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The Independent
04-07-2025
- The Independent
The most beautiful places in London you have to visit – from museums to parks and gardens
London is a city that hums with indefatigable energy: its winding, warren-like streets and sprawling neighbourhoods are steeped in history and pomp, shaped by characters as infamous as Jack the Ripper and as iconic as Winston Churchill. Amid the movement and noise, there are plentiful pockets of beauty: stately homes and grand buildings serving as museums, carefully tended parks that feel far removed from the city's hustle, and elevated viewpoints offering sweeping panoramas of the ever-shifting skyline. It's a city where centuries-old history collides with the contemporary: every alley and square whispers a different story, offering an inexhaustible number of things to see, do and explore. Whether you're a lifelong Londoner or visiting for the first time, you'll no doubt have an endless list of sights to tick off. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Location: Richmond Price: £22 (prices depend on season) Closest Tube station: Kew Gardens station Arguably London's most famous gardens, Kew's Royal Botanic Gardens were originally designed as a destination for royal enjoyment only. Happily, since 1840, members of the public have been welcomed to wander the plant-filled paradise, which demands at least a day for exploring. Spread across 300 acres in southwest London, this Unesco World Heritage Site is a living tapestry of the world's most remarkable plants, with over 50,000 species to discover. Wander beneath soaring Victorian glasshouses, spying tropical palms and rare orchids, or stroll through woodland glades and colourful flowerbeds that shift with the seasons. Whether you're here to observe the flora or picnic on the lawns, Kew is a verdant sanctuary for reconnecting with nature – and just a short hop from the city's bustle. Somerset House Location: Aldwych Price: Free, unless visiting specific exhibitions Closest Tube station: Temple Straddling The Strand just steps away from the River Thames, this neoclassical masterpiece designed by Sir William Chambers dates back to the 18th century: an architectural landmark of Georgian grandeur that's all honey-hued facades, stately columns, and trickling fountains set around a central courtyard. While originally fashioned as a palatial government building, Somerset House is no less impressive today, functioning as a creative and cultural hub as much as it is a popular Instagram destination. Visit for ever-evolving art exhibitions, open-air concerts, and a spectacular ice rink in the winter months. If you're hungry, you can fuel up on elegant Anglo-Italian fare at Spring or slurp expertly poured flat whites at WatchHouse, both of which sit within the Somerset House estate. Kyoto Garden Location: Holland Park Price: Free Closest Tube station: Holland Park Tucked within the walled confines of leafy Holland Park, you'll stumble upon the tranquil Kyoto Garden, which was gifted to the park by the city of Kyoto in 1991, commemorating the longstanding relations between the UK and Japan. Designed by renowned Japanese gardener Shoji Nakahara, and modelled after the traditional gardens typically found across Kyoto, the compact enclosure features a tiered waterfall and stone lanterns framed around a central, koi-filled pond. Visit in autumn when the leaves on the maple trees turn a distinctive auburn hue, or in spring when the cherry blossoms reach full bloom. There's an instantly calming atmosphere to this serene pocket of greenery, which feels like it was transplanted directly from Japan; it's a space to slow down and disconnect from the pace of the city. Old Royal Navy College Location: Greenwich Price: £17.50 Closest Tube station: Island Gardens or Greenwich (DLR) Set along a peaceful curve of the Thames, the Old Royal Naval College is one of Greenwich's most breathtaking architectural ensembles: ostentatiously grand, perfectly symmetrical, and a proud landmark of maritime history. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, its domed buildings and stately colonnades once formed the training grounds for naval officers, but now serve as a monument to Britain's seafaring past. You'll want to wander the manicured lawns and head up to the Royal Observatory for panoramic views across London, but the must-see highlight here is undoubtedly the Painted Hall (often dubbed the 'Sistine Chapel of the UK'). Baroque murals sweep across the ceiling in dizzying detail, with the expansive space often playing host to fancy dress film tours, yoga classes, and even silent discos – worth booking into if you'd rather experience the hall through a unique lens. Primrose Hill Location: Primrose Hill Price: Free Closest Tube station: Chalk Farm This affluent neighbourhood in northwest London shares its name with the leafy park that crowns it. It's from the top of this grassy rise that you'll find one of the most iconic vistas of the city skyline: a wide sweep of London's rooftops and spires that's especially striking at sunset. But there's more to see here than just the view. Pootle along picturesque Chalcot Crescent, where pretty, pastel-painted