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Anna of London

Presenting the most wonderful city in the world. Join with me as I guide you around London - discover its history, its hidden corners and its quirkiness.

During this tricky travel period I am also guiding online. Do join me for a virtual tour of london.

20/06/2025

This statue in the Vatican Museums was discovered in 1506 in Rome where it was unearthed beneath a vineyard, now not far from the Colosseum. Its influence on art was huge. The agony on the face of this Trojan priest, Laocoön, is so evident. The writhing and distortion of the body in pain is so dramatic. Renaissance painters and those who followed were clearly influenced by this, as can be seen in the wonderful masterpiece, Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian, in the National Gallery, London. The marble statue which likely dates to 1stC BC is possibly a copy of a lost Greek bronze, maybe from Pergamon 150 yrs earlier. To see the Roman statue you would have to go to the Pio Clementino gallery inside the Vatican. So unique, so powerful, so physical. ❤️️

18/05/2025

Great to work with such lovely ladies!! Windsor on a sunny day and no crowds…. Delightful!! Congratulations Windsor Tourist Guides for excellent organisation as usual. ❤️️

30/03/2025

Winston Churchill is famous for being British Prime Minister during WWII. His conviction that Hi**er could be beaten and his rousing speeches persuaded the British public that victory was possible. However, many do not realise that he had been hugely famous 40 years earlier. In his mid 20’s as a soldier and journalist he amazed the public with a daring escape in South Africa during the Boer War. Armed with just a pistol, he climbed the walls of his prison in December 1899, prompting a huge search and a reward for his recapture. With help from a local mine manager he made it to safety. His report of this escape was printed in the Morning Post on 28 Dec causing a sensation. This is just one of the stories of this remarkable man in the Churchill War Rooms. Don’t miss this when you are in london! ❤️️

27/03/2025

Delighted to see the return of the Mold Gold Cape to the British Museum. After a holiday on loan it once again stars in the Pre-Roman galleries. Made from Welsh Gold and over 3,500 years old it is named for the N Wales village near which it was discovered hidden away, probably with the intention of coming back to find it one day. It is patched in places because the original sections are missing. Now looking very sparkly, it had to be reconstructed by British Museum experts. Can you see the holes along the edge where most likely a leather lining was attached? Did it have a cape attached below? Who owned it? Who was it made for? These are questions we just can’t answer but it must have been someone very important as treasure like this was very rare! ❤️️

25/02/2025

The Narmer Palette, one of the earliest depictions of Egypt as a nation unifying the north and south… Upper and Lower Egypt. The king… King Narmer… of 31stC BC… is shown on one side wearing the crown of Upper Egypt and on the other wearing that of Lower Egypt. He is ‘smiting’ his enemies… some even shown beheaded in rows…. This unique piece was found in the dirt of Hieronkopolis and is over 5000 years old… Wow! That’s almost Pre-dynastic time. It is one of the greatest treasures of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and for me, a bucket list thing to see in person. Amazing!!! ❤️

21/02/2025

Happy International Tour Guides Day… from Egypt! We Blue Badge guides get everywhere… look who we bumped into in Abu Simbel? A colleague from London… Janice! ❤️

24/01/2025

What a great exhibition! “Pride of England”. The lion here is made out of recycled soccer balls along with messages of support from locals in Ealing. Can you recognise any of these famous footballing heroes? The artworks by artist Matt Small are located currently in Pitzhanger Manor in Ealing. They represent the team spirit and the diversity of England, both of which we can be very proud! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🦁 ❤️

09/01/2025

Happy New Year! Time for a break! The season seems longer each year, especially post-pandemic. Down-time is limited. I am determined to rest more this year so that I have the energy to entertain all of my guests. Does anyone know the definition of insanity? … carrying on doing the same thing and expecting life to change! Quite simply, it doesn’t work! So I’m building in more ‘down-time’, taking a few more breaks and exercising more… When I’m charging on all cylinders you’ll appreciate that rest! Lots of love to all of you! Here’s to a fabulous 2025!! ❤️

03/01/2025

Just thought I’d share these beautiful pictures of our late Queen Elizabeth II. Her whole life was bound by duty… to her people. A long and hard job! “Heavy is the head that wears the crown”. Yet she smiled and laughed regularly and was always perfectly turned out and so elegant. A truly great example to the British people and the rest of the world. ❤️

31/12/2024

A wonderful wind dial mounted on a map above the mantelpiece at Kensington Palace. It allows the viewer to clearly see which direction the wind is blowing. With the dial being centred on London it would be easy to see when the wind was favourable for ships to sail up the English Channel towards London. Good to know… for the arrival of goods but also to avert any unwelcome visitors. The dial dates to 1694 not long after the accession of Queen Mary and her husband King William to the English throne. It is most likely connected by our most famous clockmaker, Thomas Tompion, to the weathervane above. Amazingly, it is still working and can be seen to move with the wind. You can just see the gold weathervane on the top of the palace between the finials on the roof. ❤️

29/12/2024

One of our greatest treasures. As you may be aware … I love the Medieval - there is so little left from that time - so much destroyed over 700-800 years. But this… this is so much earlier …and it is a major treasure…. exquisitely worked to create what is known as the Alfred Jewel. Certainly, around the edge is an inscription which says ‘Alfred ordered me to be made’. It is made of enamel and quartz surrounded by beautifully crafted gold with a rock crystal cover. It is an ‘aestel’ which means probably a pointer, used to run over the pages of books, to follow the text. The narrow base might have been attached to a wooden rod. Alfred… who was he? Well, royal titles were usually used for kings but here the title is missing. However, the workmanship indicates a very expensive piece so we assume this refers to King Alfred who died in 899 AD. This makes this piece over 1100 years old! It makes it an Anglo-Saxon jewel. Wow! It was found in Somerset, England, and we know that Alfred spent time in this area. Definitely worth the trip to Oxford to see it, this spectacular piece can be found in the Ashmolean Museum. ❤️

27/12/2024

The Iron Men of Crosby Beach is an installation by Anthony Gormley. It is titled “Another Place”. It travelled from Germany via Norway and Belgium, its first three locations to the banks of the Mersey and it was intended to move on… however, the local council succeeded in acquiring it permanently for this area of sands. Anthony Gromley himself agreed with the decision calling it a perfect location. Each statue is based on his own naked body with 17 different casts being used to create the original 100 statues standing 6’ 2” tall. ❤️

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