A private club, so be prepared to find a member to gain entry…read more The Union is an icon in British culture. A center of debate and public discourse, you should really try to catch a debate if you are in Oxford during term. The member's bar is an excellent perk and serves a sparse, but nice lunch during weekdays. I'm writing this review from the free wireless service, which is another nice feature (though it works better from the libraries than the bar.) Snooker tables upstairs add a nice bonus to the typical bar scene in Oxford. The Union has become my haven when I am in the busy streets of downtown Oxford. The leather seats in the bar and the relatively quiet atmosphere during the day make it a great place to relax and get work done, or bring others for a discussion or meeting. You will find yourself surrounded mostly by undergraduates, followed by a healthy mix of post-grads and faculty. The debates are similar demographics, and tend to feature diametrically opposed parties. These are not always the best debates as they often pitch opposing ideologies and simply bash assumptions against each other rather than focus on the logical systems each side is using. The student debates before the formal debates tend to hold more fine points of discussion and a bit of humor. Both are worth going to, however, and some are more compelling than others. All in all, I think the Oxford Union deserves its iconic status, and if you can, you really should make an effort to experience it. Members can bring guests for a £3 entry fee. If you are affiliated with the university, and eligible for membership, you can only be a guest 3 times before you are asked to buy your own membership.

The world-famous Oxford Union is rightly proud of its library. Of course, Oxford is full of…read morelibraries crammed with rare copies, beautiful interiors and terrifyingly intelligent academics. This fits the mould, but is a healthy mixtures of generally artsy books. In keeping with the general theme of the union, it's well-loved by law and politics students, although there's something for most subjects. It's one of the biggest libraries where you can borrow books (as opposed to sit in there and read them) in Oxford, but its use is limited to members of the Union, for which it is necessary to pay over £100. There's also a decent collection of fiction, which can be a bit lacking in college libraries. It's got books written in the past few years. The travel guides are particularly useful, although quickly outdated, as are the magazines and newspapers. They're generally quite serious magazines (although FHM has been known to make an appearancE) - more the Economist and New Scientist than Heat or Hello, and much cheaper than buying one which you'll read once. If you're not a member of the Union or the Union Society, you can still visit the library for £1.50 and it's well worth doing so to see the Pre-Raphaelite murals (1857-9) painted by Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. They're all quite dramatic and mostly related to the legends of King Arthur. Don't forget to look up at the ceiling!

This place is simply magical. Run with love by entrepreneur and owner Richard Elkington, a…read moreconsummate networker who makes everyone feel welcome, young and old. It's my favourite music and arts venue locally and wonderful for meet-ups, whether personal or business. Richard has a wide variety of events taking place, with art in abundance, regular gigs, a writing group, a book group, backgammon and on Thursday mornings it becomes "Ivan's Home" as a tribute to Richard's brother which is aimed at people who want to meet other people in the community, or those who might feel lonely or isolated. Cakes, tea and coffee are available and Becky Willoughby, a friendly Counsellor is present if you want to chat. The food is lovely, the coffee excellent, the staff welcoming and it's far superior to the corporate chains which litter Chesham. Do yourself a favour and discover this gem of a place

Personally I cannot stand this place, although to be fair some of my friends love it…read more The concept of a relaxed but classy cafe cum art gallery in the centre of Chesham is a good one, but this place just doesn't deliver. The food is mediocre at best, but often pretty revolting; and more disturbingly one is confronted by the 'art' wherever you look. I'm no prude, but the art here is essentially women, naked, and LOTS of them. Everywhere you look there are pudenda and breasts gazing back at you! OK, nothing wrong with the naked body, it's often very beautiful, but to be this obsessed with naked women hints at a bit of a problem to me. Why isn't there any other art? Why are there no naked male models? Why do I have to look at these boobs and genitalia for an hour whilst eating my lunch?? Well actually no I don't, do I, so once been never go back in my case - see what you think!

We saw The Amazons here in October 2022. We got to the venue after they had already let a ton of…read morepeople in and lined them up on the stairs to enter the concert space. Once they opened the concert space, they let the rest of the people who were outside waiting, in the venue. We immediately went to the bar and ordered some wine. We hung out there a while while we waited for the show to start. It was comfortable and a nice place to wait. The show space is very unique and had amazing sound. Even though we went in to the show space later, we could still see the stage really well. The Amazons were awesome and I'd definitely return to this venue.

I went to the Roundhouse last night to see The National play the iTunes Festival. And I gotta say,…read morethis is my kind of venue! Why? FOOD We turned up to the venue hungry and there was food! And by food I don't mean dirty water hot dogs but rather, nachos, burgers, peri peri chicken sandwiches and even a portobello and goat cheese sandwich (all of which were grilled to order on a BBQ.) OUTDOOR TERRACE Better still, we were able to consume said food outside, with beer. A concert venue with a terrace? Two words: hell yes! SCREENS The camera work during the concert was excellent and beamed up on two large screens which helped me to feel almost as if I were on the stage. ACOUSTICS You'll definitely get awesome aural at Roundhouse! SEATING I know, I know, all the kids are on the floor spilling drinks all over one another, jumping up and down, swapping spit and whatnot, but at this point in my life it is terrific to be able to take in a show from a seat with an incredible view! Now, if only I knew someone with an extra VIP pass to: The xx on 12 July and Florence + The Machine on 13 July Le sigh, a girl can dream...

