We come to day seventeen of my London Advent Calendar, and somewhat inevitably we arrive at the spectacle of the London 2012 Olympic Park, which I visited in early September during the Paralympic Games. Initially I was unconvinced by all of the hype surrounding it, but after spending an entire day within its confines I […]

For the sixteenth window of my London Advent Calendar, we open it to reveal Dennis Severs’ House. All is not what it seems in this building on Folgate St on the edge of the City of London – it is an elaborate stage set, devised by Californian Severs from 1979 onwards . All of the […]

Day fifteen of the London Advent Calendar finds us in the noisy surroundings of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. This working site has been producing large bells since 1670 – they forged the Liberty Bell and Big Ben, and even had a hand in the huge Olympic Bell which hung in the main stadium at the […]

Day fourteen of my London Advent Calendar keeps us close to the river with a visit to the reclaimed sewage beds of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Barnes. Without doubt the best place to go birdwatching in London, a visit at any time of year will enable you to see a whole host of […]

Day thirteen of my London Advent Calendar takes us high up above the Thames on the Emirates Air Line. Opened in July, this spectacular cable car joins the Royal Victoria Dock on the north bank with the Greenwich Peninsula in the South. Now I don’t think its the ‘commuter route’ that Boris sold Londoners on […]

I spent much of June in Europe, but I did manage to get out and about for a few days – for day twelve of my London Advent Calendar we look to the future rather than the past with a visit to one of Kings Cross’s latest developments, Granary Square. Home to the University of […]

For the eleventh installment of my London Advent Calendar we’re back on the Thames again – this time with the Queen! In June I was very lucky to be a guest of City Cruises as we took part in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant. Despite the terrible weather we had that weekend (which put Prince […]