Sunday, August 31, 2008

Westminster Cathedral



Westminster Cathedral, not to be confused with Westminster Abbey, is one of the great sights of London - in my book, anyway.
The Abbey is where Kings, Queens, poets and the Establishment are buried; it’s a medieval building in the Gothic style, and an Anglican church. The Cathedral, on the other hand, is a Victorian building in neo-Byzantine style, and it’s a Roman Catholic church.


The foundation stone was laid in 1895. It is mainly in brick in the white-and-red decorative fabric of the great west front. It’s a magnificent building, even though on a busy day it sometimes reminds me of a large railway station. It’s huge, for a start - 342 feet longm, 148 feet wide, with three great domes and using over 10 million bricks.
The other thing that rather puzzles me is why this cathedral looks so much like an Ottoman mosque. I know the Turks were much influenced by Hagia Sophia, so perhaps there’s a mutual influence there - but the west front, with its little domed turrets cascading down from the great dome, really does look incredibly like one of the great mosques of Istanbul - Sultanahmet perhaps, or Suleymaniye. And the tower looks almost as much like a minaret as it does a Byzantine tower.


The interior is splendidly decorated with marble and mosaic. The marble used in the decoration comes from Greece, from Languedoc (the red), from Verona (the yellow), and from Carrara in Italy (the capitals at the top of each column). The altar, on the other hand, is made out of Cornish granite - and apparently weighs ten tons.


Don’t miss the Stations of the Cross. They were carved by the great Eric Gill - a master stonemason and engraver. His work is clearly twentieth-century and yet it has something of the intensity and concentration of the best medieval art about it. (His impassive, finely carved figures weren’t understood at the time when they were unveiled in 1915-16 - they were widely derided as flat and undevotional; it’s only later that Gill’s real artistic value was understood.)


Entrance to the cathedral is free, but there’s a charge to ascend the campanile - a marvellous red-and-white striped needle - for a marvellous view of London. And there is a lift - in case you were worried about your ability to manage all those steps.


The cathedral choir is also renowned, particularly for its performance of Spanish Renaissance music. The wonderful acoustic doesn’t hurt either. Go to choral vespers and it’s rumoured you won’t even have to sit through a sermon - just smells and bells and the most marvellous music.


Nearest Tube: Victoria Street, SW1(Victoria tube station)
Timings: cathedral 7 am to 7pm, tower viewing gallery 930-1230 and 1-5pm. Cathedral closes 530 pm on public holidays.
Fee: cathedral free, admission charge for tower

Friday, August 29, 2008

London Travel Disrupted By Strike


Commuters travelling across London by bus face heavy disruptions today as 2,500 drivers and other workers strike over pay.

The 24-hour walkout, which began at 3am, is predicted to bring travel chaos to the capital. It involves 2,500 staff at First Capital East Buses and First Centrewest Buses. Their union - Unite - says the action will be followed by a 48-hour stoppage on Friday September 12.

It has warned other bus workers in London are also considering strike action. Friday's proposed walkout comes after staff rejected a four per cent pay rise.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Strike to hit London Airports


London's Gatwick and Stansted airports are to be hit by strike action later this month as baggage handlers, check-in workers and security scanners walk out in disputes over pay.

Employees of Grupo Ferrovial SA's Swissport International AG unit will stage two 24-hour stoppages at both airports on Aug. 25 and 29, the Unite and GMB trade unions say. Security-scanner operators at Stansted will also strike Aug. 25 over a separate pay claim, the GMB said.

Gatwick is Britain's second-busiest airport, attracting nearly 35 million passengers a year, and Stansted is fourth busiest, with almost 24 million.

The action against Swissport will affect at least 12 of the 79 airlines at Gatwick, together with Ryanair Holdings Plc and EasyJet Plc at Stansted, the unions said, while the scanner dispute will limit Stansted passengers to hand baggage only, according to the GMB.

Source: The Calgary Herald

Monday, August 25, 2008

Countdown to 2012 Begins With Questions


The moment the mayor of London appeared during the closing ceremony on Sunday night it put questions into everyone's minds. Boris Johnson shuffled onstage, his middle button undone, a hand in his pocket. He waved, pointed, pumped his fist and grinned: a naughty schoolboy out with the grown-ups.

How well London will carry that flag is a question its representatives have found themselves asked repeatedly over the last two weeks.

