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…
Hever Castle: Anne Boleyn’s Childhood Home
Last updated on March 27th, 2023I do enjoy a jaunt outside of London. Throw in a castle, anything about Henry VIII and a historical pub, and I’m there quicker than you can throw a jousting stick. And Hever Castle in Kent isn’t just any old castle. It was the Boleyn family seat and Anne Boleyn’s…
Watts Gallery and Artists’ Village Highlights
Last updated on May 14th, 2024If ever there was an excuse to visit the village of Compton in Surrey, the Watts Gallery is it. Located near Guildford, the Watts Village is dedicated to the works of the Victorian painter and sculptor, George Frederic Watts, and it’s one of the few galleries in the UK devoted…
Oxford Lieder Festival – Magic, Myths and Mortals
Last updated on March 12th, 2021It’s that melodic time of year again, when Oxford goes into full musical throttle in celebration of classical music and poetry. For two weeks, the city falls under the spell of the Oxford Lieder Festival, which this year transports us to Tales of Beyond – Magic, Myths and Mortals in…
Must-see London by London Bloggers
Last updated on February 18th, 2021I asked some of London’s top bloggers to come up with that one place that should be on every visitor’s radar – a must-see London gem. Imagine you only had half a day to spare in the city…here’s a curated list from those in the London know. I hope you…
Costumes from The Favourite at Hampton Court
Last updated on December 28th, 2023Move over Henry VIII: you’ve had your day. There’s a new dawn at Hampton Court Palace, and it’s Queen Anne’s turn to be in the limelight. Thanks to Yorgos Lanthimos’s baroque tour de force: The Favourite, Queen Anne is finally, and deservedly, taking centre stage in British history. Winner of…
Le Nozze di Garsington Opera
Last updated on February 3rd, 2020The French for twilight is crépuscule, a word which conjures up that gleaming, twinkling time of day which is neither light nor dark, when the Goddess Nyx starts her magic dance. And Garsington Opera puts on a witching hour like no other with the thrilling sound of music and song…
A day out at Garsington Opera
Last updated on May 15th, 2022The Chiltern hills in Wormsley are alive with the sound of music. This Buckinghamshire haven, where Garsington Opera has its home, is England at its most seductive, the sort of place where pastoral dreams are made. And the vocal fireworks that burst from Rossini’s Il Turco in Italia last Thursday…
Art Review: Echoes Across the Century
Last updated on July 25th, 2020The Guildhall Art Gallery has been on my cultural radar for a long time. After all, it’s home to some very impressive pre-Raphaelite paintings, and its belly houses the remains of a Roman amphitheatre no less, discovered in 1988 when the gallery was carrying out renovation works. But my reason…