Events

This Week in London – Buckingham Palace’s Picture Gallery redisplayed; ‘Henry VIII’s Joust’ at Hampton Court Palace; and, Paul Sarrut’s images of World War I…

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The Picture Gallery at Buckingham Palace has undergone a once-in-a-generation redisplay and opens to the public as part of the palace’s summer opening today. PICTURE: © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026/Royal Collection Trust – Ben Fitzpatrick

• Some 120 masterpieces from the Royal Collection – including paintings by Rubens, Caravaggio and Zoffany – have gone on display in Buckingham Palace’s Picture Gallery in a major transformation of the storied room. The new presentation, which almost doubles the number of works on show, comes as the palace’s State Rooms open to visitors for summer. Highlights of the redisplay, which took some 875 hours to complete, include Johan Zoffany’s The Tribuna of Uffizi which depicts the famed Florentine gallery with works by Holbein, Rubens and Raphael all identifiable, as well as George Stubbs’ A Rough Dog, believed to show King George IV’s pet dog, Thomas Gainsborough’s portrait of Johann Christian Fischer, not believed to have been hung in the gallery display before. Other new works include The Letter by Vermeer contemporary Gerard ter Borch, and Caravaggio’s The Calling for Saints Peter and Andrew while five paintings by Rembrandt have now been hung together and seven works by Rubens have been reunited. The gallery was created during the John Nash-designed redevelopment of what had been Buckingham House into Buckingham Palace and while King George IV died before its completion, the first arrangement was hung by the time Queen Victoria acceded to the throne in 1837. Open until 27th September. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.rct.uk.

• See jousting amid the drama of the Tudor court at Hampton Court Palace over the next two weekends. ‘Henry VIII’s joust’ will take visitors back to 1526 when they can watch knights clash on horseback while tensions build as it’s discovered Anne Boleyn has not been formally invited to the event. The family friendly event, which is taking place over the weekends of 11th and 12th July and 18th and 19th July, is included in general admission to the palace. For more, see https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/.

• The first ever UK exhibition dedicated to the work of World War I French liaison officer and interpreter Paul Sarrut has opened at the National Army Museum in Chelsea. Drawn on the Western Front: Paul Sarrut and the Indian Army features more than 50 drawings and works on paper exploring the experiences of some of the more than a million Indian men who volunteered to serve in the British Indian Army during the war. The display features Sarrut’s famous image of Sepoy Harnam Singh as well as also uniforms, photographs, archives and medals. The latter include Victoria Crosses awarded to Frank de Pass, the first Jewish recipient, and Khudadad Khan, the first Muslim and first soldier from the Indian subcontinent to receive the award. Free to enter. Runs until 27th February, 2027. For more, see https://www.nam.ac.uk.

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10 of London’s notable fountains – 1. Trafalgar Square fountains…

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Whether it’s for a quick dip, the chance to stand in the mist or simply being in close proximity to the cooling water, London’s many fountains have proven their worth already this summer. We take a look at 10 of the most notable…

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LondonLife – Trooping the Colour…

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The annual King’s Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, was held on Saturday in central London. The event saw 1,500 soldiers and hundreds of horses from the Household Division carry out complex drill manoeuvres to a programme of music and concluded with a 41 Gun Salute in Green Park, a 62 Gun Salute at Tower of London, and a flypast of military aircraft over Buckingham Palace.

Coldstream Guards musicians preparing for Trooping the Colour at Wellington Barracks. PICTURE: Cpl Jamie Ayling/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
March past of The Household Cavalry Regiment on the parade ground. PICTURE: Cpl Christian P Delice/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
King Charles III salutes the Regimental Colour during Trooping the Colour. PICTURE: SSgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
Some of the over 300 musicians from the Massed Bands marching down the Mall towards Buckingham Palce for the march past. PICTURE: Sergeant Anil Gurung/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
The Royal Family wave to the crowds from the Buckingham Palace balcony after Trooping the Colour. PICTURE: SSgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
Nine Hawk jets from the Red Arrows making smoke on route to His Majesty the King’s Birthday flypast over Buckingham Palace. PICTURE: AS1 Emily Muir/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026

