The Wimbledon Art Studios open event, part of the standard December pre-Christmas calendar, is a great way to see a lot of art in a very condensed time span and in one place (down a back street next to a car park). One of the first studios I went into was Vaughn Horsman who, funnily […]
Places
The Edition, Ian Schrager’s newest hotel in London
I stayed at the Berner’s Hotel on a school trip to London decades ago and remember it as a massive institutional building that had definitely seen better days. How things have changed! The Schrager magic has now been applied to this grand building, at its best in the public spaces, particularly the lobby and this […]
Eros snowball for Christmas
Walking through Piccadilly Circus the other evening I was surprised to see Eros inside a huge plastic cover. He’ll be protected against vandalism over Christmas by his conversion into a snow ball. We can’t shake him but the effect will be the same with internal fans blowing snowflakes. Great idea from the council which beats […]
The Ampersand Hotel
Voted 2nd best new hotel of the year by Tripadvisor, the Ampersand, situated a mere 5 minute walk from the Natural History, Science and V&A museums in South Kensington, has been taken in by the neighbourhood as a venue in addition to being a hotel. Afternoon tea in the Drawing Room is a particular favourite […]
At S O Gallery – Carl Clerkin
Whenever you’re near Brick Lane make sure you look in to S O Gallery as there’s always something good to see. Christopher was my reliable guide this time even though I felt guilty disturbing his lunch. In addition to a permanent collection (I featured their jewellery in an earlier post), they exhibit artists working in that fascinating […]
The Wellesley Hotel – a must on the agenda for cigar lovers
It’s unusual for the smell of cigars to be one’s first impression when entering a London hotel but that was mine when visiting the Wellesley. A warm evening meant that the windows and doors were open, allowing the scent to pervade the entire area.Boasting what is probably the largest humidor in Europe this place glories […]