Events and Tours - Archive Articles

Public tours of The Orbit start again

Surrounded by a building site, one of the few objects within the Olympic Park that doesn't have builders crawling all over it is the Orbit Tower.

Take a ride on one of London’s Miniature Steam Trains

We al love a steam train, and while the big beasts make occasional weekend trips though the city, there are a surprisingly large number of miniature steam trains chugging around parts of the city as well.

Pompeii comes to the British Museum

A smidgen under 2,000 years ago, a volcano erupted in Italy and within a day had immortalized the local residents in history. Two towns, of Pompeii and Herculaneum were buried under the volcanic fury and lay there virtually untouched until the 1750s.

Chance to visit the “Battle of Britain” underground bunker

Once rather difficult to visit, and still only open to pre-arranged tours, a sizeable military bunker deep underground in Uxbridge will be open to visitors every weekend from this week for a trial period of three months.

A visit to the Wallace Collection

In the late 18th century, the 4th Duke of Manchester built a very grand house in London, on a location near Baker Street that chosen because there was good duck shooting nearby.

Fancy a look around 10 Downing Street’s back garden?

As part of the annual Open Garden's Weekend that takes place later this year, one rather special garden will be open to the public - the one behind 10 Downing Street.

Have your photo taken with Jeremy Bentham

Short notice, but persons of a morbid or academic bent might want to pop over to UCL on Thursday afternoon - for there is a chance to have your photo taken with a dead man.

The Tweed Run Returns to London

Now it its fifth year, the Tweed Run is a mass cycle ride through central London in a more genteel manner than the lycra-clad speeders who usually ply the streets of our city.

Get your tickets for the Ig Nobel tours

One of the highlights of the annual science entertainment calendar is making a return to Imperial College in March, with an evening comprising of an oddly eclectic mix of science, really bad poetry and a small girl walking up to people and repeatedly saying “Please Stop, I’m Bored” when a speaker has droned on for too long.

The nature reserve squashed in between three railway lines

Surrounded and isolated by three railway lines, an unexpected nature reserve has emerged in West London - the Gunnersbury Triangle.

The English Civil War Society parades along The Mall

For the thirty-somthingth time, the English Civil War society travelled down to London to march in memory of King Charles I and once again lay a wreath on the spot of his execution at Banqueting House.

Large ceremonial parade in Whitehall on Sunday morning

This Sunday morning, an spectacular sight will greet anyone in central London as roughly 500 members of the King’s Army of the English Civil War Society will march along The Mall to a muster in Horseguards.

Time to book tickets for Royal Ceremonies

Early each year is the time to dust off the paper and envelopes and remind yourself of those sticky things people used to put on those envelopes before email - to apply for tickets to some ceremonial events.

Chance to visit a Nuclear Fusion Reactor

While a huge fusion reactor is being built in France to prove the technology, it is the UK that leads the development work - and their facility is open for public tours.

Murder in the British Library

A slightly quirky display about the crime novel genre has been opened at the British Library with a total of 26 vignettes on display - one per letter of the alphabet.

Photos from the top of The Shard skyscraper

In a few weeks time, London's latest tourist attraction opens as the viewing floors at the top of The Shard skyscraper start welcoming their first paying customers.

Treetops and cottages inside Kew Gardens

Over the past couple of weeks, the walled expanse within Kew Gardens has been free to visit, and they "sold" all 9,000 free tickets that were available almost as soon as they were released.

Smithfield meat market’s boisterous Christmas Eve auction

London's 800-year old meat market at Smithfield usually opens at 3am and usually closes by 7am as the city is overtaken by people more suited to city work than butchering -- but on Christmas Eve one butchers holds a very special event more suited to the average punter.

The Southbank Centre’s new events listings page – a rant

Whenever a website is redesigned I am apprehensive, hoping for lots of good things, but dreading that something useful might be removed.

Free entry to Kew Gardens over Christmas

The place is free to enter over the 12 days of Christmas - excepting, obviously Christmas and Boxing Days, when it is closed.

Tower Bridge to get a glass floor

Last week approval was granted for 6 sheets of glass to be sliced into the walkway floor so that people up there can look down as the bridge swings up - getting a pigeon-eyes view of the mechanical motion below.

Go on board a sailing ship in St Katherine Dock

If you are a French organisation trying to promote onions to the British, you could hire some men to cycle around with onions on their boris bikes, but that would be a bit too obvious.

Free bus tours of the former Olympic site to start

The former Olympic park is to start offering free bus tours of the site during the conversion from its Olympic layout to the new public park that will open progressively during 2013-14.

Disused tube station to open to the public for tours

Prepare to squeal in delight as the Transport Museum delivers an early Christmas present in the form of tours of a disused tube station.