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November April/May 2016 2011

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today 80-100 Gwynne Road, London, SW11 3UW Tel: 020 7738 2348 E-mail: news@kcwtoday.co.uk Website: www.kcwtoday.co.uk Advertisement enquiries: editor@kcwtoday.co.uk Subscriptions: news@kcwtoday.co.uk Publishers: Kensington & Chelsea Today Limited

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Editor: Kate Hawthorne Art Director & Director Tim Epps Deputy Editor & Head of Business Development Dr Emma Trehane Business Development: Caroline Daggett, Antoinette Kovatchka, Architecture: Emma Flynn Art & Culture Editors: Don Grant, Marian Maitland Astronomy: Scott Beadle FRAS Ballet/Dance Andrew Ward Bridge: Andrew Robson Business: Gina Miller, Douglas Shanks, Chess: Barry Martin Contributing Editors: Marius Brill, Peter Burden, Catherine Godlewsky, Derek Wyatt Classical Music: James Douglas Crossword: Wolfe The Dandy: John Springs Dining Out: David Hughes Editorial: Polly Allen, Ione Bingley, Judith Forte Natanael Mota, Fahad Redha, Events: Leila Kooros, Fahad Redha Fashion: Polly Allen, Lynne McGowan Feldman Reviews: Max Feldman Food & Flowers: Limpet Barron Beauty: Jayne Beaumont Horology: Jonathan Macnabb I wish I had written that: Dudley Sutton Motoring: Don Grant, David Hughes, Fahad Redha Music: James Douglas News, Online Editor & Arts Correspondent: Max Feldman Poetry & Literary Editor: Emma Trehane MA Ph.D Political Editor: Derek Wyatt Science & Technology: Ione Bingley, Natanael Mota Sub-Editor: Leila Kooros Sporting Calendar Compiled by Fahad Redha Travel: Cynthia Pickard

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November 2016

News United States?

Illustration © Don Grant

By Derek Wyatt

A

merica is no longer the most powerful country in the world.

Her version of democracy needs a major overhaul: the way it works is currently sclerotic.

Consider the facts: less than 50% of her population bother to vote and that has been the case for decades. Anyone standing with a hope in hell's chance of winning either nomination for the Republican or Democratic parties has to find somewhere close to $1b. This is an affront to our senses.

Becoming the President of the United States is not quite the fun it might appear. The structure of both Houses on the Hill means it is unlikely a President will sign off more than three Bills a year. The in-fighting between the

Chelsea Physic Garden Christmas Fair returns

Image © CPG

By Ione Bingley

At the end of this month the Chelsea Physic Garden’s popular Christmas Fair is to return. Featuring over 100 exhibitors, there will be a range of exquisitely designed and crafted products including jewellery, clothing, contemporary craft, toys and a selection of festive fare.

The garden’s team of Growing Friends volunteers will be selling their handmade Christmas wreaths crafted with plant material from the garden, together with other horticultural festive delights including gift boxes and seasonal plants.

Visitors are able to attend book signings by Head Gardener Nick Bailey of his best-selling book 365 Days of Colour in your Garden. His 2016 achievements include a Silver-Gilt medal for his show garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

There will also be the chance to create your own handmade seasonal

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk Houses and between the Speaker and the President leads to very little being achieved. Just look how long it took for ObamaCare to make the statute books and how different it was by the time it became law.

America can lecture the world on its First Amendment (freedom of speech) and the right of its citizens to make fat cats out of lawyers but no-one is listening. Not a single candidate dares take on the Constitution because it is the religion of Washington, DC. This is why so many Presidents from out-of-town Jimmy Carter, George Bush Snr and Jnr, Bill Clinton and even Barack - suggest they will reign in the White House but it always reigns them in. They had not a prayer.

Notwithstanding, American has tried to export its democratic values to Vietnam, to Iraq and to Afghanistan, resulting in abject failure, in $30b costs to the tax payer and thousands and thousands of innocent civilians killed fracturing families and social cohesion everywhere. This has to stop. Perhaps, though it is painful, there has to be a Syria so there is not another one in our life-time. We shall see.

We shall see too (I am writing this just before the Clinton v Trump showdown for the Presidential Election on 8th November) whether the next person to take Obama's crown is any more successful. It has been the

most unedifying of contests. It has shamed America. In one corner sits Hillary Rodham Clinton (a quite brilliant Secretary of State) who has simply struggled to campaign with any humanity. She has been pitted against a demagogue called Donald Trump.

For the Western work - whatever that means these days - we must hope that Mrs Clinton prevails and becomes the first women president of America which would be extraordinary and uplifting. I do not doubt she will be a first class President. As for Mr Trump if his trumpet is silenced we will all have breathed a sigh of relief. It will cause though far reaching reforms in the Grand Old Party which is neither grand or a party but it sure is past its time.

decorations to take home as part of the Christmas Family Activities run by the Education Department.

Refreshments will be available throughout the Fair and the Tangerine Dream Café will be serving a warming, seasonal menu.

The annual Christmas Fair fundraising event helps to support the Garden’s work throughout the year The fair will be open to the public on Saturday 26 November from 10am-5pm and Sunday 27 November from 10am4pm. Entry for adults £6 and free for under-16s and Friends.

Tickets are available to pre-book at chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk/christmasfair-2016/ and they will also be available at the entrance during the Fair weekend.

Night Tube

HIV in RBKC

By Max Feldman

Rates of HIV in Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster are some of the highest in England More than 6,000 adults in west London are getting treatment and care for HIV, with some boroughs having highest rates of people with the virus in the country.

Latest figures from Public Health England reveal 6,637 west Londoners

aged 15-59 are accessing HIV-related care.

In Kensington and Chelsea 935 people are receiving treatment, meaning around nine in every 1,000 people in the Borough have been diagnosed with the virus; the fourth highest rate in England.

Westminster comes just behind, again with close to nine people in every 1,000 suffering from the disease, while eight people in every 1,000 in Hammersmith and Fulham have HIV. Other areas in West London see far fewer cases; Harrow has a rate of closer to three people receiving treatment for HIV in every 1,000. In comparison, the London borough of Lambeth has the highest rate of HIV out of anywhere in the country, with closer to 15 cases per 1,000 of the population.

