Oh, give me a good book about London history any day of the week. There’s nothing like it for peeling back the layers of the city and for taking a jaunt into London’s past sights, smells…
A London Blog with a Taste for Culture and History |
In Conversation with Venus at the National Gallery
I’m Venus at Her Mirror, but some people call me the Rokeby Venus or the Toilet of Venus. You can just call me Venus. The little fellow holding my mirror and helping me with my toilette …
Royal Love Affairs: where the British royals met their mistresses and lovers
Ever wondered where those badly-behaved royals would meet up with their lovers for a secret rendez-vous? Or where they met for the first time? Throughout British history, members of the royal family have had liaisons, some…
Dead Famous Londoners: Theodore Hook and The Berners Street Hoax
Chances are, you’ve never heard of the Berners Street Hoax, one of the world’s biggest pranks and one which brought Georgian London to a virtual standstill. Concocted by Theodore Hook who was a celebrity of the…
Dead Famous Londoners: Richard D’Oyly Carte
A Victorian heavyweight, Richard D’Oyly Carte was hotelier extraordinaire, a composer, talent agent (he managed Oscar Wilde) and music impresario. His management prowess led to the birth of the Palace Theatre, the Savoy Theatre and the…
Dead Famous Londoners: A. A. Milne in London
Alan Alexander Milne, or A. A. Milne as he is known, is a household name today, thanks to a silly old humming bear and his furry friends, but he was also a successful novelist, screenwriter, humourist…
In Conversation with: The Laughing Cavalier | Wallace Collection
People call me The Laughing Cavalier, and I am the international man of mystery at the Wallace Collection in London. No one knows precisely who I am, and whilst people refer to me as laughing, I…
A Guide to Christmas in London 2020
This may not be the month for smooching under the mistletoe or for perching on Santa’s lap, but there are still plenty of things to do in London this Christmas. There will be lights a plenty….
The best museum shops in London
How much fun is it to browse and buy in a museum shop? It’s my guilty pleasure, and I must admit, I could get lost for hours snooping around London’s fabulous museum and gallery gift shops….
Bookshops of London
London is arguably the greatest literary city in the world, and there is nothing better than losing yourself in the stacks and shelves of the capital’s bookshops. Sadly, lockdown and social distancing have thrown an economic…