Harry Potter Three Tiered Bus Spotted in London!!

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London provides an amazing new opportunity to explore the magic of the Harry Potter™ films – the most successful film series of all time. This unique walking tour takes you behind-the-scenes and showcases a huge array of beautiful sets, costumes and props. It also reveals some closely guarded secrets, including facts about the special effects and animatronics that made these films so hugely popular all over the world.

Book Tour

Museum of London-Pleasure Garden Ball

Pleasure garden ball

Tue 14 Feb, 6.45-9.45pmEnjoy a night of dancing, drinking and decadence at the Museum of London as we recreate Georgian London's quintessential pastime – the pleasure garden. Learn to dance with an 18th century girl band, watch risqué poetry and theatrical performances, discover dandy fashion, then design and wear your own alluring masquerade mask. > Find out more and buy tickets

Today'e featured Blue Plaque Sir Winston Churchill


CHURCHILL, Sir Winston, K.G. (1874-1965)SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, K.G. 1874-1965 Prime Minister lived and died here28 Hyde Park Gate, Kensington, SW7 5DJ


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Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS, Hon. RA (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British Conservative politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during World War II. Widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century, he served as Prime Minister twice (1940–45 and 1951–55). A noted statesman and orator, Churchill was also an officer in the British Army, a historian, a writer, and an artist. He is the only British prime minister to have received the Nobel Prize in Literature, and was the first person to be made an Honorary Citizen of the United States.

Churchill was born into the aristocratic family of the Dukes of Marlborough. His father, Lord Randolph Churchill, was a charismatic politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer; his mother, Jenny Jerome, an American socialite. As a young army officer, he saw action in British India, the Sudan, and the Second Boer War. He gained fame as a war correspondent and wrote books about his campaigns.

The Regent Palace Hotel Today

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Dame Agatha Christie 
CHRISTIE, Dame Agatha (1890-1976)




DAME AGATHA CHRISTIE 1890-1976 Detective novelist and playwright lived here 1934-1941 58 Sheffield Terrace, Holland Park, W8 7NA



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Dame Agatha Christie DBE (15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was a British crime writer of novels, short stories, and plays. She also wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott, but she is best remembered for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections (especially those featuring Hercule Poirot or Miss Jane Marple), and her successful West End plays.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly four billion copies, and her estate claims that her works rank third, after those ofWilliam Shakespeare and the Bible, as the most widely published books.^[1] According to Index Translationum, Christie is the most translated individual author, with only the collective corporate works of Walt Disney Productions surpassing her.^[2] Her books have been translated into at least 103 languages.^[

Golden spider silk on display at UK’s V&A Museum

Reference Only - Past Event

Detail of embroidered cape made of spider silk, made by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley, 2011

Room 17a

Free admission

This display will showcase the world’s largest pieces of cloth made from spider silk. It will include a brocaded shawl made from the silk of more than one million female golden orb-weaver spiders collected in the highlands of Madagascar, as well as a cape on public display for the first time. The display will also feature background material and a short film revealing the process.

Today's Featured Blue Plaque Beau Brummell leader of Fashion
BRUMMELL, Beau (1778-1840)

BEAU BRUMMELL 1778-1840 Leader of Fashion lived here 
4 Chesterfield Street, Mayfair, W1J 6JF


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Beau Brummell, born as George Bryan Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840 (aged 61)), was the arbiter of men's fashion in Regency England and a friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV. He established the mode of men wearing understated, but fitted, tailored clothes including dark suits and full-length trousers, adorned with an elaborately knotted cravat.^[1]

Beau Brummell is credited with introducing and establishing as fashion the modern man's suit, worn with a tie.^[2] He claimed he took five hours to dress, and recommended that boots be polished with champagne. His style of dress is often referred to as dandyism.

Tapas and wine Domingo's Restaurant	£ 19
value: discount: £62.15 69% £19 for exquisite tapas for two at Domingo’s Restaurant worth up to £62.15 - save up to 69% on six dishes and a bottle of house wine in Ealing

