Points of Interest in London?
Hello All,

I'm planning a trip to London this October and I'd appreciate any suggestions about what to see and do for someone with a love of Medieval culture. The only place I plan to visit for sure is the Temple Church, but aside from that I have no other spots on my itinerary at this point. If there are any places outside of London but within an easy taxi or train trip that would be considered as well.

Thanks!
The Wallace Collection should be a priority... I'll hopefully be moving to the area in about a year, and am looking forward to lots of things. But as historic arms & armour go, that's the place to see in London! Have a great trip. Cheers!

-Gregory
London is amongst the best museum cities in the world as far as I'm concerned.

The Wallace Collection, The Tower of London, British Museum, Museum of London all are filled with fantastic arms- and armour-related stuff.

The Victoria and Albert has most of its arms- and armour-related stuff not on display but there still is a lot there in addition to amazing other things... totally worth a visit.

Other things of great interest can be found at the London National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern Museum, Design Museum, and the Imperial War Museum.

You'll want to visit Westminster Abbey and maybe Hampton Court Palace, too.
Points of Interst in London
Joshua,

Ditto to Gregory and Nathans advice...

In addition, have found the DK Eye Witness Travel Guides series to be a really great source for travelers. They are an extremely well illustrated "soup to nuts" sort of publication that cover the subject city/area section by section, and they are revised annually. Have used them while traveling to many areas and cities and have never been disappointed.

Think the current cost for is about $25 .... Might try grabbing a peek at your local bookstore or library. If you have difficulty finding a copy for London, drop a PM to me.

Regards,
Dan
Ditto all the above advice.

Google Maps was very useful for finding the right bus/train/tube to get on and just walking around. However, this gobbles up data (which can be expensive), so I'd turn off your cellular data when not needed and use an offline mapping application like CityMaps2Go. These don't use precious cellular data. I reset my phone's counter to keep track of how much cel data I was using and get pretty close to my allotment w/o going over.

The Tube is fabulous, and can really get you around, but it sometimes takes longer than you might think because of packed trains - especially around rush hour. So, plan around that wisely.

Agree with the DK Eyewitness Travel Books recommendation - these are great. I also used Time Out Shortlist for a few things - mostly because it was small and concise.

Not in London, and not necessarily Medieval, but I had a really good archaeologist-led day trip out to Stonehenge led by Tours from Antiquity. Small group, lots of details covered, good experience. http://www.toursfromantiquity.com/
Aaron Hoard wrote:
Ditto all the above advice.

Google Maps was very useful for finding the right bus/train/tube to get on and just walking around. However, this gobbles up data (which can be expensive), so I'd turn off your cellular data when not needed and use an offline mapping application like CityMaps2Go. These don't use precious cellular data. I reset my phone's counter to keep track of how much cel data I was using and get pretty close to my allotment w/o going over.


Google Maps allows you to download entire areas to your phone for use offline. I did this while visiting Stockholm.
As an ex-Londoner I would agree with Wallace and the other museums, though I also have a soft spot for the Museum of London.

Cheesy, but a tourist bus trip around town is a great way to get see most of the parts you are likely to want to see and then can decide if you want to go back and look at them properly.

London is of course mainly a medieval city and so actually the historical interest is pretty condensed. Buy 'one day travel cards' for the tube and take out a loan before getting in a taxi.

England is also a small place, so don't forget that a hire car and a drive to Leeds will cost you £100 for the car and fuel and you can do it in a day. Oxford or Cambridge is an hour by train, Dover Castle is spectacular for the site and buildings and again is an hour away; though the town itself is horrible, but you can stop off at Tunbridge Wells on the way.

Tod
Yes to all the above. The British Museum has a lot of very early stuff - Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking as well as regular mediaeval arms and armour. All that, too, for the Museum of London (and they are all free unlike many museums in continental Europe). The 'Tube' aka the Underground metro system is expensive for single trips so follow Tod's advice and buy a day travel card. The Tower of London has quite a lot of A & A, especially several Royal armours. Bring a raincoat!
Neil
Thanks all for the great suggestions. You've given me several ideas I wouldn't have considered.
Agree with all the above, but if you can afford the time to see the surroundings (rent a car), I have a soft spot for Hever castle, that used to be the seat of the Boleyn family. Leeds castle is great too (Kent, not the northern town where the royal armoury is which is also a must but further away).
Thanks Julien. Not sure I want to tempt the gods by driving on the wrong side of the road! :eek: I'll happily pay for taxis to do it for me though!
Joshua Anthony wrote
Quote:
Thanks Julien. Not sure I want to tempt the gods by driving on the wrong side of the road! Eek! I'll happily pay for taxis to do it for me though!


Only somebody who hasn't paid for black cabs could say that they will happily pay for taxis.....

I understand that you want to pretty much stay in and around London and I would say the driving in London on the 'wrong' side may be an adventure too far, but get out of London and really driving on the other side is fine, a little odd at the start, but really you get it very quickly. Traffic circles/roundabouts are a thing we have lots of here and are not very common in the States, so they could get you, but otherwise its OK. Besides if you do have an accident our Police are very polite.

Tod
Definitely the Tower (and the Tower armory, naturally). And if you've time, taking in a play at the Globe is worth it.

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