My Top Ten London Tourist Attractions

London is one of the world’s most popular tourist cities. There are hundreds of tourist attractions in the city. Here are my top ten.

London Eye

The London Eye offers great views of this great city. It is a revolving Ferris Wheel that is 135 metres high at its highest, and has views of 25 miles on a clear day. It is constantly moving from 10am until closing time (which varies depending on the time of year) and consists of 32 capsules. The current cost is £18.60 and it takes around 30 minutes to go round. The London Eye is situated on the south bank of the River Thames and has particularly good views of the Houses of Parliament and Canary Wharf.

Tower of London

Officially known as Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, this historic castle in on the north bank of the River Thames, next to Tower Bridge. It was founded in 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. It has been used for many purposes over the centuries, including as a royal residence and a prison. It has been besieged many times throughout history and historically has been important in controlling the country. The Tower of London was prominently used as a prison in the 1500’s and 1600’s and many were famously executed there. Now it is a museum.

Houses of Parliament

This is one of London’s most famous landmarks. It is where members of parliament meet to discuss and debate political matters. It consists of the House of Lords, the House of Common and the world famous clock tower, Big Ben. Built in the 19th Century, it is on the north bank of the River Thames in the west London area of Westminster.

St. Paul’s Cathedral

This is the most famous cathedral in Britain and the Mother church of the Diocese of London. The visually most striking part of St. Paul’s is the famous dome. Up until 1962 it was the tallest building in London. The architect was Christopher Wren whose remains are in the corner of the crypt.

The Globe Theatre

The original globe was built in 1599 by William Shakespeare’s company. It was reconstructed in 1997 just over 200 metres from the original and is an open-air stage. The building is a ring-like shape around the theatre. Only Shakespeare plays are shown, and it is a real atmospheric location to watch some of the greatest theatre ever produced.

Science Museum

There are a variety of science related pieces in the Science Museum, including many that visitors can experiment with themselves. It is a hands-on science experience and great for children, who can learn about science while playing with some fun exhibits.

Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum, situated in Kensington in West London, consists of a large number of life and earth specimens. There are five main collections; botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology. The palaeontology collection includes dinosaur skeletons, which is what the museum is most famous for. The museum is free to enter.

British Museum

You may think the British museum would be primarily about British history, but it consists of artefacts from all parts of the world, including Egypt, ancient Greece, Asia and America, and much more. There are over eight million artefacts in all. The British Museum has been open since 1759. It is visited more than any other museum in Britain, and has the second most visitors in the world, behind the Musee de Louvre in Paris.

National Gallery

Situated on the world famous Trafalgar Square, this art gallery has over 2,000 paintings. There is free entry but they do hold exhibitions which cost extra. Established in 1824, it is the third most visited museum in Britain.

Tate Modern

The Tate Modern is the most visited modern art museum in the world. It is situated in what was previously the Bankside Power Station, with the outer building much as it was then. The Tate Modern contains a large array of modern art pieces and is constantly changing. Entry is free.

Andrew Marshall ©

Solicitors London

Is it Worth Having your Hosting Managed for You?

Is it worth having your web hosting managed for you and opting for a managed hosting solution? That is a question that many business owners will ask themselves as they search for hosting for their website. Managed hosting is more expensive than some of the options so many are reluctant, but there are many benefits that can make the extra outlay worthwhile.

Peace of Mind

One of the nice things with having your hosting managed is the peace of mind it gives you. You know your hosting is taken care and is in the hands of experts so you can relax. You are, therefore, able to focus on your core business instead of worrying if your website is live or not. This is especially the case if you have a lack of hosting knowledge yourself. If this is true then managing it yourself can be tricky so it makes sense to have it in the hands of technical experts rather than attempting to control it yourself.

Monitoring

A major benefit of managed hosting is the monitoring that is included, usually twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. With your site’s hosting being monitored any problems with the site will be quickly established….. and solved. Issues can often be prevented before they occur, and if something does go wrong that impact the site, it only has a minimal affect. With managed hosting there is very unlikely to be a situation where a website is down for several hours before anything is done about it. All in all, this means fewer problems with the hosting.

