London 2022

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LONDON 2022

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TOP TOURS See the city with a local

SUITE DREAMS Stay near the sights

101 GREAT

DAYS OUT New openings, essential sights & quirky attractions

Afternoon teas Inside Number 10 Downing Street The must-see shows of 2022

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Welcome to London!

After two unprecedented years, during which many of its attractions were forced to close their doors, London has bounced back and is more vibrant and exciting than ever.

Now is the time to rediscover iconic landmarks such as Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament; to see blockbuster exhibitions at the National Gallery and the Tate; and to seek out the city’s numerous hidden gems. Add to this the shows, the shops and the restaurants, and the scene is set for a perfect London break.

The London 2022 guide, brought to you by London experts, is the perfect travelling companion with which to navigate the city. Start with our hotlist of events and highlights (p7), then visit the wonders of West London (p36), book a quirky tour with a local (p47), tuck into afternoon tea (p62) or take in the skyline from a scenic rooftop (p118). However you choose to spend your time, a memorable trip is guaranteed.

27 Listings 07 101 THINGS TO DO IN 2022

Don’t plan your itinerary until you’ve consulted our roundup of the hottest events and days out for 2022

08 CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS 12 ESSENTIAL SIGHTS 20 CAPITAL FOOD & DRINK

Natasha Foges, Editor

24 SURPRISE DISCOVERIES

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33 NEW FOR 2022

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contents

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Features

2022

From the publishers of

36 GO WEST

www.britain-magazine.com

Once, West London was a rural outpost.

Now, it’s a thriving cultural area at the city’s heart

BRITAIN is the official magazine of VisitBritain, the national tourism agency.

BRITAIN is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London, SW3 3TQ Tel: 020 7349 3700 Fax: 020 7901 3701 Email: info@britain-magazine.com

47 WALK THIS WAY

Themed tours of London take in everything from historic markets to Harry Potter locations

Editor Natasha Foges Production Editor Jenny Rowe Art Editor Clare White

52 ROYAL LONDON

Buckingham Palace is just the start: the capital’s palaces have been home to generations of royals

Group Sales Director Catherine Chapman Group Advertising Manager Natasha Syed Sales Executive Melissa Arancio

62 TIME FOR TEA

Savour a behind-the-scenes taste of afternoon tea at Claridge’s, the landmark London hotel

87

70 CITY STROLLS

Explore the capital on three routes filled with history, through Belgravia, Temple and Hampstead

79 CURATING THE CAPITAL

Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman picks out her London highlights

87 CORRIDORS OF POWER

94 LONDON IN BLOOM

118 TOP TERRACES

Read our pick of the best hotels near London’s top sights and base yourself in the heart of the action

BRITAIN magazine copies To buy issues of BRITAIN magazine, visit www.chelseamagazines.com/shop

From flagmakers to florists, the Royal Warrant Holders – suppliers to the Queen – are an eclectic group

117 COMPETITION

102 LANDMARK STAYS

Printed in England by William Gibbons Ltd. Production All Points Media

111 BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT

Number 10 Downing Street has the most famous front door in the world: the entrance to the Prime Minister’s official residence. But what lies behind it?

Embark on an enchanting tour of London’s flower displays, which brighten buildings across town

Chairman Paul Dobson Managing Director James Dobson Publisher Simon Temlett Group Editor Steve Pill Chief Financial Officer Vicki Gavin EA to Chairman Sophie Easton Subs Marketing Executive Bret Weekes For VisitBritain Sarah Wagner

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Restaurants across the capital have expanded their offering with terraces that allow you to eat alfresco whatever the weather

The London 2022 Guide ISSN 2054-2453 (USPS 004-335) is published by The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ , UK Distributed in the US by NPS Media Group, 2 Corporate Drive, Suite 945, Shelton, CT 06484 Periodicals postage paid at Shelton, CT and additional mailing offices.

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129 TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Get your bearings with our handy guide

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Text and pictures are copyright restricted and must not be reproduced without permission of the publishers The information contained in the London 2022 Guide has been published in good faith and every effort has been made to ensure its accuracy.

However, where appropriate, you are strongly advised to check prices, opening times, dates, etc, before making final arrangements. All liability for loss, disappointment, negligence or damage caused by reliance on the information contained within this publication is hereby excluded. The opinions expressed by contributors to the London 2022 Guide are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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2021 highlights

101 THINGS

TO DO IN

2022

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Our pick of the events, exhibitions, shows and new openings you won't want to miss this year

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2022 highlights

Cultural highlights

is unbeatable. Its big 2022 exhibition is Paul Cézanne (6 Oct 2022 to 26 Feb 2023), featuring many works shown for the first time in the UK; while Lubaina Himid is a large-scale exhibition showcasing the artists's colourful works (25 Nov 2021 to 3 July 2022). And don't miss Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Rooms (until 12 June): magical immersive installations that will transport you into the artist's vision of endless reflections. Buy tickets well in advance, as the exhibition is booking up months ahead. www.tate.org.uk

A toe-tapping year at the Royal Albert Hall The iconic Royal Albert Hall has just celebrated 150 years since it was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871. 2022 highlights include Cirque du Soleil's show-stopping Luzia, 25 years since the contemporary circus company first performed here (12 Jan-12 Feb). Look out too for concerts by icons such as Suzi Quatro (20 April), Eric Clapton (7-8 May) and Gladys Knight (29-30 June), as well as the famous Proms concert season (July to September). www.royalalberthall.com The Royal Family on camera Kensington Palace unveils a major new photography exhibition in March exploring the Royal Family's enduring relationship with the camera, from the reign of Queen Victoria right through to the present day. Life Through a Royal Lens will see some of the most iconic royal photographs ever taken go on show alongside a host of images providing a glimpse of the royal family off duty. www.hrp.org.uk Discover new artists The Royal Academy of Arts is one of the oldest permanent collections of art in the UK. Its Summer Exhibition (22 Sept 2021 to 2 Jan 2022; 21 June-21 Aug 2022) has run since 1769 and displays works from

Explore the Andes from afar The British Museum can always be counted on to provide some of the year’s cultural highlights. Dont's miss their exhibition on the history, beliefs and cultural achievements of the peoples of the central Andes in Peru: A journey in time (11 Nov 2021 to 20 February 2022). www.britishmuseum.org

emerging and established talent. Other major exhibitions include Late Constable (30 Oct 2021 to 13 Feb 2022) and Francis Bacon: Man and Beast (29 Jan-17 April). www.royalacademy.org.uk

A master of modern art at Tate Modern For blockbuster modern art exhibitions, Tate Modern

Rival queens at the British Library The British Library holds the world’s biggest collection of books, with over 150 million items, and also hosts the Philatelic Exhibition, which displays 80,000 stamps dating from the 1850s. A new exhibition, Elizabeth and Mary: Royal Cousins, Rival Queens, tells a tale of plots, espionage and treachery to explore the turbulent relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots using letters and artefacts (until 20 Feb). www.bl.uk

The big 2022 exhibition at Tate Modern is Paul Cézanne, featuring many works shown for the first time in the UK

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This page, clockwise from this image: See Turner at Tate Britain; Ori Gersht at the Dulwich Picture Gallery; Cadogan Hall

Fabergé and fashion at the V&A The Victoria and Albert Museum is renowned for its exhibitions – we’d expect nothing else from the world’s leading museum of art and design.

2022's exhibitions mirror the breadth of the museum's collections: Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution explores the work of the master goldsmith (20 Nov 2021 to 8 May 2022); Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature celebrates the life and work of the much-loved children's author (12 Feb-25 Sept); while Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear unpicks tailoring at a time of unprecendented creativity in men's fashion (19 March-6 Nov). www.vam.ac.uk

Clockwise, from this image: 'The Blue Boy' by Thomas Gainsborough, 1770; 'A Scene from "The Beggar’s Opera" VI', by William Hogarth, 1731; 'The Basket of Apples' by Paul Cézanne, c.1893; 'Study for Bullfight No.1' by Francis Bacon, 1969; 'The Alexander Palace Egg', by Carl Fabergé, 1908

Gainsborough’s Blue Boy returns to the National Gallery 100 years after it sailed across the Atlantic See the best of British art at the Tate Tate Britain houses the largest collection of British art in the world. This year’s standout exhibitions are Hogarth and Europe, revealing how the artist and his contemporaries captured the new modernity of the 18th century (3 Nov 2021 to 20 March 2022); Life between Islands, a celebration of artists from the Caribbean who made their home in Britain from the 1950s to the present day (1 Dec 2021 to 3 April 2022); and Walter Sickert, exploring the work of one of the most influential artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries (28 April-18 Sept). www.tate.org.uk www.britain-magazine.com

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2022 highlights The Southbank Centre Below: 'Cedar Hill' by Helen Frankenthaler, 1983

Culture on the South Bank The Southbank Centre can always be relied upon to come up with an inspiring programme. In 2022 don't miss composer Sir Karl Jenkins conducting a selection of his favourite works (18 March); the music of Zimmer vs Williams – two of the world's greatest film composers – amid lights, lasers and fireworks (4 June); and Grammy Award-winning Solange Knowles in concert (10 June). www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Trailblazing art Dulwich Picture Gallery presents the first major exhibition of woodcuts by the leading abstract Expressionist artist Helen Frankenthaler.

Radical Beauty (until 17 April) will showcase the groundbreaking work the artist produced over six decades. The exhibition also includes Monet's delicately beautiful 'Water Lilies and Agapanthus'

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The abstract works of Helen Frankenthaler will be exhibited alongside a delicate Monet painting that inspired the artist

See Raphaels and Gainsboroughs up close Alongside the heady array of masterpieces in its permanent collection, the National Gallery has some unmissable exhibitions lined up, including Poussin and the Dance (until 2 January 2022), which will display Poussin's paintings alongside the ancient sculptures that inspired them. Raphael explores the Renaissance artist's dazzling 20-year career (9 April-31 July); Gainsborough's Blue Boy celebrates the return of a masterpiece to the gallery, 100 years to the day after it sailed across the Atlantic (25 Jan-15 May); while Lucien Freud: New Perspectives is the first major exhibition on the artist's work in a decade (1 Oct 2022 to 22 Jan 2023). www.nationalgallery.org.uk www.britain-magazine.com

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– on its first-ever visit to the UK – whose broad, free brushstrokes inspired later abstract artists such as Frankenthaler. www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk

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2022 highlights

Essential sights & experiences Celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee The annual Trooping the Colour ceremony (2 June) – the Queen's Birthday Parade – will be more special than ever this year as Britain celebrates the Queen's 70 years on the throne with a parade of 1,400 parading soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians, who will move down The Mall accompanied by members of the Royal Family on horseback. 2 June has also been declared a national holiday: the start of four days of festivities. www.royal.uk A thousand years of history The World Heritage Site of Westminster Abbey offers daily services to all comers but also remains a royal church. It has witnessed some pivotal moments in British history, hosting coronations, royal weddings and state funerals. www.westminster-abbey.org Where natural and mythical worlds collide With over 80 million specimens to explore, the Natural History Museum is a must-see for devotees of the natural world. A magical exhibition, Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature, delves into the remarkable links between the natural, mythical and wizarding worlds (until 3 Jan), while Our Broken Planet is a timely exploration of climate change in the lead-up to COP26 (until 18 April). www.nhm.ac.uk

Marvel at the magnitude of Tower Bridge

Climb the bridge's towers and stand 42 metres above the Thames, watching life go by far below as you gaze down through Tower Bridge's glass walkway. A new exhibition, Lives of a Landmark, celebrates the stories of people working behind the scenes at this historic structure. www.towerbridge.org.uk Cutting-edge garden design The world-renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show (24-28 May) will once again put on a dazzling array of. flower and landscape displays in the heart of London's leafy Chelsea. www.rhs.org.uk Ogle antiques at Portobello Market Walk through the cobbled streets of Notting Hill and pick up a collectable at the world’s largest antique market. Saturday is the main trading day, and even if you’re not in the market for an antique, a stroll is just as satisfying, with trinkets and brightly coloured textiles flowing out of shops onto street stands. www.portobelloroad.co.uk Meet the (waxwork) Royals London is home to the original Madame Tussauds waxwork museum, first established in 1835. Here you can admire more than 150 wonderfully lifelike figures, including the current Royal Family – the Queen was first modelled in wax when she was just two years old! www.madametussauds.com

Right on time Visit the home of Greenwich Mean Time at the Royal Observatory and stand in two hemispheres at the same time. While here, set your watch by the red time ball on top of Flamsteed House, which drops at 1pm precisely. www.visitgreenwich.org.uk Get an eyeful of London The London Eye offers 360-degree views of the city from different angles as the wheel turns. Soar to over 400 feet inside one of the 32 capsules and see as far as 25 miles across London. It’s a great way to take in the city’s skyline and get a sense of the bigger picture. www.londoneye.com All change One of London's most iconic sights is Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace, when the Queen's

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Take to the water Taking in the city's sights from the River Thames is a must. Instead of travelling underground and missing all the fun, use Uber Boat by Thames Clipper, which stops at 23 piers between Woolwich in the east and Putney in the west. wwwthamesclippers.com

Soar to overClockwise, 400 fromfeet this image: Tower Bridge; the RHS inside one ofChelsea the 32Show; Flower the Queen's guard on capsules and see far as Horseas Guards Parade 25 miles across London

guard hand over responsibility for her protection while dressed in their red coats and bearskin hats. This unmissable spectacle takes place every other day, depending on the time of year; see the website for dates. www.changing-guard.com Shop till you drop Come Christmastime London's major shopping thoroughfares are adorned with bright lights and filled with the sound of carollers. Oxford and Regent Street in the West End have it all, while the pedestrianised Carnaby Street in Soho and upmarket King's Road in Chelsea have more boutiques but are equally magical. www.visitlondon.com Visit a Neoclassical beauty Enclosing one of the most beautiful courtyards in Europe, the Neoclassical buildings that make up Somerset House constitute the 18th-century architect William Chambers’ seminal masterpiece.

Now home to one of the UK’s largest creative communities, you can expect to find exhibitions, talks, and even ice-skating at Christmas. www.somersethouse.org.uk Promenade along the South Bank Join Londoners for a Sunday stroll along the South Bank from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge, www.britain-magazine.com

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2022 highlights

Prepare for battle at Churchill’s HQ Enter the darkest hour by visiting the museum that used to be former Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s secret bunker. This astonishing labyrinth of corridors and rooms is where Churchill made crucial decisions before, during and after the Second World War. www.iwm.org.uk Be transported back to Tudor times Experience what life was like during Henry VIII’s reign with a visit to magnificent Hampton Court Palace. Admire the splendour of the Great Hall, see where feasts were made in the kitchens, or get lost in the world's oldest puzzle maze. Set within a loop of the Thames, overall there are 60 acres of formal gardens and 750 acres of parkland that look spectacular year-round. www.hrp.org.uk

Be dazzled by the Crown Jewels The Crown Jewels, a world-famous collection of 23,578 gemstones, are “working jewels” that are in regular use today, but you can see them under armed guard at the Jewel House in the Tower of London. While at the Tower, don't miss the chance to meet the resident ravens, guardians of the Tower since Charles II's time. www.hrp.org.uk Go green Despite being a bustling metropolis, London has a surprising number of green spaces that you can escape to. Seek out the peaceful Italian Gardens at Kensington Gardens, the resident pelicans at St James's Park or the herds of red and fallow deer at Richmond Park. www.royalparks.org.uk Get a sky-high view of London

If you have a head for heights, you can take an exhilarating outdoor climb over the roof of the O2, for a 360-degree view of Greenwich, the Olympic Park and Canary Wharf. Choose between daytime, sunset and twilight climbs. www.theo2.co.uk

Treetop treats at Kew From the beautiful glass-walled Palm House and Princess of Wales Conservatory to the Alpine Rock Garden, there’s something for everyone at Kew Gardens. The Arboretum looks particularly splendid come autumn, when its 2,000 species of tree turn fiery shades of red and orange. Kew's 18-metre-high Treetop Walkway gives you a closer look. www.kew.org Journey to the heart of British politics The Palace of Westminster encompasses the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Guided tours, taking place on Saturdays and during Parliamentary recesses, allow you to explore many parts of the iconic building. www.parliament.uk

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with views of icons such as the London Eye and the Tower of London along the way. There's also an array of restaurants and bars, plus the creative hubs of the National Theatre, British Film Institute and the Southbank Centre, en route. www.coventgarden.london

2022 highlights Clockwise, from this image: The west front at Hampton Court Palace; St James's Park; two friendly Beefeaters, also known as the Yeomen Warders of Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress the Tower of London

Experience what life was like in Henry VIII's reign with a visit to magnificent Hampton Court Palace Blast off at the Science Museum

The Science Museum is Europe's most visited science and technology museum, with 15,000 objects on display.

Get up close to world-famous objects such as the Apollo 10 command capsule and Stephenson's Rocket, visit the museum's interactive galleries or blast off into space in a 4D simulator. The exhibitions are always worth checking out too; Ancient Greeks: www.britain-magazine.com

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The Science Museum is Europe’s most visited science and technology museum, with 15,000 objects on display

Science and Wisdom runs until 5 June. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

This image: Cricket at The Oval stadium Above: British astronaut Helen Sharman's spacesuit is on display at the Science Museum

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Be bowled over at a cricket match Don’t miss the opportunity to watch a match of England’s national sport, cricket, in its most iconic ground, The Oval, where the Ashes were born in 1882. The season runs from April to September. www.kiaoval.com Revisit wartime London The London Transport Museum has a brand-new gallery to explore. London's Transport at War reveals the role London's humble buses and trams have played in global conflicts, and includes an immersive sheltering exhibit that recreates the experience of seeking refuge in Underground stations during the Blitz. www.ltmuseum.co.uk Conjure up a wizarding world Follow in Harry Potter’s footsteps by visiting the Warner Bros Studio Tour and go behind the scenes to see sets, authentic props and original costumes. A highlight is Gringotts Wizarding Bank, a world rich with Galleons, Sickles, Knuts and goblins. Hogwarts in the Snow (13 Nov 2021 to 16 Jan 2022) sees the Great Hall lined with Christmas trees, a festive feast laid out on the long tables and the Hogwarts Castle model dusted with snow. www.wbstudiotour.co.uk www.britain-magazine.com

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2022 highlights

Run away with the Circus!

Circus is London’s unique cabaret bar and restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden. Enjoy signature cocktails and delicious food while being wowed by incredible circus performances. Awe-inducing firebreathing, breath-taking aerial acts and mind-bending contortionists will be sure to thrill you while you dine!

Book your table at 020 7420 9300 or email info@circus-london.co.uk

Circus London, 27-29 Endell Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9BA

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2022 highlights

PHOTOS: © RICHARD BARNES/ALAMY

Relive royal weddings past Walk down the aisle of St Paul’s Cathedral where Prince Charles and Diana were married in 1981, climb 528 steps to the Golden Gallery for breathtaking views or visit the Whispering Gallery, whose extraordinary acoustics mean a whisper against the wall of the dome can be heard at the other side, 112 feet away. www.stpauls.co.uk Make a splash Fancy a dip? There are lots of spots in London for an outdoor swim. Dive into the magical Hampstead Bathing Ponds, surrounded by the lush greenery of the Heath; swim with the resident ducks in the Serpentine, Hyde Park; or head to one of the capital's lidos. Our favourite, at Brockwell Park in southeast London, is an Art Deco beauty. www.swimming.org Climb aboard a historic warship HMS Belfast is the most significant Second World

War warship. She fired some of the first shots in the Normandy Landings and served in the Korean War. This year, brand-new interactive displays add to the experience. www.iwm.org.uk A park fit for a prince Regent's Park, named after the playboy Prince Regent, is one of the capital's loveliest spots for a stroll and a picnic.