townhouses curve like a film set – reminiscent of Notting Hill but minus the tourists. Independent boutiques, charming cafés, and quiet streets make the neighbourhood feel like a self-contained village, and from here you can wander through nearby Regent's Park or stroll along the Regent's Canal, which winds its way peacefully past houseboats and tree-lined banks. St Dunstan in the East Location: The City of London Price: Free Closest Tube station: Monument Hidden among the winding lanes of the City, St Dunstan in the East is a whisper-quiet sanctuary where history and unchecked nature intertwine. After bomb damage during the Blitz destroyed all but the shell and graceful arches of the medieval church that once stood here, its ruins were transformed into a public garden. Today, ivy and wisteria spill over ancient stone walls, and lush greenery fills the nave. Visit in spring, when the garden blooms with colour, or find a bench beneath the Gothic windows for a quiet moment of reflection. This is an unexpected place of refuge in the heart of London's financial district, and somewhat of a time capsule amid the city's ever-changing landscape. Leadenhall Market Location: The City of London Price: Free Closest Tube station: Monument Sandwiched by office blocks and swanky shops in the city's financial district, Leadenhall Market feels like a secret slice of old London hidden beneath a canopy of ornate ironwork and glass. Dating back to the 14th century, this covered market was once the bartering place for meat and game; today, it's home to boutique shops and elegant eateries. The cobbled walkways and richly painted facades give it a timeless charm – so much so that it's been the backdrop for plenty of film sets. Visit at golden hour when you'll rub shoulders with city workers clamouring for drinks at the chi-chi wine bars, or head here on weekends when vintage markets and craft fairs spill across the street. Hampstead Heath Location: Hampstead Price: Free Closest Tube station: Hampstead Sprawling Hampstead Heath (or 'the Heath' as the locals lovingly refer to it), offers a wilder, rugged slice of London that's less manicured than the city's royal parks, and all the more charming for it. Sprawling across 800 acres, this ancient heathland feels a world away from the rest of the city, with wild woodlands and open meadows for rambling across. Climb to the top of Parliament Hill for one of the most panoramic views of the city skyline, or head for the Heath's famed swimming ponds, where hardy locals take brisk dips year-round. History buffs should make sure to visit Kenwood House, a neoclassical villa framed by tranquil gardens, which sits on the border of the Heath and features an impressive collection of sculptures and artworks. Nearby Hampstead village is worth pottering around too: discover plenty of ivy-covered pubs, cobbled lanes, and independent boutiques. Natural History Museum Location: South Kensington Price: Free, unless visiting specific exhibitions Closest Tube station: South Kensington This is one of London's most iconic landmarks and museums: a cathedral-like masterpiece designed by Alfred Waterhouse that sits on South Kensington's Cromwell Road. Originally built to house the British Museum's overflowing collections, today the Natural History Museum is just as much as a household name. From the exterior, the museum's Romanesque façade is all terracotta tiles and arches – and once through the doors, you're greeted by Hintze Hall's soaring ceilings and the dramatic blue whale skeleton that dangles directly above the entrance. The museum's collections span hundreds of millennia, encompassing everything from glittering gemstones and dinosaur skeletons to rare fossils. There are also interesting one-off events such as the current Tank Room Tour, where you can see specimens, including some collected by Darwin, preserved in jars of fluid, or a tank, in the case of Archie the 8.92-metre giant squid. Wander through the interactive exhibits (which are equally as inspiring for children and adults), and you'll find yourself lost among the natural wonders of the planet. The Barbican Location: The City of London Price: Free, unless visiting specific exhibitions Closest Tube station: Barbican Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and if stark Brutalist architecture is more up your street, the dark, monolithic facade of the Barbican is a sight to behold. Commissioned in the sixties, the Barbican's arrival breathed new life into an area previously devastated during the Blitz. This maze of concrete terraces and Jenga-like staircases houses over 2,000 flats, several schools, and even a library - alongside the Barbican Centre itself, one of Europe's largest arts hubs. This destination-worthy cultural centre (dubbed 'one of the wonders of the modern world' by Queen Elizabeth II on its opening in 1982) houses continually-evolving art, music, film, and theatre exhibitions – and is home to concert halls, cinemas, and gallery spaces. There are unexpected pockets of greenery hidden among the concrete too; wander through elevated walkways and discover the impressive Barbican Conservatory: a lush, glass-roofed haven home to over 1,500 species of plants and trees.
