Chiswick House and Gardens with its neo-Palladian style villa and 65 acres of exquisite park makes for a wonderful day out in west London. Explore Lord Burlington’s house, visit the Kitchen Garden, meander around the lake teeming with birdlife, marvel at the 18th century landscaping by William Kent, and stop off for coffee or lunch
Joseph Mallord William Turner was born, bred and died in London and was a Londoner through and through. During his lifetime he was one of the most celebrated figures in the country, the art critic John Ruskin referring to him as the “father of modern art.” Let’s follow Turner in London, meet some of the
Tucked behind the green door of Number 18 Stafford Terrace is Sambourne House a house museum which time forgot and an extraordinary five-storey cabinet of curiosities. You may have seen it before in Merchant Ivory’s A Room with a View or in Maurice. It’s the former family home of Punch cartoonist, Edward Linley Sambourne, his wife Marion and their two
The Savoy Hotel in London is the hostess with the mostest, London’s grande dame who has partied through two world wars and slept with movie stars, politicians and royalty. If her walls could talk, they would whisper about the great and the godly and the bold and the beautiful that graced her foyer. The Savoy
Nancy Mitford was born in London and spent many years in the capital, writing her bestseller The Pursuit of Love here. In advance of the much-anticipated release of the BBC series, let’s discover Nancy Mitford’s London and see she was born and where she lived, partied and romanced. Nancy Mitford Nancy was the eldest of seven children
Oh, give me a good book about London history any day of the week. There’s nothing like it for peeling back the layers of the city and for taking a jaunt into London’s past sights, smells and sounds. The “magic lantern” has always fascinated writers, readers and historians, and for those of us who like
Ever wondered where those badly-behaved royals would meet up with their lovers for a secret rendez-vous? Or where they met for the first time? Throughout British history, members of the royal family have had liaisons, some dangereuses, some carried out in secret and others, the cause célèbre of the day. Let’s look at some British royal
Chances are, you’ve never heard of the Berners Street Hoax, one of the world’s biggest pranks and one which brought Georgian London to a virtual standstill. Concocted by Theodore Hook who was a celebrity of the time, it was designed to show that any old London house could become the most talked-about address in town
A Victorian heavyweight, Richard D’Oyly Carte was hotelier extraordinaire, a composer, talent agent (he managed Oscar Wilde) and music impresario. His management prowess led to the birth of the Palace Theatre, the Savoy Theatre and the Savoy Hotel, one of London’s greatest and most famous hotels. He also bought and refurbished Claridge’s, Simpsons-in-the-Strand and The
Alan 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 years in Chelsea, using his