A GUIDE TO LONDON HEATWAVES
Are you lying on your bed with a frozen towel on your head? Do you own at least one hand-held fan? Are you avoiding the Victoria line like the plague? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then you might be a Londoner during a heatwave.
A small percentage of homes in London have air conditioning. With temperatures rising up to 37°C this summer, we all need to get out of our flats and find somewhere cold. If you’re wiping a bead of sweat off your forehead as you read this, then check out the following for a little escape.
The National Portrait Gallery
Old art is delicate, so it needs to be climate controlled for preservation. This is great news for those of us who want to enjoy some free air conditioning for a couple hours.
The National Portrait Gallery is the lesser-known sister to the National Gallery, sitting right behind the latter on Trafalgar Square. If you continue north from the National Gallery down Charing Cross Road, you can find the museum’s entrance.
What makes the National Portrait Gallery special is its wide range of figures throughout time. As you descend from the third floor, you encounter history through the faces that defined each era.
On the third floor, visitors begin their historical journey in the Tudor era, seeing the iconic portraits of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth I, Mary, Queen of Scots and many more.
From there you move to the Stuarts and into the Hanoverians, discovering scientists, artists, writers and musicians who changed the world along the way. Here is where you can see the likeness of Sir Isaac Newton, George Washington, Mary Wollstonecraft, John Locke and Thomas Hobbes.
As the gallery moves closer to our modern era, you can see how the art of portraiture has changed– from early attempts at naturalism in the Tudor portraits, to intense naturalism in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, until artists begin to play with abstraction and photography enters the portraiture landscape.
When you’ve finally entered the 1850 to 2000 floor, with photographs of the Spice Girls and the Beatles, you’ve seen the history of England, not through events or dates, but through the faces of the people who lived it.
The Victoria and Albert Cafe
Although the rest of the museum is wonderful, the V&A Cafe specifically is a great spot to get work done during a heatwave. The place is air conditioned, of course, and their wifi is free. Just try one of their slices of quiche, or a delicious itty-bitty pastry with a coffee to offset the sweetness.
The true appeal of the V&A Cafe is its Victorian design. First built in 1856, then demolished in 1867 because the public found it so hideous, then finally reopened in 1868 to much better reception, the refreshment rooms at the V&A are a sight to behold. Every surface is meticulously ornamented with ceramic, gold, and paint. It was actually the first museum restaurant in the world when Director Henry Cole first thought of feeding his visitors.
The Poynter Room is a highlight of the cafe. Its Dutch porcelain tiles and dark wooden walls give the feel of an opulent hunting lodge rather than a restaurant. The Morris Room will make you wish you had more wallpaper in your house. Name a better place to log on to Microsoft Teams!
Richmond Riverside
If you really want to get outside, a good spot to try is the Richmond Riverside. The breeze coming off the Thames cools you down nicely, and there are lots of shady areas under trees where you can escape from the sun.
You could stop at Tide Tables Cafe, situated in a converted arch beneath Richmond Bridge. Grab an iced coffee or just hit the walk with a bottle of water (hydration is important).
This part of the Thames feels like a completely different river than the one you can see from central London. Adorable, brightly painted row boats and a barge converted to a pub line its banks.
The Tate Modern & National Theatre
The Tate Modern is another air-conditioned museum, situated right off the Millennium Bridge in Southwark. Similar to the National Portrait Gallery, you can escape the heat for an hour or two by checking out some modern art.
The initial interior of the Tate Modern is artwork in itself. What used to be the turbine hall of a power station has been converted into a grand entrance, with an overhead travelling crane acting as a reminder of the building’s past.
Inside you can enjoy cubism by Picasso, impressionism by Monet, pop art by Warhol, and a pretty banging gift shop.
After the museum, if you still have energy (power station pun) check out a play at the National Theatre. It’s about a 15-minute walk along the river from the Tate Modern, and, you guessed it, air conditioned. Some of the best theatre in the world is happening at the National Theatre, and many celebrities like Sandra Oh, Cate Blanchett and Letitia Wright are performing in productions there this summer.
Udderlicious
What is better on a hot day than ice cream? Udderlicious might take the cake for best ice cream in the city. They have locations in Covent Garden, Camden, Islington, and Crouch End, so no matter where you are, you can probably make your way to one of their stores.
The bases of each flavour are rich, undeniably made with amazing, high-quality cream (although they do offer vegan options that are probably just as good). They’re not stingy with the mix-ins either. Each scoop is chock-full of delicious crunchy, salty, chocolatey, gooey inclusions.
Some standout flavours are:
Baklava: A honey base with generous chunks of baklava folded in
Malt & Crushed Maltesers: A must-try if you love that malted milk taste
Dark Choc Sea Salt: For all those people who don’t find chocolate ice cream chocolatey enough
Salted Vanilla Cookie Dough: The holy grail of cookie dough ice creams
So please, stay cool out there. Check out some of these spots if you’re really hitting a boiling point. London is hot, but there’s lots of ways to chill out in style.