This Week in London – William Tyndale’s New Testament; Marilyn Monroe portraits; and, the Great Exhibition Road Festival…

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PICTURE: Alex Tai/Unsplash

• The 500 year story of one of the smallest yet most revolutionary books in English history is being told at St Paul’s Cathedral. A Dangerous Calling: 500 Years of William Tyndale’s New Testament, which opens tomorrow, provides a rare chance for visitors to see a first edition of Tyndale’s translation up close in the cathedral library (one of only three in existence) as well as access to a new digitised version on the cathedral floor. The exhibition can be seen until 27th February. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.stpauls.co.uk/whats-on/exhibition-dangerous-calling-500-years-of-william-tyndales-new-testament

• Marilyn Monroe’s life, career and legacy is the subject of a new exhibition which opened at the National Portrait Gallery this week. Marking 100 years since her birth, Marilyn Monroe: A Portrait features works by the likes of Andy Warhol, Pauline Boty, Cecil Beaton and Richard Avedon. There’s also unseen photographs portraits taken by Allan Grant at Monroe’s Brentwood residence a day before her death in August, 1962, in a session for Life magazine. The display can be seen until 6th September. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.npg.org.uk/whatson/exhibitions/2026/marilyn-monroe-a-portrait

• The Great Exhibition Road Festival kicks off in South Kensington this weekend, marking 175 years since the 1881 Great Exhibition. The event features workshops, talks, performances and installations with organisations ranging from the Natural History Museum and Science Museum taking part along with Imperial College London, the Royal Parks, the V&A and Royal Albert Hall. For more on the festival, head to https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/.

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LondonLife Special – The Chelsea Flower Show…

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A gallery of some of the highlights of this year’s Chelsea Flower Show which runs until tomorrow at the Royal Hospital Chelsea. To see all the medal winners, head to www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/awards-2026

‘She Grows Veg’. The Great Pavilion. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Fower Show 2026.
The Campaign to Protect Rural England’s show garden ‘On the Edge’ – designed by Sarah Eberle. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Tokonoma Garden – Sanumaya no Niwa – designed by Kazuyuki Ishihara and Paul Noritaka Tange. Show Garden. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Lovehoney presents: Aphrodite’s Hothouse. Designed by James Whiting of Plants by There. Houseplant Studio. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Chlorophyll: The Colour of Life. Created by Acacia Creative Studio. Creative Space. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.
Saatchi Gallery Garden. Designed by Naomi Ferrett-Cohen. Showground installation. PICTURE: RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026.

LondonLife – The State Opening of Parliament…

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King Charles III and Queen Camilla attended the State Opening of Parliament last Wednesday.

The King and Queen, in the Irish State Coach, move across the Tilt Yard of Horse Guards to the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament. PICTURE: PO Phot Rory Arnold/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
The band of the Grenadier Guards at the Palace of Westminster for the State Opening of Parliament. PICTURE: SSgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
King Charles III in the Irish State Coach during the State Opening of Parliament. PICTURE: SSgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026
Staircase lining party made up of the Household Cavalry, at the Sovereign’s Entrance of the Palace of Westminster during the State Opening of Parliament today. PICTURE: SSgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2026

What’s in a name?…Walthamstow

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This north-eastern district of London’s name is apparently owed to a corruption the Anglo-Saxon place name Wilcumestowe.

That name – which means something like “a place where strangers are welcome” – is believed to have become confused with local landmark Waltham Forest, an early name used for the part of Epping Forest that centred on Waltham Abbey which lies to the north beyond the M25.

The 15th century ‘Ancient House’ in Walthamstowe. PICTURE: Tilman2007/Wikipedia (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Hence we ended up with Walthamstow (although the name Waltham Forest is remembered in the name of the London borough of which Walthamstow is part).

The Anglo-Saxon manor existed prior to the Norman invasion of 1066 and was recorded in the Domesday Book. Through marriage it passed into the hands of Norman Ralph de Toni, standard bearer to King William the Conqueror, and remained in his family until the 15th century. The family was responsible for the founding of St Mary’s Church, which still stands today, in the 12th century.