CNN
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Heat exposes vulnerabilities, dog-sized dinosaurs, Jack the Ripper tourism: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! The US wasted 73.9 million tons of unsold or uneaten food — nearly one-third of the country's total supply — in 2023, according to ReFED, a nonprofit focused on reform. Food markdown apps are a popular way to score cheap meals destined for garbage bins. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ Extreme heat: Buckled roads. Broken bridges. Delayed trains. Strained power grids that led to dangerous outages. Cases of heat illness and canceled sporting events. These were just a few of the effects from this week's oppressive heat wave, which exposed some vulnerabilities. 2️⃣ Good and bad: Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world, yet a new study found that deaths from heart attacks have dropped by nearly 90% in the US. That's encouraging news, of course — but unfortunately, there's a flip side. 3️⃣ 'Off-the-scale offensive': London has leaned into tourism based on Jack the Ripper, the unknown killer who brutally murdered at least five women in the 1800s. Every night, hundreds of curious visitors retrace his steps. The locals don't like it. 4️⃣ Psychedelic therapy: While NFL players were in the middle of a grueling season, Braden Smith of the Indianapolis Colts was fighting a different battle: the one going on inside his own mind. He turned to psychedelics to help with his OCD. 5️⃣ Dino-mite discovery: Scientists have found a new species of dinosaur — one that was the size of a dog and roamed what is now the US about 150 million years ago. See what it looked like. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🚕 Mixed reviews: Tesla just launched its much-publicized robotaxi service — but only in one neighborhood in Austin, Texas, for a select group of the company's fans — and with a Tesla employee in the front passenger seat. • Trump says US will meet with Iran 'next week'• Exclusive: New Trump administration plan could end asylum claims and speed deportations• RFK Jr.'s new CDC advisers to study childhood vaccination schedule 🖌️ 'You can't ignore it': Thousands of people who gathered in Switzerland for Art Basel encountered a large public square sprayed with white and magenta paint — a work of installation art by Katharina Grosse. 💰 That's how much the Democratic National Committee has in cash reserves. The Republican National Committee has raised nearly five times as much, campaign reports show. 🗳️ Which candidate won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary?A. Eric AdamsB. Andrew CuomoC. Brad LanderD. Zohran Mamdani⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. ⭐ Football and friends: Taylor Swift thrilled folks with a surprise performance at Tight End University in Nashville. The pop star's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, helps organize the summer gathering of National Football League players. ☝️ Puzzling print: Researchers in Spain say they may have uncovered one of the most ancient symbolic objects bearing a human fingerprint on record in Europe, dating back tens of thousands of years. Forensic experts helped them unravel the mystery of who made it. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: D. Zohran Mamdani energized young voters and progressives to win the primary.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. Today's 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Kimberly Richardson, Chris Good and Sarah Hutter.
