“England is burning and you’re risking life and limb if you step out on the streets”. That’s what you may be led to believe if you listen to the media coverage of this week’s riots. I had several messages via Facebook and Twitter this week checking if we are ok and advising me to stay at home and keep away from London.

The South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation has issued an official warning to its citizens to stay away from the UK:

My initial feeling is one of frustration at this over-reaction. How have the UK and international media created such a grossly misleading picture of our country and in doing so compounded the problems caused by the actual riots?

I don’t seek to underplay the damage done to properties, livelihoods and to people’s physical and emotional well-being. There has been some very serious trouble in recent days; several streets in London did indeed suffer serious fires and others were in the hands of a mob for a few hours.

The fact remains however that over 99% of streets in London and elsewhere were quiet. The cameras of course focussed on the scenes that created the most powerful images; that’s to be expected.

When I was in central London this week I saw nothing out of the ordinary and even the tourists appeared to be out in force, strolling carefree in the summer sun. The only clues on Tuesday seemed to be a few shops that had taken the decision to close early in light of the troubles elsewhere.

So if we see that the reality behind the dramatic news stories is somewhat more mundane, surely we owe it to others not to jump to the same conclusions when we see reports of other cities in chaos. Should we avoid Johannesburg or Cape Town for fear of the trouble there? What about anywhere in the Middle East: is the whole region a danger zone at present? How about India and its frequent terrorist attacks or Mexico and its horrific crime figures? Of course every place has its elements of danger. Most but not all of these can be managed by acting sensibly, taking local advice and not venturing into the wrong parts of town; areas which in most cases are no interest to visitors in any case. But should we really avoid whole cities or even countries as a result of what are often highly localised incidents?

I’ve heard several people online share the same frustration that Britain is being portrayed as an unsafe place to visit. It’s up to all of us to reinforce the true picture of what visitors are far more likely to experience when they get here.  And by that same token once we’ve seen how the perception of the UK can be so distorted by a few days of unrest, let’s apply the same critical thinking before we write off other destinations as unsafe based on isolated incidents and the resulting media hysteria.

“London’s burning”: is Britain really a dangerous place to visit? is a post from: 501 Places

Have you ever stood and watched people fixed in a spiritual trance (however you define one) and wondered just who it is who is missing something? Is it they who are feeling something magical about the place you’re visiting, a mysterious power, an energy; and you just haven’t got what it takes to feel it too? Or is it you who is sane and the people around you who are caught in a world of fantasy?

I felt a little of that strange discomfort recently when visiting the standing stones at Avebury in Wiltshire. For those who are unfamiliar with this very impressive sight I would highly recommend a visit. It’s a slight detour on a trip to Stonehenge but many would argue that it’s a more satisfying experience. While visitors at its more illustrious pre-historic cousin are forced to pay a hefty fee for the privilege of looking at the stones but not getting too close to them, at Avebury you can touch, feel and hug the many rocks that are dotted around the village.

Yes, I did say hug. The UK has its new age hotspots but none compare with this tiny village and its collection of megalithic monuments. On our walk through the stone circles we encountered several people who took it upon themselves to embrace one of these rocks and rest their head against it in much the same way as a child would hug their mother. Some were clearly doing it as a picture pose, while others had a look that suggested they were in the midst of a very powerful experience. Ok, the clothes may have been a clue as well but there was no mistaking that expression of being temporarily transported to another world into which I could not see or hope to enter.

It’s fascinating to observe people lost in such a state of concentration. They will doubtless describe the intense energy that is centred on this little village and its special stones. They might use dowsers to identify the water and minerals under the Avebury land, where for many centuries magnetic lines have been said to pass.

To me it’s just a field. With rocks. I loved wandering around this landscape and was captivated by the striking backdrop created by these stone circles. Between us we asked the same questions that most visitors no doubt ask: ‘how did they get these rocks here?’ and the more fundamental ‘why?’  But try as I might I just can’t get past the feeling that it’s still a field of rocks.

The elusive energy around the standing stones of Avebury is a post from: 501 Places

Imagine receiving a notice to say that you must leave your family home within the next month in order to ‘help the national war effort’. Few would have begrudged the cause in the autumn of 1943, but for the villages of Tyneham in Dorset this would still have been a letter that they hoped they would never receive.

Preparations for the D-day landings were in full swing and the Army had developed new, more powerful tanks. These tanks required more space on the Dorset firing ranges for their exercises and the village of Tyneham was suddenly an unwelcome obstacle on their local map. With success in the Normandy landings of paramount importance, the government issued letters to the 225 residents in November 1943 requiring them to move out by the following month.

