The year 1863 began with the opening of the world’s first underground railway – London’s Tube – on 9 January, 150 years ago today! Further significant events from 1863 include:

• JANUARY: In railway-related news, construction began in Sacramento, California, of the First Transcontinental Railroad in the United States.

• FEBRUARY: US inventor Alanson Crane patents a fire extinguisher that uses a combination of sodium bicarbonate and sulphuric acid to shoot pressurised water (the world’s first fire extinguisher was patented in England in 1723)

• MARCH: A Royal Wedding in the UK when The Prince of Wales Albert Edward (later Edward VII) married Princess Alexandra of Denmark at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.

• APRIL: George Gilbert Scott’s design for the Albert Memorial was formally approved by Queen Victoria (it took 10 years to build and opened in 1872).

• MAY: The Salon des Refuses exhibition opens in Paris, featuring works of avant-garde artists including Manet’s Le dejeuner sur l’herbe.

• JUNE: The Victoria & Albert Museum‘s recently opened North Court featured its first exhibition this year – a display of the wedding presents given to the Prince of Wales and Princess Alexandria.

• JULY: Madame Tussauds has been open in London’s Baker Street for 21 years. The exhibition at this time featured around 400 famous figures in wax including Horatio Nelson and Sir Walter Scott.

• AUGUST: You could enjoy a summer visit to Hampton Court Palace gardens, which were opened to the public by Queen Victoria in 1838.

• SEPTEMBER: London Zoo‘s public aquarium (the first in the world) has been open for 10 years.

• OCTOBER:  The Football Association is founded at the Freemason’s Arms on Long Acre, London.

• NOVEMBER: US President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address in Pennsylvania.

• DECEMBER: In more railway news, Romania’s first mountain railway opens between Anina to Oravita.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas from everyone at visitlondon.com!

If you’re looking for things to do today, read our Things to do in London on Christmas Day blog.

And don’t forget the weekend, here’s What’s On 28-30 December

Thinking ahead to the end of the year? Here’s some information about New Year’s Eve in London and the January Sales.

And finally, don’t forget to check TfL’s Festive Transport page with travel info covering 24 Dec – 1 Jan 2013.

It’s the final shopping weekend before Christmas in London, so we thought we’d share this video by Russell Crombie of Regent Street’s lights to give a taste of what you might see if you hit the West End shops today.

Have you done all your Christmas shopping already, or are you a last-minute gift buyer? Let us know in the comments below.

Last week a steam train chuffed into London’s Baker Street station as part of preparations for the Tube’s 150th  anniversary celebrations that are kicking off in January 2013. This BBC London newsreel explains some of the history of London’s underground as well as showing footage of the first steam train on the network for a good long while.

How are you planning to celebrate the Tube’s 150th birthday in London next year? Let us know in the comments below.

On Saturday I made the most of the glorious autumn sunshine and attended the Lordship Recreation Ground Community Festival. This year’s festival celebrated the near-completion of extensive regeneration works, funded by a £4m Heritage Lottery Grant that had been campaigned for long and hard by local community group Friends of Lordship Rec.

Lordship Rec is a huge-but-tucked-away park in Tottenham, North London. The renovations include a new bike track and regenerated Model Traffic Area. The playground’s been updated with fantastic equipment for kids of all ages, including a flying fox, and a paddling pool that will open in time for next summer.

There’s also a brand new “eco building” that will house a café and be the venue for parent and baby meetups and be used by other community groups too. As someone who’s walked past a neglected-seeming, fenced off old creek for the past year, the most striking change for me is the regeneration of the River Moselle, with three new pedestrian bridges and its riverbank now a mass of wildflowers.

The festival was large and sprawling with live performances in the Shell Theatre (which has also been upgraded), a dance zone, pedal-powered music stage, a bouncy castle, pony rides, the Tottenham Horticulture, Produce and Green Show, a dog show, various sports and stalls from loads of local organisations (such as Tottenham NCT).

The park, which adjoins the Broadwater Farm Estate, has a rich history. The land was purchased by Tottenham Council in 1926 and was officially opened as a park in 1936 with Tottenham Lido opening in 1937 (the lido was demolished in 1984 to make way for housing). The Rec was used as allotments in WWII’s Dig For Victory campaign but was bombed during the blitz – today a commemorative woodland marks the place where 40 locals lost their lives in a direct hit on their air raid shelter.

