London at Christmas

Once again London has geared up for the run up to Christmas. Once again the lights are on in Oxford Street and ice skating rings have opened up at the Natural History Museum, Somerset House and other venues. The Winter Wonderland has arrived in Hyde Park and thousands of people our out to find various Christmas shopping bargains, enjoy the rides or relax at the Bavarian Village (shown below).

Panorama of Hyde Park - Winter Wonderland Bavarian Village supplied by Panoramic Earth

Every year just before Christmas Oxford Street and Regent Street are closed to traffic, and them promptly fill with tens of thousands of people who descend on the shops. One of the busiest shopping days of the year, it is accompanied by various street entertainment, rides and music, making for a festive atmosphere.

Panorama of Regent Street Christmas Lights 2011 supplied by Panoramic Earth

And yet in the midst of it all on wonders if the Christian meaning behind Christmas has somehow been lost.

Oxford Street and Fruit Stall

This photo of the view of Oxford Street in London is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of London. There are over 100 images taken from around London linked to an interactive map.

Plan your visit to London by taking advantage of these London Hotel Specials or Thomson City Breaks. Get the most of London with these London Guide Books

Oxford Street has to be one of the most famous shopping areas in London. Sadly it is dominated by one high street store after another with little to differentiate it from other high streets except size. With some 300 shops lining nearly 2 miles from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch.

Oxford Circus is about half way along, forming an extremely busy junction with Oxford Street and Upper / Lower Regent Street. Near here you will find a few stores that have existed for more than a couple of years, including John Lewis, which has been on site since 1895, though the current building dates from 1960, the previous one being a victim of bombing in WWII. John Lewis store is unusual in that the principle beneficiaries of the generated profits are the workers, who are considered Partners.

Just behind John Lewis is Cavendish Square, a good place to relax if it is sunny. Further along Oxford Street you will find Selfridges, another world famous store, which opened in 1909. The highly profitable placement of the perfume section on the ground floor has been much copied by department stores around the world. It is hard to imagine that much of the rest of Oxford Street will remain in place for quite so long. The southern end of Baker Street joins Oxford Street next to Selfridges, linking the area to The Regents Park and Baker Street Tube.

The fruit stall you see in this picture is found at the junction of Oxford Street and New Bond Street (where you will find very expensive tailors, jewelers and the like). These little stores are a common site in London, providing fresh fruit at often lower prices than the supermarkets. Just north off Oxford Street from this point is the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square.

Oxford Street has existed since Roman times, linking London to Oxford. It used to be known as Tyburn Street after the River Tyburn which now runs underneath it. In the 18C it was notorious as the final route for prisoners on their way to the gallows at Tyburn (husbands been taken shopping along Oxford Street may feel the same way today!). The surrounding fileds were brought by the Earl of Oxford in 18C and developed into what has become the current shopping district.

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The tube stations that serve Oxford Street include Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Bond Street and Marble Arch.

The full panoramic image taken from the junction of New Bond Street and Oxford Street can be found on the London tour by PanoramicEarth.com. An enlargement of this photo can be found on Flickr. You can also find a marker for New Bond Street on Tagzania.

For more articles on London see the London Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Neal Street - London

This photo of the view of Neal Street in London is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of London. There are over 100 images taken from around London linked to an interactive map.

Plan your visit to London by taking advantage of these London Hotel Specials or Thomson City Breaks. Get the most of London with these London Guide Books

Finding out information on Neal Street is like looking up earth in the Hitchhikers Guide. Not quite ‘Mostly Harmless’, but almost as brief. Neal Street is a bustling shopping road, mostly pedestrianised, linking Shaftesbury Avenue to Covent Garden in the London Borough of Camden. Many of the shops along it sell modern fashion items mostly aimed at the modern, young and fashion conscious.

However, there are a number of other shops on Neal Street that, unlike a number of the clothing shops that come and go with the seasons, have remained in place for quite some time. These include the Kite Store at 48 Neal Street, and Neals Yard which sells a vast range of health food products. At the top of Neal Street (actually in Monmoth Street) is a good second hand jazz record shop.

Naturally it is risky listing the shops, pubs and restaurants in any London street, and Neal Street is no different. They tend to move on and change, making any effort to tell you what is there now hopelessly difficult. Neal Street is worth a stroll down, a browse along, as at least this is still one place in London which has yet to be dominated by the monotony of urban chain stores.

