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Handel House Museum
Photo: HandelandHendrix, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Home to the baroque composer George Frideric Handel from 1723 until his death in 1759. Some of the greatest classical music ever composed was done so at this address. The museum charts Handel's life and works and offers recitals of music in the magnificent setting of the period rooms. By contrast, next door was home to Jimi Hendrix when he lived in London in 1969, and entry to this top-floor flat is included.
Handel Hendrix House is a museum in Mayfair, London, dedicated to the lives and works of the German-born British Baroque composer George Frideric Handel and the American rock singer-guitarist Jimi Hendrix, who lived at 25 and 23 Brook Street respectively.
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Located on St George's Street in Mayfair just south of Hanover Square, the parish church of Mayfair was completed in 1724 to a design by John James, featuring a portico in Palladian style.
Nicknamed Little America, it was the long-time home of the American Embassy (which in 2018 moved to Nine Elms across the river), and a statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Not as well-known as the Royal Albert Hall, the 'Wig', which opened in 1901, is one of London's main concert halls. It still mainly caters for a classical audience, and includes chamber music, early music, vocal music and song recitals. It hosts around 500 concerts each year.
This chapel was built in 1739 to a design that inspired many churches in the northeast United States.
The Royal Academy no longer has a permanent exhibition space, instead hosting art exhibitions. Notable exhibitions have included the paintings of Monet, contemporary art associated with the theme of apocalypse, and Aztec art. Each Summer, the Royal Academy plays host to a Summer Exhibition, displaying 1,200 new works by established and new artists selected by the academy, most of which are available for visitors to buy. Each member has to donate a work of art, so over the years, the academy has built a sizable collection. Exhibitions are invariably excellent, and it is worth paying for audio guides, if they are not included. Visitors should book tickets in advance, as exhibitions are often very popular – particularly shortly after opening.
The Wallace Collection is one of the world's finest private art collections, the best known of which is Frans Hals's work The Laughing Cavalier. Other artists on display include Rembrandt, Titian, Poussin, and Reynolds. This is well worth escaping to after the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street.