The View from the Shard

From Friday you’ll be able to view London from Europe’s tallest building, as the View from the Shard opens for business. A ticket allows you access to the the building’s highest floors, from which you can enjoy a 40km-wide view over the city and its environs. Don’t forget to pay close attention to the displays on your way up – you might see a few familiar faces in surprising situations. Adult tickets start from £29.95.

Manet: Portraying Life at the Royal Academy of Arts

See the first major exhibition of Manet’s portraiture at the Royal Academy, which brings together works from around the world to highlight the artist’s skill in this complex field. This unique exhibition features more than 50 paintings, which depict everything from Manet’s friends and relatives to popular society figures of his day. For those looking to make a weekend of it, the nearby Athenaeum Hotel’s Manet Experience package offers a perfect combination of culture and luxury. Until 14 Apr

RAF Photographer of the Year 2012, at the RAF Museum

See stunning images of Air Force life at the RAF Photographer of the Year exhibition. The competition is now in its 23rd year and attracted more than 900 entries in 2012, depicting everything from life during overseas operations to the RAF’s world-class equipment. Not only can you see photographs by winner Corporal Mike Jones and many others, but you can also explore the rest of this fascinating museum, which features military aircraft displays, a 4D theatre and a chance to learn more about RAF history. Entry to the museum and exhibition is free.  Until 15 Apr

Snowdrop Days, Chelsea Physic Garden

Admire 10,000 newly-planted snowdrops in the Chelsea Physic Garden, which hosts this stunning celebration of the delicate white flower. As well as the garden displays, you can examine different varieties up close in the Snowdrop Theatre, or buy your own from the Chelsea Physic Garden shop. The Snowdrop Days are accompanied by programme of events that includes guided walks, lectures and workshops. Adult tickets are £9. Until 10 Feb

London Dungeon Car Boot Sale

Why exit through the gift shop when you can take the attraction home with you? Anyone who has enjoyed the deliciously terrifying delights of the London Dungeon will be delighted by the news that, on 3 February, the Dungeon will be selling off props from its old location at the Pimlico Car Boot Sale. You can purchase everything from cut-price period costumes to ghoulish fake body parts at this relocation sale, which precedes the start of the attraction’s new reign of terror at the Southbank in March. 3 Feb, from 11.30am

More events in London

Among the events going on this weekend, London’s arts scene offers up two gems – a musical piece in a cemetery and a collection of classic Marilyn Monroe portraits.

Marilyn Monroe: A British Love Affair at National Portrait Gallery
Opening on Saturday, this free exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery explores the most iconic pin-up of the 20th century, Marilyn Monroe, seen through the lenses of British photographers. The photos on show include Monroe’s favourite image of herself holding a rose in bed, taken by Cecil Beaton in 1956 in his Ambassador Hotel suite in New York. Other pictures cover the actress’s four month visit to Britain to film The Prince and The Showgirl with Laurence Olivier, a shot of Monroe meeting the Queen and selection of rare British magazine covers taken by André de Dienes and Milton Greene.
Until 24 Mar

Big Draw, Big Make at the Victoria and Albert Museum
One man’s scribble is another man’s masterpiece, and Roald Dahl illustrator Quentin Blake will be at the V&A on Sunday to inspire us at the launch of The Big Draw, a worldwide festival dedicated to drawing. CBeebies TV character Mister Maker will also make an appearance along with pop-up studios, drawing games, portfolio advice for older drawers and a battle between seven top cartoonists. All events are free but some need to be booked in advance.
30 Sep (The Big Draw runs from 1-31 Oct)

Pearly Kings & Queens Harvest Festival Parade

You’re guaranteed to spot royalty in London on Sunday, as the pearly kings and queens of the capital don their signature pearl-button-covered outfits or “smother suits” to march through East London. Each borough has a king and queen, thanks to groups who continue a working-class tradition started in Queen Victoria’s reign. Their annual parade starts at Guildhall Yard on Gresham Street at 1pm, and will include donkeys and carts.  The day rounds off with a church service at 3pm at St Mary-le-Bow Church.
30 Sep