In the holiday season Neal Street can become very crowded, and even more so during the sales season.

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The nearest Tube station to Neal Street is Covent Garden, but Tottenham Court Road and Leicester Square are also nearby.

The full panoramic image taken from Neal Street can be found on the London tour by PanoramicEarth.com. An enlargement of this photo can be found on Flickr. You can also find a marker for Neal Street on Tagzania.

For more articles on London see the London Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Gabriel's Wharf Lookout - London

Gabriel’s Wharf is found on the South Bank of the Thames, just a couple of minutes away from the Oxo Tower, apart half way between Waterloo Bridge and Blackfriars Bridge. At this point the promenade that runs from Wesminster all the way down to Tower Bridge juts out into the Thames a little providing an excellent place from which to admire the view up and down the river.

Set back from the Thames is a shopping area, called Gabriel’s Wharf, in which you will find a lovely collection independent small shops and boutiques selling a variety of arts and crafts, many them made on site by the shop owners. At the weekends there is also a craft market in the area. Gabriel’s wharf has, therefore, an refreshing display of both creative talent and entrepreneurial spirit sorely lacking in much of the rest of the city where large chain stores have taken over much of the areas.

From Gabriel’s Wharf lookout you can clearly see St Paul’s Cathedral and the skyline of the City of London. Oxo Tower is but a couple of minutes away. The tower also contains a number of galleries as well as a fantastic, and equally expensive, restaurant on the top floor with fabulous panoramic views up and down the Thames. About 5 minutes further on down the Thames you will find the Tate Modern and the Millennium Bridge. In the other direction is Waterloo Bridge and 5 minutes beyond that is the London Eye.

Gabriel’s Wharf is more often ‘discovered’ by people than deliberately visited, but it is well worth the effort for those wanting to discover a quieter spot in London offering original talent. Take a pause here before continuing your walk.

Gabriel’s Wharf is also the location of the Coin Street Festival in the summer. The nearest tube stations to Gabriel's Wharf are Waterloo and Blackfriars.

The full panoramic image taken from the top of Rose Gardens can be found on the London tour by PanoramicEarth.com. An enlargement of this photo can be found on Flickr.

For more articles on London see the London Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.

Covent Garden - London

This photo of Covent Garden in London is part of one of the panoramic images found on the PanoramicEarth.com Tour of London. There are over 100 images taken from around London linked to an interactive map.

Plan your visit to London by taking advantage of these London Hotel Specials or Thomson City Breaks. Get the most of London with these London Guide Books

Covent Garden has to be one of the most famous shopping and café areas in London, located just north of the Strand and south of Neal Street. In and around Covent Garden you will find numerous shops and markets. Both the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Museum are close to Covent Garden, while the Royal Opera House is just around the corner.

You can find lovely pictures of Covent Garden taken from the air in Jason Hawke’s book London from the Air.

When most people talk of Covent Garden the first thing that tends to spring to mind is the square or Piazza. This is laid out in an Italian fashion. In the centre is a covered market area with some sunken shops. Often you can catch the chords of classical music being played by buskers as you browse the stalls. At either end are open air performers entertaining the gathered crowds. Human statues line the path from Covent Garden Tube station to the piazza itself waiting to be given coins which prompt sudden movement. In addition to all this, Covent Garden also contains some fairground rides.

When you get tired of browsing the market stalls and other shops, you will be spoilt for choice for a place to sit down, as Covent Garden is lined with various bars, cafes and restaurants. The Royal Opera House contains a café that actually overlooks Covent Garden providing a view of the top of the market and the people bustling around.

The name ‘Covent Garden’ comes from 'convent garden', and refers to the gardens of the Abbey or convent of St Paul. This 40 acre garden was established in the 12C by King John and played a role in providing not only Westminster Abbey, but also much of London, with fresh food for the next 300 years. This all came to an end under Henry VIII and in 1552 the land then known as “le Covent Garden” was granted by Royal patent to the Earl of Bedford in perpetuity.

Covent Garden began to take it’s present form by the 19C, and in 1973 was saved by complete redevelopment after a huge public outcry which resulted in many of the buildings, including the covered market area, receiving listed status.

The full panoramic image of the west end of Covent Garden showing the inside of one of the covered market areas, can be found on the London tour by PanoramicEarth.com. An enlargement of this photo can be found on Flickr.

For more articles on London see the London Index or select one of the labels at the bottom.