More than 12,000 roses perfume Queen Mary's Gardens, and you can hire a rowing boat, watch a play at the Open Air Theatre, or visit London Zoo. www.royalparks.org.uk Rackets at the ready For the two weeks that Wimbledon lasts, the British become obsessed with tennis. In 2022 the championships run from 27 June to 10 July. Get hold of Centre Court tickets for a chance to see Britain's new star, Emma Raducanu, dazzle the crowd. www.wimbledon.com

Get your skates on Ice-skating rinks pop up at scenic locations all over London in the run-up to Christmas. The most popular are at the Natural History Museum, Somerset House and Hampton Court. Festive songs and mulled wine obligatory. www.visitlondon.com Find a fancy hat for Royal Ascot This high-profile sporting event is famous not only for fast horses, but also for top hats and fancy frocks. The elegant affair is held every summer for five days (14-18 June) and is faithfully attended by the Queen. www.ascot.co.uk Explore the Cutty Sark Built in 1869, Cutty Sark has come a long way since its seafaring days. Once the fastest of its kind, it is now the world’s sole surviving tea clipper, and a museum ship where you can discover the drama of life at sea. www.rmg.co.uk

Guided tours take you to the heart of British politics, following in the This image: footsteps of the Queen The Cutty Sark during the State Opening in Greenwich 18

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2022 highlights

Capital food & drink High fashion tea at the Berkeley Hotel Experience the most British of traditions at the Berkeley.

Its Prêt-A-Portea afternoon tea is inspired by global fashion successes and features up-to-the-minute takes on the season's most distinctive looks straight from the catwalk, all presented as intricate, picture-perfect pastries. www.the-berkeley.co.uk Pick up lunch at a medieval market Dating back to the 13th century, Borough is London’s oldest food market. From chorizo wraps to gourmet scotch eggs, you'll find stalls full of delicious foodie treats everywhere you look. www.boroughmarket.org.uk Skyline dining For breathtaking panoramic views and an intimate dining experience, grab a table at Oblix, on the 32nd floor of the Shard. The dimly lit space is elegant and romantic, and the British and European cuisine superb, but chances are you'll only have eyes for the stunning views of London. www.oblixrestaurant.com Hit Harrods’ dining hall From humble beginnings as a grocery shop and tea merchants, Harrods is now a Knightsbridge icon, and looks magical at dusk when it lures you into the warm with its glowing lights. Its swanky dining hall has a Grill, Fish Bar, Sushi Bar and its own Indian restaurant to choose from. www.harrods.com

Clockwise, from this image: The Painter's Room, the new bar at Claridge's; afternoon tea at The Berkeley; Broadway Market in Hackney; there are now eight Dishoom restaurants in London

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2022 highlights Calling all coffee connoisseurs The London Coffee Festival on trendy Brick Lane takes place in late September and features masterclasses on mixing the perfect coffee-infused cocktails and demonstrations from world-class baristas, while you can browse and sample to your heart's content at 250 artisan coffee and food stalls. www.londoncoffeefestival.com Sample street food at Broadway Market Broadway Market, a buzzy parade of shops and stalls in Hackney, is a magnet for the area's hipsters every Saturday. Join the queue for tasty morsels from the likes of Citron Vert (French Creole bowls), Temaki Bros (sushi handrolls), Toropampa (Argentinian steak burgers) and Makatcha (Indonesian barbecue). Arrive hungry. www.broadwaymarket.co.uk

PHOTOS: © JUSTIN DE SOUZA

Be transported to East Asia London’s beauty lies in its diversity. Don’t leave this cosmopolitan capital without exploring Chinatown and its restaurants, which number more than 70. Sip a traditional Taiwanese tea or get your chopsticks ready for an authentic dim sum dinner – it’s all on your doorstep in the heart of the city. www.chinatown.co.uk Claridge's raises the bar Claridge's has just unveiled a new bar, The Painter's Room.

The decor pays tribute to the hotel's Art Deco heritage, with a glamorous pink onyx bar and a whimsical mural. Order the St Remy cocktail, inspired by Van Gogh's Almond Blossom. www.claridges.co.uk

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Buzzy Broadway Market in Hackney is a magnet for hipsters every Saturday. Join the queue for French Creole bowls, sushi handrolls and more Book in for bottomless brunch Brunch is more than a passing trend in London: there's now a positive smorgasbord of dedicated venues on offer across the city. Our pick is Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings in Clerkenwell, whose airy fern-filled conservatory makes a charming setting for a slap-up meal of pancakes and avocado on toast. www.bandhbuildings.com

Dishoom gets a makeover The first branch of Dishoom, the much-loved mini-chain of Indian restaurants, opened in Covent Garden a decade ago. The original branch has now had a swanky makeover – while staying true to its post-colonial Irani café style – and the food is better than ever. The black daal is worth queuing round the block for. www.dishoom.com

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2022 highlights

Sabor offers counter dining in its Soho restaurant

Counter dining is a popular foodie trend. Try Sabor, which serves up Spanish specialities from stuffed peppers to chocolate bombas on a marble-topped bar Cocktails with a view Those with a head for heights can test their nerve at London in the Sky, a 22-seat summertime “sky table” suspended 100ft in the air, where the drinks come with a side of eye-popping views. As well as cocktails – it’s a popular spot for sundowners – you can tuck into breakfast, lunch or dinner; they also do a next-level afternoon tea. www.londoninthesky.co.uk Tuck into pie and mash M Manze is the capital’s oldest pie and mash shop (since 1902) and the best place to try this traditional British dish. If you’re feeling brave, get the eels – jellied or stewed – too, in keeping with the authentic surroundings of the original Bermondsey-based caff. www.manze.co.uk Who's count(er)ing?

Counter dining – allowing a view of the chefs in an

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open kitchen – is a popular foodie trend. London’s best counter dining experiences are to be found at Bocca di Lupo, famed for its stripped-back Italian food, and Sabor, which serves Spanish specialities – everything from stuffed peppers to chocolate bombas – on a marble-topped bar. www.boccadilupo.com; saborrestaurants.co.uk Go East Brick Lane is the place to go for one of the best curries in the capital – and in the UK. Opt for the awardwinning Bengal Village restaurant at Number 75, established over two decades ago and lauded by the critics for its authentic Bangladeshi cooking. www.bengalvillage.com Italian flair on a plate A newcomer to the City of London, Piazza Italiana has taken up residence in the splendidly ornate Grade II-listed former British Linen Bank on Threadneedle Street. Journey

through the classics of Italian cuisine, courtesy of Sicilian-born chef Remo Mazzucato's tempting menu. www.piazzaitaliana.co.uk More than a market Mare Street Market is a unique space in foodie haven Hackney offering a host of attractions under one airy roof: an excellent restaurant with open kitchen, a buzzy cafe and bar, plus a barber, nail studio, flower shop and record store, so you can really make a day of it. www.marestreetmarket.com Learn the history of London gin With a recipe that has remained virtually unchanged since 1800, Beefeater Gin has a pedigree that’s second to none. The Distillery Tour tells the story of the birth of London gin, a heady tale of international politics, the British Empire, Victorian entrepreneurs and savvy American barmen. www.beefeaterdistillery.com www.britain-magazine.com

2022 highlights Royally good food With its roots in devising snacks for hungry travellers – hence the invention of the scotch egg – Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly remains renowned for its ready-to-eat luxury foods, having provisioned British soldiers during the Peninsular war and Florence Nightingale’s hospitals on the request of Queen Victoria, no less. Pick up foodie souvenirs from caviar and Stilton cheese to biscuits and conserves. www.fortnumandmason.com Take a masterclass in tea At Twinings’ 300-year-old flagship store at 216 Strand, guests can join a masterclass led by "Tea Ambassadors" in which they’ll learn the history of Twinings and afternoon tea, and enjoy tasting teas from oolong to pu'erh. www.twinings.co.uk

PHOTOS: © CHRIS TERRY

Whip up a fluffy meringue Meringue Girls are experts in these fluffy-centred treats, making them in a kaleidoscope of colours.

Book onto one of their masterclasses, held at their cute-as-pie shop in Broadway Market, to learn how to to craft your own mini-masterpieces. www.meringuegirls.co.uk Taste traditional fish and chips There are countless chippies in London but The Fryer’s Delight in Holborn is a charmingly old-school one-off, serving delicious paper-wrapped fish and chips. One taste and you'll see why they have won numerous awards. www.facebook.com/fishandchips.co.uk

This image: Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea Above: The Meringue Girls hold masterclasses at their shop in Broadway Market

Learn to cook like Gordon Ramsay For a once-in-a-lifetime cooking experience, book in for a masterclass at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay in Chelsea. Go behind the scenes in a Michelin-star kitchen, learn cutting-edge culinary skills and prepare a special three-course meal. The only catch? The £1,000 price tag. www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com Feast on roast beef and Yorkshire puds To try a Sunday roast, one of Britain’s best-loved traditions, head to Hawksmoor Seven Dials, a go-to for its juicy cuts of beef since 1807. www.thehawksmoor.com Wonderful Wiltons Started as an oyster stall in 1742, Wiltons was opened as a restaurant in the 1840s, and the oysters remained a mainstay of the menu. A meal at Wiltons (including oysters, naturally) is the ultimate treat, and something akin to time-travel, from the monogrammed carpet and velvet banquettes to the silver trolleys that are trundled through the restaurant – and the impeccable menu of British classics, of course. www.wiltons.co.uk

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Blooming lovely Get a feel for London’s East End at charming Columbia Road Flower Market, held every Sunday from 8am until around 2pm. And it’s not just about the flowers: lined with 60 independent shops, Columbia Road is a gem worth the journey even if it’s not market day. www.columbiaroad.info Time-travel 300 years in music history Adjoining houses in London’s Mayfair have been inhabited by the 18th-century composer George Handel and the 20th-century rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Their homes have been recreated to demonstrate how they lived their very different but equally musical lives. www.handelhendrix.org The history of medicine dissected The Old Operating Theatre Museum is housed in the attic of the early 18th-century church of the old St Thomas’ Hospital. It has staged many gory, painful and not always successful operations in its time: a gut-wrenching insight into the history of medicine. www.oldoperatingtheatre.com

Surprise discoveries A london gem reopens Wilton's Music Hall first opened its doors in Whitechapel back in 1859. Having been burned down in 1877, it then survived the Blitz and the slum clearances of the 1960s.

Closed for the duration of the pandemic, it has once again defied the odds to reopen. www.wiltons.org.uk

Delve into Dickens's world There are sights associated with the great man all over London, but make time for the rewarding Charles Dickens Museum in Holborn, which holds over 100,000 items, from personal keepsakes to original manuscripts.

There's also a lively programme of events, from walks through Dickens' neighbourhood to readings of the author's ghost stories at Hallowe'en. www.dickensmuseum.com

Head to Ham Sitting on the banks of the River Thames in Richmond, Ham House is a 17th-century treasure, crammed with fine paintings, furniture and textiles. The interiors boast Baroque ceilings by Antonio Verrio, rare damask hangings and a gilded staircase. Keep an eye out for unusal happenings – Ham is thought to be one of the most haunted houses in Britain. www.nationaltrust.org.uk

Clockwise, from top left: Handel & Hendrix, a museum dedicated to the two musicians who lived here more than two centuries apart; the Great Chamber at the Charterhouse; the Horniman Museum; the Charles Dickens Museum

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2022 highlights

PHOTOS: © ACHIM BEDNORZ/NEWANGLE/CHARLES DICKENS MUSEUM/WILL PRYCE/THE HORNIMAN MUSEUM

The Charterhouse unveils the jewel in its crown: the emerald-green Great Chamber

Step back in time A former owner of 18 Folgate St in Spitalfields, Dennis Severs renovated and furnished his property to reflect how its original Huguenot silk-weaving occupants would have lived. Atmospherically conserved in the same state today, the museum is a portal into a bygone age when the niche industry thrived in this northeastern quarter. www.dennissevershouse.co.uk A Tudor gem The Charterhouse, tucked away in the City, has evolved from a monastery to a Tudor mansion to a charitable foundation, in operation since 1611. In 2021 the Charterhouse unveiled the jewel in its crown: the emerald-green Great Chamber, spectacularly restored, hung with portraits of 17th-century notables. thecharterhouse.org Birds, beasts and botany The Horniman Museum in Forest Green, south London, is the result of a lifetime of collecting by Frederick Horniman, who travelled the world searching for new specimens, as well as objects illustrating the arts and www.britain-magazine.com

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Hidden britain1-4

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2022 highlights This image: Leadenhall Market, Below: 'A Bar at the Folies-Bergère' by Édouard Manet, at the Courtauld Gallery

crafts of different peoples. The star exhibit?

An overstuffed Canadian walrus that's so loved by visitors that it has its own Twitter account. www.horniman.ac.uk

PHOTOS: ©LUCY YOUNG/THE COURTAULD

Golden handshake Inside the Bank of England Museum you’ll find a reconstruction of the original banking hall used from 1793, originally designed by Sir John Soane.

You can also try to lift a 99.79 per cent bar of gold, and take a selfie in the museum's 'gold corridor'. www.bankofengland.co.uk The Courtauld gets a revamp The Courtauld's remarkable collection ranges from the Renaissance to the 20th century, with a stellar array of Impressionists, including masterpieces such as Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Gauguin’s Nevermore.

Closed for a revamp since 2018, the gallery finally reopens its doors in November 2021. www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery Visit a medieval market Located in what was the centre of Roman London, www.britain-magazine.com

Leadenhall Market dates back to the 14th century.

Originally a meat, poultry and game market, it now houses restaurants, pubs and cafés, and scenes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone were filmed here (it masqueraded as magical shopping street Diagon Alley). www.leadenhallmarket.co.uk

After a 3-year revamp, the wonderful Courtauld Gallery is finally set to reopen its doors LONDON 2022

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2022 highlights with postal workers on their lunch breaks. The park is also home to the Watts Memorial to Heroic Self Sacrifice, the work of socialist George Frederick Watt to commemorate the bravery of ordinary Londoners.

Their heart-warming stories can still be read on glazed ceramic tablets today. www.postmanspark.org.uk An oasis for gardeners The little Garden Museum, on the Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament, celebrates British gardens and gardening through its collections of paintings, tools and artefacts, and through its garden, a leafy oasis of rare plants. Among the foliage here you'll also find the tombs of the Tradescants, forefathers of the modern English garden. www.gardenmuseum.org.uk This image: The Oval Drawing Room at The Wallace Collection Below right: Richmond's Strawberry Hill House

Wall-to-wall art at the Wallace Collection Just seconds from the hustle and bustle of Oxford Street, the Wallace Collection holds a staggering array of fine art and furniture, as well as armour and weaponry. It's all sumptuously displayed across 25 galleries in the former home of Sir Richard Wallace, the man we have to thank for this priceless collection. www.wallacecollection.org

Atmospherically conserved, Dennis Severs’ House is a portal into a bygone age

Explore a gleaming Gothic villa Being one of the best-documented houses in England means that Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole’s former home in Richmond, has been authentically restored. It remains a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture. www.strawberryhillhouse.org.uk

Stories of heroic Londoners Near the former General Post Office Headquarters, Postman’s Park is so-called because of its popularity

Strawberry Hill House, Horace Walpole’s former home in Richmond, is a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture 28

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PHOTOS: © KILIAN O'SULLIVAN/VIEW PICTURES LTD/WALLACE COLLECTION

Visit a working palace A working palace and the family home of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lambeth Palace's beautiful and historic gardens are open to the public on selected dates in spring and summer. www.archbishopofcanterbury.org

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2022 highlights

Spectacular shows Viva Verdi Seeing Verdi at the Royal Opera House is a must for opera fans. A new production of Verdi's devastating masterpiece, Rigoletto, will grace the main stage of this landmark venue (until 12 March). For fans of ballet, there's Romeo and Juliet: Shakespeare's tragic love story set to Kenneth MacMillan's exquisite choreography (5 Oct 2021 to 25 Feb 2022). www.roh.org.uk Glitter & sparkle Among the big shows hitting the West End after a tough year is Moulin Rouge! The Musical, fresh from its Broadway run (where it picked up numerous awards), which will razzle-dazzle the Piccadilly Theatre from 12 November 2021. Baz Luhrmann's original film has been remixed with over 70 songs to create a toe-tapping pop score. www.thepiccadillytheatre.com A retelling of the Cinderella story Based on an original idea by Emerald Fennell, Emmy award-winning writer of Killing Eve season 2 and Promising Young Woman, the new musical Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre brings modern-day sass to the rags-to-riches tale. The fairytale princess is reimagined as a loud-mouthed girl desperate to escape her fairytale world. With a score by Andrew Lloyd Webber, no less,

this is set to be a sure-fire hit (until 13 Feb). www.andrewlloydwebberscinderella.com A literary tour de force hits the West End The Mirror and the Light, Hilary Mantel's gripping final chapter of the Wolf Hall Trilogy – which follows the life of Thomas Cromwell, chief minister to Henry VIII – makes the leap to the stage. The first two shows in the trilogy, Wolf Hall and Bring up the Bodies, were acclaimed as must-see theatrical events, so get your tickets early for this limited London run (until 28 Nov 2021). www.rsc.org.uk

The return of Matilda Fans of toe-tapping musicals rejoice: Matilda The Musical, The RSC's award-winning adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book, is back in the West End. It's celebrating its tenth year, and a major new film based on the musical will hit the big screen in December 2022. www.matildathemusical.com A Disney classic Frozen needs little introduction: the Disney blockbuster conquered the box office, Broadway and the hearts of young and old alike. The stage show is at the Theatre

PHOTOS: © ROYAL OPERA HOUSE/ELLIE KURTTZ/MANUEL HARLAN/MATTHEW MURPHY

Clockwise, from this image: The RSC's 'Matilda The Musical'; 'Rigoletto' at the Royal Opera House; 'Moulin Rouge!

The Musical'

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2022 highlights

Royal Drury Lane until 3 April. www.frozenthemusical.co.uk National treasure At the National Theatre, keep an eye out for Manor, a darkly comic new tale by Moira Buffini about a group of strangers meeting in the midst of a violent storm (16 Nov-30 Dec 2021); and Hex (from 4 Dec 2021), a new musical based on Sleeping Beauty. The National's popular 'Friday Rush' scheme is worth looking out for, with £10 tickets for performances that evening available from 1pm. www.nationaltheatre.org.uk Attend a star-studded premiere For film buffs or anyone who wants to revel in the glamour of the red carpet, the annual BFI London Film Festival in early October is a chance to discover the Oscar-winners of the future. Get tickets for one of the venues across the West End or visit the hub at BFI Southbank for even more of a buzz. Galas at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square offer the chance to walk the red carpet, and even if you miss out on tickets you can still watch the action. www.bfi.org.uk Festive fun at Sadler’s Wells From contemporary to ballet, tap to flamenco, Sadler’s Wells presents more new dance shows than anywhere else in the world. Look out for the festive favourite The Snowman (20 Nov 2021 to 2 Jan 2022) and Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!, with dazzling choreography set to Tchaikovsky’s glorious score (7 Dec 2021 to 30 Jan 2022). www.sadlerswells.com www.britain-magazine.com

Get your Shakespeare fix The Globe's winter programme plays out in the atmospheric candlelit setting of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (offering more protection from the elements than the open-roofed Globe). This winter sees some big-hitters, including Measure For Measure (19 Nov 2021 to 15 Jan 2022); Hamlet, performed in the Playhouse for the first time (21 Jan-9 April); and The Merchant of Venice (18 Feb-9 April). www.shakespearesglobe.com See a legend of the stage Ralph Fiennes is one of the country's finest stage actors, so his appearance on stage in the West End is sure to cause a flurry of excitement across theatreland. The actor will appear at the Harold Pinter Theatre in TS Eliot's Four Quartets, which Fiennes will also direct. The four quartets of the title are interwoven meditations on the nature of time, faith and the quest for spiritual enlightenment (18 Nov-18 Dec 2021). www.atgtickets.com Travel back in time The iconic 1980s movie Back to the Future gets the musical treatment. Time-travelling highschooler Marty McFly is transported to the 1950s in Doc Brown's DeLorean, with plenty of fun, games and teenage angst along the way. Back to the Future: The Musical is at the Adelphi Theatre until 13 Feb. www.backtothefuturemusical.com Visit a Victorian theatre A hub of entertainment on the northern outskirts of London, Alexandra Palace has provided a welcome

escape from the working reality of the capital since 1863. The Palace’s historic theatre, beautifully restored after an 80-year closure, is an atmospheric setting for theatre, opera, dance and musical performances. It's particularly strong on comedy; in 2022 look out for Jimmy Carr (3 April) and Peter Kay (29 April). www.alexandrapalace.com Get ready for reggae A new musical telling the extraordinary life of Bob Marley will have its world premiere in London, at the Lyric Theatre. Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical will follow the Jamaican singer-songwriter's remarkable rise to stardom, with plenty of moments that will tug at the heartstrings too (until 3 April). www.getupstandupthemusical.com Watch a flick in a landmark cinema The Regent Street Cinema, just one minute north of Oxford Circus, was originally built in 1848 and was the first in the country to show moving pictures.

