It’s safe to say that Leighton House in Kensington probably houses the most beautiful room in London. This historic house, once owned by celebrity artist of the day, Lord Frederic Leighton, has one of London’s showstopper interior gems, hiding an Arab Hall which looks like a Fabergé egg just had babies with Ali Baba’s cave.
David Pountney is a genius. The British-Polish director has transformed one of the repertoire’s most difficult and eccentric operas into a madcap, merry work of art, bursting with colour, humour and silliness. I was both intrigued by and slightly dreading The Excursions of Mr Brouček at Grange Park Opera. I ended up with quite a crush on
Most people I speak to don’t know about Turner’s house in Twickenham. You won’t see his famous seascapes in Sandycombe Lodge, his west London home in the borough of Richmond-upon-Thames, but you will be in the presence of the only three-dimensional work of art Joseph Mallord William Turner’sleft behind: the home he designed in the
Strawberry Hill House in London’s leafy suburb of Twickenham is possibly the most unusual house in London. If Oscar Wilde and Nicky Haslam had sired a love child in the eighteenth century, I think it would have been its architect, a Horatio “Horace” Walpole. He had wit, he had style, and he clearly lived by
What better way to explore all of London’s watery gems than by canal, or, to be more specific, via GoBoat? I always think of Little Venice as the Montmartre of London. It’s picturesque, bohemian, eclectic and soulful. It’s wedged between Paddington’s high rises and grungy Camden, and it neighbours majestic Regent’s Park and London Zoo.
I 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 childhood home. Fast forward to
Her Majesty The Queen Elizabeth II is officially the first British Monarch to serve for 70 years. To celebrate, the country will be celebrating her Platinum Jubilee with a range of exciting events, from royal jousting at Hampton Court Palace to an undulating carpet of colourful blooms in the Tower of London. There are many
London kicked off Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee today with a spectacular Gun Salute in Green Park. The event marks 70 years since The Queen’s Accession to the Throne and is the first of several Platinum Jubilee events which will take place throughout 2022 in London and across the country. The Queen is now
Spencer House in Mayfair is one of the finest examples of eighteenth-century architecture in London. The Georgian mansion, which has one of the most drop-dead interiors in the capital, once provided a backdrop for many a glittering soirée. It’s now one of London’s most exclusive venues – the Queen invited all her prime ministers for
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, complete with picnic and