100 Years of Flight at Hendon

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THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM marks the centennial of powered flight with the opening of two structures and an exhibition. The relocated and restored Grahame White Factory where World War I planes were built will showcase many of the museum’s early aircraft. A huge version of a barrel-vaulted World War II Nissen hut, clad in shining stainless steel, will house the “Milestones of Flight” exhibition. With suspended aircraft, timeline walls, and split-level viewing, “Milestones” will present the vital role the Royal Air Force and British industry played in the development and evolution of flight. The exhibition includes historic RAF aircraft as well as planes from the U.S., Germany, Japan, and France. Formal opening “launch” takes place 17th December 2003, exactly 100 years after Orville Wright’s landmark flight in North Carolina, with opening to the public on the 18th. The museum is on Grahame Park Way in North London and stands on the site of the original London Aerodrome. Hours: open daily 10-6 except 24th-26th Dec and 1st Jan. Free. Tel: 020 8205 2266. Web: www.rafmuseum.org.

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A Hurricane in front of the new “milestones of Filght” building.[/caption]

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speedier rail between london and paris
Completion of a new section of high-speed rail in England, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, on 28th September has shaved 20 minutes off the trip between London and Paris (now just two hours 35 minutes) or Brussels (two hours 20 minutes). The new railway extension allows Eurostar trains to travel an additional I 00 kilometres at a speed of 300 miles per hour. Engineers expect to trim another IS minutes when the high-speed rail is completed to London’s St. Pancras Station in 2007. Web: www.eurostar.co.uk.

SANTAS on the run in WALES

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NEWTOWN IN MID-WALES hopes to enter the Guinness Book of World Records on 7th December when 3,000 Santas take to the streets. Two-thirds of the jolly old elves are expected to participate in the four-mile Santa Run to benefit local and international charities. (Not everybody runs; the rules permit walking and wheelchairs.) Another 500 in beards and red suits will take part in a children’s Santa Run. Volunteers and onlookers will constitute the remaining r id-suited 500. Beards and Santa attire are required of the runners, walkers, and rollers, and some participants will add their own creative and or zany touches to vie for honours in the costume contest. Adults run at 11 am, and children set off at 1.30 pm. There will be bands, food vendors, and holiday fun for all. Tel: 016 8662 2566. Web: www.santarun.info.

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HRISTMAS with the ROYAL COURTS

JOIN “ELIZABETH I” AND HER COURT as they celebrate Christmas at Hampton Court Palace, or visit the kitchens to see preparations underway for a Tudor holiday. You can also stop by Edward I’s apartments at the Tower of London to enjoy the music, dancing, storytelling, and feasting of the “King” and his court. The Tower festivities take place 27th-31st Dec, and Hampton Court celebrates 27th Dec-1st Jan. All included in regular admission. Web: www.hrp.org.uk.
Hampton Court Palace will offer another way to celebrate the season when its grounds are flooded to provide an ice rink for the first time, 6th Dec-18th Jan, open daily except Christmas Day, 10 am-10 pm. One-hour sessions, including skate hire: adults £8.50, children £6.50, seniors £7.50, family £34. Tel: 020 8241 9818.

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WOMEN AND WAR

The Imperial War Museum explores the wartime roles of women, from World War I to the present, in its “Women and War” exhibition, through 18th April. The lives of servicewomen, nurses, factory workers, secret agents, pilots, and others are examined in what the museum calls the most ambitious exhibition to date on this theme. Highlights include Marlene Dietrich’s WWII uniform, Amy Johnson’s flying tunic, the wedding dress worn by a prisoner who married the British soldier who liberated her from Belsen, and the diary of a nurse executed for espionage in 1915. Paintings, posters, uniforms, personal items, photos, and film come from the IWM’s collections as well as from the U.S., China, I Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and many other countries. An audio programme of taped reminiscences and readings from letters and diaries is also available to visitors. The IWM is on Lambeth Road in south-east London. Tel: 020 7416 5320. Email: [email protected]. Web: www.iwm.org.uk.