TS Eliot wrote that April is the cruellest month in his epic poem, The Wasteland – one of my favourite poems which, when I read it again and again, I see other connotations, other meanings, other visions. Yet, conversely, it is the months of April and May that I look forward to the most in my…
Category: UK
A new dawn rises for South Parade Pier, Southsea
Friday 14th April 2017 was a great day for the people of Portsmouth. It’s been five long years since South Parade Pier, a Grade II listed Victorian Pier, closed its doors and many of us feared that it would never reopen. It’s taken investment from a private consortium of local businessmen to repair and re-open…
What’s in a plaque?
I do love to read a good plaque as I wander around the streets of London, camera in hand. It’s like having a mini-history lesson laid out for you as you take a path, walked by thousands of people before you. They help us connect our present to the past. They also help us enjoy the living…
When Churchill met Roosevelt
Have you ever wandered down London’s Bond Street and noticed the (as I call it) “When Churchill met Roosevelt” statue – the two elder statesmen sitting on a bench with a space for us in-between – wondering what it’s all about? All became clear for me on this vexed question when I sadly read the…
Hanami – the art of the cherry blossom
In many ways, I believe I am a little Japanese because like that great nation, whenever I see a cherry blossom in flower, my soul smiles. The art of cherry blossom viewing is taken extremely seriously in Japan and has been for centuries. The name given to it, Hanami, I am told, means simply flower viewing…
A Walk through David Hockney’s life
I will first of all put my hands up and say that I am a bit of a fan of David Hockney – I like his ideas, his work and well, I quite like the sound of him too. So it may come as no surprise to hear that I made my way to the…
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…
The Pennington Penny
Having worked in PR and marketing for all of my working life, it is rare indeed to discover something that is genuinely new about a hotel, something which even the tourism authorities would not have known about. So imagine my excitement about working on an opening project with the sales team of the newly rebadged…
Anthony Trollope and the post box
Posting a letter the other day, I found myself pondering the concept of the pillar or post box and wondering about its origins. I love a good functional design and the pillar box is perfect for its job – safe, secure, easy to post and to retrieve mail, able to withstand the elements – a design…
The Red Telephone Box – a design classic
When I was growing up, the urban streetscape included many everyday items that are fast vanishing from modern day life – and I never knew I would miss them until they were gone. Take the iconic red telephone box or kiosk. It’s been here since the 1920’s and formed the backdrop to my everyday life…
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