London (Fodor's 2012) - Fodor's [68]
Royal Albert Hall.
This domed, circular 5,223-seat auditorium (as well as the Albert Memorial, opposite) was made possible by the Victorian public, who donated funds for it. More money was raised by selling 1,300 future seats at £100 apiece—not for the first night but for every night for 999 years. Some descendants of purchasers still use them. TIP The Royal Albert Hall is best known for its annual July–September BBC Promenade Concerts—the “Proms”—with bargain-price standing (or promenading, or sitting-on-the-floor) tickets sold on the night of the concert. On the last night only, the BBC hosts Proms in the Park, a series of free live concerts in Hyde Park and at other locations across the country, which culminate in a big-screen link-up with Royal Albert Hall for the grand finale. | Kensington Gore, Kensington | SW7 2YZ | 0207/589–8212 | www.royalalberthall.com | Prices vary with event | South Kensington.
Royal Hospital, Chelsea.
Charles II founded the hospice for elderly and infirm soldiers in 1682; his troops had hitherto enjoyed not so much as a meager pension, and they were growing restive after the civil wars of 1642–46 and 1648. Charles wisely appointed the great architect Sir Christopher Wren to design this small village of brick and Portland stone set in manicured gardens (which you can visit) surrounding the Figure Court—named after the 1682 bronze figure of Charles II dressed up as a Roman general—and the Great Hall (dining room) and chapel. The latter is enhanced by the choir stalls of Grinling Gibbons (who did the bronze of Charles, too), the former by a vast oil of Charles on horseback by Antonio Verrio, and both are open to the public at certain times during the day. There is a small museum here, detailing the history of the resident “Chelsea Pensioners,” but it’s the building and, of course, the pensioners themselves that are the real attraction. Recognizable by their traditional scarlet frock coats with gold buttons, medals, and tricorne hats, they are all actual veterans, who wear the uniform, and the history it conveys, with a great deal of pride. They celebrate Charles II’s birthday—May 29, Founder’s Day—by draping oak leaves on his statue and parading around it in memory of a hollow oak tree that expedited the king’s miraculous escape from the 1651 Battle of Worcester. Also in May (usually the third week), the Chelsea Flower Show, the year’s highlight for thousands of garden-obsessed Brits, is held here. Run by the Royal Horticultural Society (0844/338–7505 in U.K., 121/767–4063 from outside U.K. | www.rhs.org.uk), this mammoth event takes up vast acreage, and the surrounding streets throng with visitors. | Royal Hospital Rd., Chelsea | SW3 4SR | 0207/881–5298 | www.chelsea-pensioners.org.uk | Free | Museum open Apr.–Sept., Mon.–Sat. 10–noon and 2–4, Sun. 2–4. Closed Sun. Oct.–Mar., also closed holidays and for special events. Chapel, Courts, and Great Hall open daily, 10–noon and 2–4 | Sloane Sq.
Saatchi Gallery.
Charles Saatchi, who made his fortune building an advertising empire that successfully “rebranded” Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative Party, is an astute art collector whose avant-garde acquisitions regularly create headlines. The museum’s home—its third in 10 years—is at the former Duke of York’s HQ, just off the King’s Road. Built in 1803, its suitably grand exterior belies an imaginative restoration, which transformed the interior into 14 gallery exhibition spaces of varying size and shape. Unlike the Tate Modern, there is no permanent collection; instead the galleries are given over to a single exhibition, which normally runs for about three months. Exhibitions have included a highly successful showcase for contemporary Chinese art. | Duke of York’s HQ Bldg., Kings Rd., Chelsea | SW3 4RY | 0207/823–2332 | www.saatchigallery.com | Free | Daily 10–6 | Sloane Sq.
Science Museum.
This, one of the three great South Kensington museums, stands next to the Natural History Museum