What can they do to follow this no-expenses-spared Olympics, with its spectacular arenas, clockwork organization and attention to detail? The first problem for London is simply one of cash. Estimates for the cost of the Beijing Games, apart from the Beijing organizing committee’s operating budget, start at $40 billion. And that does not account for the difference in labor costs, which are considerably lower in China than they will be in London.

One of the defining elements in Beijing has been the legions of young volunteers. Paul Deighton, the chief executive of the London Olympic committee, said he could not hope to duplicate their numbers. “One of the great strengths of China is the ability to mobilize so many resources and people,” he said. “We will give the individuals bigger roles and more independence. That is a model that works best for the British.”

While the show put on by the hosts Sunday night was not an epic narrative like the opening ceremony, it was still spectacular, huge and, except for the athletes’ entry, meticulously choreographed. Then the British appeared, with a dance skit including a London bus and members of three dance companies. Clearly, they were playing far from home, with limited resources. Even so, it looked chaotic and under-rehearsed.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Tube passengers trapped in lift



Passengers were trapped in a lift in a London Underground station for one-and-half-hours due to a faulty lock, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

The 23 passengers were stuck in the lift in Elephant and Castle station on Friday night and London Fire Brigade were called to open the lift, TfL said.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said an ongoing strike that day had led to a delay in the rescue.

TfL said the strike had had "no bearing" on the incident.

The incident happened at 2145 BST on Friday, and TfL said it called the fire brigade after staff at the station were unable to open the doors.

Obviously worrying RMT general secretary Bob Crow accused managers of "cavalier attitude".
He said: "Under normal circumstances, if it took more than 20 minutes to get people out managers would be demanding to know why it had taken so long and if it took more than an hour, they would be looking for someone to discipline."

A spokesman for TfL said: "The incident was caused by faulty doors.

"Its obviously worrying for passengers when they are trapped in the lift but the strike had no bearing on the incident. "London Underground is satisfied that staff at the station worked in accordance with procedure."

Station staff who are members of the RMT were on strike to protest against the sacking of a member. The TfL spokesman said the staff member was dismissed for allegedly assaulting a customer, adding that the "well reviewed" decision was upheld after appeals.


Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

London Weather

London is a year-round tourist centre, with few of its attractions closing or significantly reducing their opening hours in winter. Your best chance of good weather is, of course, at the height of summer in July and August, but there's certainly no guarantee of sun even in those months - plus it's when you can expect the biggest crowds and highest prices.

Many who live in London would swear that global warming has added a twist to the city's unpredictable climatic conditions. While locals used to complain about the frequent, but still somehow always unforeseen, arrival of rain, now they find themselves faced with sudden outbreaks of sunshine and dry heat instead.
Recent summers have seen record temperatures, approaching 40°C and autumns have been positively toasty. As the tube turns into the Black Hole of Calcutta and traffic fumes become choking, London is particularly ill-equipped to cope with such heat.
However, meteorologists point out that recent statistics don't yet represent anything terribly out of the ordinary for such a naturally variable climate. The average maximum temperature for July, the hottest month, is still only about 23°C. In spring and autumn temperatures drop to between 13°C and 17°C. In winter, the average daily maximum is 8°C, the overnight minimum 2°C.

Despite the appearance of snow in the past few years, it still rarely freezes in London. What weather forecasters do predict in the long-term, as a result of climate change in London, is drier summers, wetter and stormier winters and more flash floods.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Access to Heathrow Airport

Public transport





  • Heathrow Express: a non-stop service directly to London's Paddington station; trains leave every 15 minutes for the 15-minute journey, either from Terminal 5 or Heathrow Central (Terminals 1, 2, 3). Passengers transferring between these two stations on the Heathrow Express may use the service free of charge.

  • Heathrow Connect: a service to Paddington calling at up to five National Rail stations en route - trains leave every 30 minutes for the 25-minute journey. Heathrow Connect services use Heathrow Central station (Terminals 1, 2, 3) and terminate at Terminal 4 - passengers transferring between these two stations at Heathrow may use the service free of charge.

  • London Underground Piccadilly line: four tube stations serve the airport - Terminals 1, 2, 3; Terminal 4; Terminal 5 and Hatton Cross. The standard journey time from the Heathrow Terminals 1, 2, 3 tube station to Central London is 40-50 minutes.

