Palaces

This Week in London – Christmas at Hampton Court; Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid; and, Romani art, culture and heritage…

by exploringlondon
PICTURE: paulafrench/iStockphoto

• Christmas has come to Hampton Court Palace with the one-time home of King Henry VIII decorated with traditional decorations and hosting a range of Christmas-related activities. Musicians located throughout the palace are playing a mixture of classical tunes and familiar Christmas melodies while in the Wine Cellar “intriguing history” of Christmas is being brought to life in story-telling sessions. The culinary Christmas traditions of the Tudors, meanwhile, are on display in the historic kitchens with, between 20th December and 4th January, the Historic Kitchens team recreating recipes from the Tudor court. The Magic Garden is hosting a special playful outdoor adventure for younger ones between 17th December and 4th January. The Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink has also returned (until 4th January) and there’s a Christmas market being held in the Great Fountain Garden on 5th to 7th December and again on 12th to 14th December. The Festive Fayre will feature more than 100 independent exhibitors offering artisan food and drink, unique gifts and stocking fillers while there will be live music on the East Front bandstand and horse and cart rides in the grounds. Admission charge applies. For more on Christmas activties at the palace head to www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/christmas-festivities/.

• Caravaggio’s Victorious Cupid – never-before seen in public in the UK – is at the centre of a new exhibition which has opened at the Wallace Collection. The sculpture is presented with two Roman sculptures that along with the Caravaggio were all once part of the portfolio of Marchese Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564–1637), one of the most celebrated collectors of his day. The life-sized Cupid was once displayed along with works by the likes of Raphael, Titian and Giorgione in his grand palazzo located near the Pantheon in Rome along with an extensive gallery of classical sculpture. Caravaggio’s Cupid, which is free to enter, can be seen in the Exhibition Galleries until 12th April. For more, see www.wallacecollection.org/whats-on/exhibitions-displays/caravaggios-cupid/.

• A new display honouring the livelihoods, creativity and craft of Romani communities and their contribution to British society has opened at the London Museum Docklands. By Appointment Only: Romani art, culture and heritage centres on three works, Sugar Coated (2025) by Corrina Eastwood, Tap Your Heels Together Three Times (2025) by Delaine Le Bas and What Makes a Home? (2025) by Dan Turner. There’s also timeline by John-Henry Phillips which illustrates the history of Romani communities from 500-1000 up to 2022. This is displayed along with the Historic England film Searching for Romani Gypsy Heritage with John Henry Phillips (2024) and an oral history piece both of which contextualise the timeline. The exhibition in the Reflections Room is free. For more, see www.londonmuseum.org.uk/whats-on/by-appointment-only/.

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This Week in London – Wes Anderson’s archive explored; Edwin Austin Abbey at The National Gallery; and, Christmas at the Tower…

by exploringlondon

• The first retrospective of the work of film-maker Wes Anderson has opened at the Design Museum in South Kensington. Wes Anderson: The Archives draws on the director’s own archives to chart the evolution of his films from early experiments in the 1990s and collaborations to an exploration of the design stories behind films such as The Royal Tenenbaums, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr Fox and Isle of Dogs. The display features more than 700 objects including original storyboards, polaroids, sketches, paintings, handwritten notebooks, puppets, miniature models and costumes. Highlights include a candy-pink model of the Grand Budapest Hotel, vending machines from Asteroid City, a FENDI fur coat worn by Gwyneth Paltrow as Margot Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums, stop motion puppets used to depict the fantastical sea creatures in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Mr Fox wearing his signature corduroy suit and show dog Nutmeg alongside miniature sets. There’s also a screening of Bottle Rocket, Anderson’s first short film, created in 1993. Runs until 26th July. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/wes-anderson-the-archives.

Edwin Austin Abbey, ‘Study for The Hours in the Pennsylvania State Capitol’ (about 1909–11), oil on canvas, 381 × 381 cm Yale University Art Gallery, Edwin Austin Abbey Memorial Collection. PICTURE: Courtesy of Yale University Art Gallery

• A design for the ceiling of the House of Representatives in the Pennsylvania State Capitol in the US has gone on show at The National Gallery as part of a new exhibition dedicated to its creator Edwin Austin Abbey (1852-1911). The 12-feet diameter half-scale design for The Hours, newly conserved by the Yale University Art Gallery, depicts 24 female figures representing the 24 hours of the day. The display, Edwin Austin Abbey: By the Dawn’s Early Light, also features six preparatory drawings for his work, The Apotheosis of Pennsylvania, a vast wall mural featuring representations of 16th and 17th century English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh and American frontiersman Daniel Boone behind the Speaker’s dais. Abbey, who lived and worked in the UK, displayed the first of his Harrisburg murals at the University of London in 1908 prior to shipping them to the US – guests included King Edward VII and Queen Alexandria. The free display can be seen in the HJ Hyams Room (Room 1) until 15th February. For more, see www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/edwin-austin-abbey-by-the-dawn-s-early-light

• The Tower of London is being transformed into a “magical storybook world” to mark Christmas this year. A Storybook Christmas at the Tower of London features royal romances, legendary figures and treasured traditions which include animals who once lived in the Tower’s royal menagerie, the famous tower ravens, the chance to step onto a regal throne for a family portrait and find storybook backdrops among Christmas trees and wreaths, and an opportunity to explore the story of the Tower’s Royal Observatory where the first Royal Astronomer was appointed in 1675. The “storybook Christmas” opens on Sunday and runs until 4th January. Included in general admission. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/.

