HMS Belfast

Morgan’s Lane, Tooley Street, SE1 (020 7940 6328)

London Bridge tube/rail. Open Mar-Oct 10am-6pm daily (last entry 5.15pm); Nov-Feb 10am-5pm daily (last entry 4.15pm). Admission ?5; ?3.90 students, OAPs; free under-16s. Credit MC, ?TC, V.

Website: http://www.hmsbelfast.org.uk

One of the most spectacular sights on the Thames, the 11,500-ton
battlecruiser, built in 1938, was instrumental in the sinking of the
German battleship Scharnhorst during World War II and remained in
active service until just after the Korean War. Exploring its seven
decks, boiler and engine rooms and massive gun turrets is great fun -
especially for children. Interestingly, the front two turrets are
trained on the Scratchwood motorway services on the M1, 122 miles
(20km) away to the north-west of London – more, one assumes, to
demonstrate the guns’ great range than to comment on the quality of
motorway food.