city art...spare time for Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ and Turner’s ‘The Fighting Temeraire’. Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN TATE MODERN Bankside Power Station (designed by the

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city art

World class art around the city

THE MONUMENTArguably, modern London started here, since this slender Baroque column, surmounted by its golden orb, commemorates the rebirth of the city after the Great Fire. It once towered over all it surveyed, and still provides striking views from the top of its 311 steps.Sir Christopher Wren, 1677, Fish Street Hill, EC3R 8A

QUEEN ANNE One of our less famous queens, the last Stuart monarch and first monarch of ‘Great Britain’ is now mainly known for the architecture which distinguished her reign. Appropriately, this statue sits in one of London’s finest 18th-century streets. Both are definitely worth a visit.Anon, C. 1705, 15 Queen Anne’s Gate, SW1 9BU

PROSPERO AND ARIELWhen the iconic home of the BBC in W1A recently had a facelift, a lighting scheme by artists Martin Richman and Tony Cooper brought new dazzle to the original BEEB and the celebrated 30s sculpture of Eric Gill. Eric Gill, 1932, Plus Lighting Scheme By Martin Richman And Tony Cooper, Broadcasting House, W1A 1AA

WINGED FIGURE Retailers aren’t always the most adventurous patrons, but John Lewis’s decision to commission Barbara Hepworth for its Oxford Street shop has proved an enduring triumph. The work celebrates ‘common ownership’, a core value of ‘the partnership’. Barbara Hepworth, 1961, Oxford Street, W1C1DX

SILENCE Intermittent bursts of mist erupt from the base of two trees in this magical sculpture designed by Japanese genius Tadao Ando. Undoubtedly best at night, when the landscape is flooded by a pearly, luminescent cloud. Tadao Ando, 2011, The Connaught, Carlos Place, W1K 2AL

NEWTONSir Eduardo Paolozzi based his bronze of the 17th-century scientist on a print by William Blake. To his contemporaries, Newton represented the triumph of reason; Blake’s view was reason alone was not sufficient – a perspective encapsulated in the British Library’s comprehensive collections.Sir Eduardo Paolozzi, 1995, British Library, 96 Euston Road, NW1 2DB

Free art in London

London is one of the world’s great cultural capitals, and, if it’s streets aren’t exactly paved with gold, they’re certainly well stocked with public art of extraordinary quality.

No one could hope to exhaust its many pleasures, but a careful edit of what’s available will allow you to explore both the history of Britain and the history of a city that is a constant work in progress. Over the past decade particularly, public art has been used as a critical tool in ‘place-making’, helping establishing the identity of newly created districts, like Nine Elms and Greenwich Peninsula, as well as re-energising some of the oldest.

London is never going to be a budget town – and straying too far from the college bar rarely makes much sense – but eating out, carefully considered, won’t necessarily break the bank. Otherwise, a picnic in one of London’s magnificent parks – from Kensington to Greenwich, and Stratford to Battersea – is often the most cost-effective way to double your pleasure, with a free art gallery to accompany your sarnies.

INTERACTIVE MAPFind your way to key pieces of free art around Liverpool using our ‘hotspot’ map.www.comparethemarket.com/money/content/free-student-city-art-guides/

Words: Lisa Freedman Map illustration: Benedict Stenning, mapmycity.co.uk

CONVERSATION WITH OSCAR WILDE The only sculpture of the great Irish playwright in London, this witty, sarcophagus-like bench was commissioned by a committee of superstars, including Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen. Maggie Hambling, 1998, Adelaide Street, WC2N 4HZ

ROLLING BRIDGE Thomas Heatherwick, the man who brought us the Olympic cauldron and the new Routemaster bus, is someone who’s always had a firm grasp of poetry in motion. His exciting take on the drawbridge lifts from conventional walkway into circular sculpture in one seamless curl.Thomas Heatherwick, 2005, Paddington Basin, W2 1LA

THE OPTIC CLOAKThe Royal Academy’s youngest member has masked an energy centre in a ‘cloak’ of perforated and folded aluminium panels. The work, part sculpture, part architecture, provides a hologram-like effect as light shifts through it over the course of a day.Conrad Shawcross, 2016, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ

