WTB,

Thanks so much for the connection to your blog on FENTON HOUSE. Looks so interesting and "doable."

CAROLYN, I hope I can cover as much on foot as you did with your daughter. Hampstead is a beautiful place....

Meanwhile, WTB, here's what you've missed:
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2...bomb-discovery

OMG Patrick!
I can't believe it - the glamour never stops in Bethnal Green! Our flat looked right over the street where they found the (WWII) bomb! I'm not sure I would have fancied what the Guardian described as the "Bethnal Green academy where Tower Hamlets council set up a rest centre" - we would have had to hot foot it over to yours!

Here's a review of the Duck and Waffle which is on the 40th floor of the Heron building at Liverpool Street. I recommend it for breakfast or mid afternoon drinks when it isn't too crowded. This is the place that shares an entrance with Sushisamba and the views are fabulous.

Pictures and more details on my blog....

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...with-view.html

Enjoy!

I'm still posting on London (despite spending the week in NYC and Arizona) but I did particularly want to give you a heads up on this post which is all about the National Trust property 575 Wandsworth Rd. Particularly Mme Perdu who mentioned that this was one her list for London.

This is what I loved about having a longer stay in London, we were able to seek out some of the more obscure house museums and so far this is the most unusual one we've visited. The NT books tours several months in advance and they only allow 6-8 people at a time.

It's a fascinating property which has been completely covered in hand done fret work by the owner who was an artist turned civil servant originally from Kenya. The whole place is lovely and beautifully done, the owner clearly had a fabulous "eye" for interiors. Anyway lots of photos and more details here...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...sterpiece.html

A great spot for those of you who like to seek out the unlikely, the off beat or the unusual, we loved it!

That's me, offbeat & unlikely. He and I even have the same pillows, your picture #1. It's the treatment of the walls that have interested me especially in other photos I've seen, that you show so clearly in yours. Thanks so much for this. I'll be returning to your presentation of it a number of times, I have no doubt, before the real thing.

So glad you saw this!

I'm still blogging away about London, finally getting around to the museums, day trips and exhibitions mentioned above. Here's a blog post about Greenwich where I went for several successful days out.Greenwich is one of those places people tell you you should go, but somehow you never get around to it. Anyway, i was glad I finally took the much given advice to check it out, it really does make a charming day out from London and despite three trips there's still lots more for me to see there.

It's an interesting place with strong naval, scientific, architectural interest. There are a number of small museums, free sites and great views from the park. You can also do quirky things like walk the foot tunnel under the Thames or go mudlarking on the foreshore for clay pipes from the 17-19th centuries.

So for those who are interested...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...l-day-out.html

I've still got quite a few London posts to go, covering walks, the Horniman Museum and the National Theatre among other topics. I'm hoping to finish them up and squeeze in my Berlin and Helsinki posts before we leave for New York in November.

>>You can also do quirky things like .... go mudlarking on the foreshore for clay pipes from the 17-19th centuries. <<

This needs a bit of care, both about personal safety (watch those tides!) and the legal position on exactly what you may and may not do in the way of taking away things you find.

http://www.pla.co.uk/Environment/Met...ames-Foreshore

Thanks Patrick, as I understood it you are free to take anything you find on the ground, but not items you have to dig for, but I'm interested to see what the link suggests.

Hi again WTB,

Thanks for continuing your blog. You have encouraged me to do a return visit to Greenwich. Love that photo of the circular staircase in particular.

I am hoping to do a short (8 day) visit to London next June - so little time, so many more places to see.

Please continue describing your explorations of London....

>>you are free to take anything you find on the ground, but not items you have to dig for<<

Provided it's not "of archaelogical interest", nor covered by the export rules for antiquities. I don't suppose the relevant authorities would be much bothered by yet another clay pipe - but what if it's a unique type or can be proved to have belonged to Samuel Pepys or someone of historical importance? But it all comes down to the individual's judgement, I suppose.

Patrick your point is well taken should someone find a highly decorated piece.

I think most of us are finding the most mundane of objects which are nonetheless exciting to the amateur!

Thanks for the encouragement lateday and glad you liked the post. The staircase is on your right as you enter the chapel at Greenwich.

After a slight detour to chat about our upcoming plans for Colombia I'm back to blogging about London.

Here are my thoughts on The Horniman a delightful museum in Forest Hills in south London and I discussed it in some detail when I visited above. great ethnographic collections, a wonderful hall of taxidermy including a walrus and a dodo, an aquarium and an amazing musical collection plus a fab park with views over central London.

Very much worth the detour and a great option for kids. Photos and more details on the blog.


http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ll-london.html

Hi WTB,

Thank you for yet another interesting venue in London. I am loving these blogs. So much to do and see in London...

