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grandplazakensington · 2 years

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6 Palaces and Castles in London Open to the Public

London is well known for its rattling and beautiful places, including castles, museums, and many historical sites that add a beautiful travel history to your Baedeker. Some of the places you might have to visit if you’re staying in Park grand London hotel to make your trip worth remembering. Our goal is to promote tourism and make the fundamental foundation of your entire “London Experience.” You would have substantial places underneath this passage, which you must explore.

You can also read: Find Your Zen at Holland Park’s Kyoto Garden

1. BUCKINGHAM PALACE

The world recognizes Buckingham Palace as The Queen’s residence, the center of governmental and royal ceremonies, and the setting for the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony. The Palace is easily accessible from one of the budget hotels in Kensington High Street.

THINGS TO DO: Discover the stunning State Rooms, accessible to guests for ten weeks each summer.

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH: Hyde Park Corner, Green Park, and St James’s Park

2. KENSINGTON PALACE

As well just like a famous guest objective, Kensington Castle is the authority London home of TRH, The Sovereign and Princess of Grains, and their youngsters. Kensington Palace is the official residence of The Prince of Wales. There is more chances to see the royalty if you visit this Royal Palace in close vicinity to Park City Grand Plaza Kensington located in central London. Isn’t it fancy?

THINGS TO DO: most part of the palace is available for tourists, and even you can visit the Kensington Garden as well

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH: High Street Kensington, Noting Hill Gate, and Queensway

3. TOWER OF LONDON

The Tower of London, sometimes known as the Tower, is a famous landmark in London. Its structures and grounds have formerly functioned as a royalty, a menagerie, political imprisonment, an execution site, an arsenal, a royal mint, and a public records office.

THINGS TO DO:Our responsibility is to guide tours for the Tower for about two million to three million annual visitors of London tower. You can also buy online tickets from our grand park accommodation to avoid unusual queueing.

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH: Tower Hill

4. KEW PALACE

On the banks of the River Thames, the British royal palace known as Kew Palace, among the Kew Gardens grounds. There are only a few pieces left of the original enormous complex. The prominent survivor is referred to as the Dutch House and dates to 1631, despite being built on top of an earlier structure’s undercroft.

THINGS TO DO: botanical gardens and swings must be experienced

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH:Kew Bridge, Kew Gardens, and Richmond

5. HAMPTON COURT PALACE:

Hampton Court Castle is a Grade I recorded regal royal residence in the London Ward of Richmond upon Thames

THINGS TO DO:Base Court, lavish State Rooms and Apartments, and many more areas of the palace

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH: Hampton court

6. WINDSOR CASTLE

The oldest and biggest inhabited castle in the world is Windsor Castle. Visitors are warmly welcomed throughout the year

THINGS TO DO: you can tour the royal apartment and royal collections

WAYS AND NEAREST TUBE TO REACH:Windsor Eton & Central

CONCLUSION

Cultures, the companies that support them, and the products they produce are all made into commodities thanks to tourism. The cessation of this blog is to promote the momentous places and castles of London, which are near the grand park hotel, and their guests must explore those places

#buckingham palace #london #windsor #kensington palace

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richmonduponthamesnotables · 3 years

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SIR RALPH MOOR (1860-1909).British Colonial Administrator,who served as the first High Commissioner of the British Protectorate of Southern Nigeria,in what is now the coastal area of modern Nigeria,Africa (1900-1903). . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Moor

LIVED & DIED AT: The Homestead,113 Church Road,Barnes SW13 9HL

Residence: 1903? TO 1909/ He committed suicide here in 1909.

Plaque.?: NO

#Sir ralph Moor #British Colonial Administrators #Colonialist Richmond #The Homestead Barnes #Barnes Richmond Upon Thames #Barnes #Famous Residents of Richmond upon Thames #sw13 #church road records

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sightseeingsupermarket · 3 years

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Three of the most fascinating historical places to visit in London - Tower of London, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace.

Tower of London is one of the world’s oldest and most famous prisons is a fascinating complex of towers and structures, and home to the Crown Jewels of England.

Kensington Palace is a royal residence of the British Royal Family, famous for the largest and longest of the state apartments.

Hampton Court Palace one of two remaining Tudor Palaces is a royal palace located in Richmond upon Thames.

