Hadrian to storm British Museum

The latest temporary exhibition at the British Museum opens in a few days time, on 24 July. The exhibition entitled Hadrian: Empire and Conflict will allow visitors to view over 200 exhibits loaned from more than 30 countries. The venue for the exhibition is the Museum's magnificent Reading Room.

Who was Hadrian? Many of you will remember him as the Roman Emperor who had a wall at the northern most point of the empire named after him, which stretched from the Solway Firth in the east to Wallsend, on the River Tyne, in the west (about 75 miles/120km). Hadrian was the Roman Emperor from 117AD to 138AD.

The Spanish born, Publius Aelius Hadrianus, held important posts in Rome. After Hadrian's father died, one of his uncles, the future emperor, Trajan, became his guardian. Hadrian became second-in-command, accompanying Trajan on military campaigns. When Trajan died, Hadrian was proclaimed emperor.

Hadrian loved Greek civilization. He succeeded in unifying and strengthening Rome's grip on its empire.

Visitors to the British Museum will be able to see a diverse range of artefacts from Hadrian's reign. Rachel Campbell-Johnson wrote in The Times, on 16 July, that: "The British Museum now assembles a spectacular show whose exhibits range from the heftiest stone pieces to the most fragile slips of papyrus with anything from portrait sculptures, through stone inscriptions and architectural models, to coins and mosaic pieces in between."

Independent travellers in London can enjoy Hadrian: Empire and Conflict until 26 October. Why not hear about the history of some of London's cultural highlights with the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts audio downloadable walking tour? The walk can be completed in two hours, though with a Walk Talk Tour you can spend as little or as long as you want exploring the sights.

The tour begins outside the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, before guiding listeners to Leicester Square via the National Portrait Gallery. From Leicester Square Continue your Walk Talk Tour, London walking tour, to St Martin's Theatre site of the world's longest running play, before walking on to Long Acre (site of the world's first television broadcast) before reaching Covent Garden. To hear an audio sample from the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts, London iPod travel guide please click here.

Feel free to stop and soak up the ambiance of London's Mecca to street theatre. With a Walk Talk Tour you're in charge. No need to look conspicuous with a guidebook in your hands or struggle to follow - let alone hear - the tour guide with the umbrella. Sightseeing with children? Are they driving you to distraction? Simply stop and refuel (or allow the rain clouds to clear) and then resume your tour.

Make the most of your Walk Talk Tour, London city guide, by checking out our Where & When pages which provide information on opening times and admission charges of key attraction on each tour's route, like the British Museum.

Listeners to the Museums, Galleries & Performing Arts tour proceed from Covent Garden via the London Transport Museum and the Royal Opera House. Hear about the Blind Beak and his brother on Bow Street, before walking to Thomas Neal's. Then walk the final leg of the tour to the British Museum.

There are five Walk Talk Tours of London. Each London travel guide is available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each Walk Talk Tour comes with a downloadable map, so you won't miss a thing.

Each Walk Talk Tour of London costs just £5.95. Customers purchasing two tours simultaneously will receive a twenty per cent discount. Buy three at the same time and receive a thirty per cent discount. Walk Talk Tours represent excellent value for people sightseeing in groups and parties, too.