It is where British cinema was born, and its legacy continues with different film screenings most days. www.regentstreetcinema.com Culture capital The Barbican is the UK’s largest cultural venue. With theatres, a concert and music hall and three cinemas, there is always something on offer. Catch singer, songwriter and actress Jane Birkin perform (5 Feb); join astronaut Tim Peake on his first-ever UK tour (27 March); or hear social commentator Fran Lebowitz share her words of wisdom (2 July). www.barbican.org.uk LONDON 2022

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2022 highlights

New for 2022 All change at The Savoy There's a new chef at the landmark Savoy Hotel, and you might have heard of him: Gordon Ramsay has taken over the hotel's gourmet River Restaurant. Expect a refined seafood menu: the likes of oysters, caviar, sea bass ceviche and swordfish schnitzel. If you're in the mood to splurge, the hotel's Royal Suite has also seen a transformation, courtesy of the fashion house Gucci to celebrate its centenary year. www.thesavoylondon.com Piccadilly's splendid new hotel There has been a grand hotel at no.21 Piccadilly since Edwardian times, and the opening of The Dilly has breathed new life into this grande dame. An air of glamour and fun still prevails, from the inky-blue lobby with its oversized flower-filled urns to The Terrace restaurant, with views over Piccadilly. There's also a basement swimming pool (one of London’s largest indoor pools); a spectacular ballroom, twinkling with chandeliers; and a glamorous restaurant, Madhu's. www.thedillylondon.com A film-worthy hotel opening London’s first “super boutique hotel”, The Londoner, opened in Leicester Square in autumn 2021. The building has been nicknamed The Iceberg thanks to its six subterranean levels, complete with a spa, bars, restaurants and a cinema; it's sure to be a prime spot for premieres in London’s cinema capital. www.thelondoner.com Sweet treats in Mayfair If you're craving cake but don't want to commit to the full afternoon tea experience, stop by the Connaught hotel's super-sweet new offering. The blush-pink Patisserie is open for breakfast croissants through to afternoon pastries with a glass of fizz. Treat yourself to the Chocolate Nemesis, the River Cafe's most famous dish, which is hand-delivered daily to The Patisserie – the first time the cake has been available outside of its home. www.the-connaught.co.uk

Top to bottom: The Royal Suite at The Savoy Hotel has been redesigned by Gucci; inside Notting Hill's new boutique hotel, The Lost Poet; The Connaught hotel's Patisserie creations

The Lost Poet’s location means you can live like a local at one of London’s most soughtafter addresses Poetic Portobello Although Portobello Road in Notting Hill has come up in the world in recent years, it hasn't lost its bohemian charm.

Its famous antiques market is full of punters rummaging for treasure every Saturday, and the opening of a new fourbedroom boutique hotel, The Lost Poet, means you can now stay in the heart of the action. The rooms are stylish and playful, dotted with finds from the local antiques shops, and the unparallelled location means you can live like a local at one of London's most sought-after addresses. www.thelostpoet.co.uk In tune with the neighbourhood Denmark Street in the West End has an unbeatable musical history: many of the city's greatest acts, from David Bowie to The Rolling Stones, recorded here.

A new hotel, Chateau Denmark, opens soon with a rebellious rock n' roll aesthetic that's an homage to the street's musical roots. www.chateaudenmark.com Destination dining in Marylebone Marylebone is fast becoming a foodie hotspot, and newcomer Chameleon is the latest restaurant to open here, luring a glossy crowd to brunch on Tel Avivinspired sharing plates in a Grade I-listed former church. Late-night club events in the cavernous space below ground are also in the pipeline. www.chameleon.london

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CHELSEA PHYSIC GARDEN For th e botanically curious Open year-round, Chelsea Physic Garden offers an oasis of calm right in the centre of the hustle and bustle of London. Founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries, it is London’s oldest botanic garden and one of the few still functioning examples of a physic garden.

This four-acre site on the bank of the River Thames is packed with over 4,000 edible, useful and medicinal plants, and while it is visually stunning, the beauty of its living collection is secondary to the

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role they play in the fascinating story of how human life is intertwined with plants.

The whole Garden is full of surprises right from the moment that you pass through its red-brick walls and are greeted with a vision of lush foliage, towering trees and wildflower meadows, buzzing with the bees from their very own hives. As you wander through the many winding paths and historic glasshouses, you will see not only stunning roses and fragrant lilies but also seven-foot-tall

echium flowers or theatrical displays of cabbages – even a patch of cannabis, which the Garden is permitted to grow as part of its commitment to pharmaceutical research and teaching.

Why not plan a visit and discover this magical garden for yourself?

Visit www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk to book your ticket and find out what special events are taking place.

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Event highlights

TOP RIGHT PHOTO: © GRAEME PEACOCK

There’s something for everyone at Chelsea Physic Garden Halloween tours 26– 31 October Join a spooky tour around Chelsea Physic Garden and uncover the ghosts, ghouls and hidden secrets of the Garden and its plants. These tours offer a unique opportunity to experience this beautiful garden after dark. Pick from family or adult tours.

Family Theatre: Halloween Spooky Tours will delve into the spooky history of the Chelsea Physic Garden with Wild Immersive Theatre Co. Enjoy exploring the Garden in this interactive theatre event.

The Haunting of Chelsea Physic: Book now for a special evening tour of the Garden. If you think you’re in for a comfortable journey into the botanical, think again. Immersive horror experience suitable for adults only.

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Christmas Fair 25-28 November Chelsea Physic Garden welcomes the return of their annual Christmas Fair, with the transformation of the Garden into a magical winter wonderland. Browse 100s of carefully selected suppliers in this ultimate festive shopping event.

Tickets are £7 and free for Friends of the Garden.

From Botanical Watercolour Workshops to family Lotions and Potions activities, Chelsea Physic Garden has an exciting programme of events running throughout the year.

Visit chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/visit/ whatson to book tickets and see the full list of events.

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west london

west london

GO WEST Once West London was a rural outpost. Now it’s a thriving cultural area at the city’s heart

PHOTO: © WWW.BRIDGEMANIMAGES.COM

WORDS JULIA ADLER

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T Previous page: The impressive Albert Memorial in Hyde Park, with the Royal Albert Hall in the background Above: Alice's Antiques shop on Portobello Road in Notting Hill Left: Canal boats float peacefully through Little Venice

wo hundred and fifty years ago, West London comprised a gentle lull of fields. Notting Hill, which later played a starring role in its own smash-hit romcom, was a simple hamlet. Back in the day, much of what we now call West London – Notting Hill, Holland Park, Kensington and Paddington – was part of the county of Middlesex, which has since scooted further out. Then, in the 19th century, the capital expanded. Farms made way for industry.

History had begun.

West London is an informal designation, but Paddington, with its Victorian station built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is the portal. Paddington Bear, who arrived here from “deepest, darkest Peru”, liked to keep a marmalade sandwich under his hat for sustenance, but an alternative in peckish times can be found in Little Venice, a spot rich in cafés at the confluence of Regent’s Canal and Grand Union Canal. Lord Byron gave it its name.

Romantic poetry recitals are up to you.

The hub of West London is Notting Hill, to the south of Paddington. The quaint shops, cafés and pastel-painted houses of the film are all there, as is the bookshop that inspired the one on screen, of a sort. The Travel Bookshop,

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which was based on one at 13 Blenheim Crescent, has closed, but The Notting Hill Bookshop stands in its place – and it has a travel section (though Hugh Grant is nowhere to be seen).

Notting Hill has a rich heritage. It is noted in records as early as 1356, although it made its reputation 500 years later, when kilns sprung up for firing bricks from clay in the ground. (One disused kiln remains on Walmer Road.)

Pigs trundled into the area, too, creating, in the words of Charles Dickens, “a plague spot scarcely equalled for its insalubrity by any other in London”.

But it wasn’t all bad. Many of the elegant houses on streets bearing the Ladbroke name, after a local landowner, were built at this time. Designed by Thomas Allason, some back onto secluded communal gardens.

Artists and writers moved in nearby. Novelist Thomas Hardy, later of Far from the Madding Crowd fame, lived in Westbourne Park Villas.

In the early 20th century, many buildings were split into flats and, during the Blitz, several were destroyed. After the war, tenants of some of the cheaper flats, many of whom had recently come over from the Caribbean, fell prey to an exploitative local landlord. Racial tensions LONDON 2022

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PHOTOS: © KAV DADFAR/RICHARD TAYLOR/4CORNERS IMAGES/ALAN COPSON/AWL IMAGES/ILLUSTRATION: LIZ KAY

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PHOTOS: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID/ROBERT HARDING/NATHANIEL NOIR/ALAMY/BEN PHILIPS/ROYAL ALBERT

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Clockwise from above: The Design Museum in Holland Park; the V&A Museum in South Kensington; inside the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington; the Kyoto Garden is a hidden oasis in Holland Park

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culminated in riots. Yet the Caribbean community would become key to the area’s identity: since the Sixties, they have led the Notting Hill Carnival over the August bank holiday. The carnival is now one of Europe’s largest.

Notting Hill has long offered culture year-round. The Electric Cinema, which opened in 1910, is one of Britain’s oldest working cinemas, while Sir John Gielgud watched his first Shakespeare play at The Coronet. Yet, since the 19th century, the real attraction has been Portobello Road Market, stretching for about a mile along Portobello Road and into Golborne Road. Antiques day is Saturday.

South of Notting Hill is Holland Park, both an area and a 54-acre haven of green. Much of the park once formed the grounds of Holland House, an early Jacobean mansion, since damaged during the Second World War. For a glimpse in the summer, watch a production by Holland Park Opera; the company performs on the front terrace. The highlight of the park is the Kyoto Garden, with its Japanese maple trees, waterfall and peacocks.

The Design Museum, founded in 1989 by Sir Terence Conran, is also here. A free, permanent exhibition includes about 1,000 examples of modern design from furniture to digital technology.

To the east of Holland Park is Kensington Gardens, which surround Kensington Palace. Once home to Queen Victoria and Diana, Princess of Wales, the palace is now a royal house share as the official London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate), among

IMAGES: © HULTON DEUTSCH/HISTORICAL PICTURE ARCHIVE/CORBIS/GETTY

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Casa Nova is an Italian restaurant on the prestigious Wentworth Estate in Surrey, which is only a mile away from the beautiful Virginia Water Lakes and half a mile from Wentworth Golf Club. The restaurant is conveniently positioned for a relaxing meal on the way home from Ascot races, the PGA tournament at Wentworth, the Cartier Queens Cup at Guards Polo Club and many other annual sporting and social events.

Casa Nova serves traditional and modern Italian and European dishes. There is an à la carte menu at lunch and dinner, with daily specials such as lobster, monkfish, turbot, venison, veal chop and seasonal game. There are also set menus for lunch every day, as well as for dinner from Tuesday to Thursday.

The restaurant also likes to celebrate special occasions such as Mothering Sunday, Valentines’ Day, Easter Sunday, Christmas and Boxing Day. Taking care in the quality of its fresh ingredients and personal, silver service, Casa Nova likes to make sure it can cater for all its customers’ needs. Its aim is to provide a warm welcome, good food and an enjoyable experience each time you visit.

Weekday set lunch: £17.95 for 2 courses, £22.95 for 3 courses. Dinner £24.95 for 3 courses, Sunday lunch £25.95 for 3 courses.

OPEN: Tues-Fri, 12pm-2pm, 6.30pm-10pm; Sat, 6.30pm-10pm; Sun 12pm-2pm

CASA NOVA RESTAURANT

10 Station Approach, Virginia Water GU25 4DW | T: +44 (0) 1344 843407 Please telephone for enquiries, bookings and so on.

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others. Parts are open to visitors; the King’s State Apartments, built for George I, are especially lavish.

Look out for the King’s Gallery, whose red damask walls are lined with fine paintings. A new sculpture in memory of Princess Diana was unveiled in the palace’s gardens on 1 July 2021, on what would have been her 60th birthday.

Sitting in Kensington Gardens, opposite the Royal Albert Hall – a rust-coloured, oval-shaped concert venue that celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2021 – is the Albert Memorial. Queen Victoria commissioned both to honour her husband, Prince Albert, who died of typhoid aged 42.

Designed by Sir Gilbert Scott, the Neo-Gothic memorial shows a 14-foot prince perched atop a 15-foot pedestal holding a catalogue for the Great Exhibition of 1951 that he organised.

Kensington Gardens was once part of Hyde Park to the east. The divide is the Serpentine, a 40-acre lake created in 1730, and now a swimming and boating spot. On the Hyde Park side is another memorial to the ‘people’s princess’, the Diana Memorial Fountain, opened in 2004.

Kathryn Gustafson, its American creator, wanted the fountain, a shallow stream for paddling leading to a pool, to reflect Diana’s openness and approachability.

The Serpentine Galleries straddle Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, with one on each side. The older of the two, the Serpentine Gallery, was founded in 1970 and is housed in a Thirties tea pavilion. It has hosted exhibitions of work

by Henry Moore, Bridget Riley and Anish Kapoor.

Right: In 1980, two years after his 80th birthday exhibition at the nearby Serpentine Gallery, artist Henry Moore donated'The Arch' for permanent display in Kensington Gardens Below: The Natural History Museum in South Kensington

IMAGES: © EXCLUSIVE HOTELS AND VENUES/TIM GREEN

PHOTOS: © MARK ZYTYNSKI/ALAMY/VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID

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west london For the holy trinity of museums, head to South Kensington, just south of the parks. The Victoria and Albert Museum, the Science Museum and the Natural History Museum were founded out of profits from Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition, leading some, at the time, to call the area ‘Albertopolis’.

The Victoria and Albert Museum, better known as the V&A, and the Science Museum were originally part of the South Kensington Museum, which opened in 1857. The V&A focuses on the applied arts from fashion to sculpture.

More than two million items – from throughout history and across the world – are on display. Blockbuster exhibitions have gleamed with the work of Alexander McQueen and David Bowie. Highlights at the Science Museum include Puffing Billy, the world’s oldest steam locomotive, and an early version of Alan Turing’s Enigma machine.

The Natural History Museum, which opened in 1881, initially housed the British Museum’s collections of Sir Hans Sloane and Charles Darwin. Today, it contains more than 70 million different specimens. The skeleton of Hope, a giant blue whale, dominates the vaulted hall, and large dinosaur bones can be found in the dinosaurs gallery.

Slightly further west is Chiswick, a settlement going back to 1000, when it was known as ‘Ceswican’ (Old English for ‘Cheese Farm’). The area, which retains its village feel, attracted the poet WB Yeats and the painter William Hogarth (you can visit his house on Hogarth Lane).

Make your priority Chiswick House, a Neo-Palladian villa, designed by the third Earl of Burlington after his Grand Tour of Italy. William Kent’s interiors, particularly the gilded domes of the Gallery – modelled after the largest temple in ancient Rome – are striking. Kent is also responsible for the grounds, one of the first examples of an English landscape garden. It’s not quite the lull of fields of West London’s origins, but it’s not far off.

PHOTOS: © ENGLISH HERITAGE PHOTO LIBRARY/GAUTIER STEPHANE/ALAMY

Above: Inside the 18th-century Chiswick House Right: Colourful town houses in Notting Hill, the hub of West London

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partner feature

ARSENAL behind th e scenes for VIPs – to the locker rooms, the scene of pre-match tensions and post-match celebrations.

A highlight for many is the chance to walk through the players’ tunnel and onto the touchline, in the footsteps of so many legendary footballers.

As you explore, you will learn fascinating facts about the stadium and the team via your headset, with commentary from striker Charlie George, right-back Lee Dixon or pitch-side presenter Nigel Mitchell. At the end of your tour you’ll receive a personalised tour certificate to commemorate the experience.

Arsenal have long been at the top of the English game, thanks to a combination of passion and skill that makes for scintillating football. Take an all-access tour of the Emirates Stadium for a one-off experience of the place where the magic happens.

Explore an iconic stadium Equipped with a state-of-the-art handset, you will go behind the scenes and explore every corner of this iconic stadium, from the executive boxes – enjoying a view of the ground normally reserved www.britain-magazine.com

Delve into the history Arsenal was founded in 1886 and has a proud and colourful history across the club’s time at Woolwich, Highbury and Emirates stadiums. Your tour ticket also gains you access to the interactive Arsenal Museum, packed full of trophies and the memorabilia of great players and famous matches – the perfect way to conclude a memorable tour.

Tickets are valid up to 3 months after purchase.

Book now at arsenal.com/tours

Meet an Arsenal Legend You could also consider a Legend Tour, in the company of an ex-player who will share their matchday experiences. Your engaging and knowledgeable guides are Nigel Winterburn, who made 584 appearances for the club, and Perry Groves, who helped the club win the League Championship in 1988/89 and 1990/91.

Hearing their personal tales and anecdotes will give you an unrivalled insight into what has made Arsenal such a special club: an unmissable experience.

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PHOTOS: © HE ARSENAL FOOTBALL CLUB PLC/DAVID PRICE/STUART MACFARLANE

Whether you’re a die-hard Gunners fan or just interested in learning more about London’s most historic football team, the Emirates Stadium is a must-visit

UNIQUE TOURS OF BRITAIN Choose from 12 All Inclusive 10-day Theme Tours on your preferred dates, throughout England, Wales and Scotland in a luxury MPV. A maximum of 6 people with myself, Michael Osborne BA Hons (London) History, as your personal chauffeur guide. Accommodation is in unique, historic hotels.

Theme Tours Mayflower Pilgrims: American Connection: English Village Pubs: Industrial Heritage: Steam Trains: Ghosts, Curiosities and Eccentrics: Classic Literature: Historic Houses, Castles and Gardens: Highlands and Isles of Scotland: God’s Own Country: Welsh Marches.

Day Tours (Not All Inclusive) are also available throughout Sussex, Surrey and Kent.

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Black Cab Heritage Tours There can be no better way to get up close and personal with ALL of London’s famous landmarks than in a traditional London Black Cab with a knowledgeable and affable London cabbie, who is also an experienced London Tour Guide accredited by City, University of London. The vehicles can accommodate up to six passengers including wheelchairs – and are licensed by Transport for London.

Tours available all-year from 7am to 10pm.

Tour rates start from £170 per service (not per person).

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Canterbury Guided Tours provide entertaining 90-minute walking tours led by expert Green Badge Guides. Explore the charming cobbled streets, dotted with historic buildings and brimming with stories of pilgrimage, famous characters and literary figures. This thriving and celebrated city is a wonderful location for visiting families and groups.

The daily public tour and pre-booking for groups are available to reserve online. Other European languages are also available.