If history and royalty fascinate you, then visit the Tower of London, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court Palace in one pass. Book your tickets for Three Palace Royal Pass in advance now https://bit.ly/3bzYEYq.

#sightseeingsupermarket #london #toweroflondon #kensingtonpalace #hamptoncourtpalace #travel #attraction #londonattractions #crownjewels #England #uk

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siennadews · 4 years

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Avenue south residence

Although being one of the largest and most populous urban spaces in the world, London's sprawl is renowned for being punctuated by plentiful green spaces; some famous, others less so. These green spaces act as the city's lung, literally improving the environmental healthy of the city but also providing somewhere for its residents and visitors to relax, play sport and generally escape the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Whilst there are many green squares and council parks in the center of London, not to mention expanses of protected common land slightly further out, a significant proportion of this green space is locked up in what are known as the Royal Parks; parks owned by the Crown as royal hunting parks or simply as gardens for their royal palaces. These days they are protected spaces open to the public by Crown decree and managed by the Royal Parks Agency.

There are eight Royal Parks in total within London and the following tetralogy of articles provide an introduction to them all. Starting in the West and heading East

Bushy Park

Location: In the borough of Richmond in the south west of London. The park sits behind the former royal residence of Hampton Court in a bend of the River Thames, bordered to the north by Teddington Character: The second largest of the Royal Parks at 1,100 acres, it consists of a mix of formal landscaping, woodland, Avenue south residence grassland, streams and ponds, with the Water Gardens and grand Chestnut Avenue forming significant features. It is also dotted with sports pitches providing the homes of four local cricket clubs, a hockey club and a rugby club, as well as allotments and playgrounds. Attractions: Perhaps the most famous feature in the Bushy Park is the Diana Fountain at the southern end of Chestnut Avenue named with an imposing golden statue of a figure thought actually to represent Arethusa, a Greek nymph. The park is still home to plenty of wildlife including herds of red and fallow deer. History: Originally created as a deer park by Henry VIII when he took control of Hampton Court as his royal residence, the park has subsequently evolved under successive monarchs. For example Charles I added the Longford River Canal, whilst Chestnut Avenue and the Diana Fountain were later added, from designs by Sir Christopher Wren, to form a grand entrance to Hampton Court. The history of the park also saw it play host to the pre-World War II folk tradition of Chestnut Sunday which was resurrected in 1993, a World War I Canadian military hospital and Eisenhower's military camp from which he planned D-Day. Richmond Park

Location: Also to be found within the borough of Richmond in the south west of London. The park occupies an expanse of land just south of the River Thames in between the town of Richmond itself, neighbouring Kingston Upon Thames to the South and Wimbledon and Wimbledon Common to the West. Character: The largest of Royal Parks at 2,500 acres, it is the largest park in London, the second largest walled park in the UK and is over twice the size of its nearest neighbour at Bushy. The park is heavily protected as a designated National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest with an informal landscape of grassland and woodland covering gentle hills and surrounding ponds at its centre. It has the sense of a country park but within the boundaries of London. More formal woodland can be found in the Isabella Plantation Attractions: Richmond Park is particularly noted for its wildlife including the famous Fallow and Red deer and even the more recent colonising Parakeets. It is criss-crossed with bridleways and cycle paths for those looking to explore the area on horse back or by pedal power. The park also contains a number of structures including the historic childhood home of Bertrand Russell, Pembroke Lodge, now a restaurant but complete with its own public gardens. Many will visit the park however for its opens spaces and it views of central London, the best of which perhaps can be glimpsed from King Henry's Mound within the gardens of Pembroke Lodge

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simonconsultancypage · 5 years

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London Climate Change Conference

An unusual sight: the Lloyd’s building in the sunshine

The D&O Diary was on assignment in London this past week, primarily to participate in an evens organized in connection with the Mayor of London’s Climate Action Week conference. It was a great week in London, primarily because of the conference, but also because of the unusually pleasant weather. It was also interesting being in London for the Fourth of July holiday.

The specific Climate Action Week event in which I participated was organized by the Clyde & Co law firm in collaboration with Willis Towers Watson. At the Clyde & Co Climate Change Liability Risk Conference, I was on a panel on the topic of “Fiduciary Duties, Climate Change Disclosures, and Litigation Risk.” It was a pleasure to be a part of this panel and to share ideas with the other panelists and with the audience. I think I learned as much or more as anyone there; it was a very interesting and even eye-opening event. The conference was well-organized and impressively well-attended (notwithstanding the absolutely beautiful weather outside). I congratulate everyone at Clyde & Co. and Willis involving in planning and organizing this successful event.

