What's on in London. Highlights for June, 2008. A guide to London's ticketed events, a midsummer of Royal pageantry in London and Windsor, open gardens, festivals of Music, Theatre, Fine Art and Food, together with the great sporting highlights of Wimbledon, Ascot and Epsom Derby Day; from the diary of Burlington Bertie, OfftoLondon's Man About Town.

4th Taste of London.
Venue: Marylebone Green, Regent's Park,
Dates: 19 - 22 June, 2008. sessions: Thursday 12pm - 4pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm; Friday 12pm - 4pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm; Saturday 12pm - 4pm, 5.30pm - 9.30pm; Sunday 11am - 3pm, 4pm - 8pm
Tickets: Book priority tickets online. Prices from £21, (standard), to £50, (join Burlington Bertie in the VIP Champagne enclosure).
London Transport: Marylebone, Baker Street, Regent's Park, Great Portland Street, Camden Town.
Description: London's famous summer festival of gourmandise, now in its fifth gluttonously gratifying year. This is an opportunity to indulge your taste buds in samples of Michelin starred cuisine, signature dishes and fine wines prepared by 40 of London's top restaurateurs. This year visitors can take a unique culinary journey through China with Taste of China showcasing the nation's best food, drink, destinations, cultural arts and entertainment. Orient-Express will showcase London's only restaurant on wheels for the first time this year. The Northern Belle will travel from Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Stoke, on Saturday 21st June, bringing food-lovers to Regents Park to sample the best of British cuisine, in celebration of Orient-Express's involvement with the Taste of London Festival. Seasoned foodies with a long-suffering digestion will spend the month expanding their waistbands by commuting to other events in this month's Taste series, (Edinburgh, Dublin, Bath, Birmingham), prior to a visit to the physician for a cholesterol check.
Dress: Casual.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes. The nearest of the Park's three Accessible Toilets are at Queen Mary's Gardens.

Elizabeth Street Summer Party
Venue: Elizabeth Street, Belgravia, SW1.
Dates: TBA.
Description: A Street Party with a difference! Enjoy an evening of oysters and champagne, strawberries an cream, Vermeer chocolate truffles and music, and wander among the couture, fashion jewellery and perfume boutiques, specialist wine and cigar merchants, smart wine bars and candlelit bijou restaurants of Belgravia's elegant Elizabeth Street with its Georgian and Regency frontages. While home to an affluent residential population, embassies and consulates, Belgravia still retains the atmosphere of the village it once was, with its small shops, quaint mews and cottages. While visiting, pop into our 'local', The Duke of Wellington, an excellent neighborhood pub around the corner in Chester Row. It has been lubricating us locals for nigh on 200 years!
Tickets:N.A.
London Transport: Nearest Tube. Sloane Square.
Dress: Casually elegant. This is Belgravia dammit!
Wheelchair Accessibility: The Street itself is accessible but some venues such as the popular Ebury Wine Bar present a problem with access steps. Accessible Toilets at Victoria Bus Station.

O2: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs
Date: Daily, 10am-5pm. Ongoing. Ends 30 August, 2008.
Venue: O2 Exhibition Centre, Millennium Way, SE10.
Tickets:
£15, timed entry. (Concessions). Book online - Weekend tickets are the first to sell out. Book Hotel & Tutticket Break from £63.50.
London Transport: Nearest Tube. North Greenwich. Thames travel: Riverline O2 Express to Queen Elizabeth II Pier.
Description: For more than 3,000 years Tutankhamun's treasures lay unseen beneath the Egyptian sands until unearthed by Howard Carter in 1922/23. When they were shown at the British Museum in 1972 they were the ultimate 'must see' event. Now Tutankhamun returns in a spectacular new exhibition of 130 priceless treasures from the tomb and other Valley of the Kings royal burials, under the auspices of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and its ebullient Director, Dr. Zahi Hawass.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes. Accessible Toilets.

