Today's Featured Blue Plaque Howard Carter, Tutankhamun  


CARTER, Howard (1874-1939 

 Egyptologist and discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun lived here19 Collingham Gardens, South Kensington, SW5 0HL Take a walk down a London Street and see where he lived.

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Howard Carter was born in London, England, the son of Samuel Carter, an artist, and Martha Joyce (Sands) Carter.

In 1891, at the age of 17, a talented young artist, he was sent out to Egypt by the Egypt Exploration Fund to assist Percy Newberry in the excavation and recording of Middle Kingdom tombs at Beni Hasan. Even at that young age he was innovative in improving the methods of copying tomb decoration. In 1892 he worked under the tutelage of Flinders Petrie for one season at Amarna, the capital founded by the pharaoh Akhenaten. From 1894 to 1899 he then worked with Edouard Naville at Deir el Bahri, where he recorded the wall reliefs in the temple of Hatshepsut.

In 1899, Carter was appointed the first chief inspector of the Egyptian Antiquities Service (EAS). He supervised a number of excavations at Thebes (now known as Luxor) before he was transferred in 1904 to the Inspectorate of Lower Egypt. Carter resigned from the Antiquities Service in 1904 as a result of an affray between Egyptian site guards and a group of French tourists, in which he sided with the Egyptian personnel.

London Chinese New Year 2012 Monday 23rd January

The Year 2012 is the 4709th Chinese year. The Chinese believe that the first king of China was the Yellow King (he was not the first emperor of China). The Yellow King became king in 2697 B.C., therefore China will enter the 4709th year on January 23, 2012. Also, the Chinese Year uses the cycle of 60 Stem-Branch counting systems and the Black Water Dragon is the 28th Stem-Branch in the cycle. Since (60 *78) + 29 = 4709, therefore 2012 is the Water Dragon year, which is the 4709th Chinese Year.

Chinese New Year is on Monday, 23 January 2012.

Royal Observatory Greenwich; Planetarium Secret Lives of Stars

This spectacular new show explores the fascinating life history of the stars, from the smallest red dwarf to the largest blue giant.

Using state-of-the art digital simulation, it charts the life of a star from birth through to death and beyond, and looks at what impact this has on the universe around us.

Get stars in your eyes at this month's Lates	Share this
25.1.12   18.45-22.00 An evening dedicated to exploring space. This month, you can explore space without leaving the comfort of the Science Museum.  Can you drive a Mars rover around our course? It's not as easy as it sounds - delayed radio signals to Mars and back can cause you to overshoot or even crash... See if you can top the leader board with the fastest lap. Join us to explore Orion and trace the story of the birth and life of stars. Discover how other worlds meet their end, and how engineers have designed robots to collect asteroids.   If that's not enough, you can also enjoy the usual Lates favourites Silent Disco, Punk Science and Speed Dating. And, as a New Year treat just for Lates, tickets for our Hidden Heroes exhibition will be £3 instead of £6 all night. Click here for more information Join our social media communities See you on Wednesday!   This event is supported by

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Enid Blyton


BLYTON, Enid (1897-1968)


ENID BLYTON 1897-1968 Children's Writer lived here 1920-1924  207 Hook Road, , KT9 1EA. Take a walk down a London Street and see where she lived




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Enid Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was a British children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.

She is noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups. Her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.^[1]

One of Blyton's most widely known characters is Noddy, intended for early years readers. However, her main work is the genre of young readers' novels in which children have their own adventures with minimal adult help. Series of this type include the Famous Five (21 novels, 1942–1963, based on four children and their dog), the Five Find-Outers and Dog, (15 novels, 1943–1961, where five children regularly outwit the local police) as well as The Secret Seven (15 novels, 1949–1963, a society of seven children who solve various mysteries).

Her work involves children's adventure stories, and fantasy, sometimes involving magic. Her books were and still are enormously popular throughout the Commonwealth and in the Republic of Ireland; as translations in Japan and the former Yugoslavia; as adaptations in Arabic; and across most of the globe. Her work has been translated into nearly 90 languages.

Blyton's literary output was of an estimated 800 books over roughly 40 years. Chorion Limited of London now owns and handles the intellectual properties and character brands of Blyton's Noddy and the well known series the Famous Five.

Scott's Last Expedition, Natural History Museum

HRH The Princess Royal opens exhibition

Our latest exhibition, Scott's Last Expedition, was officially declared open last night by HRH The Princess Royal, Patron of the exhibition.

Come and explore

Explore the ground-breaking exhibition for yourself. Look beyond the well-documented journey to the South Pole and the death of the Polar Party to reveal what everyday life was like in the base camp hut, the different tales of human endurance and the remarkable scientific achievements of the expedition.

Real objects used by Scott and his team are reuinted together for the first time with scientific specimens collected on the 1910-1913 expedition. Also, walk around a life-size representation of Scott's base camp hut, which still survives in Antarctica today.

