anniversary, an 18-hole professional standard putting course has just opened in the grounds, landscaped around a new water feature.
The tariff ranges from £145 to £325 per room per night, and there are midweek breaks from £380 per couple for two nights, including dinner and breakfast. For details and bookings, contact Amberley Castle, Amberley, West Sussex BN18 9ND. Email info@amberleycastle.co.uk. The castle is 50 miles south of London, and a few miles north of Arundel. Website: http://www.amberleycastle.co.uk
Teddy Bear Centenary in Liverpool
Britain's biggest celebration of teddy bears is planned in Liverpool, this autumn. Four hundred of the children's favourites and other bear-related objects will mark 100 years of the toy in an exhibition, "Teddy Bear Story", at the Liverpool Museum (October 19 - February 23). Bear characters from books and films also feature.
It is a century since German toy manufacturer Steiff made its first jointed bear, and 2002/3 marks a century since US president Theodore Roosevelt's nickname, Teddy, was linked to the toys. The exhibition transfers to London from late March - December, 2003. Admission free. Website: http://www.liverpoolmuseum.org.uk.
That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.
David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
