Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
THE BEATLES IN LONDON
Since the Fab Four lived in London for much of the 1960s, it's hardly surprising that the capital
is riddled with Beatle associations. The prime Beatles landmark is, of course, the
Abbey Road
zebra crossing
featured on the album cover, located near the EMI studios where the group
recorded most of their albums. The nearest tube is St John's Wood - remember to bring three
friends plus another to take the photos. Incidentally, Paul McCartney still owns the house at 7
Cavendish Ave, which he bought in 1966, two blocks east of the zebra crossing.
One (short-lived) nearby curiosity was the
Apple Boutique
, opened by The Beatles at
94 Baker St (
!
Baker Street), in December 1967, as a “beautiful place where you could buy
beautiful things”. The psychedelic murals that covered the entire building were whitewashed
over after a lawsuit by the neighbours, and eight months later The Beatles caused even more
pandemonium when they gave the shop's entire stock away free in the closing-down sale - a
blue plaque commemorates the shenanigans.
Other Beatles locations include the old Apple headquarters in Savile Row, Mayfair, where the
1969 rooftop concert took place, while Macca has his current o
ce on Soho Square (see
p.101). Real devotees of the group should sign up for a Beatles tour, run by The Original
London Walks (
T
020 7624 3978,
W
walks.com).
Winfield House
On the opposite side of the road from the London Central Mosque is
Winfield House
, a
dull 1930s replacement for Decimus Burton's Hertford House, built by the heiress to
the Woolworth chain, Countess Haugwitz-Reventlow (better known as Barbara
Hutton), who gifted Winfield House to the US government during World War II and
went on to marry Cary Grant; it's now the American ambassador's residence, and tends
to be where the US President stays when he visits London.
20
London Zoo
The lion sits within his cage,
Weeping tears of ruby rage,
He licks his snout, the tears fall down
And water dusty London town.
The Zoo
, Stevie Smith
Regent's Park • Daily March-Oct 10am-5.30pm; Nov-Feb 10am-4pm • £23 peak season online • Zoo Lates for adults only June & July Fri
6-10pm •
T
020 7722 3333,
W
zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo •
!
Camden Town
The northeastern corner of Regent's Park is occupied by
London Zoo
.
Founded in 1826
with the remnants of the royal menagerie (see p.184), the enclosures here are as humane
as any inner-city zoo could make them, and kids usually enjoy themselves. In particular
they love Animal Adventure, the new children's zoo (and playground) where they can
actually handle the animals, and the regular live shows. The invertebrate house (BUGS),
Gorilla Kingdom, Butterfly Paradise and the walk-through Rainforest Life and Meet the
Monkeys enclosures are also guaranteed winners - book online to avoid queuing.
The zoo boasts some striking architectural features, too, such as the 1930s modernist,
spiral-ramped, concrete former penguin pool (where Penguin Books' original colophon
was sketched), designed by the Tecton partnership, led by Berthold Lubetkin, who also
made the zoo's Round House. The Giraffe House, by contrast, was designed in
Neoclassical style by Decimus Burton, who was also responsible for the mock-Tudor
Clock Tower. Other landmark features are the mountainous Mappin Terraces and the
colossal tetrahedral aluminium-framed tent of Lord Snowdon's modern aviary.
Primrose Hill
The small northern extension of Regent's Park, known as
Primrose Hill
, commands a
great view of central London from its modest summit. And it lends its name to the
much sought-after residential area, to the northeast, which has attracted numerous
