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

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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.

10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…7. First V1 rocket to strike London…

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The first V1 rocket attack on London took place in June, 1944, and resulted in six deaths and 30 injuries.

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LondonLife – Remembering 7/7…

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London paused on. Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks which took place on the 7th July, 2005.

Fifty-two people died in the attacks and hundreds were injured when three suicide bombers struck at 8.50am in the vicinity of Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square Tube stations. A fourth device exploded at 9.47am on a bus that had been diverted via Tavistock Square.

On Monday, the names of all those killed in London’s 7/7 bombings were read out at the National Memorial Service at St Paul’s Cathedral. In Hyde Park, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at the 7/7 Memorial, marking the time when the first bomb exploded.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan lay wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park. PICTURE: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street (licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Commemorative events were also held at the sites where the bombings occurred.

In a message to mark the anniversary, King Charles III said his “heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible Summer’s day”.

“We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil – and the enduring grief of their loved ones. We recall, too, the hundreds more who carry physical and psychological scars, and pray that their suffering may ease as the years pass.”

The King also called on people to “remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day”.

“The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan lay wreaths at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park. PICTURE: Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street (licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

London Explained – The Changing of the Guard…

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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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This Week in London – London’s transport history captured; Sir Quentin Blake’s foundling portraits; and, the history of prison healthcare…

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Some of London’s iconic red buses (not one of the images in the exhibition). PICTURE: Dele Oke/Unsplash

• A new photographic display featuring a mix of historical and newly commissioned images has gone on show at the London Transport Museum. The exhibition – Then and now: London’s transport in photographs – marks the 25th anniversary of Transport for London and more than 160 years of transport history within the capital and features 40 photographs exploring how public transport in London has evolved amid social change. As well as historical images drawn from the collection, the display features images taken by photographer and train driver, Anne Maningas. Runs until spring, 2026. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.ltmuseum.co.uk/visit/museum-guide/then-and-now-londons-transport-photographs.

• A display of portraits by acclaimed artist Sir Quentin Blake has gone on show at the Foundling Museum in Bloomsbury. The Foundling Portraits: Quentin Blake features a series of 10 Stabilo watercolour pencil on paper artworks which depict imaginary children created by Blake during a period of self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The images are among a collection of 45 which were gifted to the museum by Sir Quentin. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://foundlingmuseum.org.uk/event/the-foundling-portraits-quentin-blake/.

• On Now: Prison Nursing Unlocked – A History of Care and Justice. This exhibition at the Royal College of Nursing Library and Museum in Cavendish Square looks at the role of health care in prisons, from the work of early reformers like Elizabeth Fry to the role nurses play today. Co-created with Royal College of Nursing members, it tells the story of the suffragettes who were force-fed in Holloway Prison, the formation of secure hospitals like Broadmoor, and features artwork created by prisoners and nurses at HM Prison Eastwood Park and HM Prison Warren Hill. Runs until 19th December. For more (and a link to the exhibition online), see www.rcn.org.uk/news-and-events/news/prison-nursing-unlocked-exhibition.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…6. Stainer Street Arch bombing…

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This simple blue plaque memorial in Southwark commemorates a bombing on the night of 17th February, 1941, in which some 68 people were killed.

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Where’s London’s oldest…football stadium?

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Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC on the bank of the River Thames in west London, is the city’s oldest football stadium.

Craven Cottage (with the Grade II-listed Johnny Haynes Stand on the left in 2021. PICTURE: Nick/Flickr (licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)/Image cropped

The site has been home to the club since 1896, having previously been based at a range of grounds. It took two years to prepare the ground for play including constructing a changing room building.

The first match was played at the ground on 10th October, 1896 (Fulham beat Minerva 4-0 in the Middlesex Senior Cup).

Initially the ground was surrounded with terracing only – this changed in 1903 when the first stand was built on the north side of the ground. Providing seating for 1,200 spectators, it was affectionately known as the ‘Rabbit Hutch’.

The stand didn’t last long. Just 18 months later, it was condemned as dangerous by municipal officials and had to be pulled down.

