Royal Exchange in London

1 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, London Reading Time:  6 minutes

© flickr.com - Rev Stan/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Rev Stan/cc-by-2.0

The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, who still jointly own the freehold. It is trapezoidal in shape and is flanked by Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, which converge at Bank junction in the heart of the City. It lies in the ward of Cornhill.   read more…

Frogmore House in Royal Berkshire

24 November 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  11 minutes

© flickr.com - Karen Roe/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Karen Roe/cc-by-2.0

The Frogmore Estate or Gardens comprise 33 acres (130,000 m²) of private gardens within the Home Park, adjoining Windsor Castle, in the English county of Berkshire. It is the location of Frogmore House, a royal retreat, and Frogmore Cottage. The name derives from the preponderance of frogs which have always lived in this low-lying and marshy area near the River Thames. This area is part of the local flood plain. It is also the site of three burial places of the British Royal Family: the Royal Mausoleum containing the tomb of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; the Duchess of Kent’s Mausoleum, the burial place of Queen Victoria’s mother; and the Royal Burial Ground. The gardens are Grade I listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.   read more…

Broadway Tower in the Cotswolds

18 November 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  5 minutes

Picnic © Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

Picnic © Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

Broadway Tower is a folly on Broadway Hill, near the large village of Broadway, in the English county of Worcestershire, at the second-highest point of the Cotswolds (after Cleeve Hill). Broadway Tower’s base is 1,024 feet (312 metres) above sea level. The tower itself stands 65 feet (20 metres) high. The tower is a tourist attraction and the centre of the Broadway Tower Country Park with various exhibitions open to the public at a fee, as well as a gift shop and restaurant. The place is on the Cotswold Way and can be reached by following the Cotswold Way from the A44 road at Fish Hill, or by a steep climb out of Broadway village.   read more…

University of London

21 September 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London, Universities, Colleges, Academies Reading Time:  < 1 minute

Senate House © An Siarach

Senate House © An Siarach

The University of London is a federal research university located in London. As of March 2020<, the university consists of 17 member institutions and three central academic bodies. The university has around 48,000 distance learning external students and 178,735 campus-based internal students, making it the largest university by number of students in the United Kingdom.   read more…

Brown’s Hotel in London

7 September 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Hotels, London Reading Time:  5 minutes

© flickr.com - Londonmatt/cc-by-2.0

© flickr.com – Londonmatt/cc-by-2.0

Brown’s Hotel is a luxury hotel in Mayfair, London, established in 1837 and owned by Rocco Forte Hotels since 3 July 2003. During 2004–2005, the hotel underwent a £24 million refurbishment and re-opened in December 2005. It is considered one of London’s oldest existing hotels. Brown’s Hotel was founded in 1837, by James and Sarah Brown. The architecture of the 11 Georgian townhouses mean that each room is distinctly different from another. In 1889, the hotel was unified with the neighbouring St George’s Hotel, as they backed onto each other and were eventually merged to allow for a throughway between Dover Street and Albemarle Street.   read more…

Old Billingsgate Market in London

6 July 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London, Shopping Reading Time:  9 minutes

Market door detail © MRSC

Market door detail © MRSC

Old Billingsgate Market is the name given to what is now a hospitality and events venue in the City of London, based in the Victorian building that was originally Billingsgate Fish Market, the world’s largest fish market in the 19th century.   read more…

London Borough of Camden

28 May 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London Reading Time:  8 minutes

Camden High Street © J.Ligero & I.Barrios/cc-by-sa-4.0

Camden High Street © J.Ligero & I.Barrios/cc-by-sa-4.0

The London Borough of Camden is a borough in Inner London, and historically a part of Middlesex. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies 1.4 miles north of Charing Cross. Most of the borough is seen as part of north London, but the borough’s southern (more central) areas of Bloomsbury and Holborn are sometimes described as part of the West End of London. The local authority is Camden London Borough Council. The borough was named after Camden Town, which had gained its name from Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden in 1795. The transcribed diaries of William Copeland Astbury, recently made available, describe Camden and the surrounding areas in great detail from 1829–1848. Sir Jan inspired many of his art works in this area. There are 172 English Heritage blue plaques in the borough of Camden representing the many diverse personalities that have lived there.   read more…

Castle Combe in England

15 April 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Environment Reading Time:  7 minutes

The Manor House Hotel © Adrian Pingstone

The Manor House Hotel © Adrian Pingstone

Castle Combe is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of the town of Chippenham. The village has two parts: one is in the narrow valley of the By Brook, while Upper Castle Combe is on higher ground to the east, on the B4039 road which links Chippenham with Chipping Sodbury. A motor racing circuit is to the south of the upper village. The village takes its name from the 12th-century castle which stood about 1/3 mile (500 m) to the north.   read more…

The hotel ship Queen Elizabeth 2

1 February 2020 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Dubai, Hotels, Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  8 minutes

near the Cunard Building in Liverpool © flickr.com - Eric The Fish/cc-by-2.0

near the Cunard Building in Liverpool © flickr.com – Eric The Fish/cc-by-2.0

Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as QE2, is a floating hotel and retired ocean liner originally built for the Cunard Line, which operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. Since 18 April 2018, she has been operating as a floating hotel in Dubai.  read more…

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