“What’s New in London” December 2014

The year may be coming to a close, but there is plenty of time to book a trip to London this December to enjoy unique exhibitions and events while staying at new hotel properties.

 

Among the unique offerings are “Small Stories: At Home in a Dolls’ House” at the Victoria & Albert Museum of Childhood opening December 13that takes you on a journey of the history of each home and the dolls who lived there.

 

History buffs will appreciate “The First World War in the Air” at the Royal Air Force Museum in North London.  The Museum site has a rich history and played an important role in the early development of British aviation.  See how pilots, ground crews and even factory workers come together at this birthplace of aerial power.

 

Theater season is in full swing with new productions of beloved children’s classics including “The Wind in the Willows” opening December 2 at the Vaudeville Theater; “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” at the Royal Opera House beginning December 6; and “The Little Match Girl” at Sadler’s Wells on December 13. Also highly anticipated is the Young Vic’s production of “Golem” -- a stunning blend of original animation with entrancing music and live performance exploring the theme of what happens when mankind and machines become inextricably intertwined.

 

Don’t miss the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display.  This year 100,000 tickets will be available to the public atwww.london.gov.uk/nye.

 

London offers a wide variety of accommodations.  New hotels include The Beaumont Hotel, the first of noted restaurateurs Jeremy King and Chris Corbin and M by Montcalm, one of two new hotels from the Montcalm Group.  The 200-room hotel is part of a 23-story tower development which fuses large scale art, sculpture and architecture in a futuristic tower.  

 

Additional information about all these attractions opening in December is below.  For more on what’s new in London, go to visitlondon.com.  You can also follow the London & Partners Media and Public Relations team for more London news at @London_PR. 

 

