The arrival of the Serpentine Pavilion each year is a sure sign that the London summer has started and yesterday I enjoyed the 2018 pavilion on a perfect June day in London. Continue reading
Rebel Women at the National Portrait Gallery
I’m really familiar with the National Portrait Gallery, London, or so I thought until I was invited to preview their Rebel Women Trail. Much to my shame and amusement I found a section of the gallery which had escaped me so I am very pleased to highlight it in this blog post. Continue reading
The new Royal Academy London
The new Royal Academy is a rather odd title since the Royal Academy is celebrating its 250th birthday! What’s new is their fabulous extension into the neighbouring Burlington House giving them a great deal more exhibition space. There is no avoiding the excitement in the place as they proudly display that something NEW is happening! Continue reading
Stepping back into Roman London at the Mithraeum
Did you know you can visit a Roman temple right in the heard of London? First discovered in 1954 in an old bomb site, the Roman Temple of Mithras was a sensation with huge crowds coming to see it but then the site was redeveloped and the temple was dismantled, moved and seemed to be an unloved treasure. Continue reading
Visiting Turner’s House in London
Tucked away in calm and leafy street in St Margarets, London is the house where one of Britain’s greatest painters lived. After a major £2.4 million restoration project you can now visit the house and gardens that Turner lived in from 1813 to 1826 and peak into this slice of his life. Continue reading
A new arrival on Trafalgar Square’s 4th Plinth
London has wonderful art in its museums and galleries but the art and sculpture in public spaces is a constant delight as we walk around. My favourite site is the 4th Plinth in Trafalgar Square which has extremely varied pieces which have changed every couple of years since 1999. After sitting empty for 150 years what is known as the Fourth Plinth began hosting some temporary commissions and this has built into a stunning series of works, often provoking debate and controversy but always bringing something new to the square.
From Hope to Nope at the Design Museum London
Posters of Obama greet you as you enter this exhibition at the Design Museum, clearly giving us the ‘Hope’ of the title but ‘Nope’ is never far away. Also never far away is President Trump and it’s no spoiler to say that his portrayal is not positive! Continue reading
What’s on in London Spring 2018
I’ve been looking through all kinds of listings to pick out some good stuff for you for the next 3 months in London. Scroll through for Special Events, Theatre, Art Galleries, Shopping, Fashion and Markets, Museums and Exhibitions, Foodie Things, Parks, Gardens and Royal Palaces, Sport and Music.
Take a trip to the seaside at the National Maritime Museum
The jolly song “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” was running through my head as I approached the National Maritime Museum to visit their Great British Seaside photography exhibition on a crisp but sunny morning in London. Continue reading
58 days of extraordinary travel to Rwanda, Uganda and Oman
58 days. I was away from London for 58 days this year and now I’m back it feels in many ways that I’ve hardly been away but as my days pass I feel like I’m not looking at my usual life properly straight on, more from a slight angle so familiar things are not exactly as they were. It will pass but for now, I’m enjoying this feeling of dislocation as it allows me to hold onto my 58 days for a while longer. Travel is a wonderful thing but it is addictive… Continue reading