London sights 3

London sights 3 [1] [2] [3] [4]

- Neasden Temple - Just off the North Circular Road in Neasden is truly one of the best places in London. We have to admit that it is awkward to reach it by public transport, but if you have a car or a minicab service is not expensive - please go there. You can go by tube to Neasden or Stonebridge park tube stations but from there it is a fair walk. It is worth the effort though because you will be mesmerised by this exotic building.

Just looking at the outside facade of the temple is enough to leave you speechless. Visiting this place men and women have to dress decently, i.e. No short skirts, shorts, see through garments etc. Admission is free.

The whole process of building this temple is astonishing; five thousands of tons of limestone and marble from different parts of Europe was shipped out to India, carved there and brought back to London. This is truly a place that you have to visit. Open from: daily 9am-6:30pm; free. Tel: 020 8965 2651.
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- Nelson`s Column - Raised in 1843 and now one of London`s best-loved monuments, commemorates the one-armed, one-eyed admiral who defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but paid for it with his life. The statue which surmounts the granite column is more than triple life-size but still manages to appear minuscule, and is coated in anti-pigeon gel to try and stem the build-up of guano.

The acanthus leaves of the capital are cast from British cannons, while bas-reliefs around the base - depicting three of Nelson`s earlier victories as well as his death aboard HMS Victory - are from captured French armaments. Edwin Landseer`s four gargantuan bronze lions guard the column and provide a climbing frame for kids to clamber over. 14 stonemasons held a dinner on top of Nelson`s Column before the statue was placed there. Every year, London receives as a gift huge Christmas tree from Norwegian city of Oslo.
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- OXO Tower - An old power station that was converted into a meat-packing factory in the 1930s by Liebig Extract of Meat Company. The company was very clever in incorporating the letters into the windows of the main tower to get round the local council`s ban on illuminated advertisement. Today, OXO Tower contains flats, workshops and shops and one of the best restaurants in London. Every Christmas there is a long, long waiting list to book a table just so that you can enjoy the magnificent view over the Thames.
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- Parliament Square - Parliament Square is a square outside the north-western end of the Palace of Westminster. It was laid out in order to ease the traffic around the Houses of Parliament. It is an traffic island that is surrounded by splendid architecture.

- Pollock`s Toy Museum - Its collections include a fine example of the Victorian paper theatres popularized by Benjamin Pollock, who sold them under a slogan "a penny plain, twopence coloured". The other exhibits include vintage teddy bears, puppets, Red Army soldiers, wax dolls and many other items.
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- Piccadilly Circus - During the weekend this place is absolutely packed with people. Nightlife is in abundance here, especially with nightclubs like the Hippodrome, MGM Cinema, local pubs and bars, people trying to draw your picture and the Trocadero centre. Inside the Trocadero is Segaworld the world`s largest indoor theme park, spanning seven floors and offering you all kinds of 21st Century games.
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- Royal Festival Hall - The Royal Festival Hall stands at the heart of Southbank Centre complex. Opened in 1951 as part of the Festival of Britain, the hall is one of the world’s leading concert venues, presenting concerts by the finest international orchestras, operas, and a wide spread of contemporary music events, from jazz to world, to rock and pop music.
www.southbankcentre.co.uk

- Within strolling distance of Trafalgar Square stands the RSA, (The Royal Society of Art) one of London's hidden architectural treasures. The House was designed especially for the Society by Robert Adam in the early 1770s. Today the Georgian façade conceals many unexpected delights of both contemporary as well as traditional architecture including a series of intriguing interconnecting subterranean Vaults.

The Library features a particularly interesting Adam ceiling incorporating panels by the school of Angelica Kaufman. The Great Room is famous for the renowned allegorical series of paintings by James Barry entitled `The Progress of Human Knowledge`. The House is now open to the public for free on the first Sunday of every month (except January). For pre-booked groups catering can be arranged.

St Pancras station, London - St Pancras Station - This London train station has to be one of the most impressive and best looking stations in Europe. This masterpiece of neoGothic architecture has languished as underused British Rail offices since 1935.