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Birmingham Vacations, Places To Visit & The Ikon Gallery
March 27th, 2011 by Andrew Kelly, under Vacations. No Comments
Birmingham is an interesting city in the West Midlands (a county in England), it is a really popular destination for city breaks. The city features a huge selection of excellent attractions including a great many churches which have Grade I status and other impressive buildings as well as many museums and galleries, including Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery.
Birmingham’s Ikon Gallery is a contemporary art gallery which is located in the building which was previously the Oozells Street Board School in Brindleyplace, but it had not always has such a prestigious local.
The Ikon was founded in nineteen sixty four by 4 students of art and Angus Skene. The 4 artists were; Robert Groves, Jesse Bruton, Robert Groves and Sylvani Merilion. Angus Skene had bought a piece of art by David Prentice and the pair of them talked about the endless problems suffered by local artists, including the lack of support and venues. The discussion formed the basic ideas for Ikon which was to be a “gallery without walls”.
Angus Skene funded the project initially, which consisted of mobile exhibitions in such diverse locations as cinemas and post offices in a motorcycle sidecar, the concept being to make art more accessible to the public. To keep the overheads down staffing duties was by the founding artists who did it for free. In nineteen sixty five the Ikon Gallery was given a glass walled kiosk in the famous Bull Ring shopping centre.
For almost two decades the Ikon Gallery moved from place to place until 1997 when it bought, with aid from the National Lottery, its present premises, the former Oozells Street Board School. In recent years the Gallery has held a selection of exhibitions and its continual ability to excel has led to it becoming incredibly popular, so much so that in 2006 it opened a further gallery, the Ikon Eastside in Digbeth.
If you are planning a vacation in Birmingham try to allow time to visit the Ikon Gallery. Also it is important to know that although there are many hotels and guest houses in Birmingham finding bed and breakfast in Birmingham can at times be pretty difficult. It is therefore crucially important to book your accommodation at the earliest opportunity. You should be aware that the nearest airport is about eight miles away from the the city center (just off the A45 and near the M42, Junction 6. You will will be able to find a number of hotels and guest houses near to the airport.
If you are planning to stay in Birmingham bed and breakfast accommodation you may be interested in our listings of accommodation near the Ikon Gallery
City Breaks In London And Accommodation Close To The Millennium Wheel
March 12th, 2011 by Andrew Kelly, under Vacations. No Comments
London is among the most popular vacation destinations in the continent of Europe. A large number of factors work together making the city appealing to a huge range of holiday makers, the most important of which is the immense collection of first class attractions located the capital. London is the largest urban zone in the whole of Europe and it’s the capital of England. As such it is not surprising that there are numerous areas to stay with each and every having their own distinctive attraction. Some people choose to stay in the very centre of the city while others make a choice to stay somewhere in the outskirts. In the article below I will be taking an in depth look at a selection of the hotels close to the London Eye/Millennium Wheel.
The London Eye, or, more appropriately, The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, is an enormous observation wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames. Visited by over three and a half million people every 12 months it’s the most popular tourist attraction within the British Isles. While enjoying a flight passengers can view a variety of the best tourist attractions the city has to offer for example; Houses of Parliament, Palace of Westminster, St Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben clock tower, the NatWest Tower and and more. Featuring such an enormous selection of fantastic visitor attractions within a short distance from The London Eye many folk choose to stay in hotels close to the attraction itself.
Hotels Near To The Merlin Entertainments London Eye
To help keep things as easy as possible I shall concentrate on those hotels and accommodations which are nearest to the Merlin Entertainments London Eye and those which can also take bookings online. The nearest two places are both Park Plaza hotels, the Park Plaza County Hall and the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge. Just a little further away are the accommodation; Citadines, London Marriott Hotel County Hall and Royal Horseguards and below I will describe these excellent hotels in more detail.
Park Plaza County Hall The Park Plaza County Hall is located at number one Addington Street at the River Thames’ South Bank. It is inside of easy walking distance of the Eye (it is simply over Westminster Bridge) which is visible from many of the hotel’s rooms. Providing four star accommodation at an inexpensive price the Park Plaza is a very fashionable place to stay so it’s always worth looking to reserve your room at the earliest opportunity. Amenities include; free WI-FI Internet access, free laundry room, complimentary access to the gym, sauna and steam room (spa treatments are to be had for an additional price). Rooms have kitchen facilities together with microwave, crockery, cutlery and tea/coffee making facilities however it is worth taking into account taking foods at their Spectrum Restaurant which has an excellent reputation for its fine British Cuisine.
The Westminster Bridge(Park Plaza) The Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is located at number 200 Westminster Bridge Road which is at the south side of Westminster Bridge. The hotel gives all of the facilities you can expect of a four star establishment (for example free Wi-Fi internet) but different facilities include a business centre, a concierge service and two executive lounges making it the perfect place to stay for folk vacationing London on business. The hotel also includes a health club that’s open 24 hrs a day as well as A sauna, spa, steam room and a swimming pool of 15 metres.
The Royal Horseguards provides award-winning five star accommodation with rooms costing just a bit more than 4 star-rated accommodation (if you be ready to locate a last-minute reservation discount. Positioned at 2 Whitehall Court this establishment is very close to the business district. The London Marriott Hotel County Hall, on Westminster Bridge Rd, is a four star-rated establishment which additionally gives last-minute booking reductions and which also has an indoor pool, a spa and a health club. Citadines Trafalgar Square London gives 3 star rated accommodation serviced apartment accommodation, on Northumberland Avenue, at an affordable price.
Other places to stay near the London Eye come with; Charing Cross (Strand), LSE Northumberland House (8a Northumberland Avenue), Wellington (81-83 Waterloo Road) and apartments at SACO London (75 York Rd), which are all about half a mile away from The Millennium Wheel. The Savoy (Strand), which has very recently had the most expensive refurb in the UK and Europe, is also 880 yards from the Millennium Wheel as are The Strand Palace Hotel (in the Strand), The Royal Trafalgar (on Whitcomb Street) and The Trafalgar (in Trafalgar Square).
In all you will find over fifty hotels near the London Eye (a mile or less away), the selection is amazing but it is very important note that this accommodation is extremely popular and it’s strongly advised to reserve your room at the earliest opportunity. It’s important to keep in mind that these places are nearly always fully booked but, if you wish to risk it, there is, every now and again, the potential for getting last-minute reservation reductions.
If you are considering a vacation in London and you are looking for hotels near the London Eye please take a look at our list at http://www.londonhotelhelper.com/categories/4/hotels-near-london-eye/