London: Tea Time in Wonderland

Fed up with the classic London shots? The usual view of Big Ben from the bottom of the London Eye, or from Westminster Bridge (where you have to fight against the constant flow of passers-by)? Fancy enjoying this iconic view but without the tourists?

Take your packlunch to the other side of Westminster Bridge – where St Thomas Hospital and the Florence Nightingale museum are. There also hides a lovely garden – relaxing, quiet, very often empty, but with a splendid view on the Parliament.

The hospital bursar used to have his house here – it was all bombed during the war. In 1972, it was decided to keep it as an open space with this abstract fountain by Gabo.

Particularly enjoyable @ sunset time…

St Thomas’ Hospital
Lambeth Palace Road
South Bank, SE1 7EH

More secret gardens?
- The Phoenix garden, close to the Soho buzz
- The Kyoto Garden, soooo zen!

- How about a ghost hunt with the London Ghost week?

- Yummy times! Head for the Real Food festival for a gourmet experience. Plenty to taste, countless demonstrations! Great for kids too with a butter churning workshop, milking demonstrations, animals to pet…

- Fairtrade fan? Join the party! Film and music also are part of the fun.

- if you love vintage clothes,  head for Clerkenwell!

- Add a little elegance to your week-end with the Grace Kelly exhibition @ the V&A…

- Take the boys (whichever age, grown ups included) to dream @ the Toy boat exhibition @ the Greenwich Maritime Museum. Adorable. There’s a pond whithin Greenwich Park where you can rent a small boat and go round or just bring your own toys to float… And why not stop @ the Greenwich food market for a bite?

- Don’t miss the Covent Garden May Fayre and Puppet festival. We went last year and had a fab time with the non-stop Punch and Judy shows and admiring the collection of puppets… A few pictures this way (sorry, the text will be in French though).

- Why not a pics exhibition? Atlas presents faces of our times – splendid photos of famous people that marked our century. Albert Einstein, the Queen Elicabeth II, Picasso…

- if you like knowing all the tricks, try the I remember you exhibition, a film in which Keira Knightley plays. You’ll get to see how the scenes were prepared.

- Dance in the streets! Well at least, Carnaby Street…

- Finish with a hit and try these cocktails inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show…

You’ll find me hunting elephants in Green Park. I can’t wait to see the 200 Morris Dancers on Trafalgar Square on Saturday. What are your plans?

- The London Eye has decorated Southbank… And if you fancy a ride, my friend Celine has found this 2 for 1 offer!

- The Easter passion played on Trafalgar Square: such a show deserves to stop by and have a look.

- Bet on Oxford or Cambridge for the traditional Boat Race… The Spitafield farm prefers to hold its yearly Goat Race (bottom of the page). I tried it last year and had a ball…

- Feeling a little elevenish? Hoorray, the Real Food Market is back @ Covent Garden!

- Womder what the hell chessboxing could look like…

- Are you in an art mood? Think street art @ the Black Rat gallery... Rediscover famous album covers here… Be amazed by bees… Or hop to Selfridge’s for some paper madness!

- Mmmh. Harpsichord and chocolate @ Handel House? Or more traditional @ Chiswick House – Easter bonnet parade, egg trail, teddies picnic…

- A winning recipe: Punch and Judy show and a mobile farm with chicks, lamps and rabbits to pet!

Where to find me? Well, I don’t think I can resist stopping at Haagen Dazs as they have a new Easter ice-cream… I will also be hunting the Easter Bunny @ the Childhood Museum – ideal on a rainy day. If the sun comes out, I’ll just jumps in a boat @ Little Venice and will stop @ the London zoo. What about you?

Are you fascinated by victorian London? Did the Brompton cemetery left you curious about the Magnificent Seven, built around London when the inner city graveyards could take no more?

We chose a lovely spring Sunday to stroll through the most famous and certainly the most atmospheric.

Highgate cemetary opened its doors in 1839. The gardeners decide to keep its meadow feeling, its countryside feeling. Situated on the side of a hill (131m, one of the highest in North London), it soon proves very popular. If this is, of course, a mourning place… it also becomes a fashionable place for its view of London, its prettyness, its elegant graves… These days, the trees have grown so tall they hide the view but the place remains elegant and serene.

In 1850, it proves so successful the company decides to buy 19 acres down the hill – this becomes East Highgate, the older part naturally renamed West Highgate. A problem arises: the chapel remains on the other side of the road. With so much money put forward for the lanf, there is no way they can afford a second church. However, once consecrated, a body cannot leave a graveyard. What to do? Have the road blessed? Categorically refused. It si finally decided to… dig a tunnel underneath it…

Comes the XXth century. Two wars, less money coming in as incineration is prefered… The west side closes in 1975. Thankfully, a group of volunteers create an association to protect it.