Meanwhile Richmondshire in Yorkshire and the Humber has the lowest, with only 10 people accessing HIV related care; or less than one person in every 1,000. Across England, more than 80,000 people were seen for HIV related care last year. The number of people being treated for the virus has gone up massively over the last 10 years; in 2006, fewer than 48,000 people were receiving HIV treatment.

However, the number of new people being diagnosed each year has been steadily going down. 6,095 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2015, compared to 7,429 in 2006.

to begin on Piccadilly line in December

The Night Tube will be launched on the Piccadilly line on 16 December, London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. It will be the fifth line on the London Underground to have a 24-hour weekend operation once the service, which started in August, begins on the Northern line on 18 November.

The Central, Victoria and Jubilee lines all currently have 24-hour Tube trains.

The mayor said the service had "exceeded expectations with more than one million journeys made already".

Night Tube trains on the Piccadilly line will run about every 10 minutes between Cockfosters and Heathrow Terminal 5.

However, there will be no service on the Terminal 4 loop or between Acton Town and Uxbridge.

According to City Hall, the introduction of the Night Tube is expected to boost London's night-time economy by £77m a year and support around 2,000 permanent jobs.

Julian Bird, chief executive of the Society of London Theatre, said the Night Tube had "already proven to be a tremendous asset to the industry" helping both staff and audiences.

Page 3 Birds Herons and cormorants are flourishing on the River Thames. Our Art & Culture Editor Don Grant counted seventy cormorants and three herons on a pier waiting for the Smelt spawning in Battersea Reach.

Painting by Tony Common

currently having an exhibition.

See Events page 33.

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

optimistic pollution modelling, the High Court has ruled, following a case brought by the environmental campaign group ClientEarth.

A European Union directive in 1999 set the legal limits for nitrogen dioxide levels. This came into force in 2010, but six years later the limits are still being exceeded in many places across Europe.

Europe’s cities have some of the highest NO2 levels in the world, because diesel cars produce a lot of NO2 and in Europe a much higher proportion of cars run on diesel than elsewhere.

The government agency Defra drew up a ‘clean air plan’ after the government lost a previous case to ClientEarth in 2015. However, it was revealed in the recent case that the planned 2020 compliance for some cities, and 2025 for London, had been chosen as the date when ministers thought they’d face European Commission fines, not because they considered it to be “as soon as possible.”

Defra’s five year air pollution

Noise Abatement Society presents ‘Noise Oscars’

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News Boris Johnson an easy target for terrorists Image © Stefan Rousseau

By Max Feldman

F

oreign Secretary Boris Johnson has been told he is no longer allowed to ride a bicycle around London over fears he will be an "easy target" for terrorists.

The Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP has been warned that his security must be tightened as Foreign Secretary and riding a bicycle could put him in danger.

The former Mayor, who championed the use of cycles to ease congestion in London, can no longer use the method of transport, despite presiding over the introduction of the so-called Boris Bike scheme (actually the brainchild of previous mayor Ken Livingstone) to the capital.

Although regularly seen in the past cycling from his previous home in Islington to City Hall, it may now be a thing of the past whilst he remains in Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet.

Metropolitan Police officers have warned the Minister it is too high a risk to take in his high powered role. Whilst Johnson challenged the order, first issued when he took up the top Cabinet post in July, but a Metropolitan Police protection branch review has upheld it over fears that he is now a high priority for a terrorist assassination. The Foreign Secretary has since been seen jogging sporting bright red shorts.

The crackdown from senior offices for the senior Tory has come as the threat level for London increased in the last week of October, with armed police being asked to travel between jobs on the tube for the first time since the 7/7 bombings.

Air pollution tackled by government orders High court

By Ione Bingley

The government has failed to comply with new laws to clean up Britain’s air “as soon as possible” and used overly

modelling was criticised by Mr Justice Garnham as “inconsistent”.

“I am pleased that the judge agrees with us that the government could and should be doing more to deal with air pollution and protecting people’s health.

That’s why we went to court,” said ClientEarth CEO James Thornton.

“The time for legal action is over.

This is an urgent public health crisis over which the Prime Minister must take personal control. I challenge Theresa May to take immediate action now to deal with illegal levels of pollution and prevent tens of thousands of additional early deaths in the UK. The High Court has ruled that more urgent action must be taken. Britain is watching and waiting, Prime Minister.”

The decision came on the same day that Greenpeace launched a radical plan to bring emissions down to legal levels in London, calling for cross-party support to solve the health crisis caused by air pollution in the UK. “This judgement matters to every person breathing in the UK but it can only be called a victory when the levels of toxic air actually start to go down.

Which means the government needs to properly police the car industry who are still permitted to produce cars that emit up to 14 times over the legal limit,” said Greenpeace air pollution campaigner Barbara Stoll.

By Catherine Godlewsky

The Noise Abatement Society (NAS) held its 15th annual award ceremony to recognise advances in reducing noise pollution.

Since it was founded in 1959 by John Connell OBE, the NAS has worked to educate the public about what Connell called “the forgotten pollutant,” and to find solutions for noise pollution and other related issues, such as light disturbance or air pollution. NAS’s mission centres around increasing quality of life within the UK and internationally by, not only reducing disturbing noises, but also by supporting positive noises and tranquil places.

The NAS provides public services such as the UK’s only National Noise Helpline and runs campaigns such as the Love Your Ears campaign designed to help reduce teenage deafness risks and the Silent Approach campaign designed to introduce quiet delivery methods and decrease CO2 emissions by reducing lorry journeys.

At this year’s John Connell Awards ceremony, also known as the ‘Noise Oscars’, recognitions were given to UK projects, campaigns, or initiatives that have made progress towards solving noise pollution. The ceremony was held at the Palace of Westminster and was sponsored by Bob Neill, MP for Bromley and Chislehurst with speakers including Sonia Phippard, Defra’s Director General for Marine, Natural Environment and Rural, Mark Pritchard, MP for The Wrekin, Shropshire, and Jo Webb, President of the Institute of Acoustics.

Also speaking and presenting awards was NAS’s Chief Executive and daughter of John Connell, Gloria Elliott.

The John Connell Local Authority

Award, which recognizes services, campaigns, or programmes that involve community education and creative solutions, went to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the Code of Practice that will make the borough the first in the country to restrict construction work on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays out of consideration for residents.

The John Connell Quiet Cities Collaboration Award, which recognises innovation in urban deliveries, went to Transport for London for the Re-timing Deliveries Consortium that will help avoid peak time deliveries and change delivery times to suit customers while decreasing noise and disturbance.

