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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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.
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Cosmic House: is this the quirkiest house in London?
Inside the Cosmic House in Holland Park: Charles Jencks’s Postmodern, Grade I listed home, with its solar staircase, Dome of Water and Spring Room.
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Eltham Palace: Where Medieval meets Art Deco
Visit Eltham Palace, where a medieval great hall meets a glamorous Art Deco home once shared with a lemur called Mah-Jongg.
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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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…
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London’s best house museums
London’s best house museums: small, atmospheric time machines where you can amble at a snail’s pace and still have time for tea and cake.
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.