Waterperry Opera Festival’s L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love) went out with a bang on Tuesday with its final performance of Donizetti’s opera buffa. Sung in English and performed by a youthful, zippy cast, it was a joy for those of us who were so very grateful to be enjoying a “normal” night of opera,…
The London Blog
Follow me and my London Blog for a capital round-up of London's historical, quirky and unusual places. Visit some of city's best museums and galleries, get a supreme peek at Royal London, and grab a seat next to me as I eat my way around London's restaurants.
Meet the winners of the MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2021
Every year, the hunt is on for the new masters of the design universe with the NOVA Awards, a ten-year collaboration between MullenLowe Group and Central Saint Martins, one of world’s leading schools in art and design. Last year, it was Sandra Poulson who took home the coveted top prize with her project An Angolan Archive,…
MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2021
Last updated on September 21st, 2021Remember that balloon dress that had tongues wagging all over the design world in 2019? The latex brainchild of Fredrik Tjærandsen, it was the overall winner of the MullenLowe NOVA Awards for Fresh Creative Talent, a 10-year partnership between Central Saint Martins and global marketing communications network MullenLowe Group. In…
Fidelio Orchestra Café: a noteworthy musical salon in Clerkenwell
Last updated on March 29th, 2022Oh happy, happy me. I’m sitting in a buzzy Clerkenwell outpost by the name of Fidelio Orchestra Café, listening to my first round of classical music since the L-word rocked into town and threw café owners and musicians alike into creative and financial disarray. So, it particularly warms the heart…
Gold and Glory at Hampton Court Palace
Last updated on March 29th, 2022Hampton Court Palace is re-opening its exalted doors with Gold and Glory, an exhibition celebrating the legendary coming together of Henry VIII and Francois I at the Field of Cloth of Gold. The exhibition showcases the extraordinary savoir-faire of Tudor England and Valois France with a priceless and astonishing collection…
Cake at the Museum: Strawberry Hill House Café in Twickenham
Last updated on November 9th, 2021One of my favourite places to have some cake and tea is in the Great Cloister overlooking the gardens of Horace Walpole’s Gothic fantasy at Strawberry Hill House. It’s a charming museum café from which you can stare across the Walpolian gardens where Georgian London’s great and godly once partied….
London’s alternative museums: 22 quirky & unusual museums you absolutely must see when you visit London
Last updated on November 21st, 2022Let’s go and discover some alternative museums in London: 22 must-see unusual, off-beat, historical and secret museums everyone should visit at least once in London You’ve done the Tower of London, the British Museum, Madame Tussauds and Westminster Abbey. But there’s so much more to London than our superstar tourist…
London’s Best Tour Guides
Last updated on April 23rd, 2023Are you looking for the best tour guide in London? Hiring a private tour guide or joining a public tour in London can be one of the best ways to experience the capital as a tourist, or even as a Londoner. You might be looking for an accredited Blue Badge…
What’s on in London after lockdown 2021
Last updated on January 23rd, 2023As London prepares to ease out of lockdown, museums, galleries and music venues are starting to come out of hibernation, and across our theatres, the lights will soon flicker back on. Here is a glimpse of what’s on in London after lockdown 2021, including some of the best art exhibitions,…
In Conversation with Venus at the National Gallery
Last updated on September 21st, 2021I’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 is my son, Cupid. Maestro Diego Velasquez’s bold brushstrokes poured life into this, my…