The West side can only be seen through a guided tour (which is sadly not accessible to children under 8. If you are lucky a devoted friend or husband will take the kids to the nearby park – plenty of swings, slides…). It is better to start with the East side anyway (where children are welcome. I even saw mums with a buggy. The entree fee is £3)

If you have already walked through Brompton Cemetary, you will be amazed by the difference. You wouldn’t have realised at the time but it was pretty much a city graveyard – no matter that it was on the outskirts of London. Remember – wide avenues, graves neatly organisez in rows. On a match day, the silence is regularly interrupted by joy or disappointed cries of supporters. No way you can forget civilisation there.

As soon as you step in, your pace changes. Cleared towards the entrance you quicly reach a wooded heart. Very green, very peaceful. Of course, some central avenues give you a guideline but it is so tempting to take one of those small paths between the lanes… It really feels like a walk in the woods. The Little Red Riding hood could appear any time, basket in hand. No wolves here of course, but foxes have been seen at dusk.

Leave the main axes behind. Nature soon claws back, velevery moss, ivy. weeping angels are embracesd by garlands of bright leaves.You’ll notice many army or colonial graves. Other are more simple Mother, Father… And if at first, the rows are quite organised, you will find pretty overcrowded sections!

You will sometimes find graves indicating… the address of the deceased (too many homonyms?)… or showing the sculpted portrait of the favoured dog…

It is very easy to spend your afternoon there, not even thinling of the time once.

oh, don’t forget to visit the most famous local – Karl Marx is buried there with part of his family. Lenin is said to have come regularly while living in London in 1903. Originally, the grave was discreet in a darker side of the cemetary. But revolutionarist friends had it moved to a more prominent position and added this extravagant bust – it really cannot be missed. Even today fresh flowers appear on a daily basis.

Spring is an ideal season to stroll along. The plants carefully planted on graves have happily spread and you will meet bunches of snowdrops, daffodils, muscaris, tulips here and there. Squirrels are much more shy than at Brompton – they would have run towards you, hoping for nuts or a biscuit. Here they’re more likely to disappear within seconds.

Want to know more about the Victorian mourning etiquette? Try Tracy Chevaliers’ Falling Angels which paints its story with hihgate cemeteray as background…

Highgate Cemetary
Swain’s lane
London N66PG

£3 /adult

We all have fond memories of childhood funfairs. The mix of colours, the flashing lights, the musics changing every couple of steps, the laughs all around, the bumping cars… Tastebuds were also treated with candyfloss and sweets. In my region, you could choose from a huge selection of nougats…

I’m less tempted to go these days – am I too much of a grown-up? The colours are much flashier, sometimes agressive, the decorations sprayed on and less refined. However I never resist a more traditional type of ride – such as wooden horses galloping forever, or those chairs that fly away in an elegant circle… My 5-year old daughter is much better public than I am and will go for anything at all!

Feeling nostalgic too? Then head to the Carters Steam Fair settled @ Battersea Park for a while.

Carter was passionate for those machines and arcade games and collected them, taking pride in renovating them: improve an engine, change a part, repainting them in accordance with the original motifs and colours, adding a little gold leaf… 7 months per year, he would open them to the public, or rent them for private events, even for film sets. Make them alive again.

He died in 2000 but his team is keeping the tradition.

You’ll find a lovely selection of those rides @ Battersea – the grandfather of turning cups, a Noa arch with Art Deco notes turning @ high speed with music of its era, cute wooden racing cars… The kids can’t even decide where to start, parents never hesitate to join them, dads seem fascinated by the old types of engines you sometimes get a glimpse of, you can hear cameras clicking away…

Wonderful to even just look, although you will not resist caressing the wood…

Older kids will prefer the arcade – all kinds of flippers there, even horse races where each player has to turn a wheel as quick as possible, horoscope readings… The designs are fab. Granparents look at them in amazements, recognising models...

My favourite certainly is the gallopers – splendid colourful wooden horses, paintings of the British monarchs above them, even a barrel organ. But take a few steps away from it. Although you do not notice any of those rides work on steam engines, this one does play on it – a lovely cloud of fog when it starts dancing around and even a chimney!

A great time for the whole family. Rides are only £1/kid, very reasonable. Such a pity, though, that there is no toffee apple, candy floss, waffles in sight… not even a coffee!

