For more information on London's favourite attractions, click on the headings below to find out more about them from their official websites:
This is London's first Classical building, dating from the early 17th century, and designed by Inigo Jones for King James I. Inside is a vast and magnificent ceiling painted by Rubens, commissioned by King Charles I in honour of his father, the same King James. Ironically, it was in 1649 outside this building that Charles himself was executed during the Civil War. Admission charge.
The first residence on the site was built in 1702 and was called Buckingham House after the duke for whom it was built. King George III bought it in 1762, and he was the first monarch to live there. It wasn't grand enough for his son King George IV however, and John Nash was commissioned to enlarge it into a magnificent palace. Building took so long that neither King George IV, nor his brother King William IV who succeeded him, ever lived there. Queen Victoria moved in when she became Queen in 1837 and was therefore the first monarch to live in the new building.
The State Rooms are open to the public in August and September each year. Admission Charge.
The world-famous Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place in front of the Palace on alternate days, at 11.30 a.m.
In anticipation of Second World War, the Cabinet War Rooms, deep underground, were prepared as a safeguard against bombing. The Prime Minister, Winston Churchill used them throughout the War, and made several of his famous broadcasts from here. Of note are the Cabinet and Map Rooms, together with some rudimentary accommodation and original pieces of equipment such as typewriters and telephones. One map of particular interest is the one on which, at the Yalta Conference with Presidents Roosevelt and Stalin in 1945, Churchill marked out the new European borders and areas of influence that had been agreed, thus in effect creating the Iron Curtain. The complex also houses the original hot-line with which Churchill could speak to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman. Admission charge.
Somerset House, London's first purpose-built office block, having been built for King George III's Civil Service in the 18th century, and recently restored to its former glory, houses the Courtauld Institute, a world-class art collection containing many famous Impressionist paintings. Admission charge.
Also located in Somerset House, the new Gilbert Collection, London's newest museum, contains incredible mosaics and miniatures. Admission charge.
The Museum was founded after the First World War to commemorate what at the time was thought to be the war to end all wars. In the event its collection of war memorabilia was greatly expanded after the Second World War. It houses everything from uniforms and medals to tanks and rockets; particularly interesting are a recreated First World War trench from the Western Front, and the Blitz Experience, where visitors may experience a Second World War air-raid on London. A recent addition is the extremely moving Holocaust Exhibit. Admission charge.
This excellent museum charts the history of London from pre-history, through the Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Norman invasions to the present day. It contains thousands of items recovered and preserved, such as Roman pavements, old shop-fronts saved from the bulldozer, and models of buildings long gone, such as the Elizabethan Royal Exchange. Also normally housed here is the magnificent red and gold 18th century coach in which the Lord Mayor of London rides around the City in the annual Lord Mayor's Show. Admission charge.
Opened in 1881, the Natural History Museum is one of London's most familiar landmarks and epitomises the self-confidence of the Victorians. Inside are extensive collections from the natural world, including the ever-popular dinosaur skeletons. Admission charge.
Britain's foremost museum devoted to science and engineering contains exhibits as varied as James Watt's first steam engines, which ushered in the industrial revolution; Charles Babbage's Difference Engine, the first (mechanical) computer; and the converted bomber in which Alcock and Brown were the first to fly across the Atlantic in 1919. Admission charge.
Sir Christopher Wren's works can still be seen all over London and indeed elsewhere in England too, but St Paul's was without doubt his masterpiece. It was completed in 1710 and features the second-largest cathedral dome in the world (after St Peter's in Rome). Wren himself, Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington are just three of the famous people buried there. Sir Winston Churchill's funeral took place there in 1965 (although his grave is actually in Oxfordshire); and it was there that the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. GUIDE FARADAY can show you around and bring the building to life. Admission charge.
Founded in 1897, the Tate now has four sites, two of which are in London. The Tate Britain is the original gallery, and is now devoted entirely to British art from the 16th century to the present day. The Tate Modern, opened in the year 2000, and located in an enormous former power station on the south bank of the River Thames, features modern art from around the world. Admission free.
The world-famous bridge was opened by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) in 1894. The bascules which are raised when a ship passes underneath were originally operated by steam-powered hydraulics, the machinery for which may be visited under the southern approach to the bridge (as part of a general tour of the bridge, which also includes a magnificent view of London from the pedestrian walkways high above the river). Admission charge.
Built originally by William the Conqueror in 1078 and much expanded since, many of the more unsavoury events in English history took place within its walls. Two wives of King Henry VIII, his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, and the Earl of Essex were some of the most famous people executed here; and Princess Elizabeth (before she became Queen Elizabeth I) and Sir Walter Raleigh were amongst many others who were imprisoned. You can see the famous Beefeaters, the jolly custodians who are only too happy to be photographed with visitors; the ravens which, if they ever left the Tower, would herald the end of the monarchy; King Henry VIII's personal suit of armour; and the rooms where Sir Walter Raleigh spent 13 years, locked up by King James I. But the most popular sight, which no-one will want to miss, are the Crown Jewels. GUIDE FARADAY can show you all this, and more. Admission charge.
Recently modernised, the museum and its priceless art treasures, including the famous Laughing Cavalier by Frans Hals, were bequeathed to the nation in 1897 on condition that the collection should never be split up. Many of items were once owned by the French Crown and aristocracy before the French Revolution. Admission free.
Starting with William the Conqueror in 1066, all but two of the English monarchs were crowned in this, one of the most famous churches in the world. The Coronation Chair itself, made in 1300, is on display. Many of the the monarchs, such as King Edward I (the King in the film Braveheart), King Henry VII (the first Tudor king, who commissioned the beautiful chapel in which his tomb is situated), and his grand-children King Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth I, are buried here; as also are Sir Isaac Newton, the two William Pitts (father and son), Robert Stephenson, Charles Darwin, David Livingstone, William Gladstone, Charles Dickens, and many, many more. In total, approximately 2,500 Britons, many of them famous as politicians, soldiers, scientists, actors, writers and poets, are buried here, or are commemorated by ornately sculpted monuments. GUIDE FARADAY can help you make sense of it all. Admission charge.
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