Britain on the Cheap

All of the UK will be celebrating Charles Dickens‘ 200th birthday on Feb. 7, but the spotlight will shine brightest on his birthplace in Portsmouth. You can plan ahead for a free timed admission slot to the Charles Dickens Birthplace on both Feb. 5, an extra free day, and on Feb. 7. Both days will [...]

It’s easy to slip back a century or so for the holidays when you visit Blists Hill Victorian Town in the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Shropshire. On Dec. 10-11 and 17-18, Blists Hill Town residents will be celebrating in 1800s style, with Christmas songs and stories, Punch and Judy and a magic show. Sing [...]

Now’s the chance to snap up 2-for-1 tickets to “Dickens and London” at the Museum of London. Opening Dec. 9, this will be the largest exhibition marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. Regular adult tickets are £8/$13, or £7/$11 advance purchase. The exhibition will examine the central relationship between Dickens and [...]

Are you headed to the summer opening of the Houses of Parliament? This year’s run is July 29-Oct. 1, and you can pre-book tickets for the 75-minute Blue Badge guided tour now. Prices are £15/$24 per adult, £6/$10 per child. The tours will explore the Lords and Commons Chambers, Westminster Hall, the Queen’s Robing Room, [...]

Pirates: the Captain Kidd Story opens today at the Museum of London Docklands and runs through Oct. 30. Original artifacts, archaeological finds and hands-on interactives will reveal London’s links with piracy dating back to the 17th century, including the capital’s gruesome history as a place of execution for pirates. The infamous Captain Kidd himself met [...]

Fascinated by London history? The London Maze will return April 16 to the Guildhall Art Gallery and Yard. The free local history fair showcases London and its past, with stalls from libraries, archives, museums and local history societies, as well as tours of the Guildhall Art Gallery and the Roman Amphitheatre, film shows from the [...]

It may still be dreary winter, but lots of Anglophiles are dreaming of summer—and summer school in Oxford. The 2011 Oxford Experience, a one-week residential course at Christ Church, one of the most prestigious of Oxford colleges, will run July 10-Aug. 13, 2011. Registration is now open, with such courses as The Brontës; Anglo-American Relations [...]

It’s not too late for Valentine’s Day! SACO apartments is offering a free stay Sunday night Feb. 13 when you book a studio or one-bedroom apartment on Feb. 11 and 12. That’s good for traditional romance in Bath—think Jane Austen—from £100/$158 per night. In London, check into an apartment in Aldgate, Covent Garden, Holborn, Fleet [...]

Can’t wait for the 2012 London Olympics? Get a free countdown to the Olympic and Paralympic Games with the Destination Greenwich App. Local actor Nick Day narrates the app highlights. Greenwich is a host borough for London 2012. In addition to sports, the app will provide the latest on the Greenwich Festivals, from street theater [...]

The Royal Oak Foundation, the American affiliate of the National Trust, is offering a 2-for-1 voucher to the newly restored Gothic castle Strawberry Hill outside Richmond. The home, Britain’s finest example of Georgian Gothic Revival architecture, was transformed from a modest 1698 home into a castle by Horace Walpole, son of England’s first prime minister. [...]