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Treasures of London – The Exeter Salt…

by exploringlondon

Part of the Crown Jewels held in the Tower of London, the Exeter Salt (or more formally the Salt of State) is, as the name suggests, a salt cellar but one which is exquisitely designed in the shape of a castle.

PICTURE: Firebrace/Wikipedia (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Standing 1.5 foot tall, the salt was made by Johann Hass of Hamburg, in what is now Germany, in about 1630. It is was made of silver gilt and mounted with some 73 gems including almandine garnets, turquoises, sapphires, emeralds, rubies, amethysts. It is thought the gems were not part of the original construction and may have been added at the time King Charles II’s coronation.

The design features a fantasy castle with turrets at each corner and a round tower topped by a dome and crown in the centre and comes complete with details such as cannons and decorative shields. It appears to stand on a base of rock which is supported by dragons at each corner.

It has a central compartment under the main tower as well as compartment under each turret. There are also a series of drawers used for pepper and other spices (the numbers suggesting it was made as a spice box).

The salt was purchased by Richard Bradshaw, representative of the then-Cromwellian government, in Hamburg in 1657 with the intention that it and other gifts be presented to the Russian court which had broken ties with Britain after the death of King Charles I.

But Bradshaw only made it as far as Riga in what is now Latvia (sadly many of his party dying of plague on the journey). He spent eight months waiting to cross into Russia to no avail. Bradshaw eventually returned to London via Hamburg, taking with him the gifts.

He is understood to have sold the gifts when back in London to try and recoup some of the losses he had experienced on his attempt to reach Russia.

The council of the city of Exeter acquired the salt in 1660, using the royal goldsmith, Sir Robert Vyner, as an intermediary, and paying a staggering £700 (and giving it a new name). The city, which had been a Parliamentary stronghold during the civil war, then presented it to King Charles II for his coronation.

It now forms part of the Crown Jewels and is held in the Tower of London’s Jewel House.

WHERE: The Jewel House, The Tower of London (nearest Tube Station is Tower Hill); WHEN: 9am to 4:30pm Tuesday to Saturday; opens 10am Sundays and Mondays (last entry at 3pm); COST: £35.80 adults; £28.50 concession; £17.90 children (free for Historic Royal Palaces members and £1 tickets are available for those in receipt of certain means-tested financial benefits); WEBSITE: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/crown-jewels/

This Week in London – Kew’s Christmas light trail returns; ‘Time’ at the Old Royal Naval College; and, a royal Christmas shop…

by exploringlondon
A scene from last year’s light show. PICTURE: James Carter-Johnson/iStockphoto

• Kew Garden’s famous light trail opens tomorrow and this year the three kilometres features eight new world premiere installations, interactive dance floors with giant headphones and, for the first time, the illumination of the Great Pagada. Christmas at Kew will also feature seasonal staples such as illuminated trees, a festive funfair and the ever-popular Christmas Cathedral. Among the new installations are Creative Culture’s Christmas Orchestra featuring festive music coordinated with lights and In Bloom, an installation by Netherlands’ multidisciplinary artist Wilhelmsusvlug said to evoke “delicate petals dancing through the air”. There will be a newly created projection at the Palm House while the Palm House Pond will feature a light display of 100 lillies and the trail concludes with a music and light show at the Temperate House. Runs until 4th January. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.kew.org/christmas.

• Time, a sound and light show by Luxmuralis, has transformed the Old Royal Naval College after dark with an “unforgettable journey through history and science”. Visitors start in the Painted Hall where they’s see Peter Walker’s Connection & Identity illuminated after which they’ll move through the Ripley Tunnel, Queen Mary Undercroft and chapel before heading outside across the colonnades and into the courtyard. Runs until 22nd November. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://ornc.org/whats-on/time-by-luxmuralis/.

• The Royal Shop in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace has been transformed into a Christmas pop-up shop for the first time. The Royal Mews Christmas Shop, which opens tomorrow, features a range of official royal gifts as well as food and drink from the Royal Collection Trust, a department of the Royal Household. Among the new offerings this year are mini 20cl bottles of gins infused with botanicals hand-picked from the grounds of royal residences including Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle as well as a Property of the Royal Kitchen range of kitchen accessories, which takes its inspiration from the Great Kitchen at Windsor Castle, and wine accessories including crystal wine glasses, delicately etched with a pattern of knotted vines and grape leaves inspired by the Grand Punch Bowl, a majestic wine cistern in the Royal Collection known to have been used by Queen Victoria. To visit the shop online, head to www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk.

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Bonfire Night – Five places in London featured in the events of the Gunpowder Plot…

by exploringlondon

It’s 5th November and that means Bonfire Night, the annual event featuring bonfires, effigies of Guy Fawkes (and others), and fireworks displays in commemoration of the November, 1605, foiling of a conspiracy to kill King James I (and many others) by blowing up the House of Lords (you can read more about it in earlier posts here and here).