  • Long-distance coach services operated by National Express to various parts of the UK, including Victoria Coach Station in London.


  • A door-to-door London hotel shuttle bus service is operated by Dot2Dot from each terminal, and HotelHoppa buses connect each terminal with hotels in the Heathrow area.

  • There are two RailAir coach services connecting nearby railway stations with the airport using dedicated non-stop coaches. These run to:Reading railway station, connecting with railway services to the West Country, South Wales, Midlands and south coast of England Woking railway station, for places in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset and Wiltshire
  • Heathrow Airport has one of the United Kingdom's biggest bus stations, with many local bus services (Transport for London) to nearby London suburbs.
Car
Heathrow is accessible via the nearby M4 motorway and A4 road (Terminals 1–3), the M25 motorway (Terminals 4 and 5), and the A30 road (Terminal 4). There are drop off and pick up areas at all terminals and short and long stay multi-storey car parks. Additionally, there are car parks (not run by BAA) just outside the airport, these are connected to the terminals by shuttle buses. Heathrow airport is also served by taxi services.

Four parallel tunnels under one of the runways connect the M4 motorway and the A4 road to Terminals 1–3. The two larger tunnels are each two lanes wide and are used for motorised traffic. The two smaller tunnels were originally reserved for pedestrians and bicycles; to increase traffic capacity the cycle lanes have been modified to each take a single lane of cars, although bicycles still have priority over cars. Pedestrian access to the smaller tunnels has been discontinued, with the free bus services being the alternative.

Bicycle
There are (mainly off-road) bicycle routes almost to the terminals. Free bicycle parking places are available in car parks 1 and 1A, though use of the left-luggage services may be more secure. Free specialist maps showing cycle routes are published by Transport for London - 'London Cycling Guide 6' covers Terminals 1, 2 & 3 while 'London Cycling Guide 9' covers Terminal 4.

One coach on each Heathrow Connect train has an area reserved for wheelchairs and bicycles (wheelchairs have priority). Heathrow Express trains have space for three bicycles. There are rush-hour restrictions: unfolded bicycles are not allowed on trains due to arrive at Paddington between 07:45 and 09:45, or departing between 16:30 and 18:30, Monday to Friday.

If luggage and conditions permit, it is much cheaper (about one third the price) to travel by train between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington and then cycle the remaining two miles (3 km).

Heathrow Airport




Heathrow is located 15 miles (24 km) west of central London, England, near the southern end of the London Borough of Hillingdon and in the county of Middlesex.


Heathrow is one of six airports serving the London area, along with Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Southend and City although only Heathrow and City airports are located within Greater London. Heathrow Airport is used by over 90 airlines which fly to 170 destinations worldwide. The airport is the primary hub of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.


Terminal 1 : Opened in 1968 and then formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II in May 1969. In 2005, a substantial redesign and redevelopment of Terminal 1 was completed, which saw the opening of the new Eastern Extension, doubling the departure lounge in size and creating additional seating and retail space. Terminal 1 handles most of Heathrow's domestic and Irish routes along with some long haul routes and European routes.


Terminal 2 : It is Heathrow's oldest terminal and was opened as the Europa Building in 1955. Terminal 2, as well as the adjacent Queens Building, will close in 2008 after the opening of Terminal 5, to allow for the construction of the new Heathrow East terminal. According to BAA, Terminal 2 will be demolished in 2009. Terminal 2 handles mainly European routes.


Terminal 3 : Opened as The Oceanic Terminal on 13 November 1961 to handle flight departures for long-haul routes. At this time the airport had a direct helicopter service to Central London from the gardens on the roof of the terminal building. The Oceanic Terminal was renamed as Terminal 3 in 1968 and was expanded in 1970 with the addition of an arrivals building. Other facilities were also added, including the UK's first moving walkways. In 2006, the new £105 million Pier 6 was completed in order to accommodate the Airbus A380 superjumbo; Singapore Airlines now operate regular flights from Terminal 3 using the Airbus A380.


Terminal 4: was constructed to the south of the southern runway next to the existing cargo terminal, away from the three older terminals, and was connected with Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the already-existing Heathrow Cargo Tunnel. Terminal 4 was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales in April 1986, and became the home for then newly-privatised British Airways.
Work is now underway on a complete refurbishment and modernisation of Terminal 4's forecourt to improve passengers' experiences, reduce traffic congestion and improve security.