Open: All year, except Christmas Day. For tour information, pricing and booking visit the website for details

Book online www.canterburytouristguides.co.uk 01227 459779 | guides@canterburytouristguides.co.uk

Tour & Explore London & Beyond T: +44 (0)794 710 3318 E: vaniabr@brasilianguidelondon.com www.brasilianguidelondon.com Instagram: @brasilianguidelondon

H

ello, my name is Vania and I am a qualified Blue Badge Tourist Guide. I offer bespoke tours in both English and Portuguese across London and its surroundings. My tours are engaging, fun and informative and can be tailored to suit your requirements, whether you want to visit royal palaces, galleries, museums, parks, or the shops and entertainment venues of the West End. Tours can be adapted to suit to the first-time visitor or the London enthusiast.

If you wish to venture outside London, I can plan a wonderful trip to some of England’s most charming destinations, such as Windsor, Bath or the Cotswolds.

I have been certified by Visit England as having the “We’re Good to Go” Covid-19 Industry Standard to conduct my in-person tours. If you are not able to visit London, I can bring London to you in the comfort of your own home via one of my customised Virtual Tours. www.britain-magazine.com

tours

WALK this WAY

Themed tours of London take in everything from historic pubs to Harry Potter locations.

Here's our pick of the best

PHOTOS: DAVID RICHARDS/ALAMY

WORDS RACHEL MILLS

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tours

A TASTE OF BOROUGH MARKET

T

he best way to explore central London is on foot. The streets of this historic capital city are lined with great pubs and places to eat, and it’s when you’re walking that you can best understand the development of London and discover its hidden byways, famous film locations and scattered cultural attractions. The knowledge and passion of your guide has a huge impact on how enjoyable your walking tour will be, so we’ve handpicked six of the best (though please note that some tours can only be booked by private groups at present; check their websites for the latest information).

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London’s biggest and best food market sits next to Southwark Cathedral in the heart of London Bridge.

Trading on this site since 1756 (although the history of the market stretches back as far as the twelfth century), Borough Market is a vibrant covered site with a mix of fresh produce, bakeries and international street food traders. It can be a little daunting – and you won’t want to miss the best stalls – so join TV chef and food writer Celia Brooks as she leads a high-end tasting tour that starts with drinks and pastries, before taking in oysters, meats, cheeses, meze and wheatgrass juice shots. Inspiring, energetic and educational, tours give a real insight into the everyday life of the market.

Monday to Friday only (Saturdays gets too busy and the market is closed on Sundays). £95 per person. www.celiabrooks.com

tours

BANKSIDE BEHAVING BADLY TOUR

PHOTOS: © ATLANTIDE PHOTOTRAVEL/GETTY

There is nowhere better to explore the capital’s famously raucous history than Southwark, with its strong connections to the brewing industry, Shakespeare and Chaucer. Look Up London, an independent tour company created by award-winning blogger Katie Wignall, shares tales of secrecy and scandal on 90-minute tours starting from Doggett’s Coat and Badge Pub at Blackfriars Bridge and ending near London Bridge. Along the way you’ll pass the 18thcentury Anchor Bankside, now the last of the taverns that once lined the riverside selling food and drink (and sometimes company!). £20 per person. www.lookup.london

HARRY POTTER TOUR Muggles are invited to explore London on a two-hour walking tour with this wonderfully quirky company that market themselves as the Department of Magical Tourism. Tour guides are young witches and wizards with last names you might recognise – Olivander, Hagrid and Lestrange – and all are fervent Potter fans who will dazzle you with their magical knowledge. Tours start near Victorian Leadenhall Market, the filming location for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron, and end near Borough Market, weaving in fun facts and quizzes about the books and films along the way. The “Covid-19 Dragon Pox” means that only private tours are being offered for the time being. £90 per group tour. www.tourformuggles.com www.britain-magazine.com

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SHERLOCK HOLMES TOUR

BEATLES TOUR

PHOTOS: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID/ESCAPETHEOFFICEJOB/ALAMY

Richard Porter has been the guide behind the best Beatles tours in London for decades and there’s nothing he doesn’t know about the Fab Four. Public tours meet at either Marylebone (for the In My Life Walk) or Tottenham Court (for the Magical Mystery Tour) and cover Beatles sites at a brisk pace, including a trip to the Abbey Road Studios in St John’s Wood. Richard carries with him a folder of images of John, Paul, George and Ringo and brings Beatles history to life as you walk past filming and live performance locations, old recording studios, the registry office where two of the Beatles got married and the apartment John and Yoko once lived in. Richard can arrange custom private tours and offers live virtual tours, too. £15 per person. www.beatlesinlondon.com

Scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote the first of his fictional detective stories in 1887 and the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Dr John H Watson have been part of the British National consciousness ever since. Holmes’ famous address at 221B Baker Street is fictional (in the 19th century the house numbers on Baker Street didn’t run higher than the 100s) and the Sherlock Holmes museum on Baker Street isn’t part of the tour. Instead, the two-hour guided walk starts on the spot where Watson first heard about Holmes, in the Savini at Criterion restaurant, Piccadilly. You’ll see Victorian era locations and sites related to the books, films and BBC TV series – such as Somerset House, which doubled as Pentonville Prison in the 2009 Guy Ritchie film. £15 per person. www.britmovietours.com

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tours

OLD CITY WALKING TOUR

PHOTOS: © PA IMAGES/PA ARCHIVE/PROJECT WITH TIM GOSLING (WWW.TGOSLING.COM) FOR PRIVATE CLIENT

Established by the Romans some 2,000 years ago, much of London’s original square mile (in fact, 1.12 square miles) has been repeatedly razed and redeveloped and the area is now home to one of London’s major financial districts (the other is Canary Wharf, four miles east of the city). This three-hour guided walk takes in the district’s big hitting historic sites, from the Monument of the Great Fire of London, to Tower Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral, but these attractions aren’t the best bit of the tour (after all, you can find them out for yourself). The real highlight is discovering the maze of medieval alleyways, churchyards and buildings on the north bank of the River Thames. The tour starts at the Apple Store in Covent Garden and ends at the Tower of London (where you’ll need to pre-book tickets if you want to go inside). £14 per person. www.neweuropetours.eu

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ROYAL RESIDENCES

Royal LONDON Buckingham Palace is just the start: the capital has a wealth of palatial residences that have been home to generations of royals WORDS FELICITY DAY

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PHOTOS: © JUSTIN FOULKES/4CORNERS/DERRY MOORE/THE ROYAL COLLECTION/HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

PHOTOS: © PETER SMITH/THE ROYAL COLLECTION/HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II

royal residences

I

t’s hard to imagine a Britain without Buckingham Palace. But on not one but two occasions in the 1830s William IV tried to dispose of this most famous symbol of our monarchy. First he suggested it might be converted into military barracks, and then, after the Houses of Parliament burned down, he offered it to the Government as a replacement. “Mind I mean Buckingham Palace as a permanent gift!” he told the Speaker as he – almost gleefully – inspected the ruins at Westminster, “Mind that!”

The King had no love for the former villa – originally purchased by his parents George III and Queen Charlotte in 1761 – which his brother, George IV, had been in the process of lavishly (and expensively) transforming into a palace when he died in 1830. But when Parliament politely declined his offer, he was forced to retain it in the royal portfolio, reluctantly completing the outstanding works while steadfastly refusing to move in.

His niece, Queen Victoria, felt differently. She liked Buckingham Palace’s ‘high, pleasant and cheerful’ interiors and its large garden for her dog, Dash. She and Albert modernised and expanded it during her reign, adding

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nurseries for their children and a magnificently proportioned state ballroom that allowed the palace to become both family home and head office in one. All subsequent monarchs have dutifully followed in the couple’s footsteps and moved in on their accession to the throne, though few have found their official residence a comfortable home. “Everything here is so straggly, such distances and so fatiguing,” complained Queen Mary.

She and her husband George V are responsible for the handsome classical facade that we see today, though the interior of the palace carries the marks of several generations of royals. George IV’s grand staircase and sumptuous Regency state rooms survive, along with Victoria’s imposing ballroom, and though the decorative schemes sometimes reflect later tastes, it’s a treat to gaze on them when the palace opens to visitors between July and late September each year.

Also open during the summer months is Clarence House – the wedding-cake white Neoclassical mansion that is presently the London residence of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. This was the property for which William IV and his wife Adelaide shunned the gilded grandeur of Buckingham Palace – a house designed for

Previous page, left to right: Buckingham Palace's famous facade; the Grand Staircase at Buckingham Palace Top left: The Throne Room at Buckingham Palace This image: The lavish White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace

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PHOTOS: © MAURITIUSI MAGES GMBH/ALAMY/DAVID SELLMAN/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES

PHOTOS: © JACK TAYLOR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/CHRISTOPHER SIMON SYKES/THE ROYAL COLLECTION/HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II/JAMES BRITTAIN/HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES

Kensington Palace’s painted staircase provides us with a tantalising glimpse of the real-life courtiers of the early Georgian era

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Clockwise, from top left: Choirs perform Evensong at the Chapel Royal, St James's Palace; the King's Staircase at Kensington Palace; the Morning Room at Clarence House

them in the 1820s by John Nash, decorated and furnished in an unfussy style. For unlike his brother, William had no taste for the arts, famously labelling George IV’s cherished Old Master paintings ‘nick-nackery’.

Completely refurbished in the late 1940s for the then Princess Elizabeth and Duke of Edinburgh, Clarence House’s bright, airy rooms and relatively plain architectural style still lend it a more homely feel than other royal residences. So, too, do the abundant bookcases, family photographs and personal selection of artworks, most collected by the Queen Mother, who moved here in 1953 after the death of her husband George VI. The house’s formal gardens were designed and laid out in her memory by Prince Charles in 2004.

Thanks to The Mall’s famous avenue of trees Clarence House is hardly visible to passers-by, and few notice it, or realise that it originally formed part of the sprawling complex of buildings that make up St James’s Palace – a far more ancient royal property, though entirely un-majestic in appearance. Eighteenth-century critics complained vociferously about it, declaring it ‘the contempt of foreign nations, and the disgrace of our own’.

But St James’s humble and irregular red-brick facade belies its historic importance. The site of a former leper hospital, it was built as a hunting lodge for Henry VIII in the 1530s; housed Elizabeth I at the time of the Spanish Armada; and sheltered Charles I on the night before his execution. It became the official London residence of the monarch in 1698, when a fire destroyed the old Whitehall Palace, and remained so (formally at least) until Victoria’s reign, with monarchs from Queen Anne to William IV conducting state business in its apartments, hosting levées for their ministers and greeting debutantes in drawing rooms.

Home to senior royals like Princess Anne today, as well as a venue for both ceremonial and charitable functions, there is no public access. But visitors can attend services in its intimate Chapel Royal, where Victoria and Albert were married in 1840 under an intricately decorated ceiling thought to have been painted by Hans Holbein; and where, more recently, Princes George and Louis were christened.

The two young Princes reside with their parents and sister in an apartment at Kensington Palace, a building the exiled Edward VIII unflatteringly termed the ‘aunt heap’ in the early 20th century, owing to the various elderly relatives who were housed there. But the so-called ‘royal dormitory’ – famously also home to Princess Diana – has a more glittering past, which visitors can explore for themselves.

Purchased by William III and Mary II in 1689, Kensington was their grand retreat from the smog and smell of the city – close to town but still pleasingly rural.

Expanded and adorned for George I in the 1720s by Palladian architect William Kent, it enjoyed its heyday during the reign of George II and Queen Caroline, when LONDON 2022

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Clockwise, from below: A hotch-potch of buildings, including Friary Court, make up St James's Palace; the north front of Kew Palace and the Queen's Garden; the King's Dining Room at Kew Palace

it was the venue for their lively intellectual salons and lavish balls. Kent’s splendid interiors can still be seen today, his painted staircase providing us with a tantalising glimpse of the real-life courtiers of the early Georgian era who once paraded through the palace, seeking power and patronage.

It was George III who carved up part of the building into apartments in the 1790s. These he granted to his younger sons, including Edward, Duke of Kent, who brought his bride to Kensington ahead of the birth of their daughter Victoria in 1819. The rooms in which the future Queen was born and raised form an equally fascinating part of the historic palace tour: the original decorative

schemes have been re-created as far as possible, with such treasures as her doll’s house on display, as well as the behaviour book in which the young Princess dutifully recorded her daily conduct, calling herself ‘rather impertinent’ and ‘very naughty’.

The father Victoria never knew spent much of his own childhood south of the River Thames at Kew Palace. The Dutch-style mansion of eye-catching orangey-red brick (now part of Kew Gardens) was used by George III and Queen Charlotte as accommodation for their large brood of 15 children – a place where the family picnicked and played cricket in the summer months.

It was certainly a tranquil and comparatively private palace, but not always a happy royal home. It was at Kew that George III was incarcerated during his first episode of ‘madness’ in 1788, where his perplexed doctors resorted to everything from laxatives to leeching in an attempt to ‘cure’ him. And it was in her snug, but far from splendid, bedchamber in the palace, in an unremarkable armchair, that the king’s beloved wife died in 1818.

At Queen Victoria’s request, the room was preserved just as it was at her grandmother’s death, and today visitors are able to experience the whole palace as it looked during George and Charlotte’s lifetimes. You might find yourself wishing the walls could talk – what tales all of these royal residences could tell us then.

PHOTOS: © WILLIAM BERRY/ALAMY/HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES/RICHARD LEA-HAIR

 For more on Britain's royals, visit www.britain-magazine.com

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The father Victoria never knew spent much of his own childhood south of the River Thames at Kew Palace www.britain-magazine.com

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partner feature

Cuppa

A CULTURAL From women’s history to hands-on blending masterclasses, the Twinings flagship store at 216 Strand offers fun, unique experiences through which to rediscover England’s national drink With over 300 years of history, Twinings Flagship Store at 216 Strand is London’s oldest tea shop, yet it continues to refresh its offering to ensure the visitor experience remains modern and exciting.

Twinings invites you to discover the brand’s colourful story, covering three centuries

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of heritage and innovation, as well as its current focus on wellbeing and ethical sourcing. While the store has been designed and crafted to honour the brand’s heritage, it looks and feels undeniably contemporary.

From 2021, for full immersion into the Twinings world, head to the basement, which has been transformed into an exclusive tea-tasting bar where you can pre-book its renowned masterclasses or hold private events. The Classic Tea Masterclass is an excellent introduction to tea and its six categories. You’ll be guided on the tea plant’s journey from bud to cup, and learn a little of how tea came to be England’s national drink. Did you know that it wasn’t until King Charles II married the Portuguese princess Catharine of Braganza in 1662 that tea became popular in England? Alternatively

you can choose the Women in Tea History Masterclass in which Twinings pays tribute to some of the most influential female figures in tea culture all over the world.

Those with a scientific streak might prefer to join a Bespoke Blending Session, in which you can www.britain-magazine.com

create your own unique blend with the help of one of a Twinings tea expert. You’ll leave with 1kg of your own exclusive blend to take home. Finally, the Herbal Masterclass takes a deep dive into the beautiful world of botanics, providing you with a deeper understanding of both traditional blends and tasty new discoveries beyond your usual brew.

Outside of the formal masterclass experiences, the new premium tea bar also offers a chance for visitors to sample before they buy. Perhaps a new Twinings range has caught your eye? The tea bar gives guests the opportunity to touch, smell and taste Twinings products first-hand. This is particularly helpful when purchasing a Pick & Mix tea package. A firm favourite, you can create a personalised selection of tea bag envelopes, alone or in a deluxe Twinings wooden box. www.britain-magazine.com

Whatever you choose to do, be assured that you won’t be disappointed. Twinings tea experiences are popular with people from all around the world, a point proven when 216 Strand won a 2020 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Award thanks to millions of reviewers who placed it in the

top 10 per cent of attractions worldwide.

Close to Covent Garden and the London West End, the Twinings flagship store stands in the very heart of the capital, making it perfect for visiting groups of friends and family, or even as an office day out. The stunning new downstairs tasting room can seat up to 10 guests and larger groups can be accommodated in after-hours sessions. For anyone keen to get involved but unable to join in person, you are invited to explore the Twinings Virtual Masterclass options.

Meanwhile, as Twinings welcome visitors back in-store, the wellbeing of customers and staff remains a top priority; the team have worked hard to ensure all Covid safety measures are in place throughout, so you can enjoy your visit to the full. www.twinings.co.uk LONDON 2022

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TIME for TEA

Savour a behind-the-scenes taste of afternoon tea at Claridge’s, a landmark London hotel and royal favourite WORDS JENNY ROWE

PHOTO: © WWW.BRIDGEMANIMAGES.COM

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“

reparation begins the night before at about midnight,” explains Martyn Nail, Executive Chef at Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair, which has been concocting exquisite selections of finger sandwiches and sweet pastries for the best part of 150 years. “Our touriers (overnight bakers responsible for the breakfast pastries and bread) are the first link in the chain.

They begin by making the dough and allowing it to prove, before baking it in the early hours of the morning,” Martyn continues, as he details the well-oiled machine that is Claridge’s kitchen on a normal working day.

“They then hand over to the day-shift pastry chefs, who make the cakes and scones.

The sandwich fillings are then prepared mid-morning and the sandwiches themselves are assembled just before service.”

The near-military precision of the procedures and personnel busy at work behind the scenes is a prerequisite to the seamless service showcased front of house at Claridge’s.

In the grand Foyer, where afternoon tea is served daily, there is, in contrast to the kitchen, a comforting air of calm. Guests are waited on with the utmost patience and diligence by staff impeccably dressed in white, who glide discreetly between tables. The walls are mirrored, lending both an intimate and expansive feel to the room, the latter aided by sky-high ceilings. Hypnotic melodies emanate from the grand pianist and cellist in the corner.

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It’s no surprise that the elegance of Claridge’s afternoon tea is now synonymous with royalty and the aristocracy, a reputation first earned by the hotel when Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited in 1860.

This five-star London institution has been advocating the hedonistic consumption of afternoon tea for almost as long as it has existed. Almost all of us can empathise with Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, who has gone down in history as the originator of the English afternoon tea.

It was around 1840 when she first noticed that she became hungry at around four o’clock each afternoon, in that barren (and possibly slightly boring, if you’re a Duchess) time period between lunch and dinner. So the Duchess requested a tray of tea, cake and some bread and butter to be brought to her room, staving off the hunger pangs that usually arrived during the final few hours before her dinner was served at eight. Initially a solitary habit, the Duchess soon realised it was a great opportunity – or excuse – to invite friends over.

In fact, her lifelong friendship with Queen Victoria marked the start of the monarch’s own penchant for a late-afternoon bite to eat, which grew so strong that the Queen’s favourite cake, the Victoria Sponge, came to be named after her in the final years of her reign. Thus from pragmatic beginnings, afternoon tea flourished into a national love affair and social ritual, with both

Previous page: A traditional afternoon tea spread at Claridge's Clockwise from top left: Jérôme Chaucesse (centre), Claridge's' pâtissier-inresidence; dainty finger sandwiches; the cakes and pastries are the most difficult aspect to make; Anna Russell, the 7th Duchess of Bedford

PHOTOS: © CHRONICLE/ALAMY

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Left: Ladies take tea together at Claridge's in 1938 Centre: The famous Foyer at Claridge's Right: Sandwiches and pastries are specially made for younger guests at Claridge's' Children's Afternoon Tea, where the menu doubles as a colouring book

indulgence and high society at its core.

Nowadays plain bread and better just wouldn’t cut the mustard (sorry, Duchess). Dorrington ham with caramelised apple, calvados and red endive on onion bread spread with cinnamon butter sounds more like it. “Our afternoon tea sandwiches are famous and a great deal of love and care goes into making them,” says Executive Head Chef, Martyn.

