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This Week in London – Notting Hill Carnival marks 60 years; a Wembley Park dance party; and the annual London Zoo weigh-in…

by exploringlondon
A participant in 2025’s Notting Hill Carnival. PICTURE: Nicholas Bragger/iStockphoto

• The Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s largest cultural event and the world’s second largest carnival – marks 60 years as it takes place in London’s west this weekend. Saturday sees the UK National Panorama Steel Band Competition Day take place in Emslie Horniman’s Pleasance Park (for ticketed guests only) while Sunday is the free Families and Children’s Day and Monday is Adults Day with the Adults Parade. The event traces its origins back to a children’s street party organised by local resident and social worker Rhaune Laslett in an attempt to bring together a neighbourhood that had been scarred by racial tension and conflict in the preceeding years. Laslett invited a steel band to play and, tying their pans around their necks, they processed down Portobello Road, bringing people out of their homes to dance and enjoy the music. For the full programme of events and more information, head to https://nhcarnival.org.

• The party continues at Wembley Park which will be transformed into a giant dance floor this weekend. Speaker Box Street Party will bring a free street dance event in Samovar Place, just off Olympic Way, on Saturday with five back-to-back dance sessions – Latin, Caribbean, Afro and Bollywood – followed by a Michael Jackson birthday celebration and Grand Final party. The free family event also involves a summer market and food stalls. Runs from 12pm to 5pm. For more, see www.wembleypark.com/speakerbox-dance-party.

• London Zoo held its annual “weigh-in” this week with capybara siblings Kiwi and Gizmo and Giant Magnolia Land Snail No 2 among those stepping on the scales (so to speak). The zoo weighs the animals as part of its efforts to monitor their health and shares measurements on the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) on Species360, a database which is shared with animal carers and conservationists around the world. For the record, female Kiwi came in at 45 kilograms and brother Gizmo at 50.5 kilograms while Giant Magnolia Land Snail No 2 weighed 102.5 grams. For more, head to www.zsl.org.

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This Week in London – ‘Pressure’, D-Day and the HMS Belfast; ‘Imagining Animals’ at the Tower; and, the story of a sextant at Greenwich…

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HMS Belfast. PICTURE: Adam Bignell/Unsplash

A helmet worn by a member of the American 101st Airborne Division killed on D-Day, a pocket-watch used to time the bombardment off Normandy, and the personal diary of Group Captain James Stagg – whose role on D-Day is captured in the upcoming film, Pressure – are among the objects on show in a new display on HMS Belfast. The display, Pressure: D-Day Decision, which opens tomorrow in a partnership between the Imperial War Museum, STUDIOCANAL and the Met Office, takes a deeper look at the events which took place on the day aboard a ship that was there. As well as Sergeant Floyd Jakob ‘Bud’ Corrington’s helmet, other highlights also include the original so-called ‘God of War memo’ on which General Dwight D Eisenhower (played by Brendan Fraser in the film) scrawled a note to Stagg (played by Andrew Scott) on the weather report he produced for 19th June (one of the only possible alternative dates for D-Day) in which he thanked “the Gods of war that we went when we did”. The display also features audiovisual content with oral testimonies from Kay Summersby (Eisenhower’s personal secretary, played by Kerry Condon in Pressure), meteorologist, George Lawrence Hogben and Group Captain James Stagg along with extracts from personal letters discovered within IWM’s collection that offer a glimpse into the hopes, fears and emotions of those on the D-Day frontlines. There’s also a chance to further explore the D-Day history of the HMS Belfast including the experiences of the 28 men who operated the ship’s guns in Y Turret as well as view a copy of the ship’s logbook and official record of its actions on 6th June, follow the path of the ammunition that powered HMS Belfast’s bombardment, and see where wounded troops were treated onboard in the Sick Bay. Runs until 11th April. Pressure opens in the UK on 9th September. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/pressure-the-d-day-decision.