Carters Steam Fair

Battersea Park until March 28, 2010Battersea,
London,
SW11 4NJ

Ravenscourt Park, April 10-18, 2010
Paddenswick Road,
London,
W6 0UB

If you are lucky enough to take a London stroll during the week, do head towards Fleet street. Walk up -  you’ll find the Courts of Justice but alos Lincoln’s inns (where judges and barristers often lived), Old Bayley’s (the criminal court)…

On your left are the Temple inns – mostly closed and deserted at the week-end. During the week, it is a pleasant walk through the lanes, arches… Stop and have a look at the long lists of advocates, barristers, judges working in each building. Sit in the lovely yards, some with poetic names suc as Fig Tree Court…

At the time – we’re talking 12th century, the place were not only monastic but also military and belonged to the Knight Templars. The structure was very closed and strict – no going to the City without authorisation! The Templar master was powerful and sat in parliament. Kings and Popes representants would often stay here. It even served as a bank.

You’ll quickly find the Temple church, one of the last three round churches in England.

It has in fact a rectangular part and a lovely circular one, a tower in fact, very castle like, crenels included.

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This is where the Templar Knight would hold their secret initiation rites.

It is even mentioned in the Da Vinci Code as a pagan symbol -  the round shape would be dedicated to the sun… Dan Brown even compares it to a resurrection of Stonehenge in Central London (no less, hey?). The truth really is less far-sctretched: it only copies the shape of the Jerusalem  Church of the Holy Sepulcher the Knights were garding during their crusades.

With its marble columns, its arches, its wooden notes, its wooden altar designed by Christopher Wren (difficult to escape that name in London), it offers a peaceful atmosphere, far from the buzz of the city.

Another strange detail – the circle room has a serie of gargoyles sculpted by the masons at the time. Strange – those usually are outside and these days eroded by the weather. You can only smile at the naive faces and kids tend to find them quite funny too.

And if the atmosphere of the Inns of court inspires you… follow my friend Bibsa‘s advice and get the Shardlake books – a lawyer under Henry VIII, conspiracies, religion and polititcs of the time mixed with a thrilling detective story, you’ll be hooked in no time…

Temple Church
Temple
London EC4Y 7BB

And a few steps away…
- the slendid Lloyds Bank entrance
- an extra-ordinary pub

A few ideas to treat your mum…

- Stop @ Selfridge’s to personnalize a card or a cupcake on Friday…

- Let her choose a gift @ this craft festival…

- Wouldn’t a floral exhibition @ Hampton Court be a royal occasion?

- Or a Mrs Dalloway walk?

- Take her to Ham House – mums go free on Sunday!

A few alternative idea…

- Don’t miss St Patrick’s parade!

- Raining? Try a in-house picnic with Courvoisier…

- Collect pop-ups. The latest one is a Parisian shop taking a pause @ Liberty

- A touch of Hollywood, maybe?

- More photos @ Somerset House. Free. Including some Irving Penn (when you would have to pay to see some @ The National Portrait gallery)

You’ll find me @ this extraordinary steam fair which promises wonderful rides… Finger-crossing for sunshine! And also strolling at Selfridge’s (craving sushis) through their new Beatrix Potter exhibition.

The British are not particularly known for their cooking talents nor for their gourmet-attitude. They do however have nice traditions such as Sunday lunches down their local pubs…

Living in Farnborough – a very boring dorm-town – I haven’t really had a chance to enjoy a lovely roast dinner in a welcoming pub. We’re kind of lacking those around – let alone child friendly ones.

For that kind of situations, I know no better solution than blogger friends. Mindlegap certainly has quite a few addresses in stock!

We meet at the Black Swan, amidst the countryside. Lovely wooden notes, showing timbers, naturel light, lots of space between the tables, a few antiques here and there to give a nostalgic touch such as this wonderful old style cash-register. Modern and pure lines you expect to find in a gastropub bu a home feeling. As soon as you step in, a welcoming chimney, comfy armchairs in case your table is not ready yet and a pile of board games.

The place has an extraodinary feel good effect. Families do know the place – plenty of children and babies around. We’ll stay 3 hours and a half, chatting the afternoon away with not even a frown from the staff, our kids happily playing around the table.

The menu has a lovely range of British classics -  huge plates for the sunday roast (the lamb is fab), but also excellent fishcakes, wonderful mashes potatoes with spring onions…. and so much to try! Mindlegap strongly recommends the cheese platter. The bread and butter pudding is to die for -  although you could easily share it, I struggled to finish my very large portion! Oh and do steal a spoonful of chocolate-hazelnut icecream from the kids…

Plenty of tables outside for the sun days to come. A few countryside paths around too and a forest a few minutes drive away for a walk.