The Willis Towers Watson building, on the right and directly across from the Lloyd’s building, where the climate change event was held. In the back ground, you can see the Swiss Re building (the Gherkin).

With my fellow panelists: Will Martindale, of UN Principles for Responsible Investment; Nadine Robinson of the Climate Change Disclosure Standards Board; and Anthony Hobly of Carbon Tracker.

With Ellie Mulholland of Commonwealth Climate Law and Sarah Barker of Minter Ellison. Both Ellie and Sarah are readers of The D&O Diary. Sarah came all the way from Australia for the climate conference.

I also had the opportunity while I was in London to participate in or attend several other events and meetings. One of the other enjoyable events in which I participated was a morning session at RKH Specialty at which I discussed D&O claims trends. It was great to see all my friends at RKH Specialty and to exchange ideas and observations about the current D&O insurance marketplace. I thank my good friends Jason Rose and Piers Davies of RKH Specialty for inviting me to visit their offices and to meet with their team. It was a really enjoyable morning.

Making a presentation at RKH Specialty.

On the roof terrace of the RKH building, with Piers Davies and Jason Rose. You can see the Shard in the background and the Walkie-Talkie just above Jason’s left shoulder.

With John Taylor of Antares Managing Agency Limited, on the terrace of the Sushisamba Restaurant at 110 Bishopsgate (allegedly the highest outdoor dining terrace in Europe)

Though it was a busy week of meeting and events, I did also have a chance to spend a little time just enjoying London. As always when I am in London, I tried to spend my time visiting places and doing things I have not managed to do on prior visits. One of the more enjoyable things I managed to do on this trip was to witness the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. As many times I have been to London before, I had never previously seen the Changing of the Guard. It is a thoroughly made-for-tourists event. There is a lot of marching around and music playing. It isn’t always clear what is going on and regardless of where you stand it is impossible to see all of it. But it is quite a spectacle and on the beautiful morning on which we saw the event, it was a lot of fun.

As many times as I have been to London before, another thing I had not previously managed to do was to visiting the Banqueting House, which is the only remaining vestige of the once vast Whitehall Palace. Even with its really kind of dazzling Reubens ceiling, the Banqueting House is quite plain, even stark. However, because of the site’s remarkably eventful history, it is a fascinating place to visit. For anyone interested in English history it is a truly great place to visit. Perhaps because of the beautiful weather the day we visited, it was virtually deserted while we were there.

On a free day during our London week, we took a London Overground train to Chigwell and walked from the train station to Epping Forest, a vast former royal forest. Because the forest land has been never been farmed or developed, the deep woods are ancient and extraordinary. We pretty quickly became seriously lost, which brought to mind old legends and fairy tales about people who wandered into the forest and were never seen again. We actually saw only a small portion of the more than twelve-mile long forest but we managed to pretty thoroughly exhaust ourselves. After a couple of hours of wandering, we found a small tea hut, where we refreshed and reoriented ourselves before making our way to the train and back to London.

The forest enclosure also includes ancient meadows, where local residents retain the right to graze their animals

The vast forest stretches for over 12 miles; we explored only a small part of it

Most of my prior visits to London have been in the early spring or late fall. Typically, I am visiting London in March or November. It was really enjoyable to see London in the sunshine and to enjoy the late evenings when the daylight lingered on almost to 10 pm. London is always a great place to visit, but I have to say it is a really special place to visit in July. It was a shame to have to leave.

Evening at the village green in Richmond-Upon-Thames

More Pictures of London

Kew Palace, Kew Gardens

In the Japanese Gardens in Kew, with the famous Pagoda in the background and sculptures by the American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly in the foreground

In the rose garden at Kew

The Saatchi Gallery, near Sloan Square

Inside the strangely austere Saatchi Gallery

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge in Epping Forest

The post London Climate Change Conference appeared first on The D&O Diary.

London Climate Change Conference published first on http://simonconsultancypage.tumblr.com/

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golicit · 5 years

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London Climate Change Conference

An unusual sight: the Lloyd’s building in the sunshine

With my fellow panelists: Will Martindale, of UN Principles for Responsible Investment; Nadine Robinson of the Climate Change Disclosure Standards Board; and Anthony Hobly of Carbon Tracker.

