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In March @Northwind and I will be travelling down to London for a long weekend of gigs. That's 3 nights of gigs (The Hold Steady's Weekender, for anyone who's interested) so our weekends are sorted but we need to have some plans for filling up the days
We'll be travelling down on Friday and staying somewhere around Camden probably. However much of Friday afternoon we have in London will probably be used to wander around Camden market, but that leaves us most of Saturday and Sunday and a shorter amount of time on Monday.
There's been several Weekenders now and in previous years we've done primarily geeky things including visiting the RAF Museum in Hendon, the Imperial War Museum, the V&A, the British Museum (twice, I think), the National Gallery, an exhibition at the Southbank Centre, and wandered around Hampstead Heath, Kew Gardens, Regent's Park, and various central bits of London.
So, what other stuff might appeal to a couple of middle-aged nerds while we're in London? And ideally some ideas that account for the possibility that Northwind might sleep until about midday on at least one day and that we need to be back near Camden for food and gigs fairly early each evening.
(This may also be an excellent opportunity for any of you southerners who want to meet and/or throw peanuts at a officially acknowledged Big Hitter to do so.)
not visit London....
Borough Market area always good for a mooch round if you are at all interested in food.
HMS Belfast seems an obvious omission from your military theme.
Tate Modern should be experienced once just for the turbine hall, even if you are not interested in art (make sure you enter from the end not the side for the full effect)
All of the above are along the South Bank so can be combined into one 'session'.
I recently enjoyed the F1 simulators with my son here; https://f1arcade.com/
You've done the British Museum but there's a very well written about exhibition just opening 'Legion' that I'm very interested in.
https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/legion-life-roman-army
Can be weather dependant but plenty of self guided walks / tours that you can find - you might have been to all these areas before but unless you have the right info you will have missed quite a bit
https://www.londonforfree.net/walks/
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/where-next/things-to-do/free-self-guide-london-walks
etc.
Few weird museums
https://thenudge.com/features/unusual-museums-in-london/
etc,
nickjb Free Member
Its quite a nice walk along the canal from Camden towards Kings Cross. There’s the canal museum there as well. A quirky place worth popping into is Novelty Automation in Holborn. Lots of wacky creations from the mind of Tim Hunkin
Actually we visited the canal museum last year, but we didn't walk there. We did walk the other way along the canal when we went to Regent's Park though.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far! The Legions exhibition at the British Museum sounds interesting, and we've probably only seen a fraction of what's in the museum normally too, it's quite close to King's Cross so tends to get visited on the Monday before we catch the train back up to civilisation, so they're often fairly short visits.
Coal Drops Yard in Kings X
Battersea Power Stn redevelopment
Can you take him up the oxo tower?
Moonwalkers at Coal Drops - https://lightroom.uk/whats-on/the-moonwalkers/
Ride in the Elizabeth Line at some point. Stand in the middle and watch the train snake as it climbs and turns in the tunnels under central London
Take mattocks, storm Westminster, start a coup.
Chelsea Physic Garden is nice if you are in the area. Always fun to see the plants that can be used to kill, incapacitate and cure. Not sure if things might be growing by March.
I'm still sad that the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre moved out of Covent Garden. Maddest collect of auomatons ever. Think it is in Kent now. Novelty Automation in Holborn has a few great ones still.
The south bank walk from Tower Bridge to the Tate is a little goldmine of interesting stuff. Golden Hinde, Tate, Wobbly footbrige, The Globe, Vineopilos, Southwalk Cathedral and Borough Market...
If you pre-book the Sky Garden in the walkie talkie building is pretty decent too.
stevenmenmuir Free Member
Take mattocks, storm Westminster, start a coup.
Not entirely dissimilar to something Northwind suggested!
I haven't done it myself but I've heard good things about the Postal Museum - in particular the train ride through the tiny tunnels that used to move mail around. https://www.postalmuseum.org/
Design museum on Kensington High Street has some interesting stuff and as with most museums, the permanent collection is free. It's also not too big so i tend to avoid the museum fatigue that I normally get after a couple of hours walking around at a slow pace with my hands clasped behind my back.
Out East really, but the old bits are in the City.
There are big old chunks of Roman wall:
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/Londons-Roman-City-Wall/
Leadenhall Market is amazing, used to be a great pub in there too.
The Monument, climb for amazing views, and not all expensive like other 'viewing' attractions.
APF
Science Museum
Natural History Museum
Go up The Monument
RIB ride on the Thames - great fun.
London Transport Museum
Was gonna suggest RAF Hendon but see you've done that.
Walking tour - we did the Spies & Spycatchers one a few years ago & it was very interesting (although perhaps a bit long. You can just sneak off if you have had enough: https://www.walks.com/our-walks/spies-spycatchers-london/
I hadn't realised they'd opened some of the old postal tunnels as a tourist attraction/museum! AWESOME! Last I saw of them was an unauthorised Urb Ex mission.