Royal Academy Summer Show
Venue: Burlington House, Piccadilly, W1J 0BD. Tel: 020 7300 8000.
Dates: 9 June-17 August, 2008. 10am-6pm daily. Fridays 10am-10pm.
Tickets: £7, (Concessions). Book online or Tel: 0870 8488 484.
London Transport: Nearest Tube. Green Park; Piccadilly Circus.
Description: The two centuries old Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is now world's largest open submission contemporary art exhibition, with a tradition of showcasing work for sale by unknown and emerging artists alongside that of more established and even august names. Past Royal Academicians include William Blake and JMW Turner, whose work is now permanently on exhibition at Tate Britain, (see Shophound Alexia's Free London for details), and more recently Sir Peter Blake and David Hockney, whose 2007 English landscape exhibit takes up an entire gallery wall and will be the largest painting ever hung at the Royal Academy.
The Summer Exhibition attracts about 9,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, prints and architectural models, most of which you can buy, though what you may like may well have received a red sticker at the opening Private View. This event is very much a part of the London social scene and tickets to the Private View, (obtainable from the Special Events Manager), are a notable and sometimes memorable occasion.
Friday late evenings are now a popular option, with table service dining and jazz music, (advance booking recommended).
Dress: Artistically casual - or casually artistic. The opening Private View is artistically smart or artistically eccentric, or possibly an idiosyncratic and occasionally flamoyant fusion of the two.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes. No information is available however on the RA website, a remarkable and dismal ommission for such an august institution. Since there are ticket concessions for disabled, there presumably must be some means of access other than up the steep flight of stairs in the entrance hall. Call: 020 730 8000.

Imperial War Museum: For Your Eyes Only
Date: Until 1 March 2009.
Venue: Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Road, SE1 6HZ. Tel: 0207 416 5320.
London Transport: Nearest Tube. Lambeth North; Elephant and Castle; Waterloo, (wheelchair accessible); Southwark, (wheelchair accessible).
Tickets: £8.(Concessions). Book online. The rest of the museum is FREE.
Description: A celebration of the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth with a fascinating exhibition devoted to his James Bond, the 007 gizmos and gadgetry, and Fleming's own remarkable life and wartime experiences. A special book is available to accompany the exhibition.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Yes. Accessible Toilets on all floors bar the 3rd and 4th. Accessible cafe on ground floor. The Museum has a number of manual, folding frame wheelchairs that can be borrowed for the duration of your visit. Check for full details

Skin+Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture
Venue: Embankment Galleries, Somerset House, Strand. WC2R 1LA. Tel: 020 7845 4600.
Date: Until 10 August, 2008.
London Transport: Nearest Tube. Temple.
Tickets: £8.(Concessions) .
Description: The first major international exhibition devoted to the complex relationship between fashion and architecture. Skin+Bones: Parallel Practices in Fashion and Architecture. an installation designed by architect Eva Jiricna. Taking the early 1980s as its starting point Skin+Bones examines the many visual and conceptual ideas that unite the two disciplines. The exhibition is organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA), and features the work of internationally renowned names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto, Future Systems, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. After huge success in Los Angeles and Tokyo, the exhibition opens in London with specially selected new pieces including work by Boudicca, Thomas Heatherwick, Martin Margiela, and Hussein Chalayan.
Wheelchair Accessibility: YES. Accessible Toilets. However no details are shown on the official website, a surprising ommission by a registered national charity. Call 020 7845 4600 for details.

Description The Derby has been the world's most prestigious flat race since 1780, and a trip to Epsom Downs for Derby Day has been a popular day's outing for Londoners since the advent of rail and, more recently, the motorcoach. Some £25 million in stud fees is at stake and the Derby is flat racing's betting highlight of the year. King Edward VII's horse Diamond Jubilee was a popular winner in 1900. The Queen regularly attends, although she is still waiting for that moment of joy when she leads her horse into the Winner's Enclosure. The closest she has come to emulating her great-grandfather was in 1953, her Coronation Year, when her horse Aureole, came second.
Dress: Smart for the Queen's Stand, (Day 1 is Ladies Day), casual elsewhere. Don't forget your binoculars.