The move was meant to be temporary as the poignant note pinned to the church door suggests:

The hand-written note reads, “Please treat the church and houses with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly”.

Almost 70 years later and the villagers of Tyneham (and their descendants) have long given up hope of ever returning to their homes. The military continued to use the land for their exercises as the war ended and the Cold War began. In 1975 the Army did allow access to the village and the surrounding countryside on weekends and during holiday periods, and that situation persists today.

The village school has been recreated to show a classroom from the time it was last used. The coat pegs by the door still bear the names of the children of the time while a piano sits along one wall, silently gathering dust. The adjacent village church is also a museum with excellent interpretative displays telling the history of Tyneham long before the 20th century as well as an explanation of life during the war years.

While the church and the school have survived intact the same cannot be said of the houses of Tyneham, many of which have fallen victim of bombardment by practising troops. Little more than shells remain of most properties, no doubt a sad reminder to those few surviving people who remember their childhood years in this tiny village set in the most idyllic of valleys.

Tyneham is a village where time really did stop in 1943. Those temporary evacuations became permanent and houses fell into ruin while people had to get on with their lives elsewhere. Perhaps the residents of Tyneham did feel that they made a valuable contribution to the war effort. This sense of public duty must have been tinged however with more than a little personal sadness at the great sacrifice they had been forced to make.

Tyneham: the British village that time forgot is a post from: 501 Places

The Henry Moore exhibition at Hatfield House opens on April 23rd and will run throughout the summer months. It is the largest exhibition of Moore’s distinctive work ever shown in a private house. I was involved in organising a preview event for the exhibition recently and as a result was invited to attend. A great day out at Hatfield was made memorable not only by the glorious weather we enjoyed but also by the chance to catch up with many friends from the online world.

I have an uneasy relationship with art. Having never studied the subject nor achieved even the most basic level of competence in any of its disciplines I feel totally unsuitable to provide a review of any sort. It would be rather like asking my wife to provide an analysis of a football match. I can enjoy a painting, a piece of sculpture or a carving for its aesthetic qualities, particularly when it is set in a context with which I have some association: a river scene from old London for example, or a representation of a famous person.

Abstract work on the other hand can leave me baffled and unmoved, with little or no insight into what others are admiring in the same work. It is rather like a colour-blind person who hears others share details of a particular scene and has to accept the vivid descriptions he hears, while experiencing something altogether more plain himself.

Those with an eye for good art will love the Henry Moore exhibition at Hatfield. The pieces are spread through the beautiful grounds, each location selected carefully to match the work. Visitors can view the sculptures from any angle, providing many different perspectives and backdrops to each piece. They will appear distinct against a clear blue sky and different again when the background is a more menacing grey.

For those of us missing the art appreciation gene the exhibition is still worthy of a visit, although some of the more abstract exhibits had me soon focussing on others’ reactions to the work rather than my own. While Moore has a distinctive style the pieces scattered across the grounds of Hatfield House are quite varied. Visitors are encouraged to get close to the sculptures and even touch them, experiencing the many different materials used by Moore to create his work. Even as a philistine I can appreciate this. I hope the pictures below give a little taster of what you can enjoy at Hatfield, regardless of genetic make-up.

Hatfield House

And once you’re done with Moore, take the chance to visit the spectacular interior of Hatfield House, an excellent example of a home of the English nobility that has survived four eventful centuries. Enjoy wandering through the house and gardens and recognising your setting as the location for many famous films and TV shows (Lara Croft?). In fact, the house is celebrating its 400 year anniversary this year, and many special events are being laid on. Less than 30 minutes on the train from London, Hatfield House is a very easy day trip (or even half-day trip) from the city.

Henry Moore at Hatfield: a Philistine’s review is a post from: 501 Places

But it wasn’t always like that. When we lived a long way from London and I had to come in regularly for business I didn’t have a good word to say about the place. I wasn’t alone. While London usually features in any top cities of the world lists, there are a significant few who despise the city and would avoid it at all costs.

The following 10 criticisms are all actual statements I’ve found in anti-London rants in blogs, or have heard first hand from people who’ve felt unfortunate to have lived in or passed through the city.

1. London is expensive. London can be very expensive, particularly when people come here for work and need to find a decent place to rent on a tight budget. Living further out of the city and relying on public transport (see below) is usually the answer. But is this any different from living in New York, Moscow, Madrid, Sydney, etc. etc. ?

