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Monthly Archives: February 2011

Iconic Piccadilly Circus sign to be axed

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 4:45 pm
Filed under Attractions

One of the most iconic lit-up signs in Piccadilly Circus, Central London, is to be axed as Sanyo removes it’s famous sign.

The Piccadilly Circus signs have become one of the most famous parts of London for the millions of tourists who visit each year, but as signs have come and gone one has remained since 1978 – the Sanyo advert.

Originally the sign a simple billboard when installed in 1978, but in 1987 Sanyo replaced the sign with the now iconic neon version above what it currently the Gap store.

According to Sanyo, the owner of the ad space wanted the sign replaced with something using LEDs instead of neon as that could include movement and even video images. Sanyo didn’t want to spend the huge amounts of money that would cost them, so they are finally planning to pull the plug.

With the news, it is likely there’ll be a bidding war for this space as it could be argued this is the most eye catching sign of them all, wrapping around the building and with an estimated 56 million people seeing the advert, it has to be worth a lot of money.

London Piccadilly Links:
Tourist attractions around Piccadilly Circus
Hotels in Piccadilly Circus

Close encounters of the owl kind in Kendal, Cumbria

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 4:10 pm
Filed under Attractions

If you’ve ever wanted to get up close and personal with one of the most majestic creatures in Britain, a good option is Kendal in Cumbria.

Every Wednesday, Wild Owl World bring along a six magnificent owls which you can visit in a small vacant shop in the Elephant Yard shopping centre in Kendal, just south of the English Lake District and off the M6 at J37.

Unlike most owl centres where the closest you get is watching through a mesh fence at an owl which is probably 30 feet away, here you can get right up close to these most splendid of creatures with no fences, glass screens etc. in the way.

All the owls sit on a perch and actually seem quite interested in the people – maybe owls do people watching?

I’m not sure what type of owls they are, although they are all the smaller varieties. There’s a bucket outside for donations so no expensive entrance fees either.

Maps:

Map of General location with the UK

Map of Elephant Yard location in Kendal

Map of location and Kendal car parks (click icons for details).

Directions to Elephant Yard:

- From Marks & Spencer in Kendal, take the pedestrian route just opposite the car park down past Natwest and the shop is right opposite Boots.

- From the main street McDonalds end, come up the main street with McDonalds on your left, turn up beside Costa Coffee and the owls are opposite Clairs’ Accessories (next to Kendal branch of Boots).

- From the main street Kendal WHSmiths end, follow the road down the hill towards the Westmorland Shopping Centre entrance and turn up beside Costa Coffee. Continue up to Clairs’ and it’s right behind you.

Family friendly museums for February half-term

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 3:23 pm
Filed under Attractions

With half term rapidly approaching, you might be wondering how you’ll keep the kids entertained – how about some of these selected museums?

In the last 20 years, there has been a surge of museums designed around the needs of both adults and kids with interactive displays, friendly knowledgeable staff and really interesting information.

If you’re looking for somewhere to take the kids or even the adults this February half term, how about these museums, many of which were selected as part of the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Awards.

1) Abbey House Museum in Leeds is one of several historic reconstruction “living museums” around Britain. In the case of Abbey House, you’ll be taken back to the 19th Century with authentic looking streets, dress-up rooms and even working penny slot machines (a little before my time).

If you want to know how the Victorian’s lived then this is the ideal place to visit and really get to know your great, great ancestors.

2) @Bristol is a new exhibition in the city which provides a wealth of interactive displays and exhibits, covering the whole of history from pre-historic with the dinosaurs, right through to the modern day.

The museum is designed with as much hands on experience as possible and is suitable for all ages. Highlights include the Wildwalk, a mini tropical forest or perhaps you prefer to leave earth altogether and venture out into the universe with the state-of-the-art planetarium.

For a full day or even couple of days, @Bristol has it all.

3) Crich Tramway Village in Derbyshire is focused as you might guess on trams set amongst period backgrounds. Take unlimited tram rides along the cobbled streets or explore the 30,000 sq ft of indoor attractions including the exhibition Hall housing the largest collection of vintage trams in Britain.

4) The Horniman Museum in London is probably best thought of as an alternative to the Natural History Museum and British Museum all rolled into one. There are lots of seek and find games within the museum which houses collections from anthropology, natural history and musical instruments.