Nevertheless, Claridge’s doesn’t rest on its laurels.

The team are constantly innovating in the kitchen, reviving traditional flavours and establishing modern classics with the arrival of each season. “Picking different breads to pair with fillings is exciting: there’s rye, malt, granary, brown, onion or plain white,” continues Martyn.

While experimentation is encouraged, one rule is always honoured on the sandwich stand: “The perfect afternoon tea sandwich should be two-thirds bread and one-third filling,” states Martyn.

The attention to detail employed by Martyn and his team is impressive. Many guests may not even notice some of the techniques responsible for tiny morsels of added

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value here and there. The bread, for example, is laterally sliced, unlike bread cut for toast, so that it retains its shape better and is more pleasurable to look at and eat.

Of course, those with a sweet tooth will find their eyes drawn not to the sandwiches, but the dainty and colourful array of cakes and pastries. Martyn admits that these are the most difficult aspect of the afternoon tea spread due to their delicacy and the high level of quality the chefs at Claridge’s hold themselves to: “We create more than 600 cakes per day and the last one to be plated must be as perfect as the first.” The range on offer is also important to get right, with a balance of chocolate and fruit flavours that must complement each other.

Popular at Claridge’s at the moment is the Religieuse, a French pastry which Jérôme Chaucesse, pâtissier-inresidence, introduced to the menu. “It’s made out of two choux pastry cases – one larger than the other – that are filled with crème pâtissière and then decorated with piped buttercream frosting in a shape that resembles a choir boy,” Martyn explains. “Jérôme creates many variations of the Religieuse, but my personal favourite has a passion fruit filling and is covered with a layer of milk chocolate ganache.”

Jérôme is a key player during afternoon tea service at Claridge’s, not least because his expertise is extremely highly regarded in the industry. Having been a pastry chef for more than 30 years, in 2015 he won the MOF award (Meilleur ouvrier de France Pâtissier Confiseur, a craftsman competition that is held every four years) www.britain-magazine.com

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This image: Tea is a stylish treat at Cadogan's by Adam Handling in Chelsea Below: The London Landmarks tea at The Kensington

in the highly contested pastry category.

Accolades aside, Claridge’s must progress with the times to remain at the top of its game. Martyn concedes that “British tastes have changed over the years. Our guests prefer lighter flavours now. A rich fruit cake, which would have been an afternoon tea staple 15 years ago, is not so popular now. The food scene in London is so diverse and international now that guests expect more than the traditional, say, lemon drizzle.”

That said, there is one thing that remains central to afternoon tea and, ultimately, Britain as a nation: the drink itself. “Our wonderful tea connoisseur, Henrietta Lovell has scoured the world to bring us delicious tea from small, little-known producers,” Martyn says proudly.

“Our team know their teas as well as sommeliers know their wines.” As a guest, he suggests asking a member of your waiting staff for their recommendations, which will vary depending on whether you are tucking into sweet or savoury treats next. “Usually guests are keen to try a different tea with each course and so may well drink six cups in one afternoon,” Martyn reveals.

Indeed afternoon tea is far from a grab and go affair.

As author Henry James wrote in his 1881 novel The Portrait of a Lady, “there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” We’d go as far as to dedicate a couple more. For as with any culinary ceremony, the simple anticipation of every bite takes up half the time and provides half the pleasure.

One question you’re sure to consider, while sipping on a botanical blend, is whether to slather your soft, warm scone in cream or jam first. Claridge’s have a clear stance on this (they spearhead the ‘cream first’ crowd), but we think you have a good chance of winning that particular debate. After all, the first rule of hospitality is that the customer is always right.

For more on afternoon tea and other great British traditions, visit www.britain-magazine.com

AFTERNOON TEA ICONS Book a table at one of these highly acclaimed purveyors of the traditional English afternoon tea.

1 Claridge’s, Mayfair. Classic afternoon tea with all the frills. www.claridges.co.uk 2 The Berkeley, Knightsbridge. The seasonal Prêt-à-Portea is like couture for cakes. www.the-berkeley.co.uk 3 The Savoy, Strand. The daintiest pastries with piano accompaniment. www.thesavoylondon.com 4 Town House at The Kensington, Kensington.

Cakes and pastries fashioned into mini London landmarks. www.townhousekensington.com 5 Sketch, Mayfair. For tea with a twist, head to Sketch's sugar-pink banquettes. sketch.london 6 Cadogan’s by Adam Handling, Chelsea. The gourmet option. www.adamhandlingchelsea.co.uk

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Silent Pool Distillers The home of luxury English gin Luxury English gin handcrafted in the Surrey Hills with 24 botanicals. Full bodied with delicate florals, fresh citrus and velvety local honey. Smooth, refined, refreshingly individual.

Experience the world of Silent Pool Distillers firsthand on a tour of the Silent Pool Distillery. Our immersive 90 minute distillery tour takes you through our renovated barns that house our distilleries, plunging you into the magic of gin production, getting hands on with our botanicals and heading down to the banks of the Silent Pool itself to learn of it’s eerie past before finishing off with the good stuff – a gin tasting.

Located just outside of Guildford, The Silent Pool Distillery is just 45 minutes from London Waterloo and in between Heathrow and Gatwick airport.

Tours run twice daily from Thursday – Sunday and the distillery shop is open 7 days a week. Head to silentpooldistillers.com/silent-pool-distillery-tours to book your tour. silentpooldistillers.com | @silentpoolgin | +44 (0) 1483 229136

CAPITAL WALKS

City

STROLLS Explore the capital on three city routes filled with history WORDS CHRISTOPHER BEANLAND

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This image: The Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner used to serve as an outer gate to Buckingham Palace www.britain-magazine.com

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A Grand Tour B

elgravia is an affluent district of Central London which enjoyed its time in the spotlight following the recent release of Julian Fellowes’ TV adaptation of his novel Belgravia. We begin this guided walk at Sloane Square tube station. Immediately next door is the Royal Court Theatre, which is noted for its much more highbrow and writer-led productions than many of the mainstream West End theatres.

Walk down Sedding Street to admire a second world-class venue. Cadogan Hall is set inside a former 1907 church and a renowned home for classical music – the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is the resident ensemble here.

Head east for a coffee and cupcake at Peggy Porschen, the photogenic pink bakery and café where you can also sip Champagne with your muffin.

Head north to Chester Square, an elegant residential enclave with the 1840s St Michael’s Church at one end. Number 73 was the home of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher for 22 years, until her death in 2013.

Continue to Eaton Square. Developed around six large gardens, the oblong square was laid out by the wealthy Grosvenor family when much of Belgravia was being built in the 1800s. The square was the both the fictional home of James Bond and the real home of two actors who played him, Roger Moore and Sean Connery.

Continuing northwest, Belgravia becomes a very international affair with the embassies of dozens of countries clustered around Belgrave Square Gardens in Regency stucco residences. Embassies for everywhere from Finland and Germany to Bahrain and Malaysia can be spotted by those with an eye for which flag is which.

On the opposite side of Grosvenor Place, a high wall topped with wire hides the expansive private gardens of the Queen at Buckingham Palace. From Hyde Park Corner you can enter Green Park or Hyde Park, two of London’s eight Royal Parks, while the Wellington Arch

commemorates the Duke of Wellington and was built

by Decimus Burton as an outer gate to the palace before it was relocated here in the 1880s.

Stroll down Knightsbridge past five-star hotels The Lanesborough and The Berkeley and turn left to Motcomb Street. With its manicured trees, Victorian lampposts and red telephone box, this quaint pedestrianised street is picture-perfect London.

The high-end boutiques and restaurants include Rococo chocolatiers and Motcombs brasserie.

West of here, two more historic garden squares have lush gardens that are sadly only accessible to residents – but the celebrated greenery of Lowndes Square and Hans Place are worth peering into. Further west is perhaps the most famous department store in London, Harrods. Established here in 1849 by Charles Henry Harrod, the store has counted Oscar Wilde, Charlie Chaplin and many members of the Royal Family among its regular customers. The glamorous Grade II-listed dining hall is especially impressive, as is its toy department.

Travel northeast to the junction with Knightsbridge to admire the modern lines of One Hyde Park, a residential and apartment complex built in 2009 by Richard Rogers, the British architect famed for his work on the Pompidou Centre in Paris.

Next door is the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, which first opened its doors in 1902 as the Hyde Park Hotel. The entrance is famously on Knightsbridge as the Queen won’t allow hotel advertising to appear facing a Royal Park – guests can request to use the so-called “royal entrance” on special occasions though.

Opposite is Harvey Nichols, another department store which was founded in 1831 but opened in this purpose-built space in 1894. Browse high-end fashion or dine in the fifth-floor restaurant, before concluding your tour at Knightsbridge tube station, where you can catch a Piccadilly Line train.

A high wall topped with wire hides the expansive private gardens of the Queen

Clockwise, from above: Knightsbridge tube station sign; Peggy Porschen bakery; the National Audit Office; Buckingham Palace; Motcombs brasserie; Harrods department store

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STEP INTO THE QUEEN’S BACKYARD TO ADMIRE BELGRAVIA’S GRAND ARCHITECTURE AND FANCY SHOPS

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A Legal March EXPLORE LONDON’S POLITICAL AND LEGAL HISTORY IN TEMPLE AND LINCOLN’S INN FIELDS

This page, from top to bottom: The Old Bank of England Pub; Sir John Soane’s Museum; The Law Society Hall on Chancery Lane

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emple sits at the heart of London’s legal district.

Begin your walk at Temple underground station, a quaint 1870 stop on the District Line with preserved features, including original tiling. A statue of the famous Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel sits around the corner from the station entrance.

Victoria Embankment Gardens is a popular spot for solicitors to take their lunch on warm days, with views right across the River Thames. Next door is Middle Temple Gardens. Middle Temple is one of the four “Inns of Court” to which leading barristers belong. Its famous hall dates from the 1500s and includes timbers from the Golden Hind, Sir Francis Drake’s galleon with which he circumnavigated the globe in 1580.

Facing the gardens is Two Temple Place, formerly Astor House, the home and offices of the millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who moved here from New York.

It’s a strange late Victorian stone interpretation of an Elizabethan mansion that today stages art exhibitions.

At the top of the street is St Clement Danes, one of a number of London churches

by Sir Christopher Wren, whose masterwork is St Paul’s Cathedral, which you can spy rising above the skyline if you look east.

At 216 Strand, just on your right, you can find the oldest tea shop in London. Twining’s have been importing tea and selling it here to the good folk of the capital since 1706 and today you can buy a box, order a refreshing cup at the sampling bar or take a tea masterclass.

Cross the busy Strand thoroughfare and you’re greeted

by The Royal Courts of Justice. This Neo-Gothic pile contains the High Court and Court of Appeal, two of the most important judiciary bodies in England and Wales.

Its frontage is instantly familiar as many TV news broadcasts on great cases take place outside.

Next door is the Old Bank of England, a lavish satellite branch built in the 1880s in Italianate style, which today has been reinvented as a pub popular with legal workers.

North on Chancery Lane are more legal offices and The Law Society Hall, the headquarters of the industry body which has stood in Gothic grandeur since the 1830s.

Northwest of here is Lincoln’s Inn, another of the four Inns of Court. Its varied buildings have parts dating back to the 16th century and are still used by lawyers today. In Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, the menacing Mr Tulkinghorn has his fictional offices there.

The gardens in the Lincoln’s Inn Fields square are very popular when the sun comes out, offering plenty of picnicking possibilities. The green space was contained by railings in the mid-18th century after Sir Joseph Jekyll was run over by a horse – legend has it the “accident” occurred after he supported Parliament’s raising of the price of gin.

Also on the square is Sir John Soane’s Museum. The striking Neoclassical frontage of the building was by the famous Regency architect himself and served as his home in the 1800s. The museum today celebrates his work and is stuffed with all kinds of art and classical ephemera collected on his travels.

Just north of here is the sumptuous, five-star Rosewood Hotel. If you can’t afford the princely sum to stay here, it is still worth sampling an award-winning afternoon tea in the Mirror Room or enjoying a nightcap at Scarfes Bar. Running north to south, the mighty Kingsway is unlike most London streets – in fact it is one of London’s widest, more akin to a Haussmannian boulevard in Paris. This is because the street was laid out only in the early 20th century, usurping old rookeries, alleys and yards in this area of Holborn. The street was unique in having a tram tunnel running under it before London’s trams were phased out after the Second World War. You can peer into the tunnel’s entrance near to Holborn tube station and wonder what lurks below – it is, in fact, an entrance to the construction sites for London’s new Crossrail project, the Elizabeth Line, scheduled to open in 2022. For now, our tour ends inside the busy Holborn station, a stop on both the Central and Piccadilly Lines.

The gardens in the Lincoln’s Inn Fields square offer plenty of picknicking possibilities

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A Highbrow Stroll HEAD TO HAMPSTEAD AND THE HEATH FOR A LEAFY LITERARY JAUNT

PHOTOS: © PHOTOCRITICAL/I WEII HUANG/SHUTTERSTOCK/GREG/BALFOUR EVANS/THE NATIONAL TRUST PHOTO LIBRARY/PHILIP GAME/ALAMY/NATIONAL TRUST IMAGES/ARNHEL DE SERRA

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ampstead is hardly London at all; its acres of open space and historic architecture make you think you’ve landed in a provincial English spa town like Harrogate – and in fact Hampstead was itself once a small-scale spa resort.

But our tour begins at Hampstead underground station, which reminds you that we are very definitely in London, as you can get up here from Leicester Square in the very centre of the city in a quick 15 minutes on the Northern Line. Hampstead’s is a small, appealing tube station faced in fiery terracotta tiles and, because its entrance is located almost at the top of a hill, it’s also the deepest in the capital, with the platforms almost 200 feet below the surface, hence the need for lifts.

Head into the High Street, Hampstead’s main shopping thoroughfare, then into the centuries-old alleyway of Flask Walk. Spring water used to be bottled and sold in “flasks” here and The Flask public house has been redecorated in a modern style and is noted for its excellent Sunday roasts.

On the left you’ll see Burgh House, which dates from 1704. Its Queen Anne splendour has been home to such luminaries as author Rudyard Kipling’s daughter Elsie.

Today it is preserved as Hampstead Museum – inside you can learn all about the history of this fascinating area.

Further up on Well Walk, The Wells Tavern and the charming old Chalybeate Well are yet more reminders of the watery past of this former spa. Number 40 (marked by an English Heritage blue plaque) was the home of celebrated Romantic artist John Constable. Although more famous for his serene paintings of the Suffolk and Essex lowlands, Constable spent several years in Hampstead prior to his death in 1837.

Five minutes west of here we find The Admiral’s House on Admiral’s Walk which was painted by Constable in his 1821 work The Grove, Hampstead. The house was owned by a ship’s captain who wanted the roofs to look like the decks of a ship. Nearby is the National Trust’s Fenton House, a handsome 1690s residence with an orchard that has been producing fruit for centuries.

Head north, passing Whitestone Pond, which was used for horses to drink from for hundreds of years. A little further still is the puzzling sight of Jack Straw’s Castle. Straw was a rebel who led the Peasants’ Revolt against Richard II in 1381, caused by a pandemic (the Black Death) and the economic and political uncertainty generated by it. Unsurprisingly historians have been keenly reading up about its events of late. Straw was said to have taken shelter on the site and a pub named for him has existed here for centuries; famous drinkers included Charles Dickens. Although the current building appears very old indeed, it only dates from 1964. www.britain-magazine.com

Suitably refreshed, it’s time for a longer walk north along Spaniard’s Road, with your first taste of Hampstead Heath on each side. This ancient heath sprawls across almost 800 acres and with its many ponds and viewpoints remains one of London’s most popular green spaces.

Head past the cute Toll Gate House where the road narrows considerably and where you once had to pay to drive through – the tollman was stationed here to collect drivers’ money. The Spaniard’s Inn, opposite, is a historic pub with a lovely, large beer garden out the back. Dating from the 1500s, this atmospheric pub has welcomed all comers over the years – including highway robber Dick Turpin. It is also mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

A little further northeast is Kenwood. Managed by English Heritage, this sumptuous stately home was built in the 1600s for the Earls of Mansfield. There are numerous paintings inside by the likes of JMW Turner and Rembrandt, and sculptures outside by 20th-century British talents Dame Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore.

Cross the Heath now in a southerly direction. Parliament Hill is at the summit of the Heath and from the viewpoint you can see glorious vistas of London spread out before you, spotting landmarks like Big Ben and St Paul’s.

From here a pathway leads down to a street also called Parliament Hill. The first house on the right, Number 77, was once home to George Orwell, firebrand writer.

Head steeply downhill to Keats Grove is Keats House, the home of – you guessed it – Romantic poet John Keats. He wrote Ode to A Nightingale in the garden, and today it’s a museum to his life and works.

A minute north at 2 Willow Road is the house that the Hungarian architect Ernö Goldfinger built for himself in 1939. A modernist rarity round these parts, its aesthetic legendarily upset James Bond creator Ian Fleming, who chose the architect’s surname for a Bond villain. In a comedic twist, a copy of Fleming’s novel Goldfinger sits on the architect’s bookcase upstairs in the house.

Retrace your steps down South End Road to Hampstead Heath station, where this tour concludes.

TREASURE TRAILS GIVEAWAY If you enjoy self-guided strolls, the Treasure Trails series (www.treasuretrails.co.uk) are ideal: 49 themed walks take you through London’s backstreets and hidden corners (plus there are many more trails nationwide). You crack clues along the way to solve a puzzle at the end of each trail, and they’re suitable for adults and children alike. We have 15 Treasure Trails to give away, worth £9.99 each. Go to www.britain-magazine.com/treasure to enter.

Clockwise, from top right: 2 Willow Road; Fenton House; The Spaniard's Inn; independent shops along Flask Walk; Kenwood House; Back Lane in Hampstead LONDON 2022

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INSIDER’S LONDON

CURATING the CAPITAL Joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces, Tracy Borman lays out the highs and lows of London through the ages WORDS JENNY ROWE

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uthor of biographies on Henry VIII, Elizabeth I and Thomas Cromwell, as well as the fictional The King’s Witch trilogy, Tracy Borman is a historical force to be reckoned with. She is possibly one of the most well-read guides to the capital that we have ever presented in our pages, and even after decades of writing and rifling through books and sources, her curiosity remains unsatiated. Here we pique yours with some of Tracy’s favourite anecdotes and nuggets of advice for a trip from Tudor through to modern-day London.

Clockwise from this image: The Cupola Room in Kensington Palace; a Yeoman Warder, popularly known as a Beefeater, at the Tower of London; portrait of Elizabeth I by an unknown artist, c.1600; portrait of Henry VIII after Hans Holbein the Younger, c.17th century; Park Crescent by Regent's Park

What is the most unusual object you’ve curated at the Palaces?

It has to be the Bacton Altar Cloth – otherwise known as the lost dress of Queen Elizabeth I. I fi rst discovered it while researching my book, Elizabeth’s Women, back in 2008. I was visiting a church in Bacton, a beautiful and remote village in Herefordshire, to see a monument to Blanche Parry, Elizabeth’s favourite lady-in-waiting, when I saw this exquisite piece of embroidery in a glass case on the wall. The label just said ‘Altar cloth, c.16th century’. I didn’t think too much more about it until years later my colleague, dress curator Eleri Lynn, visited the church and her jaw hit the floor when she saw the embroidery. She knew at once it was something special and arranged for it to be loaned to Historic Royal Palaces so that it could be conserved.

As soon as they took it out of the case, they realised it was no altar cloth but a dress – and a very high status one at that. Painstaking investigation by Eleri has provided compelling evidence that it is the only surviving dress from Elizabeth’s extensive wardrobe (which comprised 1,900 dresses by the time of her death) and that it was probably given to the church in memory of Blanche. It was the discovery of a lifetime and drew the crowds when we put it on display at Hampton Court Palace in 2019.