Terminal 5 : Built at a cost of £4.3 billion, the new terminal is located on the western side of the airport on the site of the former Perry Oaks sewage works, between the northern and southern runways. The four storeys of the main terminal building (Concourse A) are covered by a single-span undulating steel frame roof, stretching 90 metres (295 ft) from east to west. In addition to the main terminal building, there are also two satellite buildings linked to the main terminal by an underground people mover transit system. The first satellite (Concourse B) includes dedicated aircraft stands for the Airbus A380; Concourse C is currently under construction and scheduled to open in 2010. In total, Terminal 5 has 60 aircraft stands and capacity for 30 million passengers annually; this will enable Heathrow to handle up to 90 million passengers a year, up from its previous figure of 68 million (compared with a design capacity of 45 million). There are more than 100 shops and restaurants.


A more distant long-stay car park for business passengers will be linked to the terminal by a personal rapid transit system, which will open in 2009. New branches of both the Heathrow Express and the Underground's Piccadilly Line serve a new shared Heathrow Terminal 5 station, which also has space for a third pair of tracks for future additional rail services. BAA are currently consulting on the route of a new rail link, called Heathrow Airtrack, to Staines High Street and through direct services to Reading, Guildford and London Waterloo. The terminal is also connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by the Heathrow Airside Road Tunnel.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Amazing Facts about Thames


For centuries, London's waterways have been fascinating places of historic, social and environmental significance. Here are some amazing facts we bet you didn't know...
Wildlife

  • Seen swans on the river? It is believed that Richard the Lionheart first introduced the swans to the Thames from Cyprus in the 12th century.
  • The Thames is home to important wildlife habitats, supporting 119 different species of fish and with 146 Sites of Special Scientific Interest.

Drinking Water

  • Thames water is, believe it or not, drinkable. If you scooped a glass out of the river and left the silt to settle overnight, the water would be clean enough to drink! We don't recommend you try it though.
  • A drop of rain falling into the Thames at its source in the Cotswolds will have been drunk by 8 people before it reaches the sea.

Geography

  • The river Thames begins life as a trickle in a Gloucestershire meadow and flows for over 217km (135 miles) though the Cotswolds, Oxford, Henley and Windsor before it reaches London.
There are 37 major crossings over the Thames, including 33 bridges and 4 tunnels (not including Tube tunnels).
  • The Thames Path follows the river for 296km (184 miles) from its source, making it the longest riverside walk in Europe.
  • Half a million years ago before the North Sea existed, the Thames flowed from Wales to Clacton and onward to become a tributary of the Rhine!
  • London has an extensive canal network that includes the Grand Union Canal and Regent's Canal, totalling 129km (80 miles).
  • The river Thames is the longest river in England.
  • There is a 8m (26ft) change in the water level of the river Thames. The highest and lowest tidal changes occur in spring.
  • Bonus Facts

    • There are currently four World Heritage Sites in the city of London: the
    Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Gardens - all along the river.
  • The Romans knew the Thames as Tamesis. The name may have originally come from the Latin for "wide water" or the Sanskrit word meaning "dark water".
  • The river used to be incredibly dirty because it was where all waste from London ended up. In 1858 the stench became so bad it was known as "The Great Stink"!
  • It takes 61 seconds to open Tower Bridge, which opens about 1,000 times a year.
  • Thursday, August 14, 2008

    Quirky London facts

    Best views in London is from the top of the Monument – it’s 202 feet high because it is 202 feet from the site of the baker’s house in Pudding Lane where the Great Fire of London started in 1666. There are 311 stairs to climb but you do get a certificate to say you’ve done it!

    The bright lights of Piccadilly Circus are famous through-out the world. So is the Statue of Eros. Look closely and you’ll see that Eros isn’t really a statue but a fountain on which a small figure rests, commemorating the philanthropic Earl of Shaftesbury. Some say that the figure is really a pun on Shaftesbury’s name as the bow doesn’t have an arrow in it and is pointing downwards as if the arrow (or shaft) has already been shot and is “buried” in the ground. Nearby Trafalgar Square, famous for Nelson's column is also where London distances are measured. The actual point is on the corner of Strand and Charing Cross Road, near the statue of Charles 1 - there is even a plaque on the wall confirming this.

