Dear Members

With the potential ‘roadmap’ set for the reopening, I’m keeping an eye on all the wonderful things set to reopen/open in London for when you return to the club. Unfortunately, we still have a fair few weeks in the current lockdown and I know that some like me are finding that March seems to be going very, very slowly. So, I thought I would recommend a few more virtual activities to help you get through it but that are also suitable to visit at a later stage.
 
The Top Secret Comedy Club

The Top-Secret Comedy Club is located a short walk from the Club in Covent Garden. They are supported by some of the very best stand-up comedians in the UK who are working on new material for their upcoming tours and TV appearances. Until they can invite audiences back to the club, they have gone online daily at 8pm for a very reasonable price.
 
https://thetopsecretcomedyclub.co.uk/events-listings/
Price; from £1 (yes, this is not a typing error, some are just £1.)
 
Charles Dickens Museum

48 Doughty Street in Bloomsbury is the house where the Charles dickens penned ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘The Pickwick Papers’ and ‘Nicholas Nickleby’, now a wonderful museum. It’s due to reopen in May but in the meantime their collections can be found online.
 
http://www.collections.dickensmuseum.com/home
Price; Free
 
Sipsmith Distillery

As well as the countless bars poised and ready to reopen including our own of course, London has a fair few distilleries that you can visit. A personal favourite of mine is Sipsmith in Chiswick.
Currently they are offering a virtual Distillery Tour to online Cocktail Masterclass which includes a gin cocktail kit which will be delivered to your home.
 
https://sipsmith.com/tours/
Price; from £15
 
The Whodunnit - Murder on the Underground Express

London has numerous escape rooms set to reopen but, in their absence, I recently partook in this interactive virtual murder mystery where you work alongside 15 or 20 people to track clues, interview suspects and examine the evidence, all before the clock runs out. A great fun way to spend some time.
 
https://www.thewhodunnit.co.uk/virtual-events/murder-on-the-underground-express-detective/
Price; £10
 
The London Transport Museum

This is one of my favourite tours where you get to explore ‘forgotten’ parts of the Tube network.
Tours are set to reopen once restrictions are lifted but in the meantime, you can uncover the fascinating stories of London’s transport history with an engaging and expert guide via ZOOM.
You’ll learn about the history of the abandoned stations with photos, videos and never-before-seen footage, you’ll also be able to pick your guide’s brains with your questions in a special Q&A session afterwards.
The now closed stations include the Aldwych, Holborn (Kingsway), King William Street and Brompton Road and I would highly recommend visiting one of these ghost stations in person, they are fascinating.
 
https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/hidden-london/virtual-tours
Price; £20.00
 
Additionally, these free YouTube videos provide a fascinating insight to the history and running of the underground system
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKLSoLnrWgHx5kkCaH4iF8nin1s_8taNU
 
 
Have fun with this varied selection!
 
Many members are now booking bedrooms in the club for after 17^th May and I’ve had a number contact me asking for inspiration about what to do whilst in London. If you need some help please do email me and I’ll come up with some ideas for you.
 
Craig x
 
memexpmanager@thefarmersclub.com