For anyone looking to get great panoramic views of London, the Eye is the best option available and if you go on it on a clear day you can see for up to 25 miles. Attached to the wheel are 32 glass capsules and because they’re on the outside of the wheel the views are unobstructed. Each can carry 25 people comfortably, there’s a wooden bench in the middle to sit on but being all glass it can get a bit warm in there on a hot day

The price of London Eye tickets start at 13.00 pounds (approximately US $23.00) and children under five get in free. The Fast Track flight is a once around flight and with a brief overview of London. The Discover flights include a tour guide and the Champagne flights offer champagne and a more formal way to see London. You may also hire a private capsule for 375 pounds. So take the time to enjoy a flight in the London Eye and see for yourself how beautiful and remarkable London’s scenery can be.

Design and construction

Designed by architects David Marks, Julia Barfield, Malcolm Cook, Mark Sparrowhawk, Steven Chilton and Nic Bailey, the wheel carries 32 sealed and air-conditioned passenger capsules attached to its external circumference. Each capsule holds approximately 25 people, who are free to walk around inside the capsule, though seating is also provided. It rotates at 26 cm (10 in) per second (about 0.9 km/h (0.5mph) so that one revolution takes about 30 minutes. The wheel does not usually stop to take on passengers: the rotation rate is so slow that they can easily walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level. It is, however, stopped to allow disabled or elderly passengers time to embark and disembark safely.

Getting There

Nearest Tube: The nearest stations are Westminster (Exit 1 Westminster Pier) and Waterloo, which are both within 5 minutes walking distance.
From Waterloo mainline station, take exit 6 for the South Bank and follow the signs.
Buses: Bus routes to the British Airways London Eye include the 211, 24 and 11, and we are on most London Sightseeing tour bus routes.
Train: Waterloo International Station & Charing Cross Station
Car: We would advise customers against driving to the British Airways London Eye. If however you do decide to drive, there are 3 car parks at the South Bank Centre, accessible from Belvedere Road. These are Hungerford Bridge, The Hayward Gallery and the National Theatre car parks.

Origin

A museum was founded in 1857 under Bennet Woodcroft from the collection of the Royal Society of Arts and surplus items from the Great Exhibition. It was initially part of the South Kensington Museum, together with what is now the Victoria and Albert Museum, but was separated and became the Museum of Patents in 1858, the Patent Office Museum in 1863. This museum contained many of the most famous exhibits of what is now the Science Museum. In 1885, the Science Collections were renamed the Science Museum and in 1893 a separate Director was appointed. The Art Collections were renamed the Art Museum, which became the Victoria and Albert Museum nearby.

The museum’s ground floor is dominated by locomotives, steam engines and cars apart from displays on fire-fighting and space exploration.  Exhibitions on telecommunications, gas and food, iron and steel are housed on the first floor. On the second floor, galleries on nuclear power, printing and computing can be found. The third floor features the new Flight Gallery, along with exhibitions on photography, optics and electricity, while the smaller fourth and fifth floors house the medical galleries.

It is astonishing to see the range and diversity of inventions which humanity has created,Museum of Science and there examples of extraordinary machines which have been built, often expertly restored and put on show for folk to witness. A gas turbine powered car, mechanical computer as per design by Babbage, a Foucault pendulum, early variants of the Space Shuttle, some choice railway locomotives, these are just examples - amazing things which merit such expressions as “you don’t see that every day”.

An exhibition at London’s Science Museum, which opens Wednesday, looks to a future including plastic blood and airplanes which can shape-shift in mid-flight. “It’s gone from one little sample of brown material in a man’s hand to just being everywhere,” said Alison Conboy, who helped put the exhibit together. “It’s hard to imagine a house that doesn’t have them.”

The Science Museum holds the world’s largest and most significant collection illustrating the history and contemporary practice of science, technology, medicine and industry. The Museum welcomes about 1.6 million visitors per year and is one of the top ten tourist attractions in the UK. About 15% of the Museum’s collections are on display. The Museum offers free educational group visits and resource materials, events for students and professional training and development for teaching staff. The Science Museum also provides a number of facilities for research.

The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. The museum is a major London tourist attraction.

Opening Times:
Monday - Sunday 10am - 6pm
Nearest tube: South Kensington

History

ZSL london zoo was established by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1826, who obtained the land for the Zoo and saw the plans before he died of apoplexy later that year. After his death the third Marquis of Lansdowne took over the project and supervised the building of the first animal houses. The Zoo opened in April 1828 to fellows of the Society, providing access to species such as Arabian oryx, greater kudus, orangutan and the now extinct quagga & thylacine. The Society was granted a Royal Charter in 1829 by King George IV, and in 1847 the Zoo opened to the public to aid funding.

