Page 62 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast

60  ENGLAND ' S SOUTH C O AST REGION B Y REGION

E Southbank Centre
Belvedere Rd, SE1. Tel 020 7960 4200.
Open 10am–11pm daily. NB: Queen
Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room & Hayward
Gallery are closed for refurbishment
until 2018. 8 7 0 -
∑ southbankcentre.co.uk
P The Shard
Joiner St, SE1. Tel 0844 499 7111.
Open Apr–Oct: 10am–10pm daily;
Nov–Mar: 10am–7pm daily (to 10pm
Thu–Sat). 7 0 - ∑ theview
fromtheshard.com
The iconic London Eye towering over County Hall on the South Bank of the River Thames
s Shakespeare’s
p London Eye collections of modern and Globe
contemporary art. The gallery’s
Jubilee Gardens, South Bank, SE1. 21 New Globe Walk, SE1. Map E3.
Map D4. @ 11, 24, 211. 1 Waterloo, west entrance leads into the Tel 020 7902 1500; 020 7401 9919 (box
Westminster. 4 London Eye Pier. huge central Turbine Hall, which office). 1 Southwark, London Bridge.
Open Apr–Sep: 10am–9:30pm daily houses a newly commis sioned 4 Bankside Pier. Open Performances:
(to 11:30pm on select days); Oct–Mar: installation every year. The late Apr–early Oct. Exhibition: 9am–
10am–8:30pm daily. Closed 2nd & 3rd galleries for the permanent 5:30pm daily. Closed 24 & 25 Dec. &
week in Jan. NB: tickets can only be collection and special exhibitions 8 every 30 mins. 7 for exhibition;
booked online or at the counter (book begin on level 2 and continue limited for perfor man ces. 0 - =
well in advance in summer). & pick to level 4, with a bridge leading ∑ shakespearesglobe.com
up prepaid tickets at County Hall across the Turbine Hall into the
(adjacent to Eye) 30 mins before Switch House. This striking ten- Opened in 1997, this circular
boarding time. 7 - = storey building opened in 2016 building is a reproduction of an
∑ londoneye.com and displays work from 1960 to Elizabethan theatre, close to the
the present, with the basement site of the original Globe where
The London Eye is a 135-m space, formerly occupied by the many of Shakespeare’s plays
(443-ft) observation wheel that power station’s oil tanks, used were first performed. It was built
was installed on the South Bank for live art, film and video. using handmade bricks and oak
to mark the millennium. Its The displays in the permanent laths, fastened with wooden pegs,
enclosed passenger capsules galleries are organized by differ- and has the first thatched roof
offer a 30-minute ride as the ent themes such as “Artist and allowed in London since the
wheel makes a full turn, with Society” and “Materials and Great Fire of 1666. The theatre
breathtaking views over London Objects”. Tate Modern’s best was erected after a heroic
and for up to 42 km (26 miles) known works include Picasso’s campaign by American actor
around. Towering over one Weeping Woman (1937), Henri and director Sam Wanamaker,
of the world’s most familiar Matisse’s paper cut-out The Snail with Mark Rylance appointed as
riverscapes, it has understandably (1953) and Louise Bourgeois’ its first artistic director in 1995.
captured the hearts of Londoners giant spider sculpture Maman Open to the elements (although
and visitors, and is one of the (1999). The top floor of the Switch the seating area is covered), it
city’s most popular attrac tions. House provides stunning views. operates only in the summer.
Trips on the wheel are on the Beneath the theatre, the Globe’s
hour and every half-hour. Environs exhibition covers many aspects
Once a busy commercial centre of Shakespeare’s work. Groups
of wharves and ware houses, the
a Tate Modern South Bank of the Thames is now
filled with a variety of attractions,
Holland St, SE1. Map E3. Tel 020 7887
8888. 1 Blackfriars, Southwark. 4 to all accessible from the Queen’s
Tate Britain (every 40 mins). Open Walk riverside promenade. Some
10am–6pm daily (to 10pm Fri & Sat). of the highlights include the
Closed 24–26 Dec. & for major Southbank Centre, made up
exhibitions. 9 7 0 - = of concert venues and an art
∑ tate.org.uk/modern gallery, and the nearby National
Theatre. Further east at London
Looming over the southern bank Bridge is one of London’s newest
of the Thames, Tate Modern landmarks, The Shard, a 95-storey
occupies the converted Bankside glass skyscraper resembling a
power station, a dynamic space giant spire, with restaurants and The spectacular oak-and-thatch reproduction
for one of the world’s premier an observation deck. of the Globe Theatre
For hotels and restaurants in this region see p174 and pp184–5

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