The John Connell Soundscape Award, which recognises advances in applied Soundscape principles, went to The City of London Corporation for their Noise Strategy that will use creative innovation to promote iconic, wanted, and disappearing sounds, and sound walks or art installations while identifying and protecting peaceful areas The John Connell Silent Approach Award, which recognises noise reductions that benefit the community, went to the The London Bridge Development Project that will enable one of the UK’s busiest railway stations to be under 24/7 construction with minimal noise impact on the surrounding community.

The John Connell Quiet Logistics Award, which recognises low noise technology applied in transport, went to Pret A Manger for its reduction of the impact that its daily and overnight deliveries have on the environment by fitting 50 delivery vehicle with the quietest equipment available.

Additionally, the Quiet Mark Award of Distinction Award, which recognises a company for its eco-quiet values and innovation, went to Miele; the Innovation Award, which recognises the development of new schemes to resolve noise pollution, went to Sonobex; and the John Connell Special Commemoration Award went to film producer Patrick Shen for his film In Pursuit of Silence.

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trust doctors who are being forced to work as market-driven business people?

Human relationships and collaboration between medical practitioners, GPs and their patients have always been key to the NHS’ exceptional public esteem.

In May Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt spoke of US and European models of healthcare for the NHS. With health insurance and patients’ payments none are as cost-effective as our tax-funded, publicly provided NHS, international studies have shown. “Competition has no place in public healthcare. And the idea of asking for a credit card is repugnant”, the GP says. “Only the public can save the NHS” says East End GP and NHS campaigner Dr Youssef El-Gingihy.

submitted for the January deadline.

A government spokeswoman’s comment aligns with Cook’s optimism: “It is too early in the application cycle to predict reliable trends, but the overall increase in applicant numbers is positive—and suggests even more students will be able to benefit from higher education next year.”

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News STP: Secretly Transmitted Privatisation?

by John Furse

Hammersmith & Fulham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) ran into opposition at their October 3rd ‘public engagement’ at St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith. Angry ‘Save Our NHS’ campaigners overrode the CCG ’s agenda with demands for information on NHS England’s Sustainability & Transformation Plans (STP).

The plans would mean the axing of Charing Cross and Ealing Hospitals’ A & E departments, the loss of 500 beds at Charing Cross, the sell-off of buildings and land for luxury flats development, its conversion to a modest clinic and asset sell-offs at St Mary’s Paddington.

Julian Bell, Ealing council leader, says: “We refused to sign up to the STP plans because we do not support the closure of Ealing and Charing Cross acute hospitals.” Steve Cowan, leader of fellow refusenik Hammersmith & Fulham council, says; “It’s about the breaking up and selling off of the NHS. It will lead to a loss of vital services and will put lives at risk.”

This follows the councils’ commissioning of the damning Mansfield Report on NHS England's earlier 5-Year Forward View plans for NW London demanding the cut of a projected £1.3 billion deficit by 2020.

The plans are seen by campaigners as the coup de grace in the NHS' dismantling and handing over of its profitable parts in marketable entities to the private sector.

Privately provided services, with shareholder dividends, costly bank loans, large add-on management fees and high executives’ rewards, cost taxpayers far more than publicly funded ones.

International studies show that the admin costs of private sector marketing; tendering, consultants, lawyers, billing, accountants, double, even triple, public sector admin costs. NHS admin has soared since privatisation. The £200 million costs of ‘health tourism’ pale compared to the estimated £5-10 billion or more that privatisation costs taxpayers every year. That’s where waste really lies, campaigners say.

The STPs contain some reasonable sounding proposals for modernising the NHS - the use of new technologies, service rationalisations and efficiency savings. But as a well-established local GP says; “All this could be done by the (non-privatised) NHS”. Like many GPs he sees privatisation, with its financial incentivisation and division of doctors, staff, services and units into competitive entities, as detrimental to his patients’ interests. How can patients

That’s you, dear reader.

EU student applications drop

By Catherine Godlewsky

New figures show that fewer EU students are applying for competitive UK university courses in spite of the government’s guarantee that EU student funding would be extended for the upcoming academic year.

According to admissions body Ucas, EU student applications for courses in medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, and Oxbridge were reported to have decreased 9% to 6,240 applications. This drop is a reversal of the recent trend that saw EU student applications rising, and some credit Brexit for the decline in applications.

University officials suggested that the government’s pledge of funding for EU students was not released soon enough, as it came out only four days before the application deadline.

“Only a small percentage of applicants apply by [October 2016] and we must wait until the main January deadline before we see the full picture for this application cycle. We know that demand from overseas for UK university courses remains strong due to the high quality of British universities,” said Chief executive of the vice-chancellors' group, Universities UK, Nicola Dandridge.

Dandridge also urged government officials to extend its funding pledge to the 2018 academic year to help prospective EU students consider UK universities.

Ucas Chief Executive Mary Curnock Cook found the EU application results “encouraging... particularly given the 2% decrease in the 18-year-old population.”

Cook added that Ucas would be looking for the government’s funding policy to make an impact on the applications

Southern Rail strikes again

over Christmas and New Year

By Ione Bingley RMT has announced a new round of 48-hour strikes agreed by Southern Rail guards over Christmas and New Year, following Southern Rail’s refusal to guarantee that a second member of staff will be retained on all services that currently have a guard on board.

“Yet again the sheer pig-headedness of the company and the Government means that our members are being forced to take further industrial action in a bid to maintain a safe and secure service on Southern Rail,” said RMT General Secretary Mick Cash.

As a result of what the union decries

as a “blatant disregard for the safety and security of passengers and staff alike”, the RMT has declared the following action: • From Tuesday 22 November at 00.01 to 23.59 on Wednesday 23 November • From Tuesday 6 December at 00.01 to 23.59 on Thursday 8 December • From Thursday 22nd December at 00.01 to 23.59 on Saturday 24th December • From Saturday 31st December 2016 at 00.01 to 23.59 on Monday 2nd January 2017 “Govia Thameslink and the Government have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute. RMT has called repeatedly for the Transport Secretary Chris Graying to get out of his bunker, get hold of the company and get round the negotiating table,” said Cash.

So far, 15 days of strikes since April have caused severe disruption to commuters and travellers.

“Not content with causing months of misery, the RMT has now hit a new low and is determined to cancel Christmas for the travelling public. These latest strikes will not just hit families wanting to get home for Christmas but also the shops and businesses for whom Christmas is their busiest time,” said a spokesman for Southern Rail in response to the latest announcement from the RMT Union.