Making a presentation at RKH Specialty.

On the roof terrace of the RKH building, with Piers Davies and Jason Rose. You can see the Shard in the background and the Walkie-Talkie just above Jason’s left shoulder.

With John Taylor of Antares Managing Agency Limited, on the terrace of the Sushisamba Restaurant at 110 Bishopsgate (allegedly the highest outdoor dining terrace in Europe)

The forest enclosure also includes ancient meadows, where local residents retain the right to graze their animals

The vast forest stretches for over 12 miles; we explored only a small part of it

Evening at the village green in Richmond-Upon-Thames

More Pictures of London

Kew Palace, Kew Gardens

In the Japanese Gardens in Kew, with the famous Pagoda in the background and sculptures by the American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly in the foreground

In the rose garden at Kew

The Saatchi Gallery, near Sloan Square

Inside the strangely austere Saatchi Gallery

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge in Epping Forest

The post London Climate Change Conference appeared first on The D&O Diary.

London Climate Change Conference published first on

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lawfultruth · 5 years

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London Climate Change Conference

An unusual sight: the Lloyd’s building in the sunshine

With my fellow panelists: Will Martindale, of UN Principles for Responsible Investment; Nadine Robinson of the Climate Change Disclosure Standards Board; and Anthony Hobly of Carbon Tracker.

Making a presentation at RKH Specialty.

On the roof terrace of the RKH building, with Piers Davies and Jason Rose. You can see the Shard in the background and the Walkie-Talkie just above Jason’s left shoulder.

With John Taylor of Antares Managing Agency Limited, on the terrace of the Sushisamba Restaurant at 110 Bishopsgate (allegedly the highest outdoor dining terrace in Europe)

The forest enclosure also includes ancient meadows, where local residents retain the right to graze their animals

The vast forest stretches for over 12 miles; we explored only a small part of it

Evening at the village green in Richmond-Upon-Thames

More Pictures of London

Kew Palace, Kew Gardens

In the Japanese Gardens in Kew, with the famous Pagoda in the background and sculptures by the American glass sculptor Dale Chihuly in the foreground

In the rose garden at Kew

The Saatchi Gallery, near Sloan Square

Inside the strangely austere Saatchi Gallery

Queen Elizabeth’s Hunting Lodge in Epping Forest

The post London Climate Change Conference appeared first on The D&O Diary.

London Climate Change Conference syndicated from https://ronenkurzfeldweb.wordpress.com/

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leongardiner-blog · 7 years

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Alternative London attractions that you will want to visit

You visited Buckingham Palace and the Elizabeth during your first travel to London. During your second trip to the English capital, you took time to explore the British Museum and wander through the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Now you are coming to London for the third time and you do not know which attractions are worth it. Here are eight alternative landmarks that you will certainly enjoy discovering.

Wallace Collection

Established in 1897, the Wallace Collection is an art museum, which is housed in the beautiful Hertford House in Manchester Square in the central parts of the British capital. The venue showcases a fascinating fine and decorative arts collection. The museum is divided into 30 sub-galleries, which display items from the 15th to the 19th centuries, including astonishing 18th century French paintings, furnishings, porcelain, arms and armour. The Wallace Collection is welcomes over 400.000 visitors annually and it is admittance free.

Lord’s: Home of cricket

Lord’s

Officially known as the Lord’s Cricket Ground, this sporting venue lies in the district of St. John’s Wood. It dates back to the early 19th century and is named after its founder, Thomas Lord. The stadium has a maximum capacity of 28.000 people and is questionably the most famous cricket ground on the planet. It houses the MCC Museum, which is one of the oldest sport museums in the world, as it was opened in 1953 by the Duke of Edinburgh. The gallery can only be accessed during a tour of the stadium, but it is worth it, especially if you are a cricket devotee as its most precious relic is the Ashes urn.

Eltham Palace

Situated in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Eltham Palace is an unoccupied royal residence, which is owned by the Crown Estate and managed by the English Heritage since the mid-1990s. The edifice was built during the 1930s and sits on the same site where once stood the original 14th century Eltham Palace. The Great Hall is the structure’s most prominent feature and has the third-largest hammer beam roof in the United Kingdom. Fragments of the original palace walls and buildings can be seen throughout the estate’s gardens while the only intact structure of that time is a 15th century moat bridge. Eltham Palace was the subject of a major renovation project in 1999 and is presently open to the public. Throughout the years, it has been used as a site in numerous cinematic productions.

