Instagram May and June 2015

Second instalment of pictures from my Instagram covers pictures of May and June (planning to do it monthly - promise!).

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on May 11, 2015 at 12:14pm PDT

The Blue Bridge (subtlety titled) can be found at St James's Park. It was quite a trek getting to the park and I came out of St James's Park Station but I wouldn't put it down as the nearest tube station to the park I found. Anyway, the bridge itself is a great location for great views of the surrounding areas with views of Buckingham Palace on once side and Horse Guard's Parade on the other. Great views of the Tiffany Fountain with these illustrious water streams blooming out of the water as well.

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on May 18, 2015 at 12:54pm PDT

I took this picture in 2013 of the White Cube Gallery in Bermondsey. The design of the White Cube Gallery  plays on symmetry, minimalism and lighting creating an expanse space with more focus on the artworks in their exhibitions. It is a real beauty to behold and is one of the most tranquil galleries I've been to.

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on Jun 28, 2015 at 12:38pm PDT

A snapshot of the concert of Pride London in Trafalgar. Extremely tiring work but very worthwhile to see an event that brings every together to celebrate the inclusivity of a community.

A photo posted by The Vinh Hoang (@thevh5) on Jul 5, 2015 at 12:39pm PDT

The Burlington Gardens Festival is part of the Brown's London Art Weekend and had a myriad of interactive activities and artworks on display.

West End Live 2015

West End Live brings the musical theatre into the open air with activities and performance taking place in Trafalgar Square and Leicester Square. The event ran on the weekend of 23 and 24 June 2015.

In Leicester Square, there were many of a variety to do with make-up demonstrations, photo booth, kid’s activity zone and a chance to view as well as wear some of the props and costumes from musicals and theatre on display. Props and costumes on display come from The 39 Steps, Wicked, Bugsy Malone, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and War Horse.

There are other activities to enjoy such as an interactive children’s area for the family to enjoy with different arts and crafts activities. What I particularly liked was the photo booth where can dress yourself up (I’m gonna dress you up in my love!) and take groovy snaps.

On main stage in Trafalgar Square, theatre shows and musical groups and troupes take centre stage providing performances throughout both Saturday and Sunday. Some of the acts include The Phantom of the Opera, Disney’s The Lion King and Thriller Live.

Refreshments are available and provided by Fortnum and Mason. There are many actitivities for the family to enjoy such as puppet shows and science experiments to get to grips with. 11 canopies have been set up with many freebies to get and many things to do. The 11 canopies house different businesses and associations to the event:

• Everything's Rosie
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!
• Heart
• Science Museum
• Oxford Street
• Little Angel Theatre
• Forbidden Planet
• Picturehouse Central
• London Film Museum
• The Theatres Trust
• Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop

#WestEndLive

Grosvenor Square Garden

Grosvenor Square Garden is one of London’s Royal Parks and is the September 11 Memorial Garden, which is overseen by the Roosevelt Memorial Act of Secretary of State. It is a property of the Duke of Westminster hence getting its name from the family.

In the 1720s, some of the Grosvenor family member begun developing the park, as a focal point to their estate. Initially, there was only limited access given to local residents to look after and care for. The design of the park took up a shape of an oval which is the shape it is to this day. During the 19th and 20th century, trees were introduced with the park taking upon a simpler form.

From the 1930s, the park started to have a strong association with the USA with the embassy being established at 1 Grosvenor Square by the park. The President Roosevelt Memorial and the Eagle Squadron monument have been erected since then.

During World War II, the park was severely damaged from the onset of war. In 1946, the park was made a public space as part of the peacetime celebrations. The Ministry of Works looked after the park during this duration.

Sums of contributions from all over the United Kingdom were put forward to erect the President Roosevelt statue through a memorial committee, as a way to remember Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In the presence of King George VI, the statue was unveiled by Mrs Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on 12 April 1948.

The Eagle Squadrons Memorial was created to commemorate the 244 Americans and 16 British fighter pilots and other personnel serving USA during World War II in the 3 Royal Air Force Eagle Squadrons. It was erected in 1985.

The September 11 Memorial Garden was created in memory of the lost ones during the attack of 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in USA as a testament to their love and courage. Consultations were sought with family members and the Memorial Garden was opened on 11 September, 2003. The columns of the pergola are made of a single oak trunk. 67 British citizens lost during the attacks are commemorated on the 3 bronze plaques on display at the pergola.

The Memorial Stone, carved by hand, has an extract from the American poet Henry Van Dyke. Under the Memorial Stone contains a steel girder preserved by resin, which was recovered from the World Trade Center. In the surroundings in the Garden contains flowers with their unique representations: Coneflower, Ivy, Lily, Phlox, Rosemary and White Rose Sally Holmes. The flowers were inspired by a posy presented to the Queen at a special memorial service.

#RoyalParks

Camley Street Natural Park

Camley Street Natural Park can be found at King’s Cross which bridges the gap between the city and nature, where you can escape the hustle and the bustle of the city life and seek haven in this nature reserve.

The park was initially created as an old railway coal yard in 1984, which was saved by campaigns run by local nature enthusiasts. The park now is a habitat a myriad of animals and a beating heart for the London Wildlife Trust volunteers. The park, covering 2 acres, is home to different birds, insects and many other animals within habitats of grassland, wetland and woodland.

There is much to explore and lose yourself in marshlands, shrubberies, meadows, ponds, ascending and descending stairs. There are many sights to see such hazel fencing which is made from hazel wood woven together and spaces for private growing.

The park itself is by Regent’s Canal which can be seen from the banks running alongside the park. The Viewpoint is another platform to view the canal from inspired by the rocky islands of the Nordic Coastline encouraging people to take in the views of nature in conjunction with architecture. Viewpoint is designed by Erko Aarti, Arto Ollila and Mikki Ristola and commissioned by the Finnish Institute in London and the Architecture Foundation.

The Park is free to access and is around the corner from Granary Square, which is something else very much worth seeing.

#CamleyStreet

Shaun in the City

Shaun in the City is a series of Shaun the Sheep sculptures plotted around London from 28 March to 25 May 2015 to coincide with Shaun the Sheep Movie. There are in total 50 sculptures and a further 70 sculptures to be unveiled in Bristol later this year. The sculptures were designed by local artists and celebrities.

All 120 sculptures to be all be displayed together for the Great Sheep Round Up! at the Covent Garden Piazza from 24 to 27 September 2015 before they go on auction on 8 October. The auction will raise funds for the charities Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Charity and The Grand Appeal

There is also Shaun in the City app available for Apple and Android devices with proceeds from the app purchases goes towards the charities. The app records the sculptures seen by plugging in the unique code which can be obtained from the plate of the individual sculptures, which provides an added bonus of achievements and trophies.

You can catch Larry the Lamb without the garments at the City of London Information Centre where he is nicely plodded on top of the desk for prospective selfies.

There are in total 4 trails:

• Shaun’s Trail
• Timmy’s Trail
• Shirley’s Trail
• Bitzer’s Trail

There are an additional sheep to be found on Farmer’s Lost Sheep, which finds the sheep separated from the other sheep heading off field to the further ends of London. There are 5 sheep to be found in this series:

46. Landmark Larry - Paddington Station, Platform 8 - Jenny Urquhart

47. PADDINGTON Shaun - Merchant Square, Paddington Basin - Paddington

48. Happy & Glorious - St. James’s Park - Vivi Cuevas

49. Golden Fleece - Canary Wharf, Jubilee Park - Nigel Leach

50. Hello Kitty’s #OneKindThing – Canary Wharf, Jubilee Place -2 - Sanrio

#ShaunintheCity