• Inspired by the menagerie of beasts once kept there, the Tower of London will host a range of extraordinary creatures brought to life using large-scale puppetry, music and movement. The work of artists Mervyn Millar and Suzy Willson, Imagining Animals will see visitors to the Tower come across a range of different animals as they explore the fortress – everything from a bear ambling across the parade grounds to a sudden flamboyance of flamingoes and a giant serpent slithering out of view. There’s also a community art installation in which people have created small birds for display representing their wishes or hopes for the future. Runs until 31st August and included in general admission. For more, see https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/imagining-animals/.

• The story of a 19th century sextant is at the centre of a new display at the Old Royal Naval College’s visitor centre in Greenwich. The sextant, once an essential navigational tool when at sea, was among items from the Bigg-Wither Collection acquired by the Old Royal Naval College last year. As well as exploring how the sextant was made and used, the display also touches on wider stories about naval education, exploration and the people connected with Greenwich including Captain Guy Plantagenet Bigg-Wither who served in the Royal Navy before becoming Deputy Director of the first Royal Navy Staff College at Greenwich. For more, head to https://ornc.org/whats-on/visitor-centre-display-a-journey-through-the-stars/.

This Week in London -The Banqueting Hall reopened; new loans at The National Gallery; and, 40 years of the Freud Museum London…

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Rubens’ famous painting on the ceiling of the Banqueting House. PICTURE: Serg Bataev/Unsplash

• The Banqueting House in Whitehall has reopened following a major project upgrading the building facilities with a new display on the history of the lost Palace of Whitehall. Visitors to the building will learn about the lost palace – of which the Banqueting House is one of the last surviving parts – and see the house’s magnificent ceiling painted by Flemish artist Peter Paul Rubens. Included is the chance to recline underneath the ceiling on cushioned benches and in bean bags and access specially created digital content to enrich your experience. This weekend BBC Radio presenter Georgia Martin and sound engineer Rob Winter will bring their Classical DJ project to the house, featuring a soundtrack inspired by the drama of the Stuart court and the Rubens ceiling. Admission charge applies. Runs until 20th September. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk.

• Catch a glimpse of the arts scenes of Barcelona, Berlin and Paris at the beginning of the 20th century via three new loans on show at The National Gallery. Joining a collection of works by Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas and George Bellows in the gallery’s Room 45 is American artist Marsden Hartley’s abstract work – Painting No 50 (1914–15), as well as Pablo Picasso’s Portrait of Germaine (1902) – the only Blue Period work by Picasso currently on display in a London museum. Meanwhile, Monet’s Waterlilies (1905) completes a group of four of the artist’s ‘Water-Lily’ works on display in Room 46. Admission is free. For more, see nationalgallery.org.uk.

• The 40th anniversary of Freud Museum London is being marked with a new display. Opening next Wednesday, the display features items from Sigmund Freud’s collection of antiquities as well as family treasures. Runs from next Wednesday until 14th February. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.freud.org.uk/

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London Explained – The Royal Standard flying above Buckingham Palace…

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You may have seen the Royal Standard flying above Buckingham Palace. What does it signify?

The Royal Standard flying above Buckingham Palace. PICTURE: David Adams

Typically the Royal Standard is flown over a royal residence only when the monarch is physically present and in residence.

But a refurbishment of Buckingham Palace has meant King Charles III and Queen Camilla have been living in Clarence House while in London and, as a result, the Royal Standard flying over both the palace and Clarence House.

The King has announced, meanwhile, that while Buckingham Palace will remain the primary venue for ceremonial and official functions, he and the Queen intend to continue to reside at Clarence House even after the completion of the renovation project next year.

Which means that the current situation will continue including flying the Royal Standard above both properties when the King is in London, and flying the Union Jack from the top of the palace flagpole when he’s not.

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Interestingly, until 1997, the Royal Standard was the only flag to ever fly above Buckingham Palace (and never at half-mast for there is always a monarch on the throne – although, there was an error following the death of King Edward VII in 1910 when it apparently did so for several hours before being was corrected).

