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On the first day of free entry to the V&A; museum the visitor numbers went up from the normal 2,500 to 6,500.

The V&A; said: "Today's total more than doubles the number of visitors on an average day which is a remarkable increase and we are very optimistic for the future.

"The dropping of entrance charges is clearly proving to be very popular and we are hoping that this weekend's figures will be even better."

The free entry coincides with the opening to the public of the new £31 million British Galleries. 15 refurbished galleries occupy two floors of the Kensington museum's south-west wing and house more than 3,000 pieces of British decorative arts.

According to the guidebook, the British Galleries "tell the story of what was hot and what was new from Henry VIII and the Tudors to William Morris and the Victorians".

They were officially opened by Prince Charles on Tuesday.

Most visitors had made the trip especially, after finding out they wouldn't have to pay. Ana Vrkljan, 27, from Holland Park, said:

"My flatmate was very keen to come because she is unemployed and now the charges have been dropped it is perfect for her. It's a great idea as it will get more people through the doors. Old, well-established places like this really should be free to the public."

Museums & Galleries in Kensington

Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone has been revealed as the new owner of the £85 million pound house for sale on Kensington Palace Gardens. He maintains his reputation as one of Britain's top business men by getting it for the knockdown price of £50 million.

This price still makes it Britain's most expensive privately owned home. What did he get for his money? Eight luxurious suites each with a bedroom, bathroom, dressing room and sitting room. Then he's got a lavish dining room with an antique crystal chandelier, not to mention a huge ballroom and an oak panelled picture gallery to hang his beloved art collection.

There's a room where Bernie and his mates can sit surrounded by giant TVs to watch horse-racing. They can cool off in the basement pool.

Built in 1845, his ornate mansion was designed by Sir Charles Barry, who built the Houses of Parliament.

71-year-old Ecclestone - recently named Britain's top earner for the second year running - made £788million in the past 12 months from his global motor racing empire.

Don't get jealous because you can have a house like Bernie's too. Just get a mortgage. Get your five per cent deposit together - £2.5million. Then all you owe is the £47.5million balance. That's around £160,000 a month. Easy.

There has been a surge in street crime across London, in part caused by the police diverting officers to protecting possible terrorist targets.

In Kensington and Chelsea robberies were up 129 per cent to 206; in Southwark there was a 72 per cent increase to 398; and in Hackney there was a 127 per cent rise to 451. Lambeth, which has the highest robbery figures in the country, recorded a 63 per cent rise to 888 offences.

Since 11 September up to 1,500 additional police officers have been deployed on the streets to prevent a terrorist outrage here and to reassure the public. The initiative, codenamed Operation Calm, has led to officers normally engaged in tackling day-to-day crime such as street robbery switching to patrols around sensitive-buildings such as the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street and Canary Wharf. The Met has also been hit by a financial crisis because of a predicted £14 million budget shortfall which has meant drastic cuts in overtime for officers.

The rising trend in street crime has been caused mainly by the continuing problem of mobile phone theft, often by young people, some no older than 10.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner-Tim Godwin, who is in charge of territorial policing, said: "There is a significant continuing increase in mobile phone thefts and the impact of 11 September has meant a change of emphasis in the deployment of Met officers.

"The key thing for us is that we have to do something about mobile phones and we are working with the Government to encourage the mobile phone industry to come up with the solutions to make them less attractive to street robbers. People must be extremely vigilant about using mobile phones in public."

In September Euan Blair became a victim of a robbery gang when he was mugged as he walked along Finchley Road late at night. The Yard has blamed the month-onmonth increase in robbery on a new generation of young offenders, some no older than 10.

National Honey Festival
15-17 November 2001
Kensington Town Hall

Definately the place to bee this week (sorry).

This competitive exhibition of fine honey and other hive products including waxes, candles, crafts and honey confectionery is the social event for beekeepers and honey enthusiasts to swap tips on their beekeeping and related affairs.

There are also trade stands, educational events and a lecture programme - introduced this year by the inventor Trevor Baylis. The rules are strict and extensive; the advice is never-ending. Needless to say, most competition entrants have honed their skills down to a fine art.

