Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MARYLEBONE STATION
Probably London's most discreet train terminal,
Marylebone Station
is hidden in the
backstreets north of Marylebone Road on Melcombe Place, where a delicate and extremely
elegant wrought-iron canopy links the station to the former
Great Central Hotel
(now
The
Landmark
). Opened in 1899, Marylebone was the last and most modest of the Victorian
terminals, originally intended to be the terminal for the Channel tunnel of the 1880s, a scheme
abandoned after only a mile or so of digging, when Queen Victoria got nervous about foreign
invasions. The station enjoyed a brief moment of fame after appearing in the opening
sequence of The Beatles film
A Hard Day's Night
and now serves the Birmingham and
Buckinghamshire commuter belt.
a postmodern heritage nightmare of tourist tat (not unlike much of London today).
The tour of Tussauds ends with a short hi-tech “experience”, often inspired by a recent
Hollywood flick, including a 4D 360-degree film projected onto the ceiling of the
domed auditorium of the former London Planetarium.
Sherlock Holmes Museum
239 Baker St • Daily 9.30am-6pm • £8 •
T
020 7224 3688,
W
sherlock-holmes.co.uk •
!
Baker Street
Baker Street, which cuts across Marylebone Road, is synonymous with London's
languid super-sleuth, Sherlock Holmes, who lived at no. 221b. The detective's address
was always fictional, although the most likely inspiration was, in fact, no. 21, at the
south end of the street. However, the statue of Holmes's creator, Arthur Conan Doyle,
is at the north end of the street, outside Baker Street tube, round the corner from the
Sherlock Holmes Museum
, at no. 239 (the sign on the door says 221b). Unashamedly
touristy - you can have your photo taken in a deerstalker - the museum is nevertheless
a competent exercise in period reconstruction, stuffed full of Victoriana and life-size
models of characters from the topics.
4
St Marylebone Church
Marylebone Rd •
T
020 7935 7315,
W
stmarylebone.org •
!
Baker Street or Regent's Park
Completed in 1817,
St Marylebone Church
is only open fitfully for services and recitals,
though the church's most attractive feature - the gilded caryatids holding up the
beehive cupola on top of the tower - is visible from Marylebone High Street. It was at
this church that
Elizabeth Barrett
and
Robert Browning
were secretly married in 1846
(there's a chapel dedicated to Browning), after which Elizabeth - six years older than
Robert, an invalid, morphine addict and virtual prisoner in her father's house on
Wimpole Street - returned home and acted as if nothing had happened. A week later
the couple eloped to Italy, where they spent most of their married life. The church
crypt houses a small chapel, a healing centre, an NHS health centre and a café.
Royal Academy of Music
Marylebone Rd • Mon-Fri 11.30am-5.30pm, Sat noon-4pm • Free •
T
020 7873 7373,
W
ram.ac.uk •
!
Baker Street or Regent's Park
On the other side of Marylebone Road from St Marylebone Church stands the
Royal
Academy of Music
, which was founded in 1823 and has taught the likes of Arthur
Sullivan, Harrison Birtwistle, Dennis Brain, Evelyn Glennie, Elton John, Michael
Nyman and Simon Rattle. As well as putting on free lunchtime and evening concerts,
the academy houses a small
museum
at 1 York Gate. Temporary exhibitions are held on
the ground floor, while in the String Gallery on the first floor, there's a world-class
collection of Cremonese violins including several by Stradivari. The exhibition on the
second floor in the Piano Gallery follows the development of the grand piano in
England and gives you a peek into the resident luthier's workshop. Listening-posts on
each floor allow you to experience the instruments in live performance.
