London is a unique place where old meets new at every corner and where this city takes every opportunity to show off its beautifully rich heritage, its talented people and the many wonderful ways they live, love and engage with their city.
The great outdoors
London is a green city with many outdoor play areas where families can play, socialize with friends and conserve city wildlife. From a range of city farms to parks, woodland areas to wetlands – there’s a bit of everything in London. On a sunny day we love to take our bikes or scooters out and explore London’s beautiful parks with their play areas, ponds with diverse birds (try to spot the exotic parrots, or just have a picnic on the grass). London is also the home of Kew, which is at the forefront of research into nature’s fragile eco-system and ways to preserve it. Kew is a great place to visit and explore and their recently opened Children’s Garden is probably the best play space in the capital. For the weird and curious, the leafy historic graveyards like Nunhead and Brompton cemeteries are quiet historic and eerie places of contemplation. And of course the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is great for exploration, adventure and sporting fun.
Theatres
London attracts best talent from around the world, so we are more than excited to see top productions being performed in our city. We are however lucky to have the opportunity to explore the world of the fringe theatre and the community productions where talent has no boundaries.
Museums
Some of the world’s most famous museums are in London and they’re free! Locals and visitors can explore and learn about art, science, history and loads more. London is also home to some of the more unusual and less crowded smaller museums like the Sherlock Holmes house and the Dennis Severs’ House where we can take a peek into life as it was hundreds of years ago just by looking at the beautifully preserved Victorian and Georgian rooms. The toddler’s favourite remains the science museum (their free play spaces are amazing!) whilst this writer’s top favourite is the Welcome Collection, where weird and wonderful old and new medical stories are there to be questioned and explored by all those with a curious mind.
Old and new architecture
Our city has been shaped over more than 1000 years and all generations of talented architects left their marks for us all to explore and admire. From first buildings more than 1000 years old like Tower of London built by William the Conqueror to Christopher Wren’s masterpiece that is St Paul’s Cathedral and Renzo Piano’s highest building in Europe; the Shard. London’s ever changing skyline and amazing architecture can be admired from the streets, from the inside of the buildings, or from the rooftops. Plus there’s the architecture festival which celebrates London every year with lots of buildings open to the public and free events throughout the capital.
London Libraries
London is home of the British Library, the mother of all things poetry and prose and the keeper of all books and publications that have ever been published in the UK. And there are the local libraries, the fun and friendly places where books come to life and people of all ages converge to talk about stories, learn about their community or take part in events. We’re so proud of our free libraries and for the work they do to support us all in our learning journeys.