Christmas tree at Trafalgar Square
by csordila
The largest Christmas tree set up at Trafalgar Square every year, has been sent by the Norwegian folk as a sign of gratitude for Britain’s assistance during World War II.
The tree itself is traditionally 20 – 25 metres tall and its sight decorated in white light according to the Norwegian tradition has become an iconic London Christmas image.
The ornament lighting is turned on on the evening of the first Thursday of December.
The lighting ceremony is traditionally attended by the Lord Mayor of Westminster, formally announcing the arrival of the tree in London from the forests surrounding Oslo.
The lighting ceremony and Carol singing are free to attend. The popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells" was composed in Victorian England, and was originally called "One-Horse Open Sleigh." It was actually written for Thanksgiving, not Xmas.
Not tonight, Cherie
by rickyvilla81
Just off Whitehall, behind large black railings, is Downing Street. At Number 10 is where the Prime Ministers of the UK have traditionally lived, since Sir Robert Walpole back in the 1730s. Tony Blair doesn't live there - he lives at No.11, because it is bigger, and he has a bigger family. Chancellor of the Exchequor Gordon brown lives at No.10 - perhaps why he thinks he is the PM, sometimes...
Theatres - The Palace
by yooperprof
The Palace Theatre was built in the 1880s by Sir Richard d'Oyly Carte, the impressario who was also the patron of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. He meant it to be a home for English Grand Opera, the counterpart of his existing Savoy Theatre on the Strand, which was the home of English Light Opera. Hence its unusally large size for its time - 1400 - and certainly more ornament and glitter was to be found here than in most other theatres of its time.
I saw "Les Miserables" here in 1997 with my friend Stuart, shown here posing in front of the theatre. Incidentally, "Les Mis" had a run of 19 years at The Palce, from 1985 to 2004! That's a lot of manning the barracades and chasing after Jean Valjean. The Palace Theatre dominates Cambridge Circus, where Charing Cross Road meets Shaftesbury Ave.
Full bodied red from Spain
by bzh
Britain has a problem. It is too far North and the climate is too cold and wet to grow grapes. This is why the traditional drinks of the British Isles have always been cider and beer. However, you can now find very decent wines everywhere in London. How did that happen? It all started with trendy wine bars that were set up as posh places where people could enjoy glasses of nice (and expensive) wines from Europe or the New World rather than beer. Due to the number of foreigners in London and the general propensity of Brits to try everything that involves alcohol, drinking wine when going out became more and more popular, especially for that part of the population that had to get rid of a so called beer belly. The result is you can now find decent red and white wine in most pubs in London. Even the house wine can be very nice stuff. In addition to this, because Britain doesn't produce wine (or very little), Brits, contrary to let's say the French, have no pride in drinking only their home wines and they will try anything. As a result, the choice you can find in London is usually quite extensive and of good quality. So, if you are fed up with drinking ale, ask for a glass of Chardonnay or Shiraz.