Following public outcry after the death of Princess Diana, Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Union Jack to be flown at half-mast over the palace during her funeral.

And it has since flown at half-mast on numerous occasions, including for the death of former PM Margaret Thatcher and members of the royal family including the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret as well as on other occasions of national mourning such as the terrorist bombings in London in 2005.

This Week in London – Diana memorial playground reopens; ‘Does my head look big in this?’ and an appeal for Dunwich Heath…

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• The world-famous Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens reopened to the public this week after a £3 million renewal project. The Peter Pan-inspired playground, which was reopened on Wednesday, the National Day of Play, first opened in 2000 to commemorate the princess who had lived at nearby Kensington Palace. The free to enter playground features a brand new 17-by-12-metre galleon moored on a sandy beach, a “treehouse of dreams”, brand new water play area and a redesigned area for younger children featuring timber houses, play ships and a large sandpit. For more, head to https://www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/kensington-gardens

• On Now: Does my head look BIG in this? The art of portrait caricature. This exhibition at the Cartoon Museum in Bloomsbury charts the art of portrait caricature from its origins in Renaissance Italy through its “golden age” of 18th century England to its use in the present day. Admission charge applies. Runs to 1st November. For more, see https://www.cartoonmuseum.org/whats-on-exhibitions/does-my-head-look-big-in-this-the-art-of-portrait-caricature.

• Further afield: The National Trust has launched a public appeal to restore Dunwich Heath in Suffolk after a wildfire decimated the heathland and wiped out the habitat of some of the country’s rarest species. “We are looking at total devastation of a beloved and important landscape,” said the Trust’s Director-General Hilary McGrady. “We’ve lost precious habitats, wildlife, trees, and a place where people have made memories over generations. It’s heartbreaking. But together we can and will restore Dunwich, and crucially, make it more resilient and better adapted for the climate we’re facing now, and the climate we’ll be facing in future.” The heath and the neighboring RSPB Minsmere reserve is an especially important area for birds such as nightjars, skylarks and the very rare Dartford warbler, as well as adders, lizards and slow-worms, and butterflies including the rare silver-studded blue. To help with the appeal, head to nationaltrust.org.uk/dunwich-heath-appeal.

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LondonLife – ‘Chromatic States’…

by exploringlondon
ALL PICTURES: Courtesy of Outernet

A new free immersive experience exploring our connection to colours can be found at Outernet London in Tottenham Court Road in the West End. Created by global experience studio Pixel Artworks, Chromatic States uses colour, space, sound and shapes to explore how colour can be felt. The experience guides visitors through distinct emotional states – ‘Tension’, ‘Float’ and ‘Wonder’ – hosted in Outernet’s Now Trending and Arcade spaces. For more, head to https://www.outernet.com.

This Week in London – ‘Childhood in War’; ‘A Century of American Photography’; and, Monet and Renoir reunited…

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An image from the Childhood in War display. PICTURE: Courtesy IWM London

• The impact of war on children is the subject of a new exhibition opening at IWM London on Friday. Childhood in War spans the period from World War I to today when more than one in six children globally – more than 450 million – live in areas impacted by war. It features personal testimonies, interactive and hands-on experiences and items from child rights organisations including UNICEF, Right to Learn Afghanistan and War Child. Designed with both families and adult visitors in mind, highlights include a teddy bear still treasured by Holocaust survivor John Hadj, a red knitted jumper given to Jochewet Heidenstein shortly before he and her sisters departed for the UK as part of the Kindertransport at the start of World War II, a large-scale evacuee train carriage, recreations of 20th century war games and reconstructed rooms including a child’s bedroom during World War II and a Cold War-era living room and kitchen. There are also contemporary stories from places including Afghanistan, Ukraine and Sudan. Runs until 28th February, 2027. Admission is free. For more, see iwm.org.uk/events/childhood-in-war.

