Cleopatra's Needle, London

Cleopatra's Needle is the popular name for each of two Ancient Egyptian obelisks formerly in Alexandria and re-erected in London and New York City during the nineteenth century. -wikipedia

Cleopatra's Needle is one of the countless little odds and ends that can found in and around the city of London. Statues and monuments litter the city and it is easy walk past Cleopatra's Needle and think it is just one more bit of art in a city overflowing with art.

The needles are genuine Ancient Egyptian obelisks, though they are somewhat misnamed as they have no particular connection with Queen Cleopatra VII of Egypt-they were already over a thousand years old in her lifetime.

The London needle is in the City of Westminster, on the Victoria Embankment near the Golden Jubilee Bridges. Cleopatra's Needle was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by Mehemet Ali, the Albanian-born viceroy of Egypt, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to fund the expense of transporting it to London.

Cleopatra's Needle is one of those Free Things to do in London.

London for Free

London for free includes the many parks and public spaces that fill the city. Trafalgar Square is free to visit, though you might want to buy some corn to feed the gazillion pigeons that hang out there. London's parks are beautiful places and it is easy to wander through one on your way from one great London attraction to another. Among my favorite London parks-
Saint James Park
Regent's Park
Hyde Park.

Many of London's world class museums are free and are a great place to get out of the weather. My favorite of London's free museums is The British Museum, famous for it's mummys and seemingly unlimited catalog of amazing items. Other great free London museums include
Imperial War Museum
Natural History Museum
Science Museum

You can see Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and St Paul's Cathedral for free. Most tour books have excellent walking tours which will lead you by a lot of the famous London attractions. For me just being in London was a fairly exciting event, so wandering around aimlessly and taking photos of everything in site was a good, free activity for me. It is better to have a plan of action though and map out a few of the must sees before you spent too much time just walking. There is a lot to see and do in London, and it's a good idea to think about what you want to do.

A few websites to find more London For Free Stuff-

London for Free-a nice site that is well laid out and has a wealth of information on all things free in London. Walks, Outdoor Activities, Indoor Activities and London Day Trips.

London4Free-a lot of interesting information on the many free things to do in London. Also covers such things as cheap places to stay in London, cheap things to eat in London, and cheap travel to London and around London.

Free London-From Time Out London. Lots on info on free things to do and discount things to do in London. A fun site to wander around and see what's on.