The village remained small – the area was populated by small scale farmers and yeomen – but during the 16th century wealthy people started constructing more substantial properties – these included navigator Sir Martin Frobisher, poet George Gasgoigne and Lord Mayor of London Sir George Monoux who built the Monoux Almshouses and School there (since rebuilt). Even diarist Samuel Pepys, had a connection, being entertained by Admiral Sir William Penn at a property in the village.

The trend for building large properties continued into the 18th century when included Water House was built. It later became a childhood home of Arts and Crafts designer William Morris and is now the home of the William Morris Gallery.

A view of Walthamstow Market on the High Street in Walthamstow, London, UK. PICTURE: Chris Dorney/iStockphoto

Urbanisation picked up pace in the 19th century and in the mid-1800s, more than 120 acres of the Walthamstowe Marshes to the west (the marshes followed the course of the River Lea and are now a site of Special Scientific Interest), were flooded to create reservoirs. Industry also moved in during this period and, in an unusual example of the sort of industry which took place in the area, the first British car with an internal combustion engine, the Brewer Car, was made in Walthamstow in the 1890s.

Development was further spurred by the arrival of the railways and, in 1930, the North Circular Road just to the north. In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the building of a rather grand new town hall and assembly hall moved the civic centre from where it had been on the High Street to Forest Road.

Redeveloped extensively after heavy bombing during World War II, Walthamstow became part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in 1965.

As well as St Mary’s and Morris’ former home, landmarks include the 15th century “Ancient House”, the Forest School (1834) with a chapel featuring stained glass by William Morris, the Vestry House Museum (1930), the Lighthouse Methodist Church (1893) and the Copper Mill (the latest incarnation of a mill which has been associated with the village since the early Middle Ages). The daily Walthamstow Market, which stretches along the High Street, claims to be the longest daily street market in Europe.

10 London sites relating to Winnie-the-Pooh – 7. EH Shepard’s childhood home…

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Famed as the illustrator of Winnie-the-Pooh, EH Shepard spent his early childhood at a property in Regent’s Park now marked with an English Heritage Blue Plaque.

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10 London sites relating to Winnie-the-Pooh – 5. London Zoo..

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London Zoo played a key role in the creation of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Harry Colebourn and Winnie the Bear sculpture at London Zoo. PICTURE: Katie Chan/Wikimedia Commons (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

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Where’s London’s oldest…international airport?

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As is often the case with finding London’s oldest, this isn’t necessarily an easy question to answer.

Hounslow Heath Aerodrome in London’s west was the city’s first civil airfield. First used in 1910 and subsequently by the Royal Flying Corps during World War I, it properly entered service as a civil airfield in August, 1919, when on 25th of that month it became the origin point for the first international flight in the world – from Hounslow to Paris-Le Bourget. That flight, by a de Havilland DH.4A aircraft, was the first in what provider Air Transport and Travel Ltd offered as a daily service.

But despite that historic early role, the Hounslow Heath Aerodrome, which only had rudimentary facilities, had a relatively short-lived life as a civil airport. Croydon in London’s south, home to the RAF Station Croydon and the Waddon Aerodrome, was seen as a more suitable location for the city’s airport.

The former terminal building at Croydon Airport. PICTURE: © Christopher Hilton (licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

So, on 29th March, 1920, Croydon Airport opened. While it initially had temporary facilities on Plough Lane (planes apparently had to taxi across the lane to take off and after landing), a permanent terminal – the world’s first – opened near the Purley Way bypass in 1928, making it the city’s first purpose-built international airport (and the biggest and most advanced in the world at the time).

Croydon Airport is also famous for having the first air traffic control system in the world and also boasted the world’s first airport hotel which opened in 1928 (known then as Gate Lodge and today – it’s still in business – as the Croydon Aerodrome Hotel).

The airport was home to Britain’s first national carrier, Imperial Airways, which was founded when four airlines merged in 1924.

During World War II, the airport’s name changed to RAF Croydon – it served fighters taking part in the Battle of Britain – and in 1943 RAF Transport Command was founded at the site and used to ferry soldiers to and from Europe.