If you have Complex Hosting Needs

If you have complex hosting requirements then managed hosting could be a good option. It means having technical expertise managing your hosting so not having to control it yourself. Whereas with a basic hosting package you might be able to manage it yourself, with a complex solution amateurs are less likely to be able to handle it. This means having it managed can be essential and is certainly justifiable from a financial point of view.

You will get a Dedicated Server

With the vast majority of managed hosting solutions you will get a dedicated server for your website. This means not having to share a web server with any other sites. Sharing with other sites has the potential to have a negative impact as problems related to some sites on the server can affect others sharing it. This is not an issue if you have a managed hosting package with your own individual server.

Overall, managed hosting can be very good value for money. Just because it costs more than other solutions does not mean it is any less value for money. If you have the requirements for it then it can be worth every penny. The key thing is that you don’t have to manage it yourself, and your hosting being controlled by expert professionals has many obvious advantages. The quality of the hosting and the overall service is very high.

Andrew Marshall ©

Giving to Charity Trends

This article looks at some statistics regarding giving to charity in the UK. This includes the numbers giving, average donation amounts, and interesting trends.

Over half of adults in the UK donate financially to charitable causes on a regular basic. This does not include volunteering time. In 2009/2010 people in the United Kingdom were on average giving £12 a month to charity. For most people it is less than this figure but some give significantly more, therefore increasing the average figure. 8% of the total came from donations of more than £100 a month, but this does not include the very wealthy giving very large amounts. 2009/2010 statistics are not available but in 2008/2009 there were 100 donations of more than £1 million.

Impact of the Recession

The recession was expected to have a significant impact on charitable giving but this has not happened to a large extent. In 2007/2008 donations went down a little, but they have increased again since. This is shown in things such as Children in Need, where amounts raised have continued to rise despite fears that the recession would have a negative impact. Since the recession hit, both the number of donations and the average amounts have increased, although the increase could be concentrated amongst those not particular impacted by the recession.

Giving at Home or Abroad

In recent years those giving to overseas causes has increased, with around a quarter of donations having gone outside of the country in the last few years. It is difficult to judge whether this is a general trend or whether there has been more large natural disaster the last few years. These types of events attract a lot of media coverage and tend to therefore lead to large numbers of donations. The earthquake in Haiti and earthquake and tsunami in Japan are good examples of this. These are visually tragic with thousands impacted suddenly. With people emotionally involved they are more likely to donate on instinct. The increases in giving to these types of causes also suggest a higher proportion of charitable giving is through one-off donations or occasionally giving rather than it being regular, for example monthly.

Which Demographics Donate Most?

Perhaps surprisingly, the age range that donates the most to charity amongst women and amongst men are very different. The women who contribute most to good causes are those in their 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, while men aged between 16 and 24 contribute more than any other age range.

How About Volunteering?

Around 40% of adults in the UK volunteer for a good cause at least once a year, with roughly 25% volunteering on at least a monthly basis. This has increased over the last five years. The recession has actually had a positive influence on this, with some who have been made redundant volunteering until they find suitable employment. Volunteering for a worthy cause is a good way for people to donate to charity who cannot afford to give financially. The general trend is a decrease in the numbers volunteering on a regular basis and an increase in people volunteering occasionally.

Andrew Marshall ©

Charity Law

Gas Prices to Fall

The first of the UK’s big energy companies has announced that they will be cutting their gas prices. EDF Energy has said their gas customers will be seeing a 5% reduction in bills from February, making up for some of the 15% increases that have come over the last two years due to increased wholesale prices.

After rising over the last couple of years, wholesale gas prices have started to decline. The main two reasons for this has been the impact of the economy is general and a mild winter, meaning extracting gas has been easier and has therefore cost less. Purchasing gas has cost the energy companies less so they are able to pass this onto their customers.

It is almost certain that other gas providers will follow in reducing their prices, otherwise they risk being left behind and losing customers. A couple of small energy companies have reduced their prices, but as of 13th January, none of the other large providers have followed suit. Price reductions are expected to be announced over the next few weeks.

