Things to do and see in London in a day
The train journey was a little crowded, we had to stand for part of the journey, but eventually got seats for the last few miles. Arriving in Waterloo we were well placed for a stroll along The Queen's Walk beside the River Thames. Our first destination was Tate Britain, the art gallery that styles itself as the home of British art from 1500 to today. The main attraction for us was the David Hockney exhibition which is on display until 29th May 2017. Being from Bradford I feel an affiliation with Hockney, who is also a Bradfordian. His art was often on display in the gallery close to my school so it is very familiar to me.
The weather was good, a very pleasant spring day with the sun shining and a blue sky. We dodged the crowds around the London Eye, looking up as we passed by I was impressed with how high the top cabs were above the ground and guessed that the people inside would have a great view that day.
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| The London Eye |
At this point we decided to stay on the south bank, rather than cross Westminster Bridge. A few weeks before there had been the terrible terrorist attack on the bridge and at the Houses of Parliament. As we walked in front of St Thomas' Hospital my thoughts turned to the innocent people who had been killed or injured and were helped by the staff from St Thomas'.
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| Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament |
London was probably as busy as ever, with plenty of tourists taking selfies and the red London buses slowly moving over the bridge. It was hard to understand what had happened.
Further down the route we walked by the building made famous by James Bond movies, the MI5 building. Crossing north over the river we eventually arrived at the Tate where many people were meandering around on the steps and in the foyer.
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| Jeté - a sculpture on Millbank close to Tate Britain |
We already had timed tickets for the Hockney exhibition so didn't need to queue for any which gave us time for a quick coffee downstairs.
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| Spiral staircase in Tate Britain |
Refreshed and raring to go, we headed back up the spiral staircase to the main entrance hall of the Tate. This impressive staircase is directly below the domed rotunda.
The central hall was dominated by a light installation called Forms in Space… by Light (in Time) by Cerith Wyn Evans made from about 2km of neon lighting. A very impressive structure.
The artist will be at the Tate to give a talk about this piece on 16 Jun 2017.
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| Forms in Space… by Light (in Time) |
The Hockney exhibition presented a collection of his work from over six decades, including early work from his student days, the very famous 1960s paintings featuring the now iconic swimming pool, the photo montages, pieces from his work in stage design for the theatre and the later work done back in Yorkshire on the Wolds.
I was stunned with the sheer size of some of the canvases and the rich colours he used. One of my favourites was Woldgate Woods, made up of six large canvases displayed together as a single large image.
Later in the year I'm hoping to travel to the area depicted in these Yorkshire landscapes.
I didn't want to photograph the Hockney paintings, partly so as not to diminish their effect and partly because there were just so many people milling around that it would have been difficult, but I did take a couple of photos of the free access 'Walk through British Art' collection on the ground floor of the Tate. There are some very famous paintings on display and it is wonderful seeing them up close. Can you spot any you recognise below?
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| British Art at Tate Britain |
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| British Art at Tate Britain |
We had a late lunch in the Djanogly Café downstairs at Tate Britain where there was a good selection of sandwiches, salads and hot and cold dishes and very tempting cakes!
To see what's on at Tate Britain here is a link:
After leaving the gallery we explored the north bank of the river and wandered through to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. After taking in the sights we headed back along the Victoria Embankment, passing New Scotland Yard and walking through Whitehall Gardens, where the spring bulbs were putting on a colourful display.
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Westminster Abbey
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| New Scotland Yard |
From this location it would be easy to walk north up to Covent Garden for shopping, entertainment, bars and restaurants. If your feet aren't too tired of course!
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