Events at the Grant Museum of Zoology

HUMANIMALS SEASON Date: 18 January - 20th March | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology | The influence animals and humans have on each other is enormous. This Season at the Grant Museum of Zoology we will be exploring the interactions between animals and humans. Through classic film nights, lectures, discussions and hands-on workshops we will investigate human concepts in the animal world, and animals venturing into the human world. We’ve got a lot to learn from the cross-over. Scroll down for the full programme.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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HUMANIMALS FAMILY ACTIVITY DAY Date: 28 January | Time: 11:30am-4pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages | How much of an animal are you? Through our hands-on specimen-based activities we will be investigating how humans and animals are linked. Come and build a skeleton from real bones and see just how similar we are? Discover how we have benefited from animals and how we threaten to destroy them. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  0203 108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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ART BY ANIMALS Date: 1 February-9 March | Time: Mon-Fri 1-5pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE | Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: All | Do animals make art? This exhibition includes paintings by apes and elephants and examines whether they are artistic works or just pointless lines on a page. Placing their handiwork alongside animal specimens and historical documentation we explore why some animal creations are considered valuable and creative, while others are dismissed as meaningless. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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GET A GRIP: A HANDS-ON HISTORY OF HANDS Date: 2 February | Time: 6.30pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free, but booking is essential at Eventbrite | Age group: Adults | Join Grant Museum zoologists Jack Ashby and Mark Carnall as they unravel the story of the hand, paw, hoof, fin and flipper. The evolution of hands has been argued to have kick-started the development of humans. In a light-hearted exploration of the history of the things at the ends of arms, the Museum’s amazing specimens will be used to explain the incredible role they have played in the evolution of life today. Following the workshop a free glass of wine will be served. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. The event is free but booking in advance at eventbrite is essential:http://historyofhands.eventbrite.com/  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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NATURE’S BEST INVENTIONS – HALF TERM ACTIVITIES Date: 13–17 February | Time: Drop in 1-5pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE | Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages | Get your hands on some of the Museum’s most amazing specimens as we investigate the incredible structures that animals have evolved. Just as buildings are designed with every column and beam in the right place, a vast number of odd animal adaptations have evolved to fulfill a specific purpose. Discover trident-shaped teeth, hammer-shaped heads and needle-shaped gnashers. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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ANIMAL MAGNETISM – VALENTINE’S DAY AT THE GRANT MUSEUM Date: 14 February | Time: Drop-in 5.30-8pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE | Price: £4 payable on the door. Includes a glass of wine or a soft drink | Age group: Adult | Whether you’re looking for love or heading out to a romantic dinner, join us for a glass of wine and discover how seduction is done in the animal world. Come and find just how big a heart can get, which animals play a role in romantic human superstitions and see how far creatures will go to get the girl in this one night only exhibition. A special evening drinks reception with unusual specimen labels for this amorous occasion. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. There is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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STRANGE CREATURES: UCL ART MUSEUM POPS-UP AT THE GRANT Date: 23 February | Time: Drop in 1-2pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: All | Huge volumes of art have been produced with representations of animals, but not all are particularly accurate. Historically, artists may have never seen the creature they depicted and mythological and religious themes allow for the creation of some truly strange creatures. Take this chance to see these intriguing works and more contemporary creations from UCL Art Museum amongst the strange, but real, creatures in the Grant Museum. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. This event is running alongside the Art by Animals exhibition – you can see creations by animals as well as depictions of animals by humans. This event is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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SCIENCE FICTION; SCIENCE FUTURE: A CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT’S AROUND THE CORNER Date: 1 March | Time: 6pm | Location: JZ Young Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT | Price: Free - there is no need to book | Age group: Adults | Everyone worries about the future. What’s going to happen? What can we do about it? In his Rough Guide to the Future, Jon Turney explores past, present, and future approaches to the “what’s next?” His guide was short-listed for the 2011 Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books. Join us for an evening of conversation with the author and an expert panel of science historians and scientists who also study future-ology. Bring along your ideas about how we might best think about the future. Following the event join us for a free glass of wine in a private view of the Museum.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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MICE PEOPLE: CULTURES OF SCIENCE Date: 7 March | Time: 6.30pm | Location: JZ Young Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT | Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Adults | Join Dr Gail Davies (UCL Geography) as she explores the world inhabited by animal researchers with former geneticist Dr Steve Cross (Head of Public Engagement, UCL). What cultures have developed around scientists who work with laboratory mice? In this candid discussion discover how Davies’ ethnographic approach to the practice of modern science has uncovered some intriguing findings about the humans involved. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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FOSSIL FORAGE: NATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING WEEK ACTIVITIES Date: 10 March | Time: 11am-4pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages | Take this chance to visit the Grant Museum on the weekend with an amazing opportunity to sieve through our genuine fossil-rich sediment from a time when London was patrolled by sharks and rays. Find a 50 million year old shark's tooth and take it home! Come to the Grant Museum of Zoology and see what you can find in a day of free hands-on activities for the whole family. Explore the amazing fossils from prehistoric creatures with our interactive specimen-based games. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3106 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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BURIED ON CAMPUS Date: 19 March–13 July | Time: 1-5pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: All | A huge mass of human bones was discovered in UCL during construction work in 2010. This installation displays the investigations undertaken to discover what they are and why they were buried. Remains of at least 84 individual people and many animals have been identified. Uncover where they came from and what we can learn from them in this unusual exhibition co-curated by UCL forensic anatomists and osteologists. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953) ON THE BIG SCREEN Date: 20 March | Time: 6.30pm | Location: JZ Young Theatre, Anatomy Building, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT | Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Adults | This dinosaur classic follows a terrifying beast accidentally resurrected following nuclear testing as it rampages through America. It is said to be one of the inspirations for Godzilla. The trailers ask “Are we delving into mysteries we weren't meant to know?", “Who know what waits for us in nature's no-man's land?" Any fan of dinosaurs, films, 1950s melodrama and monsters rising from the ocean can’t afford to miss this legendary masterpiece. Film buff and science historian Dr Joe Cain (UCL Science and Technology Studies) will introduce the film. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3108 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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EASTER EGG-LAYING ANIMALS Date: 2-4 April | Time: Drop in 1-5pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages | For the Easter holidays the Grant Museum is exploring the wonderful world of eggy animals. From penguins to platypuses, sharks to snails and bullfrogs to butterflies, our fantastic specimen-based activities will investigate the best shells and spawn. Come and unscramble our games and whip up some eggcitement with our amazing animal specimens. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3106 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk

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EASTER EGG-LAYING ANIMALS Date: 12-13 April | Time: Drop in 1-5pm | Location: Grant Museum of Zoology, Rockefeller Building, University College London, University Street, WC1E 6DE |Price: Free. There is no need to book | Age group: Family activities, but the Museum is suitable for all ages | For the Easter holidays the Grant Museum is exploring the wonderful world of eggy animals. From penguins to platypuses, sharks to snails and bullfrogs to butterflies, our fantastic specimen-based activities will investigate the best shells and spawn. Come and unscramble our games and whip up some eggcitement with our amazing animal specimens. Part of the Humanimals Season at the Grant Museum. Admission is free and there is no need to book.  020 3106 2052 |  zoology.museum@ucl.ac.uk