Looking across Old Palace Yard outside the Houses of Parliament to the southern end of Westminster Hall. PICTURE: David Adams

Here’s five places of significance to the story of the plot:

1. The Houses of Parliament: It was in the undercroft beneath the House of Lords that Guy Fawkes was found with 36 barrels of gunpowder. The cellar is now gone – having been destroyed when the Houses of Parliament burned down in 1834.

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This Week in London – Turner’s ‘The Battle of Trafalgar’ returns to public display; Halloween at Hampton; Diwali at Greenwich; and, NYE tickets…

by exploringlondon
The Queen’s House, Greenwich. PICTURE: Frank Chou/Unsplash

• Artist JMW Turner’s only royal commission has returned to public display in Greenwich to mark the 250th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The more than three metre-wide painting (Turner’s largest completed work), The Battle of Trafalgar, went on display on Tuesday – 220 years to the day since the battle it depicts – at the Queen’s House. The 1824 painting, which was commissioned by King George IV, commemorates the victory of the British Royal Navy over a combined French and Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar on 21st October, 1805. First displayed at St James’s Palace, it was transferred to the Naval Gallery at Greenwich Hospital in 1829. It was removed from public display in March last year to protect it during a works project at the National Maritime Museum and has now found a new home at the Queen’s House. Admission is free. For more, see www.rmg.co.uk/queens-house.

• The ghosts of King Henry VIII and Oliver Cromwell are among those which can be encountered at Hampton Court Palace from Friday as it marks Halloween. Immersive Halloween-inspired installations with unearth the stories of some of the palace’s former residents while outside there’s a Haunted Garden complete with skeletal horse and carriage. Halloween season at the palace runs until 2nd November and is included in general admission. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/halloween-at-hampton-court-palace/.

• Diwali, the annual Hindu celebration, comes to the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich this Saturday with the ‘Illuminate’ festival. The free festival, which runs from 11am to 5pm and is curated by Mehala Ford – founder of South Asian art collective COMMONGROUND&, includes performances, creative workshops including traditional Rangoli art and Henna art, storytelling sessions including a puppet show telling the epic story of Ramayana, and a lantern parade around Greenwich Park. There ares also talks and Diwali-inspired food. For more, see www.rmg.co.uk/whats-on/national-maritime-museum/diwali.

• Tickets to London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations have gone on sale. The 12 minute show celebrating the new year will kicks off with the familiar sounds of Big Ben’s chimes, before thousands of fireworks and hundreds of lights help to illuminate the night sky around the London Eye all set to a wide-ranging soundtrack. Around 100,000 Londoners and visitors are expected to attend. Ticket prices are between £20 and £35 for Londoners and £40 and £55 for visitors. For more, see www.london.gov.uk/nye.

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10 places to encounter London’s animal life…4. Bushy Park…

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Famous for its herd of Red and Fallow deer, the expansive Bushy Park in south-west London is also a haven for many other kinds of wildlife – from birds and fish to insects and small mammals.

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This Week in London – Jousting at Eltham; Thamesmead Festival returns; and, ‘Robot Zoo’ at the Horniman…

by exploringlondon
A knight prepares to joust at an earlier event at Hampton Court Palace. PICTURE: David Adams

• Eltham Palace returns to the medieval age this weekend with a jousting tournament in which knights will compete for glory. The ‘Legendary Joust’ will feature four knights, each representing a character from myth or legend including The Wyvern, The Wildman, Sir Lancelot and Jason of the Argonauts. The event runs from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/whats-on/eltham-palace-legendary-joust-2-3-aug-2025/.

• The Thamesmead Festival returns to Southmere Park in south-east London over the next two weekends. The free, family-friendly festival boasts four big stages with headline guest Omar and musical performances across genres including Afrobeat, R&B, rock and pop as well as spoken word, comedy, and street dance. There will also be a market featuring local artists and food from around the world. Runs from 12pm to 7:30pm on Saturday and on 8th August. For more, head to https://www.thamesmeadnow.org.uk/whats-on/arts-culture/thamesmead-festival-2025/.

• On Now: Robot Zoo. This exhibition at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill features a range of larger-than-life animals recreated using machine parts and gadgets in a bid to reveal how their real life counterparts see, eat, hunt and hide. The display also features interactive exhibits giving visitors the chance to try jet-propelled squid racing and shoot a chameleon’s ‘tongue-gun’. There’s also two specially commissioned interactive murals by artist Giulia Casarotto. Runs until 2nd November. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.horniman.ac.uk/event/robot-zoo/.

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(In)famous Londoners – Alice Tankerville…

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The only woman prisoner recorded as having escaped from the Tower of London, Alice Tankerville was accused, along with her common-law husband John Wolfe, of committing piracy in 1533.

The Tower of London on the bank of the Thames. PICTURE: Juhi Sewchurran/Unsplash

It was alleged that Tankerville had lured two wealthy Italian merchants into a wherry out in the Thames where her accomplices – including Wolfe and two men disguised as watermen – had robbed and murdered them. They were also accused of burgling a home near St Benet Gracechurch where the two men had been staying.

Despite apparently having attempted to seek sanctuary in a special precinct near Westminster Abbey, the couple were arrested, charged with piracy and murder among other things, and, following a trial neither apparently attended, found guilty.