Wholesale gas prices can fluctuate significantly. Many factors across the world can impact this, from economic factors to natural disasters in relevant areas and whether conditions impacting the ease of extracting gas. Therefore, it is not always easy to predict whether prices will go up or down over the long term, or by how much. Consumer prices tend to head in the same direction as consumer prices, although there is usually a bit of a delay. This comes because the gas being sold to consumers at any particular time has been bought in advance by the gas companies.

The EDF Energy reduction in prices has been welcomed by energy consumer groups who have been lobbying for the wholesale prices to be mirrored by consumer prices. This will please many customers who are having a financially difficult time due to the economic problems affecting the country and much of the world. The 5% reduction in prices, and those expected to follow from other providers, will be a relief to many.

From a gas provider’s points of view, there are advantages and disadvantages to being the first to reduce prices. If others do not reduce their prices it obviously puts them in a strong position. In practice it depends on how long it takes others to follow and the size of their decreases. Many customers will stick with their current provider and wait to see the changes they make while others will switch due to the publicity of EDF Energy’s reductions. Reducing prices before the competition can entice customers to switch and it makes it seem as though they are leading the way in price reductions. It does give others an opportunity, though, to decide on their own strategies accordingly and potentially undercut them.

Because consumer prices go up or down as wholesale prices do, it is inevitable that other gas providers will follow EDF Energy’s decrease. Customers will wait with baited breath to see the reductions they get from their provider.

Andrew Marshall ©

Oil and Gas Law

How Shutters came to the United States

Window Shutters are a popular type of window covering that offer a traditional look and practicality. They are now popular throughout the world, but were originally established in the Mediterranean, before spreading across Europe. Their introduction in the United States came via the plantations in the American south.

Shutters are first thought to have been used in Greece, although there are conflicting opinions as to where exactly in the Mediterranean region they originated from. Wherever there first usage was, it didn’t take long for them to spread across the region. They were first made from stone or marble and were put across the window holes before the introduction of glass windows. Wood later became more prominent.

The introduction of shutters in the United States came in the 1500’s. Spanish explorers were the first to reach what is now the United States, as well as much of South America (where Spanish is still the first language) and the Caribbean. In fact, at one point around 70% of the whole of America below the Canadian border was Spanish. The first Spanish settlers in the United States were in 1565, when settlers made St. Augustine in Florida their home.

The Spanish influx soon spread and Spanish colonies in the south of the country began to appear. They grew their own food, and grew products such as cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco to sell. These became plantations, with the majority of the work being carried out by poorly treated slaves. Each plantation became their own community separated from others. There were two opposing sides to the plantations; the wealthy land owners who made all of the profits and the slaves who did the hard labour. The goods grown were mostly traded with England.

Many of the land owners lived in large wooden houses. Those originally from Spain began to install window shutters on their homes that could protect them from the searing heat and keep insects out. Because of their use on the plantation houses, these shutters became known as plantation shutters. This name has continued to be used as a general term for wooden shutters throughout the English speaking world.

Some believe that louvred shutters were first used in the southern United States. Louvres, or slats as they are also known, can be adjusted to suit the weather conditions, and today louvred shutters are the most popular type of shutters. They can be opened to let in the optimum amount of sunlight and air. This makes them useful at all times of the year.

English and French settlers also bought shutters to parts of the United States, in particularly to the East Coast areas. These included areas such as what are now New York and New England.

Plantation shutters are popular around the world today. They are still most popular in the Mediterranean countries where they originated, such as Greece, Spain and Italy, but their use is much wider. They are generally considered to give a traditional look and are common in colonial style buildings in the United States.

Andrew Marshall ©

What are the Best Investments for your Children?

What is the best investment you can make on behalf of your children? Much of this depends on how much you have available to invest and the regularity of the payments you can make. This article looks at some of the obvious, and less obvious, options.

Savings Account

The advantage of making payments into a regular savings account, whether regular payments or a larger one-off payment, is that it is safe and won’t disappear as it can with riskier investments. You will then earn interest on this, but the downside is that this interest won’t be particularly high compared with other investment products. With most savings accounts you are going for safety over profit.

