PLACES OF INTEREST

Hyde Park
– 5 to 10 minutes walk.
Hyde Park is the largest of the Royal Parks stretching from Kensington Gardens in the west to Hyde Park Corner in the East. It came into existence in 1536 when the land was acquired for hunting. It has developed over the years in response to the wishes of the Crown and the public and has a tradition of events and public spectacles. There are links with the military through the presence of Knightsbridge barracks on its boundary and the continuing practice of firing Gun Salutes from the Parade Ground. Among its features include Speakers Corner, the Serpentine (a lake of some 11.34 hectares used for swimming, boating and fishing ), Marble Arch and Rotten Row, the world famous riding track, which celebrated its tercentenary in 1990 and was the first public road to be lit at night in this country. Despite its heavy use the Park manages to convey an air of rural tranquillity much valued by both tourists and local users.

 

Marble Arch and Oxford Street
– 10 to 15 minutes walk
Marble Arch is a white Carrara marble monument near Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, at the western end of Oxford Street in London, England, near the tube station of the same name. Only members of the royal family and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery are allowed to pass through the arch.

Oxford Street is world famous for having one of the largest densities of shops per square foot of any shopping area in the world. In excess of 300 shops trade along this near mile and a half long road and around 60,000 people work here. While traffic is restricted along its length, buses and taxis make it a busy road but together with the 4 tube stations found in this area they also make it one where public transport is easy to find. Constantly touted by the London Mayor for pedestrianisation this has yet to be put into action. Oxford Street runs from Marble Arch at its Western end to Tottenham Court Road (St Giles Circus) at its Eastern end. The HMV record store at 363 Oxford Street is the oldest record shop in the world. Oxford Street was originally part of a Roman highway which joined Hampshire with Colchester. It was in the late part of the eighteenth century and into the early nineteenth century that Oxford Street started to grow as a shopping area with some large retailers opening stores in this location. These days some 200 million visitors come to Oxford Street annually of which about 9 million are visitors from overseas. 60% of all visitors to London visit this shopping area. One of the highlights each year along Oxford Street are the Christmas lights. Each year in November a celebrity or bunch of celebrities are invited to flick the switch to turn on the themed lighting which hovers over the entire length of the road. A wonderful sight of an evening and adds to the festive feel and atmosphere of Christmas shopping.

 

Madame Tussauds
– 3 minutes walk to the Paddington Station Underground and 10 minutes train ride to Baker Street.
Madame Tussauds invites you to experience what it is like to be famous as you join a host of the world’s hottest celebrities. With exciting interactive attractions running throughout the year, there’s always something different happening at Madame Tussauds. It also has a 'Spirit of London' ride that takes you through the sights and sounds of London's past. Over 2.5 million people visit Madame Tussaud's a year.
Mix with the famous at the world famous collection of realistic wax figures in specially designed settings which include The Garden Party, 200 Years, Superstars, Sports Heroes, Famous Actors, The Grand Hall, The Cham.

 

Kensington Garden & Palace
– 3 minutes walk to Paddington Station Underground and 10 minutes train ride to High Street Kensington.
Kensington Gardens covers 260 acres and was originally part of Hyde Park. The Gardens with their magnificent trees are the setting for Kensington Palace, the choice of William III and Mary II for their London home. Queen Victoria was born in Kensington Palace and lived there until she became queen in 1837. The Kensington Gardens is very popular for walking and jogging. It is a more relaxing park than the adjacent Hyde Park. Its most famous attraction is the Kensington Palace, the former home of Princess Diana. Other features of the park include a bronze statue of Peter Pan and the 180ft high Albert Memorial. It was built between 1864 and 1876 to commemorate Prince Albert I, husband of Queen Victoria.

 

Bayswater
– 3 minutes walk to Paddington Station Underground and 5 minutes train ride to Bayswater.
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster. It is a built-up district located 3 miles (4.8 km) west north-west of Charing Cross and borders the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens. Bayswater is one of London's most cosmopolitan areas, with the significant diversity of the local population added to by having one of London's highest concentration of hotels. Notably, there is a significant Arab population towards Edgware Road, a large number of Americans, a substantial Greek community attracted by London's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, the area is also a centre of London's Brazilian community and a substantial local population. Architecturally, the biggest part of the area is made up of Georgian stucco terraces and garden squares, mostly, although not exclusively, divided up into flats. The property ranges from very expensive apartments to small studio flats. There are also purpose built apartment blocks dating from the inter-war period as well as more recent developments, and a large Council Estate, the 650 flat Hallfield Estate, designed by Sir Denys Lasdun and now largely sold off. There are some garden squares in the area.