Taken to the Tower of London in 1534 (Wolfe had done a previous stint there for the theft of 366 gold crowns from a ship berthed at the Hanseatic League’s Steelyard but had eventually been released due to a lack of evidence), Alice is said to have been imprisoned in Coldharbour Gate.

Alice wasn’t done yet, however. On 23rd March that year, she managed to escape, apparently with the aid of gaoler John Bawde who provided her with ropes and a key.

It was a short-lived liberation – believed to have been wearing man’s clothes, she and Bawde were arrested trying to reach waiting horses on a road just outside the Tower (it’s worth noting that not only was Alice the only women prisoner to ever escape the Tower of London, she was also the only escapee during the reign of King Henry VIII).

Both she and Wolfe were subsequently executed and due to the nature of their crime, their execution took place on the Thames.

They were hanged in chains in the Thames near the site of their crime and, before a small flotilla of boats filled with sight-seers come to witness the event, were slowly drowned as the tide rose. Their bodies were then left hanging on the spot as a warning to others.

This Week in London – Showtime! at the Charles Dickens Museum; the ‘Future of Food’; and, Peter Rabbit hops to Hampton Court…

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PICTURE: VV Shots/iStockphoto

• The enduring appeal of Charles Dickens’ works and how they have been adapted for the stage, screen and radio is the focus of a new exhibition at the Charles Dickens Museum in Bloomsbury. Showtime! looks at productions starting from as far back as 1837 and including such classics as The Muppets Christmas Carol and Oliver! the musical with objects on show including original playbills, posters, programmes, photographs and props. There’s also the opportunity to hear from actors and writers about what makes Dickens so adaptable and see Dickens’ own works which he annotated with stage directions. The display can be seen until 26th January. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.dickensmuseum.com.

• A major new exhibition on the future of food – how science is creating more sustainable ways of producing and consuming food – opens at the Science Museum today. Future of Food reveals how the way we grow food and eat impacts the climate, nature, and society. Among the more than 100 objects on show are cricket burgers and cell-grown salmon as well as 3,500-year-old fermented sourdough bread, the first Quorn burger dating from 1981 and the first beef steak grown outside a cow. There is also the chance to join a multiplayer interactive game and create your own “future for food”. Runs until 4th January. Admission is free. For more, see https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/future-of-food.

The Peter Rabbit Adventure at Hampton Court Palace. PICTURE: Courtesy of Historic Royal Palaces.

• Peter Rabbit is hopping over to Hampton Court Palace to take part in a new family trail that brings Beatrix Potter’s beloved characters to life in the palace gardens from tomorrow. The Peter Rabbit Adventure, included as part of the palace admission, is spread over the Kitchen Garden, Tiltyard, and Wilderness and the activities on the trail will introduce little ones to the plants, vegetables and wildlife that inhabit the gardens. These include the chance to use Mrs Tiggy-winkle’s washing equipment to make music among the trees, to join in a search for Peter Rabbit under wheelbarrows and flowerpots in the Tiltyard, and to try to hop, skip and jump as high as Peter and his friends. A larger-than-life Peter Rabbit will be greeting families in the Kitchen Gardens. Runs until 7th September. For more, see https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-peter-rabbit-adventure/.

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This Week in London – Royal art on tour; ‘More than Human’ at the Design Museum; and, the St Paul’s Watch celebrated…

by exploringlondon
Richard Foster, Their Royal Highnesses on North Seymour Island, 2009. PICTURE: © Richard Foster Royal Collection Trust

• More than 70 works of art from the King’s private collection – many of which have never been shown publicly before – go on show from today as part of the summer opening of Buckingham Palace’s State Rooms. The King’s Tour Artists, which can be seen in the ballroom, features works by 43 artists who have travelled with the King and Queen during the past 40 years. They include the earliest work on show – From the Afterdeck of HMY Britannia by John Ward, the inaugural tour artist – as well as Basilica of San Vitale, created by Fraser Scarfe who became the first tour artist to create digital artwork on an iPad when he accompanied the King and Queen on a State Visit to Italy. Other works include a pair of portraits of the King and Queen when Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall which were painted by James Hart Dyke following a tour to the Gulf States in 2007, a drawing by Claudette Johnson made after the first official royal visit to Rwanda in 2022, and a terracotta head by Marcus Cornish, the only sculptor ever to have been chosen as a tour artist, which depicts a war veteran met by the royal party during a visit to Slovakia in 2000. Other highlights of the summer opening include the chance to see the recently installed Coronation State Portraits of the King and Queen in their permanent home. Runs until 28th September. Admission charge applies. To book, head to www.rct.uk.

• Artworks for octopii and an immersive seaweed installation are among artworks in a new exhibition at the Design Museum focusing on a growing movement of ‘more-than-human’ design. More than Human brings together more than 140 works spanning contemporary and traditional practices, fine art, product design, architecture and interactive installations – the work of more than 50 artists, architects and designers. As well as the artworks for octopuses by Japanese artist Shimabuku and the seaweed installation by artist Julia Lohmann, other highlights include a vast new tapestry that explores the perspectives of pollinators by Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg and an eight metre long mural by MOTH (More Than Human Life Project), depicting the growing movement to award legal rights to waterways around the world. Runs until 5th October. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/more-than-human.