CNN
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Heat exposes vulnerabilities, dog-sized dinosaurs, Jack the Ripper tourism: Catch up on the day's stories
👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! The US wasted 73.9 million tons of unsold or uneaten food — nearly one-third of the country's total supply — in 2023, according to ReFED, a nonprofit focused on reform. Food markdown apps are a popular way to score cheap meals destined for garbage bins. Here's what else you might have missed during your busy day. 1️⃣ Extreme heat: Buckled roads. Broken bridges. Delayed trains. Strained power grids that led to dangerous outages. Cases of heat illness and canceled sporting events. These were just a few of the effects from this week's oppressive heat wave, which exposed some vulnerabilities. 2️⃣ Good and bad: Heart disease is the leading cause of death around the world, yet a new study found that deaths from heart attacks have dropped by nearly 90% in the US. That's encouraging news, of course — but unfortunately, there's a flip side. 3️⃣ 'Off-the-scale offensive': London has leaned into tourism based on Jack the Ripper, the unknown killer who brutally murdered at least five women in the 1800s. Every night, hundreds of curious visitors retrace his steps. The locals don't like it. 4️⃣ Psychedelic therapy: While NFL players were in the middle of a grueling season, Braden Smith of the Indianapolis Colts was fighting a different battle: the one going on inside his own mind. He turned to psychedelics to help with his OCD. 5️⃣ Dino-mite discovery: Scientists have found a new species of dinosaur — one that was the size of a dog and roamed what is now the US about 150 million years ago. See what it looked like. Get '5 Things' in your inbox If your day doesn't start until you're up to speed on the latest headlines, then let us introduce you to your new favorite morning fix. Sign up here for the '5 Things' newsletter. 🚕 Mixed reviews: Tesla just launched its much-publicized robotaxi service — but only in one neighborhood in Austin, Texas, for a select group of the company's fans — and with a Tesla employee in the front passenger seat. • Trump says US will meet with Iran 'next week'• Exclusive: New Trump administration plan could end asylum claims and speed deportations• RFK Jr.'s new CDC advisers to study childhood vaccination schedule 🖌️ 'You can't ignore it': Thousands of people who gathered in Switzerland for Art Basel encountered a large public square sprayed with white and magenta paint — a work of installation art by Katharina Grosse. 💰 That's how much the Democratic National Committee has in cash reserves. The Republican National Committee has raised nearly five times as much, campaign reports show. 🗳️ Which candidate won New York City's Democratic mayoral primary?A. Eric AdamsB. Andrew CuomoC. Brad LanderD. Zohran Mamdani⬇️ Scroll down for the answer. ⭐ Football and friends: Taylor Swift thrilled folks with a surprise performance at Tight End University in Nashville. The pop star's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, helps organize the summer gathering of National Football League players. ☝️ Puzzling print: Researchers in Spain say they may have uncovered one of the most ancient symbolic objects bearing a human fingerprint on record in Europe, dating back tens of thousands of years. Forensic experts helped them unravel the mystery of who made it. 👋 We'll see you tomorrow.🧠 Quiz answer: D. Zohran Mamdani energized young voters and progressives to win the primary.📧 Check out all of CNN's newsletters. Today's 5 Things PM was edited and produced by CNN's Kimberly Richardson, Chris Good and Sarah Hutter.
CNN
21-06-2025
- CNN
London has leaned into Jack the Ripper tourism. The locals don't like it
By 8 p.m., three London tour groups are jostling for room in Mitre Square, where murder victim Catherine Eddowes was found with her face mutilated and kidney removed. 'I once saw two guides get into a fistfight over space here,' claims Charlotte Everitt, a guide with London-based Rebel Tours. Tourists often arrive in London with a checklist: Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, afternoon tea — and a Jack the Ripper tour. Every night, hundreds of tourists retrace the supposed steps of Jack the Ripper — an unidentified serial killer who brutally murdered at least five women in 1888, yet went on to become one of Britain's most lucrative cultural exports. But for some locals, the industry has gone too far. The opening of the Jack the Ripper Museum in 2015 prompted protests. In 2020, Britain's official mapping body, the Ordnance Survey, axed its tour of London entitled Guts and Garters in the Ripper's East End following a client request citing 'editorial standards.' A mural of the serial killer was painted over with the name Catherine Eddowes — one of his victims — in the same year. Tourism centered around murder isn't unique to this corner of London. A recent Netflix show about the Menendez brothers — who were convicted of their parents' 1989 murders — brought crowds to the family's Beverly Hills mansion. The site of the Jonestown massacre in Guyana has recently opened to tour groups. In Milwaukee, a 'Cream City Cannibal Tour' takes visitors to sites associated with serial killer — and fellow Netflix documentary subject — Jeffrey Dahmer. 