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August 2018

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National Afternoon Tea Week & National Prosecco Day

National Afternoon Tea Week & National Prosecco Day

It’s National Afternoon Tea Week so why not indulge with an afternoon tea & a glass of Prosecco with a river view. Below are just a selection of afternoon tea’s available along the River Thames. Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) Combine a tour of the home of British politics with afternoon tea in one of the riverside rooms of the House of Commons. Audio Tours & Guided Tours of Charles Barry & Augustus Pugin’s Gothic masterpiece are available followed by a tradition afternoon tea with a modern twist. New Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) Visit Website The Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe Visit the Swan restaurant at Shakepeare’s Globe & choose between two inspired afternoon teas. ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream Afternoon Tea’ features a selection of savoury & sweet items inspired by the characters from Shakespeare’s plays. The ‘Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea’ offers beef sliders, croque monsieur, smoked salmon & more, all washed down with a tankard of Pale Ale or Lager. Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside Visit Website The Cutty Sark Café Treat yourself to an afternoon tea beneath the copper-plated hull of the China tea trade’s famous tea clipper, ‘Cutty Sark’. Cutty Sark Café’s afternoon tea is £27 & includes

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Painted Hall Ceiling Tours, Old Royal Naval College, Royal Borough of Greenwich

Painted Hall Ceiling Tours, Kids Go Free

About the Royal Hospital for Seamen & Painted Hall The Royal Hospital for Seaman at Greenwich was built under the instructions of Mary II. Mary had been inspired by the sight of injured sailors returning from the Battle of La Hogue in 1692 & wanted to provide a naval counterpart to the Chelsea Hospital for soldiers. The new hospital was designed by Sir Christopher Wren & his assistant Nicolas Hawksmoor. The original design featured a large structure topped by an enormous dome, Mary II ordered that the buildings be split to preserve the view from the Queens House (completed in 1935 by Inigo Jones). The new design for the Royal Hospital featured four main wings & two smaller domes. Queen Mary Court housed the hospitals Chapel & King William Court housed the painted hall. James Thornhill & the Painted Hall The young artist James Thornhill was commissioned to decorate the painted hall, the agreed price for the work was £1 per square yard for the walls & £3 per square yard for the ceiling. After 20 years Thornhill had finished one of the largest painted ceilings in Northern Europe at 40,000 square foot. The masterpiece earned him a fortune &

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