When most people visit London, after catching a Gatwick shuttle service into the city, their itinerary will include all the main sites – like the Tower of London, the main museums, Buckingham Palace, and others. But what many risk missing are the lesser-known cultural venues (some of which can be glimpsed as you whizz by on the Gatwick shuttle service). For a city that has so much to offer, London also keep’s a fair bit hidden away – but it’s there for those who are in the know and will to explore. Why not make time to see out the world’s oldest music hall and visit the unusual Wellcome Collection?
Wilton’s Music Hall
Started as an alehouse around 1743, Wilton’s is thought to have served as the local venue for the Scandinavian sea captains who lived nearby. Around 1826, the owner installed the area’s first Mahogany Bar, which caught on as a name for the pub. Then, just over ten years later, a concert hall was added, and for a while the place was licensed as a saloon that permitted full-length plays on its stage. While you probably won’t see this place on your Gatwick shuttle service into the city, you can easily make your way to Grace’s Alley, E1, where it is tucked away.
Around 1850, John Wilton bought the place and upgraded the concert hall with all the bells and whistles. Over the next fifty years the area went downhill and was bought by a Methodist Mission and renamed. After World War II, the Methodists left and the building was scheduled to be destroyed. Thankfully, it was saved in the 1960s, and has been reopened since 1996 and has been presenting new works since 2004.
The Wellcome Collection
On your Gatwick shuttle service to the centre of the city, you may well pass by the Wellcome Collection, near Euston. Popularly known as the “free destination for the incurably curious,” the Wellcome Collection promises to delight. Founded relatively recently in 2007, the curious mix or artefacts, arts, medicine and science will give you hours of entertainment exploring.
Founded by Sir Henry Salome Wellcome, the current exhibition of Medicine Now is a multi-media show that explores aspects of modern medicine and the way the Wellcome Trust fits in. You can view works on the body, obesity, the genome and more. You can also stop by the current exhibition, ‘The Institute of Sexology’, which is a look at the most publicly discussed private acts, and runs until September 2015. While you are here, pop into the fantastic cafe and check out the artworks on the walls of the entrance too. If you’re interested in more in depth studies, you can visit the impressive Wellcome Library, which has a focus on growing the resources of medical history. If you are interested, you can join for free and explore the history of medicine.