'Our dead can give us warnings from history, as it were, but it's how we remember them, and that's where the difficulty lies — it's quite often a politics of remembrance of who we remember and why,' Philip Stone from the Dark Tourism Institute at the UK's University of Central Lancashire told CNN. 'And quite clearly, Jack the Ripper has been remembered because of his atrocities and his infamy, but he's also been very much romanticized.' Related card Visiting Jonestown, the site of the 1970s mass murder and suicide in Guyana According to Stone, there's a 'push and pull factor' when it comes to the popularity of Jack the Ripper. 'The modern Ripper industry certainly markets itself really, really well. But I think there's an inherent fascination with the story.' 'Time is the greatest healer. But it's also time that can reinvent the story. There's a theory of 'chronological distance,' the idea of chronologically becoming more and more distant, and being kind of subsumed into popular culture.' 'Jack the Ripper has kind of morphed into this fictional character. He's been romanticized, it's been morphed into public culture, and that kind of extends the boundaries or blurs the boundaries between what's real and what's not real.' The tours are undoubtedly popular, and references to the infamous killings around London's Whitechapel district have become fixtures of the local landscape. A barbershop trades under the name Jack the Clipper. A nearby takeaway shop is called Jack the Chipper. Designer fashion retailer AllSaints has named its flagship store in the area Jack's Place. Until recently, there was a baked potato vendor called Jacket the Ripper. 'The issue isn't discussing the Whitechapel murders,' Everitt said. 'The issue is how they're discussed.' Rebel Tours launched an alternative walking tour in 2022 — Jack the Ripper: What About the Women? Initially, the team considered leaving the murderer's name out of the title entirely but found that doing so made it significantly harder to attract interest. 'People hear about what we're doing and say, 'Oh, that's amazing,'' Everitt said. 'But we're not seeing the numbers. And I'm not saying we want those numbers — we're a small-group company, and we like that. But it's telling how many people still choose the other kind of guide.' For her, the use of graphic imagery, as well as the insistence that all victims were sex workers despite concrete evidence to the contrary, are among the most troubling aspects. 'Some guides show photos of Mary Jane Kelly's body,' she said. 'If you wouldn't show the body of a modern-day victim, why is it okay to show hers? She was just as real.' Local writer The Gentle Author has written more than 5,000 blog posts about the history of the East End on their blog Spitalfields Life — but none on the Whitechapel murders. 'The people who live here are really incensed by the tours. On any given evening, you can have hundreds of people marching through these streets. It's off-the-scale offensive.' They recall neighbors who moved away shortly after having a child. 'They said they couldn't raise a baby in a home where, every night, a man would stand outside the window and say, 'This is where someone was cut from lip to navel.' It's grim.' 'They project real images of the crime scenes onto walls. There are jokes in these tours about real women being killed. You walk past and people are laughing.' Four years ago, The Gentle Author began offering their own tours — focused on the East End's working-class history, immigrant communities, and recent gentrification. Their aim, they say, is to 'reclaim the streets for the community.' Still, reaching a broader audience remains difficult. 'Most of our customers are readers of the blog. The Ripper tours have monopolized the market.' 'I've seen a guide chase guests around a church with a giant butcher's knife. Another one played the 'Psycho' theme at every murder location,' Jessica O'Neil, founder of The Museum Guide and former Jack the Ripper tour guide, told CNN. As a guide, she was against showing crime scene images. 'People say it's educational. If you're studying forensics in a university setting, maybe. But this isn't education. It's presented as entertainment.' She quit doing Ripper tours five years ago after being publicly confronted. 'A sex worker came up to me in the middle of a tour, screaming, 'Why don't you care about me and my friends? What's wrong with you?'' she recalled. 'I went back later to try and find her. I don't know why — maybe to be absolved. I wanted to tell her I was different. But I wasn't. 'They're not all awful, some of them do try to talk about the women. I tried to bring compassion. But it's a ghoulish endeavor,' she said. 