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Topic: What to see in London?
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 02-14-2005 04:37 AM
The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, Kensington, has some film-related stuff in it, including the prototype 16-lens camera built by Louis Le Prince. It's also only a 10-minute walk from Harrod's. The National Film Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames is a 1960s grot hole jammed under a road bridge and in the middle of a brutal concrete complex that looks like the set of Alphaville or the Moscow scenes in the original Solaris, but it does offer the widest range of arthouse and rep programming of any theatre in London. And the presentation quality is superb: if you want to see 70mm done right, nitrate (though nitrate screenings are now very rare) or a silent with live music, that's the place to go.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of all southerners on this forum, my advice for anyone visiting London would be to get out of London ASAP and see some of the more civilised bits of Britain, but I suppose that as I grew up there and couldn't wait to get out of the place I'm a bit biased. The National Museum of Film, Photography and Television at Bradford is only a one-hour flight (BMI flies from Heathrow three or four times daily) followed by a 30-minute bus ride away (you can also go by train but these are now so expensive and unreliable I refuse to use them). It has a genuine three-projector Cinerama installation which screens This is Cinerama on the first Saturday afternoon of each month. Once you're there the Dales and the North York Moors are right next door if you're into walking and pretty views. The pubs are quite nice, too! Brighton, on the South Coast of England, is a film-related place to visit, and I think there's some stuff to see in one of the town's museums. A lot of film-makers and inventors based themselves there during the late 1890s and early '00s, including Lee and Turner, who devised what was probably the earliest working three-strip (additive) colour system.
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 02-14-2005 10:04 AM
quote: Leo
The National Film Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames is a 1960s grot hole jammed under a road bridge and in the middle of a brutal concrete complex that looks like the set of Alphaville or the Moscow scenes in the original Solaris
I quite like the auditorium of NFT1, but NFT2 would be vastly improved by having a large bomb dropped on it. Projection room visits are very difficult to get. When Charles Beddow was the chief there he used to take people up occasionally, but it's almost impossible now. The only other way to get up there was to go on one of the open days which they used to hold from time to time, but I think these stopped a few years ago.
quote: Rich Granata
The theatre district around Liecester square is an eyeopener for us theatre guys. Watch out for ticket prices though. My House of Flying Daggers ticket was 7.50 pounds. Thats like ~$13 or something!
That's cheap. I haven't seen anything in the West End for a few years, but the last time it was about nine pounds. Even the little local place where I project from time to time is going up to six pounds in April
quote: Rich Granata
I avoided a lot of tourist stuff, but I went into the Tate Modern. It is a modern art museum. I don't really like art, but it was really fascinating. Very inspiring. and very FREE.
It's an old ('50s) power station. the large space where you enter was the turbine hall, and the small gallaries are built in what was the boiler house.
quote: Rich Granata
yea...london is expensive...especially for a 19 year old.
You're not joking. I think it's supposed to be the most expensive city in the World, after Tokyo.
For everyday things, if you take the price in New York, cross out the Dollar sign and write in a pound sign, then you've got roughly the London price. Property prices are just out of this world. Expect to pay 600 - 700 pounds per month for a basic one bedroom flat. In the centre of the London, or in particularly 'desirable' areas, much more than that.
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Leo Enticknap
Film God
Posts: 7474
From: Loma Linda, CA
Registered: Jul 2000
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posted 02-14-2005 10:19 AM
quote: Stephen Furley
...but NFT2 would be vastly improved by having a large bomb dropped on it.
I'll pass that message on to Ali Musab Al-Zakarwi the next time he pops round, but can't promise anything! Remind me not to be walking or driving across Waterloo Bridge when the place goes up, though. Agreed - if you're sitting in the back few rows, underneath the projection box, the less said about sightlines the better.
