Last updated on June 30th, 2021 at 06:15 pmIf 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…
Londoness Loves 2020 – A Guide to London
Last updated on March 12th, 2021 at 05:28 pmWelcome to the new decade and to another top-notch cultural year in London. As we swing into the roaring 20s here is my guide for what’s on in London in 2020 with some of the best theatre, opera, classical music, talks and art exhibitions this year. London…
Oxford Lieder Festival – Magic, Myths and Mortals
Last updated on March 12th, 2021 at 05:32 pmIt’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…
Must-see London by London Bloggers
Last updated on February 18th, 2021 at 12:18 pmI 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….
Costumes from The Favourite at Hampton Court
Move 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 seven Baftas, a Golden Globe…
Le Nozze di Garsington Opera
Last updated on February 3rd, 2020 at 07:58 amThe 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…
Must-see London exhibitions this October
Last updated on January 28th, 2020 at 03:18 pmYou might be tempted to start hibernating this autumn, but don’t you dare! London is buzzing this October, from Opera, Passion, Power and Politics at the V & A, to the surreal Gerald Scarfe designs for stage and screen at the House of Illustration, to Reflections at…
A Visit to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace
Last updated on March 15th, 2021 at 05:40 pmIf 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 Midsummer Dream: A day out at Garsington Opera
Last updated on May 1st, 2020 at 08:15 amThe 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…
Summer 2017 for the Little Darlings
Last updated on January 28th, 2020 at 03:17 pmIt’s that most wonderful time of the year: the summer holidays. The school hands your little whippersnappers over to you, and your heart sinks as you wonder what on earth you are going to do with them for the next eight weeks. There’s no need to get…