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
Think Lalique, and you think glass, non? But there’s so much more to this French design giant, dubbed the “creator of modern jewellery.” And following a whirlwind trip to the Lalique factory and museum in Alsace, the legendary Villa René Lalique with its two Michelin-star restaurant, and an overnight stay and lunch in the hotel
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
Royal Ascot is one of the highlights of the London season and an event to which I look forward to every year. I know nothing about horses, gambling or how to wear a hat, but I do enjoy British traditions and a glass or two, maybe even three, of a certain French drink with bubbles.
One of my favourite places to have some cake and tea is in the Great Cloister overlooking the gardens of Horace Walpole’s Gothic fantasy at Strawberry Hill House. It’s a charming museum café from which you can stare across the Walpolian gardens where Georgian London’s great and godly once partied. Or when the sun is
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir. I know, you won’t be able to pronounce the name, so just refer to it as the Neasden Temple. Yes, you read that right. Neasden. This divine temple, which you would expect to see in Agra, actually resides in north west London. It’s a masterpiece in Indian craftsmanship and it shimmers in