The place is so pleasant that time just flies. I can picture myself there every Sunday… But do book, as it is quite successful!

The Black Swan
Old Lane
Ockham
Surrey
KT11 1NG

Once upon time, London was a much smaller place. Each borough increased in size until meeting the city. Can you imagine Lambeth as a muddy countryside?

The simple life became a town one. In 1800 -  a million people were living in the capital. In 1850 – 2.3 millions, what a jump!

Faced with this ever increasing populations, the graveyards around little churches just cannot cope. Bodies are buried a metre from the ground, with basic decorum: ideal for body snatchers.

That explains why cemeteries often look, well, crowded… How do you get from one grave without stepping on another one?

In 1832, the government finally decides to move and settles for a ring of cemeteries around London, also known as the Magnificent Seven: Kensal Green, West Norwood, Highgate (a real jewel, I hear), Nunhead, Brompton, Abney Park, Tower Hamlets will open between 1837 and 1841.

Some see is as a real opportunity. A protected, kept, green place: middle class decide to bury their beloved in style and show the social status of their family through elaborate graves. Marble, sculptures…

These days, it is not so much used as a cemetery than a lovely place for a walk. Large alleys sheletered by trees. In spring, bluebells and daffodils.In fact, you’ll be suprised to meet quite a few football fans: the Chelsea stadium is right behind. Do visit the place on amatch day. The atmosphere is surreal! One minute, you’re enjoying the quietness, listeming to a robin chirp happily. The next, a goal has been marked and you hear the loud clamour of the stadium as if you were in it. quite a new dimension!

Another amazing detail -  Beatrix Potter used to live nearby and loved strolling around. She actually used names on the graves for her book characters: you’ll find here a Mr Nutkins, a Mr McGregor, a Jeremiah Fisher, and even… a Peter Rabbett. It is even said that the enclose wall inspired her for the one in McGregor’s garden.

Of course, you’ll find plenty of crosses around, some celtic, other greeks. Angels too…

And many symbols the Victorians loved.

A few:
A rosebud wuld be for a child – half opened for a teenager – fully bloomed, someone in their twenties. Several and you can calculate their age.
Urns usually meant an ossuary, garlands redemption.
Dog symbolised loyalty.
A wreath, eternal memory. Laurel was kept for the elitehaving received a distinction in arts, litterature…

Birds symbolised the winged spirit, flying to heaven. A dove with an olive branch would mean hope.

See those three intricate letters, almost a symbol: IHS? Those were for Jesis Our Saviour in Greek. So much smarter to add little touches of your faith in mysterious ways…
My favourite are those hands. Look closely @ the first picture. A handshake is easy -  a goodbye. But the sleeves are different, you see? A frilly one would be a woman’s, buttons a man’s – obviously a couple. The person who died first clasps the living’s hand, which remained open. Here, the gentlemane died first. A finger gesturing downward mean a sudden death.

There also are plenty of marine symbols. My first thought was a seaman… But look at the last one – poor little Rose, 18 months… An anchor with a cut chained meant the interrupted life too.

Many graves look completely abandonned. There has been talks of cleaning them. Quite a polemic as they shelter a fascinating collection of insects and birds. Migrating ones love to stop here too. Even families of foxes live in the catacombs!

Oh, and you rarely will be on your own. The squirrels are used to visitors and will quickly make their way to you (or any food you might have)….

Brompton Cemetery

The friends of Brompton Cemetery propose a guided tour every second and fourth Sunday of the month – only £4!
Finborough Road
London, SW10

Oh, feeling so lazy these days. But come on, plenty to do!

- Admire extraodinary ice sculptures @ Canary Wharf Friday and Saturday…

- Enjoy the V&A newly openedMedieval and Renaissance galleries. You think you’ll just walk through them and end up staying an hour!

- Redecorate your house thanks to the London art Fair…

- Learn about 200 years of North-American rituals and traditions @ the British Museum…

- See something new @ the Saatchi Gallery: Richard Wilson’s new structural art work, 20:50…

- Turn slow movement into art…

- Take the kids to the mime festival…

- try the new pie and mash restaurant in Covent Garden…

- Find a colourful way back home, at nightfall, through Jubilee Park…

- and sleep @ the Natural History Museum! £45 for 5 children 8-11 and 3 adults. A night visit, torch litof the galleries, a film projections, talks about insects… Ideal for adventurers!

You’ll find me instead… cocooning in front of a roaring chimney fire with a mug of cocoa in Cheshire. How about you?