ROOM

Both a monumental sculpture and a modern extension to an Art Deco building, Room forms a giant Lego-like sculpture on the facade of this luxury Mayfair hotel. Viewing from the outside is free; an internal inspection costs significantly more. Antony Gormley, 2014, The Beaumont Hotel, Brown Hart Gardens, W1K 6TF

ORBIT TOWER Britain’s largest piece of public sculptor was commissioned from the Turner Prize-winner as a lasting legacy of the 2012 Olympics. Now ‘repurposed’ to incorporate the world’s longest slide, which, after seeing the great views, lets you come down to earth very speedily. Sir Anish Kapoor, 2012, Olympic Park, Stratford, E20 2AD

THE FREEMAN FAMILY FOUNTAIN This polished steel orb, designed by international garden artist David Harber, makes meeting that daily water target easy, with four separate drinking positions and a spout to fill bottles. David Harber, 2009, Cumberland Gate, Hyde Park, W2 2LP

Refreshment on a budget

WELLBEING KITCHEN This value-for-money caff near Centre Point has a stripped-back aesthetic, but offers a tantalizing array of Korean and Japanese delicacies in generous and delicious portions. 232 Shaftesbury Avenue, WC2H 8EG

HERMAN ZE GERMANThe hot dog is – well – hot, but most of the new breed of superdog take their inspiration from the US. This German version uses high-quality pork on proper bread rolls, something worth sitting down and savouring. Also at Charing Cross and Soho.43 Charlotte Street, W1T 1RS 19 Villiers Street, WC2N 6ND 33 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JU

SIMMONS Retro cool, eclectic-chic interiors. This deliciously priced bar has extended happy hours, every day, including weekends, from 4-9pm, plus a DJ till 3am on Friday and Saturday nights. One of seven all over London.32 Caledonian Road, N1 9DT

BEIGEL BAKE Londoners have always known that hunger isn’t ruled by the clock, and Beigel Bake has been serving up some of the city’s best salt beef and smoked salmon 24/7 for over 40 years. 159 Brick Lane, E1 6SB

PIZZA UNIONThe Spitalfields décor is industrial rather than indulgent – but it lives up to its promise of ‘superveloce’ (super fast), and pricing and flavour are faultless. 25 Sandy’s Row, E1 7HW

MILDREDSBuzzy vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Soho. No booking, so pick your times to avoid the queus, or soak up the atmosphere of Lexington Street while you wait. Now also in Camden and King’s Cross.45 Lexington Street, W1 F9AN 9 Jamestown Road, NW1 7BW 200 Pentonville Road, N1 9JP

Galleries and other free surprises

SIR JOHN SOAMES MUSUEM One of the country’s most unusual and significant museums. The house of Regency architect Sir John Soames is brimming with breathtaking curiosities including the sarcophagus of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti 1 and a monk’s cell in the basement. 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, W2A 3BP

THE BRITISH MUSEUMThe British Museum was the first museum in the world open to the public. Now its collections stretch over continents and millennia. Star attractions include: The Rosetta Stone, The Sutton Hoo Burial Ship, and the (contentious) Elgin Marbles.Great Russell Street, WC1B 3DG

THE NATIONAL GALLERYWhen it opened in the 19th century, the National Gallery had just 38 pictures. Today, there are nearly 2,500, from medieval gold backs to the finest French Impressionists. Don’t leave it all to the tourists, spare time for Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ and Turner’s ‘The Fighting Temeraire’. Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN

TATE MODERNBankside Power Station (designed by the architect of Battersea Power Station, Sir Giles Gilbert Scott) is home to the Tate’s collection of post-1900 art. Packed since it opened, its popularity has, if anything, increased since the 2016 unveiling of Herzog & de Meuron’s origami-like extension.Bankside, SE1 9TG

THE WALLACE COLLECTIONTucked away behind Selfridges and the bustle of Oxford Street is this oasis of calm with its own intimate courtyard. A private world-class collection of armour, art (The Laughing Cavalier), furniture (Queen Marie-Antoinette’s desk) and porcelain. Manchester Square, W1U 3BN

THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM Founded to provide an example for the nation of the finest industrial design, the V &A continues to dazzle with its extraordinary range of the decorative and the functional, from furniture and ceramics to fashion and jewellery. Cromwell Road, SW7 2RL