Honey exhibits "can be either natural set or soft set". Where honey is made from ling heather the honey is best extracted using "nylon stockings (with no ladders!)...a gloved hand can 'milk' the warm honey through the nylon." Whether you are a beekeeper or honey fiend there's always something to buy, from fumigators to beeswax polish for your Georgian footstool and mead and Honey Madeira Cakes for the hungry.

Even if it's just for five minutes, make sure you stop in at this event - it mirrors a Britain that some of us rarely get to see.

With discussions on the future of Notting Hill Carnival now focusing on four possible route change options, the Royal Borough has published five route change rules against which those options can be judged.

the new rules are

the four possible routes are

Any new route should:
Be safer than the traditional route. The Council believes that this means Carnival goers who only want to stand and watch have room to do so in safety. Crowds must be able to disperse rapidly in case of an emergency and there should be a firm 9pm finish.

Accommodate the traditions of Notting Hill Carnival, and be acceptable to the Carnival community. It should provide an improved 'platform' for the Carnival arts and provide for their practical needs. The route should not be too exhausting for children and others taking part.

Acknowledge the needs of all Londoners, as well as the Carnival community and audience. This means it should have regard to local communities, and not be imposed upon them - there must be public consultation. It should not compromise public transport provision elsewhere in London or cause unacceptable displacement of traffic in west London.

Fit within the operational capacity of London's public services. The route should not compromise emergency planning in west and central London, either in terms of the diversion of human resources, or in terms of the closure of transport routes upon which the emergency services rely. It should be capable of being policed and stewarded and not over-stretch the capacity of the local authorities to provide reasonable standards of amenity and enforcement action against illegal trading and unlicensed sound systems.

Be practical and realistic. It should be evolutionary, not revolutionary; take account of local topography, particularly gradients; keep the number of junctions to a minimum and facilitate media coverage.

The four route change options currently on the table are based on evidence from crowd management and safety experts, Intelligent Space. The options were unveiled last week following lengthy discussion and a weekend conference involving the GLA, the Royal Borough, Notting Hill Carnival Trust, the Met Police, Westminster City Council and The Royal Parks.

The four route options are:
East West 'L': The procession could move in either direction. It would start on Ladbroke Grove at the junction with Harrow Road, and then turn into either Arundel Gardens and Kensington Park Road before entering Westbourne Grove, or move directly along Ladbroke Gardens into Westbourne Grove.

The procession would then continue along Westbourne Grove and Bishops Bridge Road to the junction with Eastbourne Terrace, possibly turning into Eastbourne Terrace.

The Chair: The procession could start on Ladbroke Grove, at the junction with Kensal Road and continue along Ladbroke Grove to the junction with Holland Park Avenue.

The procession would then go along Holland Park Avenue, Notting Hill Gate and Bayswater Road up to Lancaster Gate tube. The Park: With this option, the procession could move in either direction. The procession could start on Ladbroke Grove at the junction with Harrow Road, and continue along Ladbroke Grove before turning into Ladbroke Gardens.

The procession would then move along Westbourne Grove and Bishops Bridge Road to the junction with Westbourne Terrace. The procession would then extend along Westbourne Terrace towards Lancaster Gate tube.

Merging horseshoe: This route would offer vehicles two alternative starting points: the first would be on Ladbroke Grove at the junction with Harrow Road, turning into Arundel Gardens and then Westbourne Grove.

Starting point two would be on Great Western Road at the junction with Hormead Road, following Great Western Road to junction with Westbourne Park Road, then turning right into Chepstow Road.

The two routes would converge at the junction of Westbourne Grove and Chepstow Road, then follow Westbourne Grove along to Bishops Bridge Road, turning right into either Westbourne Terrace or Gloucester Terrace. The procession would then turn right into Bayswater Road, and continue along Notting Hill Gate, allowing gradual dispersal along Holland Park Avenue.

for more info check out the Royal Borough website www.rbkc.gov.uk/