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November April/May 2016 2011

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Celebrate Thanksgiving in London

By Catherine Godlewsky

Americans yearning for a taste of home or Londoners seeking an American feast will feel thankful for the many London restaurants that serve a special Thanksgiving menu on November 24th. From traditional turkey and mashed potatoes to Thanksgiving-inspired pizza or a Chinese Thanksgiving experience, London’s food scene will not disappoint the Turkey Day foodie.

Big Easy

The Big Easy will be serving a family style meal of butternut squash soup, pit smoked turkey, cornbread stuffing, apple cranberry chutney, mashed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie at £35 per

person. There is also a lobster entre option.

• Open 12:00pm-11:00pm • Call for reservations: 020 7240 4222 (Chelsea), 020 7240 4222 (Covent Garden), 0203 841 8844 (Canary Wharf )

Christopher’s

Christopher’s will be serving a traditional meal of roast corn & chorizo chowder, Maryland crab cake, cobb salad, organic turkey, Missouri-rubbed rack of lamb, sirloin steak, baked fall vegetables, pumpkin pie, and pear and almond cobbler at £58 for three courses.

• Open 11:30am-1:30am • Call for reservations: 020 7240 4222

Hunter 486

Hunter 486 will be serving a traditional menu of butternut squash soup, turkey, roast sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, warm pecan tart, and whiskey ice cream at £25 for three courses. The special Thanksgiving set menu will be available from Tuesday 22 November until Wednesday 30 November 2016.

• Open 12:00pm-10:00pm • Make a reservation at 020 7724 4700

The Crown and Shuttle

The Crown and Shuttle will be serving pumpkin ale, smoked hock, collard greens and jalapeño cornbread, Turkey Schnitzel, pulled turkey leg, cranberry sauce, and cinnamon spiced pumpkin pie at approximately £15, with sides priced separately • Open 11:00am-12:00pm • Make a reservation at 020 7375 2905

or http://www.crownandshuttle.com/ bookings/

• Call for reservations 020 7242 8330 (50% booking deposit fee required)

The Breakfast Club

Red Dog Saloon

The Breakfast Club will be serving butternut bisque, bacon and beer roasted turkey, mac n cheese, and pumpkin pie with vanilla ice cream at £28 for three courses.

• Open 8:00am-10:00pm

Blues Kitchen

The Blues Kitchen will be serving New

Orleans gumbo, roast turkey and ham, candied yams, cornbread, and sweet potato pie at £29.95 per person.

• Open 12:00pm-1:00am • Make a reservation at 020 7387 5277 (Camden), 020 7729 7216 (Shoreditch), or 020 7274 0591 (Brixton) or http:// theblueskitchen.com/

Rocket’s

Rocket’s will be serving a special Thanksgiving pizza with turkey for around £15.

• Hours vary by location • Call for reservations: 020 7377 8863 (Bishopsgate), 020 3200 2022 (Canary Wharf ), 020 7628 0808 (Old Broad Street)

Bea’s of Bloomsbury

Bea’s of Bloomsbury will be serving pumpkin soup, roasted turkey with gravy, cranberry sauce, sage and onion stuffing, a vegetarian option of butternut squash filled with cannellini beans, mashed potatoes, Brussel sprouts, roasted sweet potatoes, cheesecake, and pumpkin pie at £35.50 per person.

The Red Dog Saloon will be serving classic American foods for pickup or delivery, including a selection of classic subs, specialty burgers, chicken wings, and sweet potato fries. Menu items are individually priced at around £20 for a meal • Open 12:00-11:00pm • Order online at http://www. reddogamericansandwiches.co.uk/food or call 0203 551 8014

Slap Ya Papa

Slap Ya Papa will be serving New Orleans cuisine, including whiskey toast, honey glazed ham, Cajun-roasted deep fried turkey and shrimp remoulade, truffled brussels, candied yams, cornbread, stuffing, oyster dressing, candied pecans, and caramel at £40 for a 12-dish meal.

• Email for reservations at saywhat@ slapyapapa.co.uk

Royal China Group

The Royal China Group will be serving unique dishes based on traditional Thanksgiving flavours including Creamy Sweet Corn Soup with Crabmeat, Empress Chicken with Ginger and Spring Onion, and Apple in Toffee Syrup. Menu items are individually priced with entrees around £15.

• Call for reservations: +44 207 486 3898 (Baker Street), +44 207 221 2535 (Queensway), +44 207 719 0888 (Canary Wharf )

November 2016

News

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

Football players paying through the brain

London Home Football

By Ione Bingley

H

eading a football can significantly reduce memory and brain function for 24 hours, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Sterling.

Using a machine to fire a football towards players at the speed and power of a corner kick, the researchers discovered memory to be reduced by between 41 and 67 percent, taking up to 24 hours to return to normal functioning capacity.

"Although the changes were temporary, we believe they are significant to brain health, particularly if they happen over and over again as they do in soccer ball heading,” said Cognitive neuroscientist Dr Magdalena Ietswaart from Psychology at the University of Stirling.

“With large numbers of people around the world participating in this sport, it is important that they are aware of what is happening inside the brain and the lasting effect this may have."

The research, published in the journal EBioMedicine, was the first of its kind

Primary school obesity at record ‘devastating’ record level

By Max Feldman

Image © Trey Phillips

A record one in three English children are leaving primary school classed as obese or overweight. 34.2 per cent of children in year six (aged between 10 and 11) are overweight, compared to 31.6 a decade ago, according to figures released by the National Child Measurement Programme. Obesity affects more than

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

to investigate the immediate aftereffects of everyday head injuries, as opposed to those resulting in a concussion diagnosis.

"For the first time, sporting bodies and members of the public can see clear evidence of the risks associated with repetitive impact caused by heading a soccer ball,” said Dr Angus Hunter, Reader in Exercise Physiology at the University of Sterling.

"We hope these findings will open up new approaches for detecting, monitoring and preventing cumulative brain injuries in sport. We need to safeguard the long term health of soccer ball players at all levels, as well as individuals involved in other contact sports."

The dramatic finding was reflected across the pond by a similar study published in Radiology. A team of American researchers found measurable changes in the brains of young American football players aged between 8 and 13 after playing the game for a season.

The American study showed one in five children (a full 22%) in reception classes for four and five year olds entering school for the first time.

