London Eye . Palace of Westminster . Royal China @ Baker Street

What's your favourite thing to do in London? Here are some ideas, visit London's top tourist attractions: "The London Eye" and The Palace of Westminster Palace, the largest government building in the all of the United Kingdom. Follow by a great Dim Sum for lunch at Royal China.



Since opening in March 2000 the EDF Energy London Eye has become an iconic landmark and a symbol of modern Britain. The London Eye is the UK’s most popular paid for visitor attraction, visited by over 3.5 million people a year. A breathtaking feat of design and engineering, passengers in the London Eye's capsules can see up to 40 kilometres in all directions.

The London Eye is the vision of David Marks and Julia Barfield, a husband and wife architect team. The wheel design was used as a metaphor for the end of the 20th century, and time turning into the new millennium.

Back in 2000, the London Eye was known as the Millennium Wheel. At that time, British Airways was the main sponsor, and up until November 2005 they were joint shareholders with Marks Barfield Architects and The Tussauds Group. British Airways also privately funded the London Eye project from the early stages of conception.

Today, the London Eye is operated by the London Eye Company Limited, a Merlin Entertainments Group Company.

London Eye Telephone bookings

09.00 to 17.00 Monday to Sunday

Telephone: +44 (0)871 781 3000

We bought combination tickets to London Eye and Madame Tussauds, cost GBP$43.20 per person

View from London Eye
 

The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Bridge viewed from across the River Thames 
Location: City of Westminster, London, UK
Coordinates: 51°29′57″N 00°07′29″W
Built: Middle Ages
Demolished: 1834 (due to fire)
Rebuilt: 1840–70
Architectural style(s): Perpendicular Gothic

 

The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames[note 1] in the heart of the London borough of the City of Westminster, close to the historic Westminster Abbey and the government buildings of Whitehall and Downing Street. The name may refer to either of two structures: the Old Palace, a medieval building complex most of which was destroyed in 1834, and its replacement New Palace that stands today; it has retained its original style and status as a royal residence for ceremonial purposes.

The first royal palace was built on the site in the eleventh century, and Westminster was the primary London residence of the Kings of England until a fire destroyed much of the complex in 1512. After that, it served as the home of Parliament, which had been meeting there since the thirteenth century, and the seat of the Royal Courts of Justice, based in and around Westminster Hall. In 1834, an even greater fire ravaged the heavily rebuilt Houses of Parliament, and the only structures of significance to survive were Westminster Hall, the Cloisters of St Stephen's, the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft and the Jewel Tower.

The subsequent competition for the reconstruction of the Palace was won by architect Charles Barry and his design for a building in the Perpendicular Gothic style. The remains of the Old Palace (with the exception of the detached Jewel Tower) were incorporated in its much larger replacement, which contains over 1,100 rooms organised symmetrically around two series of courtyards. Part of the New Palace's area of 3.24 hectares (8 acres) was reclaimed from the Thames, which is the setting of its principal façade, the 266-metre (873 ft) river front. Barry was assisted by Augustus W. N. Pugin, a leading authority on Gothic architecture and style, who provided designs for the decoration and furnishings of the Palace. Construction started in 1840 and lasted for thirty years, suffering great delays and cost overruns, as well as the death of both leading architects; works for the interior decoration continued intermittently well into the twentieth century. Major conservation work has been carried out since, due to the effects of London's air pollution, and extensive repairs took place after the Second World War, including the reconstruction of the Commons Chamber following its bombing in 1941.

The Palace is one of the centres of political life in the United Kingdom; "Westminster" has become a metonym for the UK Parliament, and the Westminster system of government has taken its name after it. Its Clock Tower, in particular, which has become known as "Big Ben" after its main bell, is an iconic landmark of London and the United Kingdom in general, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city and an emblem of parliamentary democracy. The Palace of Westminster has been a Grade I listed building since 1970 and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987.

Time for Lunch..........

Royal China

24-26 Baker Street,

London W1U 7AJ

Telephone: 020 7487 4688

Email: bakerst@royalchinagroup.co.uk

Opening Hours: Mon-Sat 12N-11pm (Fri-Sat -11.30pm) Sun 11am-10pm

Capacities: Private room for 40 people

Superior dim sum and flamboyant black and gold interiors, the Royal China brand still caters for a legion of committed fans. The huge Baker Street branch bears all the group’s hallmarks, from glass tabletops and dark lacquered panels to a menu that makes its biggest impact during the day: crowds flow in for pork and radish dumplings, yam paste with dried meat and more obscure specials. The full evening menu (from 6pm) is a Cantonese whopper that meanders through the world of dried scallop and shredded duck broth, pork knuckle and jellyfish, stewed eel with green peppers, and signature dishes such as steamed Iceland cod with dried yellow beans; also expect a host of hotpots, noodles and rice dishes. Service is enthusiastic and portions generous enough to make prices feel fair.

Fried Noodle with Seafood, GBP$9.20

Spicy Chicken Feet, GBP$2.90

Roast Pork Bun, GBP$3.00

Minced Pork Dumpling, GBP$3.10

Prawn Dumpling. GBP$3.50

Black Bean Spare Ribs, GBP$2.90

Prawn Cheung Fun, GBP$4.20

Turnip Paste, GBP$2.90

Yam Paste, GBP$2.90

4 x Almond Pudding, GBP$11.60 and Mango Pudding, GBP$2.90

Chinese Tea for 5, GBP$6.00
Total paid for Dim Sum. GBP$62.26
 

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