Evening Standard, June 2005

Mayor joins forces with museums to create 11 new themed tours

Spent time on the trail of capital’s hidden wonders

A Series of trails designed to reveal the hidden gems of London is published today. Devised by the Campaign for Museums and Mayor Ken Livingstone, the 11 Discover London tours have different themes. Some trails take a full day, others only a few hours. Free maps, trail descriptions and – for some – a commentary can be downloaded from the internet.

BBC gardener Diarmuid Gavin, who has recorded one of the commentaries and will officially launch the tours at the Chelsea Physic Garden, said:'These trails all provide inspiration for a great day out and uncover some hidden gems across London.' Loyd Grossman, chairman of the Campaign for Museums, said the trails were an opportunity to discover museums and galleries off the beaten track.

For details visit www.london.gov.uk/discoverlondon

Where you can go and what you will find on the way:

Chelsea to the City: Historic Garden Museum trail

Full day, about seven miles. A garden-lover’s walk taking in thousands of years of horticultural history from the first botanical garden in Chelsea to Southwark’s Old Operating Theatre, Museum and Herb Garrett.

 

Chelsea to Hampstead: London’s Literary Houses trail
Full day, about six miles. Discover the homes of Thomas Carlyle, Charles Dickens and John Keats.

East London and the West End: London Children and Family trail
Half or full day, about seven miles. Entertain the children with the historic collections at Bethnal Green’s Museum of Childhood an Pollock’s Toy Museum.

Kensington to Colliers Wood: London Arts and Crafts trail
Time and distance varies with route. Discover the treasures of Kensington’s Victoria & Albert Museum and William Morris’s restored Bexley home.

Dulwich and Crystal Palace: The Hilltops of south London
Full day, about four miles. Hill trail taking in Rembrandt and Rubens masterpieces at the Dulwich Picture Gallery and the Crystal Palace Museum.

The Barbican to Finchley Central: London, World City
Full day, about 10 miles. Learn about early incomers at the Museum of Immigration in Spitalfields, then head for the Family Records Centre, Finsbury and Brixton’s Black Archives.

East London: Docklands and Brunel
Half day, about five miles. Contrast new and old – the Docklands Light Railway and the Brunel Engine House in Rotherhithe.

Hendon and Camden: Culture and Canals
Half day, about six miles. Visit the RAF museum before exploring Camden’s canals.

From Kew to Twickenham: Exploring the Upper Thames
Half or full day, about seven miles. Discover the Hanoverian royal family’s home amid the gardens of Richmond and Kew before visiting the 18th-century Orleans House Gallery.

Wimbledon
Half day, about four miles. Walk among the remains of an Iron Age fort on Wimbledon Common an the site of notorious 19th-centure duels nearby before heading to the Wimbledon lawn tennis museum.

West End: Bright Lights and City Squares
Full day, about six miles. Visit London’s liveliest squares, starting in Grosvenor Square and the nearby Handel House Museum, before strolling through Covent Garden an on to Somerset House’s galleries.

by Sam Lyon

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