Junior ISA

The Junior ISA, or JISA, is the new scheme introduced by the government last year to encourage parents to save on behalf of their children. Like an adult ISA, a child ISA is a way of being able to invest without tax being paid on gains. Parents can invest up to £3,600 a year in the scheme on behalf of each child, the equivalent of £300 a month. It works very much like an adult ISA and there is a choice of putting investments into a cash ISA or a stocks and shares ISA. Children are automatically given access to the account set up in their name when they turn 18. The money is locked into the account and can only be accessed once a child turns this age. The tax advantages is the main benefit and it is a good scheme if you can put in close to the yearly limit, although it is also beneficial with lower investments. The Junior ISA is a good option for parents who wish to make regularly savings on behalf of their children’s future.

Using an Adult ISA

An alternative to the Junior ISA is saving for your children through an adult ISA. If you are not already using the £10,680 maximum allowance then this is an option you may consider. There are three advantages of this option. Firstly, it has a higher limit than the Junior ISA. Also, if you don’t think your child is responsible enough to be given a large amount of money at 18, you can wait until you feel it is more appropriate. The other benefit is that you can take the money out should you be in a position where you need it, which isn’t the case with a Junior ISA.

Buying a House on your Child’s Behalf

If you have a relatively large amount of money to invest, then buying a house on behalf of your child could be an option. You will need enough up front for a deposit and be able to make monthly payments for a mortgage. Over the course of time the value of a home should go up so it should be a good investment in terms of growth. Once your child reaches an appropriate age you can then pass the home over to them. They can then either live in the home or they can sell it, leaving them with substantial funds. This is especially a good option if you are likely to own it outright by the time you pass it onto your child – there is no better gift to your children than for them to be able to live rent free and mortgage free. The negative of this is that it is expensive, so you need to know you will have the on-going funds necessary to make the mortgage payments every month.

Andrew Marshall ©

Private Healthcare Doesn’t Have to be Expensive

Private healthcare is expensive. Or is it? Private healthcare is often considered something that is only relevant and affordable to the wealthy, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

There are all sorts of private healthcare options, including insurance plans, private doctors that can be used when patients feel it is necessary, and certain extra services people can opt for. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing – private health or the NHS. You can choose insurance packages that only cover certain medical conditions, for example what is important to you or something you are particularly worried about. You could go the private option for things that are not covered by the NHS or for something you have a chronic problem with, so you have better quality healthcare just for this area without having to pay for everything.

You can, or course, go private on on-off occasions. If you have a medical issue you want fast treatment for or more extensive treatment than what is available on the NHS for this particular issue, then this could be a good option. You can pay for private care for this until the issue is overcome, so you are not paying for expensive healthcare continuously.

You may be happy with NHS care the majority of the time but want to use private healthcare for certain things. One example might be during pregnancy. You may wish to utilise extra services that are not available on the NHS, for example early pregnancy scans or more personal and more thorough pregnancy care.

If going the medical insurance root it is important to get the right insurance for you. Make sure you know what is, and what is not, covered. You don’t want to find out you are not covered when you have a medical condition you thought you were covered for. There are often limitations with medical insurance, but the good thing is that the more limitations there are the lower the cost will be. Medical insurance allows you to tailor you healthcare to your needs, and there are specific plans for people in different circumstances, with varying prices. For example, there are family plans and plans for the elderly. With medical insurance you want to be covered for what is important to you but, at the same time, don’t want to be paying for something you would be just as happy to get on the NHS. You may just want to be covered for certain illnesses or conditions, for example something that you are worried about or have a family history of.

Private healthcare does not have to be as expensive as many believe. There are many different options available. You can opt for medical insurance, either covering you for all eventualities or only certain areas of healthcare, or you can just choose private healthcare when you feel you require it. So, while being covered for everything and exclusively using private healthcare can be expensive, there are many options that make it more affordable.

Andrew Marshall ©


Private Doctor London


Early Pregnancy Scan London