In January, 1905, it was reported that the club had gained a 99-year lease on the ground. Work on a new stand, 5,000-seat, started just four months later to be designed by Archibald Leitch with steelwork provided by Clyde Structural Iron Company. Known as the Stevenage Road Stand (with a brick facade on the road), it opened on 2nd September that year.

The Cottage Pavilion in 2018. PICTURE: Nick/Flickr (licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)/Image cropped

Leitch also designed the Cottage Pavillion, located at the south-east corner of the ground, which was used for change rooms and by the club’s administration.

In 1907, the club hosted the first full international match when, in March, 1907, England and Wales drew 1-1.

While the club regularly saw crowds of up to 40,000 in the lead-up to World War II, a record was set in 1938 at a game between Fulham and Millwall when the crowd numbered just shy of 50,000.

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These days there are four stands: the Grade II-listed Johnny Haynes Stand on the east side of the ground (it was renamed in 2005 in honour of the club legend who also has a statue at the ground); the Riverside Stand on the west side (redeveloped in recent years); the Hammersmith End stand (located to the north of the ground, traditionally its home end); and, the Putney End stand (located at the south end).

The Cottage Pavilion, the balcony of which is from where player’s families have traditionally watched games, remains in the south-east corner.

This Week in London – Military art in the Victorian age; a new dinosaur species at the Natural History Museum; and, Anselm Kiefer meets Vincent van Gogh…

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• More than 100 works of art showing the changing attitudes towards the military in the 19th century opens at the National Army Museum in Chelsea next Tuesday. Myth and Reality: Military Art in the Age of Queen Victoria – the first dedicated art exhibition at the museum in more than five years – centres on four themes – ‘The Female Perspective’, ‘The Great Campaigns’, ‘Patriotism and Portraiture’, and ‘Realism and Reportage’. Highlights include a collection of 25 works by Elizabeth Thompson, Lady Butler, who rocketed to fame in the 19th century for her depictions of Waterloo and Crimea. Other works in the show include Thomas Barker Jones’ The Capitulation of Kars, Crimean War, 28 November 1855, works by war artists such as Joseph Arthur Crowe – a journalist at The Times‘, consular official and art historian, and portraits of Victoria Cross winners. Runs until 1st November. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.nam.ac.uk.

‘Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae’ at the Natural History Museum. PICTURE: Courtesy of the Natural History Museum.

• A new species of dinosaur, Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, a two-legged herbivore from the famous Morrison Formation in the US, goes on show at the Natural History Museum from today. Standing half a metre tall and a little over a metre long, the Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, would have been found on the floodplains of the western United States in the Late Jurassic period (145-150 million years ago), darting around underneath giants like Diplodocus and Stegosaurus (like Sophie, who also resides in the Museum’s Earth Hall). Unearthed in 2021/2022 from a commercial quarry, Enigmacursor was acquired from the gallery David Aaron Ltd thanks to the support of David and Molly Lowell Borthwick. It was initially thought to be a Nanosaurus – a poorly-known species of small herbivorous dinosaur first named in the 1870s – but on closer inspection it was found to be a new genus and species. Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae is on permanent public display on the first-floor mezzanine in Earth Hall. For more see www.nhm.ac.uk.

Anselm Kiefer, The Crows (Die Krähen), 2019. Emulsion, oil, acrylic, shellac, gold leaf, straw and clay on canvas, 280 x 760 cm. Courtesy of the artist and White Cube. PICTURE: Georges Poncet. © Anselm Kiefer