    Marble Arch is a well-known landmark, seemingly lost on its own island. It was originally built as the entrance to Buckingham Palace but not used. Inside the Arch is a tiny office which used to be a police station.

    On the traffic island at the junction of Edgware Road & Marble Arch is a plaque which most people ignore, marking the site of the Tyburn Tree, London’s main execution spot, where about 50,000 people were executed. Nearby in Bayswater Road is the Shrine and Tyburn Convent where the nuns still pray for the souls of those whose lost their lives.

    Covent Garden is really a spelling mistake! The area used to be the market garden for what is now Westminster Abbey monastery and convent.

    The architect of the Oxo Tower originally wanted to use electric lighting to advertise the meat extract product but permission was refused so he re-designed it with OXO incorporated as windows on all four sides of the window which shined out the advertising message. The building now houses restaurants, design shops and galleries.

    In 1881 the Savoy Theatre became the first theatre to be lit by electricity. The Savoy Hotel stands on the site of the Palace of the Savoy – see the panels on each side of the approach to the hotel recording its history. Cars coming from the Strand to the Savoy must travel on the right, not left – this is the only place we’ve heard of in Britain where this happens.

    Events that will change the world sometimes take place in innocuous places. John Baird first demonstrated how television would work above what is now Bar Italia in Frith St, Soho.

    At one stage the Tower of London was like a zoo - it housed a menagerie of all kinds of animals includings lions. The moat used to have water in it but was drained in 1843 and during the war was used to grow vegetables.

    Much of the land is London is still owned by The Crown and a handful of rich families. The largest and most lucrative of these historic estates is that of the Grosvenors, much of whose land is in Mayfair & Belgravia. Part of the reason that this area looks so smart is because the Grosvenor estate exercises strict control over the upkeep of properties, ensuring they are all regularly painted in a magnolia cream colour, don’t have satellite dishes and in some cases have the coat of arms on them. You can get a walking tour map of Mayfair & Belgravia from the estate office.

    Criss-crossing London’s bridges and following the Thames Path (now the longest riverside walk in Europe) is a great way to see London. The oldest surviving bridge is the Clattern Bridge at Kingston dating back to the 12th century. Richmond Bridge is the oldest Thames surviving Thames bridge (built 1774) and is a great starting point for a leisurely walk to Ham House.

    The Thames used to be incredibly dirty because it was where all waste from London ended up. In 1858 the stench became so bad it was known as "The Great Stink" - so plans were drawn up to provide proper sewers and drainage. The Victoria Embankment between Westminster and Blackfriars Bridges houses some of these and provides a major route from Westminster to the City.

    Thursday, August 7, 2008

    The Exclusive Haunts of London's Elite

    Its not uncommon to sight celebrities walking the streets of London. London's fashionable areas boast of an almost exclusively celebrity clientele. Here are some of the city's places where you can sight a celebrity.

    Bungalow 8: in the Covent Garden area of London, is a regular haunt of many famous people. This is a fashionable, subterranean with regular guests including Kelly Osbourne, Kate Moss, Damien Hurst and top designer Christopher Kane, who held his Dazed and Confused Fashion Week after party in the club. With bottles of water alone costing £10 though, you'd better be ready to spend like a celebrity as you rub shoulders with them.

    Maddox is another upmarket establishment. A members-only bar situated in the Mayfair area, this bar was designed by renowned designer Sammy Chams, who created a minimal space with room for a bar, boutique club area and an Italian restaurant with the main focal point being the glass encased DJ booth at the top of a staircase. Playing a mix of funky house, R 'n B and chart hits, Maddox has a wide range of cocktails and food on offer, sure to please even the most discerning of London clubbers, with top names seen at the club including P Diddy and Keira Knightley.

    Maya:Arguably the hottest West End late night haunt in the Soho area, decorated in stunning colours with walls clad with transparent screens etched in a mosaic effect, which alternate through a spectrum of vivid fluorescent colours during the night. With most nights in Maya packed full of upbeat and friendly club goers the atmosphere is always vibrant, with table service being provided by a fleet of waitresses clad in bright yellow hotpant-length playsuits. With a music policy ranging from current rock acts to 70's cheese, the dancefloor is busy all night long helping to sustain a tremendous atmosphere.