“London Zoo” was born of three key moments. An introduction to the thriving Dub-Step scene (of which The Bug is very much a pioneer before it carried a name) and it’s key producers (via Kode 9) where Kevin realized there was others on the same sonic trajectory as himself, an introduction to Warrior Queen via his work with Wayne Lonesome on the Razor X Productions project, and a Mary Anne Hobb’s Breezeblock session which introduced him to Flowdan (Roll Deep), and Ricky Ranking. All three of which figure heavily in the end result and live presentation.

Animals in the London Zoo have also created one of the rarest collections of species in the world.  The only living quagga ever to be photographed was in residence at the London Zoo until its death in 1883.  A number of other animals in the London Zoo that are now extinct, such as the thylacine, were also photographed.  The first hippopotamus to be viewed in Europe since the fall of the Roman Empire was seen at the London Zoo in the 19th century.

One of the great popular characters of the nineteenth century was Jumbo, an African bull elephant who came to the zoo as a baby and ended up as a six-ton cantankerous beast. Jumbo was so loved by Londoners of the time that there was a national outcry when the Zoo Council and Abraham Dee Bartlett, the zoo’s superintendent, sold him to Mr Bamum of Bamum and Bailey’s Circus. Jumbo sailed to the United States where hedrew huge crowds until his death in a train accident two years later. London Zoo benefitted from the sale to the tune of two thousand pounds.

Daily Live Events The ampitheater shows with birds and monkeys are a great opportunity to see the animals out of cages.

* 11.30am: Discover Reptiles
* 1.30pm: Otters feeding
* 2pm and 4pm: Penguin feeding
* 2.30pm: Animals in Action in the amphitheater

This is not so much a museum as a gruesome reproduction of all things that illustrate the darker side of European history. Located underneath London Bridge, in a basement location with ghastly sounds seeping through the front door, this is a sort of haunted house for adults. It has won the Best Unusual Venue tourism award several times in the past. Wander through rooms depicting royal executions, vicious murders, various torture and execution devices, and even the Great Fire of London.

London Dungeon is a wildly popular amusement located near the London Bridge rail station. Enjoy the spectacle, but don’t expect anything historic. The Dungeon’s resident actors attempt to scare you senseless as you make your way through a variety rooms and finally on a theme park style ride.

Torture

This theme is featured throughout the dungeons experience. Before the first official attraction (Labyrinth of the Lost), there are various bloody models of torture. About half way through the dungeons experience there is a comic-type show in which a person is called up and different types of torture equipment are demonstrated on them. Visitors are then taken to a courtroom in which three of them are called up for committing weird crimes such as “unnatural crimes with animals”. The judge sentences all to death by hanging.

Boat Ride to Hell

Are you afraid of the dark? Are you petrified of drowning? Do you hate the feeling of falling backwards? Face your fears with the Traitor, Boat Ride to Hell! In the deepest, darkest depths of London a deadly nightmare awaits! Climb aboard the vessel that will lead you to Hell. As you descend rapidly into the murky waters, is the Grim Reaper lurking in the shadows ready to claim his next victim?

The Dungeon invites you to a unique feast of fun with history’s horrible bits. Live actors, two scary rides, shows and special effects transport you back to those black, bleak times. The London Dungeon combines real history, horror and humour to bring gruesome goings-on back to life in the 21st century. Live actors, a terrifying boat ride, shows and special effects transport you to London’s gory past. Plus Labyrinth of the Lost, the world’s largest and scariest Mirror Maze.

From blood-curdling instruments of torture to the dreaded plague, you’ll find horrible history brought to life before your very eyes in the dark, deep depths of the London Dungeon. Live actors, two scary rides and gruesome interactive special effects will leave you screaming for more with this unique and
thrilling experience. These prices include your flight on the London Eye and fast track entry into the London Dungeon. London Dungeon opens daily with the exception of 25 December.

The Black Country is a large industrial area to the north-west of Birmingham and this museum is a reminder of how things used to be here 100 years ago. It comprises many historic buildings, taken down from elsewhere and re-erected to make an authentic town of a century ago. Highlights include an old-fashioned funfair, a narrowboat ride and a trip down a coal mine, light is deliberately kept to the levels that would have been experienced by the miners so it’s unsuitable for young children. All children and adults, however, can take a lesson in an 1840s school and tour round a Victorian sweetshop, chemist’s, nail-making shop and stables amongst many other exhibits. This is a genuinely interesting living museum and a tour of at least three hours is recommended.