• The influence of Vincent van Gogh on the work of artist Anselm Kiefer is the subject of a new display at the Royal Academy of Arts. Kiefer/ Van Gogh, held in the The Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Galleries, brings together works by both artists for the first time in the UK and features paintings and drawings by Van Gogh from the collection of the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, as well as paintings, drawings and sculptures by Kiefer including some works that have never been shown before. Among highlights are a selection of Kiefer’s celebrated large-scale landscapes such as The Crows (Die Krähen) (2019) as well as Van Gogh’s Snow-Covered Field with a Harrow (after Millet) (1890) and Field of Irises near Arles (1888) and drawings Kiefer made as a youth inspired by van Gogh which are being shown alongside several of van Gogh’s own drawings, including La Crau Seen from Montmajour (1888). There’s also Kiefer’s 2014 work Walther von der Vogelweide: under der Linden an der Heide (Walther von der Vogelweide: under the Lime tree on the Heather) and a new sculpture created for the exhibition which depicts a tall sunflower emerging from a large pile of books, shedding golden seeds onto their lead pages (shown in dialogue with Van Gogh’s Piles of French Novels (1887). Opens on Saturday, 28th June, and runs until 26th October. Admission charge applies. For more, see royalacademy.org.uk.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…5. The Stairway to Heaven Memorial, Bethnal Green…

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This unique memorial commemorates the worst civilian tragedy of World War II in the UK – the disaster at Bethnal Tube station in east London.

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LondonLife – Battleship perspective…

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View of the HMS Belfast. PICTURE: Priyanka Chechi/Unsplash

This Week in London – “Our Story with Sir David Attenborough”; the Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition; and, an appeal for restoring three Underground carriages…

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Our Story with David Attenborough. PICTURE: © Trustees of the Natural History Museum

• Our Story with David Attenborough – the first ever immersive experience at the Natural History Museum – opens its doors today. Created by Open Planet Studios, the 50 minute experience in the Jerwood Gallery features animations, projections, real-world footage and full 360 degree immersion as Sir David draws on his life of exploration to tell the story of humanity and the planet on which we live. The experience is taking bookings until 18th January, 2026. Admission charge applies. For more, see www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/our-story-with-david-attenborough.

• The Royal Academy’s 257th Summer Exhibition opened this week. Co-ordinated by internationally acclaimed architect and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi in conjunction with the Summer Exhibition Committee, this year’s display of art and architecture explores the theme of ‘Dialogues’. Among the works on show is a six metre high installation of ostrich feathers and steel chain by British artist Alice Channer, a 4.5 metre high and seven metre wide wall made from deconstructed matchboxes by Brazilian artist Antonio Tarsis, and installation of textile carcasses by Argentine-American artist Tamara Kostianovsky. Meanwhile, the Annenberg Courtyard hosts a large scale installation by Royal Academician Ryan Gander which features five three metre diameter inflatable balls inscribed with absurd questions developed with children in a representation of the “inquisitiveness of children who ask what grown-up minds often dismiss as nonsensical or illogical”. Runs until 17th August. Admission charge applies. For more, see royalacademy.org.uk.

• The London Transport Museum has launched an appeal for £30,000 to help complete the restoration of three 1930s Q stock Underground carriages. The funds will be used to re-upholster the seats of two of the Underground cars in moquette – the durable, woollen seating material used in upholstery on public transport all over the world. Q stock trains first entered service on the District line in November, 1938, and were retired from service in 1971. The restoration of the three carriages – which aims to restore them to operational condition – has mainly been carried out at the London Transport Museum Depot in Acton, west London. Donations can be made on London Transport Museum’s website: www.ltmuseum.co.uk/make-donation?campaign=qstock

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…4. Following the Leader (Memorial to the Children Killed in the Blitz)…

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This unusual – and rather poignant, if overlooked – memorial, located on the side of a housing block in Lambeth, is a sculptural relief depicting a series of children.

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LondonLife – Passing under Southwark Bridge…

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PICTURE: Dushawn Jovic/Unsplash

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.

Lost London – Hotel Cecil…

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Once the biggest hotel in Europe, the opulent Hotel Cecil opened in 1896 on a prominent site overlooking the Thames. But it only survived for little more than three decades.

