Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Catherine of Aragon (depicted in the bottom left- and right-hand corners).
Constructed in 1526, the window was never intended for St Margaret's, and was only
bought by the church in 1758 to replace those smashed by the Puritans. The west
window commemorates Walter Raleigh, who was beheaded in Old Palace Yard and
buried in the old churchyard. Also interred here is William Caxton, who audited the
parish accounts and set up the country's first printing press in the abbey close in 1476.
Supreme Court
Parliament Square • Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm • Free •
T
020 7960 1500,
W
supremecourt.gov.uk •
!
Westminster
The House of Lords was the country's final court of appeal from medieval times
until 2009, when the
Supreme Court
took over and housed itself in the former
Middlesex Guildhall, a quasi-medieval Edwardian town hall that sits on the west
side of Parliament Square, replete with lugubrious gargoyles and sculptures. The
public are welcome to explore the building, view an exhibition on the Supreme
Court and sit in on any sessions going on (Mon-Thurs only) - plus there's a very
nice
café
with free wi-fi in the tiled and roofed inner light well. A self-guided tour
guide is available for £1 from the reception desk.
Central Hall Westminster
Storey's Gate •
T
020 7222 8010,
W
c-h-w.com •
!
Westminster
Set back from Parliament Square, on Storey's Gate, stands the Methodists' national
headquarters,
Central Hall
, established here in 1912. In order to avoid the Gothic of the
abbey, and the Byzantine of the nearby Catholic cathedral (see p.63), the Methodists
opted for Edwardian Beaux-Arts - as a result, it looks rather like a giant continental
casino, which is hardly appropriate given the Methodists' views on gambling and alcohol.
Central Hall has been used over the years as much for political meetings as religious
gatherings, and was the unlikely venue for the inaugural meeting of the
United Nations
in
1946. If there's no event on, you're free to wander round the building and - after
donning black gloves - to look at the Historic Roll, a fifty-volume list of the folk who
donated a guinea towards the cost of the building. Free
guided tours
are also available,
and allow you to climb the stone balustrade atop the reinforced concrete dome.
Tate Britain
Millbank • Daily 10am-6pm; first Fri of month until 10pm • Free •
T
020 7887 8888,
W
tate.org.uk •
!
Pimlico or Vauxhall
Founded in 1897 with money from Henry Tate, inventor of the sugar cube,
Tate
Britain
showcases British art from 1500 to the present day. In addition, the gallery has a
whole wing devoted to Turner, as well as putting on large-scale temporary exhibitions
(for which there is a charge) and sponsoring the
Turner Prize
, the country's most
infamous modern-art award. Works by a shortlist of four British artists under 50 are
displayed in the gallery a month or two prior to the December prize-giving.
Following a major refurbishment, the gallery has returned to a traditional,
chronological approach in its permanent displays. There is more space than ever, but
what you see is still only a fraction of the collection, and rooms are periodically re-hung.
What follows, therefore, is a rundown of the artists usually featured, plus some of the
best works Tate owns, many of which are on show more or less permanently.
INFORMATION AND TOURS
Arrival
The traditional entrance on Millbank leads up the
steps to a small information desk. A larger entrance with
disabled access is on Atterbury St, and leads down to
information desks and the cloakroom. The Clore Gallery,
which houses the Turner Bequest, can be reached via the
modern-art galleries, but it also has its own entrance and
information desk to the right of the original gallery entrance.
Tate boat
If you're coming from, or going to, Tate Modern,
there's a Tate Boat that plies between the two galleries (every
40min; 15min; £5.50);
W
thamesclippers.com.
Tours
There are free guided tours (daily 11am, noon, 2 &
3pm; 45min) and you can rent multimedia guides for £3.50.