'And I like ghoulish things. But on those tours, in almost every case, the women are the butt of the joke.' In 2015, the Jack the Ripper Museum opened, adding to the area's commercial references to the case — and igniting controversy. The museum had been granted planning permission on the basis that it would showcase the history of women in the East End, with the application describing a space that would honor 'the historic, current and future contribution of the women of the East End.' 'Everyone was quite excited that a museum telling the history of the women of London's East End would be opened. And then we discovered it would actually be a Jack the Ripper museum with some thinly veiled attempts at telling the story of the East End. That's when there was a backlash,' Catherine Owen, Chair of the East End Women's Museum — which was founded to counter the Jack the Ripper Museum — told CNN. The museum's founder, Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, told local media in 2015 that the museum's full title is Jack the Ripper and the History of Women in East London, that the sign was incomplete, and that: 'We are not glorifying the murders or celebrating the murders; we are doing a forensic examination of the murders and setting that in the historical context of the period.' A decade later, the museum continues to operate under the name Jack the Ripper Museum; the gift shop's merchandise includes teddy bears dressed as the Ripper and T-shirts with the killer's silhouette. The Jack the Ripper Museum did not respond to CNN's request for an interview but highlighted its positive reviews on TripAdvisor.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Harrowing true story of killer who went on a gruesome murder spree... and claimed a dog bite was to blame
Joseph Vacher wreaked havoc across France in the late 1800s, killing as many as 50 people during a horrific three-year murder spree that haunted the nation. His sadistic nature and gruesome crimes earned him the nickname the French Jack the Ripper and, over a century later, he is still one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. During his trial, his defense claimed that being bitten by a 'mad dog' as a child was to blame for his twisted killings. It has also been said that a gunshot wound to the head during a failed suicide attempted left him disfigured, and that the brutal backlash that he faced over his looks was what pushed him to kill. Either way, Joseph's chilling story is one that is still talked about today, more than 100 years on. Joseph grew up in a small town in the south-east of France called Beaufort. his father was an illiterate farmer, and he was the second youngest of 16 children. According to the New York Times, after he was bitten by a wild dog as a child, he was taken to the 'village herbalist' who gave his medicine. It was said by his lawyers during his trial that he was previously 'quiet' child, but he started having nasty outbursts after that. He once shot at a group of boys who had been heckling him with his dad's rifle, and attempted to strangle his own brother when he noticed he was slacking off. At age 15, his family sent him to a strict boarding school but he was expelled after only two years because he was allegedly caught torturing animals. Joseph went on to join the Army in 1890, but his service was cut short after he attempted to murder a woman named Louise Barrand because she had continuously rejected his advances. He broke into her home and shot her three times, before he turned the gun on himself, putting two bullets in his head. The injury resulted in one side of his face becoming paralyzed and deformed him severely. He later said during his trial that the way people mocked him because of his looks following the incident made him hate 'society' as a whole. After the ordeal, he was discharged from the Army and sent to a mental institution, where it was said he often attacked staff and destroyed furniture. However, following his trial for Louise's attempted murder - he was found not guilty by reason of insanity - he was transferred to a state-run hospital, where he stayed for three months before he was released and pronounced 'completely cured.' It was then that he went on a sadistic murder spree that lasted from 1894 until 1897. The exact number of his victims is unknown, but it's believed that he killed up to 50 people - at least 11 have been confirmed. Many of his victims were young boys or farmers and he usually killed them by stabbing them repeatedly. Some of them were also raped. In 1897, Joseph was finally caught after her tried to attack a woman - when her husband and neighbors heard her screams, they rushed to help her and knocked Joseph out. They locked him in a shed and got the police, who arrested him for attempted rape. Soon, his years of crimes began to unravel, and he ultimately confessed to committing 11 murders. During his trial, his defense tried to claim insanity, but he was ultimately pronounced sane after a lengthy investigation by a team of doctors appointed by the court. He was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death in 1898, and was ultimately executed by guillotine later that year.