Right, that's one place I'm takign the kids at Easter then! Totally for them, not for me at all... Honest...
Some of the tall buildings have free to access viewing plaqtforms on their roofs, as required by planning. Interestign for aview fo the skyline...
nerds you say
pop on the train to milton keynes for a day.....
https://brickfestivalevents.com/event/mk-brick-festival/
kimbers Full Member
nerds you saypop on the train to milton keynes for a day…..
Sounds interesting, except for:
October 29, 2023 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
We may be nerds, but we aren't time travellers.
The Royal Observatory in Greenwich,
Science Museum,
Cutty Sark,
The V&A is always excellent too.
Wellcome collection can have some interesting stuff on. Close to Kings cross as well.
Came here to suggest this. They also sponsor the medical history section at the Science Museum, which is fascinating and usually deserted as people go for the glamorous exhibits in the main building.
Be a Shoreditch hipster go to Gilbert and George centre, eat at pelliccis, beigel at brick lane, local markets on a weekend. Full of instaspammers but not as bad as anywhere obviously touristy, Monmouth coffee in Covent garden was full of them, they weren't even buying anything.....just doing selfies.
db Full Member
Head out to Greenwich for the Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum and Observatory? Plus a walk round the park and you’re sorted for a day.
We actually have done this one a few years back, though we didn't actually make it into the Observatory itself.
I think we intended to go to the Natural History Museum a couple of years ago but there was a huge queue so we ended up in the V&A instead. And for a while I was reluctant to go to the Science Museum as I seemed to end up there every time I was in London and it felt a bit played out for me. But that may not be the case any more.
The transport museum and postal tunnels sound interesting, actually lots of it does so thanks for all the suggestions! And I'd like to get back to RAF Hendon at some point as quite a few of the hangers were closed the last time I went, but it's not a priority if we have other ideas that appeal.
Lots of great suggestions above. Another idea is to buy a copy of London Hidden Walks and just do an outdoor walk in a special neighbourhood. Soho, Mayfair and Shoreditch were each fascinating walks that occupied a solid half day.
https://metropublications.com/products/copy-of-londons-hidden-walks-1-volume-2
Design Museum is pretty good, even if just to look at displays of old mobile phones and play “had that one”
Yep, did that with the kids at Christmas. There's the big wall of stuff and we had fun spotting all the things we have/I used to have. My 9 year old had no idea what a Walkman was so then had to find a cassette tape on the wall to explain what you did with it
The Cutty Sark is definitely worth a look around, a mate and I went around it not long after it was restored following the fire, and keep your eyes open when looking round the hold; someone has a sense of humour…
If you’re visiting Borough Market, book a ticket for The Shard, if the weather’s fine, the views are incredible from around 1000’ up with glass all around.
Another vote for the Science Museum, no-brainer if you're mildly nerdy and not been before. Get there at opening time, 10am to get some crowd free time. I've been going since about 1970, changed a bit over the years.
And if you're out in Docklands go on the Dangleway
I always forget to book the sky garden, looks good. I like the Design museum, the Science museum (mostly for the dissembled Spitfire which isn't there anymore I think). From memory the Tower bridge has some interesting technology/construction.
I'd look nearer the time for what exhibitions are on, there's always something interesting.
There are always nice wee gardens etc everywhere for a picnic lunch but probs not the right season.
London Transport Museum do tours of some of the closed parts of the underground network I believe. Never been myself but would find it very interesting.
South Bank/Borough - that hasn’t been mentioned:
The Clink museum
The Old Operating theatre
elsewhere…
The Sky Garden is free, and consequently always massive queues when I walk past to by my lunch, there’s a better view from a new spot on Bishopsgate - Horizon22.
I always enjoy the aquarium but I haven’t been for ages and I don’t think I’ve been on a weekend, so it might be horrifically busy.
We may be nerds, but we aren’t time travellers.
oops yes the 2024 one might be a better shout
Hidden London tour of abandoned or historic tube stations, the Down street or Baker Street tours are fantastic (gives free admission to London Transport museum as well)
Gods Own junkyard in Walthamstow, neon sign heaven and a cafe, (possibly only open Fri/Sat)
Viktor Wynd museum of curiosities (who doesn’t want to see Russell Brands pubic hair next to a pickled pygmy head)
Horrible Histories river cruise (it’s not just for kids)
Walk through the graffiti tunnel under Waterloo station
Get the commuter river taxi along the river for a great cheap view of many major landmarks.
Build your own hotpot here: http://www.potpotmalatang.com (NB even the least spicy soup base will clean the ear wax from your ears!)
Greenwich is worth a visit, you can get the clipper there along the Thames, it passes under tower bridge, and you might get lucky to see it opening.
In Greenwich you have the Cutty Sark, Greenwich Observatory and National Maritime Museum. You can even walk under the Thames using a pedestrian tunnel. There's plenty of places to eat and a brewery.
Edit: Get the DLR back into town, make sure you sit at the front to get the full effect of a driverless train.