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This Week in London – New film tour at the Old Royal Naval College; beyond human design; the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt on display; and, the power of gardening…

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PICTURE: Robert Bye/Unsplash

• The Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is celebrating at 100 years of film and TV at the site and mark the occasion, it’s launched a new film-related tour. The new tour – Wigs, Weddings, Powder and Palaces – looks at where productions such as Bridgerton, The Crown, Pirates of the Caribbean and Les Misérables have been filmed and promises to explore some “closely guarded secrets of filmmaking” as well as letting those on the tour “step in the shoes and onto the set of stars”. The tour, which leaves from the Visitor Centre, also includes a fun and interactive 15-minute class of hand fan etiquette and its secret meanings inspired by the filming of Bridgerton. Charges apply. For bookings, head to https://ornc.org/whats-on/wigs-weddings-powder-and-palaces-film-tour/.

• A major exhibition exploring how design can help the planet thrive by shifting its focus beyond human needs has opened at the Design Museum. More Than Human – the first major exhibition from a growing movement of ‘more-than-human’ design, features more than 140 works by more than 50 artists, architects and designers. They include Japanese artist Shimabuku’s artworks created for octopuses, a new monumental seaweed installation by artist Julia Lohmann, 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 charges apply. For more, see https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/more-than-human.

• The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt goes on display in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall today. Started around 1989, the work is made of 42 quilts and 23 individual panels which represent 384 people affected by HIV and AIDS. Volunteers from the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership will be present alongside the Tate’s staff to welcome visitors and on Saturday, at 11am and 2pm, the hall will host live readings of the names. Runs until 16th June. For more, see https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/uk-aids-memorial-quilt.

• On Now: Unearthed: The Power of Gardening. This display at the British Library explores the “transformative, enriching and sometimes radical power” of gardening in the UK and the impact it’s had on the nation. Among the items on display is the only surviving illustrated collection of herbal remedies from Anglo-Saxon England (dating from around 1000–25), the first English gardening manual, Thomas Hill’s A Most Briefe and Pleasaunte Treatise (1563), the first mechanical lawnmower (1832), and gardening boots which once belonged to horticulturalist and designer Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932). Runs until 10th August. Admission charge applies. For more, see https://events.bl.uk/exhibitions/unearthed-the-power-of-gardening.

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10 World War II memorials commemorating Londoners…3. Coronation Avenue bombing…

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Weeks after the start of the Blitz, on 13th October, 1940, a bomb struck a residential housing block and the air raid shelter located in Stoke Newington.

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LondonLife – Japanese print master Utagawa Hiroshige writ large…

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PICTURES: Courtesy of Outernet London

The work of Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige has entered the digital realm thanks to a partnership between the British Museum and Outernet London. The collaboration centres on a animated reimagining of Hiroshige’s print Ferry on the Fuji River, Suruga Province from Hiroshige’s Famous Places in Japan series (1832). Using state-of-the-art technology, the installation transforms what was a serene landscape into a large-scale digital experience across Outernet’s 16K wraparound screens. The installation, which can be seen for free in the Now Building until 7th September, complements the British Museum exhibition, Hiroshige: artist of the open road which invites visitors on a journey through Edo Japan. For more, head to outernet.com. For more on the exhibition, see britishmuseum.org/hiroshige.

London pub signs – Three quirky pub names (briefly) explained…

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We pause from our usual London pub names entries to mention three pub names which, while they don’t come from any association with important historical figures or events of the past, do have an interesting, if briefly explained, origin story.

First up its John the Unicorn, located in a former decorator’s shop at 157-159 Rye Lane in Peckham. The story goes that the pub’s first landlord (and it’s only been opened since 2016), named it after his child’s toy – a fluffy unicorn named, you guessed it, John.

The Sylvan Post in Forest Hill in March, 2023. PICTURE: Courtesy of Google Maps

The Sylvan Post at 24-28 Dartmouth Road in Forest Hill is located – yes, you guessed it – in a former post office. The “Sylvan” part comes from the location in Forest Hill. Get it?

Then we come to The Pregnant Man at 40 Chancery Lane. Located under the headquarters of advertising behemoth Saatchi & Saatchi, the pub was named for one of their most memorable ad campaigns of the 1970s which, run on behalf the Family Planning Association, featured a pregnant man with the caption, “Would you be more careful if it was you who got pregnant?”.