Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Kensington Palace
HISTORIC SITE This grand palace started life as a much
simpler (relatively speaking) Jacobean mansion. It was acquired in the late 17th cen-
tury by the new Dutch king of England, William III, who wanted a residence away
from the damp air of central London. Expanded and extended under the guidance of
Sir Christopher Wren, it remained the official home of the reigning monarch until
1760 when George II died and his successor George III decided he preferred Kew
Palace. Since then it has been the home of various royals, including Victoria (who in
1837, aged just 17, was woken to be told that her uncle, William IV, had died and she
was now Queen), Princess Margaret (the late sister of the current Queen), and per-
haps most famously, Diana, Princess of Wales—it was at the palace's gates that the
great carpet of flowers was laid in the weeks following her death in 1997.
At the time of writing, the palace is undergoing renovation due for completion in
June 2012, which will see new cafes, courtyards, and educational facilities added,
and the palace gardens connected to Kensington Gardens (see above) for the first
time since the 19th century. The interior will be reorganized into four “story zones”
focusing on the lives of William and Mary, George II, Victoria, and Margaret and
Diana. Although some sections will close while the building work takes place, the
palace's magnificent 18th-century
Orangery
(p. 147) will remain open throughout,
and is a fine venue for afternoon tea.
The Broad Walk, Kensington Gardens, W8.
&
0844/482-7777.
www.hrp.org.uk/KensingtonPalace.
Admission £12.50 adults, £11 seniors and students, £6.25 children 5-15, £34 family ticket. Mar-Sept daily
10am-6pm; Oct-Feb daily 10am-5pm. Tube: Queensway or Notting Hill Gate; High St. Kensington on
south side.
4
Museum of Brands, Advertising & Packaging
MUSEUM A museum
dedicated not so much to things, as the packets the things come in. These days
people are pretty savvy as to the value and appeal of packaging. However, back when
the museum's founder, Robert Opie, began his collection—according to legend, in
1963 at the age of 16 with a chocolate wrapper—the idea of appreciating packaging
for its own sake was still in its infancy (that great art hymn to packaging, Andy War-
hol's
Campbell's Soup Cans
had been produced just the year before). The collection
has since grown to vast proportions, comprising some 12,000 items from the past 120
years, including everything from magazine advertisements and washing powder boxes
to cereal packets and milk bottles, as well as assorted toys and household appliances.
2 Colville Mews, Lonsdale Rd., W11.
&
020/7908-0880.
www.museumofbrands.com. Admission £6.50
adults, £4 seniors and students, £2.25 children 5-15, £15 family ticket. Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-
5pm. Closed Fri-Mon last weekend in August. Tube: Notting Hill Gate.
Serpentine Gallery
GALLERY Just southwest of the Serpentine (see above),
from which it takes its name, Kensington Gardens' Serpentine Gallery is one of Lon-
don's leading contemporary art spaces—not to mention a good place to retire to
should the British weather curtail your plans for a day of sunbathing or boating. It
plays host to a rolling succession of shows, each displayed for a couple of months.
Notable exhibitions have featured Henry Moore, Andy Warhol, and Damien Hirst.
Over the past decade the Serp has perhaps become best known for commissioning a
temporary
pavilion
each summer from one of the world's leading architects (in the
Jean Nouvel, Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind league), the more avant-garde and “out
there,” the better.
Kensington Gardens, W2.
&
020/7402-6075.
www.serpentinegallery.org. Free admission. Daily
10am-6pm. Tube: Knightsbridge or Lancaster Gate.