Kids love the 16 acres of gardens with lots of room to run around, explore and find things. For an introduction, see the Horniman Museum on YouTube.

5) Mansfield Museum in Nottinghamshire shows local authorities how to transform their town museums into exciting places for both kids and adults to explore. A major part of the museum is XplorActive which teaches children how they impact on the environment and how to preserve the eco-culture. There are also a number of permanent and temporary art and craft displays from the local area and further afield.

More museums: These are just a few of the museums shortlisted for the Guardian awards. For the full list see the Guardian Family Friendly Museum Awards page.

Beyond museums there are 1000s of attractions to keep your kids entertained this half term. For family attractions all around the country, see the UK Attraction web site.

Inamo – An Asian restaurant for the iPad generation

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 1:15 pm
Filed under Eating & Drinking

Inamo has taken the idea of a quirky restaurant idea and produced something that is actually genuinely innovative, for the iPad generation at least.

What the Asian restaurant Inamo is doing which is so difference is offering its customers an “interactive table” which works pretty much like any smartphone, tablet PC or similar.

You sit down at the table which is essentially a touch screen computer and select what you want from the menus. Images popup giving information about each dish along with pictures and once you’ve selected what you want, the waiter brings it over.

The equivalent would be using your iPad to order your meal, but watching the videos, this seems a whole lot simpler.

Of course a restaurant lives and dies on the quality of the food & service, but going by reviews of Inamo it seems they haven’t forgotten that with excellent reviews of both.

We would like to declare this – the coolest restaurant in the world!

 

Video introduction to Inamo:

 

 

An independent look at the ordering system:

 

 

More details and bookings at the Inamo restaurant web site.

Olde England meets retro America on the Isle of Wight

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 12:31 pm
Filed under Accommodation

The Isle of Wight seems almost immune from the complications of the modern world, but can olde England really work well with retro America?

Being slightly isolated from the mainland, the Isle of Wight seems to have managed to keep something of the idyllic life, which at least according to the publicity pamphlets, existed right around Britain in years gone by.

However one little campsite in one small corner of the island seems to be having a slight identity crisis as olde-worlde England meets retro America – at least in the form of American “Airstream Trailers” or caravans as we call them.

These are definitely not your typical white or cream caravan that you normally curse driving at 40mph through the English countryside. Being American, they are brash and silver which glints heavily in the English (and presumably American) sunshine.

The campsite owners have spent several years, buying up these caravans (sorry “trailers”) and painstakingly refurbishing them with their wood and Formica interiors. Presumably quite a lot of polish was also required just to make them gleam.

The caravans are circa 1940s to 1960s and really hark back to the time when America discovered the open highway and cheap petrol. Being American of course, they have everything inside them from a jukebox to a hair-dryer.

Perhaps it is rather fitting that the mid 1900s should become part of the Isle of Wight countryside, as much of the island is at least trying to keep the better parts of this period. On the campsite, there’s even an honesty box for provisions such as milk and eggs – imagine that anywhere else.

For more information and bookings, see Vintage Caravans web site. There’s also a writeup about the caravans on the Daily Telegraph web site.

Buying an Airstream: As a sidenote, if you wanted to buy your own authentic Airstream caravan, the only official dealer in Britain is at Clock Garage Industrial Estate, Tebay, Cumbria just off J38 of the M6 (virtually next to Tebay Motorway Services).

Note: The photo above is not of the caravan site.

More Isle of Wight Resources:
Campsites in Shanklin
Campsites in Ventnor
Campsites in Ryde
Campsites in Cowes

Today only – Special price fish n’ chips by Aldo Zilli

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 11:51 am
Filed under Eating & Drinking

There’s nothing quite like the smell of fish n’ chips, and nothing quite like the taste when made by one of the world’s top chefs – Aldo Zilli.

For today only you and a friend can enjoy this most traditional of British dishes cooked up by celebrity chef Aldo Zilli at his signature restaurant – Zilli Fish in London – for a special offer price.

You’ll enjoy expertly cooked crisp chips and fish bought that morning from the world famous Billingsgate Fish Market, rolled together with a glass of wine each, all for just £25 for the two of you.

