There are Christmas trees, then there are Christmas trees … For the ultimate in festive finery, put your best foot forward and head for Claridge’s, Mayfair to celebrate the start of the Christmas Season for no other than shoe maestro Christian Louboutin will be designing the property’s 10th anniversary Christmas tree, to be unveiled…
Category: London
The art of drawing revealed
Drawing is the honesty of the art. There is no possibility of cheating. It is either good or bad. Salvador Dali This upcoming exhibition from London’s National Portrait Gallery, The Encounter: Drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt – immediately caught my eye. As an evergreen art student, this took me right back to my Fine Art…
Big Ben falls silent …
The most famous peal of bells in the world is falling silent this year. That unique sound, created by a cracked bell called Big Ben will go mute whilst much needed restoration takes place. Work is scheduled to take place on The Great Clock within the Queen Elizabeth Tower early this year – part of a…
The Ivy – A Century of Style
One of London’s most interesting and vibrant restaurants, the venerable Ivy, turns 100 this year. Having undergone a complete re-invention in 2015, who would have thoughts that today’s go-to restaurant for cinematic and theatrical royalty had somewhat humble beginnings. What is now The Ivy started life after the Great War as a simple Italian…
Why is Piccadilly Circus so named?
As the historic lights on Piccadilly Circus go dark this January for the longest amount of time since World War II, I find myself musing on the name Piccadilly Circus and why it became synonymous with advertising hoardings. My first query is easily answered – thanks to Wikipedia. The word Piccadilly was originally linked in 1626…
London’s largest Royal Park
It’s taken me half of my life to finally visit Richmond Park, London’s largest Royal Park in fact. Perhaps its only now that I tend to go for long walks with faithful Hound in tow that I have come to appreciate the beauty of nature – and it doesn’t come better than this beautiful park….
A rare gem: Ham House
Why oh why did I not visit Ham House when I lived in London? This is an historic jewel of a property run now by the National Trust, situated just outside Richmond in South West London, close to the River Thames. We had the good fortune to be shown around the property by one of…
Piccadilly’s Bomber Command Memorial
Just along Green Park at Hyde Park Corner, lies one of the most evocative of London’s war memorials in honour of Bomber Command – the Royal Air Force. I have passed this spot at least a hundred times since it was unveiled on 28th June 2012 by Her Majesty The Queen however I have never, until very…
VE day – Victory in Europe
The nation will be returning to the 40’s this May to celebrate VE Day – Victory in Europe Day: Friday 8th being a day of remembrance, Saturday 9th – one of celebration – and Sunday 10th, a day for thanksgiving. At the heart of the festivities will be St James’s Park, London’s oldest park and for…
The story of the Christmas Tree
It has to be said, I love a good Christmas Tree. It brings a joy to my heart with the anticipation of Christmas and the start of a new, better year beyond. I was a little hazy on the origins of the Christmas tree however. It’s a northern Europe tradition, said my brother, and so…
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