Alison Cox, Cancer Research UK’s director of prevention, said that “Our nation has hit a devastating record high for childhood obesity”, She went on to call for the ban on advertising for junk food, which is banned during children’s TV programmes, to be extended until 9pm. Earlier this week, Channel 4’s Dispatches claimed that restrictions on junk food ads and product placement of unhealthy foods in supermarkets were amongst measures cut from a draft government strategy plan. The existing plans were decried by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver in August who called the initiatives to tackle child obesity ‘disappointing and, frankly, underwhelming’.

The measurement programme factors in the height and weight of more the 1 million children in England to build a data model for the entire country. In 2015/16, the borough of Richmond had the lowest obesity prevalence between 10 and 11 year olds at 11 per cent whilst Barking and Dagenham had the highest at 28.5 per cent. A Department of Health spokesman issued a statement claiming that the current restrictions on junk food advertisement and promotions are “among the toughest in the world” and stating that “Our plan to tackle child obesity is ground breaking.”

significant abnormalities in the white matter of the brain that is made up of nerve fibres carrying messages between different regions of the brain.

"We do not know if there are important functional changes related to these findings, or if these effects will be associated with any negative longterm outcomes," said Lead Author and Associate Professor and Chief of Neuroradiology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Dr. Christopher Whitlow.

The two studies raise particular concerns about the unknown effects of impact sports on the developing brains of children, as well as amateur and professional athletes.

"Football is a physical sport, and players may have many physical changes after a season of play that completely resolve. These changes in the brain may also simply resolve with little consequence. However, more research is needed to understand the meaning of these changes to the long-term health of our youngest athletes," said Dr Whitlow.

Nov 19 Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday 15:00 Nov 19 QPR v Norwich 15:00 Nov 23 Arsenal v Paris Saint Germain 19:45 Nov 26 Chelsea v Tottenham 17:30 Nov 27 Arsenal v Bournemouth 14:15 Dec 1 QPR v Wolves 19:45 Dec 3 Fulham v Reading 15:00 Dec 11 Chelsea v West Brom 12:00 Compiled by Fahad Redha

In the steps of the

SUNDAY 12 MARCH 2017 at 7pm London Coliseum A ballet gala celebrating the legacy of the legendary Ballet Russes – featuring well-loved favourites, rediscovered repertoire and contemporary pieces inspired by this great tradition.

Tickets: £25-£145 (plus booking fee)

Image © Pitchero

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News Forged rail tickets Gran calls for sold on “dark emojis that reflect web” the lives of older

By Catherine Godlewsky people

By Catherine Godlewsky

Image © Peter Macdiarmid

Image © Emoldji

A

BBC investigation found a website selling forged rail tickets at prices as low as a third of the original fare.

The BBC tested a fake first class ticket from Hastings to Manchester and a fake monthly ticket between Gatwick and London, while also carrying genuine tickets, and found that the forged tickets could be used without incident.

Although the fake tickets were not accepted by the card machines, staff let the BBC reporters onto the platform without asking questions.

However, according to rail fraud investigator Mike Keeber, the forged tickets contain a small flaw that should have allowed rail officials to detect the frauds. Keeber would not reveal the flaw, as he feared that the “people who make this [could] change it and make our lives harder.”

The forged tickets were greatly reduced from the retail prices; the Manchester ticket was purchased for £111 rather than the original price of £285 and the monthly Gatwick ticket for £100 rather than £308.

The fraud website claimed that the forged tickets were a public service, claiming that rail companies receive public subsidies without providing acceptable service.

“No-one should be ashamed of getting one over companies like Southern Rail. We wish one day everyone will be able to use an affordable public service.

Until then, we will be providing it,” said the website.

The Rail Delivery Group, representing train companies, reminded passengers that being in possession of a forged rail ticket is a criminal offense punishable by a large fine or prison sentence. Currently, passengers who dodge train fares cause rail companies to lose about £200 each year.

Diane Hill called for emojis that reflect the lives of older people as part of a BBC outreach project that focused on how the media reflects individuals.

“I need something that shows pain because my back hurts, my knees hurt and I need emojis with glasses,” said Hill to the BBC. Hill’s brainchild of nine new images, christened Emoldjis, was commissioned to be designed by local artist Chris Oxenbury, and the sketches have now been sent for approval. If Hill’s idea is successful, smartphone conversations will include options for “older person looking disapproving over glasses,” “losing your false teeth,” “no budgie smugglers,” and “spending the kids’ inheritance.” There will also be an emoldji for bingo and memory pills.

Hill expressed her approval of the sketches, saying, “I could send any of these emojis to my friends and they'd know what I mean.”

With global smartphone use rising throughout all demographics, including those over 50, experts say it is important for all users to feel comfortable with and represented by the media they use.

“With new emoji characters only released by Unicode on an annual basis it could be over a year before Diane's emojis hit our screens but at least she has raised some interesting issues about how the media reflect older people's lives and had some fun along the way,” said member of Open Doors project at BBC Coventry & Warwickshire, Siobhan Harrison

Climate change could cause the next financial crash

Young people have no idea that they are at risk of flooding

According to former Bank of England executive Mark Fisher, climate change “could trigger the next financial crash” due to a sudden repricing of assets.

Fisher pointed to the recent fall in sterling following the government’s timetable for leaving the European Union as “exactly the sort of event you might get with climate change.”

Governments are taking climate change increasingly seriously meaning that businesses should be prepared for regulation changes to follow, warned the 26-year-veteran of the UK’s central bank.

Fisher raised the possibility of unexpected moves in financial markets as a result of climate change with the chance of a “system-wide repricing of assets happening quite suddenly."

Fisher is not alone in the financial community with his view of climate change as a potential “systemic risk”. An investment manager at AustralianSuper, Australia’s largest pension fund, Andrew Gray described climate change as “a genuine investment risk” at a Citigroup Inc. conference in Sydney.

According to Gray, financial risks associated with climate change come

Young people aged 18-24 are especially vulnerable to flooding due to their lack of flood awareness and flood response education, according to the Environment Agency.

Currently, around 105,000 young people live in areas labeled at risk of flooding and 75% of them have not checked their flood risk level within the last year, despite the fact that young people move frequently and are often renters.

“Flooding is an ever present risk and everyone has a part to play in protecting themselves. You can find out if you are at risk online, and sign up to free flood warnings, which provide vital time for people to get themselves, their loved ones and their possessions out of harm’s way,” said Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan.