This offer expires when the restaurant closes today, so click here for details.

More Resources:
Things to see around Piccadilly
Hotels in Piccadilly

Surprise appointment to No. 10 Downing Street

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 10:21 am
Filed under Events

Political watchers have been a buzz about this new surprise addition at the heart of government during a time when a cabinet reshuffle wasn’t expected.

Luckily for ministers it turns out their jobs are safe…at least for now.

Larry is the official new cat of Downing Street and although he has yet to be given an official title, “Rat catcher by Royal Appointment” would seem appropriate as sources suggest that is the main problem Larry has been adopted to solve.

After a large black rat managed to avid security and run right past the front of no. 10 Downing Street, live on the BBC no less, the hunt has been on to find a rat catcher extraordinaire suitable for the job.

Larry was selected and driven to his new home from London’s Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and according to No. 10, he is settling in well.

Naturally, Larry is keeping stum on his political allegiances presumably because most previous Downing Street cats have long out-lived their political masters.

According to the BBC, the previous Downing Street cats were:

  • 1920s – Rufus of England
  • 1930s and 1940s – Munich Mouser
  • 1970s – Wilberforce
  • 1989 to 1997 – Humphrey
  • 2007 – Sybil (owned by Alister Darling)
  • 2011 Larry

The only cat to select No. 10 as its residence was Humphrey who wandered into the building as a stray and was adopted. He died in March 2006 after retiring for nearly 10 years at a civil servants home.

Keswick museum auctions famous film cars on Ebay

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Posted by trev on February 16, 2011 – 9:23 am
Filed under Events

The Cars of the Stars museum in Keswick, is selling off some of its famous film cars to raise money to buy more James Bond related cars.

Cars of the Stars was started by former Keswick dentist Peter Nelson in 1989 and contains one of the largest collection of cars from film and TV in the world. The museum was instantly popular and has included such favourites as Del Boy’s Robin Reliant from Only Fools & Horses, and the original car from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

After acquiring a number of cars from various James Bond films, Peter Nelson wants to expand his Bond Museum which has James Bond cars and other memorabilia. To do this he is planning to sell off a few of the cars from the Cars of the Stars museum to raise the funds.

Cars being auctioned on Ebay include a Kitt exhibition car from Knightrider and one of the red & white Gran Torino cars from Starsky and Hutch.

Details of when the cars will be auctioned have yet to be released, but potential bidders would be wise to keep an eye on Ebay for unusual car listings.

More Keswick Resources:
Things to see and do in Keswick
Hotels in Keswick
Self-catering in Keswick

Opening today: Watercolour at Tate Britain!

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Posted by admin on February 16, 2011 – 8:01 am
Filed under Attractions, Events

An extraordinary watercolour exhibition opens at Tate Britain today, 16th February 2011. There will be a vast selection of watercolours on display – from early uses of the medium such as an illuminated manuscript from the 13th Century, to modern and contemporary works by Patrick Heron, Tracey Emin and Anish Kapoor.

Click here for further information or to buy tickets online.

Useful links:
Hotels near Tate Britain
Tourist attractions in London

40 years ago today Britain’s money went decimal

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Posted by trev on February 15, 2011 – 4:21 pm
Filed under Events

Anyone under about 45 probably won’t even remember anything else, but on the 15th February 1971 Britain went decimal with pounds and pence.

For hundreds of years Britain has been using the rather archaic monetary systems which really must have confused overseas visitors even more than Brits trying to convert Euro’s to Pounds. But 40 years ago today we finally went decimal.

For those of my age (mid 30s) or younger who’s closest encounter was the shilling coin used as a 10p, the system was:

12 pence = 1 shilling
20 shillings = 1 pound
240 pence also equals 1 pound

This resulted in prices such as £2 3s 6d as “d” was used to represent pence (from the latin “denarii”).

Other old money facts:

- The farthing which was 1/4 penny (pre-1960)
- The Guinea which was 21 shillings
- Florin which was two shillings
- Half crown which was 2 shillings & 6 pence

So next time you complain about having to convert £’s to Euro’s, just imagine how complicated it would have been under the old system! :)

Thanks to the BBC’s history dept for pointing this out and Wikipedia UK coins for preventing headaches working this out.