After the war, Croydon returned to its role as civilian passenger airport but lack of room for expansion saw Heathrow, founded in 1946 as London Airport and renamed in 1966, take over the role.

This Week in London – Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive on show; London Transport Museum Depot’s open days; and, wartime London in art…

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Janet Sutherland, the royal christening robe, 1841. © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust.

• A christening robe, first worn by Queen Victoria’s eldest child, Princess Victoria, at her christening in 1841, and subsequently by 61 other royal babies including Queen Elizabeth II, is one of the stars of a new exhibition opening at The King’s Gallery in Buckingham Palace tomorrow. Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style features around 200 items from Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion archive – the largest exhibition of her clothing ever staged. Other highlights include a Norman Hartnell apple-green gown worn by the Queen a state banquet given for President Eisenhower at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, in 1957; a crinoline-skirted blue gown and matching bolero jacket worn by the late Queen for her sister Princess Margaret’s wedding in 1960; and, perhaps more surprisingly, a clear plastic raincoat made by Hardy Amies in the 1960s. The latter is just one example of late Queen’s private, off-duty wardrobe which is also included in the show. Other examples include a Harris tweed jacket and Balmoral Tartan skirt, designed by Norman Hartnell and worn in the 1950 and a green coat made by Angela Kelly. The exhibition runs until 18th October. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.rct.uk.

• Celebrate 120 years of the Bakerloo and Piccadilly Lines and 70 years of the Routemaster bus at a London Transport Museum Depot open day. The first to be held this year, the four open days at the Acton Town facility, will allow visitors to discover the more than 320,000 objects not on display at the museum’s Covent Garden site including the chance to climb aboard historic train stock dating from 1927 and 1938, get a close-up look at the pioneering RM1 and RM2 buses, and explore everything from rare signalling equipment to models, maps, station architecture and posters. A programme of talks is also taking place across the weekend along with activities for kids, heritage demonstrations, displays and stalls. The days run from today – 9th April – through to Sunday (12th April). Admission charges apply. For more, see www.ltmuseum.co.uk/whats-on/depot-open-days/icons-london.

• On Now: Beauty and Destruction: Wartime London in Art. This free exhibition at IWM London tells the story of London during World War II and features more than 45 paintings and drawings as well as photographs, films, objects and oral histories. Works include some by well-known artists such as Eliot Hodgkin, Graham
Sutherland, Henry Carr, Evelyn Dunbar, Duncan Grant and Edward Ardizzone as well as lesser known figures, many of whom were employed by the War Artists’ Advisory Committee. The works are presented under four themes -Travel, Thames, Street and Shelter – and highlights include Frances MacDonald’s Sketch for ‘London Docks’ (1944), John Edgar Platt’s Wartime traffic on the River Thames (1942) and fireman artist Leonard Rosoman’s The Houses of Parliament on Fire, May 1941 (1941) – which captures the last night of the Blitz. Other works in the display are Duncan Grant’s painting of that iconic symbol of wartime resistance, St Paul’s Cathedral, Henry Carr’s St Clement Dane’s Church on Fire after being Bombed (1941), Evelyn Gibbs’ WVS Clothing Exchange (1943) and Evelyn Dunbar’s Convalescent Nurses Making Camouflage Nets (1941). The display can be seen until 1st November. For more, see www.iwm.org.uk/events/beauty-and-destruction-wartime-london-in-art.

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10 London sites relating to Winnie-the-Pooh – 3. Punch Magazine…

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Winnie-the-Pooh author AA Milne worked at Punch magazine prior to writing his famous book and it was while doing so that he started a friendship that was to prove consequential.

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Happy Easter!

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St Paul’s Cathedral. PICTURE: J Byard/iStockphoto

Wishing all our readers a very happy and safe Easter break!

Three unusual London Easter traditions…

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We pause our series on Winnie-the-Pooh to take a brief look at three uniquely London traditions which take place each Easter…

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10 London bishop’s palaces, past and present – 10. The Old Deanery…

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Containing a residence for the Bishop of London (although, it has to be said, certainly not traditionally a bishop’s palace), the Old Deanery is located in Dean’s Court, to the south-east of St Paul’s Cathedral.