Eel Pie Island

Located on the Tideway, Eel Pie Island is one of the largest island that are situated in the Thames River and it can be reached only by boat or footbridge. It lies in one of the city’s most desirable areas, the Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The island was a popular jazz and blues venue during the 1960s. Today, it is owned privately and is one of the capital’s calmest and most beautiful residential districts. It is the location of two nature reserves, which are open to the public only for a few days a year, so make sure the properly coordinate your vacation with your visit to Eel Pie Island. It is also home to the Twickenham Rowing Club, one of the oldest in the city as it was established in 1860.Newcomers can easily relocate to the island by using Get Man and Van London’s relocation services as the company covers the entire area of Greater London.

The forgotten Roman playhouse

London’s Roman Amphitheatre

Not many people know that the English capital has its own Roman playhouse. The ruins of the amphitheatre are displayed in situ in a room in the basement of the Guildhall Art Gallery, one of the city’s most celebrated art museums. The playhouse’s remnants were discovered during the mid-1980s and are recognised as a protected monument by the local authorities. The unusual site of the ruins is due to the fact that the building, which houses the gallery, was constructed on top of them as the builders did not know about the remnants at the time. Once you are done exploring London’s roman amphitheatre, you should take the time to tour the Guildhall Art Gallery as it also has plenty to offer to its visitors.

Lee Valley VeloPark

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London left behind an abundance of sporting venues, which Londoners and tourists can enjoy at will. The Lee Valley VeloPark was opened to the public in 2014 and is part of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It has a track and BMX course and a velodrome with a maximum capacity of 6.750 seats. The tracks are accessible to everybody while the velodrome is only for cyclists who have the necessary accreditations. Do not worry if you do not have your bicycle with you because you can rent one on site.

Dennis Severs’ House

This Georgian terraced house lies in Spitalfields and was inhabited by Dennis Severs from 1979 to 1999. During that time, he remodelled the rooms and converted them into time capsules that represent household styles from the past centuries. The venue is open to the public and is one of the most interesting museums in the city. The house itself dates back to the early 18th century and is considered an architectural landmark, which is why it is classified as a Grade II building.

Helicopter tours

London from the air is as beautiful as from the ground, so do not hesitate to profit from a helicopter tour and enjoy aerial views of several notable sites such as:

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

The Shard

Palace of Westminster

Elizabeth Tower

London Eye

O2 Arena

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frankokguitar-blog · 8 years

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The West London Mojo Triangle

New Post has been published on http://frankokellyguitar.org/guitar-thoughts/west-london-mojo-triangle/

The West London Mojo Triangle

“It is strange how we all come from a similar area” , Richie Blackmore.

The term “Mojo Triangle” was first coined by James L. Dickerson as the title for his 2005 book which described the astounding array of musical styles that originated in the area between Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.

I can’t promise the birth of Blues, Jazz, Country and Rock and Roll. But as a guitarist I want to tell you about a part of Greater London that birthed some of the most influential guitarists of all times. An area that gave rise to the clubs that would give the world the Rolling Stones and Cream and also see the creation of the worlds most famous amplifier.

Come with me into the West London Mojo Triangle!

This is not Central London with it’s grand buildings and tourist sights nor is it the old parts of the City and the East End where the chthonic memories are almost breathable, this the London that expanded West and South during the Victorian height of Empire using the railway to join up hundreds of villages that would form into the haphazard quilt of boroughs they are today and where London pushes into the county of Surrey on its South-West borders. note 1

Into this suburban milieu towards the end of the Second World War were born Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, all within less than twenty miles of each other.

Within the same area Pete Townsend, Ron Wood and Brian May would be also be born.

Page was born at the top of our imaginary triangle in Heston. A nondescript suburb overshadowed by nearby Heathrow airport.

Two years later the young Richie Blackmore’s family would also move there from the West Country.

In the bottom left of our triangle Eric Clapton was born in the village of Ripley, Surrey and across to the East, Jeff Beck was born in Wallington.

