London - Inner Specialty Attractions
• A WorldWeb.com Travel Guide to Specialty Attractions in London - Inner, England.
Abbey Road Studios is the famous recording facility where The Beatles put the majority of their records together. The studios are not open to the public, but it can be possible to catch glimpses of the artists inside through the windows and visitors can take their photograph on the iconic pedestrian crossing that featured on the cover of the Liverpudlian quartet's Abbey Road album.
A range of Britain's top news, comedy and dramatic television shows for networks like BBC and ITV are filmed at London Studios. The complex is located on the south bank and is available for private hire. Lucky visitors can get tickets to watch various shows being filmed.
The Garden Tower, known as Bloody Tower, was added during the reign of King Henry III (1207-1272) as a gateway into the Tower grounds. It’s image was forever tarnished in 1483, with the imprisonment of thirteen year old King Edward V and his brother Richard. It is believed the boys were murdered and buried near White Tower, but the perpetrator is the subject of controversy. Sir Walter Raleigh also spent many years imprisoned in the Tower.
Offering a spectacular view at 450 feet above the River Thames, The British Airways London Eye is one of the world's most unique attractions - you can see as far as Windsor Castle and the Heathrow Airport on a clear day. It also offers a fine view of many of London's famous landmarks both during the day and at night. Rides on The London Eye last approximately 30 minutes and it operates daily (except Christmas). Be sure to book your ride well in advance.
Tower Green, located inside the Tower of London, was the site of few executions, but all of them were noteworthy. The actual location, in front of the Church of St. Peter ad Vincula, is marked with a plaque commemorating those executed within the walls of the Tower, an honour reserved for royalty. Among those taken to Tower Green are Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two wives of Henry VII, and Lady Jane Grey, great-granddaughter of Henry VII.
The Crown Jewels worn during the coronation of the new monarch are widely considered to be the most valuable collection in the world. Currently held in the Tower of London, the Jewels consist of a collection of crowns, swords, sceptres and an orb from various periods of England’s long history, all encrusted with rare and precious stones, including the infamous Koh-i-Noor diamond and the Cullinan I, the largest cut diamond in the world.
Tower Hill, found just outside the walls of the Tower of London, is famous for two reasons. First, it was used as the site for the public executions of many held within the tower, including Thomas More in 1535. And second, it is the site of one of the oldest settlements in the area, dating to the Bronze Age. This is also the center of the Roman village burnt to the ground by Queen Boudica in the first century A.D.
The nerve centre of the British Broacasting Corporation's TV operation. Award winning tours of the facility take visitors into newsrooms, huge television studios and the star's dressing rooms.
The Royal Hospital was created as a residential home for retired or permanently wounded servicemen from the British forces. It still operates as such today, but tours of the grounds and building are possible and conducted by the residents, affectionatly known as Chelsea Pensioners, in their famously smart scarlet uniforms.
Completed in 1958, County Hall was the previous home of London's governing bodies before they were moved to the current City Hall, located further east on the south bank. County Hall is now an arts and entertainment complex that houses Dali Universe, London Aquarium, Namco Station and more.
