I've actually been there no less than ten times I'd say (lost track), and for appreciable periods of time, too. (longest visit 5 weeks, shortest, 5 days in London).
I'm trying to think of new things. I definitely plan to do old favorites - museums change exhibits, after all!
What villages of London are your particular favorite for visiting? I was just thinking today that I've been to Highgate (mostly to see the cemetery but I did wander a bit - 3 visits to the cemetery now...)... a stroll in Hampstead... ditto Camden... Notting Hill area... Greenwich (not exactly London but close)... any others that you really enjoyed? I'm trying to think of a new place to wander. I haven't been to Hampstead Cemetery and I hear it's quite nice, so I may do that and then re-visit Hampstead.
Barring that, what off the beaten path things did you like? In reviewing guidebooks for new things to see, I've come to realize I really have covered a lot of ground in my visits and many places more than twice.
Woodstock, I'm with you on Highgate Cemetery - a fascinating place. Two of my children were practically brought up there as it was the favourite place for toddler walks!
Have you been to Dulwich Village? It has a lot of 18th and 19th Century buildings in its centre as well of course as the Park, the School and the Dulwich Picture Gallery, which, although small, is well worth a visit.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by woodstock: Hi everyone
I will be in London 6 weeks from today!...
If you are visiting Hampstead it is worth visiting Fenton House where there is a display of musical instruments as well as some nice antique furniture. On the far side of the heath is the beautiful 18th century Kenwood house with excellent works of art and furniture. Lesser known museums in central London worth a visit are the John Soane museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields,home of the famous architect which has some very good Hogarth paintings and is a very individual and quirky place to visit, and the Percival David foundation, where they have the best collection of oriental ceramics outside China.
Sadly, this closed in 2007 because of shortage of funds. However, according to Wikipedia the Percival David ceramics collection is due to be put on display in the British Museum later this year. Curiously, I can't find any mention of this on the British Museum website. I hope it's true.
Another less well known museum in Bloomsbury, which is still open, is the Foundling Hospital
Posts: 1047 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
It depends on what you are looking for. If you want areas that have a slightly country-ish feel with loads of wide open spaces, then I would suggest you look at Kew, Richmond and Twickenham. Barnes is lovely, too. The Primrose Hill area is also lovely with plenty of great views over london, but with a more urban feel somehow.
If you want urban village, then Clerkenwell is to my mind a really interesting area of London, as is Shorditch although here the buildings themselves are in my opinion less interesting than the proliferation of little "artsy" shops.
One other interesting day might be to investigate Islington. Maybe start off at Highbury & Islington tube stop and wander down Upper Street towards the Angel. Then if you are not exhausted by all the window shopping, hop on a 73 bus towards Stoke Newington. About half way, at Newington Green, there is a fantastic french patisserie that's worth visiting and then hop back on the 73 (or it's even walkable) up to Stoke Newington Church Street. Here you'll find Clissold Park, and a lovely old Elizabethan church and loads of little shops along the main drag. Towards Stoke Newington High Street you can visit Abney Park Cemetery. This area of London was a centre for non-conformists (Daniel Defoe, for example was a resident) and the cemetary, now an arboretum, has many interesting old graves. BTW if you are interested in non-conformists, there were a lot of famous non-conformist authors who are buried in Bunhill Fields near Old Street.
I found this website that seems to have a comprehensive list of all the London villages.
Beebee
Posts: 2007 | Location: London, UK | Registered: 09 September 2002
I found this website that seems to have a comprehensive list of all the London villages.
That's a great link, Beebee. I wonder what the asterisks against some names mean: are they someone's favourites?
Does the City of London count as a village? If so, it could hardly be beaten.
If the definition is a district that is compact enough to be enjoyed on foot, I would suggest:
- St Katharine's Docks and Wapping (the area stretching east along the river from the Tower of London).
- St Marylebone (the old-fashioned Marylebone station, a stroll in Regent's Park, the village high-street of Marylebone Lane, the wonderful Roman Catholic church of St James Spanish Place, and not least the marvellous Wallace Collection.)
- Chelsea; although the King's Road is not very villagey these days and the Embankment is traffic-laden, there are still plenty of atmospheric back streets and Mews (in particular, near Cheyne Walk), the Royal Hospital (architect Christopher Wren) and the National Army Museum are both worth a visit and there are interesting churches: Chelsea Old Church down near the river has a fascinating collection of monuments (said to be the best in London outside Westminster Abbey) and Holy Trinity Sloane Street (near Sloane Square) is one of the most splendid late-Victorian churches.
Posts: 1047 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
We made our first trip to the Geffrye Museum this past summer and thought it was great. It is devoted to rooms of a home that would be used by the middle class. It took a little planning to get there but we used the tube and a bus, sorry but I don't recall the number. Anyway, it is in a area of London I had never visited before. It was a parent/young child day and we enjoyed seeing the small children with mom doing activities. Lunch at the cafe was very good and for London very reasonable. I think this is a museum I can go back to several times and see new things each time.
Will you be there with children? If so (or maybe even if not), have you ever seen a performance on the puppet barge? I highly recommend it. It's a puppet theater built out on-board a barge. It's cozy fun that my 5 year old daughter loved.
The barge is moored in Little Venice (one of my favorite London neighborhoods, but then I'm gaga for barge living). It looks like Scrooge is still playing through January. The website is here.
Originally posted by WSB: [QUOTE]the Percival David foundation
As a matter of interest i rang the Percival David foundation today, who confirmed that it is permanently closed to the public and the collection is being transferred to the British Museum where it will on view again to the public in April or May of this year. I agree that the Foundling Hospital is well worth a visit
On my last trip to London we spent a couple of days in the Docklands area. The museum is a fascinating source of the development of London & the importance of the Thames. The East India wharfs, Canary Wharf - definitely at least a day's strolling!
Enjoy!
Posts: 586 | Location: Adelaide, South Australia | Registered: 08 May 2005
Slow Travel Talk 
