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 This St George's Day, London has the whole caboodle for a thoroughly English experience - sport, music, architecture, art and politics, even the weather makes an appearance as an event. There are some classic English types in the mix - James Bond, Punch and Judy, Torvill and Dean, Winston Churchill, Sir David Attenborough, possibly John Terry, and even some Morris dancers. Whatever you choose, it's all rather English and you'll have an awfully spiffing time.
 Amazing Rare Things Queen's Gallery Buckingham Palace, SW1A 1AA Until 28th September 2008 You simply can't get more English than this; the Queen's pad, lots of art collected by England's kings and queens stretching back over 500 years, and even, just in case you were in any doubt, Sir David Attenborough's two pennies' worth. His dulcet English tones can even make a cave full of bats' excrement sound exciting. Now the master commentator has collaborated with curators of the Royal Collection to create an exhibition that celebrates nature through the works of four artists. Leonardo da Vinci's detailed anatomy of a bear's foot, drawn around 1485 to 1490, is a fine example of the artist's fascination with natural history. Two hundred years later, Alexander Marshal's meticulous watercolour studies of flora and wildlife, part of the Royal Collection since the reign of King George IV, are indicative of the excitement felt as new species were being discovered and documented. With this exhibition Attenborough continues to do his best to help us appreciate our planet. Venue: Queen's Gallery Buckingham Palace Address: Buckingham Palace Road, SW1A 1AA Phone: 020 7766 7301 Date: Until 28th September 2008 Time: 10am-5.30pm (Last admission 4.30pm). Closed Good Friday, 21st March. Unlimited admission excluded dates Sat 2nd, 9th, 16th Aug, Sat 27th & Sun 28th Sep Pricing: Exhibition only - £8 (Adults), £7 (Concs), £4 (Under 17s), Free (Under 5s) | Joint ticket with palace - £13.50 (Adult), £11.50 (Concs), £7.50 ( Under 17s) Nearest Station: Victoria Tube/Rail Amazing Rare Things - Information   Churchill and the PressChurchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms, SW1A 2AQ Until 11th May 2008 If you really want to crank up the patriotism this St George's Day, Winston "we shall fight them on the beaches" Churchill is really the only place to start. While his speeches are enough to reduce grown men to tears for England, Churchill's relationship with the press, another English obsession, is revealed by this exhibition to be full of complexities. Using original newspaper cuttings from John Frost Newspapers and Associated Newspapers combined with items from the Imperial War Museum's own collection and original documents from the Churchill Archive Centre visitors are offered a detailed insight into his relationship with the media from the very place where he held his underground headquarters during World War Two. "Churchill is surely not unfriendly or indifferent to the foreign or British press", wrote the Yorkshire Post's Editor William L. Andrews, it is just that "he believes it is not good that the government and the press should be hand in glove." This was in 1953 when state secrets were closely guarded. But Churchill's experience of the press wasn't just as wartime Prime Minister, fielding difficult questions from the hacks. He was also a war correspondent, telling of his capture and escape during the Boer War. His intelligent writing style and unique experiences made for compelling reading. Add to that his aristocratic social standing and his society wedding to Clemmie and you add even further depth to his relationship with the press. All of which make this unique and timely display a real page turner. Venue: Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms Address: Clive Steps, King Charles Street, SW1A 2AQ Phone: 020 7930 6961 Date: Until 11th May 2008 Time: 9.30am-6pm (last admission 5pm) Pricing: £12 (Adults), £9.50 (Seniors), £9.50 (Students), Free (Under 16s) Nearest Station: Westminster Tube Churchill and the Press - Information  Dancing on Ice - The Tour 2008The O2, SE10 0PE Tuesday 29th April 2008 & Wednesday 30th April 2008 The appallingly compelling ITV series 'Dancing on Ice' (where Torvill and Dean teach Z-listers how to skate) hits the road, bringing two nights of lurid costumes, dopey celebrities and Andi Peters to The O2 this April, before heading up north for the remainder of the tour. We know that this doesn''t strictly fall on St George's Day but there has to be some flexibility for Torvill and Dean (the Olympic gold-winning, figure skating, Bolero dancing pair) who give every self-respecting English person patriotic goosebumps. Their historic win was back in 1984 but that still probably ranks them in the top five English sports personalities ever. However much you want to hate it, the series was impossible to switch off - and not only because you were hoping to see Linda Lusardi fall on her, er... face. The daring dance moves, obvious sexual chemistry cracking the ice, and the horrible, horrible costumes made utterly addictive television and, as this third series skids to a halt amid tears, tantrums and the drama of a Suzanne Shaw win (despite chipped ankle) fans can console themselves with the thought of this 2008 tour, which should be just as much fun. There'll be a decent collection of celebs past and present who obviously prefer skating to a panto season in Clacton - mentioning no names Bonnie Langford - and some legendary routines from Torvill and Dean, proving they