Glad you saw this one Lateday.

I have to say the Horniman is worth seeking out, I love the combination of stuff, you really get a sense for collecting in the Victorian age even though it's now displayed in a modern way. I was very glad to have sought it out.

Theatre was a big part of our trip to London and we spent quite a bit of time at the National which I'm raving about on the blog.

Did you know they now have an ONLINE Friday Rush?

If you have an Amex card you can buy tickets before the public and get a free backstage tour. Details of all below!

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...re-london.html

Here's a post on Two Temple Plaec, a wonderful small museum space in a gorgeous Neo-Gothic mansion on the embankment. their exhibitions run in the first quarter so it's worth checking out if you're heading to London in early 2016.

The Upcoming show will be "The Appearance of Beauty: Style and Adornment in Ancient Egypt" .
http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...ce-london.html

Sorry that's "Two Temple Place"

Hi again WTB,

Thanks for your blog about TWO TEMPLE PLACE. Very interesting. When I took a Londonwalks pub crawl last year, we started at Embankment. Our guide (excellent) first turned our attention to the fabulous facade of the building on our way to Fleet Street. Really stunning. Too bad it is not generally opened to the public.

A few year back I read FIVE SISTERS: The Langhorns of Virginia by James Fox about five dazzling American debs who made "important" international marriages at the turn of the 20th century. Nancy married Waldorf Astor - somehow related to William Waldorf Astor (maybe half brothers?) who built Two Temple Place. Nancy became the irascible Lady Astor, first female member of Parliament.

Another elegant residence that I had meant to visit is SPENCER HOUSE near Green Park in the toney club district - "recognized as one of the most ambitious aristocratic town houses ever built in London and is the city’s only great eighteenth-century private palace to survive intact."

http://www.spencerhouse.co.uk/visitor-information/

In recent years the structure has been restored by Rothschild interests and is open to the public on Sundays. Are you familiar with this place? Interestingly, both Two Temple Place and Spencer House are available for weddings and other events.

Thanks for sharing...

latedaytraveller so glad you're still following along.

I am indeed familiar with Spencer House and I did visit it on this trip though I probably won't blog about it as they don't allow photos. As I was waiting I meet one of the Vanderbilts who was visiting the house because it was apparently where her grandmother was born. Needless to say she got a private tour! Unsurprisingly she made sure to announce her connections to me right upfront, but that's how people are. A bit snark but it was one of those funny exchanges where someone tells you how important they are and then seem taken aback when you don't gush, or indeed show any interest at all.

There were only three of us on the tour on a very rainy day. It's somewhat inconvenient as it's only open on a Sunday on hourly guided visits. Anyway I digress, the house is impressive and the situation is delightful however I didn't love Spencer House. The guide was very good and dealt with the young American couple who just wanted to hear about Lady Di well but the whole place is a re-creation. Yes, it was completely brought back, but that's something very different that seeing the original.

The fireplaces were re-created along with panelling and decorative details etc. The V&A provided some of the furniture and maybe some art too, as did the Queen and that is why it's open to the public, it's a requirement of their loans. The whole place has no life in my opinion, it is worth seeing and the rooms are impressive but it doesn't have charm which disappointed me as I'm a big fan of interiors.

It feels like a museum rather than a house, it's all just far too pristine. I far preferred somewhere less precious. Lord Rothschild leased the house for something like 50 plus years and he funded the improvement (lucky Earl Spencer) at vast expense. There are corporate rooms upstairs, the whole place was offices until only a couple of decades ago.

The Five Sisters sounds fascinating, I may have recommended it before but I highly recommend Stella Tillyard's Aristocrats about the Lennox sisters which deals with the previous century. It's based on their letters and is quite extraordinary,.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...0-1373354.html

I'm still here, WTB, but silently, [unusual for me!] I know Temple Place very well - I used to walk round it every day from Temple Tube station to the entrance to the Temple, but I was never aware of No 2. Thanks for telling me about it.

<<A bit snark but it was one of those funny exchanges where someone tells you how important they are and then seem taken aback when you don't gush, or indeed show any interest at all. >>

They invite it really, don't they?

one branch of the Astors live near where we used to live in Kent and they would invite the local choir and neighbours round for Christmas Carols and drinks; they were lovely and very hospitable. No "side" at all.

Hi again WTB,

I am not surprised that you are familiar with SPENCER HOUSE.

"The whole place has no life in my opinion, it is worth seeing and the rooms are impressive but it doesn't have charm which disappointed me as I'm a big fan of interiors."

Interesting. I passed it up on my last visit because I had overdosed with bling at Blenheim and Mansion House a few days before. I spent my Sunday (the weather was great) at Horseguards and then took a ride of the Regent's Canal.

