Education and Culture

Education costs in London are met partly by local taxes and partly by grants from the national government. Education extends from nursery schools through technical colleges, art schools, and adult evening classes. The University of London, centered in Bloomsbury, is the largest institution of higher learning in the United Kingdom. In addition to its Bloomsbury facilities, it has a number of schools, colleges, and institutes scattered throughout London.

Also in Bloomsbury are the British Museum and British Library. The museum is noted especially for Egyptian, Greek, and Roman antiquities and art. The library, located at St. Pancras, has one of the world's largest book collections. South of Hyde Park stand the Science Museum, with pushbutton working models; the Natural History Museum; and the Geological Museum.

London's art galleries include the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Wallace Collection. The city's auction galleries, especially Sotheby & Company, attract art buyers from all over the world.

Symphony orchestras include the London Philharmonic; the London and the BBC symphonies; and the Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. Prominent among concert halls are the Royal Albert, Royal Festival, and Queen Elizabeth halls. The Barbican Centre for Arts and Conferences is the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Symphony. The Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera perform in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. London's other major opera company is the English National Opera.

The South Bank Art Centre, on the south bank of the Thames at Waterloo Bridge, provides facilities for concerts, plays, films, and art exhibits. It includes the National Theatre, which is one of London's outstanding centers for drama. Also on the south bank, the site of the old Globe Theatre (torn down in 1644) is the new Globe Theatre, opened in 1996. ( )