2. The food in London is the worst in the world. This one always makes me laugh. Yes, you can get some inedible dross around London’s tourist hotspots and pay a high price for the privilege. Isn’t it the same in Paris or Rome, the culinary capitals?Dig around in London and you’ll find plenty to dispel the myth of bad British food. And in the right neighbourhoods you can find superb Indian, Vietnamese or Middle Eastern cuisine at absolute bargain prices.

3. London is unfriendly. A common big city trait and in my experience no worse in London than anywhere else. Sure, plenty of people on the Tube have their heads in their papers or locked away in the sounds of their iPod, but make the effort and people will generally be willing to assist visitors who ask for help.

4. People ignore you even if you’re in trouble. Will Londoners look the other way if you’re being mugged? In many cases they probably will. It’s a sad part of big city life that enough people have been attacked, injured or worse when intervening in a robbery that others are reluctant to take the risk of getting involved. It’s not a good thing, but again I suspect is no different to any big city in Europe or North America.

5. The London Underground is terrible. When it works it’s brilliant; you can cross the city quickly and easily, and it is one of the best connected systems in the world. Weekend closures, too many strikes and erratic engineering scheduling does mean that too people get caught out and left scrambling for alternatives. London can certainly improve on this one.

6. London is polluted. After a day in London you will probably find yourself picking black bits of stuff from your nose and from your fingernails. It’s the natural result of a city that packs in millions of residents and many more who come in to work. It’s better than it was and for those who complain I would ask them to name a similar sized less polluted city.

7. London is one big traffic jam. However bad the traffic in central London is now, it has to be better than it would have been without the Congestion Charge. And having struggled for two hours just to reach our hotel in Bangkok and was then told that this was quite normal, I think London does pretty well for traffic given its size. Most streets are designed heavily in favour of busses and cyclists, and these are both quicker and cheaper ways to get around the centre than in your own car.

8. No-one speaks English in London. This is of course nonsense, although you are likely to hear dozens of languages in a short walk through the city. For me this is one of London’s greatest assets. It is far more racially integrated as a city than New York for example, with a more diverse population than almost anywhere else.

9. Connections to and from London airports are a joke. Probably most residents would agree here, at least to some extent. Taxi fares from Heathrow to central London are outrageously high, as is the £18 fifteen minute ride on the Heathrow Express. Luton and Gatwick meanwhile are linked to London by a less than reliable rail service than too often leaves people frustrated and angry. London could take a lesson from many of its European neighbours here.

10. London is dangerous. The crime rate in London is relatively low and even more so if you remove the inter-gang related violence that occurs away from any tourist area. Yes, you have to be alert and sensible but doesn’t that advice apply anywhere?

Yes, London has its darker sides, its frustrations and its rip-offs; it’s not a utopia by any stretch. But when measured against other major cities in the world it is still worthy of its place near the top of the list.

10 reasons why people hate London is a post from: 501 Places

The 12 photos in this post give a little taste of what anyone can find if they allow themselves to get lost in London’s endless sprawl.
(All are taken on Saturday 19th March 2011)

Harrods Depository, built in 1894 and once the store room of the world famous store - now a complex of luxury flats

Craven Cottage, home of Fulham FC and the only house inside a professional football ground (I think)

Book displays on the famous King's Road, Chelsea

World's End shop, Chelsea

The world famous home of the Metropolitan Police Service

St James's Park with its famous pelicans, a gift from the Russian ambassador in 1684 (not the same ones of course)

Memorial to the victims of the Bali bombing, outside Horseguard's Parade

Protest outside Downing Street - Pakistani Christians against the blasphemy law

The famous Olympic clock in Trafalgar Square - already a prime photo stop

Gordon Square in Bloomsbury - one of many green spaces in this part of the city

An attractive home in Flaxman Terrace, very close to Euston station

Even St Pancras station has caught the Olympic bug

London walks: Hammersmith to St Pancras is a post from: 501 Places

So when I was invited to join a Context Tour of the city I wondered what new perspectives I would gain on what for me is now familiar ground. Context Walking Tours are marketed as a very different experience to the standard walking tour offers in the capital, and everything in their marketing is aimed at differentiating them from the more mainstream offering. The tour is led by a docent rather than a guide; the tours are referred to as seminars; and the academic qualifications of the docent are prominently displayed on the Context site. Prices too mark these walks out as different from the rest, with individuals paying £60 for most walks and groups £240 to have the tour as a private one.

I met our docent Kevin at Tower Hill and we were soon joined by an American couple, who it turns out were Context regulars (in fact the vast majority of Context clients are from the US). Kevin would be taking us on the Portrait of a City walk, and we were soon exploring the hidden corners of the old part of London.

