Brighton Pier, England, UK by Samuel Justice

Brighton

The seaside town of Brighton is located just a short train ride to the south of London and is particularly charming on a sunny day. The main pier here is a great place to take a stroll, while shoppers will want to head to the Lanes to browse for bargains. Most of the main attractions here can be found close to the sea, while the Royal Brighton Pavilion is one of the town’s most unusual landmarks and music lovers will find that a wide range of concerts are regularly held here.

Canterbury

The small city of Canterbury is one of the most vibrant destinations in the county of Kent. The city centre is pedestrianised, allowing visitors to wander along the cobbled streets and soak up the atmosphere. Canterbury is famous for its architecture, and no trip to the city would be complete without paying a visit to Canterbury Cathedral. This was also the setting for Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and visitors can get a feel of what the city was like at the time of Chaucer complete with the sights, sounds and smells of the era by visiting the Pilgrim’s Way Museum.

Canterbury Cathedral, England, UK by Steve Evans

Aylesbury

This historic market town can be found just 35 miles to the north west of London, meaning that visitors will have plenty of time to absorb the main sights within a day. Aylesbury is a town that is simply bursting with charm and exploring the town centre is a real treat. Aylesbury is also famous for its ancient standing stones, which are believed by many people to have mystical powers.

Bournemouth

City slickers who are looking for a little fun in the sun should take the train to the southern beach town of Bournemouth. Eating fish and chips by the sea is a popular pastime here, while there are plenty of wide rides and other attractions waiting to be enjoyed.

Oxford

The historical city of Oxford makes the ideal daytrip destination. Wandering along the cobbled streets and lanes in the old section of the city is an uplifting experience, and lovers of history and architecture will find numerous impressive churches, colleges and other buildings to explore, while the Pitt Rivers Museum is a great play to visit to learn about this city’s vibrant past.

Oxford University, England, UK by Biker Jun

Bath

With it Georgian architecture and chic and sophisticated bars and restaurants, Bath is the perfect blend of the old and the new. The buildings that can be found in the town centre are particularly well preserved and this makes exploring a lot of fun. There are plenty of great outdoor cafes here where visitors can enjoy a snack while indulging in a little people watching, while many of the shops here feature handicrafts that cannot be found in any other part of the country. Bath was named after the Roman Baths that were once extremely popular here, and the Roman Baths Museum is the perfect place to find out all about them.

Of course, these are just a few of the destinations that are waiting to be discovered by both visitors to London and those who live there. Conceirge services offered by some of London’s best 5 star hotels are often more than happy to organise a day’s excursion so make sure you pick their brains about the various destinations that are within easy reach of London’s very excellent railways.

Article sources:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/england/london/travel-tips-and-articles/77050

http://www.wikitravel.org/london

Tom, a freelance writer from London, is a huge fan of rustic Britain and often indulges in his love of the Isles by taking the train without a destination in mind..!

The post The Best Days Trips From London appeared first on Best of European Union.

Whether it was the nascent rage of the occupy movement, the recent LIBOR rate fixing scandal or the full-on-bank apocalypse that began in 2008, more people than ever are likely to heap scorn upon the captains of finance and law that stalk the boardrooms of the square mile.

City of London, England, UK by Torcello Trio

But why does the majority of the UK’s international financial activity happen in this one little bit of one of the largest and exciting cities in the world? What’s with all the creepy dragon and griffin statues that guard the entrance? Why do UK politicians always equate the interests of ‘the city’ with the interests of everyday Joe and Janes like us?

The answer sounds at first like it could be more then a little Dan Brown, and reveals a strange fact about one of the most well known cities in the world.

The City is Actually a Corporation

The first thing to note is that the City of London is not actually part of the wider urban sprawl that we all know and love as London. Got that? It is actually a city in its own right as well as a ceremonial county that has its own unique style of local authority.

What is now known as the Square Mile was actually the port that was established by the Romans around 47 AD and was granted successive special rights throughout its history until it became the centre of the world’s financial system during the heights of the British Empire.

The municipal governing body of the Square Mile is actually called the City of London Corporation, although the exact date this legal definition was bestowed upon it is unknown (the first royal charter from the corporation dates back to 1067). Many of the antiquated medieval practices and traditions are still carried on to this day.

The Uniqueness of the City of London Corporation

The City has a unique status among the local authorities of the UK for a number of reasons. Firstly, it has its own territorial police force, who are separate from the metropolitan police and even have their own distinctive black and gold badges. Secondly, the corporation is allowed to own properties and assets outside its own borders such as Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath and public spaces in Northern Ireland.

Thirdly, and most intriguingly, the City has its own Lord Mayor (distinct from the Mayor of London) who is flanked by a system of “aldermen” and sheriffs, and must have the blessing of the Court of Aldermen and the Livery (medieval trade guilds). If this sounds strange, that’s because it is.

The Lord Mayor is also expected to make a contribution out of their own pocket each year to the costs of running the City, which gives you some idea of what kind of income bracket you have to be in to be considered for this post.

But Why?

Well, it is hard to know the answer to this question due to the ongoing secrecy of the Corporation. Either it is just the fact that this is the way the City has always been run and it serves to make Bankers and Lawyers feel even more above the rest of us, or there is something else going on.

Possible theories are that the Corporation is actually one huge lobbying organisation or that it functions as a kind of offshore tax haven and enjoys different rates of tax to the rest of us. Either way someone should try and find out or let Dan Brown know all of this so that he can write another bestseller.

So if you ever need to explain to someone why all the bankers, lawyers and accountants in London seem to flock to the Square Mile, tell them it is probably because they are part of one of the oldest and strangest clubs in the world.

James Duvalis a freelance IT expert who didn’t believe what his drunken friend told him about the City of London down the pub, so went an researched it himself. When not working or writing blogs for companies such as Choose Your Accountant, James likes to search out good music and fine ales with his friends.

The post The City Within a City: The Square Mile and the Rest of London appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo by FearfulStills

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