The London Requiem at Abney Park Cemetery
Abney Park Cemetery is the venue for the first performance of a new choral work by English composer Benjamin Till. It’s a fitting location as The London Requiem was written after Till spent time in London’s majestic cemeteries, and the story is inspired by Londoners who have passed away. Organisers plan to create an “avenue of remembrance” using white balloons which each visitor can dedicate to the memory of someone for a donation. Tickets are from £15 and guests are advised to bring a torch and note that reaching the cemetery involves a 200m walk down a woodland path.
29 Sep

What are you up to this weekend? Post any events we’ve missed below.

The Photographers’ Gallery reopens today after a huge refurbishment. The swanky new building has three floors of galleries and will host exhibitions of British and international photography as well as events, talks, courses and more. There’s also a brand-new bookshop, print sales room and café.

Today marks the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the throne. There are celebrations taking place throughout the city, including a gun salute from the Tower of London at lunchtime.

This morning, the V&A gave me a sneak preview of the special exhibition they’re running to mark The Queen’s 60 years on the throne. Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton is an exhibition of the best photographs from the V&A’s collection of royal photography. Opening on Wednesday, the show presents The Queen across the years, examining the portrayals of her as a princess, a monarch and a mother.

It’s an intimate show, staged in five small sections on the ground floor of the V&A. The intimacy of the space reflects the incredible relationship between the photographer and his subject: Beaton took photos of the royal family for more than 60 years, capturing The Queen in her teens in the 1940s right through to his final portrait of her in 1968. He was the photographer chosen to take the first pictures of Prince Charles when he was born; Beaton went on to commemorate the birth of each of Elizabeth’s children. He was also present at the Coronation and produced the famous official portrait photographs in the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace.

The striking thing about the V&A’s new show is the sense you get of a family passing through time. Early shots of Prince Philip look just like William today; baby photos of Prince Charles look rather like any other baby photo from the late 1940s. And in one striking photo of The Queen with Charles and the baby Anne, Beaton has captured the happy smiles of what could be any young mum excited about the arrival of her second child. It’s fascinating to see such familiar faces lit up with emotion for Beaton’s camera.

Alongside the photographs are diary extracts, letters and other artefacts revealing even more about the unique relationship Beaton had with the Royal Family. I’d recommend getting the audio guide to hear even more about the show. A charming video in the section on Beaton at the end shows the photographer chatting with David Hockney and other friends and contemporaries. He seems to be a thoroughly charming man: witty and elegant.

There’ll be plenty more ways to examine The Queen’s legacy this year (a BBC series The Diamond Queen starts tonight), but for one that intimately captures a young princess becoming a mother, then a monarch, then a mature woman, this is surely one of the best.

Visit the Diamond Jubilee section on our main site for all the special events taking place this year.

I rather like this picture journey through London, from sunrises to sunsets. As well as showing off some gorgeous photography, it’s nice to be reminded of how lovely London looks in the summer on one of the shortest days of the year in the dark ends of December! And the soundtrack just adds to the summery vibe.

Check out more London videos on our YouTube channel: youtube.com/visitlondonvideo

This exquisite collection of over 70 portraits celebrates the golden Hollywood era and the Hollywood stars that captivated the world between the 1920s and the 1960s and beyond.  

They were part of the infamous star system that large film studios like MGM had in place and their images were strictly controlled by these studios. 

Image was of the upmost importance and the portraits convey the fascination and god-like appeal of these stars.  It is perhaps because of these images that they became such celebrated stars. 

There are  many included such as Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich, James Dean and Audrey Hepburn to name just a few. The collection is immense and fabulous.

I especially loved the portraits of Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and James Stewart, having never seen them before.  It’s amazing to think that there are still unseen images of these icons and the beautiful vintage prints will surprise many.

It is a truly incredible collection which shows the importance of the photographer in the making of these stars resulting in images which forever capture the elegance and glamour of its day.

