The Website for People Who Love Britain - Anglophiles
The new independent British feature Beat Girl produced by beActive, will be released into UK cinema on 10th May 2013. It is the first independent film to be launched across a multi-media platform, with a book, game, web series and the movie. Beat Girl stars Louise Dylan as Heather Jennings (BBC’s Jane Austin’s Emma), Craig Daniel Adams as … [Read more...]
David Bowie is one of the most influential artists of our time. He has been at the forefront of the world of 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 given unprecedented … [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...]
A Victorian costermonger (also known as coster) was a street hawker of fruit, vegetables, and other goods like fish. They spoke in a loud singsong voice or chant to catch their customer’s attention and spent most of their lives on the street. The often-corrupt, sometimes obscene tough breed of market trader spoke a variety of the cockney dialect … [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...]
As a film festival veteran—both filmgoer and former staffer—I found myself suffering from festival fatigue. After years of film-viewing marathons, I had lost the ‘festive’ in film festival. What I’d previously loved about the experience—discovering gems that I wouldn’t otherwise have access to, swapping recommendations with fellow … [Read more...]
As this is my first piece for Anglotopia.net, I thought I should come clean about one thing: I love singalongs. I love the dressing up, the singing out of tune, the waving of tchotchkes, and all the other silliness that goes with them. But, a couple of years ago at a Grease singalong, I had the misfortune of sitting in front of a row of young … [Read more...]
With such a rich and influential sartorial history, it may come as a surprise that London Fashion Week is the youngest of the "Big Four" fashion weeks, following in the high-heeled footsteps of its older sisters: New York, Milan, and Paris. It was founded in 1984, a year after the creation of the British Fashion Council, and has since cemented … [Read more...]
London street food used to mean jellied eels, whelks, hot dogs or roasted chestnuts – and as far as I'm concerned only the latter actually qualified as food. Things have changed now; there's a huge variety of street food, and a number of chains like Pieminister that visit various street markets, as well as ethnic stalls, as well as street food … [Read more...]
By Andrea Kirkby I get sick of reading in tourist books that "Portobello Market is no good for bargains any more" and you can't buy antiques here at a decent price. You certainly can; but you need to know what you're looking for, and you need to look in the right place – which isn't at the stalls on the street itself. Now, before we set off … [Read more...]
Our friends at WTHR in Indianapolis had the rare chance to go behind the scenes of the clock tower that's home to Big Ben. Check out this fascinating video about it! 13 WTHR Indianapolis … [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...]
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...]
The Science Museum in London is planning a year-long exhibition to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of a pioneering computer scientist. Codebreaker – Alan Turing’s Life and Legacy will look at the achievements of the man whose influence is still felt today and whose wartime code-breaking helped to shorten World War Two. It … [Read more...]
Some great London landmarks which sports fans will love to visit London is set to be the sporting capital of the world in 2012 as the Olympic flame is lit once more in an English stadium. Of course, not everyone will be lucky enough to get tickets to see the Games but there are lots of great sports-related sights to see in Britain’s biggest … [Read more...]
London is an exciting city brimming with fabulous activities perfect for the entire family. Here your family will find an extraordinary variety of theatres, museums, parks, beautiful London hotels and events from which to choose. The Regent’s Park is a popular destination for many families and numerous fun-filled activities await you in this … [Read more...]
Making new resolutions for this welcomed New Year of 2012 has finally arrived. It tempts us with bountiful options of betterment waiting to be selected as the one official effort to be made for the best New Year ever. Some of us tiptoe toward a distinctive plan of releasing worn out attitudes, creating weight loss goals or replacing the something … [Read more...]
The largest ever exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of the human body is to go on display in May at the Queen’s Gallery, next to Buckingham Palace. Leonardo was not just one of the great artists of the Renaissance: he was also a pioneer in the understanding of human anatomy. He wanted to be ‘true to nature’ in his painting, so he … [Read more...]
This is a guest post by Karola Woods of London thru Cafes City Guide iPhone App. First things first: the Cafes The Maritime Museum Café does the best cup of coffee in Greenwich while Red Door Cafe inside Greenwich Market does a lovely cream tea and has a charming, local feel. For a retro, classic cafe experience, there's Gambardella's further … [Read more...]
An exhibition at London’s Geffrye Museum will look at the cosmopolitan nature of London homes over the past 400 years. At Home with the World will show how homes in England have been shaped by many diverse cultures, from Chinese porcelain and the great craze for ‘taking tea’ in the 18th century, to the use of Islamic and Indian patterns in … [Read more...]
As London prepares to pull out all of the stops as hosts of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the rest of Britain has followed suit for what is set to be a blockbuster year of experiences only to be had in 2012. Whether you are a sports lover, a history buff, a Royal watcher or music lover, it’s Britain, it’s 2012 and you’re invited. 1. … [Read more...]
London is one of the most exciting cities to visit, and The Muppets are some of the funniest characters in entertainment. Put them together and you get a whole lot of fun! This Muppets’ guide to London shows you where the puppets hung out in The Great Muppet Caper. Trafalgar Square In The Great Muppet Caper, Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo … [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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