We heard stories that swung from the modern day to Roman London, the Norman conquest, the Reformation, and of course London’s two watershed moments: the Great Fire and the Blitz. Kevin explained to us how the Corporation of London had enjoyed considerable autonomy from the Crown and how its total obsession with running the Square Mile as a business led to the haphazard streets and alleys that we still see today. From time to time Kevin would refer to his note book and share with us a relevant quote from a famous historian or writer.

St Stephen Wallbrook

We didn’t venture into any places that I hadn’t previously seen, but what I did enjoy was hearing new stories that helped explain the origins and significance of buildings and monuments to which I’d previously given little more than a glance. I was particularly pleased when Kevin led the three of us into the church of St Stephen Wallbrook, which is surely Wren’s most perfect masterpiece and one of London’s most beautiful buildings.

The tour takes three hours and covers a lot of ground in that time. Having a professional expert as a guide not only means that they will be armed with a rich selection of stories, but that they will also know most of the answers to the London-related questions that may have lingered in your mind previously. The pace of the walk was fairly gentle; it was harder keeping up with the many facts that were coming our way as our guide flitted effortlessly back and forth between millennia.

I really enjoyed the walk and learned a lot about the history of London; a subject that I find increasingly fascinating the more I hear about it. At the same time I would stress that this style of tour is certainly not for everybody. The in-depth descriptions of London’s past and how its buildings came to be require a keen interest in the city’s history or in architecture. Those looking for a more fleeting tour of London’s highlights would struggle with the level of detail that this tour provides. But then I suspect Context’s pricing strategy does screen out the non-committed in any case.

I was a guest of Context Travel on the Portrait of a City tour.

Historic London Walking Tour: putting it into context is a post from: 501 Places

Neasden Hindu Temple in London

Many places lay claim to the much hyped label ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’. A recent entrant to this list of aspiring wonders is the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandi, better known as the Neasden Temple. This unglamorous corner of London is better known to millions as home to two giant symbols of worship of a different kind: Wembley Stadium and IKEA. Yet tucked away a stone’s throw from my big blue and yellow Swedish nightmare on the North Circular is without doubt one of London’s most beautiful and impressive buildings.

Neasden Hindu Temple in London

Having driven past the signs for Neasden Temple many times, we finally took the chance to make a visit. The first sight of the Temple is hugely impressive and the building is a stunning contrast to the forlorn parking lots and garages that surround it. A guard greeted us at the gates and politely asked me to return my camera to the car and not bring it onto the premises. We then passed through a full airport security check before entering the temple.

The temple is an impressive complex made up of many rooms, including a large shop selling many Hindu-related items. Entry to the temple is free although a donation is appreciated, and there are ample opportunities to leave one. The walls are adorned with photographs of the many illustrious people who have made a visit to the Temple. These include Prime Ministers Blair and Cameron, their wives and Prince Charles.

The highlight of the visit is without doubt the main Mandir, or prayer room. Here the level of intricacy in the carvings has to be seen to be believed. Handcrafted in over 2.5 years from Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone, there are over 26,000 different carvings in this small but atmospheric central room.

Neasden Hindu Temple in London

Upon entering we both felt as if we had instantly been transported to India, as we absorbed the smells of incense and the quiet murmurs of devout prayer from the many pilgrims present. The constant smiles and warm greetings from the worshippers as they saw two strangers in the Temple suggested that the effort we had made to visit had been far more than a mere 30 minute drive from our home.

There is an excellent museum (£2) below the main prayer room that tells the story of Hinduism and is aimed at non-Hindus. It describes the early principles of the religion and how it developed and eventually grew into a faith that now spans the entire globe, thanks largely to the emigration of Indian people over the centuries.

Neasden Hindu Temple in London

The Neasden Temple really is one of London’s unsung treasures. If it was in the centre of the city I am convinced that it would be one of the major visitor attractions, such is the beauty and impressive nature of the building. Yet stuck out in unloved Neasden, it attracts a fraction of the interest and appreciation that it deserves. Maybe not a bad thing, but if you are in London and want to see a world class building that will genuinely surprise, I would heartily recommend a trip out to the Hindu Temple in Neasden.