Royal Ascot
Venue: Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire, SL5 7JN.
Dates: 17 -21 June, 2008.
Tickets: £45 - £998Book online for carpark, Stand, dining, etc. Early booking discounts.
Getting there: Road: Ascot is 45 miles from London. Approach from M4 via A332, (Junction 6), or from M3 via A332, (junction 3). Car parking available. Rail: Join the crowd of toffs in top hat and tails, (a remarkable sight), on the train from London/Waterloo - Ascot.
Description: Unbeatable racing in the Turf's most elegant thoroughbred surroundings, (Ascot racecourse is owned by the Sovereign who has recently spent a bundle of money in upgrading both course and facilities). The Queen and members of the Royal Family, together with Her select invited castleguests, attend Tuesday through Friday. The Royal party arrives each day before the first race in open carriages drawn by Windsor greys, driving on the course to the royal box in the main stand. Between races they mingle with jockeys, horses and owners in the paddock. Entrance to the 200 year old 'Royal Enclosure' is strictly controlled from St. James's Palace by the course administrator and first time applicants require sponsorship from someone who has been present in the Royal Enclosure at least four years previously. There are however excellent facilities for those denied entry to hobnob with royalty, though advance booking is essential for this popular society event. There are superb restaurant facilities and plenty of opportunity to celebrate a win with a bottle or two of champagne. Advance booking for dining is essential.
Dress: Top Hat and Tails for him and an excruciatingly expensive outfit for her lady, (topped by a milliner's confection that will cost the earth but catch the eye of the Society photographers on Thursday's Gold Cup Ladies Day). Morning dress is strictly enforced in the royal Enclosure.
Wheelchair Accessibility Yes. Accessible Toilets. Considerable attention to mobility issues has been given and wheelchair users are very well looked after at Ascot Racecourse. Check Ascot Access for full information and help.
Burlington Bertie's Accommodation Choice: Cliveden House Hotel, Cliveden, Taplow, Berkshire, SL6 0JF. If you decide to see Ascot in grand style, stay at the truly magnificent Cliveden House Hotel nearby. This is the former Thames-side pad of the Astor family, where pleasure, power and politics were mixed in sometimes in equal and sometimes scandalous proportions for over 300 years. Warn your bank manager or have a good win on the last race before you check out however.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships
Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Church Road, Wimbledon, SW19 5AE. Tel: 020 8946 2244.
Dates: 23 June - 6 July, 2008
Tickets: Although some tickets are available for all courts at the gate for the first week, expect to queue all night. Ground tickets to watch games on courts 3 - 17 are available at the gate only on the day of play. Demand exceeds supply so early arrival is essential. Offtolondon.com has online booking arrangements for all games on Center Court and Court No.1 including the Finals, though availability is limited so early booking is essential. Overseas visitors should consider an Offtolondon Wimbledon accommodation package.
London Transport:Nearest Tube: Wimbledon. The courts are seven miles southwest of central London. We recommend you travel by public transport as parking is extremely limited.
Description: Tennis has been England's most popular social summer sport since it superceded croquet when fashions freed ladies from long Edwardian skirts. The green lawns of Wimbledon are its pinnacle. King George VI, when Duke of York, set the royal seal of approval on the Wimbledon Championships when he competed in 1921 in the Men's Doubles. The Wimbledon atmosphere is unrivalled by any other tournament on the world curcuit; emerald green courts, the Royal Box graced my members of the Royal Family, the polite and decorously clad Centre Court spectators, the social ritual of champagne and fresh English strawberries, the inevitable "rain stopped play". And of course there are the players, for whom winning at Wimbledon is the ultimate dream.
Dress:
Center Court visitors are likely to be expensively dressed in smart casual wear.

Wheelchair Accessibility Yes, though some areas are challenging, and wheelchair users are recommended to bring an able bodied helper. Check Wimbledon.org for full details.

Lords Cricket. England v. New Zealand
Date:28 June, 2008.
Venue: Lords Cricket Ground, St. John's Wood, NW8 8QZ. Tel: 020 7432 1000.
Tickets: Book online, (essential), or at gate.
London Transport: Nearest Tube: Wembley Park.
Description: Lord's is the setting for some of the best cricket in the world. It hosts power Test matches and Nat West-sponsored one-day internationals plus most of Middlesex's home games, some historic fixtures (such as Oxford v Cambridge, Eton v Harrow) and the village and club finals. International Test Matches are normally televised live. June sees a number of interesting one day matches as well as that between England and New Zealand. Some of these, like the Eton v Harrow match, (14 June), are as much a social event as a cricket fixture.