Another shout for the Museum of London, a bit of a hidden gem
Very hidden currently. The main Barbican one closed in 2022. Its going to reopen at the old Smithfields market but not till 2026 (current estimate but its already slipped back. Think the original plan was a short closure to move stuff but they are still waiting for the new one).
The docklands branch is ok but is a lot smaller and reasonable way out. Possibly worth putting together with the Cutty sark/dome but would be lower down my list of places to visit.
Van Gogh Immersive. Beer in the Brick Lane Taproom. Job Jobbed.
Went with my wife last year as somebody bought us tix. Way better than I expected. You can sit in deck chairs watching the paintings materialise and dematerialise around you - good for calming down after a gig. Then have a couple of massively over priced but very nice ales at the tap room.
https://vangoghexpo.com/london/
holdsteadyFull Member
leftfield suggestion – Chislehurst Caves, 30mins on train from London Bridge, fascinating historyand yes, from my username you’ll probably guess I’m a fan of The Hold Steady and will be at the first 2 nights at Electric Ballroom
Thanks for the suggestion, that doesn't sound like it'd take much longer to get to than some stuff in London anyway!
Getting to the Weekender has become something I really look forward to. We've been fortunate enough to make it to the Sunday shows each time too. IIRC some tickets for Sunday might get released quite close to the date so maybe there's still a chance if you want to make it to that one too.
Just back from the Weekender, a trip to London, 3 great gigs and in between them we managed to visit the Transport Museum, the Postal Museum and a relatively short trip to the British Museum (we skipped the Legion exhibition due to time constraints).
Thanks to all who made suggestions!
not visit London…
That whoooshing sound? That’s the point going right over your head…
I’d suggest the Courtaulds Gallery, which is part of Somerset House. Brilliant little gallery, has lots of interesting stuff and is remarkably quiet, so you get to stand and look at things without being disturbed by loads of tourists. One or two might be familiar…
Those are my photos, taken with my phone, and you can clearly see the brushstrokes in the paint because you can stand up close to the paintings.
How nerdy? Visit some post-war bus depots and stations for serious architecture?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockwell_Garage
and Newbury Park station, which is listed too https://historicengland.org.uk/services-skills/education/educational-images/newbury-park-station-bus-shelter-ilford-8350
That Crossness place looks amazing. Thats 100% on the list when i'm next back. Another vote for the John Soames Museum, just so so much stuff!
Chislehurst caves is a weird old spot but if your venturing out of the city, maybe add the Horniman Museum onto the list as well and the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs (Plus Crystal Palace is a decent spot for lunch).
Sorry as I've not read the thread so it MUST have come up.
The Science Museum.
Went there as a kid but didn't appreciate it as I was only about 8.
Went there decades later with my son and his g/f, they were about 14. I hadn't even made it past "Stephenson's Rocket" before they came back down to the entrance and told me they had seen it all".
Little sh*ts. I completely intend going back there and spending at least a full day going round there in the future. I could probably spend a couple of days there in all honesty. Wouldn't mind the Natural History Museum either actually. Best make it a full week.
Just to reiterate, I've now been and gone to London, so any further recommendations are now unlikely to be acted upon this year! I will however try and remember about this thread when planning for next year's Weekender starts. 🙂
A year has passed and another long weekend trip to London is imminent!
Last year we visited the Transport Museum, the Postal Museum and made another trip to the British Museum. I particularly liked the Postal Museum. I think I have realised that I have a nasty combination of having to read all the little info cards you get for museum exhibits but I also get kind of burnt out reading lots and lots of them, so museums that are heavier on the descriptive text (like the Transport Museum and British Museum to some extent) kind of start burning me out after a while.
This year we've been talking about going back to the RAF Museum in Hendon, and maybe going to St Pauls. The Mithraeum isn't too far from St Pauls and the Monument isn't much further along from there so maybe they can be rolled together. However The Hold Steady are playing a 4th night this year so more ideas for filling up the days are welcome!
Seeing as this thread has been bumped, it looks as though the Cabinet War Rooms have not been mentioned. If you are into military stuff I'd say they are a must see.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/cabinet-war-rooms
IIRC Northwind (the other middle-aged nerd on this trip) has been to the Cabinet War Rooms and while he recommends them he isn't interested in a return visit at the moment, so they're out for now.
The underground tours sound pretty good!
The Tim Burton exhibition at the Design Museum is good, usually more time slots in the afternoon.
Battersea Power Station is a nice space and you can watch the super rich doing a bit of shopping.
You can also jump on the river boat at Battersea and go down to Greenwich ,it's a great way to see good views of the city at night .
We also had a mooch around the new Kings Cross,which ( I think) is very impressive.
Unless you are one of the super rich,prepare to be ambushed by some ' Howfrikinmuch' moments 😉 😀
Edit: D'oh already been suggested.
Actually I have one that hasn't, RAF museum, Northern line to Collin dale.