Secret places, culture and food in London and Lisbon
Diary of a Londoness is a London guide to the best arts and culture in the city, with a sneak peek inside the capital’s most beguiling historic houses, hidden chapels, pubs and bookshop cafés. It now has a second home in Lisbon, with hidden corners, dog-friendly places and food to come.
London
Secret London
Hidden chapels, quirky museums, historic houses and secret corners most visitors never find.
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Sherlock Holmes Pub London: His Secret Study Upstairs
Looking for Sherlock Holmes in London? Skip the queues on Baker Street. One of the best-kept secrets in the capital is the Sherlock Holmes…
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Ceremony of the Keys Tickets: How to See It at the Tower of London
Every night for around 700 years, as darkness falls over London, a lone figure in a Tudor bonnet and a long red coat walks…
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Fitzrovia Chapel’s Byzantine Bling
Step inside Fitzrovia Chapel, a Gothic Revival jewel box of gold mosaics and marble in central London, once part of the Middlesex Hospital.
A love letter
Why J’adore London
London. You grabbed me by the heart the day I left Paris and dropped anchor into Victoria bus station, with just one suitcase and a bag full of dreams to my name. You never let me go.
London & beyond
Arts & Culture
Museums, historic houses, palaces, composers and writers, worth planning a day around.
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Erotic Art in London: In the Flesh
Come with me on a fleshy tour of saucy London. When I first wrote about erotic art in London, it became the best-read post…
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Literary London for Kids: A Phizz-Wizzing Tour
It’s time to hop into your winged slippers and take a trip round a magical London, one where childhood dreams never end. These London…
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In Conversation with: Venus at the National Gallery
Hola, I’m Venus at Her Mirror, but some people call me the Rokeby Venus or the Toilet of Venus. You can just call me…
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In Conversation with: The Laughing Cavalier
People call me The Laughing Cavalier, and I am the international man of mystery at the Wallace Collection in London. No one knows precisely…
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Merrily we cruise along: a GoBoat London review
I always think of Little Venice as the Montmartre of London: picturesque, bohemian, eclectic and soulful. It’s wedged between Paddington’s high rises and grungy…
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Strawberry Hill: Lost Treasures
How on earth do you track down 150 paintings, sculptures, pieces of furniture and curiosities which were dispersed after the great “sale of the…
London
Famous Londoners
The writers, composers, wits and eccentrics who made London, and the places they left behind.
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Tales of my City: Winston Churchill’s London
If Winston Churchill could stroll through the capital today, where would he go? This Winston Churchill London guide is an imagined interview in which…
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I Spy Lady Di: Princess Diana’s London
Welcome to Princess Diana’s London. Diana, or Di, as she was known, continues to fascinate us, and the memory of the People’s Princess still…
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Charles Dickens’ London
Where did Charles Dickens live and drink? Explore Dickens’ London, with Boz himself sharing his favourite spots.
London
Restaurants & Cafés
Restaurants, cafés, afternoon teas and bookshop cafés, reviewed by a Londoness.
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London’s best café bookshops
Is there anything better than a good book and a slice of cake? Discover London’s best café bookshops.
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Lunch at Harry’s Dolce Vita, Knightsbridge
A lunch review of Harry’s Dolce Vita behind Harrods in Knightsbridge: Italian classics, pasta, pizza and a pomegranate-coloured negroni.
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Restaurants near the Royal Opera House and the English National Opera
Where to eat before the opera or ballet: restaurants near the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, from in-house dining to pre-theatre spots.
London
Arts, culture and secret London
Historic houses, hidden chapels, quirky museums and the best of London’s arts and culture, found by a Londoness.
Secret LondonArts & CultureFamous LondonersRestaurants & Cafés
Lisbon
Arts, culture, food and dog-friendly Lisbon
Historic places, galleries, restaurants, cafés and dog-friendly corners of the capital, found by a Londoness who now lives in the city.
Secret LisbonArts & CultureRestaurants & CafésDog-Friendly Lisbon
About me
Hello, I’m Scarlett
I grew up in Paris with a father from Buenos Aires, an American mother and Christmas in five languages. I fell for London over books, then spent years chasing its odd and beautiful corners. Now I’m doing the same in Lisbon, and this diary is where it all lands.