The coats are on, the leaves have fallen, the days are short and it is bloody cold. Yes, Jack Frost has drawn the curtains on summer, turning off the lights early and he is not letting us out to play. It's easy to abide by the enforced curfew, to befriend the couch and reacquaint yourself with the avalanche of slightly less than entertaining television that graces our screens. But I urge readers to stick it to the man, to get out there and make the most of what London has to offer whilst under Jack's fascist, frosty rule.
The beauty of summer is the endless lists of things to do that don't cost a penny, because frankly, when the sun is shining, everything is good fun. Winter proves more of a challenge, as it can be hard to give Jack the slip, battling the wind and cold, and more often than not you will end up at the first pub you pass by. On the other hand, the beauty of winter in London is the there are plenty of events going on that give you a pretext to get out of the cold, and surprisingly, you can do most of it for next to nothing.
Winter is a great time for visiting London's world renowned galleries and museums, most of which have free entry. If museums and galleries aren't your thing, there are also plenty of free and cheap live music venues, films and markets to warm to this winter.
You don't need winter as an excuse to visit The British Museum (WC1) but if you've never paid a visit to the world's oldest museum(founded in 1753), now's a good time to do so. It's packed with the history of ancient cultures the world over and features the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles, which recently made it into The Guardian's top 20 works of art to see before you die.
If you're into your history The Imperial War Museum (SE1) provides a detailed insight into the wars of the 20th century, with a huge collection of war-time photographs, documents, artefacts, posters and film. The National Maritime Museum (SE10) in Greenwich is also worth a visit, illustrating our relationship with the Deep Blue and reminding us of past imperial explorations. Greenwich is also stocked with welcoming pubs once you've worked up a virtuous glow in the Observatory.
For something a little different, The Victoria and Albert Museum (SW7) is quite possibly the largest collection of applied art in the world and features some very interesting exhibitions. Throughout January the Madjeski Gardens have been transformed by luminous crystalline columns for a huge installation, Volume, a collaboration between design collective United Visual Artists (UVA) and Robert Del Naja (aka 3D) of Massive Attack. It's a wonderful winter scene set to some crisp beats.
Also currently on at the V&A is the Swinging 60's exhibition, which explores the fashion of the era and London's role in bringing the flower power phenomenon to the world stage. The display brings together items from the V&A and other museum's collections and shows them alongside previously unseen garments from the likes of Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne.
A cold rainy day is a great time to be wandering around a cosy exhibition, or sliding through the main hall of a gallery for that. The Tate Modern (SE1) has had its Turbine Hall transformed by Carsten Höller, who has taken one of our favourite child hood staples, the slide, and explored perception and human experience by creating a working sculpture. You can spend days exploring the Tate Modern, which showcases international modern art, and best of all it is all free; but be sure to get there early if you want slide through Höller's Test Site.
Nothing beats the winter blues better than, well, the blues, and The Spitz Venue (E1) is not only a great live jazz venue but also boasts a bistro and bar that plays hosts to free live music on Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights. Overlooking Spitalfields markets, the Spitz Venue is a great place for a drink but the culinary delights on offer in the bistro are hard to pass up.
If Jack Frost had his way you'd be watching a DVD on the couch on a Friday night, but I digress, don't give in to Jack's suppressing ways and get out to watch a film instead. The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Place (WC2) has been bringing great value cinema to London since 1991 and shows a variety of films to please the most discerning cinema goer. Friday nights are Feel Good Fridays at the moment, offering tickets, beer, popcorn and soft drinks all for £1 a pop. Now that is serious value.
Getting out and about in London in the winter is just as exciting as the summer. Hard though it may be some days to leave the comfort of your lounge room, you'll be pleasantly surprised on what's on offer for free or next to nothing. So this weekend, don't be a victim of winter and get out there in protest against Jack Frost.
First published January 4 2007
The beauty of summer is the endless lists of things to do that don't cost a penny, because frankly, when the sun is shining, everything is good fun. Winter proves more of a challenge, as it can be hard to give Jack the slip, battling the wind and cold, and more often than not you will end up at the first pub you pass by. On the other hand, the beauty of winter in London is the there are plenty of events going on that give you a pretext to get out of the cold, and surprisingly, you can do most of it for next to nothing.
Winter is a great time for visiting London's world renowned galleries and museums, most of which have free entry. If museums and galleries aren't your thing, there are also plenty of free and cheap live music venues, films and markets to warm to this winter.
You don't need winter as an excuse to visit The British Museum (WC1) but if you've never paid a visit to the world's oldest museum(founded in 1753), now's a good time to do so. It's packed with the history of ancient cultures the world over and features the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles, which recently made it into The Guardian's top 20 works of art to see before you die.
If you're into your history The Imperial War Museum (SE1) provides a detailed insight into the wars of the 20th century, with a huge collection of war-time photographs, documents, artefacts, posters and film. The National Maritime Museum (SE10) in Greenwich is also worth a visit, illustrating our relationship with the Deep Blue and reminding us of past imperial explorations. Greenwich is also stocked with welcoming pubs once you've worked up a virtuous glow in the Observatory.
For something a little different, The Victoria and Albert Museum (SW7) is quite possibly the largest collection of applied art in the world and features some very interesting exhibitions. Throughout January the Madjeski Gardens have been transformed by luminous crystalline columns for a huge installation, Volume, a collaboration between design collective United Visual Artists (UVA) and Robert Del Naja (aka 3D) of Massive Attack. It's a wonderful winter scene set to some crisp beats.
Also currently on at the V&A is the Swinging 60's exhibition, which explores the fashion of the era and London's role in bringing the flower power phenomenon to the world stage. The display brings together items from the V&A and other museum's collections and shows them alongside previously unseen garments from the likes of Mary Quant, Pierre Cardin and Paco Rabanne.
A cold rainy day is a great time to be wandering around a cosy exhibition, or sliding through the main hall of a gallery for that. The Tate Modern (SE1) has had its Turbine Hall transformed by Carsten Höller, who has taken one of our favourite child hood staples, the slide, and explored perception and human experience by creating a working sculpture. You can spend days exploring the Tate Modern, which showcases international modern art, and best of all it is all free; but be sure to get there early if you want slide through Höller's Test Site.
Nothing beats the winter blues better than, well, the blues, and The Spitz Venue (E1) is not only a great live jazz venue but also boasts a bistro and bar that plays hosts to free live music on Monday, Tuesday and Friday nights. Overlooking Spitalfields markets, the Spitz Venue is a great place for a drink but the culinary delights on offer in the bistro are hard to pass up.
If Jack Frost had his way you'd be watching a DVD on the couch on a Friday night, but I digress, don't give in to Jack's suppressing ways and get out to watch a film instead. The Prince Charles Cinema in Leicester Place (WC2) has been bringing great value cinema to London since 1991 and shows a variety of films to please the most discerning cinema goer. Friday nights are Feel Good Fridays at the moment, offering tickets, beer, popcorn and soft drinks all for £1 a pop. Now that is serious value.
Getting out and about in London in the winter is just as exciting as the summer. Hard though it may be some days to leave the comfort of your lounge room, you'll be pleasantly surprised on what's on offer for free or next to nothing. So this weekend, don't be a victim of winter and get out there in protest against Jack Frost.
First published January 4 2007
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