What is the most challenging part of your job?

Trying to be in six different places at once! I’ve managed to attend meetings at three of our palaces on the same day, but all six might be a tall order – especially as one of them is the beautiful Hillsborough Castle and Gardens in Northern Ireland. But since lockdown, we have all had to

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What has been the highlight of your time as joint Chief Curator at Historic Royal Palaces?

There have been so many! It’s a close-run thing, but meeting the Duchess of Cambridge when she came to open the Magic Garden at Hampton Court Palace was probably the most memorable and special, particularly as my daughter presented her with a bouquet. The Duchess was so lovely and chatted to her for a long time – I took about a million photos and have dined out on it ever since!

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PHOTOS: © BENJAMIN JOHN/ZOONAR GMBH/ALAMY/RICHARD LEA-HAIR/HISTORIC ROYAL PALACES

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get very savvy with online meetings, so I don’t do much palace-hopping these days. I must admit, I really miss it.

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever been asked?

Why Henry VIII built Hampton Court Palace on a fl ight path.

What is your favourite anecdote about The Tower of London?

Researching my book, The Story of the Tower of London, was a constant source of surprise, fascination and – at times – horror. So many pivotal events have taken place there in its 1,000-history that it felt like writing the history of Britain, not just the Tower.

Because of its key roles as a fortress and prison, I’m afraid not many of the stories have a happy ending. But one close to my heart does: I got married there five years ago, in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula, originally built by Henry VIII and the final resting place of two of his wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, as well as former

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Clockwise from left: Afternoon tea at Sketch; inside the Church of St Bartholomew the Great; a statue of Queen Victoria stands in Kensington Palace Gardens; the Great Hall at Hampton Court Palace

favourites such as Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell.

Not the most romantic place to get married, perhaps, but for a Tudor historian like myself it was a dream come true.

Tell us a grisly tale from the Tower of London archives.

The one that stands out is the execution of poor old Lady Margaret Pole. Imprisoned by Henry VIII because of her royal blood, she languished in the Tower of London for two and a half years before finally being sent to her death. This indomitable 67-year-old protested her innocence to the end and refused to lay her head on the block. It is said that it took the bungling executioner 17 blows of the axe to sever her head.

What was Tudor London like?

Although I spend most of my working life exploring or writing about London’s royal palaces and their occupants, the vast majority of Tudor London’s dwellings were a good deal less salubrious. Its streets were lined with tightly

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packed houses and were so narrow that they ‘do not permit us to see the heavens’, as Thomas More remarked.

Few streets were paved and drainage was poor, which meant that when it rained they would rapidly become a quagmire. In an attempt to remove the mud and filth from their shoes, people would spread rushes on the floors of their houses. But as one horrified visitor observed, it was not unusual for inhabitants to wade through twenty years’ worth of ‘unspeakable filth’ in their homes, including ‘spittle, vomit, dogs’ urine and men’s too, dregs of beer and cast-off bits of fish.’ I think I’ll stick with the palaces...

What is your favourite time of year in London?

Springtime. I love it when the days grow longer, enticing you to get out of bed a little earlier and stay out later in the evening rather than rushing straight home. During lockdown, I became a cycling addict and regularly got up at the crack of dawn to do a couple of laps of Richmond Park or cycle up Box Hill just outside London.

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PHOTO: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID

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Which is your favourite museum?

The National Portrait Gallery is very close to my heart.

I always make a beeline for the Tudor gallery. Seeing Holbein’s startlingly realistic portraits of Henry VIII and his courtiers is like stepping back in time.

[The museum is closed until 2023 for refurbishment but its collections can be viewed online.]

What is the most underrated attraction in the city?

Kensington Palace. Obviously, it’s well known as a royal residence, but much less so as a visitor attraction. It is the only palace in London to boast four centuries of continuous royal occupation and there are so many fascinating stories to discover – from the scandalous court of Queen Anne to the antics of the Georgians, the birth of Queen Victoria and some very rebellious royal princesses. There’s a wonderful programme of exhibitions, too, so keep an eye on the Historic Royal Palaces website.

Which is your favourite London park?

Regent’s Park, because when I first moved to London 23 years ago, I worked at the Royal College of Physicians and spent many happy lunchtimes strolling through this beautiful park with my workmates. Some of them became close friends and have remained so ever since.

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Have you recently discovered any hidden gems?

The Church of St Bartholomew the Great, which lies in the heart of the city close to the Barbican, is nestled among modern high-rises and is the very definition of a hidden gem. The oldest parish church in London, it dates back to the 12th century and survived the Great Fire of 1666 and the Blitz. I discovered it while filming a documentary about the fall of Anne Boleyn. The beautiful and atmospheric interior has featured in a number of popular films and TV series, including Elizabeth: the Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl and The Real Sherlock Holmes.

Above: Stags and deer are often spotted in Richmond Park, London's largest Royal Park

If a tourist wants to experience London at its best and most British, what should they do?

Go for afternoon tea. In common with my historical heroine, Queen Elizabeth I, I have a very sweet tooth, so I’m something of a connoisseur of London’s tea rooms.

The Ritz is the most iconic, of course, but my favourite has to be Sketch. A bit pricey but worth it for the divine delicacies and funky decor. Oh, and the most extraordinary toilets in London. I’ll say no more – you have to experience them for yourself to find out.

For information on exhibitions and events at the Historic Royal Palaces, see www.hrp.org.uk www.britain-magazine.com

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10 DOWNING STREET

Corridors of POWER

Number 10 Downing Street has the most famous front door in the world: the entrance to the Prime Minister’s official London residence.

But what lies behind it?

WORDS NEIL JONES

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Right: Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak on the Number 10 staircase Below: The walled garden at Number 10 PHOTOS: © ANDREW PARSONS/NO10 DOWNING STREET/FLICKR/WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

ust a short walk from the Houses of Parliament, 10 Downing Street presents a surprisingly modest facade to outside eyes. But appearances are deceptive.

Behind the famous black door, the Prime Minister runs a busy office, holds Cabinet meetings and hosts state and charity receptions.

Fifty-three men and two women have stepped across the threshold as British Prime Minister. “There is no traditional key for the front door,” a Downing Street spokesperson reveals. “A custodian keeps watch 24 hours a day and can see people arriving on a CCTV screen.” Which explains how the door magically opens as soon as the PM arrives.

Another ‘secret’ is that Number 10 is not one but two houses that have been joined together: the unpretentious Downing Street entrance, where the world’s press gathers to capture ministers coming and going, is a 17th-century town house (with later refurbishment). Inside, a broad corridor connects it to a mansion and walled garden behind, looking onto Horse Guards Parade.

Sir George Downing built the terraced houses in the cul-de-sac that is Downing Street in the late 17th century.

A speculator, spy, traitor and general rogue, he aimed to make a quick buck by developing property close to parliament and court. He certainly upset the neighbours – King Charles II’s daughter, Countess Lichfield, lived in the mansion behind and bitterly complained about the intrusion on her privacy. Not only that, Downing built cheaply, putting down poor foundations in boggy ground that in later years would need to be remedied.

The association of Number 10 with Britain’s premiers began in the 1730s. King George II presented it, along with the mansion, to Sir Robert Walpole, to provide him with a fine dwelling to match his status – he was First Lord of the Treasury and is regarded as the country’s first, as well as longest-serving, Prime Minister (1721-42). Walpole accepted the king’s offer, on condition that future First Lords of the Treasury could also live here – and that is the official role in which all later Prime Ministers have occupied Number 10.

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Before he took up residence in 1735, Walpole had the two houses joined together and refurbished in grand style by the Palladian architect William Kent. Now important guests could be entertained in handsome rooms on the first and second floors, while Walpole used the ground floor to conduct business.

Over the decades since, there have been many further alterations, notably the building of the State Dining Room and Small Dining Room in the 19th century by the architect Sir John Soane.

In the 20th century, with photography and radio on hand to capture the moments for posterity, Downing Street became the focus for significant events in Britain’s history. In January 1908, long before gates were erected at the end of the street to control entry, suffragettes chained themselves to the railings outside Number 10, gaining huge publicity for their campaign for women’s votes.

In 1938, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from Germany to flourish the infamous ‘peace for our time’ document in front of jubilant gathered crowds. A year later, he broadcast a sombre radio message from Number 10’s Cabinet Room, telling the nation that it was at war.

Winston Churchill moved in and brought his own characteristic style of leadership: often sitting in bed smoking cigars while dictating speeches and letters to an unfazed secretary in the morning or late evening. On 8 May 1945 he chose the more formal setting of the Cabinet

Room to make his VE Day broadcast announcing Victory in Europe.

A notable post-war change was the 1940s conversion of the attic – formerly servants’ quarters – into a modest flat for the Prime Minister and his family. It is nowhere near as grand as the floors below, but it did relieve Prime Ministers of having to bring their own furniture for the State Rooms.

Nowadays, our Downing Street spokesperson explains, “The State Rooms are inspected every four years – we work with English Heritage to ensure that the rooms are kept to the right standards. Prime Ministers are able to influence the decoration, but English Heritage would be involved in any refurbishment.”

Indeed, the imprint and fancies of different Prime Ministers can be found throughout Number 10. When Lord North – known as the man who lost Britain’s American colonies – was Prime Minister (1770-82), the iconic lion’s head doorknocker and black-and-white chequer board floor in the entrance hall were added.

Those who step inside are aware of a hubbub of activity spread through the building – civil servants, clerks and others of the 200 staff who work in the PM’s office. The Cabinet Room, however, lies behind soundproof doors. The Cabinet – the supreme decisionmaking committee in government – meets here once a week during parliament to discuss big issues of the moment (though throughout the pandemic they have

Clockwise from left: Larry, Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom, in the Cabinet Room; portrait of Robert Walpole, former Prime Minister, by the studio of Jean Baptiste van Loo, c.1740; Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron; a portrait of Lady Thatcher by Richard Stone now hangs in the study, where she often worked

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PHOTOS: © GOVERNMENT ART COLLECTION/PIPPA FOWLES/SERGEANT TOM TOBINSON RLC/NO10 DOWNING STREET/FLICKR/WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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10 downing street For more historic London buildings, see www.britainmagazine.com

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Mytri Wellness was born in 2020 with small beginnings and big and noble ambitions. Mytri team is comprised of pretty much all women in UK & India.

We source nearly all of our Ayurvedic products from a small unit in India which forms part of a social enterprise, providing valuable employment and financial independence to more than fifty women. It provides a safe working space for the women, away from sometimes dire challenges at home, and provides critical income to support their families, their own & their children’s education and most importantly their independence.

All soaps and creams are handmade in small batches.

Cold press methods are used to ensure that ingredients are not heated during the manufacturing process to preserve their potency to create highquality products. We are driven by principles of sustainability and the manufacturing unit is powered by solar electricity. No machinery except for hand blenders are used and the runoff water from cleaning is used for watering nearby fields. Even the leftovers from manufacturing don’t go to landfills and are used to make bioplastic utilised for packaging.

“Growing up in Kerala in India, Ayurveda was a way of life. Herbs, spices & berries like turmeric, red sandalwood, neem, brahmi, amla were common at home and part of day-to-day routine. My mother and grandmother not only used these to add flavour while cooking food or in special teas, but also to take care of themselves and their families’ skin, hair and health. In modern parlance, one might say, these were part of their “beauty & health regimen”!!

Of course, as a child, I hardly gave this a second thought, until years later when I had moved away from Kerala, and had built a life in the UK. I used to haunt the market for Ayurvedic products going to my childhood remedies and looking for care solutions that had worked beautifully for me.

Years later, when I had turned a corner in my personal life as an entrepreneur running my own little business, I had a strong drive to bring more about the benefits of Ayurveda and its secrets to the UK beauty and wellness market where it was notably absent from my own personal experiences. This drive eventually led to the birth of Mytri Wellness. A brand for wellness and skin care products that are rooted in the principles of Ayurveda - living well and in close harmony with nature.”

- Soumya Nair Founder, Mytri Wellness

We also have tie-ups with many small-scale local artists to bring to you wellness-related accessories like our oil burners. These products come from craftsmen & small family businesses using traditional methods such as using blue pottery or carving soapstone. They are keeping old crafts alive through their families in the face of stiff competition from cheaper & poorer quality goods produced by big companies.

When you buy a Mytri Wellness product, you are not only receiving a fabulous product based on traditional & ayurvedic principles, you are also supporting many small businesses and families.

We can’t thank you enough for your custom!

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PHOTOS: © ANDREW PARSONS/NO10 DOWNING STREET/FLICKR/WWW.CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Left: Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his now wife Carrie Symonds with their son Wilfred in the study speaking via zoom to the midwifes that helped deliver their son in April 2020

had to meet remotely). Prime Minister Harold Macmillan (1957-63) introduced the curved, boat-shaped table to enable the PM to see everyone.

Carry on, up William Kent’s bold three-sided Grand Staircase, and you certainly feel eyes upon you as portraits of every Prime Minister gaze down from the walls.

Margaret, later Baroness Thatcher famously declared, “One of my few hobbies is interior decorating”. And when she came to power (1979-90) she embarked on major refurbishment of the State Rooms, including the White Drawing Room and the Terracotta Room. The Iron Lady’s legacy includes a flash of humour: look amid the ornate plasterwork of the new ceiling in the Terracotta Room for a straw-carrying thatcher.

These rooms are resplendent with antiques and crystal chandeliers. Paintings include loans from the Government Art Collection; the Prime Minister selects pieces for his own residence and office. The Downing Street cleaners are specially trained in heritage cleaning techniques and there is a heritage restorer if anything needs repairing.

Television interviews often take place in the White Drawing Room, while the (allegedly haunted) Pillared Room provides a grand stage for state, celebrity and charity receptions. When guests sit down in the State Dining Room, they tuck into dishes made with the best British produce. Luckily, since 1908, Government

The imprint and fancies of different Prime Ministers can be found throughout Number 10 www.britain-magazine.com

Hospitality takes care of such functions – before that Prime Ministers had to employ their own servants.

It is not always easy to combine living and working in the same house. When grandchildren came to visit Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, his wife Dorothy put up a notice forbidding roller-skating in the corridors on Cabinet days. One grandson’s hamster escaped through the drains and turned up in the Treasury. Tony and Cherie Blair installed a climbing frame, swing and trampoline in the garden for their four children – and looked out one day to find two visiting politicians showing their sons skateboarding tricks.

Baroness Thatcher thrived on ‘living above the shop’ – as a grocer’s daughter, she was perfectly used to it.

But more than one PM’s startled spouse has awoken to find a private secretary sitting on the bed in the Number 10 flat, chatting about business to the PM. Tony Blair moved his family into the flat above 11 Downing Street – since 1828 the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. All Prime Ministers since have maintained the swap, preferring the more spacious digs at Number 11. A recent controversy arose over the cost of the refurbishment of the Number 11 flat; Boris Johnson was reportedly alarmed by his wife’s choice of pricey gold wallcoverings.

There is always uncertainty, of course, about how long a PM will be in residence. If general election results don’t go your way, you are expected to depart immediately.

Yet even amid the turmoil, time-honoured courtesies are observed. Departing Prime Ministers and their families are ‘clapped out’ of Number 10 by staff lining the corridors.

Then the big black door closes one final time.

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flower displays

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flower displays

LONDON in BLOOM Embark on an enchanting tour of London’s flower displays, which enliven the exteriors of houses, pubs and cafés across the capital WORDS AND IMAGES GEORGIANNA LANE

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pend even a short time in London and you’ll be delighted and awed by the enthusiasm with which its residents adorn their homes and businesses with flowery embellishments. This devotion to beautifying their spaces is an extension of the English passion for gardening and innate understanding of the positive effect of flowers. Most common are the gaily coloured window boxes of fresh geraniums and other annuals that brighten up facades from April to November. Columned crescent streets and hidden mews are all canvases for an artistic flourish of hanging plants.

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Carefully tended and cherished heirloom wisteria vines, some more than a hundred years old, festoon notable homes and burst into prominence in late April, painting the city in cascades of purple. Many of these houses bear blue plaques that honour the illustrious men and women who once lived or worked in them.

The renowned Chelsea Flower Show, presented by the Royal Horticultural Society on the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea, is the premier gardening exhibition in Britain, and possibly the world. In 2022 this prestigious www.britain-magazine.com

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Royal Tunbridge Wells T: +44 (0)1892 515675 www.visittunbridgewells.com

E

xperience a different pace of life the Tunbridge Wells way. Get away from the commotion of London and take a break in the only historic spa town in the South East of England, just an hour’s train ride from the capital.

Spa breaks, rural rambles, cosy country pubs, delicious local food, live music festivals: there is plenty for visitors to experience across the region.

Royal Tunbridge Wells lies at the heart of one of the most scenic stretches of countryside in England, nestled in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

With easy access to the countryside, here you can take part in outdoor adventures like mountain biking, rock climbing, yoga in the forest and foraging for your dinner!

If you’d prefer a more relaxing stay, you can shop in designer boutiques, admire the stunning architecture or simply lose yourself in a luxurious hotel and spa visit.

The Pantiles, the famous white colonnaded walkway and the historic heart of Royal Tunbridge Wells, retains much of the charm and buzz of its Georgian heyday, with unique boutiques and cafés. The site of the original Chalybeate Spring (a natural well) discovered in 1606 is also found here. Its reputation for health-giving properties was the reason for the town’s growth as a fashionable place to visit.

In Tunbridge Wells there is a higher concentration of castles, historic houses and gardens than any other area in England, making it the ideal getaway from the city. Kent is known as the ‘Garden of England’ for good reason - perfect for long walks, quaint country villages and secret gardens!

Notable gems include: Bedgebury Pinetum, Bewl Water, Penshurst Place, Hever Castle, Scotney Castle, Hole Park, Pashley Manor Gardens and the world famous Sissinghurst Castle Garden.

TWBC/D Hodgkinson

Hole Park

Welcome to Cherry Essentials! Aromatherapy and skincare are what I’m all about. All my products are handcrafted by me (Cherry), at my home in Derbyshire. A comprehensive range of products made with top quality ingredients that are strictly organic, vegan and cruelty free and a treat for you and your skin.

Enjoy the skin-loving ingredients and aroma-therapeutic benefits of exotic essential oils. Ranging from luxurious body butters and oils to indulgent hand cream and lip balm, all designed to leave you feeling and smelling fabulous.

Why not peruse my new range “Mindfulness by Cherry’ and learn about incorporating mindful self-care techniques and practices into your beauty rituals? We could all do with a daily dose of calm sometimes and this range is designed to be just the ticket.

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flower displays event is due to take place from 24 to 28 May. It showcases the best in garden and floral design by the top nurseries and designers throughout the country, who vie for the coveted Gold Medal awards. The unforgettable presentations take months to prepare and are planned years in advance. During Chelsea, the weather is traditionally summery, the champagne is flowing, and visitors experience a marvellous day out filled with floral magnificence.

The offshoot neighbourhood festivals – Chelsea in Bloom, Belgravia in Bloom and Mayfair in Bloom – occur concurrently and are outdoor floral art shows transforming the streets with eye-catching displays. The designs, judged by an expert panel, are based on an annually changing theme, which is interpreted and rendered by each entrant entirely in fresh flowers. Expect to see wild animals, flower-filled cars and chairs, soaring arches, flower walls, undersea creatures and giant hearts generating a playful and joyous mood for all to enjoy.

The exteriors of many pubs astound with jaw-dropping panoramas of hanging flower baskets, greenery and vertically growing plants. The best-known and most extravagant are at the Churchill Arms on Kensington Church Street. As you walk down the street, your gaze is arrested by the sight, and your mind attempts to grasp the logistics involved in executing such an astonishing display.