Arthur Leipzig, ‘Divers, East River’ (1948) © Estate of Arthur Leipzig, Courtesy of Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York

• More than 100 landmark works by some of the most influential photographers of the 20th century sit at the centre of Dulwich Picture Gallery’s new exhibition, Portrait of a City: A Century of American Photography. The gallery’s second major photography exhibition, the display opens in the early 1900s, charts the impact of the Wall Street crash of 1929 and then turns to the rise of photographic modernism, how dramatic physical changes reshaped American cities in the mid-20th century and depictions of life on the margins before concluding with a presentation of Bruce Davidson’s renowned Subway series (1980–85). Featuring the works of some 38 artists, other highlights include Lewis Hine’s Riding the Ball High up on Empire State (1930), Dorothea Lange’s White Angel Breadline, San Francisco (1933),  Helen Levitt and Saul Leiter’s studies of street life and works by arry Winogrand, Diane Arbus and Lee Friedlander. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir, La Grenouillère (1869), © On loan from Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. Gift 1924 unknown donor through Nationalmusei Vänner

• Claude Monet’s Bathers at La Grenouillère and Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s La Grenouillère (both of which date from 1869) are being shown together in The National Gallery for the first time in 19 years ahead of the gallery major new exhibition, Renoir and Love. Painted side-by-side from a similar vantage point the gallery says the works “capture a defining moment in the birth of Impressionism” and provides a glimpse into the friendships and spirit of experimentation which will be explored in the upcoming exhibition (opening in October). The two paintings can be seen until mid-September. Admission is free. For more, see https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk.

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This Week in London – ‘Caribbean Takeover’ at the National Maritime Museum; Richard Dadd at the Royal Academy; and, British wildlife through the lens…

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PICTURE: Yangki Suara/Unsplash

• The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich hosts the annual ‘Caribbean Takeover’ – a family-friendly event celebrating Caribbean culture, history and heritage – this Saturday. The event, which marks 60 years of the Notting Hill Carnival, brings together artists, historians, performers and community groups. The day will feature live music, dance performances, talks, creative workshops and community-led displays with highlights including steel pan music and African drumming, calypso dance and limbo, performances on the Ocean Map, and interactive experiences. The event, which runs from 10am to 5pm, is free. For more, see https://www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum-queens-house/caribbean-takeover.

• The work of Victorian artist Richard Dadd (1817-1886) is at the centre of a new exhibition opening at the Royal Academy of Arts this Saturday. Richard Dadd: Beyond Bedlam, the first exhibition devoted to his work in more than 50 years, features around 100 oil paintings, drawings and watercolours and charts his life as a student at Royal Academy schools, his travels and the final 42 years of his life as a patient in Bethlem and Broadmoor Hospitals. Recognised early on for his skill at rendering detail, Dadd went on a tour of the eastern Mediterranean in 1842 but began experiencing delusions as the trip and, on returning to England, killed his father whom he believed to be the Egyptian god Osiris. He fled to France but was apprehended and spent the remainder of his life in hospitals – first at Clermont, north of Paris (1843-44), and then at Bethlem in Lambeth (1844-64), and finally at Broadmoor in Berkshire (1864-65). Highlights include the fairy painting Titania Sleeping (1841) and Scene from Hamlet (1840) as well as works from his time in hospitals including Contradiction. Oberon and Titania (1854-58), The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (1855-64) and Portrait of a Young Man (1853). Runs in the The Jillian and Arthur M Sackler Wing of Galleries until 25th October. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.royalacademy.org.uk.

• On Now: British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026. Some 72 images and video from the awards have gone on show at the Horniman Museum and Gardens in South London. Highlights include Paul Hobson’s A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond (Grand Prize Winner and winner in the Black & White category); Ben Lucas’ Feathery Pillow, depicting a mute swan cygnet taking a nap on its sibling’s back (The Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026); Sarah Darnell’s The Fur Flew image of a pair of hares boxing (runner up in the Animal Behaviour category); Felix Belloin’s Through the Lavender showing a neighbourhood fox visiting his garden (runner up in the Animal Portraits category); Barry Webb’s Slime Moulds and a Water Droplet (winner in the Botanical Britain category). The free display can be seen until 21st February next year. For more, see horniman.ac.uk.