According to a YouGov survey, Londoners are more prepared for flooding than individuals in the rest of the UK. The survey also found that twice as many people prepared for winter by stocking up on food rather than checking their flood risk, but that those who did check their flood risk as a winter preparation were two times more likely to be women than men.

The Environment Agency has collaborated with the central government, insurers, surveyors, material producers, and others on the Property Flood Resilience Action Plan, which is set to spend over £2.5 billion on flood schemes that will help protect 300,000 homes by 2021. The Environment Agency has also invested in temporary flood barriers and high volume pumps to improve the Agency’s rapid flood response for this winter.

By Ione Bingley

both from the transition towards a lower carbon economy and from the cost of the impact of climate change if warnings are ignored.

The recent ratification of the Paris Agreement designed to limit global warning by members of G20 at the summit in Hangzou, China showed the governments of leading financial powers taking a stronger line towards tackling climate change.

A paper was also presented at the summit, by the Cambridge Centre for Sustainable Finance, urging financial institutions to improve the way they assess climate risks.

“You don’t need to believe in climate change, you don’t need to believe that it is man-made. You just need to believe that governments are going to do stuff and that is going to affect your business and then it is a material risk,” said Fisher.

By Catherine Godlewsky

020 7738 2348

November 2016

9

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

News Pilgrims march to the tune of Jerusalem

By Ione Bingley

Scone for good Premium dementia Proposed bill residence launches would ban unpaid By Fahad Redha Memory Club & internships Day Care Service By Catherine Godlewsky

By Ione Bingley

Image © Lucy Elliott

A

group of 'pilgrims' including illustrator Kitty Rice, the daughter of Emma Bridgewater, folk singer Sam Lee and the Duchess of Norfolk walked from London to the Sussex coastline in memory of Blake’s Jerusalem to raise money for the Pilgrim’s Trust.

The pilgrims began their journey on the 100 anniversary of the historic day that Hubert Parry turned William Blake’s epic poem, Jerusalem, into the rousing British anthem still popular today. They walked from the grave of William Blake in Bunhill Fields via Parry’s monument in St Paul’s to the Sussex coastline, singing Jerusalem in every town they passed.

“The pilgrimage has been fascinating so far as we delve into the life and work of William Blake. I have always been an admirer of Blake’s work, little known and appreciated during his time but now elevated,” said pilgrim and arts journalist India Windsor-Clive.

“The experience of slowly making our walk through the English countryside and approaching places on foot is revelatory, with so much time to think and contemplate what Blake might have meant and how his ambiguous and profound words are relevant today.”

The walk is to raise money for the Pilgrimage Trust that organises trips for disabled children and adults to the major Catholic pilgrimage site of Lourdes in France, venerated after the Virgin Mary appeared to a local woman.

“Pilgrimage is an amazing way to connect with places and people, a slow paced learning curve in a time of speed and technology, it feels good to slow down,” said Windsor-Clive.

Chelsea’s unique dementia and Alzheimer’s residence, Chelsea Court Place, has launched a new Memory Club and Day Care Service initiative designed to provide socialisation, interaction and stimulation for people with memory problems.

The club is a particularly welcome addition to the services provided at Chelsea Court Place by residents from a generation accustomed to the social aspect of private member clubs.

The Memory Club concept was created to offer its members a sanctuary through the art of reminiscence, with a programme of engaging activities designed to trigger memories and to promote happiness and emotional calm.

Old movie screenings, poetry recitals, bridge tournaments, golf outings and curated art tours are just some of the activities that will be hosted in the club with music, food and fashion from the 40s, 50s and 60s entwined into themed events, and tailored to encompass individual interests and cognitive abilities.

“We are delighted to launch this innovative members’ club concept at Chelsea Court Place,” said Managing Director James Cook. “We have recognised the necessity to provide a service to people with memory care needs that engage and stimulate the individuals, whilst offering the outstanding care, benefits and luxury at our premium residence.”

Chelsea Court Place is a premium memory care residence, situated in the heart of Chelsea, purpose-built to provide people afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease and dementia with expert, memory-specific care. The home offers the convenience, service and luxury of a 5 star hotel, catering to fulltime residents as well as short-term members, who can enjoy it on a daily or weekly basis.

“Our vision is to provide a happy, safe environment, using the latest research, technology and techniques to enrich the lives of our members,” said Chairman Laurence Geller CBE. “We envisage Chelsea Court Place as being as much of a joy for the individuals as it is their friends and families.”

A proposed bill seeks to ban unpaid internships as supporters voice concerns that unpaid placements give an unfair advantage to richer job applicants.

The proposed Minimum Wage (Workplace Internships) Bill would ensure that interns are paid at least a minimum wage, but excludes apprentices, full-time university students, or children under the age of 16.

Currently, an intern’s right to the minimum wage is dependent on their status as a worker, employee, or volunteer.

Interns are due the minimum wage if they are promised a contract of future work, but not if their internship is considered a school work experience placement or work shadowing. Interns who work for a charity, voluntary organization, associated fund raising body, or statutory body, are considered voluntary workers and not entitled to minimum wage.

“Unpaid internships are a scourge on social mobility. I’m confident that this government is serious about building a Britain that works for everyone and not

just the privileged few so I look forward to government support for my bill,” said the bill’s sponsor, Tory MP Alec Shelbrooke.

Work and Pensions Minister Damian Hinds agreed that unpaid internships are not available to all applicants, especially in popular industries like media or fashion.

However, others are concerned that requiring interns to be paid will prevent companies from taking them on, thus damaging young people’s chance at getting into desired industries even more. Mr. Shelbrooke responded to these concerns by citing businesses that already pay their interns, such as KMPG, Ernst & Young and Pimlico Plumbers.

Shelbrooke claims that there is “no excuse for profit-making companies not to pay their workforce.”

One of the fiercest debates in Britain has finally been resolved as a YouGov poll finds the correct way to pronounce “scone.” Most Brits pronounce it to rhyme with “gone” and only 42% rhyme it with “bone,” which YouGov says is “to the joy of some and utter dismay of others.”

The poll also found a regional difference as the North (60%) and Scotland (80%) overwhelmingly prefer to use the “gone” pronunciation, while the Midlands (56%) and London (50%) prefer the “bone” option.

The poll also found the ‘Cornish’ method, spreading jam before the cream, is far more popular than the ‘Devon’ method, the other way around.

