DK Travel : London : Places of interest

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Tower Bridge

London’s enduring landmark is a neo-gothic wonder. A masterly piece of civil engineering, the bridge was built in 1894 with steam pumps to raise its two halves. Guided tours include views from the top.
Tower of London
Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square – once the royal mews – is a hub of the West End and a venue for public rallies and events. From the top of a 50-m (165-ft) column, Admiral Lord Nelson, who famously defeated Napoleon’s fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, looks down Whitehall towards the Houses of Parliament. The column is guarded at its base by four huge lions – the work of Edwin Landseer. On the north side of the square is the National Galleryand the church of St-Martin-in-the-Fields while, to the southwest, Admiralty Arch leads to Buckingham Palace.

Admiralty Arch
University College London

Founded in 1836, UCL is the oldest college of London University and owns several fine academic collections. In the Petrie Museum is one of the largest collections of Egyptian archaeology in the world. Etchings, engravings and early English Mezzotints from the college’s art collection are exhibited in the Strang Print Room.Check out performances at the college’s Bloomsbury Theatre in Gordon Street.
Victoria and Albert Museum

A cornucopia of treasures is housed in this enchanting museum named after the devoted royal couple. There are fine and applied arts from all over the world, from ancient China to contemporary Britain. Highlights include extraordinary plaster copies of statues, and monuments and artifacts from the Italian Renaissance. Displays are arranged over six floors of galleries. The stunning new British Galleries display more than 3,000 objects illustrating the best of British art and design since 1500. There are restored period rooms and touchable objects.
Wallace Collection

“The finest collection of art ever assembled by one family,” is the claim of the Wallace Collection, and it is hard to disagree. Sir Richard Wallace, who left this collection to the nation in 1897, was not only outrageously rich but a man of great taste. As well as 25 galleries of fine Sèvres porcelain and an unrivalled collection of armour, there are old masters by English, French and Dutch artists, including Frans Hals’TheLaughing Cavalier .
Westminster Abbey

London’s most venerable and most beautiful church, the scene of coronations and royal weddings and the resting place of monarchs.
Whitechapel Art Gallery

This excellent gallery has a reputation for showing cutting-edge contemporary art from around the world. The Whitechapel has launched the careers of David Hockney, Gilbert and George and Anthony Caro. Behind the Art Nouveau façade there is also a great bookshop and café.
Wigmore Hall

Concerts in the Wigmore Hall have a middle-European quality to them, particularly the September Sunday morning Coffee Concerts. Nobody is here to be seen – they are only here for the music, which they know and love. The accoustically wonderful hall was built in 1901 by the Bechstein piano company, which had showrooms next door.
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum

With a view of the famous Centre Court, the museum tells the story of tennis, from its gentle, amateur beginnings to its exciting professional status today. The first tennis championship were held in Wimbledon in 1877.