The Encyclopedia of the Weird and Wonderful

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Be bowled over by panoramic views of London, while squeezing in a few landmarks like the Gherkin, Big Ben and The Shard. Footy fans can even spot some of London’s famous football grounds, including West Ham Utd. Take your time at the top – you’ll have a chance to learn more about the tower with interactive storytelling screens and, of course, don’t forget to flip the world upside down by taking a peek in one of the concave mirrors. Every pawn on a chessboard was given the name of a commoner’s occupation in medieval chess; these included the likes of Gambler, Innkeeper, Doctor, and many others. Once upon a time, South London was a rural area – a patchwork of farms, woods and clean, wholesome air. While those days are long gone, finding and visiting the bits that remain is one of the more unusual things to do in London.

Many of the pieces were organised by Rise Gallery’s RISEfestival, which saw huge international names such as Otto Schade, Dotmasters, Hayley Welsh and David Hollier adorn Croydon’s walls with some of my new favourite street art pieces in London. Fabulous, opulent and verging on the bizarre, Leighton House is one of those cool and quirky things to do in London that you simply must visit. In Bewilderworld, step into a vortex tunnel and see if you can stay on your feet while it spins around you! Catch your shadow and shake it with your hands in the Magic Gallery, while in The Puzzling Zone you can watch yourself shrink and grow in the Ames Room and morph into your favourite animal! Lord Leighton was an artist – at the time the house was built he was an associate of the Royal Academy, and he rose to become its president before his death.Did you know that there’s a windmill in Brixton? The windmill – an old flour mill dating from 1816 – sits in the shadow of Brixton Prison. Recent restorations mean that the mill is fully functioning – you can even take tours during the summer months. Being a father himself now, the creative relates to both the son and the dad in the script. “That was one of the reasons why we landed on the narrative. Every time we read it to someone, people get hooked emotionally to different bits,” he continues. “Tesco is a ubiquitous brand; everyone goes through its doors. So, we wanted to make sure it wasn’t too niche, wasn’t speaking to a particular group but embodying a feeling and a truth about Christmas that everyone can get into.” Out of the millions of creatures on Earth, humans are only 1 of 3 species capable of laughter, the other 2 being chimpanzees and rats.

When most people have a baby, they typically wait a little while before even thinking about having another child. But that wasn't an option for one woman in Bangladesh, who unexpectedly gave birth to twins in March 2019, less than a month after having another newborn. I hear you – this time last year I was totally “over” London. Somehow, I thought that because I grew up in London, because I’ve been here for so many years that I’d seen it all. Incorrect. The late Steve Irwin and his whole film crew stopped filming in 2003 to aid in a 2-day search and rescue of missing divers.Typically, the squirrels cause problems by tunneling, chewing through electrical insulation, or becoming a current path between electrical conductors. Today, sunglasses serve as protective eyewear, effectively preventing bright sunlight from causing discomfort or damage to our eyes. Of course, they're also a fashion accessory. As time has passed, stations have been closed or repurposed – meaning that if you keep your eyes open, you can spot more than a few of the so-called “Ghost Stations” of the London Underground. an invented term said to mean ‘a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust’, but rarely used except for its curiosity value a person who, in past times, illicitly exhumed corpses from burial grounds and sold them to anatomists for dissection

Given that the tube was constructed in the 19th century it makes sense that there have been a few changes to the network over the years.Then, the team started focusing on the weeks before Christmas Day, intending to own that journey. Creative duo Elliott White and Will Maxey came up with the core idea that people will begin to feel jolly at different times, triggered by various stimuli. How many times can you fold a piece of paper? 7? Well, the Myth-busters managed to reach 11 folds after using a “football field” sized piece of paper, busting this myth. Much like it says on the (very pricey) tin, these futuristic-looking headphones are designed to bring you 'realistic, detailed audio' and 'advanced noise cancellation'. Spontaneous Happenings: from Bridie the Tea Lady, The Bureau of Silly Ideas, What the Tortoise Taught Us, The Flying Buttresses, stunning Stilt walkers, giant Willow Viking, Surprising musicians, Mechanical Dragon and more…