Strenuous efforts are made by Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today newspaper to ensure that the content and information is correct. Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today newspaper reserves the right to report unsolicited material being sent through to the publication.

Personal views expressed in this newspaper are solely those of the respective contributors and do not reflect those of the publishers or its agents. All materials sent to Kensington Chelsea & Westminster Today are at the suppliers’ risk.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this publication is strictly prohibited without prior consent.

The appearance of advertising in this newspaper, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute endorsement by Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today of the products or services advertised.

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

Analysts predict 20% of UK Christmas presents will be bought online

New pound coin to be released in March 2017

www.KCWToday.co.uk

News

Image © George Hodan

Image © Heathrow

for 50% of Heathrow noise complaints

By Polly Allen

Heathrow Airport has suggested that just 10 people generated nearly half of the complaints made about its noise levels so far this year.

On average, a complaint was made about aircraft noise every five minutes between January and October 2016, totalling 87,201 complaints. However, Heathrow Airport found that 40,829 of these, or 46.8 percent, were made by the same 10 people.

There were 25,200 complaints made between July and September alone, an average of 274 per day. Figures yet again show specific complainants producing much of this feedback, with the same 10 people responsible for 12,312 complaints during the summer season. This equates to just under half of the total complaints received over the three-month period.

Incredibly, three members of the public each submitted more than 1,280 noise complaints. The area with the most grievances from July to September was Slough, which also had the fewest individual complainants. The second and third most vocal complainers were based in Richmond upon Thames, and Windsor and Maidenhead, respectively.

Heathrow Airport claims it is working on noise reduction, with strategies including a Fly Quiet programme to incentivise airlines to use the quietest aircraft available. In mid-August, the airport also installed 50 new noise monitors.

Furthermore, airport officials state that the forthcoming third runway at Heathrow would lead to noise reduction: “We will reduce the number of people affected by noise even with expansion, while increasing the social and economic benefits that Heathrow provides,” said John Holland-Kaye, the airport’s Chief Executive.

By Catherine Godlewsky

Draycott presents Nurses and Carers Long Service Awards

By Ione Bingley

By Polly Allen

20.3% of the UK’s Christmas retail sales will be made online this year, according to digital market analysts.

Across November and December, UK consumers are set to spend £16.9 billion on internet purchases, an increase of 17.8% on last year’s online spend of £14.65 billion. Overall Christmas retail sales figures for the UK, including instore purchases, are predicted to reach £83.2 billion.

The data, compiled by eMarketer, highlights the growing power of online retailers. It also draws attention to the confidence of “a digitally advanced consumer who has been quick to embrace digital buying and particularly smartphone buying,” says Bill Fisher, senior analyst at eMarketer. “And during the Christmas shopping period, these digital habits become even more accentuated.”

According to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, UK shoppers spent £24.4 billion online last November and December, the highest amount recorded since the index began.

Unsurprisingly the greatest concentration of sales was in the week covering Black Friday, on 22nd November. Black Friday, when items are heavily discounted in flash sales, has long been a key sales date in the USA, luring shoppers the day after Thanksgiving, but it has only become a UK event in the last few years. 2015 saw many consumers head online on 22nd November to avoid potential chaos in stores; for example, Currys PC World reported recordbreaking sales via its website, with 30 televisions sold every minute. In 2016, Black Friday will be held on 25th November, and the online-only Cyber Monday discount day follows on 28th November.

A new one pound coin is set to be in circulation in March 2017 due to counterfeiting fears. Businesses have been told to prepare all machines accepting cash.

The new coin features a twelve-sided design with increased security features, including milled edges with grooves on alternate sides, micro lettering that reads “one pound” around the edge of the coin, and a latent image that changes from a ‘£’ symbol to the number ‘1’ when the coin is viewed at different angles. There will also be a hidden high security feature to protect the new coin from counterfeiters, but the government has not revealed details about the new protection system.

For the first six months after the release of the new coin, old one pound coins will also be accepted, which could present a problem for machines that accept cash. The government has urged businesses to prepare their equipment for the new coin and to educate staff about the features and appearance of the new coin.

“The new £1 coin will be the most secure of its kind in the world and its cutting-edge features will present a significant barrier to counterfeiters, reducing the cost to businesses and the taxpayer,” said Chief Secretary to the Treasury, David Gauke.

The back of the new coin was revealed in 2015 after a competition to design the “tails” side of the coin was won by 15-year-old David from Walsall, whose design featured a leek, thistle, shamrock, and rose coming out of a crown to represent the four nations that make up the UK. After Autumn 2017, businesses will no longer be accepting or distributing the round one pound coin, but old coins still can be deposited at the Post Office or most High Street banks.

Draycott Nursing and Care held the official presentation of their Long Service Awards in St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington.

Angela Hamlin, Founder and Managing Director of Draycott Nursing, joined Father Gillian Craig in welcoming the attendees, including the Mayor of Kensington and Chelsea, Councillor Elizabeth Rutherford and Mayoress, Council Sarah Addenbrooke.

The awards, presented by Cllr Rutherford, were to celebrate the long working commitments of many of their staff nurses and carers.

Before the presentation began, Hamlin congratulated one staff member who had previously been presented with a 15 year award, 2 members who had been presented with 10 year awards and 9 with 5 year awards.

This years’ ceremony saw one 15 year award, 11 ten year awards and 18 five year awards.

(Left to right) Managing Director Angela Hamlin, Father Gillian Craig, Councillor Elizabeth Rutherford and Council Sarah Addenbrooke.

Photo by Lucy Elliott.

“I am delighted to say that out of 110 staff, 42 nurses and carers have worked for us longer than 5 years,” said Hamelin.

“I am very proud of all my staff for without them we wouldn’t be where we are today, and this includes my wonderful office team too. I can only thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

After the ceremony, the candidates with their guests enjoyed drinks and canapés provided by Julie Platania of Kitchen Secrets and posed for photographs taken by Lucy Elliott.

Draycott Nursing and Care have been providing private home care services for 17 years with a track record that continues to see them recommended for home nursing and care by many GPs, consultants and hospitals. www.draycottnursingcouk+44 (0) 20 7351 7171

Image © Royal Mint

Airport claims 10 individuals responsible

020 7738 2348

November 2016

News

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

11

Images © Prism

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

BRICKS AND BRICKBATS

BY EMMA FLYNN

The Houses of Parliament Refurb or Re-design?