A map of the best British rock singers would cover most parts of Britain but virtually all the best guitarists of their generation would be concentrated in one area.

Quite how the leading lights of British Rock guitar came to be born in such a geographically small place is remarkable. Page would later move to Epsom, Surrey putting him even closer to his peers. Barely 15 miles between all of them.

They were part of the cultural zeitgeist that saw young British men look west to a black blues culture that at the time was as mythic as it was unknown. A jigsaw puzzle of riffs fitted together on cheap guitars. Each new delivery of records from the U.S. obsessively listened to and dissected.

For a generation brought up with the insipid offerings of 1950’s radio this was a taste of something real.

The blues men’s songs may have spoken of sex, death and heartache but it was the pulse of the guitars underneath articulating something deeply human that resonated with these young men.

In the recordings of Robert Johnson, the voice narrates the scene, but the guitar works on a different level, a heartbeat and cry at the same time. This was profoundly influential particularly on Clapton and Keith Richards.

The shadow of World War II still hung over the early Sixties. Though the youth had not experienced the war personally everyone knew someone close to them who had suffered during the conflict. London was still dotted with bomb sites and food rationing had continued for nine years after the war.

The moving away from a dark destructive past into something brighter was a great impetus on British youth culture. There was resonance with the Blues’s defiant swagger against the odds.

By taking the template of the blues and distilling that feeling into a new brash hedonistic sound; the youth of the Sixties felt they were truly escaping the darkness of the previous generation. That theirs would be a golden age of sexual and spiritual freedom carried there with the aid of an unquestioned technology.

One factor that aided the dissemination of the Blues were three clubs that would showcase and bring together the most gifted of their generation.

In a small basement below a bakery in Ealing, West London the appropriately named Ealing Blues club opened in March of 1962 by Blues evangelist Alexis Korner. His band, Blues Incorporated included Charlie Watts on drums and Jack Bruce on Bass and would serve as a greenhouse for many aspiring young musicians.

[Ealing Club entrance]

There the young Mick and Keith would be so impressed by Brian Jones’s slide playing they asked him to join their band. Rod Stewart, Pete Townsend and Jimmy Page were also among the regulars of this small shabby club.

In nearby Richmond in early 1963, the Crawdaddy club opened at the back of the Station Hotel Pub.

The Rolling Stones took up a two night a week residency here with their classic line up of Jagger, Richards, Jones, Wyman and Watts now in place.

The Beatles would come to see them there and with audiences overflowing on the streets the club was forced to move to bigger premises at the nearby Richmond Athletic Ground.

The Stones soon achieved fame and their place was taken by a group called the Yardbirds who would hire a young Eric Clapton as their lead guitarist.

The Yardbirds also found commercial success which caused blues purist Clapton to leave and join John Mayall’s group, the Bluesbreakers. Using a then unpopular Gibson Les Paul run through a custom made Marshall amp, Clapton redefined the British Blues sound with a smooth but fiery overdriven tone that would cement his status as one of the finest guitarists in the world.

Ever restless, Clapton would later team up with fellow Ealing club patrons Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker to form Cream whose heavy improvised interpretations of the Blues would be an influence on Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple and spawn many imitators.

[The Yardbirds. Jeff Beck 1st left. Jimmy Page 2nd from right.]

The Yardbirds found an able replacement in the mercurial Jeff Beck whose experimental approach to guitar helped greatly added to the bands success. Beck was overlapped and ultimately succeeded by his friend Jimmy Page who had finally decided to give up his lucrative career in session work.

The group would fragment in 1968 leaving just Page and manager Peter Grant to fulfil a tour commitment in Scandinavia. New members were recruited and so great was the chemistry that upon the tours completion they recorded an album. A threat of legal action by an original member caused the band to change their name upon the records completion and so Led Zeppelin came to be.

Eel Pie island an island in the River Thames at Twickenham in the Borough of Richmond was also an important venue in the development of many artists. It’s eponymous hotel being the place where a young Rod Stewart first got noticed and where again the Stones and the Yardbirds continued to ply their trade. As the Sixties progressed names as big as Bowie, Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath would also play there until it morphed into Britain’s biggest hippie colony.

[The Stones play Eel Pie Island 1963]

The symbiotic relationship between the clubs and the bands concentrated in such a small area made for a regular exchange of ideas and band members but one thing would become clear was that this was not like Liverpool where the Beatles would totally dominate the scene and the rest were left behind.