Nearly as impressive are the red and white geraniums that scale the facade of the Masons Arms on Devonshire Street in Fitzrovia. Most neighbourhood pubs join in the game

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flower displays

with window boxes and baskets for patrons to appreciate throughout the summer months.

Trendy pastel-painted cafés and tea shops, lavished with garlands of artificial blooms, are magnets for residents and visitors alike who relish the photogenic environment as much as the designer cakes and pastries on the menu.

Among the favourites are the Peggy Porschen locations: candy-pink tea parlours in the fashionable neighbourhoods of Belgravia and Chelsea that command attention, draw constant crowds, and even slow the hectic city traffic.

Many restaurants change their floral garments seasonally with dramatic effect, turning an ordinary entrance into a beckoning fantasy world. The illusion is often carried through to the interiors, where ceilings appear as flowery skies or the walls become a flower-laden forest.

At the highest end of the scale, opulent gala events at five-star hotels, such as the Savoy or the Lanesborough, present ballrooms filled with tens of thousands of fresh roses, orchids and hydrangeas, dazzling guests with unbelievable opulence.

Londoners understand, perhaps more than any other city dwellers, that no better attention-getter or mood-lifter exists than the exquisite beauty of an abundance of joyfully placed flowers.

This feature is an extract from London in Bloom by Georgianna Lane, celebrating the blooming delights of the English capital (published by Abrams Image, £14.99).

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Refugee Astronaut III by Yinka Shonibare CBE © Yinka Shonibare CBE, 2019 Photographer Angela Moore. Wellcome Collection is part of the Wellcome Trust. The Wellcome Trust is a charity registered in England and Wales, no. 210183. MP-7162.53/-2019/BS

Free exhibition

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“There isn’t just one way of being human” Yinka Shonibare, creator of Refugee Astronaut

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When it comes to luxurious river travel and unique experiences, Thames Limo offers an unsurpassed level of comfort and style.

From the moment you step aboard to when you disembark, you’ll be transported in a world of elegance and convenience.

Enjoying every comfort at your fingertips, you may even find yourself wishing the journey were longer.

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PLACES TO STAY

LANDMARK STAYS If you’re only in the city for a few days, base yourself in the heart of the action to maximise sightseeing time. Here’s our pick of the best hotels near London’s top sights WORDS NATASHA FOGES

For unbridled luxury, it can only be the Lanesborough, one of London’s grande dames. This Neoclassical mansion stands in a majestic location between two royal parks – Green Park and Hyde Park. A bowler-hatted doorman welcomes you at the columned entrance and ushers you back in time to an opulent Regency-era residence, all marble columns, crystal chandeliers, gold-leaf gilding and classical artworks.

In need of R&R? This is London’s only hotel that offers round-the-clock butler service in every room and suite; your liveried butler will unpack for you, press your evening’s outfit, even take your dog for a walk.

Meanwhile, you can relax in your room – no hardship, thanks to the soaring ceilings, panelled walls in sugaredalmond colours, canopied beds and antique furnishings.

The suites have good views of the iconic Wellington Arch, while the Royal Suite enjoys a privileged view of Buckingham Palace Gardens.

The subterranean spa has acres of marble, dark-panelled wood and Grecian-style treatment rooms, with a bijou hydro pool to which your spa butler will ferry drinks.

After dinner at Michelin-starred Céleste – a vision in celestial blue beneath a heavenly glass dome, lined with Neoclassical friezes – retreat to the Withdrawing Room, a sumptuous setting with hand-painted trompe l’oeil marbling. Or nurse a nightcap in the book-lined Library Bar, a cosy nook whose glass cabinets display, museumlike, an unrivalled collection of spirits dating back to 1770. www.oetkercollection.com

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PHOTOS: © JACK HARDY

THE LANESBOROUGH

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places to stay

SEA CONTAINERS

With an enviable position on London’s buzzy South Bank, many a Londoner’s favourite stretch of the River Thames, Sea Containers is just a 10-minute stroll from some of the capital’s top attractions – Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and the London Eye among them. The building was originally designed by American architect Warren Platner, whose work as a designer of cruise ships certainly influenced the ocean liner-like feel.

Updated in 2014 by the British designer Tom Dixon, the hotel retains its 1920s transatlantic liner feel – the giant copper-clad wall in the lobby is reminiscent of a ship’s hull, while brass fittings keep the theme afloat.

The rooms are pared-back and modern, with only the odd statement lamp and splash of hot pink to distract you from the knockout river views of St Paul’s and the glittering lights of the City through the windows.

There’s plenty to keep you entertained on site, including a cinema whose deep-blue tones maintain the watery theme, a cutting-edge spa and an all-day restaurant. To conclude your evening, call in at the ground-floor cocktail bar, Lyaness, moodily lit and with a stellar cocktail list (it’s been voted one of the world’s best bars), or head to the rooftop bar for a nightcap. Looking down at the river with a cocktail in hand, listening to the strains of a live jazz band, it’s not hard to imagine yourself on the top deck of a liner, sailing gently into port. www.seacontainerslondon.com

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PHOTOS: © NAILL CLUTTON/BARBARA KRAFT

places to stay

CORINTHIA

Set in the former Ministry of Defence building, the five-star Corinthia is just steps from the River Thames in one direction and Trafalgar Square in the other (the fanciest suites have sky-high views of landmarks such as Nelson’s Column and the London Eye). The interior is contemporary and stylish, its eye-popping common spaces on a palatial scale – all soaring ceilings and arty arrangements by the in-house florist. Afternoon tea is taken in the Crystal Moon Lounge, beneath a vast orb chandelier.

The rooms have a sophisticated, clubby ambience, with wood furnishings and lashings of marble in the bathrooms. Don your gown and slippers and pad down the corridor to the spa lift, which whisks you below ground to the cavernous ESPA Life; arranged across four floors with acres of black marble, it’s as glamorous a spa as you can imagine, and certainly one of London’s most impressive.

Chef Tom Kerridge elevates classic British fare such as fish n’ chips to heady gourmet heights in the on-site restaurant. After dinner, the pubs and bars of Covent Garden are within easy reach, and the lure of theatreland just minutes away. www.corinthia.com www.britain-magazine.com

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ARTIST RESIDENCE

After perusing the art in Tate Britain, why not stay somewhere arty? On a quiet side street in leafy Pimlico, Artist Residence is ideally placed between the masterpieces of Tate Britain and the boutiques of Chelsea. If you like your interiors with a raffish, bohemian edge, this is the hotel for you. Playful contemporary art brightens every wall, and with quirky, upcycled or vintage furnishings, exposed brick, artfully mismatched textiles, wood floorboards and timeworn rugs, it’s a far cry from the beige and bland style of many hotel rooms.

There are just ten rooms of different sizes. If you want to treat yourself, book the airy Loft, tucked into the eaves, where the hotel’s retro bohemian style combines with Scandi-style wood walls – more sleek retreat than artist’s garret.

Downstairs, the Clubhouse is a relaxed, all-day café/ restaurant with pop art on the walls, cosy banquettes and plenty of shabby-chic armchairs to sink into. If you can resist the siren call of Chelsea’s nightlife just a short walk away, the cocktail bar in the basement is a trendy, speakeasy-style hangout. www.artistresidence.co.uk

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THE NED

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PHOTOS: © THE NED/SIMON BROWN/JAMIE LAU/WWW.STUDIOLAU.COM

The Ned is a mere stone’s throw from St Paul’s Cathedral, in the heart of The City, London’s financial district. The huge, Lutyens-designed building that now houses this huge hotel was once – what else? – a bank. The 92 Art Deco emerald-green columns and the crystal chandeliers that grace the 3,000-square-metre entrance hall are all original.

The men in grey suits might raise an eyebrow if they walked through the Ned’s doors today.

Cool young things hang out in the open-plan ground floor, which boasts eight restaurants.

The walnut banking counters are now topped with sleek marble for counter-dining. Of the multiple restaurant options – there’s truly something for everyone here – Kaia is a popular choice, with Asian Pacific dishes such as poke bowls and sticky glazed beef.

The hotel also boasts countless bars, each styled differently; the best is perhaps the one in the bank vault, which still has its original bolt-studded door, though it’s for members only (as are the rooftop terraces and pool with skyline views).

The bedrooms are vintage-styled, with Deco mirrored cabinets, velvet armchairs, fringed lampshades and retro phones. The mod cons are reserved for the bathrooms, where rainforest showers and full-sized bottles of Cowshed toiletries await.

There’s a spa in the basement, as well as a beautiful marble-clad pool.

If you’re looking for a quiet getaway or an intimate evening à deux The Ned probably isn’t for you. But a fun, lively night in the heart of the action? You can bank on it. www.thened.com

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Fittingly for a hotel that is closer than any other to Buckingham Palace, The Goring is the country’s only hotel with a Royal Warrant (see p.111). Thanks to its privileged position the hotel has hosted any number of royal guests over the years; the Duchess of Cambridge and the Middleton family stayed here the night before her wedding and the Queen Mother, a regular visitor, was reportedly fond of Eggs Drumkilbo – a lobster- and egg-based dish that’s still on the menu in the Dining Room.

If you yearn for a hotel with bygone charm – from the tinkling of the pianist in the inviting piano bar to the smooth, unflappable waiters and the concierge that remembers your name – the family-owned Goring has it, in spades.

In the rooms and suites too, all is serene, never showy.

Swagged curtains and crisp linens set the tone, and the beds are supremely comfortable. Some rooms overlook the hotel’s hidden jewel: a wonderful mature garden, filled with fragrant blooms and, in summer, the gentle thunk of mallet hitting croquet ball. You can have afternoon tea here, or a classic cocktail – perhaps a Garden Negroni in homage to Grandpa Goring, who regularly enjoyed a Negroni at breakfast.

Dinner in The Dining Room is a must (if it’s good enough for the Queen Mother…) The Michelin-star cuisine by chef Richard Galli runs the gamut of British classics, from Romney Marsh lamb to Cornish seafood. If you want the royal treatment, look no further. www.thegoring.com

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PHOTOS: © NICK ROCHOWSKI PHOTOGRAPHY

THE GORING

places to stay

PHOTOS: © BILLY BOLTON/SIM PHOTOGRAPHY

THE KENSINGTON

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Three of London’s big museums – the V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum – are conveniently clustered together in South Kensington. The area is also one of grand avenues lined with stuccofronted townhouses, some of which now house hotels.

The pick of the bunch is The Kensington, just a fiveminute stroll from the Natural History Museum’s iconic Romanesque facade.

This grand Regency residence – in fact four townhouses combined – has been given a stylish and luxurious update, with antique-style furnishings and vast beds with statement headboards and duck-down duvets. The punchy colours and luxurious textures could perhaps be overbearing in other hands but in these light and airy rooms the design flourishes are allowed space to breathe, giving the rooms flair and heightening the sense of luxury.

The Drawing and Dining rooms downstairs display more of the same grandeur and elegance, with open fireplaces, velvet banquettes and a carefully curated art collection that you’ll long to recreate in your own home.

You can nibble on London landmarks at the hotel’s themed afternoon tea, warmed by a roaring fire in winter.

When you’re ready to explore, you could hit the shops of Knightsbridge, stroll to Kensington Gardens, or dedicate a day to the famous trio of museums down the road. The hotel often offers packages tied in with the V&A’s big exhibitions; check the website for the latest. www.doylecollection.com LONDON 2022

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royal warrants

By Royal

APPOINTMENT Fancy sharing suppliers with the Queen? From flagmakers to florists, the Royal Warrant Holders are an eclectic group WORDS EMME LEDGERWOOD

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O Previous page: Fortnum & Mason's store entrance in Piccadilly, London This image: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Maundy Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Below: Hatchards, the oldest bookshop in the UK and the official bookseller to the Royal Household

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nce a year, florist Rosemary Hughes gathers together a heady recipe of daffodils, freesias, stocks and herbs. She creates a dozen exquisite nosegays for the most important client on her books, Her Majesty The Queen. These small, perfumed bunches of yellow, violet and white are the traditional nosegays carried by royalty and clergy at the pre-Easter Maundy service where the Queen presents ‘Maundy money’ to retired pensioners from across the country, chosen for service to their communities.

“It’s a tradition that goes back over 800 years,” says Hughes, who holds a Royal Warrant as Supplier of Nosegays. “You make every effort for The Queen as it’s a big honour. It’s an accolade you never dream of getting when you start out as a Saturday girl in a florist’s shop.”

As a warrant holder, Hughes belongs to an eclectic group that represents a huge cross-section of trade and industry, ranging from traditional craftspeople to global and multinational firms operating at the cutting edge of technology.

Only individuals or companies that have supplied goods or services for at least five years to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales can apply for a warrant through the

royal warrants

PHOTOS: © TRAVEL PIX COLLECTION/AWL IMAGES/MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTY/MATT PRINCE

This image: The Royal Coat of Arms embroidered

by Hand & Lock Below: Twinings tea merchants hold a Royal Warrant

Royal Warrant Holders Association (RWHA), which advises applicants on the process.

Those five years are crucial to the establishment of a good working relationship and are also an effective way for the Royal Household to observe whether the company demonstrates its ability to deliver to the exacting standards required. Since 2012 all Royal Warrant holders have also been obligated to complete an environmental and sustainability audit, a requirement first introduced by the Prince of Wales.

Once granted, the holder of a Royal Warrant is entitled to display the relevant Royal Coat of Arms and the legend ‘By Appointment’ on their products, premises, stationery, vehicles or advertising.

It’s a tradition that dates back to the 15th century.

William Caxton, inventor of the printing press, was one of the first recipients, becoming the King’s Printer to Edward IV in 1476. Everything from crowns to cutlery has appeared on the sovereigns’ shopping lists over the centuries, but some of the orders have changed over time. Unlike Henry VIII, the present Queen doesn’t have a supplier of “Swannes and Cranes, price the piece two shillings”, nor we imagine does she give her Purveyor of Fish “£10 a year for ‘entertainment’ plus £22.11s.8d. for losses and necessaries”, as did Elizabeth I. The 18th century saw warrants issued to royal rat-catchers, mole-takers and bug-takers. Later, Queen Victoria revived the tradition, with over 2,000 businesses receiving the accolade during her reign, including

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royal warrants

PHOTOS: © PA IMAGES/PA ARCHIVE/GARETH FULLER

Clockwise from this image: The Duchess of Cambridge wears Cornelia James gloves; Lock & Co Hatters first received a Royal Warrant in 1956; The Goring is the only hotel to have been granted a Royal Warrant; Floris have been selling perfume and shaving products from St James' Street since 1730

can display the crest, to stop companies drawing undue attention to the warrant. The warrant denotes reliable, consistent service and quality of products. It does not necessarily mean that the firm is the best in its field; it just indicates that it is one the Royal Family prefers to use. Warrant holders provide a cross-section of services and goods that any modern family would need, as well as a modern business.

But while the 800-strong band of warrant holders includes the plumbers, TV engineers and building contractors that visit every home across the country, no ordinary family needs a stonemason or a racing photographer on a regular basis. From ceremonial robe makers to waste disposal contractors, from livestock transporters to fine art dealers, from luxury car manufacturers to panel beaters, the Royal Households use them all.

“The Royal Family are looking for products that are well-priced, superbly made and to the standards they require,” says Andrew Ormrod, managing director of Flying Colours Flagmakers, which manufactured the UK’s largest Union Flag. Measuring 38’ x 19’,

Twinings tea merchants and royal grocer Fortnum & Mason, who still hold the seal of approval today.

Other companies have had the privilege of displaying the legend for even longer, such as Firmin, the button and insignia maker, or wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd, who both began supplying the Royal Households during the reign of George III. Others are London institutions, such as Lock & Co Hatters in St James’ Street or the fragrance house Floris. Recent recipients include pet food manufacturer Lily’s Kitchen – suppliers to Prince Charles’s dogs Beth and Bluebell – and Hand & Lock, embroiderers of the elaborate uniforms of Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms.

The majority of warrant holders are small- to mediumsized businesses, and many are family-run or ownermanaged, whose relationship with the Royal Households often starts through word-of-mouth recommendations.

Whatever their background, they are obliged to operate according to the Lord Chamberlain’s Rules and maintain absolute discretion about their royal customers. Warrants are reviewed by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office a year before they are due to expire.

The rules also stipulate how and where the grantee

“You make every effort for the Queen as it’s a big honour. It’s an accolade you never dream of getting when you start out as a Saturday girl in a florist’s shop” www.britain-magazine.com

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For more on the Royal Family, see www.britainmagazine.com

it fl ies from Windsor Castle. “They need a whole arsenal of flags for their properties and cars, but we also repair and mend flags for them – they do not waste money, they are extremely careful.

It’s a joy to make them for the Royal Family.

It gives the workforce massive satisfaction.”

“We’re immensely proud to be warrant holders,” says Greg Rowland, Master Wheelwright. He makes about 300 wheels a year for carriages, carts, drays and cannon with his father Mike, also a Master Wheelwright and coachbuilder. They are the only father and son Masters in the world. “If something from the Palace comes in, our other customers know they’ll have to take second place! It can lead people to think you’re expensive, but that’s not the case. What it does is signify that you have a proper grasp of your trade, and that everything that comes out of your workshop has to be of a certain standard. The Queen relies on the warrant holders to preserve traditional standards.”

Christine Palmer, director of Carvers and Gilders, has had a similar experience as a warrant holder. Her company specialises in the conservation and restoration of carved, gilded furniture and mirrors, but also takes on new commissions. Christine has worked on a variety of pieces for the Royal Family. “It’s very nice for small, specialist businesses to be recognised and valued for their expertise and dedication. We take training

PHOTOS: JEAN-CHRISTOPHE GODET/ROBERT BIRKBY/AWL IMAGES

This image: Cleave’s goldsmiths, designers and enamellers create State regalia and undertake many royal commissions Above right: The Twinings flagship store at 216 Strand is the oldest tea shop in London

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very seriously to ensure that our skills are not lost and that we continue to cover a wide range in-house.”

Cornelia James have been making gloves since the 1950s and have been Royal Warrant holders since 1978. “It’s hugely important to us,” says Genevieve James, daughter of the late Cornelia. “It’s great for morale. We’re a small team and everybody who works here feels that it’s really special.” The Royal Warrant is universally recognised as a mark of excellence and integrity. “Every glove that we make has to measure up to that standard.”

For Kevin Giddings, chimney sweep, receiving the warrant has marked the pinnacle of his career. He has built up his business to include a team of 20 sweeps that now service all the palaces in central London.

“I saw Mary Poppins once too often when I was a boy.

A lot of family-run businesses help the Royal Family run their life and I feel very privileged when I go to Buckingham Palace.” Receiving the warrant has opened up a completely new world for him. “I love being a grantee, and especially some of the privileges that can go with it. As president of the local Windsor association, I went to the Knights of the Garter service at St George’s Chapel – one and half hours of pomp and ceremony. One of the most wonderful things was going to a garden party at Buckingham Palace.

One couldn’t have a better accolade.”

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competition

WINA TWO-NIGHT STAY AT A

FIVE-STAR LONDON HOTEL

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look at The Athenaeum’s Living Wall – a vertical garden covering an entire exterior wall, from ground level right through to the top floor.

Elsewhere in the hotel is a high-spec gym and a spa offering REN and Temple Spa treatments.

Guests can also gain exclusive access to The View when booking direct – a scenic spot from which to enjoy a complimentary drink and nibbles throughout the day. www.athenaeumhotel.com

HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win this fantastic prize go to www.britain-magazine. com/competitions/london to apply online or fill in the coupon below with the answer to the following question: Q: Which London park does The Athenaeum overlook?

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Closing date for entries is 12pm GMT 31 March 2022. The prize is for two people sharing a double or twin en-suite room and is subject to availability. The prize must be taken by 31 August 2022. Travel, meals, drinks and extras other than those featured in the prize are not included.