Opened in 2000, this is a trendy Arts-centre/cafe/restaurant with ample parking and workshop…read morefacilities on-site, with around 2,500 visitors a week. There is a gallery and public areas displaying handcrafted jewellery made by students, which is also for sale. The theatre puts on special live performances and films along with a programme of seasonal workshops for children and adults. Norden's restaurant is situated in the Long Barn and provides a set-price menu and waited service. They also cater for children. The cafe/bar area offers a more relaxed atmosphere and a choice of bar meals and snacks.

This is a great alternative to the Odeon cinema in Maidenhead - at least they show good films - the…read morefilms that are not usually on for the masss market - these are the ones that are usually better! The prices are good too. I haven't tried the restaurant but it does look good and they seem to do some good pre theatre deals

Whilst I'm not a church goer by any means, we do on occasion go up to the church of St Marys at…read moretimes like Christmas, and the spring/summer fayres. It is a very old church, the entrance being just round on the left of the photo that I took.

The Barbican is an area you can explore with a library, conservatory, rotating art installations,…read moreand miscellaneous events. You should check when the events are, because it could interfere with the areas being available for a visit. There was also a beautiful outdoor area that would have been amazing to sit at the café outdoors and admire the scenery, but unfortunately it was raining at the time of our visit and it would not have been as enjoyable to sit outdoors here. Would definitely come back to explore more, and hoping the weather will be better in the future.

Very disappointing experience. I'll start with the good. The front desk staff was incredible,…read morevery friendly and very helpful. Unfortunately, the concierge was probably the worst ever. I received a package via Amazon and showed him the details from the Amazon email. He condescendingly asked me where it was on his list, where it wasn't printed, and stressed that if it wasn't there they did not get a package. I cannot put into words how condescending he was. I left for dinner worried the package was lost or misdelivered. When I returned, he was no longer there so I asked the great front desk staff if they had received a package for me. They remembered getting something and checked a few places, long story short is they found the package. Again, kudos to the front desk who went the extra mile for me, but why was the concierge so negativistic and self assured. Another positive was the fitness Centre, which had some great equipment, including a nice rower and treadmill. Unfortunately, the smell in the hallway leading to the fitness centre almost made me sick every day. A couple other challenges from the property. The room is what I would have imagined a jail cell. A small mattress just thrown into a corner. Also, the door to the bathroom slammed every time I went in, I am sure not very pleasant for my neighbors. Also the fire alarm went off at 7 am my last night, the cherry on top.

Even if you're not planning on seeing a show here, do the tour!…read more William Shakespeare's company built The Globe Theater very close to this spot in 1599. This is a replica of Shakespeare's theater which was built in the late 1990s. Originally, the idea was to mostly perform Shakespeare plays during the summer months, demonstrating exactly how those plays might have been seen in Elizabethan/Jacobean London. So, all-male casts, no modern technology, etc. Nowadays they make a lot more concessions with the aim of putting on enjoyable shows, but this is still an outdoor venue with a courtyard "groundlings" area that has no seats. The outer ring is covered and has wooden bench seating, with cushions available to rent. If you're a tourist who has spent the day hoofing it around this great city, you should probably make sure you have a seat. Furthermore, you might consider that a back-row seat would allow you to lean back, which you can't do in the other rows. This is very much a true professional theater experience. It's not just a gimmick; the original artistic director was no less than Sir Mark Rylance so you know you are going to see a high-quality production. However, the expertise on hand regarding the history of William Shakespeare makes for a very informative tour. I've done it multiple times and always loved it. But the production I saw of A Midsummer Night's Dream was lots of fun, easy to recommend. They involve the audience a lot, even bringing people on stage during actual scenes. Anyone who considers themselves a theater nerd owes themselves a visit. I strongly recommend the tour, and if you can make it to an actual show, you won't regret it. There are concession stands with a decent selection of snacks and drinks, alcoholic and otherwise. And there's a very large gift shop which was closed at the end of the show I went to, sadly. I would have bought something. But that's normal. NOTE: a second stage has been added to this complex, the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. It's a traditional indoor theater. If you're booking tickets, you might want to make sure you know which stage it's on, as that greatly impacts the experience. ANOTHER NOTE: I spoke to some people who believed the final scene of the movie Hamnet was filmed here. Although that might sound right, it is incorrect. That sequence was all done at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire.

A must see and must do, especially for history and theater lovers!…read moreWe booked our tickets ahead of time to guarantee a tour, but you might get lucky with walk-up tickets, if you are an on-a-whim spontaneous type of traveler. The guides are often also members of the company and are ensemble members of the shows. Our guide was fun and engaging. We got to get up close near the stage and visit a couple of the upper boxes. I only wish the tour was longer. Do remember that the theatre is open-air and thus affected by the elements. Keep that in mind when going, if you need a poncho or umbrella or sunscreen. It was a good tour, informative and interesting. There are different tour options, some which go to other areas (like, I think there is a backstage inclusive tour). And as always, you end in the gift shop to spend more money. But I did really like the kinds of souvenirs they had to buy. Worth a visit for all.