Eye on London - We Love London

Monday March 27^th 2017
Announcement

London Eye With Sun Shining Through

London from the inside Monday 27th March - Sunday 2nd April

We are still shocked and saddened by last week’s events in London and the effect it’s had on the people of the capital - the locals, the visitors and the people there to protect us. We will always do our best to support and promote London. For us London is the best city in the world, and so this week we’re sharing what we love about our great city and hope you will too. #EyeLoveLondon

10 REASONS WE LOVE LONDON

1. Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world with over 35 million international visitors to Britain each year.

2. London has over 800 bookshops and over 380 public libraries including the British Library which holds the Magna Carta.

3. Over 300 different languages are spoken here.

4. London has four UNESCO world heritage sites - Maritime Greenwich, Westminster Palace, Kew’s Royal Botanic Gardens and the Tower of London.

5. We have students from over 200 different countries studying here.

6. There are 17,000 restaurants in London serving every cuisine imaginable from Mongolian to Moroccan, doughnuts to dim sum and loads of veggie and vegan options. 53 restaurants have one Michelin star, nine have two and two have three stars.

7. There are over 200 daily shows to choose from across London’s theatres, including Shakespeare’s Globe.

8. We are home to the world’s most famous royal family. Buckingham Palace has over 775 rooms, 800 staff and it’s own cinema, doctor’s surgery, chapel and swimming pool.

9. We give our buildings silly names like The Gherkin, Cheesegrater and Walkie Talkie and use them to the extent that we can’t remember the original names!

10. 47% of London is green space with eight Royal Parks and lots of garden squares, commons, country parks and even two lavender fields. In fact, according to the UN definition, London can be called a forest with over 8.4 million trees.

As always, there’s loads of amazing things going on in the city everyday this week. Show your love and get involved.

After work this week…

Monday - All About the Lea

Find out all about the history of London’s second river in this free exhibition by Peter Marshall tonight at Cody Dock.

Tuesday - Pulled Apart By Horses

The Leeds indie rock band play Scala following the recent release of their 4th album Haze.

Wednesday - The Iris

Rebecca Louise Law’s immersive floral sculpture at the Now Gallery, Greenwich Peninsula until 7th May.

Thursday - Sakura Pop Up

Named after the Japanese cherry blossom season, this amazing pop-up returns at Brewery Below complete with sake.

Friday - Friday Night Lates at the National Gallery

Open every Friday until 9pm with a variety of special talks and exhibitions.

Something for the weekend…

Saturday 1st April

April Fool’s Day

April Fool’s Day is thought to date back to Ancient Roman times and is related to the start of spring. This year it’s on a Saturday so there’s no need to be worried about the office trickster and finding your stapler in jelly again - you can focus your pre-midday prank attention to your loved ones at home.

International Pillow Fight Day 2017

Bring your fluffiest, most feathery pillows to Kennington Park for this giant free fight at 2pm.

Sunday 2nd April

The Oxford V Cambridge Goat Race

The 9th annual goat race at Spitalfields City Farm. Gates open at noon and the race is later in the afternoon.

(And of course the actual…) Oxford V Cambridge Boat Race

The Cancer Research UK Boat Races - events kick off on the river bank at midday and the main race starts at 5.35pm. The nearest bridge to the start is Putney Bridge and Chiswick Bridge is closest to the finish.

Bethnal Green’s Affordable Vintage Fair (York Hall)

The UK’s largest travelling marketplace for retro clothes, homewares and accessories comes to York Hall from 10.30am (£3 before 11am, £2 after).

EYE ON… BRENT

There are 32 capsules on The Coca-Cola London Eye, representing the 32 London boroughs, so each week we explore a different London borough.

Brent is home to two of London’s most wonderful temples - the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Neasden Temple) and Shree Swaminarayan Mandir, Kingsbury, as well as Wembley Stadium home to the England football team - also considered a religion by some.

ON THIS DAY… 1st April 1957

The BBC receive a mixed reaction to their Panorama documentary about spaghetti crops growing in Switzerland. Spaghetti was not widely eaten in the country at the time and was very much a delicacy. Some contacted the BBC to find out where they could buy their very own spaghetti bush.