Collections description

Since 1976 the museum has operated from an open air site near Dudley. The museum has specialized in relocating characteristic buildings from the Black Country area to this site. The museum’s collections now total almost 40,000 items, ranging from the buildings through to large machines and vehicles, tools and domestic items, and an archive of photographs, books and ephemera. In 2003 the Black Country Living Museum acquired the site and collections of the Lock Museum (now Locksmith’s House) in Willenhall.

2 for 1 entry to the Black Country Living Museum, allowing you to make a big saving when you travel by train. To get these great savings, simply complete the voucher in the leaflet or the appropriate online voucher and hand it in to the attraction on the day you visit. This popular tourist attraction is within easy walking distance of Tipton station. Please note this promotion is not available with any other offers. Discover a fascinating world when you visit this urban heritage park in the shadow of Dudley Castle at the heart of the Black Country.

Located at the Tipton end of the Dudley Tunnel, this 26-acre museum is focused around an historical recreation of a typical 19th century industrial town. Historic buildings from sites around the Black Country have been deconstructed and rebuilt on this site to create an authentic historic environment with pubs, houses and shops.

The Museum as an Event Venue:

The Black Country Living Museum offers a corporate venue with a difference just nine miles from Birmingham City Centre. The award winning Museum can host anything from a meeting for eight to an exclusive evening for more than a thousand. This unique venue can offer facilities for conferences, exhibitions, product launches, training days, evening receptions in the modern Museum galleries and evening hire of the whole Museum for that important company occasion. The Museum is ideally situated in the heart of the West Midlands motorway network, with ample car parking facilities.

Explore the natural history of the planet Earth from the prehistoric era to the present day at one of London’s most visited museums. In 1881, the Natural History Museum moved to its present venue. Designed by Alfred Waterhouse, this building is now one of London’s most beautiful and most recognized. These hallowed halls now house more than 300 years’ worth of collections, with over 68 million specimens. Broadly divided into Life and Earth galleries, the museum provides much more than can be seen in a day, and your feet will get tired before your brain does.

History

The foundation of the collection was that of the Ulster doctor Sir Hans Sloane (1660–1753), who allowed his significant collections to be purchased by the British Government at a price well below their market value at the time. This purchase was funded by a lottery. Sloane’s collection, which included dried plants, and animal and human skeletons, was initially housed in Montague House in Bloomsbury in 1756, which was the home of the British Museum.

Key artists and exhibits

Highlights of a trip to The Natural History Museum include: ; *The Darwin Centre (Phase One), where you can take a behind-the-scenes tour for the first time to see some of the 22 million zoology specimens on display and meet the scientists working with the collections. A packed programme of tours and talks with scientists about their work gives visitors the chance to engage with the natural world in a more informed way. ; *The Dinosaurs exhibition, with its animatronic displays and real dinosaur skeletons. ; *Entering the Earth Galleries through a giant suspended globe and a visit to our permanent exhibits on the origin of the universe and the restless earth - including the human experience of earthquakes and volcanoes.

The Palaeontology Conservation Unit (PCU), Natural History Museum, London is currently searching for a Conservator/Preparator. The successful candidate will be responsible for undertaking
conservation/preparation work across the Department and providing specialist advice to other Museum departments. Required qualifications/experience includes at least an undergraduate degree in conservation or the natural sciences with related collections experience, prior professional-level conservation experience in a museum setting, and a experience of laboratory management.

The Galleries

The museum can be divided into several distinct areas; the Life Galleries, Earth Galleries, Wildlife Garden, and Temporary Exhibitions. Within the Life Galleries are displays dedicated to Dinosaurs, Ecology, Human Biology, Mammals, Primates, the Origin of Species, and Minerals. The Earth Galleries focus on the geological history of the earth and the solar system. Within this gallery are fascinating simulators enabling visitors to experience for themselves what it feels like to live through an earthquake or a volcanic eruption. Learn about plate tectonics and what influences climate.

Situated in the town of Warwick and overlooking the River Avon, Warwick Castle is a popular tourist spot that attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. There is a working scale model of a trebuchet that can be fired under professional supervision, by members of the public. Other attractions include a bird show, an archery display and various exhibitions detailing life in medieval Britain.