I noticed the rough pound/dollar pricing parity when visiting Minneapolis last November. In fact a glass of the local beer, Summit, cost $2.63 in the hotel bar; and a pint of Yorkshire Terrier in my local pub costs Ģ2.63! That combined with the very weak dollar when I went (I got something like $1.91 to the pound) made the cost of living seem insanely cheap. Plus the sales tax in Minneapolis was 7%, compared to 17.5% VAT (the same thing, to all intents and purposes) in Britain. The cost of living here must be detering tourists from outside Europe, I'd have thought. As for me - only eight months to go until this year's conference! ![[beer]](graemlins/beer.gif)
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Stephen Furley
Film God
Posts: 3059
From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England
Registered: May 2002
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posted 02-14-2005 03:44 PM
Gunnar,
It's dffcult to know what to recommend without knowing something about your interests.
There are two IMAX theatres in London, The BFI IMAX is near Waterloo Station, and just a couple of hundred metres from the National Film Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre, which are all on the South Bank of the River Thames. Waterloo is on the Northern (black), Bakerloo (brown), Jubilee (Grey) and Waterloo & City (lght greenish) lines of the london Underground. Take care with the Northern Line, it has two lines through central London, Trains via Charing Cross serve Waterloo, those via Bank do not.
The other Imax is at the Science Museum, in Kensington. Take the Circle (yellow) or District (dark green) lines of the Underground to South Kensiington. From the staton there's a subway (walking type, not one with trains) leading to several museums. Walk right to the end of this, up the steps, turn right, and the museum entrance is about 50 metres or so on your right. The other museums are the Geological, Natural History and Victoria & Albert. The Natural History Museum is the place with the dinosaurs.
You might want to take your last chance for a ride on a traditional London bus, the 'Routemaster'. They were built between 1954 and 1967, and the last few are being withdrawn in the next few months. I was on one recently, for the first time in a couple of years, and they really do look like something out of a museum now. They are still working about three routes, including the 38, from Victoria Station to Clapton Pond. Victoria station is on the same underground lines as the Science Museum, just two stops further West.
Moored on the Thames, between London and Tower Bridges is HMS Belfast, a World War II cruiser. The nearest underground station is London Bridge, on the Jubiilee or Northern lines. This time you need Northern Line trains via Bank. The prevously mentioned 'London Dungeon' is also nearby. Tower Bridge is also nearby, with its original steam engines, no longer in use, on display, and the two high level walkways across the river.
The Orgiinal London Walks do guided walking tours of various parts of London. Walks typcally take about two hours.
One of my favorite parts of London is the East End. London Walks do several tours of this area, but I wouldn't advise you to do it on your own, unless you have a good guide book. If you don't know what you're looking for you will probably miss the most interesting places.
There is high ground both North and South of London giving good views. To the North, on Muswell Hill, stands Alexandra Palace, a building used for exhibitions, concerts etc., and was also the place from which the BBC started the World's first public high definition (by the standards of the day, it was 405 liines) in 1936. Sadly, both the television studios and a Victorian theatre in the building are largely derlect, and it is not normally possible to get access to them, though there are people that are trying to get them restored. It is surrounded by parkland with fine vies across London. Local trains from Kings Cross Station serve Alendra Palace, it's four stops. Kings Cross is on the Northern, Victoria (light blue), Circle, Hammersmith & City (pink) and Metropolitan (purple) lines of the Underground. The Palace itself is about one kilometre away, but the walk is up a steep hill.
In South London Greenwich might be worth a visit. Grenwich Station is two stops from London Bridge, but a more interesting way to get there is to take the Docklanks Light Railway from Bank station on the Northern and Central (red) underground lines, or from London Bridge Station walk across London Bridge itself. The DLR serves the massive new developments in the old London Docks area, and it's worth taking a ride just to see this. If you take a Lewisham bound train From Bank you will see this area. Get out at Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich station. The Cutty Sark iis an old saiiing ship that's preserved there. Greenwich Park is nearby, ant at the top of it, another steep hill to climb, there's the Old Greenwich Obvervatory, which stands on the Greenwich Meridian, the line of zero longitude. Children take great delight in standing astride the line, with one foot in each hemisphere. Various astromical instruments are on display, as are the famous clocks built by John Harrison in his attempt to devise an accurate way to find longitude at sea.
There are various boat trips available along the Thames, but I'm not sure this is the best time of year for it.
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