Amora Sex Academy
Date: Daily, Mon-Thurs: 1pm-12 midnight; Fri-Sun,11am - midnight. 2008.
Venue: Trocadero Centre, 13 Coventry Street, Piccadilly.
Tickets: £12. (Concessions). Book online and collect at the door, or pay at door.
London transport: Nearest Tube. Piccadilly Circus. Bus routes: 6, 9, 12, 23, 15, 159, 13, 139, 38, 24.
Description: The new Academy of Sex London attraction where you can learn how to do it a little bit better in the heart of the capital. Amora is the world's first major attraction devoted entirely to sex, where visitors can get a deeper insight into sex and relationships in an open, lively atmosphere. This is a unique exhibition throwing the spotlight on sex in an informative but fun environment; a one stop shop for information on sex, including guest experts, high tech exhibitions and a number of interactive displays, giving visitors the chance to try something new or brush up on existing skills between the sheets. Discover the thrills and spills of a healthy sex life in the world's first sex theme park. A line up of interactive attractions includes an orgasm tunnel, foreplay food games, erogenous zone exploration and fantasy games. A series of special events will be taking place at Amora including sex therapists and relationship counsellors. Mull over what you've learned with an Amora cocktail or two in the Amora Lounge, before visiting the Amora Boutique for the latest and best-selling products and toys before heading home to put it all into practice.

London Walking Tours
Venue: Various, depending on the City Walk itinerary. Check website.
Date: Daily. 11am, 2pm or 7pm, depending on the itinerary. Check website.
Tickets: £7. Online Booking or telephone 020 8530-8443.
London Transport: Check website.
Description: Delve into the city's hidden past with Richard Jones the noted author, master story teller and social historian; film and TV producer Mark Ubsdell, and Jenny Phillips the London historian and researcher. They will describe the lives and legends of old London. Join them as they open the doors to the historic London of Shakespeare, Wren, Dickens, Jack the Ripper and more. Discover ancient hostelries, taverns and the old coaching inns from a time before the advent of rail and automobile when the Thames was still London's major thoroughfare. A comprehensive list of DVDs including Shakespeare in London, Dickens' London, Jack the Ripper, Haunted City, Secret City are available at special discount price with each booking. Both walks and DVDs are strongly recommended.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Tours are wheelchair accessible but require a fit companion. Seek advice when pre-booking your walk. Tel: 0208 530 8443 or email: rippertour@aol.com.

Jack the Ripper Walk
Venue: Aldgate, Whitechapel, Spitalfields. EC. Tel: 020 8530 8443
Date: Daily. 7pm-9pm. Closed 23-27, 30/31 December, 2008.
Tickets: £6.50. Online Booking
London Transport: Aldgate East, (District, Hammersmith and City Lines).
Description: Guided Exploration of the Whitechapel and Spitalfields alleys and pubs where serial killer Jack the Ripper murdered at least five and possibly many more prostitutes in a reign of terror during 1888. Your guide, Richard Jones, author of the much acclaimed DVD Jack the Ripper looks as if he has stepped straight out of a Dickens novel. He will lead you on the bloody trail of London's most infamous murderer. Strongly recommended as the spookiest of all the London Walks.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Tours are wheelchair accessible but require a fit companion. Seek advice when pre-booking your walk. Tel: 0208 530 8443 or email: rippertour@aol.com.

London Ghost Walks
Venue: Departs from Bank or Blackfriars Underground station.. EC. Tel: 020 8530 8443
Date: Tues/Fri/Sats. 7pm-9pm. Check website for 2008 dates.
Tickets: £7. Online Booking
London Transport: Aldgate East, (District, Hammersmith and City Lines).
Description: Alleyways and Shadows; Ghosts, Ghouls and Graveyards; the titles of these walks, painstakingly researched by author and historian Richard Jones, perfectly conjure the haunting atmosphere of these deliciously spooky tours that venture beyond the busy main roads and twist their eerie way through forgotten medieval and Victorian London. Let Richard Jones lead you to places where the disembodied voices from London's eerie past may just whisper in your ear, as their icy fingers stroke lightly down the back of your neck.
Wheelchair Accessibility: Tours are wheelchair accessible but require a fit companion. Seek advice when pre-booking your walk. Tel: 0208 530 8443 or email: rippertour@aol.com.