can still cut it on the ice! Venue: The O2 Address: Peninsula Square, SE10 0PE Phone: 020 7437 4370 Date: Tuesday 29th April 2008 & Wednesday 30th April 2008 Time: 6.30pm Pricing: £32.50-£40 Nearest Station: North Greenwich Tube Dancing on Ice - The Tour 2008 - Information  For Your Eyes OnlyImperial War Museum, SE1 6HZ 17th April 2008-1st March 2009 St George's Day is a great time to remember one of our favourite, albeit fictional, heroes with his charismatic combination of the English gentleman and the English rogue. The man who made a Martini look cool, Bond - James Bond - is shaken, not stirred, in this exhibition celebrating the centenary of his creator, Ian Fleming. With his licence to kill and uncanny ability to defeat death, even when he was outnumbered 100-to-one, 007 is the spy who loved me - and the one we love. With the gadgets, wry sense of humour and just a suggestion of a raised eyebrow, Bond could escape situations that Houdini would throw his hands up at. The phenomenal success of Bond - in cinemas since 'Dr No' debuted in 1962 - is evident through the very fact that an institution of the Imperial War Museum's standing has chosen to stage this exhibition. As well as film props - including the "blood-splattered" shirt worn by Daniel Craig in 'Casino Royale' - there's biographical information on Fleming, his wartime experiences and work as a journalist. The inspiration for some of his now legendary characters like M and Goldfinger are traced to his real-life experiences providing a fascinating insight into the author behind one of our best-loved secret agents. Venue: Imperial War Museum Address: Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ Phone: 020 7416 5320 Date: 17th April 2008-1st March 2009 Time: 10am-6pm Daily Pricing: £8 (Adults), £7 (Concs), £4 (Children), £19 (Families). Groups pre-booking essential on 020 7416 5439 or groups@iwm.org.uk Nearest Station: Lambeth North Tube For Your Eyes Only - Information Photo: Getty Images  Looking for a New EnglandBarbican Centre, EC2Y 8DS St George's Day, Wednesday 23rd April 2008 All the recent debate about citizenship tests, oaths to the Queen and whether we have a national identity could have been avoided if they'd just called up Billy Bragg. The punk/folk singer and 'Progressive Patriot' has been exploring Englishness for a quarter of a century, looking at that mixture of smugness, tolerance, self-deprecating irony and sexual dysfunction that is the heart of the English character. In this concert, he's joined by The Enemy's Tom Clarke and a family from the younger generation, teen sibling band Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, for an alternative celebration of St George's Day. Venue: Barbican Centre Address: Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS Phone: 020 7638 8891 Date: St George's Day, Wednesday 23rd April 2008 Time: 7.30pm Pricing: £15, £20, £25 Nearest Station: Barbican Tube Looking for a New England - Information  Modern Painters: The Camden Town GroupTate Britain, SW1P 4RG Until 4th May 2008 They may have been inspired by a couple of little-known artists, van Gogh and Gauguin, but this creative clique painted a very English picture of our beloved capital city - what better way to mark St George's Day? Walter Sickert was at the centre of the Camden Town Group who, in the post-Impressionist years, were recording London life in all its glory - and sometimes in all its gory, with the infamous Camden Town murder grabbing the headlines. Through the works of Sickert and his friends - including Harold Gilman, Frederick Spencer Gore, Robert Bevan and Charles Ginner who are all present here - London around the time of World War I is brought to life. 'Modern Painters' shows the themes the group were fascinated by: life in the city, people, style, sex, and the changing ways of life in the capital during this transitional period. With the Courtauld's exhibition of Sickert's Camden Town nudes just finished we are now treated to seeing those images in the wider context of the Camden Town Group. It's also the first time the Camden Town Group has been exhibited together for over twenty years. Venue: Tate Britain Address: Millbank, SW1P 4RG Phone: 020 7887 8888 Date: Until 4th May 2008 Time: 10am-5.40pm (last admission 5pm) Pricing: £9 (Adults), £7 (Concs) Nearest Station: Pimlico Tube Modern Painters: The Camden Town Group - Information Photo: Charles Ginner - Piccadilly Circus 1912 Tate © The estate of Charles Ginner  Never So GoodNational Theatre: Olivier Theatre, SE1 9PX Until 24th May 2008 There's nothing quite like a bit of juicy history to stir some patriotism and get the flag flying for England. We love the political furore of it all and 'Never So Good' draws us right into the heart of the bygone days of post-war England. Jeremy Irons plays Harold Macmillan the Eton-educated, left-leaning Conservative Prime Minister who, in 1957, informed a Tory rally that 'Most of our people have never had it so good'. This world premiere at the Lyttleton Theatre is, we think, the first ever theatrical biography of a post-war British Prime Minister. Howard Brenton has chosen a suitably meaty life story, set in a fading British Empire and mixing the cruelty of politics with the violence of war. Macmillan was an authentic English eccentric, and if Irons can capture something of his presence, this show will be a cruel reminder of how bland and conformist British politics has become in the twenty-first century. Venue: National Theatre: Lyttleton Theatre Address: South Bank, SE1 9PX Phone: 020 7452 3000 Date: Until 24th May 2008 Time: 7.30pm, Matinees 2pm Pricing: £10-£40 Nearest Station: Waterloo Tube/Rail Never So Good - Information  Punch and JudyYoung Vic, SE1 8NB 19th April 2008-27th April 2008 Come rain or shine, going to the seaside is a traditionally English thing to do and a Punch and Judy show just adds to the nostalgic experience. You'll be pleased to hear that this is no raucous seaside entertainment, or maybe not when you hear about the level of violence in Harrison Birtwistle's first opera. 