History

With a history that dates back over 1,000 years, Warwick Castle will take you back in time to a world of banquets, battles and royal splendor. Visit the waxwork displays of Madame Tussauds, to see and hear the Earl of Warwick’s preparations for battle and take a look at the ghostly dungeons where prisoners were tortured.

Bursting to the towers with action and adventure including the world’s biggest siege machine, thrilling jousting tournaments, breathtaking birds of prey, daredevil knights, an entire castle-ful of colourful characters plus a NEW fully interactive and immersive attraction - “Dream of Battle”, Warwick Castle guarantees a mighty day of mediaeval fun in 2008.

On arrival you will be escorted to the very heart of the castle, the Great Hall. You don’t just visit Britain’s Greatest Mediaeval Experience, you live it! On the banks of the River Avon, bursting with tales of treachery and torture, passion and power and above all fascinating people, times and events, Warwick Castle is so much more than simply a castle. Amongst the imposing towers and ramparts, experience preparations for battle, feel the weight of a sword, get a soldier’s eye view from beneath a battle helmet, see lavishly decorated State Rooms and watch the preparations for a Victorian party.

Directions

By Road: The Castle is well signposted, and less than two miles from junction 15 of the M40. Please note that long term roadworks on junction 15 of the M40 are taking place - please allow extra time for your journey.

By Rail: Warwick Station is approximately one mile from the Castle. A direct service into London Marylebone (1 hour 45 minutes) or Birmingham Snow Hill is available.

By Air: Birmingham International Airport is only a 40 minute drive.

This London branch of the Imperial War Museum houses exhibits ranging from tanks and aircraft to photographs and personal letters; they include film and sound recordings, and some of the 20th century’s best-known paintings. Visitors can explore six floors of exhibitions and displays, including a permanent exhibition dedicated to the holocaust and a changing programme of special temporary exhibitions.

History

Originally located inside the Imperial Institute (now Imperial College), the Imperial War Museum was moved temporarily to the Crystal Palace, located atop Sydenham Hill. The Museum was founded there in 1917 to commemorate those who had died in the First World War, even though the war had not yet been concluded. When that building burned down on 30 November 1936, a new location was found in Lambeth Road, Southwark.

Before Second World War the museum was housed in two adjacent galleries in South Kensington, this was not ideal and in 1936 the Duke of York reopened the museum in its current Lam beth home. During WW2 the museum was closed and numerous objects were evacuated outside London. After WW2 items were added to the collection and in 1953 the Museum’s terms of reference were extended to include all military operations with Britain and the Commonwealth had been involved with since 1914.

What’s Here:

The IWM concentrates on portraying the conflicts of the 20th century, and has a huge number of war-related exhibits on display. The aviation galleries includes a number of complete aircraft, several of which are hung from the roof in flying attitude. A wide of other aeronautical artefact’s and memorabilia can be seen, along with a number of cockpit sections. The museum regularly stages special events and exhibitions.

The museum is free to enter although for some selected special exhibitions there might be a admission charge. Immediately inside the front doors is a large hall filled with real military hardware from the last hundred years. Real tanks, artillery pieces and cannons, from the high ceilings they’ve hung fighter planes from World War’s 1 and 2 including bi-planes, a Spitfire and the jet fighter that the Germans had developed and started using just as the Second World War was ending. Also on display are captured examples of the V1 and V2 rockets that Germans used to bomb London in 1945 and a Polaris nuclear missile from a British submarine.

Traveler Description:

A vast collection of weapons, vehicles, models, photos and film are reminders of Britain’s involvement and sacrifices during the wars of the 20th… more » A vast collection of weapons, vehicles, models, photos and film are reminders of Britain’s involvement and sacrifices during the wars of the 20th century.

The Blackpool Tower is a tourist attraction in the town of Blackpool, Lancashire, in northern England (grid reference SD306360). The tower is 158 m (518 ft 9 in) tall. It was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It cost £42,000 GBP to construct, and it first opened to the public on 14 May 1894. It is a member of the World Federation of Great Towers.

History

People have been building towers for thousands of years. These have served many functions, as watchtowers, fortifications, temples, lighthouses, victory monuments, clock towers, minarets and cathedral spires. A tower can be an expression of religious devotion (minarets and spires), of power (the Tower of London) or of national pride (the Eiffel Tower). The one aim that all tower-builders share is the desire to impress, to create a sense of wonder.