Glamour of the Gods at the National Portrait Gallery, until 23 Oct 2011. Book tickets

The Museum of London has a new exhibition dedicated to Street Photography opening tomorrow. I went along for an early preview this morning, and was lucky enough to look around the show with the museum’s Senior Curator of Photographs, Mike Seaborne.

The show is divided into sections by date, beginning with the very earliest shots of streets in London from around 1860, and taking us right up to present day.

Through the ages, you can see the rise in press photography between 1890 and 1920, some incredible pictures of London during the Blitz, and the development of a more abstract expressionism in photography in the post-war period. The theme of photography as documentary runs through the exhibition, whether it’s an attempt to capture “life as it is”, or a more deliberate effort to record social hardships, cultural shifts and the evolution of London.

While I couldn’t get curator Mike Seaborne to decide on a favourite image, he did point out a few of his highlights. Two, by Horace Nicholls, that he “found” while searching the archives almost look like photographic nods to Renoir paintings, they’re so beautiful. “I didn’t know we had any images by this photographer. They’d actually been wrongly attributed,” Seaborne explains. “I’d seen one in the National Media Museum, so I recognised these immediately. They’re very important examples of photography of the time.” Other favourites of Seaborne’s are by the German photographer and documentary filmmaker Lutz Dille. The incredibly striking portraits are a fantastic snapshot of life in London in the early 1960s.

Seaborne admits to having the edit the museum’s archive of photography “very savagely” for the exhibition. “We’ve really cut down on the contemporary section. The contemporary photos don’t have the same social concerns of those in the 1930s. The nature of documentary has changed: literally everyone with an iphone can do it now.”

There certainly is a very different “feel” to the later part of the exhibition. It’s as though, once colour is introduced, my response to the photos changes: these pictures are more familiar, perhaps less political than the previous shots. What they certainly capture perfectly is the changing nature of photography. As Seaborne points out, everyone’s at it these days.

In fact, the Museum of London is offering you the chance to win an iPad. Just take your own street photography scene and upload the image to their flickr album. Don’t forget to check out the excellent, free exhibition first for some inspiration!

London Street Photography is at the Museum of London until 4 September. As previously mentioned, the exhibition, along with the museum, is free.

This stunning photo of the Panama Canal in the 1960s is currently on show in the National Maritime Museum’s Waterline exhibition.

The show looks back at the golden age of cruising from 1925 to 1970, featuring photos of conga lines, shark fishing, Victorian fancy dress and sumptuous banquets.

The 48-mile (77km) Panama Canal connects the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. Travelling from one end to the other can take a whole day. This boat’s crewmen seem to be enjoying the view.

Do you know of more Panama culture in London? If so, let us know for our World in London challenge.

Waterline is at the National Maritime Museum until April. Admission is free

The prince reigned for 71 years, from 1858 to 1929, making him one of the longest reigning monarchs in history.

Unfortunately the photo’s not on display at the moment, but it is among 75,000 images that you can purchase on the fantastic National Portrait Gallery website.

The prints make great Christmas presents and there’s a huge choice: you can buy anything from a poster of Kate Moss to a print of Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger. 

For more details visit the National Portrait Gallery’s online shop.

Do you know of more Liechtenstein culture in London? Tell us about it in the comments below.

Earlier in the month, London 2012 released a new batch of aerial photos of the Olympic Park.

Click on the thumbnails above to see our pick of the best ones, including great views of

1. The Olympic Stadium, which is now structurally complete with roof and lighting towers in place. Work is continuing on the field of play and installing the seats
2. The Handball Arena, showing the structure is complete and weather-tight. The unique roof – fitted with natural light-pipes to illuminate the venue – is also finished. The top half of the building is now being clad in 3,000sq m of copper cladding
3. The Basketball Arena showing the venue’s completed cladding, Inside, 12,000 seats are being installed, while the lifts, toilets and external service rooms are still being built
4. The Velodrome, which is now structurally complete and watertight, and the timber track is being installed

Find out more at www.visitlondon.com/2012 and www.london2012.com/olympic-park-aerials-show-progress