'Punch and Judy' is the 1968 forerunner of Birtwistle's penchant for taking well-known stories and subverting them; starting out with a context and then tearing it up to reveal something else. There's always been something a little bit wrong about children shrieking with laughter at Punch battering his wife with a stick - and here is Birtwistle's way in, as he exploits the brutal, animalistic instincts inherent in Punch, made all the more sinister because they are buried beneath his clown-like facade. In this ENO and Young Vic co-production the opera strips away our perceptions of the traditional Punch and Judy story as the music drives us deeper and deeper into the reality of a world that spirals into murderous chaos over Punch's obsession with Pretty Polly. The shock factor is high due to the cold-blooded violence on stage but also because the score matches the action with its bold juxtapositions and stark intensity. Not suitable for under 16s. Venue: Young Vic Address: 66 The Cut, SE1 8NB Phone: 020 7922 2922 Date: 19th April 2008 - 27th April 2008 Time: Apr 19th, 21st, 23rd, 25th 8pm, Apr 27th 3pm Pricing: £30, £9.50 (Under 30s) Nearest Station: Waterloo Tube/Rail Punch and Judy - Information Photo: Michele Turriani  Richard Rogers + Architects - From the House to the CityDesign Museum, SE1 2YD 24th April 2008-25th August 2008 In the days of the Empire it was the English Army covering the world's surface in colonies; nowadays we just have an architect who's conquering the world in concrete. The Pompidou Centre, Lloyd's of London, the Millennium Dome, National Assembly for Wales, and Madrid's Barajas Airport, Richard Rogers has put his name to some of the most talked-about landmark buildings worldwide. It's no exaggeration to call him one of the most influential architects of our time. Now, with the high profile opening of Heathrow Terminal 5, is an appropriate time for the Design Museum to honour Rogers with the first major review of his work in London for over twenty years. Having just transferred from the Pompidou Centre, the exhibition uses models, photographs, drawings and films from the past forty years to chart Rogers' career from his early beginnings with Norman Foster at Team 4 to his current 'Work in Progress' projects. On June 25th BBC creative director Alan Yentob interviews Rogers from 7.15pm to 8.30pm. Guests can attend the interview (tickets £20) before viewing the rest of the exhibition. For tickets phone 020 7940 8783 or log onto ticketweb.co.uk. Venue: Design Museum Address: 28 Shad Thames, SE1 2YD Phone: 0870 833 9955 Date: 24th April 2008-25th August 2008 Time: Daily 10am-5.45pm. Last Admission 5.15pm Pricing: £8.50 (Adults), £6.50 (Concs), £5 (Students), Free (Under 12s) Nearest Station: London Bridge Tube/Rail Richard Rogers + Architects - From the House to the City - Information  St George's Day CelebrationsV & A Museum of Childhood, E2 9PA Saturday 26th April 2008 Dragon-slaying stories, learning to maypole dance and a Punch and Judy show; St George's Day at the Museum of Childhood is perfect for keeping the kids entertained. The day's traditions are made relevant for today's youngsters with the Kent Korkers and Pork Scratchins showing how Morris dancing should be done - if your kids are CBBC fans they may have already seen them performing on 'The Mysti Show'. Punch and Judy will be making an appearance thanks to Geoff Felix, as will a jolly green dragon pieced together from recycled materials. A Victorian barrel organ provides the soundtrack to the day's festivities. Venue: V & A Museum of Childhood Address: Cambridge Heath Road, E2 9PA Phone: 020 8983 5200 Date: Saturday 26th April 2008 Time: 11.30am-4pm. Museum 10am-5.45pm Pricing: Free Nearest Station: Bethnal Green Tube St George's Day Celebrations - Information  Weather PermittingMuseum of London, EC2Y 5HN Until 15th June 2008 Ah, the weather - our favourite topic! An English obsession no less. As a nation, we can talk about it for hours. And that was before global warming. This exhibition at the Museum of London takes a look at the way the weather over the city has changed in the last 2,000 years. Floods and fog, fire and ice have all deluged on the capital over the years, noted in the photographs, paintings, clothing and diaries included here. The exhibition is not the usual doom and gloom about the impending environmental meltdown, more peppered with quirky facts and historical anecdotes. Did you know, for example, that the first Frost Fair to take place on a frozen River Thames happened in 1683? Or that it was the Romans who made wearing socks under sandals acceptable? All too often we're caught out by the ever changeable climate - when we're suddenly soaked or when rain stops play. Luckily, 'Weather Permitting' will take place whatever the weather. Venue: Museum of London Address: London Wall, EC2Y 5HN Phone: 0870 444 3852 Date: Until 15th June 2008 Time: Mon to Sat 10am-5.50pm, Sun midday-5.50pm Pricing: Free Nearest Station: Barbican Tube Weather Permitting - Information |
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