Last updated on May 14th, 2024Many Londoners will never have heard of the Horniman Museum, one of the quirkiest museums in London and a historical and anthropological cabinet of curiosities. It’s home to the most famous Walrus in the world and you’ll even see a fossilised, ahem, merman. It houses a fabulous aquarium, one of…
Host Café: is this the quirkiest café in London?
Walk around the timeworn streets off St Paul’s Cathedral and you might come across Host Café, a stunning daytime pitstop hiding away behind the doors of the church of St Mary Aldermary. St Mary Aldermary St Mary Aldermary, like so many churches in the area, was badly damaged in the Great Fire of 1666. The…
Jamaica Wine House: the oldest coffee shop in London
The oldest coffee shop in London isn’t what you would expect. For starters, it’s named the Jamaica Wine House and not the Jamaica Coffee House. But it is actually a pub cum wine house as we will discover in a moment. It does sell coffee but no, it doesn’t sell Jamaican food or drink. Confused?…
A Guide to the Coronation of King Charles III
Last updated on September 25th, 2024It’s official: the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May. There will be plenty of ways in which you can get involved during the Coronation Weekend – from joining the crowds along The Mall for…
Review: Tower of London Christmas 2022
Last updated on January 23rd, 2023The Tower of London is dressed for Christmas this winter and has launched its annual magical festive experience for all the family. There are plenty of twinkling trees dotted around together with twelve festive installations reflecting the fortress’s 1000-year history. It’s easy to imagine the old walls whispering about the…
How to time travel in London at Christmas
Last updated on May 14th, 2024Did you know you really can time travel back to London’s yesterday? And there is no better time than at Christmas when you can experience the sights and smells of ‘ye old London as you tread in the footsteps of Christmas past. I might not be able to give you…
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor 2022
Christmas at Waddesdon Manor is back for its 20th year, and for the first time since 2019, the manor house has opened its doors to reveal a twinkling, merry Christmassy wonderland – all done à la Rothschild with rich and opulent festive touches. The 2022 Waddesdon Manor Christmas lights trail is the longest it’s ever…
Sambourne House: A Victorian time capsule
Tucked behind the green door of Number 18 Stafford Terrace is Sambourne House a house museum which time forgot and an extraordinary five-storey cabinet of curiosities. You may have seen it before in Merchant Ivory’s A Room with a View or in Maurice. It’s the former family home of Punch cartoonist, Edward Linley Sambourne, his…
Review: The Hari Hotel in London
The Hari in London is an upscale five-star hotel in Belgravia with a cool, mid-century groove. It offers snazzy rooms with views over the rooftops of which Mary Poppins would approve, exceptional service, top notch Italian food and complimentary bicycles to get you zipping around the city. And did I mention it’s got the best…
A Tour of Leighton House Museum
It’s safe to say that Leighton House in Kensington probably houses the most beautiful room in London. This historic house, once owned by celebrity artist of the day, Lord Frederic Leighton, has one of London’s showstopper interior gems, hiding an Arab Hall which looks like a Fabergé egg just had babies with Ali Baba’s cave….