• On Now: Saving St Paul’s: The Watch and the Second World War. This free outdoor exhibition – part of St Paul’s Cathedral’s commemorations around the 80th anniversary of World War II, honours the volunteers known as the St Paul’s Watch and their efforts to protect the cathedral during the Blitz. That included during the two direct hits to the cathedral – in October, 1940, and April, 1941. A short film accompanies the display which can be seen in the cathedral garden. The exhibition can be seen until October, 2025. For more, see www.stpauls.co.uk.

London Explained – The Changing of the Guard…

by exploringlondon

It’s one of the most iconic London traditions – the ceremonial changing of the guard outside Buckingham Palace.

Elite guards have served the monarch since the reign of King Henry VII – he made the Royal Body Guard a permanent institution – and Guards Regiments, among the oldest units in the British Army, were first raised in 1656 to protect King Charles II who was then living in exile in Bruges in modern Belgium.

PICTURE: DianaVolchik/Wikimedia Commons (licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

The Changing of the Guard ceremony originally took place at the (now long-gone) Palace of Whitehall. But when the court moved to St James’s Palace in 1698, the ceremony went with them. And then, when Queen Victoria moved to Buckingham Palace in 1837, a detachment of guards was sent to guard the palace (with the Queen’s Guard also still guarding St James’s, a situation which continues today).

The main ceremonial Changing of the Guard today takes place at Buckingham Palace. It involves the Old Guard (those currently on duty, including the detachment from St James’s Palace) forming up in front of the palace and being relieved by the New Guard which has marched from Wellington Barracks, off Birdcage Walk, with a band which plays New Guard’s Regimental Slow March as it advances towards the Old Guard.

Both the Old and New Guard carry regimental flags, known as “Colours”. The guard duties are traditionally served by one of the five regiments of foot guards (part of the Household Division) which include the Welsh Guards, Grenadier Guards, Coldstream Guards, Scots Guards, Irish Guards.

But regiments from Commonwealth nations and those from the Royal Navy or Royal Air Force also perform the duty from time to time.

The Changing of the Guard currently takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11am. The ceremony lasts about 45 minutes.

On days when the ceremony isn’t performed, the guard is still inspected by the Captain at 3pm except on Sunday when the flag (Colour) is incorporated into the ceremony, then known as the Sunday Parade, which takes place at 11am.

For more, see www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-overview.

Treasures of London – The Royal Mews…

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Usually Treasures of London focuses on an object held in a museum or gallery or an outdoor feature such as sculpture or memorial but in honour of its 200th birthday this year, today we’re taking a look at the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace.

Here are some facts about the Mews which you may not know…

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LondonLife – Trooping the Colour…

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More than 1,000 soldiers and 200 horses from the Household Division took part in the King’s Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, on Saturday.

Members of the Household Division are seen here as they make their way down the Mall to Horse Guards Parade in London on Saturday. PICTURE: Sgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with Catherine, the Princess of Wales, are seen here at Horse Guards. PICTURE: Sgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025
The Blues and Royal of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment ride off after riding past King Charles III at Horse Guards. PICTURE: Sergeant Rob Kane/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025
The Coldstream Guards are seen here on parade at Horse Guards. PICTURE: Sgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025
Members of the Household Division flank King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they make their way down the Mall to Buckingham Place. PICTURE: Cpl Christian P Delice/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025.
The Royal Family are seen here on the balcony of Buckingham Palace as they watch the flypast of military aircraft. PICTURE: Sgt Donald C Todd/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025
The crowds watch as the Red Arrows fly over the Mall and Buckingham Palace. PICTURE: Sgt Anil Gurung/UK MOD © Crown copyright 2025.

Treasures of London – The Medieval Palace at the Tower of London…

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Located in one of the oldest parts of the city’s iconic fortress, the medieval palace has undergone a revamp with a restoration of the sumptuous and extravagant decorative scheme that was in place in the 13th century.

The King’s Bedchamber inside St Thomas’s Tower, part of the medieval palace in the Tower of London. PICTURE: Michael Bowles/© Historic Royal Palaces

The medieval palace is found within the St Thomas’s Tower, the Wakefield Tower and the Lanthorn Tower on the southern side of the Tower and was built on the orders of successive monarchs, King Henry III and his son King Edward I. They were used as a domestic and diplomatic space periodically by the kings and their queens, Eleanor of Provence and Eleanor of Castile.

The medieval palace today includes a recreation of Edward I’s vibrant bedchamber in the St Thomas’s Tower (which once directly fronted the River Thames and sits above the water gate later known as Traitor’s Gate) and an exploration of the influence Eleanor of Castile had on the decoration.

The Wakefield Tower, meanwhile, was built by King Henry III as royal lodgings between 1220 and 1240. It originally sat at the river’s edge and could be accessed from the river by private stairs.

Believed to have been used as an audience chamber, it contains a recreation of a throne and canopy based on 13th century examples which are decorated with a Plantagenet lion – the symbol of the royal family. The vaulted ceiling is 19th century.

Inside the Wakefield Tower in the Medieval Palace in the Tower of London. PICTURE: Michael Bowles/© Historic Royal Palaces.

