London City Guide - Further Distractions

London’s Parks
Together, St James’s Park, Green Park, Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens stretch from Whitehall to Kensington in the west. St James’s Park and Green Park are at the heart of royal and governmental London, cantilevered around Buckingham Palace, while Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner is the place for soapbox philosophers to harangue passers-by on Sunday mornings. Kensington Gardens contains the delightful Serpentine Gallery, as well as the glittering Albert Memorial and the controversial Memorial Fountain in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. Regent’s Park, just north of Oxford Circus, is home to London Zoo, while immediately next door is Primrose Hill, with a fabulous view and chic village atmosphere. Of the many other parks in London, two are huge but further out – Hampstead Heath in north London and Richmond Park in south London. Hampstead Heath boasts acres of natural parkland, the 18th-century Kenwood House, numerous bathing ponds and another fantastic view over the capital. Richmond Park is the largest open space in London, first enclosed as a hunting park by King Charles I in 1637, it still boasts deer. Last, but not least, Greenwich Park is the oldest enclosed royal park. Situated on a hilltop with impressive views across East London, it provides a setting for several historic buildings, including the Old Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Queen's House.

All Royal Parks (tel: (020) 7298 2000; website: www.royalparks.gov.uk), except Hampstead Heath (tel: (020) 7482 7073; website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk).

Serpentine Gallery
Kensington Gardens, W2
Tel: (020) 7402 6075.
Website: www.serpentinegallery.org
Free admission.

London Zoo
Outer Circle, Regent's Park, NW1
Tel: (020) 7722 3333.
Website: www.londonzoo.com
Opening hours: 1000-1730 (Mar-Oct), 1000-1600 (Nov-Feb).
Admission charge.

Kenwood House
Hampstead Lane, NW3
Tel: (020) 8348 1286.
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk
Opening hours: Daily 1100-1700 (24 Mar-31 Oct); 1100-1600 (1 Nov-23 Mar).
Free admission.

Highgate Cemetery
Resonating with the ghosts of such luminaries as Karl Marx and George Eliot, Highgate Cemetery is one of London’s most extraordinary places. With some of the finest Victorian funerary architecture in the country, many of the memorials are architecturally listed sites. The East Cemetery contains Karl Marx’s grave and monumental bust. The West Cemetery contains the remarkable Lebanon Circle, formed of 20 family catacombs surrounding an ancient cedar tree, as well as other notable monuments. Visitors can freely explore the East Cemetery but can only visit the West Cemetery by booking the one-hour guided tours in advance (by telephone).

Swains Lane, N6
Tel: (020) 8340 1834.
Website: http://highgate-cemetery.org
Opening hours: East Cemetery: Mon-Fri 1000-1700, Sat and Sun 1100-1700 (Apr-Oct); Mon-Fri 1000-1600, Sat and Sun 1100-1600 (Nov-Mar); last admission half an hour before closing. West Cemetery tours: Mon-Fri 1400 (Mar-Nov only); Sat and Sun 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400 and 1500; Mon-Fri 1400 (Mar-Nov only); Sat and Sun 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500 and 1600 (Apr-Oct).
Admission charge.

Tate Britain
The Gallery of Modern British Art opened in 1897, around the collection of sugar merchant Henry Tate. It now holds an unrivalled collection of English paintings from 1500 to the present day. Much 20th-century art has moved to the Tate Modern (see above), however, some remains on rotation here, from Gaudier Brzeska to Gilbert and George. There is also the 'Art Now' room, which shows a changing contemporary exhibition. The magnificent Turner Bequest is housed in the purpose-built Clore Gallery, with hundreds of Turner paintings on display.

Millbank, SW1
Tel: (020) 7887 8888 or 8008 (recorded information line).
Website: www.tate.org.uk
Opening hours: Daily 1000-1750.
Free admission; charge for some of the temporary exhibitions.

Dennis Severs' House
This house in Spitalfields is a work of art that transports its visitors out of the 21st century and sends them on a sensual and imaginative journey into an older, less familiar and more mystical world. It was built in the early 18th century, and its 10 rooms, decorated by the late Mr Severs, an American artist, represents domestic moods that dominated the periods between 1724 and 1914. The silent journey through the candle-lit and heavily scented and decorated rooms is no mere history lesson, however; it is just as much a journey of the soul. Nothing loud or flashy is on offer, just a quiet opportunity to catch a glimpse of a reality one hardly knew existed.

18 Folgate Street, Spitalfields
Tel: 0207 247 4013.
Website: www.dennissevershouse.co.uk
Admission charge.