The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
LEGOLAND Windsor Resort opened in 1996 and is a children's theme park for 2 to 12 year olds. It's only a few miles from Windsor Castle and is just 8 miles from London Heathrow Airport. As it's aimed at younger children it's not all about looping roller coasters and sheer drop rides but there is a good mix for the age range. Adults also love the … [Read more...]
Doctor Who is the world's longest running sci-fi drama and I watched the show when I was a child. While I was often hiding behind the sofa back then I still love it so was thrilled to head to Cardiff to visit the Doctor Who Experience. The last time I visited Cardiff (over twenty years ago) it was not a pretty place and was generally … [Read more...]
The Mary Rose is the world's only surviving sixteenth century warship. This £35 million project reunites the hull of the Mary Rose with many of the 19,000 Tudor artefacts recovered from the seabed providing an unrivalled perspective of life on board the sixteenth century ship. The Mary Rose Museum opens to the public on 31 May 2013. I went for a … [Read more...]
David Bowie is one of the most influential artists of our time. He has been at the forefront of the world of buy generic viagra popular music for nearly 50 years and his immense creativity positions him as one of the most innovative performers of all time. For the exhibition, the V&A's curators, Victoria Broackes and Geoffrey Marsh, were … [Read more...]
This famous scare attraction had been on Tooley Street in London Bridge for nearly 40 years but closed at the end of January 2013 to move to its new home on the Southbank. From Friday 1 March 2013, The London Dungeon is at County Hall, right next door to the London Aquarium and by the London Eye, which makes sense when you know these three major … [Read more...]
Tickets went on sale last summer for The View From The Shard and it opens on 1 February 2013. As you would expect, I've had a preview already. What is The View from The Shard? This is the new premium visitor attraction at the pinnacle of The Shard, London’s newest landmark. It offers the highest vantage point from any building in Western Europe … [Read more...]
Jacob Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens's presence stays with us 142 years after his death. (Dickens is even referenced in Fifty Shades of Grey!) 2012 has been the bicentenary year of his birth and while the Charles Dickens Museum has been closed this year there has been a major legacy project for the bicentenary, aptly named the … [Read more...]
Jason Hawkes is the most successful aerial photographer in the UK and one of the world's most respected photographers. He has specialised in aerial photography for over 20 years and has produced more than 40 books. Fortunately for me, a chance 'meeting' on twitter led to the opportunity to chat to Jason about his work as he wasn't flying for … [Read more...]
Suffolk in East Anglia is surprisingly close to London (you can get a train from Sudbury to Stratford London in around an hour) but it feels a million miles away when you are faced with half-timbered medieval houses, like I saw in Lavenham, and the winding, quiet country roads. I used The Swan Hotel in Lavenham as my base for a few nights to … [Read more...]
Lavenham is considered by many to be the finest medieval village in England. It's also the food capital of Suffolk so you can come for the peace and rural charm but still dine well every night. The half-timbered houses here help create a quintessential English village. There are over 320 listed buildings in Lavenham and I stayed at The Swan … [Read more...]
The Victoria and Albert Museum in South Kensington has an incredible new blockbuster exhibition: Hollywood Costume. The costume designer can often be overlooked with all the other more high profile names involved with a movie but if the costumes are right then you truly believe that actor is the film character and then the costume designer has done … [Read more...]
For my summer holiday this year I wanted to find somewhere unusual, exotic and yet not too far away. The Isles of Scilly fitted the bill perfectly as did the Hell Bay Hotel which has been described as New England meets the Caribbean, meets Cornwall which is pretty accurate. Where Are the Isles of Scilly? The Isles of Scilly are an archipelago … [Read more...]
When you think of Nottinghamshire, in the heart of the England, it's very likely you will think of its legendary son Robin Hood. I went to the annual Robin Hood Festival to try archery and to see a skirmish between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham next to the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest – the hideout of Robin Hood and his Merry Men. And … [Read more...]
Bond in Motion 2012 marks the 50th anniversary since the first James Bond movie, Dr No, in 1962. England's best loved spy has featured in 22 films, with the 23rd, Skyfall, due to be released (in the UK) on 26 October 2012. This is the largest official collection of original Bond vehicles the world has ever seen and includes a range of … [Read more...]
