Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
tending backyard plots. Inside is an assortment of antique gardening implements, a col-
lection of gardening-related art, and a treasure trove of gardening memorabilia.
Outside, the museum's own garden is filled with historic plants that thrive in the
microclimate within the church's walls. The churchyard contains two notable memo-
rials from the history of horticulture: The tomb of Captain Bligh, whose journey
aboard the Bounty to Tahiti in the late 18th century to obtain breadfruit trees
prompted the famous mutiny against him; and the tomb of John Tradescant, a gar-
dener and plant hunter for King Charles II. Insider tip: Free guided tours are given
on the last Tuesday of each month at 2pm. First come, first served.
Lambeth Palace Rd., SE1. &   020/7401-8865. www.gardenmuseum.org.uk. Admission £6 adults, £5
seniors, free students and children 15 and under. Sun-Fri 10:30am-5:30pm, Sat 10:30am-4pm; closed
1st Mon of month (except bank holidays). Tube: Lambeth North.
Golden Hinde HISTORIC SITE By the river, just around the corner from
Southwark Cathedral, is this full-size replica of the ship on which Sir Francis Drake
became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe in the 16th century. It may
seem a touch cozy, but the proportions are accurate—it has even been sailed around
the world to prove it. On board it's all very yo-ho-ho, with actors in period costume
entertaining you with Tudor maritime tales as you explore the five levels. Understand-
ably, it's very popular with children, and at weekends is usually given over to private
birthday parties where everyone dresses up as pirates and buccaneers.
If you really want to get a feel for life at sea (or rather, in dry dock), then you could sign
up for an “Overnight Living History Experience,” which runs from 5pm till 10am the next
day, when you join a crew of Tudor sailors, tending to the ship's needs, eating Tudor food
and drink, and sleeping in the (somewhat cramped) cabins in the lower deck.
Pickford's Wharf, Clink St., SE1. &   020/7403-0123. www.goldenhinde.com. Admission £6 adults,
£4.50 seniors, students, and children 15 and under; £18 family. Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm; sleepovers cost
£39.95 per person—bring sleeping bag. Tube: London Bridge.
Hayward Gallery GALLERY Opened in 1968, and forming the arts wing of the
Southbank Centre (p.  165), which also includes the Royal Festival Hall, the
Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Purcell Room, the Hayward is perhaps the epitome
of the concrete brutalist style of architecture for which the Southbank is so derided
(or occasionally, admired). But, while the outside might not grace that many post-
cards, the interior is a superior art space that presents a changing program of major
contemporary exhibits. The gallery closes between exhibitions, so call before making
your way here.
Belvedere Rd., South Bank, SE1. &   0871/663-2500. www.southbankcentre.co.uk/venues/hayward-gallery.
Admission varies but usually £10 adults, £8 students, seniors, and children 12-17; free for children 11 and under.
Hours subject to change, depending on the exhibit: Mon-Wed and Sat-Sun 10am-6pm; Thurs-Fri 10am-
8pm. Tube: Waterloo or Embankment.
HMS Belfast HISTORIC SITE An 11,500-ton cruiser, the HMS Belfast is
a World War II ship that's now preserved as a floating museum run by the Imperial
War Museum (see below). It's moored opposite the Tower of London, between Tower
Bridge and London Bridge. Its guns have a range of 14 miles, which means it could
take out Hampton Court Palace if staff felt so inclined.
It's particularly popular with kids, who love climbing between its seven levels of
clunking metal decks, exploring the cramped living quarters that once housed up to
950 sailors, and taking aim behind the (unloaded, obviously) naval guns and anti-
aircraft weaponry. Exhibits above and below show how sailors have lived and fought
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