Tate Modern Extension: Will bigger be better?

The architects responsible for Britain's most popular art gallery, the Tate Modern, have unveiled plans to nearly double the South Bank attraction's floor space. The Swiss architects, Herzog and de Meuron, plan to create a brick pyramid which will stand 213 feet (65metres) high.

The original plans (also drawn up by Herzog and de Meuron) for an extension to the iconic gallery would have seen the creation of a huge glass pyramid.

The new plan to create a brick ziggurat will cost £215 million ($430million). The new brick design is far more in keeping with Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's power station. Edwin Heathcote wrote in The Financial Times on 19 July that the design is: "A near-solid brick base with a single vertical slot echoes the bulk of the power station, while the series of slits lightens the structure. The brick and extensive natural ventilation also make this a far more sustainable proposal."

Independent travellers in London can hear about the history of Giles Gilbert Scott's building and the Tate's subsequent acquisition of it, once it had been decommissioned on the Ride & Stride, London city walking tour.

Tate Modern opened in 2000. The power station designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott closed in 1981. The architects preserved the building's external appearance.

Exhibitions at the Tate Modern regularly grab headlines. Remember Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth, a great crack that cut through the former power station's giant Turbine Hall? More recently, a British born artist recently received funding to stage Work No.850. Martin Creed has devised a programme where according to a Tate Britain press release: "A person will sprint as fast as they can every 30 seconds through the 86 metre gallery at the heart of Tate Britain. Each run is followed by an equivalent pause, like a musical rest, during which the gallery is empty."

Visitors can catch a glimpse of the runners until 1 November.

Get to grips with the capital's history - and do your bit for the environment and your waistline, too - with the Ride & Stride mp3 guided tour. The tour begins with a ride on a much loved London icon, an old Routemaster bus (please note the cost of the ticket for the bus ride is not included in the tour). Get off at St Paul's Cathedral. Hear about the Cathedral's architect Sir Christopher Wren. Then continue your tour across the River Thames via the Millennium Bridge. Hear about Tate Modern and why Shakespeare's Globe Theatre was built on the South Bank. Discover how the efforts of an American led to a new Globe been built.

Step inside a recreated prison at the Clink Museum and see a replica of the Golden Hinde. Hear about the gory history of London Bridge. Take a look at HMS Belfast and the London Mayor's seat of power, City Hall. Then cross over to the North Bank of the Thames via Tower Bridge, before concluding your tour outside the once infamous Tower of London. To hear an audio sample from the Ride & Stride podcast guided tour please click here.

There are five Walk Talk Tours of London. Each Walk Talk Tour audio downloadable walking tour of the English capital is available in English, French, German and Spanish. Each Walk Talk Tour also has an accompanying Where & When page, which provides information about the opening times and admission charges of key attractions en route.

Each Walk Talk Tour is divided into commentary points. Listeners will hear about a particular landmark, like the Tate Modern, and then they will receive instructions explaining how to get to the next commentary point. Listeners will then be asked to press pause. Walk Talk Tourists then press play when they reach the next destination on their tour. In addition, each Walk Talk Tour comes complete with a downloadable tour plan (map), so you won't miss a thing.

Unlike on a conventional guided tour with a Walk Talk Tour iPod travel guide you're in charge. Sightseeing with children? Are there times when they drive you to distraction? With a Walk Talk Tour you can stop and start your tour as you see fit.

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.

Tate Modern embraces Street Art

Six acclaimed international artists will have their works on display at the Tate Modern from 23rd May - 25th August, 2008. The artists' urban themed art will be the first to adorn the Tate Modern's distinctive facade.

Just like watching the Arsenal? However, like the Arsenal team there's not a Brit in sight. The mysterious Banksy would surely have made a good fist of decorating the Tate Modern's facade. The line up is impressive, nevertheless. Italian Blu, JR (from France) and Sixeart (Spain), Brazilians Nunca and Os Gemeos and US collective Faile.

Better still, the majority of it is free to enjoy, though some of the exhibitions do charge admission fees.

Visitors sightseeing in London can enjoy visiting the former power station with a Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tour. The Gallery opened in May 2000. To hear an audio sample from the South Bank Circular downloadable travel guide please click here.

Listeners to the Ride and Stride podcast guided tour can learn about some of the other highlights on the South Bank. Find out why the original Globe Theatre ended up on the South Bank of the Thames with the City & South Bank Circular iPod travel guide or the Ride and Stride city guide. The present Globe opened in 1996 and owed much to the tenacity of one individual - Sam Wanamaker. Discover the origins of the phrases 'Winchester geese' and 'in the clink' in your own time, with a Walk Talk Tour travel guide.

There are five Walk Talk Tour mp3 guided tours of London for you to enjoy. Each London tour costs £5.95 and there are discounts for purchasing more than one tour at a time. Significant discounts are available for groups and parties.

Each Walk Talk Tour city guide comes complete with a downloadable map. The five London walks are available in English, French, German and Spanish.