Visit the Buxton Memorial Fountain
Updated: 2011-06-30 07:30:00
, : skip to main skip to sidebar Tired of London , Tired of Life One thing a day to do in London A website about things to do in London Pages Home About Contact Talking to Strangers 30 June 2011 Visit the Buxton Memorial Fountain Often forgotten in an area full of memorials , The Buxton Memorial Fountain stands in Victoria Gardens , just South of the Houses of Parliament . It was constructed in 1834 to celebrate the emancipation of slaves in the British . Colonies Designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon , the fountain was commissioned by Charles Buxton MP , son of anti-slavery campaigner Thomas Fowell Buxton , and originally stood in Parliament Square . When , in 1949, the Government put forward a scheme to redesign Parliament Square , the fountain had to be moved , and following a campaign by

: : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Thursday , June 30, 2011 Theatre and perspiration : Roadshow The tennis at Wimbledon at the moment is getting really exciting , so it was great when walking into the Menier Chocolate Factory to see Stephen Sondheim's Roadshow that the seats were arranged like you were at Wimbledon comfortable but a bit hot and forcing you to turn your head to see the action as it moved across court the . stage Staging and heat aside , this is an interesting piece of theatre about two brothers who have various scams and schemes and in the process end up building a town in Florida , writing a screenplay or at least being in the room when it was written and developing an architectural style that for better or worse persists to this day . It is
: : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Tuesday , June 21, 2011 Theatre : Mr Happiness and The Water Engine Monday night , Johnnyfox and I found ourselves in the dark , cold underworld where dreams are destroyed by faceless businessmen . We also found ourselves at the Old Vic Tunnels a fabulous collection of spaces under the railway arches near Waterloo station that are also a little bit dark and dank watching Mr Happiness and the Water Engine , two short plays written by David Mamet originally for . radio The first piece is about a radio announcer Mr Happiness and his sometimes unusual advice to his listeners . Played by David Burt his velvety tones and the space of the theatre make you feel like you could be in a radio audience from the . period Things switch a
: : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Friday , June 17, 2011 Theatre : Blink Again Turn on the lights It took me a while to work out why a man in a Spiderman suit kept appearing on stage for a show about songs from flop shows . I was somewhat distracted by the low turnout on Thursday evening to see Blink Again at Above The Stag to think too much . further Maybe it was the weather or maybe it just wasn't gay enough show for the venue . But the cast were energetic and the irony of the lack of a big audience didn't seem lost on them . The show was a compilation of some great and some not so great songs from shows that perhaps did not put them in their best light . This includes songs such as A Boy from Nowhere from Matador and China Doll from . Marguerite In the
: : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Monday , June 13, 2011 Scenes from London : World Naked Bike Ride 2011 Hundreds of cyclists braved the weather well it turned out to be sunny once the ride started narrow London streets , traffic , road works and pedestrians with long lenses on Saturday to mark the annual world naked bike ride which among other things is a protest for more sustainable . transport This year it seemed a little more chaotic with naked people having to wait at traffic lights surrounded by cars , red-faced taxi drivers , busses and tourists . If you ever have nightmares about being stranded naked in Piccadilly Circus , then this is the event to live them . It all helped underscore this year's message on cycling safety and how vulnerable cyclists
: : Paul in London Paul is in London . And seeing mostly theatre Friday , June 03, 2011 Theatre : Rumours Rumours-Teaser Trailer from Rob Watt on Vimeo If the eighties were the decade of big hair , big angst and big dramas , then Neil Simon's comedy-farce Rumours probably fits in rather nicely . It is a sex scandal , political intrigue , power dressing fetish extravaganza rolled into one . nbsp Farce isn't every one's cup of tea but I was in the mood for cheap laughs on Thursday evening and it did not . disappoint This production transfers the setting from its original New York to Oxford , which makes the cultural references more relevant . The premise is that as guests arrive at the home of the finance minister and his wife for a tenth anniversary celebratory dinner , there is an