The children's author Enid Blyton was born in south London and holidayed in Dorset three times a year for about twenty years. These happy trips inspired the 'Famous Five' series about siblings Julian, Dick and Ann, plus George (a tomboy who refused to be known as Georgina) and her dog, Timmy. The series is sometimes criticised as escapism … [Read more...]
2012 marks the 400th anniversary of the famous Pendle Witch Trials in Lancashire. On 20 August 1612, ten people were executed on the moors above Lancaster, having been found guilty of witchcraft at Lancaster Castle. The story has many similarities with the Salem Witch Trials in the US in the 1690s during a time when nonconformity and religious … [Read more...]
Windsor Castle is The Queen's favourite weekend retreat and a perfect day trip from London as it's under an hour away by train. Highlights of a visit include The State Apartments, Changing of the Guard, Queen Mary's Dolls House – which even has miniature crown jewels – and St George's Chapel – a beautiful ecclesiastical building and the … [Read more...]
While London is gripped with Olympics fever I thought I'd step out of the city (just for a few hours) to the tranquility of the Sussex countryside and the Goodwood Estate to take a tour of Goodwood House, a 17th century English country house, and partake of a cream tea. You definitely need to take a house tour to fully appreciate the State … [Read more...]
A trip to St Paul's Cathedral is on most visitor's "must see" list and as it is only five tube stops away from the Olympic Park in Stratford it is likely to be popular this summer too. I was lucky enough to get a private tour and was taken to areas that are not open to the public every day. I also tried the Multimedia tour, which is included in the … [Read more...]
We've all tried bus tours of London but, while I enjoy those too, I fancied seeing London from above. I love the view as you fly back to London and see the River Thames and start to pick out the landmarks but I have no plans to leave London in the near future so how can I get this beloved view? Thankfully, Jonathan came up with the idea of … [Read more...]
This is the 23rd year of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show. It's the largest garden and flower show in the world and covers 34 acres of the Hampton Court Palace grounds. It takes just three weeks to build a show garden and all come apart in just three days. The RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show is not like the RHS Chelsea Flower Show; it's … [Read more...]
The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace have been open to the public every summer since 1993. What started as a way to pay for the fire damage at Windsor Castle has, thankfully, continued past the cost of those repairs and when the Queen retreats to Balmoral in Scotland for a well earned rest her London home is open for us to visit. (Top tip: A … [Read more...]
Open from 28 June 2012, (yes, before the London 2012 Olympics!) this is the first cable car in London and the first urban cable car system of its kind in the UK. Its official name is Emirates Air Line because of the Dubai-based airline's 10 year sponsorship deal at a cost of £36m. The Emirates Air Line is now on the iconic tube map and this is … [Read more...]
It's the fifth birthday for The O2 in Greenwich, one of London's most iconic landmarks and the world's most popular entertainment venue. Some people throw a party but they've decided to create a new attraction: a skywalk over the top of the building, open from June 2012. What is Up at The O2? Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, who … [Read more...]
Editor's Note: The Cutty Sark has recently re-opened in London after a massive renovation and our London correspondent Laura Porter had the chance to see behind the scenes before it opened to the public. Thanks Laura! What's so special about the Cutty Sark? The Cutty Sark is the last surviving tea clipper. What was a tea clipper? A 19th century … [Read more...]
Anglotopia London correspondent Laura Porter from the About London blog was kind enough to write up a detailed review of the new Harry Potter Studio Tour Experience. What Is It? This is the actual film studio where the Harry Potter films were made and is opening to the public for the first time on 31 March 2012. The creative team behind the … [Read more...]
Editor's Note: Laura Porter from About London got a press preview of the newly renovated Kensington Palace and was kind enough to write up an article for us all about it. The Queen lives at Buckingham Palace so why do we have another palace in London? We actually have a fine selection of royal buildings across the country and Kensington Palace … [Read more...]
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Anglotopia was founded by Jonathan and Jackie Thomas in 2007 in a closet in Chicago. Anglotopia is for people who love Britain - whether it's British TV, Culture, History or Travel - we cover it all. Anglotopia is now our full time jobs and we spend our time working on the site and planning our yearly trips to Britain. Join us as we explore Britain and everything it has to offer!
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