SIGHTSEEING LORD’S CRICKET GROUND Tours of the spiritual home of cricket incorporate the dressing rooms, the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, home of the original Ashes urn, and the award-winning J. P. Morgan Media Centre. Tours hourly 10.00-14.00 (please check for match day times; no tours on major match days). Architectural tours can also be arranged. 4 Nov Afternoon Tea And Tour. Monthly chance to take tea in the pavilion’s grand Long Room before touring the famous grounds. Admission £15, child £9. St. John’s Wood Road, NW8. 020 7616 8595. lords.org Ë St. John’s Wood. Map A2. MADAME TUSSAUDS The celebrated home of life-sized waxworks depicting famous figures from the world’s of politics, sport, history and entertainment. Pose with your favourite pop, film or sporting legend and visit the terrifying Chamber Of Horrors and Scream experience. Don’t miss the excellent Marvel Super Heroes 4D multi-sensory cinema housed in the former planetarium. Mon-Fri 09.00-17.30, weekends and school holidays 09.00- 18.00. Admission £30, child £25.80 (discounts online). Joint tickets with the <strong>London</strong> Eye, <strong>London</strong> Dungeon and <strong>London</strong> Aquarium available. Marylebone Road, NW1. 08718 943 000. madametussauds.com Ë Baker Street. Map A4. MEDIEVAL BANQUET Join in the boisterous Tudor revelry at this immersive experience recreating a medieval royal court. It offers themed entertainment, including duelling knights and dances, and a traditional medieval banquet served by costumed staff. Booking essential. Tues-Sat 19.15- 23.30; Sun 17.15-21.30. Tickets £49.95, child £30. Ivory House, St. Katharine Docks, E1. 020 7480 5353. medievalbanquet.com Ë Tower Hill. Map C9. THE MONUMENT This beautiful stone column towering over the centre of <strong>London</strong> was built in 1677 to mark the 1666 Great Fire of <strong>London</strong>. Visitors can see architect and scientist Sir Christopher Wren’s laboratory, and climb 311 steps to the golden orb for spectacular views of the city. Daily 09.30-17.30. Admission £3, child £1.50. Joint ticket with the Tower Bridge Exhibition available. Monument Street, EC3. 08451 659 812. themonument.info Ë Monument. Map C8. NAMCO Highly popular entertainment venue with more than 150 of the latest video games, a luxurious American pool hall, techno bowling and bumper cars. The private karaoke room, ‘Namoke’, has waiter service and 4,000 songs to choose from. Recent addition The Vault: Laser Maze Challenge is an exciting Mission Impossible-style labyrinth. Daily 10.00-00.00. Admission free. Riverside Buildings, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, SE1. 020 7967 1067. namcofunscape.com Ë t Waterloo. Map C6. OLD ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE This baroque masterpiece is the home of British naval training, with costumed characters and regular tours. Grounds open daily 08.00- 18.00; Painted Hall, Chapel and Discover Greenwich open daily 10.00-17.00. Sunday service is held at the Chapel at 11.00. Tours £6, child free. Admission free. Greenwich, SE10. 020 8269 4747. ornc.org Ë Greenwich/ Cutty Sark, or take a boat (p. 41). Map inset. Stars in your eyes Head to the historic Royal Observatory, home of the keepers of Greenwich Mean Time and the UK’s largest telescope, to see the awe-inspiring images from this year’s Astronomy Photographer Of The Year competition (until 3 Feb). Gaze on stunning shots of outer space as you’ve never seen it before, such as Sky Away From The Lights (pictured) taken by Tunç Tezel, and an aeroplane flying across the sun captured on camera by Dunja Zupanic. Organised in association with Sky At Night magazine, snapshots include distant galaxies, supernova explosions, the Northern Lights and our very own Milky Way. It’s an opportunity for a truly revelatory experience. Royal Observatory, p. 33. RIPLEY’S BELIEVE IT OR NOT! This curiosity shop-style museum is a hit across the globe, but a first for <strong>London</strong>. Explore a huge range of oddities, from a shrunken head to an albino alligator, via a red-knitted Ferrari and the world’s tallest man. Don’t miss the mind-blowing Mirror Maze and be sure to check out the Dungeon Zone for a dose of frightening fun. Daily 10.00-00.00. Admission £26.95, child £21.95. 1 Piccadilly Circus, W1. 020 3238 0022. ripleyslondon.com Ë Piccadilly Circus. Map C5. ROYAL ALBERT HALL TOURS A 60-minute front-of-house tour around this neo-gothic Victorian building, including the Royal Retiring Room, the auditorium and the Queen’s Box. Departs hourly on selected dates between 10.30-15.30. Tickets £8.50, child free. Kensington Gore, SW7. 020 7589 8212. royalalberthall.com Ë South Kensington. Map D2. ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW A botanical research centre and World Heritage Site containing plants from across the globe. The Xstrata Treetop Walkway has great views. Until 13 Mar A Natural Gallery. British sculptor David Nash exhibits his work using Kew’s gardens as a backdrop. Daily 11.00-17.30. Gardens open 09.30, closing times vary; glasshouses and galleries close 17.30. Admission £14.50, child free. Kew, Richmond, TW9. 020 8332 5655. kew.org Ë Kew Gardens. Off map. ROYAL MEWS Built by John Nash in 1825, this beautiful part of Buckingham Palace houses the Queen’s vehicles and horses, including the Gold SKY AWAY FROM THE LIGHTS © TUNÇ TEZEL, COURTESY OF THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY 30 | visitlondon.com|LONDON PLANNER|November 2012
THE ROYAL MEWS BUCKINGHAM PALACE See the historic carriages that took part in the Royal Wedding procession and Diamond Jubilee celebrations
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