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LondonLife – A Banksy at Waterloo Place…

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PICTURE: Nick Page/Unsplash

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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This Week in London – America’s 250th at the British Museum; Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller’s landscapes; and, ‘rival queens’ at the Foundling Museum…

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Washington Peace Medal PICTURE © The Trustees of the British Museum

• The Washington Peace Medal, engraved to bear a portrait of George Washington by Paul Revere in 1777, is at the heart of a new exhibition at the British Museum marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Declaring independence: USA 250 also features a ceremonial copy of the Declaration of Independence, handwritten in sheepskin and on loan from the West Sussex Record Office, known as the Sussex Declaration (it will be added halfway through the display’s run), a wampum belt representing the diplomacy between the Lenape people and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy in 1712 (the Lenape later signed the Treaty of Fort Pitt in 1778 with the Revolutionaries in what was the first formal treaty between an Indigenous Nation and the United States), and a pipe tomahawk given to Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant), a Mohawk, Haudenosaunee leader, which represents the Mohawk alliance with the British. The free display can be seen in Room 3 until 29th November. For more, see www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/declaring-independence-usa-250.

• The first UK exhibition of the works of Austrian painter Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller (1793-1865) – and the first to be devoted solely to his landscapes – opens at the National Gallery today. Waldmüller: Landscapes features about 14 works including landscapes depicting scenes in the Prater, Vienna’s famous park, the Alpine region near Salzburg in Austria known as the Salzkammergut, views of Sicily, and later works such as Early Spring in the Vienna Woods (1861). Waldmüller, who was trained at the Academy in Vienna, visited London in 1856, bringing with him 34 works which were sold at auction following a private audience with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, each of whom bought one. The exhibition in Room 1, which has been organised in cooperation with the Belvedere, Vienna, runs until 20th September. Admission is free. For more, see www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/waldmüller-landscapes.

• A new display celebrating 300 years since the debut of two operas by George Frideric Handel in London – Alessandro and Scipione – is running at the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. 300 Years of the ‘Rival Queens’: Handel’s 1726 Opera Season focuses on Italian soprano Faustina Bordoni and her rival Francesca Cuzzoni and how Handel carefully composed operas with two equally important roles to suit both singers, known as the ‘rival queens’. Admission charge applies. Runs until 25th October. For more, see https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/event/handels-1726-opera-season/

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This Week in London – Documents from the American Revolution; Frida Kahlo’s impact; and, ‘Mirror Moon’ at the Royal Observatory…

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• Some of the most significant letters, papers, maps and documents of the period of the American Revolution have gone on display at the National Archives in Kew. Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story (1763-1783) features a rare Dunlap print of the declaration itself as well as the Tea Act, which ultimately led to the Boston Tea Party, a British officer’s account of the tea party event and the ‘Olive Branch petition’ sent to King George III from representatives of the 13 colonies in what represented a last attempt to avoid war. Also on show are King George III’s Proclamation of Rebellion declaring that the 13 colonies were in revolt and the Treaty of Paris in which Britain accepted American independence. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.nationalarchives.gov.uk.

‘Untitled [Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird]’ (1940). Nickolas Muray. Collection of Mexican Art.

• The first major exhibition exploring how artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) became a global icon and a key influence on later artists has opened at Tate Modern. Frida: The Making of an Icon, developed in collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, features more than 30 works by Kahlo including rarely seen self-portraits such as Self-Portrait (With Velvet Dress) (1926) as well as photographs and personal artefacts. Other highlights include Diego and Frida (1929), Survivor (1938), Memory (The Heart) (1937), Girl With A Death Mask (1938) and My Dress Hangs There (1933-38). Runs until 3rd January. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/frida-kahlo-the-making-of-an-icon.