The park fell into disuse in the 80s but in 2001 The Friends of Lordship Rec was formed and has since  helped clean up the lake, as well as secure the lottery funding.  It’s a great tale of local commitment winning through but, perhaps more importantly, it’s turning a good park into a fantastic resource for everyone in the area for now and for years to come.

If you’re travelling via Kings Cross St Pancras station this summer, chances are you’ll walk past about 10 metres of yellow and black balls that make up Songboard.

Of course, if you just look at it, you’re missing half the fun. The 3,000 balls can all be moved in half-turns to show either their black or yellow sides and when you flick the right ones around, they make a sound. According to Chloe Meineck, one of Songboard’s designers from Central St Martin’s College of the Arts:

Around 300 of the balls are musical; when turned, the ball sets off an individual section of music, it could be a recording of Big Ben or a musical note. Meaning that songs can also be made with a group of friends playing with the songboard.

Songboard is one of the Mayor of London’s Wonders, part of MoL Presents: A Summer Like No Other. Have you spotted any installations such as the Gifts from the Gods or the Universal Tea Machine at Victoria Park around town this summer? Let us know in the comments below

Watching the Olympic Games from the comfort of your own lounge is fun, but nothing quite compares to cheering on the athletes with a like-minded crowd. And, short of actually being there at the stadia, the BT London Live Sites are an excellent place to catch all the action, with a fun festival atmosphere and some cool art to boot.

Victoria Park Livesite on “Super Sunday” of the Games was just warming up when I arrived around noon. By the time I left at 5pm, just after Murray’s triumphant tennis gold, the site was buzzing with fans. Luckily the space is huge so you could still stake out a spot, although I imagine by Bolt’s 100m sprint final at 9.50pm it was pretty packed.

During the day, people were zipping down the zip line, lining up for the Ferris wheel, bouncing high on bungee trampolines and playing Ping Pong. Kids enjoyed the free sport-themed entertainments of sumo suits, mechanical horseriding, fixed cycles that plot your speed, hockey, water zorbing and child-sized bungee trampolines.

As well as all this, the Victoria Park Live Site hosts four of the Mayor of London’s Wonders – free interactive art installations – that are really worth looking out for. First I spotted Aurora, a gently lit hoop canopy reminiscent of Olympic rings. Next was Bloom, a fantastic hot pink structure-in-progress. With three “cells” of pink backbones laid out and piles of chunky plastic bits to slot in wherever and whenever you wish, this was a fun art-as-play meccano set for people of any age to enjoy. Next to Bloom was Drip - There Is An Island, which grows stalactites and creepers using a clever water flow system. Down near the largest big screen was the Universal Tea Machine, which works on binary mathematics to create the perfect cup of tea. The artworks are part of the Mayor of London’s Summer Like No Other programme.

If you’re keen to visit Victoria Park livesite, you’ll find a good mix between families with youngsters and buggies spending a relatively uncrowded morning/afternoon and more of a party atmosphere as it gets towards evening. My tip would be arrive early to avoid the worst queues (especially if you’re coming with kids) and enjoy!

Have you watched the Olympics at one of the BT London livesites or on another big screen in London? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Silver sculptures, light installations and Olympic-related artwork has popped up in the London borough of Haringey this summer.

Bruce Castle Park in Tottenham is hosting several works including Lion by scaffolding artist Ben Long. The lion is an impressive work combining a minimal, industrial, “worksite” aesthetic with a sumptuous show of patriotism and heraldry. He stands proudly in front of Bruce Castle Museum, a spot that afforded an excellent vantage point when the Olympic Torch relay passed by here less than a fortnight ago.

I spoke to to Daniel Medina, the supervisor from Up Projects, who said the torch relay, which he also witnessed, was a highlight – with a real community buzz.

Another work, Free as a Bird by Martin Richman and Charlie Kerr, is a more subtle sound-and-light installation tucked away in Bruce Castle’s Hawk Tower. Daniel told me the work took inspiration from the tower’s history, with wing-quick flashes of reflected light and a soundtrack of deconstructed Tudor music. I thought it was very cool and my 15-month-old son found it quite mesmerising.

