Craig Cross's Blog, page 16

London blog: Household Cavalry Museum

If I told you that there's a museum 500 feet from Downing Street with some horses and a stable inside, then you'd probably think that I was mad. Well, I'm not mad. (Well actually, I am mad -- but that's beside the point.) Even most of the locals don't realise that there's an 18th-century stable down Whitehall. They all know where Horse Guards is, but they rarely stop to think who the actual 'horse guards' are -- they're soldiers from the Household Cavalry, made up of two different regiments:...

London blog: Bank of England Museum

I don't suppose many tourists bother to visit the Bank of England Museum (or even the locals) but I've always had a soft spot for this place. But not because of the money. I don't really care about the history of the bank -- I like it because there's lots of architectural history on display inside here. They have cabinets full of old photos and paintings and drawings of the city stretching back 250 years, and I'm a sucker for those old street scenes -- I like seeing how the city has changed...

London blog: Banqueting House

I have a theory that you can gauge the age of a person solely by the kind of artwork they like. It's a bit like counting the rings on a tree trunk. When you're a kid you like cartoons and comics, and when you're a teenager (or a hoodlum) you enjoy ankle tattoos and spray painting your name on the side of someone's house. When you reach university it's all about modern art and Jackson Pollock, and then ten years later it's classical art and landscapes. That's the stage of life I am at right...

London blog: London Transport Museum

UXfZGKXD_pYI'm always a bit embarrassed when I come to the London Transport Museum because in my head I imagine that it's full of train spotters, so I tell people that I'm visiting the Imperial War Museum instead -- something a bit more manly. Because it's sort of the same, isn't it? Both places have got vehicles in them, except the ones at the Imperial War Museum have guns at the front. Once I'm safely inside I don't mind it so much. It's arranged like a big warehouse on three different...

London blog: Trafalgar Square

Do7NiINE9hINoise. Traffic noise. People noise. The sound of water falling on the fountains. Flags flapping against their metal poles and the rubber on the bus doors squealing shut, motorbikes and bikes and cycles and cars... three million kids and six million parents. All standing with their cameras and handbags, rooting around for tissues and maps. Trafalgar Square is a very busy place. Trafalgar Square is where all the crowds come to celebrate. If we ever win the World Cup again (it's...

London blog: Downing Street

pmRUPt1Hy8wI would make a brilliant Prime Minister. And I'm not just saying that to blow my own trumpet (I don't even own a trumpet). The first thing I would do is knock down every building that has gone up since the war, and then I'd open up the Port of London again and bring back the trams. Unfortunately I've left it a bit too late to start a political career, because if you want to become a politician these days then you need to slave away as an MP's office boy for five years. That's how...

London blog: Citadines South Kensington

I think I've just found my new favourite hotel. The Citadines South Kensington is great -- it's almost like renting a flat! You get a bedroom, bathroom, and even a little ensuite kitchen. Here's all the stuff you get in the kitchen: a microwave and hob, saucepan, toaster, plates, bowls, cups, saucers, sieve, tin opener, bottle opener, knives, forks, spoons, sponge, tea towels, and a bottle of washing up liquid (totally wasted on me), plus a proper fridge and a freezer for your food. The...

London blog: St. Bride's

There are so many churches in London that it's impossible to see them all. But let me give you a piece of advice: St. Bride's is one of the ones that you need to visit. You'll find it tucked away inside a little courtyard off Fleet Street, hemmed in by the houses. It's so tightly guarded by houses that's it practically impossible to get a decent picture of the outside. I sometimes use this place as one of my coffee stops when I'm strolling up to St. Paul's, because there's a little tea cart...

London blog: Andaz Liverpool Street

I'll tell you what I'd like to do... I'd like to send the manager of the Andaz over to The Ritz, or the Royal Horseguards, so he can see what a proper 5-star hotel looks like. I'm too old for a hotel like this. It's for people under thirty, and people who like style over substance. It is immediately obvious as soon as you walk through the door that they are trying too hard to be cool. (That shows you how old I am -- I'm still using words like cool.) They need to turn some lights on, for a...

London blog: Leighton House Museum

The Leighton House Museum is the architectural equivalent of opening up a brown paper bag and finding a diamond inside. This guy was an artist, and he lived inside a work of art. Don't be put off by the photo of the front. This house will never win any awards for the outside. It's not until you get beyond the entrance hall that you'll understand what all the fuss is about. The kind of words that sprang to mind when I first entered the rooms were Sultan's palace, Turkish bath and Arabian...