quirky london

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in just a few days, we’ll hit our six month mark of living in london! crazy – a whole half year. it seems that both of us come to love the city more and more every day, and i have a feeling that will keep happening for years to come because there is so, so much to explore and appreciate!

we have become pretty well versed on different neighborhoods and have visited all the major sites (many multiple times), so now i feel it’s time to start delving into more of quirky, off-the-beaten-track london.

yesterday i met my friend julia at the sir john soane museum at lincoln’s inn fields. it’s the most eccentric, delightful spot, a stuffed-full cabinet of curiousities. sir john was an architect in the late 1700s/early 1800s who designed some of the most important and recognizable buildings in london and was completely engrossed in his craft. he deconstructed and rebuilt his home in lincoln’s inn fields to include narrow passageways, a crypt, domed ceilings, hundreds of mirrors and tens of thousands of pieces of art from all over the world, eventually having to buy the property next door to contain all his treasures. before he died, he passed an act of parliament to preserve his house as a musuem.

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julia and i were totally capitvated by the story, creations and collections of sir john. the museum is such a peculiar and wonderful spot in london! and i am excited to discover more and more quirky spots like this in our next six months as londoners!
{photography wasn’t allowed inside the museum – all these photos are lifted from a google image search so i could share!}

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^^ a neat drawing that shows the different parts of the houses, stuffed with beautiful and extraordinary things ^^
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^^ a stunning sitting room and breakfast room. there are literally hundreds of those curved circular mirrors throughout the house. ^^
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^^ sir john’s wife (whom he loved really, really dearly) used this lovely yellow drawing room to entertain. ^^
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^^ a sketch from the early 1800s and a current photograph! pretty cool. ^^
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^^ the walls of this room of art (apparently sir john was besties with the painter jmw turner!) open up to reveal layers of paintings and, further back, peeks into lower rooms. ^^
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^^ the coolest thing we learned was this: the tomb that sir john designed for himself and his wife was the inspiration for london’s iconic red telephone boxes! ^^
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^^ magical winding staircases and the most interesting artifact in soane’s collection, in my opinion: a 3,000 year old egyptian sarcophagus, engraved with astonishingly small and detailed hieroglyphics. ^^

i’ve been perusing lists like this one to plan out my next quirky london discoveries. i love this city!

Comments

  1. If you're looking for more ideas, I highly recommend the book Tired of London, Tired of Life (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tired-London-Life-One-Thing/dp/0753540320) for unusual and seasonally appropriate London activities! It was my favourite while I was living in London and also great to have on hand for visitors who've already ticked off the main sights.

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    1. thanks for the tip!! i've seen that book around!

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  2. that list looks so fun. let's do each one when i come visit.

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  3. It's very hard to comment from the crazy cruise Internet but just want you to know that I love these posts! And I love that you made it to Hogwarts AND I love you!

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