• Book tickets online
• More about the exhibition

Special Scott events

Daytime events

Come along to free daytime events hosted by our fantastic Nature Live team in the Attenborough Studio. Join us to explore the stories behind Scott's scientific specimens, talk to a scientist working in Antarctica today via live video link and enjoy a special talk by Antarctic expert Meredith Hooper.

Evening events

Visit the Museum by night and take part in our series of engaging discussions and lectures. Have your say on issues such as celebrity and heroism and put your questions to Antarctic experts and natural history television producers.

• Book evening event tickets online
• All Scott events

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Bejamin Britten BRITTEN, Benjamin, O.M. (1913-1976)

BENJAMIN BRITTEN O.M. 1913-1976 Composer lived here 1931-1933   173 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, SW5 0SE      
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Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist; and one of the central figures of 20th century British classical music. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to international fame. For the next fifteen years he devoted much of his compositional attention to writing operas, establishing him as one of the leading 20th century figures in this genre. Britten's interests as a composer were wide-ranging; he produced important music in such varied genres as orchestral, choral, solo vocal (much of it written for his life partner, tenor Peter Pears), chamber and instrumental, as well as film music. He also took a great interest in writing music for children and amateur performers, and was an outstanding pianist and conductor.

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
BRUNEL, Isambard Kingdom (1806-1859) & BRUNEL, Sir Marc Isambard (1769-1849)SIR MARC ISAMBARD BRUNEL 1769-1849 and ISAMBARD KINGDOM BRUNEL 1806-1859 civil engineers lived here
98 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, SW10 0DQ take a walk down a London Street on Street View.



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Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859), was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.

Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts", including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, which was at the time (1843) also the largest ship ever built.

Brunel set the standard for a very well built railway, using careful surveys to minimise grades and curves. This necessitated expensive construction techniques and new bridges and viaducts, and the two-mile-long Box Tunnel. One controversial feature was the wide gauge, a "broad gauge" of 7 ft 0 ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm), instead of what was later to be known as 'standard gauge' of 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm). The wider gauge added to passenger comfort but made construction much more expensive and caused difficulties when eventually it had to interconnect with other railways using the narrower gauge. As a result of the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 (and after Brunel's death) the gauge was changed to standard gauge throughout the GWR network.

Doctor Who Experience

Venue: Olympia TwoEvent type: Consumer
Web: bit.ly/doctorwhoticketsDates: 20 February 2011-22 February 2012

Times:

10am-4pm
30 minute time slots

Ticket Hotline: 0844 209 7354
Organiser: BBC

Doctor Who Experience is at Olympia Two and you can get your tickets here.

The Doctor Who Experience is an unmissable adventure featuring an exhilarating and unique walk-through experience and an awe-inspiring exhibition.
Step inside the TARDIS this spring to take a starring role in your very own Doctor Who adventure at the Doctor Who Experience.
You will be invited to step through a crack in time to become the Doctor’s companion on a journey through time and space. Your challenge will be toreunite the Doctor with the TARDIS encountering some of the best-loved and scariest monsters from the hit international television series, before exploring the wonders of Doctor Who at an out-of-this-world exhibition.
The walk through experience is a fully contained interactive Doctor Who adventure, which puts you at the heart of the action, including special scenes filmed with the current Doctor Matt Smith, combined with amazing special effects and the chance to enter a recreation of the modern TARDIS interior, finishing with a breathtaking 3-D finale.

The exhibition at the Doctor Who Experience will chart the success of the show from the first series in 1963 to the most recent episodes starring Matt Smith and Karen Gillan. Displays will include items never seen before including original costumes, Tom Baker’s TARDIS police box and two authentic TARDIS sets from the eras of David Tennant and Peter Davison. You will also be able to get up close and personal with iconic sets from recent series, including the Pandorica Box and Chair as well asconfronting numerous monsters including several generations of the Daleks, Cybermen as well as Silurians an Ice Warrior and a Zygon.

Steven Moffat, Executive Producer and show runner for the hit television series comments: "The Doctor Who Experience is a fans dream come true - a fully interactive adventure that will allow viewers of the show to get as close as possible to some of the scariest monsters from the series. It will also be the first time that Doctor Who artefacts from all the show's 47 year history - classic and new - will be on display together, many of them being seen for the first time. And never mind that, this is the day the Doctor teaches you how to fly the TARDIS through time and space, and takes you into battle with all his deadliest enemies in a brand new adventure. So steady your nerves and bring your own sofa - the Doctor needs you!"
Doctor Who star, Matt Smith, who has recorded a series of special, new scenes exclusive to the Doctor Who Experience comments: ‘The whole concept of the Doctor Who Experience, which will give fans a chance to star in their very own Doctor Who adventure, is massively exciting! I hope as many people as possible enjoy boarding the TARDIS next year to embark upon an exhilarating and sometimes terrifying adventure through time and space‘.