Here the quality of musicians was matched by their quantity. For every aspiring young guitarist elsewhere in the country how many had Clapton’s focus, Beck’s originality or Pages’s breadth of vision? That essential quality that put them ahead of the pack and created a sonic landscape that would inspire generations of guitarists.

Richie Blackmore like his childhood neighbour Jimmy Page would spend his early career as a session musician. After a long period in backing bands, Blackmore would join Deep Purple where his more classically influenced style would have a huge impact on the growing genre of Heavy Metal. Every significant guitarist who emerged in the eighties would acknowledge their debt to Blackmore.

The Who were also on the rise. Pete Townsend’s highly distinctive playing style powering their hits. Their 1973 album Quadrophenia would be an homage to the mid sixties “Mod” culture of West London. One of factors in the Who’s early bombastic stage shows would be Townsend’s friendship with local Jazz drummer Jim Marshall.

In 1962 Marshall opened a music shop in Hanwell, West London. Always interested in amplification and listening to the wishes of local teenage guitarists like Townsend and Richie Blackmore he had a try at making an amp that would be more powerful than those available at the time.

With the aid of two friends and after six attempts the first Marshall Amp went on sale, rapidly selling out in days.

By the mid-sixties to keep up the with demand for bigger and louder amps several new models were made including the “Bluesbreaker” amp for Clapton and the first Marshall Stack made for the Who. By the end of the decade what started as a small local music shop has transformed itself into a world beating manufacturer. Almost every major rock act on earth would go on to use Marshalls but it was in 1966 that he would meet the man he described as “the greatest ambassador my amplifiers have ever had”.

Former shop employee, drummer Mitch Mitchell brought in his new boss to see his old boss and so Jimi Hendrix added a vital ingredient to his then still largely unknown sound.

[Jimi Hendrix with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell.]

London would play a pivotal role in Hendrix’s career. At the “Bag of Nails “night club British rock royalty including the Beatles, Mick Jagger, Townsend and Beck sat in stunned disbelief as they witnessed his phenomenal stage show.

The challenges and possibilities that Hendrix’s playing posed fed back into the British guitar community. The bar had been raised and for the more ambitious players like Clapton or Beck, Hendrix was an energising presence.

Within a year Hendrix would make his first album in London launching an astonishing body of work that would innovate how the electric guitar would be played for ever. A chance meeting in a nightclub with young acoustic expert Roger Mayer would give him access to the cutting edge effects he was designing such as the Octavia pedal used on “Purple Haze”. “He would talk in colours and my job was to give him the electronic palette which would engineer those colours so he could paint the canvas.” Mayer said.

Together with his Marshall amps, Hendrix now had the tools to express the sounds he heard in his head.

The iconic images from the American Monterrey and Woodstock festivals are how we visually remember him. His searing “Star Spangled Banner” is probably one of the most eloquent and potent protest songs ever played without words.” I’m American so I just played it” Hendrix later said in an interview. A statement that was filled with nuance as to what type of American or indeed whose America he was talking about.

But his life was interwoven with London. A place he often described as the only home he ever had. His unstoppable ascent beginning with his arrival there in late September 1966. The mythic arc of his life tragically ending in late September 1970 in West London’s Notting Hill.

In Hendrix the apotheosis of the American Blues man was achieved. But without London it would not have happened. The enthusiasm of a handful of suburban English kids making possible a discovery by White America of an art form that most were unaware of. The heady mix that originated in the American South was given a British twist and a decade of unparalleled creativity took place.

By the Seventies there would not be a rock guitarist in the world who was not influenced by at least one of the guitarists from this part of greater London.

The synchronicity involved in having so many creative people in one small place is still inexplicable. Nothing in the landscape suggests inspiration. A guided tour would be met with bafflement as to the prosaic nature of the locations. Nevertheless the world of music owes a great deal to the “West London Mojo Triangle”!

note 1Surrey’s borders have always been pushed back as London expanded. Historically Surrey was the southern side of the Thames at London. So Shakespeare’s plays at the Globe theatre would have been shown in Surrey even though today it looks to be obviously in the centre of London. A significant change to the borders happened in 1965 which means that for the purposes of my story some places named such as Richmond would have been in Surrey at the time but after 1965 would then be part of Greater London.

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