The third of the towers – the Lanthorn Tower – was built as lodgings for King Henry III’s Queen but is now a 19th century reconstruction after the original tower was gutted by fire.

It contains a display and among the new objects is a stone, on loan from the Jewish Museum London, which came from a Jewish mikveh or ritual bath, dating to about 1200 and discovered in London in 2001 within the home of the medieval Crespin family. It’s part of a new effort to explore the story of London’s medieval Jewish community, the taxation of which helped to pay for the construction of St Thomas’s Tower in the 1270s.

Other new objects on show in the Lanthorn Tower include a 13th century seal matrix from a 13th century Italian knight and a gold and enamel 13th century pyx – a small round container used to hold communion wafers made in the French city of Limoges (both on loan from the British Museum) as well as a child’s toy knight made of lead that dates from c1300, lent by London Museum and a perfectly preserved wicker fish trap which was excavated from the Tower moat, containing bones likely dating from the 15th or 16th century and illustrating the moat’s role as a fishery.

A replica of King Edward I’s seal matrix in the Medieval Palace exhibition, accompanied by a description in braille. This item is intended to be touched by visitors, to help them understand what the seal matrix might have looked and felt like in three dimensions. PICTURE: Michael Bowles (www.michael-bowles.com)

The medieval palace also includes a small private chapel which is where it’s believed King Henry VI died in 1471.

Among other stories now told in the display is that of less well-known Tower residents such as King Edward I’s laundress Matilda de Wautham, and John de Navesby the keeper of the white bear which was held in the menagerie at the Tower.

WHERE: The Medieval Palace, The Tower of London (nearest Tube Station is Tower Hill); WHEN: 9am to 5:30pm daily (last entry 3:30pm); COST: £35.80 adults; £28.50 concession; £17.90 children (free for Historic Royal Palaces members and £1 tickets are available for those in receipt of certain means-tested financial benefits); WEBSITE: www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/

This Week in London – Sexual violence in conflict; Indian religions at the British Museum; and, the circus comes to Hampton Court…

by exploringlondon

• A first-of-its-kind exhibition at the Imperial War Museum in Lambeth aims to shed light on sexual violence in conflicts. Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict features case studies which span the period from the World War I to today and examines how and why sexual violence is perpetrated, its impact on victims and survivors and the pursuit of justice and reconciliation. The exhibition features some 162 objects, including never-before-seen items, as well as testimonies and interviews with experts such as Christina Lamb, journalist and author of Our Bodies, Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women, and Sarah Sands, journalist and former chair of the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council. The display also highlights the ongoing work of four NGOs working in the field of sexual violence: Women for Women International, All Survivors Project, Free Yezidi Foundation and Waging Peace. The free display opens on Friday and runs until 2nd November. For more, see www.iwm.org.uk/events/unsilenced-sexual-violence-in-conflict.

Bimaran casket, about 1st century © The Trustees of the British Museum.
This gold reliquary might represent the earliest dateable image of the Buddha shown as a man, as coins found with it could date to the late 1st century AD. The Buddha stands with his right hand raised in the gesture of reassurance and is flanked by the gods Indra (right) and Brahma (left).

• The origins of three of the world’s major religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – and their practice today are explored through a new exhibition of sacred art at the British Museum. Ancient India: living traditions features more than 180 objects including sculptures, paintings, drawings, and manuscripts. Among the objects on show is a statue of the elephant-headed god Ganesh made of in Java from volcanic stone, dating from about AD 1000–1200, while among the stories told in the display are how depictions of Buddha have changed over time while those of Hindu goddess Lakshmi have remained relatively unchanged. Runs until 19th October in The Sainsbury Exhibitions Gallery. For more, see www.britishmuseum.org.

• The circus and street performance are coming to Hampton Court Palace this weekend for a three day family-friendly festival featuring live music, acrobatics and physical theatre. Featuring performers from Cirque Bijou, the Big Bahooey will, as well as breathtaking stunts, slapstick comedy and interactive performances, feature hands-on workshops where you can learn skills such as juggling, wire walking or spinning plates. Entrance is included in palace admission. Runs from 24th to 26th May. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/whats-on/the-big-bahooey/.

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This Week in London – VE Day commemorated at St Paul’s; the National Gallery redisplayed; and, Tate Modern celebrates its 25th…

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• VE Day commemorations continue in London this week with an Evensong service to be held outside St Paul’s Cathedral this evening. The service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of the war in Europe will be held between 5pm and 6pm. Following the service will be a lamp-lighting ceremony and blessing on the cathedral’s west steps with the cathedral bells being tolled as part of a national bell-ringing at 6:30pm. A replica of a World War II Spitfire can also be seen in front of the West Steps. The service is free and unticketed – entry is via Paternoster Square. For more, see www.stpauls.co.uk/whats-on/special-evensong-to-commemorate-80th-anniversary-of-end-of-second-world-war-in-europe-ve80.

