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Page 2 of 2 This autumn, don't miss...There has never been a better time to visit London from the point of view of major exhibitions being staged in museums, galleries - and even gardens.Imperial War Museum To mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, The Children's War exhibition looks at the conflict through the eyes of British children, providing a unique and moving insight into the impact of the war on those who lived through it, from the evacuees who were forced to adjust to separation from family and friends, to the children who stayed in towns and cities to endure the horror of the Blitz. The story of young lives on the home front is shown through original letters, diaries, mementoes, drawings, posters, oral history, films and photographs. Hands-on features help visitors of all ages find out more about evacuation, the threat of gas attacks, air raid precautions, rationing, school and work, pastimes and entertainment, and the experiences of children affected by the war in other countries. Explore inside an Anderson shelter and walk through a life-size recreation of a two-storey wartime house. Outside the house, the victory celebrations of 1945 and hopes and plans for the future are featured around original sections of a 'prefab' home. Among the items on display will be mementoes and toys belonging to Kindertransport children who came to Britain from Germany in 1939; a baby's gas mask; an evacuee's label and teddy bear; touching letters written by children and their servicemen fathers; wartime books, toys and games; and a commemorative Victory china cup given to a child on VE Day. The Children's War exhibition will run until 2008. Admission is free. IWM Lambeth Road, London SE1 6HZ, www.iwm.org.uk The V&A If you are looking for an oasis of calm in Kensington, head for the new garden at the V&A. Named after John Madejski who donated the £2 million to build it, it is the centrepiece of the museum's ten-year transformation plans. The Italianate courtyard is a stylish, elegant, tranquil place to meet, providing a central point from which to explore the museum. Admission free. Kew Garden lovers can't come to London without visiting Kew Gardens and from now until January 2006 you can catch a major exhibition of large-scale, vividly coloured, organically-shaped glass installations by the renowned American artist, Dale Chihuly. Designed to respond to the plants, trees, historic landscape and architecture of Kew, the exhibition is the first of its kind in Europe. And in the autumn, late opening from 6.00-9.00pm will enable visitors to see the sculptures lit. Entry to Kew is £10 for adults, £7 concessions, children under 16 free. www.kew.org National Maritime Museum The first exhibition to explore together the lives of two dominant leaders and adversaries, Horatio Nelson and Napoleon Bonaparte, has just opened at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. A highlight of the SeaBritain 2005 year, the exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of Nelson's victory and death at the Battle of Trafalgar. Exhibition ends 13 November 2005. Admission adults £9.00; concessions £6.00; 20 per cent discount for groups of 10 or more. Natural History Museum One of the world's most famous diamonds, the De Beers Millennium Star, takes centre stage at London's Natural History Museum in the biggest ever diamonds exhibition, which runs until February 2006. The 203.04-carat, flawless De Beers Millennium Star was cut from a rough diamond of 777 carats. It was unveiled in 1999 at the Millennium Dome where it became the target of a foiled robbery attempt in 2000. This is the first time it has been on public display in the UK since then. Not all diamonds are 'white' and this exhibition will focus on the variety of natural colours. For every 10,000 white diamonds only one coloured diamond is mined, and coloured diamonds, known as "fancy" diamonds, are the most valuable gemstones in the world. On loan from New York diamond collectors Alan Bronstein and Harry Rodman, and displayed for the first time ever in Europe, will also be The Aurora Collection - a set of 296 naturally coloured diamonds, totalling a staggering 267.45 carats. This collection of exceptionally rare stones includes examples from the 12 colour varieties, from emerald green to blood red. Admission: £9.00, concessions £6.00; www.nhm.ac.uk Follow in famous footsteps Famous Londoners have put together maps of their favourite local spots in London for visitors who are longing to discover something a bit different and take a walk off the beaten track when they're in the capital. All of the 'locals' - from fashion icon Zandra Rhodes and TV personality Tara Palmer-Tomkinson to MBE award-winning DJ Norman Jay and celebrity chef Giorgio Locatelli - have produced maps of 'their London' in response to research commissioned by Visit London. Visit www.visitlondon.com and click on "Londoners Maps" on the right side of the home page, to download. Park yourself in a park Discover the often-unknown delights of the 'green lungs' of London, a city famous for its green spaces. London GPs Louise and Simon Read, in their book The Best of London Parks and Small Green Spaces (howto books £9.99), have searched out the features available to locals and visitors alike within London's thousands of acres of parks. There's tennis, free paddling pools and playgrounds, city farms, boating lakes and simply great (healthy) walks. Historic London Walks What was Stalin's favourite hotel? Where can you climb up the inside of a telescope? What was the river Thames's central role in London's development? This guide by Leo Hollis provides answers through walks that evoke a period in the life of the city. He introduces portraits of the city's builders, warriors, historians, preachers and scientists - and traces the stories of the men and women who created, built and lived in the city through the centuries. Each walk starts and ends at a tube station, but there are maps and pedometer counts for walkers. All prices and information correct when Woman's World went to press in 2005. For more up-to-date information please contact the relevant place of interest. |