Venture into Bruce Castle Museum and up the stairs for Ooh Art – where you can see Olympic-themed works by 11 Haringay artists, most of whom have incorporated the help of local children. There’s a good range of stuff here, including ceramics, textiles, painting and photography.

Afterwards, Bruce Castle Park is well worth spending some time in – a large, leafy space with playing fields, tennis courts, a peaceful memorial garden and a playground with kids’ paddling pool.

Have you seen any local art in London this summer? Tell us about it in the comments below.

 

As the second half of the London 2012 Olympic Games kicks in, you’ve got one more week to take full advantage of the party atmosphere in the National Olympic Houses that have sprung up in London for the games.

Here’s a taster of what you’ll experience at some of the National Houses. Let us know if you’ve been to these or other NOC Houses in the comments below.

Imagine Denmark at St Katharine Docks

The Danish festival taking place at St Katharine Docks during the Games features Danish food, design, a mini replica of the Olympic park in Lego and the world’s tallest Lego windmill!
On Thursday evening, it seemed that all Danes in London had gathered at the site to watch the Danish Men’s Handball team play Serbia for a spot in the quarter finals. The atmosphere was great, the sun was out and plenty of Carlsberg beer and Danish hotdogs were being handed over the counter to an audience dressed mostly in red and white.
Many of the Danish athletes will be visiting the site after their games and there are lots of activities for the kids with both Lego exhibitions and a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale tent with face painting, movies etc.
This week, a real Viking ship is being sailed in from Denmark and there will also be performances from Danish dance groups. Maria, 29,  Danish

Casa Brazil at Somerset House

Casa Brazil is not only a must visit of anybody who claims to understand anything about Olympics, but a delightful experiences for the senses.
Somerset House provides an exquisite surrounding for a diverse, rich and vibrant exhibition that covers an eclectic mix of visual arts. From embroidery to feather seats, photography and patchwork to a room which alternates green and yellow scales, from a flying rug to falling chairs. The collection will keep you intrigued, surprised and entertained from start to finish. And at the end you have a choice, you can either watch a video about how Rio de Janeiro has already delivered infrastructure for the next Olympics or go to the central court of Somerset House and enjoy a well prepared caipiriha and stay around for some life music in the evening.
If the ambition of Casa Brazil was to entice our appetite for what Rio 2016 will be, they have certainly succeeded! Start practicing your samba steps. Carolina, Chilean

House of Switzerland at Glaziers Hall

Switzerland have set up an area to promote their hilly country, including an outdoor stage where you can catch the games (from a Swiss perspective) as well as catch a free gig from some interesting Swiss bands.
There is also a rock climbing wall, and a beer stall, and while I may not reccommend combining beer and rock climbing on the same visit, the Swiss beer did go down well with some Raclette from the same Rosticceria. I believe Raclette is Swiss for “plate of delicious melted cheese with some pickles” and it’s made for beer in the sunshine. Plus there’s plenty of delicious Swiss chocolate.
While it may be hard to believe, there are some people in London, like me, who aren’t wildly excited about the Olympics. Luckily, there are a number of fun (and often free) fringe events, like visiting the Swiss House, which do not require any interest in sports. This was the ideal Olympic activity for me. Bengt, 38, Swedish (Not Swiss!)

Kiwi House at Granary Square

I visited Kiwi House, based in The Granary at Kings Cross, with a work colleague. Despite not having a business element, it’s a welcoming place where you can relax in an informal setting and mingle with some friendly Kiwis whilst watching the Games. It essentially comprises the indoor section with a bar, serving various beverages and food, and an outside seating area. I also noticed a small stage in the corner wired up for live bands presumably every evening.
There is a £5 entrance fee and I would certainly recommend going. It’s also a good opportunity to see how the Kings Cross regeneration scheme is progressing. Dhaval, 39, British

