Blog

Blog Posts

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Photo Credit: © British The Royal Household © Crown Copyright.

Medals, Coins & 10 Events For Celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II  came to the throne of the United Kingdom on the death of her father King George VI on 6th February 1952. This means that on the same date in 2022 she celebrated the seventieth (or platinum) jubilee of her accession.

Read more
Queen Elizabeth the ll during her 2015 visit to HMS Ocean in Devonport. Photo Credit: © Joel Rouse/ Ministry of Defence via Wikimedia Commons.

10 Facts About Queen Elizabeth II

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II celebrates the seventieth anniversary of her ascent to the throne of the United Kingdom on 6th February 2022. Throughout the year this platinum anniversary will be celebrated with a series of events by people the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.  She provides a measure of constancy in sometimes troubled times and a link with Britain’s past.

Read more
Whisky bar in London. Photo Credit: © Jonathan Cohen.

Where To Find Good Whisky in London

One drink that is very much in fashion in the bars around London is whisky, but that is nothing new. Londoners have been drinking the spirit since the middle of the eighteenth century. As a Blue Badge Tourist Guide, I have taken one for the team in researching and exploring London’s whisky scene.

Read more
London skyline with Big ben and the London Eye at dusk. Photo Credit: © Julian Love/Visit London Images.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Statement & Updates

London’s Blue Badge Tourist Guides, members of Guide London/Association of Professional Tourist Guides are acting in the best interests of visitors and locals alike by restricting our work in line with the latest advice from Public Health England. Furthermore, most tourist attractions, including museums and galleries and many pubs and restaurants, are closed. This is because the UK government has advised against all inessential travel as they work to contain COVID-19 and minimise community spread.

Read more
Winter Solstice At Stonehenge. Photo Credit: © Richard Ing.

The Winter Solstice At Stonehenge

I was excited to be visiting Stonehenge on the day of the winter solstice (21st December) and the sun was shining! At around 3.50 pm the midwinter sun set in the southwest and its rays flooded through the centre of the monument on the axis that Neolithic peoples understood 5000 years ago.

Read more
Margaret Campbell Duchess of Argyll. Photo Credit: © Allan Warren via Wikimedia Commons.

A Great British Scandal: The London Of Margaret Campbell, Duchess of Argyll

Margaret, Duchess of Argyll, was a name that everyone knew at the time of her divorce in 1963 but during her lifetime she had three names, each one making her a legend, Margaret Whigham, Margaret Sweeny, and when a Duchess, Margaret Campbell.

Read more
Ben Big uncovered after renovations near completion. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Big Ben Restoration: London’s Most Famous Bell And Clock Can Be Seen And Heard Again

London saw in 2022 to the traditional sound of the bells of Big Ben at Westminster. Although the annual fireworks display which is a part of the New Year festivities was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, Londoners and visitors to the capital were able to see as well as hear Big Ben for the first time in four years since it was covered with scaffolding and silenced as a result of the restoration programme at the Palace of Westminster, better known as the Houses of Parliament.

Read more
London Chinatown - Chinese New Year Parade - Dragon Dancers. Photo Credit: © Ursula Petula Barzey.

Celebrating the Chinese New Year in London

The wonderful Christmas lights in Central London are coming down, and red lanterns are beginning to appear around Soho and in particular Chinatown. This is part of the celebration for Chinese New Year which is also known as the Spring Festival. This year it falls on the 28th January, the first day of spring in the lunisolar calendar.

Read more
William Hogarth, The Painter and his Pug. Photo Credit: © Edwin Lerner.

William Hogarth: A Thumbnail Sketch Of A Great London Painter

Visitors who arrive in London via Heathrow Airport will pass the Hogarth roundabout in Chiswick as they approach the city along the A4 from the west. They may see the house in which William Hogarth (1697 – 1764) lived, which is now a museum. Their Blue Badge Tourist Guide may even tell them that it is believed that Hogarth’s habit of sketching people’s faces on his thumbnail gave us the phrase ‘a thumbnail sketch.’

Read more
Buckingham Palace: Changing of the Guards

January in London

January is the best month to visit London if you are a bargain hunter.  To start, the shops have sales which usually start a couple of days after Christmas. Plus most ice skating rinks and funfairs are still open during the first week so if you missed out pre Christmas, now is the perfect time to visit as they are less crowded. Most shops and many museums open on New Years Day.

Read more
Guide London A to Z: Letter Z

Guide London A – Z: Letter Z London Landmarks And Tourist Attractions

How many London landmarks and tourist attractions can you name that start with the Letter Z? Blue Badge Tourist Guide William Harry Mitchell completes our Guide London A-Z video series and provides insights on the historical events, famous and not-so-famous landmarks in London starting with the Letter Z.

Read more
Guide London A to Z: Letter Y

Guide London A – Z: Letter Y London Landmarks And Tourist Attractions

How many London landmarks and tourist attractions can you name that start with the Letter Y? Blue Badge Tourist Guide Rick Jones continues our Guide London A-Z video series and provides insights on the historical events, famous and not-so-famous landmarks in London starting with the Letter Y.

Read more