THE DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE WILL BE AN UNMISSABLE ADVENTURE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY TO ENJOY.

THE DOCTOR NEEDS YOUR HELP - ARE YOU BRAVE ENOUGH TO STEP INTO THE TARDIS AND JOIN THE ADVENTURE?

Doctor Who Experience tickets - click here!

What's on Royal Albert Hall Jan 2012

Valentina Lisitsa

Tuesday 19 June

The sensational pianist and YouTube phenomenon is set to make her Hall debut. Her vast repertoire has generated a staggering 30m hits on YouTube, making her one of the most sought-after classical musicians on the web.

Tell me more...

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Monday 18 & Wednesday 20 June

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, one of America's great live bands, play their first UK headline shows in 13 years, just days before headlining the Isle of Wight festival.
Tickets on sale at 9am on Friday 20 January
Tell me more...

Great Classics:
Choral Favourites

Wednesday 14 March
Back by popular demand! An evening of choral delights presented by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Tell me more...

Brit Floyd:
The Pink Floyd Tribute Show

Monday 7 May
The band return with a brand new show, A Foot In The Door, celebrating the amazing musical legacy of Pink Floyd.
Tell me more...

Dionne Warwick & Friends: World Hunger Day

Monday 28 May
Music icon Dionne Warwick returns with a host of special guests in support of World Hunger Day 2012.
Tell me more...

HAHN-BIN

Elgar Room: Sunday 19 February
The virtuoso violinist presents his Till Dawn Sunday show, promising a theatrical, daring and hugely impressive performance.
Tell me more...

Elgar Comedy

Elgar Room: from Thursday 23 February

Our comedy series returns to the Elgar Room with a fantastic line-up of some of the hottest names in stand-up today.

Tell me more...

Boom Boom Club

Elgar Room: Saturday 21 April
The innovative producers of alternative nightlife host a special night of cabaret in the Elgar Room.
Tell me more...

Today's featured Blue Plaque Richard Clement Attlee Prime Minister

ATTLEE, Richard Clement (1883-1976)CLEMENT RICHARD ATTLEE 1883-1967 Prime Minister lived here Take a quick view down a London Street and look where he lived.

17 Monkhams Avenue, , IG8 0HB 

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Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British Labour politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to1951, and as the Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was also the first person to hold the office of Deputy Prime Minister, under Winston Churchill in the wartime coalition government, before leading the Labour Party to a landslide election victory over Churchill's Conservative Party in 1945. He was the first Labour Prime Minister to serve a full Parliamentary term, and the first to command a Labour majority in Parliament.

The Madness Of George III at Apollo Theatre

The Madness of George III is currently on sale 
Wednesday 19th January and is booking until Saturday 31st March 2012.  It is proving to be a popular play and we are adding more stock to our inventory.  41% off -  Was £39.50, NOW £23.50.

David Haig gives the performance of his life as King George III in the West End premiere of Alan Bennett's smash-hit comedy The Madness Of George III.

Originally premiering at the National Theatre in 1991, the play went on to become an international theatrical sensation and was made into an award-winning film. Rarely performed because of its huge cast, this new production took the public and critics by storm when it opened at the Theatre Royal Bath in August 2011 and now transfers to the Apollo Theatre for a strictly limited eleven week season.

In spite of a catalogue of accomplishments - he founded the Royal Academy of Arts, was a passionate advocate of science, literature and music and fathered fifteen children - George III is best remembered today for his bouts of unbridled lunacy. Subjected to the appallingly cruel medical treatment of the day and assailed by power struggles between politicians and his scheming son, George remains throughout an intensely sympathetic character - melancholy, moving, witty...and finally triumphant. 

This epic production features a stellar cast alongside David Haig including Clive Francis, Beatie Edney and Madhav Sharma.

Today's Featured Blue Plaque William Bligh
BLIGH, William (1754-1817)WILLIAM BLIGH 1754-1817 COMMANDER OF THE "BOUNTY" LIVED HERE 100 Lambeth Road, Lambeth, SE1 7PT


Take a quick view down a London Street and look where William Bligh lived


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Vice Admiral William Bligh FRS RN (9 September 1754 – 7 December 1817) was an officer of the British Royal Navy and a colonial administrator. A notorious mutiny occurred during his command of HMAVBounty in 1789; Bligh and his loyal men made a remarkable voyage to Timor, after being set adrift in the Bounty's launch by the mutineers. Fifteen years after the Bounty mutiny, he was appointed Governor of New South Wales in Australia, with orders to clean up the corrupt rum trade of the New South Wales Corps, resulting in the so-called Rum Rebellion.




About Blue Plaques

Trafalgar Sq and Leicester Sq 1955 - A Short Film

Old London, Trafalgar and Leicester squares 1955
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Piccadilly Circus 1967 - A short Film

Piccadilly Circus June 1967 Link