If cars, carriages and horses went to heaven, The Royal Mews is where they would go. Tucked away behind Buckingham Palace, this is the ultimate stable for regal steeds and stately wheels and it reins supreme. And I’m sure Cinderella wouldn’t say neigh to trotting off in a Royal Carriage for her amorous rendez-vous with…
Dead Famous Londoners: A. A. Milne in London
Last updated on May 27th, 2021Alan 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 and playwright. Born and bred in London, Milne spent the bulk of his creative…
Must-see Art for Kids in London
Last updated on September 25th, 2024It’s all very well dragging the kids to London’s big-name museums, but which galleries and museums will your children actually like? And once you’re there, which painting, sculpture or object will they really appreciate? London is one giant artscape, and with most of it free, it’s hard to decide where…
12 things to do in Kew Gardens when it rains
Last updated on August 16th, 2020My love affair with Kew Gardens began in the rain. It was one of those typical British summertime days, one which promised soggy jeans and the inevitable squelching through mud. A picnic was off the menu and so was lazing around in the summery aroma of freshly-cut grass. We had…
Cutty Sark teas-off for its 150th
Last updated on February 18th, 2021Cutty Sark: two words that instantly convey adventure, stealth, the open sea and the might of British engineering. One of London’s most treasured landmarks, the Cutty Sark is turning a grand 150 years young, and to celebrate, the Greenwich museum has laid on some very merry birthday celebrations. So, batten…
Circus 1903 | Review | Royal Festival Hall
Last updated on February 20th, 2020Please don’t send in the clowns, I whispered to myself as I took a seat at the Royal Festival Hall last night to watch Circus 1903. And here’s the great news: there wasn’t a single Krusty, Bozo or Grimaldi in this funny, sensual and gravity-defying showstopper. What you get instead…
The Last Tsar: Blood and Revolution – Science Museum
Last updated on April 12th, 2019A new exhibition at the Science Museum in London originated a few years ago, when a curator discovered a crate buried in the museum’s vast archive. Inside, she found 22 photograph albums of the Russian Imperial family, taken between 1908 and 1916, and so began the journey of The Last Tsar:…
Thames Rockets – London’s fastest boat trip
Last updated on August 16th, 2020I’d like to say this is going to be a cultural post, but in all honesty, it’s going to have some adrenaline thrown in with a dash of James Bond. Having said that, you get to see London’s most iconic sights with me, something I don’t talk about very often,…
Splendours of the Subcontinent – Queen’s Gallery
Last updated on October 22nd, 2020When I went to India, I came back with a couple of silk rugs and my most treasured collection of Ganesha statues. Shame I didn’t know any Maharajas, as I might have returned with some souvenirs the likes of which you have never seen. That is, until now. In a…
11 children’s books set in London
Last updated on December 28th, 2023As a young Parisienne, I would dream of floating across the Channel to London’s rooftops in the company of a sooty Bert and his Mary Poppins. Pan and Tinker Bell would whisk me over to Big Ben in the blink of a sleepy eye, and for breakfast, I would make…