Belgian House at Inner Temple

With great Belgian chips, beers and atmosphere, it’s no wonder Belgium House is packed every day.
Located in the historical Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court, it features a Cycling Paradise, where you can test your bike skills, the great hall which is always packed to the rafters with Belgians cheering on their compatriots on a big screen and a secluded garden where you can enjoy your beer in the sunshine.
There is even a traditional “frituur”, which is like an ice cream van, but selling Belgian fries, the ultimate Belgian experience. With daily visits of Belgian athletes and their medals, it’s a great way to experience the dynamism, passion and commitment of this European country. Koen Vandecaveye, 33, Belgian

French Olympic Village at Old Billingsgate

Once you’ve managed a little bit of queuing, the Club France is THE place to be to celebrate French  medallists! The French community and tourists gather here when there is good gold medal hopes and watch together, shiver for their best performers! Be thrilled by the action live on giant screens from two national broadcasters featuring former French Olympians who are approachable and happy to share the success of their peers.
Between the highlights and medal ceremonies, there’s lots to enjoy: bar, sponsor boutique, photo montage with the Olympic torch, sport animation for kids and grown ups. And when you need a break from the sport ,enjoy the sun on the lovely terrace overlooking the Thames. When dusk comes Billingsgate becomes a party house with live music to dance and celebrate the champions of the day.
Bleu – Blanc – rouge atmosphere for colourful and patriotic supporters (see first photo) Magalie, French

Czech House at Business Design Centre

Read about my visit to Czech House and see the photo gallery.

Nigeria House at Theatre Royal Stratford East

Nigeria House at the Theatre Royal Stratford East is very colourful in its setting with a Nigerian market stall at its entrance for a chance to haggle the best price, and an outside terrace for alfresco dining. Inside the atmosphere is very lively from the Caribbean food to the displays of Nigerian artists, paintings and artefacts representing each tribe.
Over the four weeks pre- and during the London 2012 Games, the New World Nigeria Sport and Cultural Exchange programme is being staged at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. Week 4 ( 6-12 August) sees a mixture of Films in the Auditorium such as Rattlesnake and Blood and Henna and you might even get lucky and catch a colourful Fashion Show of traditional dress.
Behind the scenes the Nigerian Olympic Committee have set up scholarships at some if London’s creative and design universities and they staged a three-day summit at the Dorchester Hotel focusing on Nigerian companies wanting to set up business in London. This was oversubscribed and was well received.
While there, I spoke to the President of the Nigerian Olympic Committee who was hoping for a gold from their basketball team!  Fiona, British

Africa Village in Hyde Park

We went to Africa Village in Hyde Park on Sunday morning approx. 11.30am. It’s a joint area for a number of African nations who have a mini pavilion each and then there is a stage and two large screens showing the Olympics coverage. After a bit of confusion trying to find it (we headed towards Kensington Palace as the description was Kensington Gardens but it’s next to the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park), we got in quickly as there was no queue and entry is free.
Each country has set up an area with information about the country with things to look at and do. There was a wide variety between the stalls, for example Morocco has a lot of things you could buy and someone doing skin painting/tattooing as well as some music and wood carving, and others just had a few leaflets on a table.
There was nothing happening on stage when we were there but it really livens up later in the day/evening, with concerts most afternoons. There was a nice bar with coffee and alcoholic drinks and some food was being prepared for lunch that smelled delicious.
We saw Morocco, Cameroon, Botswana, Tunisia, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Togo and others. I would recommend dropping in if you are in the area. Anna, 43, British

This morning I was given a tour of Czech House – one of the many London 2012 national hospitality houses that have taken up residence in the city during the games.

Taking their location in Islington’s Business Design Centre as inspiration, the Czechs have created a fantastic space with loads of designer touches. As well as showcasing the best of Czech design – there’s displays of furniture, products including trainers and bags, classy tables and chairs (the TON wave was a fave) and tables and some truly funky glassware – you can sample Czech food in the cafe or order a pint of Pilsner Urquell at the bar. Plus there’s an Olympic and Paralympic shop where you can purchase all your Team Czech merch and outfits.

Czech house is free to enter (although you’ll probably have to queue) and has big screens showing all the Olympic Games action with Czech commentary. Particularly for any Czechs in London right now, it’s well worth “Czecking” out!

Have you visited any of the hospitality houses in London during the games? Tell us about it in the comments below.