Page 230 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - London

228  L ONDON AREA B Y AREA

1 Madame The Chamber of Horrors
Tussauds features gruesome episodes in
the grim catalogue of crime
Marylebone Rd NW1. Map 4 D5. Tel and punishment: here visitors
0871 894 3000. 1 Baker St. Open can recoil at the murderer Dr
9:30am–5:30pm Mon–Fri, 9am–6pm Crippen, and experience the
Sat & Sun (extended hours during chilly gloom of an east London
peak holiday periods). Closed 25 Dec.
& - = 7 phone first. street during Jack the Ripper’s
∑ madametussauds.com time in the late 19th century.
In the “Spirit of London”
Madame Tussaud began her section visitors travel in stylized
wax­modelling career rather London taxi­cabs and
morbidly, making death masks of participate in
many of the best­known victims Traditional wax-modelling at Madame momentous
of the French Revolution. In 1835 Tussauds events of the city,
she set up an exhibition of her from the Great
work in Baker Street, not far from and film characters such as Fire of 1666 to
the collection’s present site. Marilyn Monroe and ET; and 1960s Swinging
The attraction still uses tradi­ “World Leaders”, including London.
tional wax­modelling techniques Donald Trump, Boris Johnson Ticket prices
to recreate politicians, royals, and Nelson Mandela. are fairly steep,
actors, rock stars and sporting The “Culture” area has the likes but cheaper if
heroes, the displays changing of Shakespeare and Picasso, and you buy online in
fairly regularly to keep up with the “Music Zone” includes advance. Opting
who’s in and who’s out in the Madonna, Rihanna and Lady for timed tickets
world of modern celebrity. Gaga. There are also sections can help reduce
The exhibition features “A­List dedicated to franchises such queuing times.
Party”, where visitors can as Marvel and Star Wars, with
“attend” a celebrity bash; “Film”, detailed walk­in sets and a 4D Wax figure of
devoted to Hollywood legends Marvel film experience. Elizabeth II

can also enjoy a full programme
of outdoor theatre, including
Shakespeare, musicals and
children’s plays, at the Open Air
Theatre nearby.
Nash’s master plan for the park
continues just beyond its north­
eastern edge in Park Village East
and West. These elegant stucco
buildings date from 1828.
The park is also renowned for
its excellent sports facilities.
3 St Marylebone
Parish Church
Tulip time at Queen Mary’s Gardens in Regent’s Park
Marylebone Rd NW1. Map 4 D5.
2 Regent’s Park styles, and a pleasure palace for Tel 020 7935 7315. 1 Regent’s Park.
Open 9am–5pm daily. 7 5 8:30 &
the Prince Regent. In the event
NW1. Map 3 C2. Tel 0300 061 2300. 11am Sun. - ∑ stmarylebone.org
1 Regent’s Park, Baker St, Great only eight villas – but no palace
Portland St. Open 5am–dusk daily. 7 – were built inside the park This is where the poets Robert
- Open air theatre See Enter tainment (three survive round the edge Browning and Elizabeth Barrett
pp340–41. Zoo see p231. Sports of the Inner Circle). were married in 1846 after
facilities. ∑ royalparks.org.uk The boating lake, which has eloping from her strict family
many varieties of water birds, home on nearby Wimpole
This area of land became is marvellously romantic, Street. The large, stately church
enclosed as a park in 1812. John especially when music drifts by Thomas Hardwick was
Nash designed the scheme and across from the bandstand. built in 1817 after the former
originally envisaged a kind of Queen Mary’s Gardens are a church, where Lord Byron
garden suburb, dotted with mass of wonderful sights and was christened in 1778, had
56 villas in a variety of Classical smells in summer, when visitors become too small. Hardwick

228-229_EW_London.indd 228 21/03/17 2:21 pm