Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, today opened the new Wandsworth Museum in South London, which houses a fascinating array of exhibits and artefacts from the local area.

The new museum replaces the previous one which was closed in 2007, and it provides a detailed insight into life in Wandsworth from the Stone Age to the modern day.

Along with an impressive collection of objects, there is also a timeline of events telling the story of the cultural and natural landscape of the borough.

Among the exhibits on show is a woolly rhinoceros skull dated to 25,000BC, a telephone exchange, and a diagram of the local Young’s brewery site.

There is also a collection of art depicting John Burns, the former local Member of Parliament and one of the leaders of the London Dock Strike in 1889.

Mr. Johnson told Visit London:

“I think it’s fantastically important to have museums such as this because we live in an age where people are both forgetful of their history but also incredibly excited when they discover about it.

“It’s frightfully important that local kids are able to come here and open a window into the lives of previous generations and inhabitants of Wandsworth.

“This was a very important place in the life of London and the life of the nation as a whole and we’ve now got great exhibits here to tell that story.”

The new Wandsworth Museum opens to the public on 3 Sep (website coming soon).

What’s your favourite local museum in London?

Belgium is famous for beer and chocolates. Since the developments to the Eurostar service back in 2007, the journey times between St Pancras and Brussels have been squeezed to an impressive 1 hour, 51 minutes. I made the journey myself earlier this month, and it really is a very smooth, stress-free way to travel.

While in Brussels I had the most amazing chocolates from Neuhaus. They were by far my favourites. And I’m not the only one! After the Royal Festival in 2000, King Albert II gave Neuhaus the title of Accredited Supplier to the Belgian Crown.

But if you don’t want to take the train, you can still get a taste of that famous Belgian chocolate here in London.

There are Neuhaus stores in London in St Pancras Station, Heathrow Airport, and in Harrods. They also have a gorgeous boutique on South Molton Street, full of wonderful chocolatey treats, and a café in Putney. All Neuhaus products are still made in Vlezenbeek, near Brussels, and exported to the UK.

My favourite is the St Pancras Station branch. It’s perfect if you want to pick up a last-minute present for someone before you catch a train. And it smells amazing!

I spoke to Sandra Szondi, Neuhaus’ communications manager, to find out what makes Neuhaus’ chocolates so special.

“Neuhaus have been making chocolates in Belgium for 153 years. They even invented the Belgian praline. Most people don’t know that. It was Jean Neuhaus, the grandson of the original Jean Neuhaus, who created the world’s first filled chocolate, which he named ‘Praline’.

“At the time, the pralines were served in paper cones, like you eat chips from, and the pralines got squashed together. Jean’s wife, Louise, invented a new box to keep them from getting spoiled: and that’s the ballotin (which you can see in the picture above). They’re still used today.

“For Belgians, the most popular chocolates are the old ‘Caprice’ and ‘Tentations’ – these are chocolates with a rich history. They were created for the World Expo in Brussels in 1958. And they are named after a famous quote by Brigitte Bardot.

“But my favourite is the Manon Sucre Vanille. It’s made with vanilla cream or butter cream, and it’s quite milky. Inside, there’s some pecan nuts, a little, little piece of waffle, and cream of vanilla sugar. It’s quite heavy; most people don’t like it, because it’s too rich. But it’s good for eating once a week or so, I think!

Do you have any other recommendations on where to find a taste of Belgium in London (beer, chocolate or anything else?!) Let us know in the comments below.

The Olympic road cycling route will start and end in Central London, crossing the river Thames and travelling through South West London and the Surrey Hills in between.

London landmarks along the new 138-kilometre route include:

• Westminster - the route begins in this historic area of London
• Crossing the Thames at Putney
• Bushy Park
• Richmond Park
• A 12.5km circuit of Westminster, Chelsea and Fulham
• The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace – where the race finishes

Read more about this on www.insidethegames.biz

This week’s picture from the Visit London Flickr pool is by dodsworld and shows fireworks over Putney. Add your photos of autumn in London and we could be featuring you next!

If you love fireworks, you’ll be excited to hear that The Mayor has just announced that London will celebrate the new year with a big fireworks display at the London Eye. Find out more about New Year in London.