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The Intellectual and Cultural Heart of London

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STOP PRESS - Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July

The London Festival of Architecture is building into one of the largest open air events in London this year and runs from 20 June - 20 July with over 500 events, 170 of which take place in and around Bloomsbury. Over the wekend of 5/6 July Bloomsbury becomes the hub with displays and events in and around Montague Place on Friday 5th from 9am - 10pm, Saturday 6th, 9am tp 12pm and Sunday 6th July9am to 6pm.

is part of this festival and takes place over the same weekend of Saturday and Sunday 5/6 July 2008 in Bloomsbury Village - the streets facing The British Museum.

The residents and traders of Bloomsbury Village welcome you to visit this unique urban village - but not as you know it! - and be entertained over the weekend. Click on the link above for full details.

The ideal route to use between both the above events is to walk through The Great Court!

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Bloomsbury as a 'place' is very difficult to define. Whilst we can find it on a map, walk about its streets and explore its buildings, the place seems to have an indefinable aura about it. Maybe thats why it is such an interesting place to live, work, study or explore!

The British Museum is the hub of Bloomsbury, surrounded by the academia of the University of London and other specialist certres of education such as the Architectural Association, Sotheby's Institute of Fine Art, the Aga Khan University London, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

There is a renaissance taking place in Bloomsbury Village directly opposite the British Museum with many antiquarian and modern bookshops, fine art and coin dealers, textile designers, photography, galleries and craft specialists looking at ways to re-establish the area as a centre of excellence for crafts.

Culture

Bloomsbury has many hidden treasures such as the unique Charles Dickens Museum and these can be explored by visiting Cultural Bloomsbury .These treasures can be found nestled behind fine Georgian terraces and Squares and the wealth of architectural heritage that abounds in this unique part of London.

History

The legacy of the Bloomsburty Group is symonymous with Bloomsbury as a physical place and perhaps contributes to the aura that the place seems to have. Their work deeply influenced literature, aesthetics, criticism, and economics as well as modern attitudes towards feminism, pacifism, and sexuality.

Much of the land has been continuously owned by the Dukes of Bedford - The Russell family - since 1669 and the current duke is the 15th in line. The Bedford Estate is still an important landowner in the area and their history gives a facinating insight into how Bloomsbury has developed over the past 300 years.

The historic 7 acres of Bloomsbury Village lie just to the south of The British Museum, between Bloomsbury Square and Bloomsbury Street, and is dominated by the historic St George's Bloomsbury church designed by the celebrated architect Nicholas Hawksmore.

Wickipedia has some interesting pages on Bloomsbury, its fascinating history and people that lived there with many links for more detailed information.

Surroundings

Bloomsbury provides a haven of tranquility for your stay in London's West End and is within walking distance of the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, Covent Garden, Soho, Theatreland, and neighbouring Charlotte Street in Fitzrovia where you can find an amazing array of quality restaurants. The Brunswick Centre Bloomsbury re-opened to great acclaim in 2006 after an £18m refurbishment and is home to lots of fabulous new shops and restaurants. All this within 15 minutes walking distance.

Hotels and Hospitality

Bloomsbury is going through a renaissance with most of its Georgian garden squares having been refurbished in 2006 (£5m) - and in excess of £30m invested into the refurbishment of our hotels.

There are 50 hotels in Bloomsbury with a total of 8,000 rooms, ranging from small bespoke Townhouse's to luxury 5 star properties and a large capacity for conferencing and banqueting.

Navigate to the 'Hotels' section where you will find an overview of our recommended hotels with links directly to their web sites.

In addition we have provided Whats On, where you will find details of exciting current events and happenings in and around Bloomsbury.