Central Hall, The National Gallery. Image and Identity: Full-Length Portraits 1550-1900. Part of ‘C C Land: The Wonder of Art’. PICTURE: © The National Gallery, London

• A major redisplay of the National Gallery’s collection – created as part of its bicentenary celebrations – can be seen from Saturday. C C Land: The Wonder of Art, which coincides with the opening of the transformed Sainsbury Wing after more than two years of building works, features more than 1,000 works and traces the development of painting in the Western European tradition from the 13th to 20th centuries. Among the works displayed are the Coronation State Portraits, commissioned from the artists Peter Kuhfeld and Paul S Benney and unveiled by King Charles III and Queen Camilla this week, which will be on display until 5th June when they will be moved to the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. There are also newly restored works including the Pollaiuolo brothers’ The Martyrdom of San Sebastian and Jan van Eyck’s Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?) and newly acquired works such as Eva Gonzalès’ The Full-length Mirror (about 1869‒70), Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s After the Audience (1879) and Nicolas Poussin’s Eucharist (about 1637‒40) – one of the greatest paintings of the Last Supper. Meanwhile, a series of rooms have been dedicated to the work of individual artists including the likes of Titian (active about 1506‒1576), Rembrandt (1606‒1669) and Monet (1840‒1926) and one part of the new display focuses on King Charles I (1600‒1649) as a collector of art and includes major loans from the Royal Collection. Finally, in a first for the gallery, Segna di Bonaventura’s Crucifix (about 1310‒15) has been suspended from the gallery’s ceiling, enabling today’s audiences to view the work in the way it would have been seen in the 14th century. Entry to the gallery is free. For more, see nationalgallery.org.uk.

Tate Modern. PICTURE: Courtesy of the Tate Modern.

• The Tate Modern is celebrating 25 years this weekend with four days of festivities starting from tomorrow (Friday). A number of recent additions to Tate’s collection will go on display around the building for the anniversary and some of the most iconic works from Tate Modern’s history are coming back including Louise Bourgeois’s 10 metre high bronze spider Maman which was the first work to greet visitors when Tate Modern opened in 2000. Other returning works include Mark Rothko’s Seagram murals and Dorothea Tanning’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik while among contemporary works being highlighted over the weekend is an immersive multi-screen film installation by Nalini Malani. Two new exhibitions are also open for the anniversary weekend – A Year in Art: 2050 which explores how artists imagine possible futures, and, Gathering Ground which features international contemporary art united by a deep connection to land and community. The weekend also features live music and performances, pop-up talks and tours, and special food and drink offers. For more, see https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/birthday-weekender.

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This Week in London – Hiroshige at the British Museum; poppies return to Tower for VE Day commemoration; and, Do Ho Suh at the Tate Modern…

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Ferry on the Fuji River. From Famous Places in Japan, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797 – 1858). Colour -woodblock print, about 1832. © The Trustees of the British Museum

• An exhibition exploring the art and legacy of Japanese artist Hiroshige opens at the British Museum today. Hiroshige: artist of the open road takes visitors on a “lyrical journey” through Edo-period Japan, exploring both natural landscapes and urban life as well as considering Utagawa Hiroshige’s (1797– 1858) lasting influence on modern and contemporary art. The display marks the major gift of 35 Hiroshige prints to the American Friends of the British Museum from the collection of Alan Medaugh, a leading US collector of the artist’s work with these works being shown alongside 82 Hiroshige prints loaned by Medaugh and other works. Among them are the series Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō Highway (1833–35), One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856–58) and Eight Views of Stations along the Main and Secondary Roads (about 1839) as well as examples of his famous bird-and-flower prints Runs in the Joseph Hotung Great Court Gallery (Room 35) until 7th September. Admission charge applies. For more, see britishmuseum.org/hiroshige.

• The 80th anniversary of World War II is being marked with a new display of ceramic poppies in the Tower of London. Almost 30,000 poppies, previously seen in Paul Cummins’ 2014 artwork, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, are being used in the new installation designed by Tom Piper. Opens on 6th May in advance of the 80th anniversary of VE Day, marking the official end of the World War II in Europe, on 8th May. Included in admission with a small section visible from the public footpath. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/whats-on/tower-remembers-2025.

Do Ho Suh, Rubbing/Loving Project: Seoul Home, 2013-2022. Installation view at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney, Australia. Photography by Sebastian Mrugalski Courtesy of the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul and London and Victoria Miro. © Do Ho Suh

• The large-scale installations, sculptures, videos and drawings of artist Do Ho Suh are going on show at the Tate Modern from today. The Genesis Exhibition: Do Ho Suh: Walk the House, the title of which comes from a Korean expression referring to the hanok – a house that could theoretically be disassembled, transported and reassembled at a new site, includes works from across three decades. They include the new installation Nest/s (2024) and Perfect Home: London, Horsham, New York, Berlin, Providence, Seoul (2024), Who Am We? (2000_ – a mosaic of tens of thousands of tiny portrait photographs collected from sources including school yearbooks, and his major Rubbing/Loving Project: Seoul Home (2013-22) project. Runs at the Bankside institution until 19th October. Admission charge applies. For more, see tate.org.uk.

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This Week in London – Gold bunnies at Hampton Court; St George’s Day at Trafalgar Square; and, ‘Food Season’ at the British Library…

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Wishing all our readers a happy Easter!