• Luke Jerram’s Mirror Moon is on display at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich in a celebration of 350 years of studying the Moon from the site. The scale model, two metres in diameter, is made from mirrored stainless steel and draws on highly accurate topographical NASA data of the lunar surface. For more, see www.rmg.co.uk/royal-observatory/attractions/mirror-moon

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This Week in London – Sir Lawrence Olivier honoured with a Blue Plaque; Anne Boleyn at the Tower; and the Elfin Oak restored…

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• Sir Lawrence Olivier, one of the finest actors of the 20th century, has been honoured with an English Heritage Blue Plaque at his childhood home in Pimlico. The plaque, which was unveiled by Sir Ian McKellen, has ben placed on 22 Lupus Street where Olivier lived from ages six to 11 and where he first began taking steps toward the acting career that would make him famous, creating a makeshift stage and performing songs, dances and dramatic sketches for hours at a time. Olivier, whose father served as curate at nearby St Saviour’s Church, attended All Saints School in St Margaret’s Street during this time and it was there that actress Ellen Terry saw his talent and declared that even at the age of 10, he was already a great actor. Olivier would, of course, go on to be a star of the stage before becoming a Hollywood icon and, later, the first director of the National Theatre of Great Britain. For more, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/.

PICTURE: Juhi Sewchurran/Unsplash

• The Tower of London is preparing for the coronation of Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, in the 1530s. Pop-up performances are taking place at the Tower until 14th August which put visitors right in the thick of the action. Anne herself will be seen at the Tower from 25th July when visitors will have the chance to ask her a question and take a selfie with her. Admission charges apply. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/

• The famous Elfin Oak in Kensington Gardens has been given something of a facelift with 97 of the figurines which adorn the tree being restored. The Elfin Oak was first unveiled in 1930. A mature oak, brought from Richmond Park, children’s book illustrator Ivor Innes had carved miniature figurines around the natural features the tree. As well as restoring the figures, the recent project also included work to improve visibility of the tree through the protective fencing. For more, see www.royalparks.org.uk/visit/parks/kensington-gardens.

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This Week in London – American independence documents; 120 years of the Piccadilly Line and Food Season at the British Library…

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The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. PICTURE: Phil Lev/Unsplash

• One of the earliest British reports of American independence is at the heart of a temporary display at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Opening on Monday, the display – which marks the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on 4th July – features a letter dated 10th July, 1776, and a handwritten copy of the Declaration made between 5th and 10th July, 1776, which were sent to John Mantagu, 4th Early of Sandwich and First Lord of the Admiralty by Vice-Admiral Molyneux Shuldham, commander-in-chief of the North American Station. The documents are believed to be the first written accounts of American Independence to reach Britain and pre-date the first known arrival of a copy of the Declaration of the Continental Congress, known as the Dunlap Broadside, in August the same year. The documents will be on display in the Caird Library. Admission is free but requires a ticket. To register in advance, head to rchiveandlibrary.rmg.co.uk/aeon.

• A season of events to celebrate 120 years of the Piccadilly Line is taking place over the next few months at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden. The events include a creative workshop on Saturday in which participants can take inspiration from the line to create a unique textile artwork, a talk featuring railway historian and broadcaster Tim Dunn on 22nd August and the chance to go behind the scenes at the Museum Depot open days in September. For more, see www.ltmuseum.co.uk.

• The British Library’s annual Food Season, now in its seventh year, kicks off on Saturday with the Food Season Big Weekend, a two day celebration featuring talks, tastings and live events. Among those appearing over the weekend are River Café co-founder Ruthie Rogers and culinary icon and actor Simon Russell Beale who is looking at the role of food in Shakespeare. The season runs until 2nd July. Others involved include food critic Jay Rayner chairing a discussion on chef Anthony Bourdain’s legacy, classicist Mary Beard and writer Charlotte Higgins exploring the food culture of ancient Pompeii and long-time friends and cultural icons Neneh Cherry and Andi Oliver reflecting on four decades of their shared life across music, food and family. Admission charges apply. For the full programme, head to https://events.bl.uk/whats-on/food-season.

