Used to be the Local neighbourhood office of Woking Borough Council. Facilities for paying rent and…read morecouncil tax here and I believe for sorting out tenancy issues in and around Sheerwater. Also had a copy of the 'Swap book' here, as well as lists of people who wanted to exchange into and out of the area. Now used by the Community Development worker and no longer has a counter facility for payments. Rent etc is payable at Sheerwater Post Office Disabled access doorway

Bracknell Council is located in Time Square in very well appointed surroundings. The parking is not…read morehuge but there is Princess Square parking not far away. Its a huge building with a receptionist on hand to help point you in the right direction.

The Bracknell Forest Borough Council building is in the area of town with all the other public…read moreservice buildings, the magistrates court, police station, library, CAB etc. It's a reasonably sized building with helpful, friendly staff to guide you to the floor you need, and help see to your needs. Here you can pay you taxes, register a birth, get married as well as other civic activities.

I was actually a 'Best Man' to a dear friend of mine here, back in the summer of 2007 just a short…read morejourney into the introduction of Britain's civil partnership legislation. There is no place more popular across the metropolis than the borough of Islington, the enclosed photo was taken in the largest of the ceremonial rooms, the Council Chamber, seating up to 100 guests, with the option of an additional 60 in the public gallery above. This impressive circular chamber, with its domed ceiling, stained glass windows and panelled walls, adds a note of dignified grandeur to every occasion.

Notting Hill is a London district which belong to The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea…read more(RBKC). It's famous for its annual Caribbean Carnival in August and second hand + antique Portobello Road Market. District streets are large and enough spacious! Buildings look simple but shops are nice, interesting and have beautiful colours + designs! There are some good cafés and restaurants to check too. Well! Notting Hill is a nice quiet place from where you can go to Hyde and Holland Parks! We found it practical.

While in London, we stayed in Kensington. I would definitely recommend this area to fellow…read moretravelers - there are a ton of good bars & restaurants, plenty of grocery stores, plus multiple Tube stations so that you can get by fine without need of a car. It seems quieter and less hectic than other areas of the city, and the added bonus is access to great parks including Hyde!

Mayfair is a nice exclusive London district and it belongs to City of Westminster borough. The…read moredistrict is housing offices, hedge funds, real estate businesses, luxury hotels, embassy offices, restaurants etc. Many rich people live there and that explains rents in Mayfair are most expensive in London. We visited some places and enjoyed while walking beautiful buildings architecture + decorations.

If you like Wren architecture, this is the place. Because it's still a working refuge for retired…read moresoldiers, it feels like a privileged visit to a private institution, well away from he usual London weekend crowds. Just wander around and soak up the architecture and atmosphere.

What is less well-known about the Royal Hospital, Chelsea is that you can hire out its beautiful…read morerooms and grounds for events such as dinners, weddings and other parties. The State Apartments have great paintings around the panelled walls and are more intimate, while I can't imagine a more impressive place for a wedding reception than the Great Hall, lined with battle standards captured from foreign regiments (though one might have to be selective with the guest list....)

I had the distinct pleasure of being invited to the House of Commons to attend the launch of my…read moreaunt's book. She's spent years researching the history of Catholic Goans and essentially mapped out the forces that led to the spread of Goans throughout most of Europe and Africa (and most notably out of Goa). Apparently, one of the MPs is a Goan and a big supporter of her work. To be honest, when I first read the book title (Colonialism, Migration, and the International Catholic Goan Community) I wasn't really drawn in but after hearing the speakers about the book I can't wait to read it. Anyways, enough of a plug, to the House! We've all seen Westminster Palace from the outside (and if you haven't, get over there!) but I gotta tell you, it doesn't really measure up to the feeling you get when you enter the cavernous halls with golden walls and arches (the old school Church kind, not the Mickey D's version) and ancient oil paintings of kings, lords, ladies, and other lesser beings. The entrance hall alone (where they hold State receptions that you see on tv) seems to dwarf the Turbine Hall in the Tate Modern and is infinitely more luxurious. The Jubilee Room (located just up the stairs to the right of the entrance) is suitably decadently decorated (and the free flowing wine helped with that impression). It's fairly small, but you can see it works well as a private reception room or committee meeting room. Every room has two mini tvs (one for the House of Lords and one for the House of Commons) which keeps people apprised of the current happenings in each of the two Houses. We even got a tour up to the House of Commons to see them in session. To be fair, it was late and they were talking about a Finance Bill (which I can't imagine to be that exciting), but given that it's their jobs I expected more than a handful of MPs to be there and those that were there to not be taking a nap. Credit to the lady MP from Kingston upon Hull who kept at her speech regardless but it was a bit of a let down. I would have loved to have been there for PMQs though! Overall, it's a beautiful place and makes me want to be an MP just to go to work there. I'm not one for sightseeing and I've been known to jog through a museum or two, but as far as sights to see goes, this one is a must for London.

The home of British democracy! Did you know you can just turn up, for free, and get into the…read moredebating chamber? You are behind toughened glass to prevent you throwing flour or anything more dangerous at the UK's elected representatives, but you're still super close to MPs and Ministers. Where else in the world can you get access to such an old and historic building for free, and then get to see real politics in action?

This office building is a vibrant addition to Southwark. After ascending through the lightfilled…read moreSouthwark Underground Station and arriving on the street you are greeted with a colorful building that is carved just enough to reveal a bit of sculpture, but maintains sufficient rigour to boldly firm up a major intersection. The organic shaped conference room snugly fit behind a row of exposed columns is signature Will Alsop. It takes cues from the way in which Corbusier created spaces by not taking forms right up to and attaching to columns -- allow the column to define the space. The last several stories cantilever on the west and east facades. The organization of the curtainwall system is organized randomness of suttle colors. It has been siginificant on the skyline and now a building several blocks to the northeast has taken cues in its curtainwall system from the Palestra.