Romantic Restaurants, Getaway Places in Horton

"The domed glass-and-steel ceiling at the British Museum – the world’s first national museum opened to the public – lets light into the atrium-like Great Court below, bouncing off the blinding-white, sweeping staircases and marble walls. It’s one of the capital’s prettiest spaces, but beyond the impressive lobby, it has sprawling galleries dedicated to the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. Artefacts including the Rosetta Stone, Pantheon Marbles (once a part of the original structure in Athens) and more than 120 mummies draw millions of visitors every year."

"As its name suggests, The National Gallery is a government-sponsored museum that ranks, after The Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the British Museum, as the 4th most visited museum in the world. The National Gallery is particularly known for its encyclopedic art collection, with works from artists including da Vinci, van Gogh, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, Goya, Delacroix, Cézanne, Monet, and Renoir."

"Inside the British Museum, you’ll find Europe’s largest covered public square. Named The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court, it encompasses two-acres and is enclosed by a magnificent glass roof. It looks just as cool swarming with tourists as it does without, so anytime is ideal for snapping shots."

"This includes the V&A, Natural History Museum, The Royal Albert Hall and Hyde Park!. What’s more, all the other London landmarks are just a hop, skip, and jump away. This makes it our top choice for a short summer getaway in London"

"One of the greatest art and design museums in the world, the V&A contains some of the best examples of Renaissance works of art and most precious jewel collections surviving in the world today."

"PRACTICAL INFORMATION: The museum is open Thursdays to Sundays from 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. Admission if free but you must book your preferred time-slot in advance."

"Nearest c2c station: Fenchurch Street change for TFL services. With seven floors of interactive exhibits and even a flight simulator, Knightsbridge’s ever-popular Science Museum remains one of the very best free museums for kids – even the gift shop could be considered among top London attractions, its array of weird and wonderful toys making it near impossible to leave empty handed. The latest gallery, the museum’s biggest and most ambitious to date, is called Information Age: Six Networks That Changed Our World and was opened by the Queen herself – who marked the occasion by sending her first ever tweet."

"With over 3 million visitors each year the Science museum is a firm favourite amongst children and adults. There are seven floors of educational and entertaining exhibits, including the ground floor Exploring Space Gallery with the Apollo 10 command module, rockets, satellites, a piece of moon rock, a 600kg Spacelab X-ray telescope and a full size replica of the Eagle moon lander. Opened in 2000, the Wellcome Wing looks at the future of science, medicine and technology."

"From the future of space travel to asking that difficult question: "who am I?", the Science Museum makes your brain perform Olympic-standard mental gymnastics. See, touch and experience the major scientific advances of the last 300 years; and don't forget the awesome Imax cinema. Some exhibitions require tickets."

"If you only make time to visit a few museums during your London trip, The National Gallery should be at the top of your list. The gallery sits proudly overlooking Trafalgar Square and features an impressive collection with more than 2,300 pieces from the mid 1200s to 1900. It’s certainly one of the best free art museums in London, and a must see."

"The National Gallery is one of the most famous art museums in the world. Constructed in 1937, it attracts more than 4 million tourists yearly. Unlike many other museums, this one is free to enter, so you don't have to worry about paying an admission fee."

"The Markfield Beam Engine and Museum is a Grade II listed building that houses a 100 horsepower beam engine built during the 1880s with the intention to pump sewage from Tottenham towards the Beckton Works. Each engine pump is capable of moving more than two million imperial gallons of water daily. Today, the engine only runs at the museum for guests to enjoy."

"Round the corner from Victoria station you’ll find Rail House Café, nestled within the buzzing Sir Simon Milton Square. The offspring of Fitzrovia’s Riding House Café, this trendy spot is a large and airy space with industrial chic interiors, partly inspired by the concept of a bustling metropolitan station. Brunch options accommodate both health-conscious diners and those after something more indulgent: there’s house muesli and granola, but there’s also buttermilk pancakes with triple-smoked streaky bacon and maple syrup."

"While in the past Victoria hasn’t been much of a foodie destination, these days it’s brimming with great places to eat. This is mainly thanks to the new Nova development at Sir Simon Milton Square, a culinary hub with an array of outdoor restaurants and bars which flood onto the central promenade. One of these is Rail House Cafe, the younger sibling of Fitzrovia’s Riding House Cafe."

"The absence of public brunch in our lives was a veritable struggle, but all is well when we are eating things like buttermilk pancakes on the covered and heated terrace at Rail House Café in Victoria."

"Standing so close to the station, the Euston Tap has blessed many a waiting commuter with some of the world’s best in modern beer. Until recently, the premises was split between the Euston Tap and, on the opposite side of the road, the Cider Tap. But the Cider Tap has been rehashed as the “East Lodge”, bringing to the table an extra 20 draught beer lines, in addition to the West Lodge’s 28."

"Not only is St Helen’s one of the oldest surviving churches in the City of London, but it is also the largest, and contains more monuments than any other church in London (except Westminster Abbey of course). The church was designed with two parallel naves, which is why is it is so much wider than a usual church, and it was actually divided in two at one point, with half serving the nuns and the other half serving the parishioners (it is also the only nunnery still standing in the City of London). Among the more famous parishioners of this church was William Shakespeare who lived nearby in the 1590s."

"St Helen Bishopsgate was formed originally of two medieval churches joined together. On the left is the nave of a Benedictine Nunnery, which, in the early 13th century was built onto the existing parish church. The two congregations were then separated by a solid screen (now columns)."

"St Helen’s Church in Bishopsgate is another survivor of the Great Fire, and indeed the Blitz. However, an IRA bomb blew its roof off. It originally belonged to a nunnery which was dissolved in 1538."

"Speakers Corner in the north-east corner of London’s Hyde Park is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed and encouraged. While Hyde Park isn’t the only speaker’s corner in the world or even London itself, it is the original and is often referred to as the ‘home of free speech‘. Anyone can turn up unannounced to speak on any subject they want, with speakers discussing everything from politics, religion and world conflicts to healthy lifestyle choices and more."

"There are a number of famous landmarks within the park including Serpentine Lake where you can hire a row boat, Speakers’ Corner and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain along with countless statues. Enjoy a coffee or bite to eat from one of the two cafes on the lake or just get lost walking around the miles and miles of pathways."