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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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This Week in London – Lost music venues; the Iraq war remembered; and, ‘Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style’ extended…

by exploringlondon

• Lost UK music venues are recalled in a new exhibition opening at the V&A in South Kensington on Saturday. Lost Music Venues features more than 100 objects celebrating 50 lost venues and includes gig posters, membership cards, club photography, band merch, and subculture fashions which have been gathered together following a call to the public. Highlights include handwritten Oasis lyrics, a Blur set list, Mark Webber’s briefcase from his stint as Pulp’s tour manager, the exterior sign from the Astoria London, Joan Baez’s note of support for Rainbow Theatre, a poster for an early Banksy exhibition held at The Arches, a bespoke club outfit designed by Vivienne Westwood, and flyers from Plastic People. Free to visit, the display can be seen until 30th October, 2027. For more, see vam.ac.uk.

• Marking the 15th anniversary of the end of the war in Iraq, a Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle will go on display outside the National Army Museum from next Tuesday to Sunday, 14th June. The vehicle has been recently decommissioned after more than 40 years of Army service and was present during operations in Iraq in 2004. It was almost certainly the vehicle in which then-Private Johnson Beharry earned the Victoria Cross for two separate acts of bravery under sustained enemy attack. Now Warrant Officer Class 1, Beharry became the first living British soldier in 35 years to be awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic actions in saving the lives of his comrades during ambushes in Iraq. In the first, after his platoon commander was wounded in an attack on 1st May, 2004, Beharry took control of a Warrior Infantry Fighting Vehicle and, despite being severely injured, he led his patrol to safety under heavy machine-gun fire from the enemy. In the second incident on 11th June, 2004, Beharry, who sustained a severe head injury when a rocket-propelled grenade detonated just six inches from his head, still managed to drive his vehicle out of danger and saved the lives of those around him before losing consciousness. Beharry’s Victoria Cross will be among the first medals from Lord Ashcroft’s collection of Victoria Crosses and George Crosses to go on display inside the museum from 2nd June. His Iraq Medal and Kosovo Medal will also be on display. For more, see https://www.nam.ac.uk/.

• Buckingham Palace have announced the landmark centenary exhibition at the King’s Gallery marking the centenary of the late Queen’s birth – Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style – will be extended by six months due to popular demand. The exhibition, which will now close on 18th April next year, is the largest exhibition of Queen Elizabeth II’s fashion ever staged featuring more than 300 items drawn from her personal fashion archive. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.rct.uk/queenelizabeth. 

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.

This Week in London – Dinosaurs that ruled the seas; James McNeill Whistler; and, Lambeth Palace Garden…

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A mososaur skull. PICTURE: Trustees of the Natural History Museum.

• Come face-to-face with some of the deadliest predators ever to rule the oceans in a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. Opening tomorrow, Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep allows visitors to see the tooth of a mosasaur – described as the T Rex of the sea – up close, touch a cast of a Baryonyx claw and see a complete plesiosaur. There’s also the chance to hold Jurassic poo and take part in the Fierce Factor trail in a bid to find out which creature deserves to be crowned the most ferocious predator in the sea. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/jurassic-oceans.html .

James McNeill Whistler,
Arrangement in Gray: Portrait of the Painter, c 1872, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Bequest of Henry
Glover Stevens in memory of Ellen P Stevens and Mary M Stevens,
34.27.

• Europe’s largest retrospective of the works of American artist James McNeill Whistler in 30 years opened at Tate Britain in Millbank today. James McNeill Whistler brings together 150 works ranging from the iconic Portrait of the Artist’s Mother, four major self-portraits from across his career and previously unseen sketchbooks. Other highlights include his largest landscapes such as Coast of Brittany (1861) and Wapping (1860-4) and the largest assembly of his Nocturne landscapes seen in three decades, such as Nocturne in Blue and God: Valparaiso (1865-74) and Nocturne: Blue and Gold – St Mark’s, Venice (1880). Runs until 27th September. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.tate.org.uk.