The prize is not transferable and there is no cash alternative.

a) Holland Park b) Regent’s Park c) Green Park

ENTRY FORM SEND YOUR COUPON TO: US readers – London Competition, BRITAIN magazine, PO Box 207, Des Moines, IA 50301, US UK and Rest of World readers – London Competition, BRITAIN magazine, The Chelsea Magazine Company, Jubilee House, 2 Jubilee Place, London SW3 3TQ , UK My answer: Name: Address:

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PHOTOS: © CHRIS TUBBS PHOTOGRAPHY

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ritish craftsmanship, refined luxury and an Art Deco spirit collide at The Athenaeum, a prestigious five-star hotel and a member of Pride of Britain Hotels, in the heart of London.

Occupying a prime Mayfair position, the West End, boutique-lined Bond Street and Buckingham Palace are all just a short meander away.

One lucky reader and their guest will win a two-night stay in one of The Athenaeum’s spacious rooms, which exude contemporary charm and cater to all of life’s luxuries. Rooms and suites enjoy views over verdant Green Park or character-filled Mayfair, while the Residences – elegant serviced apartments – are found in the adjoining Victorian red-brick buildings. These polished spaces offer a private entrance, separate bedroom and living areas, 24-hour in-room dining, plus full access to the hotel’s facilities.

The prize includes breakfast on both mornings and dinner on one night at the hotel’s restaurant, 116 at The Athenaeum. Menus champion the very best British produce, while the quintessential afternoon tea is served with picture-perfect pastries and an array of sweet and savoury treats. Across the lobby, The Bar at The Athenaeum is a tranquil hideaway, promising cocktails created by an award-winning barman and more than 100 rare whiskies. Sumptuous seating areas offer an insider’s

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restaurants and bars

TOP TERRACES Restaurants across the capital have expanded their offering, maximising their outside space and letting the sunshine in. Most have a provision for wet weather, so rain or shine you can feast alfresco. Here’s our pick of the best

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restaurants and bars

Central PHOTOS: © JERMOE GALLAND

Circolo Popolare

One of London’s most Instagrammable restaurants, this colourful, high-octane restaurant offers the Italian trattoria experience without stepping on a plane.

The sunny 60-seat terrace is decked out in Circolo’s signature maximalist style, with festoon lighting, colourful cushions and plants galore. Feast on an XXL spaghetti cacio e pepe for two, served in a wheel of pecorino cheese, or a metre-long pizza such as the O Carbo Mio – a moreish carbonara/pizza hybrid with a pecorino base (whether you share or not is up to you).

40-41 Rathbone Place. bigmammagroup.com

Sabine

London’s newest rooftop bar/restaurant is this beauty in the heart of London’s City. Its USP? A spectacular close-up view of the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral. This lofty oasis is seven floors up, giving a prime view of the iconic dome on one side and of the glittering Shard on the other.

The breezy botanical theme that runs through the decor is picked up in the excellent cocktails, such as Whizz Fizz, a mix of Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb & Ginger, elderflower cordial, crème de cassis and lemon juice. The food is deliciously summery, with moreish sharing plates and mains such as Lebanese chicken flatbread with ezme, tamarind yoghurt and picked red onions. A retractable roof means that you can eat alfresco even when it rains, and the ‘bongs’ from the clocktower of St Paul’s as you dine add a certain frisson in all weathers.

10 Godliman St. www.sabinelondon.co.uk

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The Petersham

PHOTOS: CHRIS GEORGE/VISIT GUERNSEY

Tucked away in a courtyard off busy Floral Street, The Petersham (an offshoot of the ever-popular Petersham Nurseries in Richmond) is the perfect pit stop after a Covent Garden shopping spree. The shady courtyard is full of potted palms and flowering shrubs, giving it a lush, almost jungly feel. Smartly dressed waiters weave through the tables, bearing delicious Mediterranean fare such as garden fritti with crispy sage and lemon, or red mullet in a bread crust with tomato, olives, samphire and chickpeas.

Most of the meat, eggs and vegetables are sourced from the farm of the owners, the Boglione family, and it’s all presented with Italian flair. La Goccia next door is more casual, serving delicious plates of Italian cicchetti, gourmet panini and salads.

Floral Court. petershamnurseries.com

Dalloway Terrace

The restaurant terrace at the Bloomsbury Hotel has a scene-stealing nature-inspired backdrop that’s almost an art installation in itself. Both the display and the restaurant menu change seasonally, and there are collaborations with artisan drinks companies, whose inventive cocktail creations are in keeping with the theme. In winter, you might find yourself in a snowy landscape, while in spring the terrace might be covered with a lush jungle canopy woven with exotic orchids.

In summer you can sit in a sun-baked lemon grove on the Amalfi Coast, surrounded by bursts of summer flowers, while autumn is celebrated with flame-coloured foliage.

Selfies obligatory.

16–22 Great Russell St. dallowayterrace.com

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restaurants and bars

West Neverland

Fulham’s very own Neverland is an ideal venue for celebrations. Always abuzz with excitement, its seasonal commitment and attention to detail succeeds in melting real-world worries away. Every year throughout summer (running from around April until September), Neverland launches as Fulham Beach Club, complete with actual sand, beach shacks bookable for eight people and stripy beach huts for ten. Or visit between October and February and experience Winterland. A fire pit, hot mulled wine and live DJ create an authentic après-ski atmosphere. Forest Igloos and Cabins can be booked for up to six people, while Private Winter Chalets can fit as many as four households. With heated sofas and faux-fur blankets, winter never felt cosier. Book ahead to secure tickets.

Wandsworth Bridge Rd. www.neverlandlondon.com

Ivy Chelsea Garden

PHOTOS: © WONDERHATCH/REBECCA HOPE

An enchanted garden in the heart of chi-chi Chelsea, this is a restaurant for romantic soirees. Dine in a magical English garden, surrounded by tumbling roses, ivy and wisteria, with tables arranged around a tinkling water feature. The food menu varies seasonally, serving international dishes alongside British classics such as shepherd’s pie and fish & chips. Meanwhile the cocktail menu, featuring 11 bespoke creations, is a mainstay year-round. And a retractable roof means that you can eat outside in all weathers. A setting this special means it’s always busy, whatever the weather, so book ahead.

195 King’s Rd. theivychelseagarden.com

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East

Coppa Club

Coppa Club’s riverside terrace enjoys standout views of Tower Bridge and the Shard. The best vistas are reserved for those in the restaurant’s igloos on the riverside edge (be sure to book early to secure one).

Comfy banquette-style seating and squishy cushions make the igloos an enticing prospect for an evening with friends, and the sparkling lights across the river and fairy lights overhead conjure a festive atmosphere. Order a Coppa Sour (amaretto, gin and berry cordial) before perusing the crowd-pleasing menu, which features sharing plates, salads, pasta, pizza and grills.

3 Three Quays Walk. www.coppaclub.co.uk

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PHOTOS: © TRAVEL PIX COLLECTION/AWL IMAGES/MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/ AMER GHAZZAL/GETTY

For dinner with a difference, try this 118-year-old Dutch barge in Hackney Wick, transformed by three childhood friends into a floating restaurant.

Outdoor tables – covered and heated to allow for all weathers – are available on the front and middle deck, with knockout views of the skyline. On the riverbank are the Barge East Gardens, thronged with Hackney hipsters. The large terrace has tables set among pots of the barge’s homegrown produce, and more stunning canalside views. The Gardens serves more casual fare – street food and ‘barge burgers’, while the set four-course menu on the barge itself is fancier, flying the flag for seasonal British fare (with occasional international flourishes), in dishes such as seared pork neck, apricot, Tropea onion and chard. There’s also a popular bottomless brunch on Saturdays.

98 White Post Lane. www.bargeeast.com

PHOTOS: © ALLAN STONE/WWW.ALLANSTONE.COM

Barge East

Located on the banks of the river Thames, neighbourhood restaurant Tavolino features incomparable views of the City and London’s iconic Tower Bridge.

Tavolino serves simple dishes cooked with produce from across Italy and the UK, carefully sourced from individual suppliers. The menu features thin-crusted pizza Romanas, and handmade pastas such as brown shrimp and seaweed butter tagliolini or Sicilian red prawn bucatini with pistachio.

To drink, Tavolino’s bar setting features a master cocktail range, curated in house, with pared back drinks using the same spices and botanicals in the cocktails as in the restaurant menu, a selected list of spritz, alongside their take on classics.

Move seamlessly from an alfresco lunch on the terrace, to drinks at the bar or dinner overlooking the iconic London skyline, a table for every occasion.

Tavolino Bar and Kitchen, 2 More London Riverside, London, SE1 2DB Telephone: 020 8194 1037 | Email: reservations@variouseateries.co.uk www.tavolino.co.uk | @tavolinokitchen

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restaurants and bars

Parrillan

Parrillan is one of many enticing offerings at Coal Drops Yard, a shopping and foodie hotspot by King’s Cross station. A spin-off of cult Soho favourite Barrafina, rooftop Parrillan has more of the same delicious Spanish fare – but with a twist. Staff fire up your own personal barbecue and deliver your order – 50-day aged beef picanha, perhaps, or juicy prawns or grillable veg – to your table. You then cook it yourself exactly to your liking, drooling as your meal sizzles to perfection on your minigrill. Your waiter will bring you four freshly prepared sauces to add zing to your meal, plus there are tasty Iberian nibbles and sides, and a Spanish drinks list, with a choice of sherries and cavas by the glass.

Coal Drops Yard, Stable St. parrillan.co.uk

Sager + Wilde

Set in an old railway arch in Bethnal Green, this inviting wine bar/restaurant has a convivial outdoor terrace with large wooden communal tables, lit by candlelight and low-hanging bulbs after dark. There’s a short menu of snacks, rustic small plates – charcuterie boards, asparagus salad, burrata with pickled tomatoes, and the like – plus a handful of mains, but the big focus here is the wine. The wine list is vast, so thankfully the staff are knowledgeable and happy to suggest pairings. It’s always buzzy: perfect for catching up with friends or for a relaxed date.

250 Paradise Row. www.sagerandwilde.com

PHOTOS: © GREG FUNNELL/BEN CARPENTER

North

RoofGarden St Pancras

Atop the iconic St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, a redbrick behemoth designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, is a botanical haven that offers an escape from the city streets.

The all-weather roof terrace venue, dotted with garden chairs, sofas and even a swing, offers an extensive food and drink menu – a pizza oven and barbecue promise to keep hunger pangs at bay. Or simply sip your sundowner while you enjoy the view of the British Library and the London rooftops. Over the summer, time your visit to coincide with a DJ event or live sports screening to see RoofGarden come into its own as a party venue, away from the busy day-to-day of the capital below.

Euston Rd. www.thehansom.co.uk/roofgarden

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restaurants and bars

South Flat Iron Square

This permanent open-air food court and beer garden is crammed with a hugely diverse array of street-food traders. You can feast on Mexicanstyle tacos courtesy of Breddos, Japanese gyoza at Rainbo, fresh, hand-rolled pasta at La Nonna, contemporary Spanish food at Edu, and many more. There are also three restaurants if you want a full meal rather than a casual plate of food: Lupins offers British seasonal tasting plates, Bar Douro serves up Portuguese specialities, while Where the Pancakes Are tempts with its stacks of buttermilk pancakes. There are also four bars – our pick is the cosy, Grade II-listed Tap & Bottle – as well as a music venue, Omeara.

See the website for information on weekly DJ sets and pop ups.

Flat Iron Square. flatironsquare.co.uk

Lost in Brixton

Set above Brixton’s trendy covered market and accessed by a secret staircase, Lost in Brixton is a huge, jungly, buzzy alfresco bar with Latin American-inspired cocktails (hibiscus margarita, anyone?) and beer from the celebrated local Brixton Brewery. There’s also the option to order food from Brixton Village and Market Row (one of South London’s best street-food venues) direct to your table – so no risk of losing your spot while you queue for food.

Embrace the Latin American theme with a Venezuelan meal from Jalisco, dine on raclette from Champagne + Fromage, or tuck into jerk chicken from Rudie’s Jerk Shack. The retractable roof opens in fine weather – or keeps punters dry under the faux foliage when the sun fails to shine – and DJs and live music keep the bar buzzing whatever the weather.

Brixton Village, Coldharbour Lane. lostinbrixton.com

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www.britain-magazine.com

Cadogan Hall 5 Sloane Terrace, London, SW1X 9DQ T: +44 (0)20 7730 4500 cadoganhall.com

C

adogan Hall is an iconic music venue in the heart of Chelsea, London.

The hall hosts a range of events that enjoy intimate acoustics, from classical music with its Resident Orchestra – the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – or the BBC Proms, to rock, jazz and pop, comedy, talks and musical theatre. Originally built as a church in 1907, Cadogan Hall opened as a music venue in 2004, yet maintains many of its charming and unique features beloved by audiences and performers alike.

OPEN: Most days, see website for details of events and ticket prices.

Imaginative jewellery for the effortlessly stylish.

Designed to make you stand out, all day and all night long.

Handmade in London. www.katerinadamilos.com | info@katerinadamilos.com | +447971 687441 Unit 1.10 OXO Tower Wharf, 1st floor riverside, London SE1 9PH, UK Mon-Sat 11:30 - 18:00, Sun 12 noon - 17:00

Aroma Body Treats

At Mishi Makes, pyrography artist Mishi designs all her products by hand. Pyrography, also known as woodburning, is the art of producing designs on wood or other materials using a heated tool.

Mishi Makes creates and personalises a range of products using this technique, ranging from bookmarks to furniture. They are all pyrographed by hand, ensuring a high level of care and precision.

Bespoke orders are welcomed and inspiration can be found on Facebook and Instagram via Mishi.Makes or online where items can be viewed and purchased directly.

www.mishimakes.com www.britain-magazine.com

Aroma Body Treats makes and creates products with you in mind. Founded and owned by Marili Datema, it is my goal to make everyone feel special and cared for. Each product is hand made with only natural and organic ingredients with no plastic in sight, ensuring you are using the best there is for your self care needs. Every product is created to leave your skin soft, smooth and moisturised, making the most of those few minutes you get to yourself. Amongst the collection you will find Sugar Scrub Bars, Bath Bombs, Lip Balms, Premium Soy Wax Candles and Wax Melts, scented with 100% pure essential oils, ensuring your mind is at ease and your muscles relaxes.

www.aromabodytreats.com LONDON 2022

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“I am an optimist”

The Churchill Heritage Conway Stewart pen range

“Never has a New Year been welcomed by so many as 2022”

The Conway Stewart Churchill Heritage pens are produced in association with Churchill Heritage Limited, through which the Churchill family distributes money to charities and good causes that keep alive the legacy of Sir Winston and the spirit of the words of wisdom he penned.

Churchillian quotes in the series include;Action This Day KBO I Am An Optimist Victory At All Costs

WELCOME BACK TO LONDON Tel +44(0) 333 006 4646 For information please go to: www.ConwayStewart.com

www.bespokebritishpens.co.uk

TRANSPORT AND TOURS

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS Our easy-to-follow guide to help you get your bearings in the capital

GETTING TO THE CAPITAL London officially has six airports, but most international visitors come into either Gatwick Airport or Heathrow. From the former, Southern trains serve London Victoria, as well as London Bridge and

Clapham Junction (tickets from £12.00 single; journey time around 35 minutes to Victoria). Thameslink trains run to London Bridge, London Blackfriars, St Pancras International and Farringdon (from £12.40 single; journey time around 30 minutes to

This image: Inside King's Cross, a major London railway station and northern line Tube stop Right: A handy map of the London Underground subway lines can be picked up for free at Tube stations or viewed on the TfL website

London Bridge). At the time of writing, the Gatwick Express, a dedicated direct service from the airport to London Victoria, has been suspended, but check before you travel (especially if you are travelling in a group of three to nine adults, as booking together in advance will save you up to 34 per cent off the normal price). Heathrow Express is a non-stop service from the airport to Paddington station and takes as little as 15 minutes, depending which terminal you are travelling from. Trains run every 15 minutes.

Singles cost from £22, with returns at £37, while if you book at least 90 days in advance you can get tickets for just £5.50 each way.

Alternatively, TfL Rail trains take around 30 minutes to get to Paddington and cost from £11.20 for a single ticket (you can pay with your Oyster card). Trains are useful if you’re staying near the Paddington, Lancaster Gate or Bayswater areas; if further afield consider travelling from the airport by Tube on the Piccadilly line, with central stops such as Knightsbridge, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden (50-60 minutes).

PHOTOS: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID/PANTHER MEDIA GMBH/ALAMY

www.thetrainline.com; www.gatwickexpress.com; www.heathrowexpresscom; www.tfl.gov.uk

GETTING AROUND While London is undoubtedly huge, many of the biggest attractions are within walking distance of each other, and sometimes taking a stroll between Tube stations (say from Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square) makes much more sense than travelling underground. That said, Londoners are very proud of the Tube network and you can pick up a colour map from all Tube stations, which will www.britain-magazine.com

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transport and tours

PHOTOS: © RICHARD TAYLOR/4 CORNERS IMAGES/STUART KELLY/ALAMY

This image: The Emirates Air Line cable car links travels above the Thames Below: Oyster cards can be used to pay for most modes of public transport in London

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If you’re in London for at least five days, it’s worth getting a seven-day Travelcard loaded onto your Oyster card, so you can hop on and off public transport as many times as you like. A seven-day Travelcard covering zones 1 and 2 costs £37.

Visitor Oyster Cards can be bought in advance and posted to your home address.

They cost £5 (plus postage) to activate, plus however much credit you’d like to top up by.

You can reclaim any unused credit at the end of your trip, or (since they don’t expire) save the card for your next visit.

If you are in a rush or simply want to travel in a bit more luxury (and don’t mind being held up in traffic), then hail a black cab, which can be spotted on all main roads and often line up outside train stations.

Taxis are run on meters and cost more than the Tube (about £15-20 for a journey of 10-20 minutes) but can be a nice way of

seeing the city, plus most of them now accept credit and debit cards. Uber and Bolt are the cheaper options. www.tfl.gov.uk TOURS The choice of sightseeing tours is seemingly endless. If you’re short of time and want to cover a wide area, ticking off the big sights as you go, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour can be a good bet. Try Big Bus London, which offers four different routes on one-, twoor three-day tours, including a one-way river cruise. Tickets cost from £31.20 online for a one-day pass (£39 on board). Alternatively, walking tours provide a more in-depth perspective. Blue Badge Tourist Guides are reliable and experienced and offer tours on everything from royal London to Harry Potter (see also p51). www.bigbustours.com; britainsbestguides.org

PHOTOS: © VISITLONDON.COM/JON REID/STUART KELLY/ALAMY

help you navigate the different lines.

When it comes to buying tickets, though single fares are still available, by far the most economical way to travel is to use a tap-andgo Oyster card. This smartcard is a quick and easy way to pay once you’re in the city, reduces the cost of fares and can be used on Tubes, buses, trams, the DLR, most train services, Thames Clipper River Bus services and the Emirates Air Line.

A story of love, of faith, of courage and of strength, told through a beautiful collection of affirmation candles, inspired by our founders journey through cancer.

Our hope is for these candles to serve as encouragement for anyone going through trying times.

Each year, With Hope will donate 3% of all profits to select charity partners who inspire hope. Every purchase you make raises vital funds for an important cause.

Gift your loved ones with the gift of hope and save 10% at the checkout using discount code LDN10

Scan the ‘View collection’ QR code to view the beautiful With Hope range. Each month, the ‘Learn more’ QR code will direct you to something new and exciting. www.withhope.co.uk withhopecandles www.facebook.com/ withhopecandles

VIEW COLLECTION

LEARN MORE

Rediscover England’s First Cathedral

• UNESCO World Heritage site • 1,400 years of history • Resting place of saints and royalty

Kids Go Free until 31 October 2022*. Book now www.canterbury-cathedral.org

*Terms and Conditions apply