I thoroughly enjoyed MANSION HOUSE which is, of course, the residence of the Lord Mayor of London- gorgeous, but more interesting because of its historical significance. Again, it is only open to the public on most Tuesday afternoons from 2-3, first come first served.

These historical sites, in order to maintain grants and such, must provide some public access limited though it is. I don't believe you can take pics there - but that doesn't bother me because I never take photos. :) Security is tight.

I will also check out ARISTOCRATS - not at our library but I will hunt it down. Gracias...

Hi ANNHIG,

Speaking of buildings in the area, did you ever get a chance to visit the new SUPREME COURT in Parliament Square?

I didn't make it to the Mansion House but it's on my list! I'm staring to run out of steam but I still have to finish a couple of blog posts on restaurants/food in the East End and a blog or two about the walking books we used/walks we took. I need to finish up Berlin and Helsinki before our next trip!

Where to next, WTB?

I got my dose of bling at Apsley House this trip. Wow! But the best interior award is split between Freemason's Hall and Leighton House.

We're off to NY for six weeks and then Colombia, long story but the flight returning via Bogota was a little cheaper than the direct return San Francisco-New York! Tomorrow I'm talking to people who might rent our home while we're away which would be great. Hoping for a win-win as they're having trouble finding somewhere -partly because they have a dog.

So glad to hear you enjoyed Leighton House and the Freemason's Hall, they're each great in their own way.We very much enjoyed a concert we went to at Leighton House on this last visit. I made a very rushed trip to Apsley House and it's on my must revisit list, it's certainly very blingy!

bmk in my new incarnation.

Earlier in this ridiculously long thread I mentioned the wonderful book,

Rebel Footprints: A Guide to Uncovering London's Radical History by David Rosenberg.

Anyway we loved this book and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative view of London and it's history. Here's a longer review and photos from one of our walks through Bow in the East End. It's a fascinating and different way to see the capital.

ttp://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/09/walking-radical-london.html

Hi cornishannie - are you annhig, and if so, why??

thursdaysd - you're right -you have outed me. [though to be fair, I rather outed myself] I foolishly decided that it would be a good idea to try to provide links to the Rugby World Cup thread I started in Europe on some other forums, and the algorithms got me and suspended me.

how they spotted me but let those icelandic car hire outfits and russian brothel keepers through escapes me. Worse still it happened at the weekend, so presumably I stay suspended until the mods wake up on Monday morning. or even longer if they treat me like Ira.

So I gave it a bit of lateral thinking, and voila! here I am.

I can't get into the lounge though - so no taunting FrankS for now. Shame - I almost miss him.

Wow, banned? for posting links? May the mods have mercy.

Ann I hope the mods sort this out for you asap. It confirms my belief that sports are generally bad for you! Can you tell I had a Welsh father who was a rugby fanatic?!!

Wow, banned? for posting links? May the mods have mercy.>>

@stoke - I think that it was the system rather than the mods themselves, but given what does get through I think that I am entitled to feel a little miffed. and I am not banned, merely suspended.

@welltravelled - I had a cricket fanatic father and went the other way - I love the game, and indeed most sports.

Thank you both for your kind words, anyway.

I'm finally getting around to talking about food on the blog, here's the first of two posts on eating out in the East End!

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...-part-one.html

Ok, I've finally done the second post on food int he east end, this one covers Ottoleghi in Spitalfields, Copita del Mercado in Whitechapel, Tramshed and Bottega Prelibato on Irvington in Shoreditch etc.

Lots of suggestions for places to go and eat...

http://www.somuchmoretosee.com/2015/...-part-two.html

Hope it's useful!

Hi again WTB,

Wow, that food looks yummy in that section of town. Thanks for the suggestions.

On my next solo jaunt I hope to take the Londonwalks - THE OLD JEWISH QUARTER "a shtetl called Whitechapel" so I might try one of these emporiums.

On another subject - I just found your great blog on DR. JOHNSON'S HOUSE near Fleet Street, a favorite spot of mine in London. Great job. This year the Museum is offering monthly reading groups. I hope to make their last one in early June.

Hi Lateday - I'm so glad you liked the Dr Johnson post, I must admit I was quite pleased with that one, it is a lovely place to visit isn't it. They seem to have a quite a lots of special events there, I intended to go to several but never made it.

The food is certainly good in the East End and there are lots of options at every price point. If a get around to it my next post will be on the Freemason's Hall. Frankly I'm running out of steam for London and at this rate I'll never get around to Berlin and Helsinki!

WTB, yes DR. JOHNSON'S HOUSE does provide a respite of tranquility in central London.

Whatever more you write about London, I will be sure to read... :)

Thanks Lateday, I appreciate the encouragement!