Exhibitions The First World War in the AirRoyal Air Force Museum, to open in December 2014 A brand new permanent exhibition will open in December 2014 in the museum’s historic Grahame-White Factory: this Grade II listed building was an active aircraft factory during the First World War. The Museum site in North London has a rich history and played an important role in the early development of British aviation. English aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White described the area as ‘the birthplace of aerial power.’ The exhibition will explore what it was like to be involved in the earliest days of military aviation through the story of Britain’s air services, the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service. These two organizations merged on 1 April 1918 to become the world’s first independent air force, the Royal Air Force. This story will incorporate the experiences of pilots, ground crews and factory workers as well as the local North London community.  For more information contact the RAF Museum press office on 020 8358 6410 / media@rafmuseum.org  Small Stories: At Home in a Dolls’ HouseV&A Museum of Childhood, 13 Dec 2014 - 6 Sept 2015  This exhibition will reveal the fascinating stories behind some of the UK's best-loved dolls' houses, taking you on a journey through the history of the home, everyday lives and changing family relationships. The small stories of 12 dolls' houses from the past 300 years will be brought to life by the characters that live or work there. Come and meet the residents, and discover tales of marriages and parties, politics and crime. The exhibition encompasses country mansions, the Georgian town house, suburban villas, newly-built council estates and high-rise apartments. The houses will also show developments in architecture and design. For more information contact Rebecca Ward on 020 7613 3306 / rebecca@rebeccaward.co.uk Events Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Display The London Eye, 31 Dec 2014 At midnight, Big Ben's famous "bongs" will ring out, followed by the UK's largest annual fireworks display. London’s hugely popular and internationally acclaimed New Year’s Eve fireworks celebrations, organized by the Mayor of London, have become so successful that the organizers have taken the decision to ticket the event in order to reduce the number of people attending. This year 100,000 tickets will be available to the public, which will guarantee good views of the fantastic pyrotechnic display and a better visitor experience. People, from anywhere in the UK or abroad, will be able to book up to four tickets from Friday 26 September at 12 noon (UK time), by going tolondon.gov.uk/nye. If you miss out on a ticket, you can still enjoy the full show from the comfort of your own home live on BBC1. Theatre and Music   The Wind in the Willows Vaudeville Theatre, 2 Dec 2014 - 17 Jan 2015, This joyful production brings to life Kenneth Grahame's classic tale of four unlikely anthropomorphic friends - a mole, a rat, a badger, and of course, a toad - who join up to save the latter's ancestral home from being overrun. When Toad's taste of the high life sees him steal a luxury motor car and end up in prison, his hubris doesn't win him any friends. But the good-hearted Mole, dashing Ratty and gruff Badger take pity on his increasingly sorry plight behind bars and work together to spring him and save Toad Hall from a pack of dastardly weasels, which are intent on destroying it. A parable that stresses the importance of friendships, despite differences, this will be a fantastic treat for theatre fans, young or old. For more information contact general@nimaxtheatres.com Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Royal Opera House, 6 Dec 2014 – 16 Jan 2015 Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland arrived on the stage in 2011 with a burst of color, theatrical magic and inventive choreography. It was The Royal Ballet’s first new full-length work since 1995 and was greeted with delight by audiences. Joby Talbot’s score combines contemporary soundworlds with sweeping melodies that gesture to ballet scores of the 19th century. Bob Crowley’s wildly imaginative sets and costumes draw on puppetry, projections and masks to make Wonderland wonderfully real. Alice encounters a cast of extraordinary characters, from the highly-strung Queen of Hearts, who performs a hilarious send-up of The Sleeping Beauty's famous Rose Adage, to dancing playing cards, a sinuous caterpillar and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter. Alice and the Knave of Hearts dance a tender, loving pas de deux of delicate beauty. But the ballet does not avoid the darker undercurrents of Lewis Carroll’s story – a nightmarish kitchen, an eerily disembodied Cheshire Cat and the unhinged tea party are all created in vivid detail. For more information contact Kate Davis on 020 7212 9241 /kate.davis@roh.org.uk The Little Match Girl Sadler’s Wells, 13 Dec 2014 - 4 Jan 2015 Celebrated choreographer Arthur Pita brings his magical dance theatre show The Little Match Girl to the Lilian Baylis Studio this Christmas. Based on Hans Christian Andersen's classic story, this touching tale of a young street girl's hopes and dreams is beautifully told through dance, song and original live music. A snowy stage sets the scene for an icy cold Christmas eve, where the little match girl paces the emptying streets, trying to sell her matches. Cold, hungry and with just one final match flame to keep her warm, she sees a vision of her beloved grandmother. Leaving her troubled life behind, she is guided up into the night sky by her grandmother who takes her to the moon. Now, on a clear night, if you look closely, you might see the light of a shooting star, or is it a match burning brightly? For more information contact contact@arthurpita.com   Golem Young Vic, 9 Dec 2014 – 21 Jan 2015 The danger lies not in machine becoming more like man but in man becoming more like machine. Following the smash hit The Animals and Children took to the Streets, this UK premiere from 1927 is one of the most anticipated new shows of 2014. Blending stunningly original animation with entrancing music and live performance, Golem explores one of the great questions of the modern world - what happens when mankind and machines become inextricably intertwined? For more information contact Charlotte Bayley on 020 7922 2979 / charlottebayley@youngvic.org Hotels The Beaumont Hotel Mayfair, opening autumn 2014 Restaurateurs Jeremy King and Chris Corbin are to open their first hotel overlooking Brown Hart Gardens in Mayfair. The 75-room hotel will feature an inhabitable sculpture of a crouching man, called Room, by artist Antony Gormley which is predicted to become a landmark for the area. King and Corbin, who have made their name with top restaurants such as The Wolseley, The Ivy and Le Caprice have developed the project in partnership with property firm Grosvenor to a design by ReardonSmith architects who have previously worked on the Four Seasons on Park Lane, The Savoy, and Claridge's. The Beaumont will also comprise a Presidential suite, a 100-seater classic New York-style restaurant, a private dining room, spa and leisure facilities. For more information contact Martine de Geus on martine.degeus@CorbinKing.com M by Montcalm Shoreditch London Tech City, opening autumn 2014 One of two new hotels from the Montcalm group set to open in 2014, the M by Montcalm is part of a cluster of towers beginning to form on City Road. The new build 200-room hotel is part of a 23-storey tower development which fuses large scale art, sculpture and architecture in a futuristic looking tower. The building will include retail and bars, self-storage, business centre, fitness centre and the hotel which has an exceptional roof top bar overlooking London. The pioneering new building which tapers and twists to allow daylight penetration at street level has been created by architect Will Alsop. He has described the project as "an artwork" which includes a striking 15-storey work by artist Bruce McLean. For more information visit mbymontcalm.co.uk