• The story of London’s continuously cultivated gardens – Lambeth Palace Garden – is being told in a new exhibition at Lambeth Palace Library. Over the wall charts the garden from its origins in medieval orchards to today’s landscapes and displays items from the library’s collections connected to that ongoing story. Entry is free. Runs until 22nd July. There’s a special Lambeth Palace Garden open evening being held tonight – prebooking is essential. For more, see www.lambethpalacelibrary.info/exhibitions/over-the-wall/.

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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

This Week in London -Courtauld carpet returns to Eltham; art from Asia-Pacific; London broadsides; and, a Blue Plaque for a ground-breaking astronomer…

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• An antique Chinese carpet which originally was part of furnishings at Eltham Palace has returned home after 80 years. The carpet, dyed in the “dynastic blue” of the Qing dynasty and featuring symbols including dragons, Buddhist emblems and masks, represents the demand for the Chinese decorative arts in the 1920s and 1930s and serves as a reminder of how Chinese art was produced, circulated, and displayed in Britain. The carpet, donated from the estate of Mrs M R Bernard – the niece of former palace owner Stephen Courtauld, has undergone extensive conservation work. It can be seen in what was Virginia Courtauld’s boudoir. Eccentric millionaires Stephen and Virginia Courtauld built a magnificent art deco mansion right next to the medieval Great Hall of Eltham Palace in 1936 but moved out in 1944 and passed the lease to the Army Educational Corps. Over the ensuing decades many of the original items in the palace were dispersed but English Heritage, which took over management of the palace in 1995, has been working to restore the interiors back to when the Courtaulds lived in them. Other original items which have returned to the palace in recent history including a gold telephone and a pair of Cartier brooches. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/.

Pala Pothupitiye / Kalutara Fort, 2020–21 / Purchased 2021 with funds from Professor Emeritus Ian O’Connor AC and Anna Reynolds through the QAGOMA Foundation / Collection: QAGOMA, Brisbane/© Pala Pothupitiye

• The works of more than 40 artists from 25 countries across the Asia Pacific region are going on show at the V&A in South Kensington. Rising Voices: Contemporary Art from Asia, Australia and the Pacific, to be held in The Porter Gallery, is being held in partnership with Australia’s Queensland Art Gallery/Gallery of Modern Art. Highlights include: Mchael Parekōwhat’s life-sized sculpture of a Mãori security guard, Kapa Haka (Whero) (2003); Pala Pothupitiye’s Kalutara Fort (2020-21) – a reimagined map of an historic Sri Lanka military camp; Brenda Fajardo, Elisabet Kauage, Mathias Kauage and John Siune’s There is still a war going on in Bougainville (1995) which responds to Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville conflict between 1988-98; and, a series of porcelain busts by Ah Xian. The exhibition opens on Saturday and runs until 10th January. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.vam.ac.uk/.

• The role broadsides played in spreading news, advice and gossip in London from the 16th century onwards is the subject of a new exhibition at the Guildhall Library. Broadsides: Speaking to the People explores the history of broadsides and how they were used to speak to the general public, high and low alike. Free to see. Runs until 29th October. For more, see www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/events/exhibition-broadsides-speaking-to-the-people.

• Ground-breaking astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin has been honoured with an English Heritage Blue Plaque at the home in Notting Hill where she lived as a teenager. The plaque at 70 Lansdowne Road marks where Payne-Gaposchkin’s journey towards expanding our understanding of space began. Payne-Gaposchkin earned a doctorate in astronomy from Harvard after moving to the US. Her groundbreaking 1925 thesis proposed that stars are composed primarily of hydrogen and helium, a discovery that fundamentally changed scientific understanding of the universe, and in 1927, she became the youngest astronomer ever to have a star of distinction next to her name in the publication American Men of Science. For more, see www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/.

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