Things To Do In London Today: 5 February 2013


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GIVE BLOOD: Today's donation clinic is in the Marriott Hotel in Kilburn. Free, just turn up, 12.45-3pm and 4.30-7.30pm

DOCUMENTARY: Watch two short films about photographer Dorothy Bohm, to complement the current exhibition of her work at Museum of London. Free, just turn up, 1pm

SONGS: Hear songs about Bishopsgate Parish at Bishopsgate Institute's free lunchtime concert. Free, just turn up, 1.05pm

GRAVITY: It’s the most mysterious of the four forces. Join Christian Boehmer at UCL for a lunchtime lecture looking at recent attempts to pin down the weighty issues with gravity. Free, just turn up, 1.15pm

RELIGION: The ever-provocative Steve Jones is at the Royal Institution discussing the ancient questions that both religion and science have grappled over the centuries, with a particular focus on his discipline, genetics. £10, prebook, 7pm

TRANSPORT: Join a talk putting The Case Against the Car, upstairs at The Yorkshire Grey, Theobalds Road as Street Talks new season gets underway. Free, just turn up, 7pm

DISCUSSION: Hear from the artists behind Vibe Bar's current exhibition of art inspired by death row inmates. £10 suggested donation, just turn up, 7pm

POETRY: Niall O’Sullivan hosts the Poetry Cafe‘s open mic night, Poetry Unplugged. £5, just turn up, 7.30pm

VARIETY: The Royal National Theatre of Fools is a newish variety/comedy night with a theatrical twist, in Peckham. See a man escape from cling film, a rabbit fired from a cannon, an adult prodigy, and other wonders of the age, live at the CLF Art Cafe. £10, prebook, 7.30pm

GIG: A solid double-bill at The Borderline tonight: The Temperance Movement + The Graveltones. £7.95, prebook, 7pm

PERFORMANCE ART: Smash Lab, at the Book Club in Shoreditch, is an evening of performance and live art, featuring five artists. £5, prebook, 7.30pm

QUIZ: The Monarch in Camden is running a pub quiz entirely themed around Doctor Who. £2, just turn up, 8pm

COMEDY: Head to the Soho Theatre to see Australian Sarah Kendall look at what kind of example we’re setting for girls, inspired by the birth of her own daughter. £10-£15, prebook, 9.15pm

Random London Fact of the Day
With Richard III all over the press, here are a few royal death facts for the capital (all relating to monarchs after the 1066 Conquest).

  • The first monarch to die in London was Henry III, who passed away in Westminster Palace in 1272.
  • The last monarch to die in London was Edward VII, who breathed his last in Buckingham Palace in 1910. His final words: “I am very glad,” after hearing that his horse had won at Kempton Park.
  • The most fatal building for monarchs is Kensington Palace, where four kings and queens met their ends (George II, William III, Mary II, Anne).
  • In fact, London in general is pretty risky for our rulers. 18 monarchs have met their ends in the area we now know as Greater London.
  • The most famous royal death was the execution of Charles I outside the Banqueting House in Whitehall in 1649. If you stand outside the building today, and look up to the clock on the Horse Guards building opposite, you'll note a black mark next to the number 2, denoting the hour of his demise.

Good Cause of the Day
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London tour guide Rob Smith is running a benefit walking tour for charity Water Aid on Thursday 7 February. As well as contributing to a good cause, you'll get to enjoy Rob's Makers of Modern London walk, which spotlights the engineers, philanthropists and campaigners who helped shape our city. As Rob says: "I'm really proud that 19th century Londoners largely fixed the problems of clean water and sanitation, but these problems still exist in poorer parts of the world today. I'm donating all proceeds from the ticket sales to help Water aid build and maintain water pumps and wells." To attend the walk, prebook here for £10, then meet at Farringdon at 7pm on Thur and pay on the day.

London Weather

One senses the BBC hedging its bets somewhat with today's forecast, which features every weather symbol in their armamentarium short of a lightening bolt. As usual, the only rainy spell of the day comes exactly as everyone scrambles for sandwiches (we've cack-handedly cropped off the times, but that first raincloud is at 1pm). Weather in summary: lots.