Jack The Ripper's Sinister London
Venue: Selected departure points by coach.
Date: Fridays, Sundays. from 6.40pm
Tickets: From $50.13 per person. Pay online.
Description:Tread in the footsteps of the infamous Jack The Ripper down the dark, narrow, gas-lit alleyways immortalized in such films as "From Hell". Led by one of the renowned London Blue Badge Guides, you will visit four murder sights. Your "Ripperologist" will run through some of the suspects who sparked a Victorian Whodunit that will leave you as gripped as its victims. Approx. 4 hours.
Wheelchair Accessibility: No.

Photo credit: Richard Jones, London Walking Tours.

London Walking Tours
Venue: Various, depending on the City Walk itinerary. Check website.
Date: Daily. 11am, 2pm or 7pm, depending on the itinerary. Check website.
Tickets: 7. Online Booking or telephone 020 8530-8443.
London Transport: Check website.
Description: Delve into the city's hidden past with Richard Jones the noted author, master story teller and social historian; film and TV producer Mark Ubsdell, and Jenny Phillips the London historian and researcher. They will describe the lives and legends of old London. Join them as they open the doors to the historic London of Shakespeare, Wren, Dickens, Jack the Ripper and more. Discover ancient hostelries, taverns and the old coaching inns from a time before the advent of rail and automobile when the Thames was still London's major thoroughfare. A comprehensive list of DVDs including Shakespeare in London, Dickens' London, Jack the Ripper, Haunted City, Secret City are available at special discount price with each booking. Both walks and DVDs are strongly recommended. Tours are wheelchair accessible but require a fit companion. Seek advice when pre-booking your walk.

Jack the Ripper Walk
Venue: Aldgate, Whitechapel, Spitalfields. EC. Tel: 020 8530 8443
Date: Daily. 7pm-9pm. Closed 23-27, 30/31 December, 2007. Check website for 2008 dates.
Tickets: 6.50. Online Booking
London Transport: Aldgate East, (District, Hammersmith and City Lines).
Description: Guided Exploration of the Whitechapel and Spitalfields alleys and pubs where serial killer Jack the Ripper murdered at least five and possibly many more prostitutes in a reign of terror during 1888. Your guide, Richard Jones, author of the much acclaimed DVD Jack the Ripper looks as if he has stepped straight out of a Dickens novel. He will lead you on the bloody trail of London's most infamous murderer. Strongly recommended as the spookiest of all the London Walks.

London Ghost Walks
Venue: Departs from Bank or Blackfriars Underground station.. EC. Tel: 020 8530 8443
Date: Tues/Fri/Sats. 7pm-9pm. Check website for 2008 dates.
Tickets: 7. Online Booking
London Transport: Aldgate East, (District, Hammersmith and City Lines).
Description: Alleyways and Shadows; Ghosts, Ghouls and Graveyards; the titles of these walks, painstakingly researched by author and historian Richard Jones, perfectly conjure the haunting atmosphere of these deliciously spooky tours that venture beyond the busy main roads and twist their eerie way through forgotten medieval and Victorian London. Let Richard Jones lead you to places where the disembodied voices from London's eerie past may just whisper in your ear, as their icy fingers stroke lightly down the back of your neck.

Jack The Ripper's Sinister London
Venue: Selected departure points by coach.
Date: Fridays, Sundays. from 6.40pm
Tickets: From $50.13 per person. Pay online.
Description:Tread in the footsteps of the infamous Jack The Ripper down the dark, narrow, gas-lit alleyways immortalized in such films as "From Hell". Led by one of the renowned London Blue Badge Guides, you will visit four murder sights. Your "Ripperologist" will run through some of the suspects who sparked a Victorian Whodunit that will leave you as gripped as its victims. Approx. 4 hours.

Burlington Bertie's Highlights Memo
Book tickets and hotel accommodation for the following 2008 annual events: RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, (8-13 July), and the Charity Gala Preview on 7 July; Holland Park Opera Festival, (3 June - 8 August); Glyndebourne Opera Festival, (18 May - 31 August); Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, (2 June - 13 September).

Choose your Hotel OfftoLondon provides expert advice and secure booking facilities for your overnight, 'City Break' or long term London accommodation requirements; from de-luxe 5-star hotels to comfortable backpacker's hostels.

The Central London congestion charge zone for visitors driving in London now covers all main areas of attraction on the north side of the Thames. It makes sense to travel by London Transport bus or Tube. Buy a great value multi-journey London Transport Travelcard or Oyster Card before you arrive, (available in most countries), and save money, time and hassle.