Why the Neasden Temple is a must-see London sight is a post from: 501 Places

But whenever we take a tour of the city with a professional guide (often while wearing my Discount London blogging hat) there’s always a new story that I hear for the first time; something that makes me view London that little bit differently next time I visit. To illustrate the point, here are two of the stories I picked up from Oli, our charismatic driver and guide from smallcarBIGCITY:

Giro: the only Nazi buried in London

Giro the Nazi dog, buried in London

Climbing the Duke of York Steps from the Mall to reach Pall Mall, it’s easy to miss a small memorial plot on the left at the top of the staircase. In a patch of dirt sits a small modest gravestone housed in a wooden kennel-like housing. Even without knowledge of German it looks like the final resting place for a beloved pet. The tomb is inscribed with the words: “Giro” Ein treuer Begleiter London im Februar 1934 Hoesch, which translates as “Giro, a true companion, London, Febraury 1934. Hoesch is his owner’s name.

As our Mini-driving guide informed us, Hoesch was the German ambassador to the UK from 1932 and through the early years of Hitler’s rule. When his German shepherd passed away in 1934 (the result of an unfortunate encounter with an electric wire) he was afforded a full Nazi funeral, perhaps the only one to take place in London.

Wellington’s Nose

Wellington's Nose, Admiralty Arch, London

Wellington had a big nose by all accounts. In fact, just digging around online a little reveals many landmarks that have been named after his large hooter. He was also a much respected and greatly honoured military leader, and troops would doubtless be keen to have some of his good luck rub off on them before they went to battle. It makes perfect sense therefore, using a little warped logic, that there should be a bronze nose built into the stone of Admiralty Arch, as the Mall ends and meets Trafalgar Square.

The nose is situated at a height of 7 feet, just around waist height if you happen to be passing through on a horse. There is no plaque, no sign and anyone would almost certainly miss it if they weren’t looking out for it. But for those who are keen to find it, it’s clearly visible and its shining surface suggests that someone might just give it a quiet polish from time to time!

More facts

As an avid collector of trivia and forgotten stories I have really appreciated the time I’ve spent with the different London guides I’ve met in the last few months. Not only have their stories fascinated me, but they have left me ever more curious to learn about the history of the city. And beyond that, these encounters have reminded me of just how valuable a good guide can be anywhere in the world. They can transform a set of streets and buildings into a living patchwork of history, legend and mystery.

Nazis in London and Wellington’s nose: the value of a good guide is a post from: 501 Places

St Stephen Walbrook

After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Christopher Wren was instructed to design and rebuild 51 churches in the city. He was later knighted and would become the architect who, more than any other, left his mark on the city in a way that has survived more than three centuries.

Wren’s most celebrated work of course is St Paul’s Cathedral, but even within a half mile of this world famous building you can discover many of Wren’s masterpieces. You won’t find 51 churches anymore, as some were demolished when the population of the city declined in the 19th century, while many were damaged or destroyed during the Blitz.

St Stephen Walbrook

The church of St Stephen Walbrook claims to be ‘the most perfectly proportioned interior in the world’ and it’s easy to see why. It’s hard not to be impressed and feel a sense of peace as soon as you step into St Stephen’s.

The crypt of the church was also home to the first branch of the Samaritans, and a picture of the organisation’s founder Chad Varah can be seen next to the telephone on which he took those early calls.

The Samaritans' first phone, and their founder Chad Varah. St Stephen Walbrook

St Lawrence Jewry is so named as it originally stood on the eastern side of the city, which was home to the Jewish community in medieval London.

The church was badly damaged on the night of 29th December 1940, when the Germans attempted to create a firestorm in the city. It has been restored to faithfully match the original Wren design.

St Lawrence Jewry

St Martin within Ludgate

A church has stood on the site of St Martin within Ludgate since 1174, although it has been rebuilt several times. Destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, the church was rebuilt in the early 18th century and thankfully received very little damage in the Blitz.

Now remarkably accessible, we were free to wander around and climb the stairs to the organ loft. There were even instructions left out to potential organists, although I’m sure it’s not intended for strangers to come in and play.

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

St Bride’s Church is perhaps the oldest church in London, with links back to the 7th century. A walk through the crypt reveals the old Saxon walls. This crypt was in fact only revealed after the church took a direct hit on that fateful night of 29th December 1940 and was severely damaged.

It has long had a link with the journalists of Fleet Street, and is indeed often referred to as the Journalists’ Church. So much so that the repair and restoration after the Blitz was paid for by the neighbouring newspaper proprietors. Now you’ll even find the editors’ designated seats in the choir stalls: seeing these seats filled would be a most unlikely sight!

St Brides Church, Fleet Street

All the above churches are free to enter and open during weekdays. with varied opening times at weekends. All rely on donations, so please do drop a pound or two into the box on your way out. St Brides also offers a guided tour once a day.

Wren’s beautiful churches of London is a post from: 501 Places