Blackpool Tower is undeniably the most famous symbol of the resort. Standing over 518 feet high it dominates the Promenade looming over the Golden Mile like a colossus. It is without doubt the most distinctive seaside building in Britain. The tower can be seen from all over Blackpool and its images are everywhere. It is depicted on ornaments souvenirs, brochures and business cards. Blackpool would be unthinkable without the this grand Victorian monument.

Blackpool’s Winter Gardens and Opera House

When the famous publicist William Holland was recruited from London music halls to manage the Winter Gardens from 1887 until he died in 1894 - Winter Gardens really started to take off. Holland changed the feel of the place from up-market concerts to music hall and the renowned female human cannonballs costing only sixpence to get in. Grade II Listed, twelve venues no less are contained within Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens, including the Opera House theatre. With a capacity for 3000, the Opera House dates from 1939 and stands as Europe’s second largest theatre.

The top of the Tower stays open until the wind speed reaches 45mph and then it’s considered too dangerous for the public to visit the viewing platform. The height to the top of the Tower’s flagpole is 518ft 9 inches, which is roughly the height of 39 London Double Decker buses stacked on top of each another. Between 1913 and 1946 the Tower’s telephone number was “Blackpool 1″.

Trevor Hemmings, the investor behind pub groups Trust Inns and Herald Inns & Bars, has taken a 3% stake in Mitchells & Butlers (M&B). M&B is currently mulling a merger offer with rival Punch Taverns. Hemmings owns approximately 600 pubs, including 102 pubs he bought from M&B in 2006 for £101m. A property and racehorse tycoon, Hemmings is also the owner of Blackpool Tower, has a stake in Preston north end football club and a personal fortune worth close to £1b.

The UK’s largest theme park, Alton Towers is home to many spectacular rides. Including, Nemesis, the world’s first legs free inverted roller coaster, lasting 160 seconds, reaching speeds of 110km per hour and achieving a total G-force of 4.5G’s. A visit to Alton Towers isn’t limited to thrill-seekers though, there is also has a motor museum and a children’s farm. Not to mention the magnificent Staffordshire gardens that the Theme Park is set in. Without which there probably wouldn’t have been a theme park here at all.

The Alton Towers themed park is broken into various sections.  J.C. Loudon, one of the artists consulted by the Earl of Shrewsbury when designing the mansion’s gardens, described Alton Towers as, “the work of a morbid imagination, joined to the command of unlimited resources”.  Though your impressions of Alton Towers may not be quite as dramatic, the park design combined with the Alton Towers music creates a unique feeling among theme parks.  Alton Towers themes include Merrie England, Katanga Canyon, Gloomy Wood, Forbidden Valley, Ug Land, Adventure Land, and more.

With rides named things like Nemesis and Oblivion you know that the roller coasters at Alton Towers will leave you with white knuckles and shaking knees - and that’s why the kids can’t get enough of it. It’s not just about hair raising rides, there’s plenty of fun for smaller people including the ‘There’s Something in the Dung Heap’ Adventure Playground where youngsters can get mucky in the yucky farmyard. Or try the Haunted Hollow, a spooky short cut through Haunted Wood that will rival the ghost train. There’s also a brand new 18 hole adventure golf course themed around the Park’s rides and attractions. It’s a great family day out where the kids will have an unforgetable adventure.

Even the kids’ favourite soft toys can join in the fun with Alton Towers ‘Soft Toy Winter Olympics’ where the little ones can enter their furry friends into toy-sized ski, toboggan and skating trials to compete for medals and prizes. For those needing to escape from the cold, the Resort’s tropical lagoon-style waterpark will be open, alongside the luxurious Alton Towers Spa for parents to enjoy some relaxation and revitalisation.

Alton Towers Resort

For family fun and a great short break, you can escape for days at the Alton Towers Resort, there’s so much to do, you’ll be spoilt for choice.  With Britain’s best theme park, splash yourself silly in the waterpark, play a round on our Extraordinary Golf course or luxuriate in the wonderous Spa. The amazingly themed hotels provide the perfect base for you and the family to enjoy time together and plan next day’s marvellous adventure!

The Alton Towers Resort is banning parents from using PDA’s (Personal Digital Assistant) this May half term in a bid to increase quality family time. It would appear from research revealed today that kids are fed up with their parents spending more time reading their emails than having fun with them. Brits work the longest hours in Europe*, meaning that parents are work obsessed and unable to switch off from their jobs for even a day! Over half of parent’s questioned – 56% - feel that they can not disconnect from work, as they are constantly accessible by the office, and 40% head off with bags packed full of work items including documents to read, PDAs and laptops.