Albertopolis

There’s not a lot to do in London at 7am. Plenty of people about on the streets and a few cafes open, but no big stores or museums. I wandered up to Hyde Park and had a coffee at the Serpentine Lido. A few hardy souls were swimming with the swans and coots.

This part of South Kensington has been nicknamed Albertopolis after Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. He bought the surrounding land with the profits from the 1851 Great Exhibition and intended it to be a site with permanent facilities for the enlightenment of the public. This never really happened in his lifetime, but after his death at the age of 42, the area was developed to include the Albert Hall, Albert Memorial (in the photo) the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Royal Colleges of Art and Music, Imperial College and the Royal Geographical Society.

At 10, the V&A opened and I spent an hour or so wandering around before travelling south of the river to meet Sarah. She made me some lovely beetroot soup for lunch (see extra) and now we’re having a rest before heading out again into Tooting.

Have a good weekend, everyone :-)