Hampton Court Palace. PICTURE:  Karen McKeogh/Unsplash

• The Lindt GOLD BUNNY hunt has returned to Hampton Court Palace this Easter. People visiting the palace can seek out the gold bunnies hidden around the gardens – currently also the location of the Tulip Festival – and those children who believe they have found them all will be rewarded with a chocolate treat. Included in general admission. Runs until 21st April. For more, see https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/

• A free, family-friendly event celebrating England’s rich heritage through music, dance, and workshops will be held in Trafalgar Square on Monday to mark St George’s Day. The event, which runs from noon to 6pm, will be hosted by singer-songwriter Harleymoon Kemp and includes performances by The Nigel Grice Jazz Collective, the English Folk Dance and Song Society, singer-songwriter Matilda Garcia, South London-based dance company Bird and Gang, spoken word artist Palacio de Poetas, West End Kids, and harmony group Vocal Shack. St George and the famous Dragon will also be roaming the square and the event also features traditional Morris dancing from the Belles of London City, the chance to meet the Pearly Kings and Queens and a closing ceilidh led by Cut A Shine, a troupe of traditional musicians and dancers. There will also be a variety of food and beverage stalls. For more, see www.london.gov.uk/events/st-georges-day-2025

• The British Library’s ‘Food Season’ – featuring a programme of live talks, panel discussions, workshops, and exclusive tastings – kicks off today. Now in its seventh year, events include a conversation with cookery icon Dame Prue Leith who will be talking about her life in food with journalist Jimi Famurewa, an expert panel discussion on the impact of weight-loss injections on our society, a contribution from cult food magazine Vittles looking at the point of a cookbook?, and a conversation between chef Nadiya Hussain and celebrated author Candice Brathwaite. There’s also an event celebrating the late Californian feminist food writer, MFK Fisher, with her daughter, Kennedy Golden, Alastair Harper from band Extradition Order (who will be performing as part of the event) and authors Rebecca May Johnson and Gurdeep Loyal. The final weekend (31st May to 1st June) will feature the ‘BIG WEEKEND’, a two day celebration of food through words, sounds, cultures, ideas and tastings. For tickets and the full programme of events, head to https://events.bl.uk/whats-on/food-season.

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This Week in London – The glamour of the Edwardian Royals; tulips at Hampton Court; and, Cartier jewels at the V&A…

by exploringlondon
Attributed to R. & S. Garrard, ‘Love Trophy’ Collar, 1901
Charles Baugniet, ‘After the Ball’: a Lady in a Ballgown Asleep on a Sofa, c1860–67

• The glamour and opulence of the Edwardian era – and the two royal couples that exemplified it – is the subject of a new exhibition opening at The King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace tomorrow. The Edwardians: Age of Elegance takes an in-depth look at the lives of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary, exploring not only their family interactions but their glittering social circles, travel adventures and, of course, the royal events they attended. More than 300 items are on display in the exhibition – almost half on show for the first time – with highlights including Queen Mary’s ‘Love Trophy’ Collar necklace which is on display for the first time, a Cartier crystal pencil case set with diamonds and rubies, and, a blue enamel Fabergé cigarette case featuring a diamond-encrusted snake biting its own tail which was given to King Edward VII in 1908 by his favourite mistress as a symbol of eternal love. There’s also a never-before-seen photograph of Edward wearing fancy-dress as a knight of the Order of Malta as he attended a ball celebrating Queen Victoria’s 1897 Diamond Jubilee, a previously unseen study of Sleeping Beauty by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Sir Edward Burne-Jones, and, Charles Baugniet’s After the Ball which is on show for the first time in more than a century. Runs until 23rd November. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.rct.uk.

• More than 100,000 tulip bulbs are springing to life at Hampton Court Palace for its annual Tulip Festival. The display includes an installation of 10,000 tulips in the palace’s Fountain Court, floating tulip bowls in the Great Fountain, a vintage horse cart spilling tulips in the Clock Court, free-style planting, inspired by the tulip fields of the Netherlands, in the Kitchen Garden and rare, historic and specialist varieties of tulips in the Lower Orangery. There will be daily “tulip talks” in the palace’s wine cellar exploring the history of the flower and how Queen Mary II introduced them to the palace. Runs from Friday until 5th May. Included in general admission. For more, see www.hrp.org.uk.

Rose clip brooch, Cartier London, 1938. Diamonds and platinum. Vincent Wulveryck, Collection Cartier © Cartier

• The first major exhibition in 30 years dedicated to Cartier jewels and watches opens at the V&A this Saturday. Cartier, which is being held in The Sainsbury Gallery, charts the rise of the globally recognised jewellery house and how it became known as “the jeweller of kings and the king of jewellers”. The display features more than 350 objects with highlights including the Williamson Diamond brooch which was commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 and which features the rare 23.6 carat pink Williamson diamond; the Scroll Tiara commissioned in 1902 and worn to the coronation of Elizabeth II and later by Rihanna on the cover of W magazine in 2016; Grace Kelly’s engagement ring (1956) that she wore in her final film High Society; Mexican film star María Félix’s snake necklace (1968); and, a selection of Cartier timepieces that embody its pioneering approach to watchmaking, including the Crash wristwatch, designed by Cartier London (1967). The exhibition runs until 16th November. Admission charge applies. For more, see vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/cartier.

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