Top 50 Things To Do In London England

Listings 46 to 50

What to do in London?

46.  Greenwich Park



Greenwich Park is famous for being bisected by the Greenwich meridian - the line to which time across the globe is referenced. Astride the meridian and feel the world at your feet.

As well as offering large formal parklands, Greenwich Park has a 'wilderness' side to it, an area enclosed for deer. Several historic buildings are in the park, including the Old Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House.

Cutty Sark

The Cutty Sark was a great London attraction and must do thing if you were in Greenwich then it was sadly burnt down..or so we thought:

"Cutty Sark suffered a major fire on 21 May 2007 which resulted in a 14-month delay on the project and significantly increased costs. Thankfully, due to heroic fire-fighting there was amazingly little damage to the ship’s original material and the Conservation Project can continue as planned. ...The Cutty Sark Conservation Project is back on course, due to re-open in 2011"



Not sure I quite understand how a 14 month delay equates to amazingly little damage. I think we are being told that the ship is basically a replica of the original Cutty Sark incorporating some of its original components. Maybe someone will enlighten us. Lets not split hairs. The Cutty Sark was a beautiful ship and well worth visiting. No doubt it will be bigger and better than ever before and hey, it might even fly.

Greenwich Park

47. British Library

The British Library is widely regarded as being one of the world's leading resource centres. It's 12 million volumes is enough to send most librarians weak at the knees. The public exhibition rooms contain the Magna Carta, Shakespeare's first folio, Nelson's log books, Scott's Antarctic Journals, Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Gutenberg Bible and the Lindisfarne Gospels.

British Library

48. Leicester Square

Leicester Square derives its name from a former resident, the Earl of Leicester, who used to live on the north side of the Square. These days, Leicester Square is busy with people looking to see a show or movie. Cheap(er) tickets should be available in the box on the square like the 'tkts' booth in New York.

William Shakespeare resides in the middle of the Leicester Square with his trusty dolphins(?). The Square has four busts, naturally, Sir Isaac Newton, Sir Joshua Reynolds (who used to reside in the Earl's house), John Hunter and William Hogarth. I don't know why there aren't any female busts. You'll also find Charlie Chaplin and the distances to former members of the British Empire inscribed on the pavement.

Leicester Square

49. Shakespeare at the Globe Theatre - Be a groundling at the Globe

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London

Be upstanding for a Shakespearian experience of the original kind at the reconstructed globe theatre from May through to September.

You will venture back in time with a visit to this spectacular theatre. Situated on London’s Bankside, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a faithful reconstruction of the original Globe, first built in 1599. The Globe perfectly evokes the atmosphere of Elizabethan London. If you join a tour, resident storytellers will introduce you to all aspects of the Globe, historical and contemporary, including Sam Wannamaker's epic struggle to recreate the theatre.

The Globe Theatre

50. Sleepy father Thames quickly

Time waits for no man so why mess about, do the river at 30 knots in an inflatable boat. This isn’t a cruise, this isn’t a photo op, this is full-on adrenalin charged fun.

Testimonials

“What a fantastic trip, I loved it”“Until you have taken the river in this boat, you probably haven't lived” “This is brilliant, absolutely brilliant”“Kids are not usually keen on sightseeing, they’ll no doubt change tune if you offer them a London RIB Voyage”“They're fast, they're slick, they're comfortable and the Big New Thing on the Thames”“A brilliant introduction to London for visitors”

Sleepy father Thames quickly

http://www.londontop100.co.uk/