HQS Wellington is a Grimsby Class Sloop launched in 1934. She escorted convoys in the North Atlantic throughout the Second World War. She is now permanently moored on Victoria Embankment and is the livery hall of the Honorable Company of Master Mariners.

The Millennium Bridge links Bankside on the South Shore to the City of London on the North. The bridge opened in June 2000 & gained its nickname the “Wobbly Bridge” after an unexpected swaying motion caused it to close. After almost two years of modification the bridge re-opened.

Stamford Wharf started its life as a power station before being converted into a cold store for the manufacturers of the OXO Beef Cube. Today “OXO Tower Wharf” is home to over 30 design studios, specialist shops & restaurants.

There have been several cathedrals on the site on St. Pauls dating from as early as 604 AD. The most notable of these was the cathedral built by the Normans between 1087 & 1240. The Norman St. Pauls was the largest building in Medieval England, it lasted for almost 600 years surviving the Reformation & the English Civil War. In August 1666 Christopher Wren finalised plans to restore the cathedral although little more than a week later St Pauls was destroyed in the Great Fire of London. Construction of the new cathedral commenced in 1675 & lasted for 33 years. The new cathedral was consecrated on the 2nd December 1667 & still stands today. St. Pauls is open for prayer seven days a week, sightseers can visit the cathedral from Monday – Saturday.

Somerset House was designed by William Chambers & completed 1801. The house has been home to the Royal Academy of Arts, the Royal Society, the General Register Office & the Inland Revenue. Today Somerset House is open to the public and regularly hosts concerts & other public events.

Cleopatra’s Needle was erected in Heliopolis around 1450 BC. The needle was already over 1,300 years old when Cleopatra became Queen. The needle was presented to the United Kingdom in 1818 to commemorate British military victories at the Battle of the Nile & Battle of Alexandria but it was not moved to London until 1877.

The Savoy Hotel was built by Richard D’Oyly Carte & opened in 1889. The Savoy proved popular with tourists & was the first hotel in Britain to utilise electric lifts & be lit entirely by electric lighting. The Savoy boasts numerous bars & restaurants & is adjacent to the Savoy Theatre.

The Royal National Theatre was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976. Three individual theatres occupy the site & over 20 different performances are shown each year. The Olivier Theatre is the largest theatre & seats 1,100 guests.  The Olivier Theatre takes its name from the National Theatre’s first artistic director, Sir. Laurence Olivier.

Sir John Soane’s Museum is situated in the Grade I listed home of the Regency architect Sir John Soane. Soane commissioned numerous buildings throughout his career including country homes, the Bank of England & Dulwich Picture Gallery. During his lifetime Soane amassed a vast collection of items including books,  manuscripts, paintings, models, sculptures & the alabaster sarcophagus of Seti I. Soane obtained an Act of Parliament bequeathing his home to the British Public. Today Sir John Soane’s Museum is free to visit & remains mostly unchanged since his death in 1837. Tours & trails are are available at the museum to guide visitors through the rooms & collections that have been curated by Sir John Soane himself.

36 Craven Street is the only remaining home of the Benjamin Franklin, a famous scientist, diplomat & Founding Father of the United States. The house itself dates from around 1730 & is an authentic representation Benjamin Franklin’s time in London. Tours of Benjamin Franklin House are available for the public & there is also a small shop & toilet facilities onsite.

Royal Festival Hall is the last remaining building from the 1951 Festival of Great Britain. The hall can seat 2,500 guests & is situated in the Southbank Centre, the largest arts centre in the United Kingdom. Over 5,000 events are held at the Southbank Centre each year including exhibitions, festivals & performances by some of the worlds most famous artists.