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10 London bishop’s palaces, past and present – 9. Croydon Palace…

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A former summer residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury for centuries, Croydon Palace has in more recent times been used as a school.

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This Week in London – Lunar New Year celebrations; Aardman at the Young V&A; and, the women in Dickens’ life…

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PICTURE: Sandra Tan/Unsplash

• Lunar New Year festivities will be held in Chinatown in central London this weekend including lion dances and the Chinese New Year Parade. Lion dances will be held throughout Chinatown on Saturday and Sunday while the parade kicks off at 10am on Sunday just east of Trafalgar Square reaching the square at 12 where an afternoon of festivities will be held. For more, see www.london.gov.uk/events/lunar-new-year-festival-spring-2026. Meanwhile, Lunar New Year celebrations will also be held in Greenwich on Saturday. The celebrations include lion dances, musical and dance performances, a martial arts demonstration, workshops including one on Tibetan dance and another on lantern making and the chance to sample Asian food. For more, see www.rmg.co.uk/lunarnewyear.

• A new exhibition at the Young V&A in Bethnal Green takes a look behind the scenes of stop-motion classics such as Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit and Friends, created primarily for children and families and marking Aardman’s 50th annversary, features some 150 objects including never-seen-before models, sets and storyboards from Aardman’s archives as well as interactive activities ranging from designing characters and experimenting with lighting through to creating live action videos. Among the items on show are early sketches of Wallace & Gromit, a hand-drawn storyboard from The Wrong Trousers (1993) train chase, Wallace & Gromit’s motorbike and sidecar from Vengeance Most Fowl (2024), and the airship model from The Pirates! (2012). Admission charge applies. Runs until 15th November. For more, see vam.ac.uk/young.

• The women who influenced Charles Dickens are at the centre of a new exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum. Extra/Ordinary Women features a portrait of Dickens’ daughters, Katey and Mamie, on display for the first time, Catherine Dickens’s cookbook, and a draft preface to an 1857 manual for educating working class children written by penned by Angela Burdett Coutts and including edits by Dickens in blue ink as well as items owned by Ellen Ternan, best known for her 12-year extra-marital relationship with Dickens. Admission charge applies. Runs until 6th September. For more, see https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/extra-ordinary-women.

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London Explained – Chinatown…

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As London prepares to celebrate the Lunar New Year, all eyes naturally turn to London’s Chinatown, centred on Gerrard Street in Soho.

Gerrard Street. PICTURE: Bruno Martins/Unsplash

While the street dates back to the 17th century, by the first half of the 20th century it had become known for its nightlife, initially for nightclubs and then for a seedier side as striptease clubs opened.

The city’s first Chinatown had been established in Limehouse in the 18th century as Chinese immigrants and sailors frequented the area.

But after World War II, the damage in the Limehouse area and the comparatively cheap leases available around Gerrard Street, saw Chinese moved in during the 1950s and began opening restaurants and grocery shops.

Growing numbers of Chinese arrived from Hong Kong and by 1970, Gerrard Street has become a hub for the Chinese community in London. The London Chinese Chinatown Association formed in 1978.

It was in the late 1980s that Chinese gateways, a pagoda and street furniture were added. Gerrard Street and parts of Newport Place and Macclesfield Street became pedestrianised.

The first organised Chinese New Year celebrations took place in Gerrard Street in 1985.

This year’s Chinese New Year Parade – celebrating the Year of the Horse – will take place on Sunday, 22nd February. For more, see www.london.gov.uk/events/lunar-new-year-festival-spring-2026.

10 London bishop’s palaces, past and present – 6. Fulham Palace…

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The former residence of the Bishops of London for more than 1,300 years, Fulham Palace is today a museum surrounded by 13 acres of gardens on the north bank of the Thames. 

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10 London bishop’s palaces, past and present – 5. Durham House…

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Now long gone, this central London property was once the residence of the, you guessed it, bishops of Durham.

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