A

recently leaked report revealed that MPs are to move out of the Houses of Parliament for the first time since bombing during the Second World War. The move is required to facilitate the restoration of the Grade-I listed Victorian palace that is by all accounts in a dire state of repair.

The building’s structure is deteriorating. The fabric is crumbling and the services are failing; the building is no longer fit for purpose. A report drafted by independent consultants, Deloitte, highlights the scale of the restoration and the potential costs involved. With over 1000 rooms, 100 staircases and 3 miles of corridors the project promises to weigh heavily on the public purse.

The Palace of Westminster has a fascinating history; it is arguably one of the most important symbols of democracy in the world. Constructed in the Victorian era, the Gothic fantasy palace took 30 years to build, suffering great delays and cost overruns. It is now listed as a grade I monument and Unesco World Heritage Site, and is an iconic London landmark.

It is a building with an unparalleled sense of history and connection with the past, but its impending restoration costs have provoked questions about whether or not it is really worth the £7bn price tag. The needs of a modern government differ greatly from those who wrote the brief for the architects Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin in 1836. The current building is bursting at the seams. With only 450 seats for 650 MPs in the House of Commons it is evident that some major reorganisation needs to take place.

As well as over crowding, the design of the building is functionally outdated; cigar lighters line corridors on the way to chambers designed to encourage confrontation.

Over the years ingenious solutions have been found to modernise the 19th century building; squeezing cabling ducts into old chimneys and new services beneath solid stone floors. However incremental adjustments are no longer sustainable. We have come to an exciting point in history where a decision must be made as to the future of this

deteriorating relic.

Many governments have faced similar decisions in recent times: the Reichstag in Berlin and National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff are to name but a few.

Both took seemingly radical approaches in the design and location of their houses of governance. Their architectural ambition rewarded them; the renewed Parliament buildings offer unique public interfaces reflecting modern social values.

Innovative designs with a focus on sustainability, the buildings reflect and help define the nation’s identity.

The refurbishment of Westminster Palace should be seen as a similar opportunity to reconnect government with the identity of the nation. There are a number of views as to how this could be done. One controversial idea is to start afresh and hand the Palace over to developers, so that it can be chopped up into luxury flats, multiple hotels and a ‘Museum of Democracy’. But giving the very symbol of British democracy over to

foreign investors and a cohort of tourists, doesn’t feel like an adequate reflection of our national values. The question is: how can the process of remodeling be innovative and inspire the nation?

Another suggestion by Gensler architects, proposes a floating boat as a novel solution to the complexities associated with moving 650 MPs and 2000 support staff out of Parliament while the work is done. The architects make a good case for their proposal, insisting than it will cut £1.8bn off the development budget. Furthermore they insist that the river would act as a natural moat to provide security for MPs and that the proposed structure could have a future use, perhaps as a travelling parliamentary Pied à Terre.

Whilst a floating boat is in some ways a tongue-in-cheek proposal, the challenge of finding a temporary home in London is very real. With the eye-watering costs involved in both temporary relocation and restoration works, many are calling for alternative options. The challenge has stimulated a debate about whether Parliament should be permanently relocated to somewhere else in the UK instead. Some MPs have called for a move to Northern England as a way to save costs, balance the economic divide and centralise the governing body of the union.

Amongst most MPs though, there does not appear to be much appetite for moving Parliament to a Northern enclave. But perhaps a temporary relocation could provide an opportunity to test the waters? A speculative proposal

by Studio Egret West explores just that.

The architecture practice has drawn up plans to temporarily relocate the

Houses of Parliament to Bristol. The scheme encourages thinking about how temporary relocation could be used to stimulate local economies in areas outside the capital.

However, the reality of the Government’s recent proposals is slightly less ambitious. Instead of floating boats and pop up parliaments the idea is to move the House of Commons into the nearby Department of Health building on Whitehall and the House of Lords to the Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre at a cost of £2bn. While a short hop across the road will undoubtedly have many strategic advantages it feels like a grand opportunity is being missed.

A shortlist of names has already been announced for the main restoration job. It includes Foster + Partners, BDP, Allies and Morrison, and HOK; all leading architecture practices with a track record of delivering beautiful restoration projects. But while the shortlist provides the optimism that we will certainly end up with a building of quality, it does little to inspire a nation to engage with the process of reimaging Parliament and through it re-image the country at large.

The current Palace of Westminster was the result of an architectural competition over 180 years ago. Perhaps it is time for the government to organise a new one. Our ‘new’ House of Parliament should be a building that reflects the modern values of the nation, responding to the needs and desires of the 21st century electorate, as well as the MPs that will work in it. It could be a unique opportunity to re-define our collective identity. As Winston Churchill once said “We shape our buildings and afterwards our buildings shape us.”

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Blue Plaque & Statue

E

nglish Heritage erected a Blue Plaque honouring Arthur Mee at 27 Lanercost Road, Tulse Hill, London SW2 4DP in 1991. He was a Journalist, Author and Topographer, best known for his outstanding works, The Children's Encyclopaedia, The Children's Newspaper, and The Harmsworth Self Educator: A Golden Key to Success in Life.

He also wrote many other books.

Arthur Mee was born at Stapleford, near Nottingham, into a working class family and grew up in the shadow of the lace mills and coal mines of Nottingham town. He was the son of Henry Mee, a railway fireman, and Mary Mee, née Fletcher. There were ten children of the marriage and they were a happy family. Mee’s father was a Deacon in the Baptist Church which the family attended and the children were brought up strictly with non conformist views.

The young Mee left school at 14 years old and joined the local newspaper, The Nottingham Daily Express and became Editor at 20 years old, of The Nottingham Evening Post. He wrote articles for magazines and in 1898 he joined the Daily Mail becoming Literary Editor five years later. He married Amy Fratson and they had one daughter, Marjorie born in 1901.

In 1903 Mee worked for Alfred Harmsworth’s Amalgamated Press and was appointed General Editor of the famous Harmsworth Self Educator: The Golden Key to Success in Life in collaboration with John Hammerton.

Alfred Harmsworth later became Viscount Northcliffe.

Arthur Mee was very patriotic, proud of the Empire and deeply Christian. He supported the idea of evolution and did not see the problem of combining it with

religious views. Much of Mee’s writing conveyed a moral message and the style was rather didactic.

In 1908 Mee began work on The Children's Encyclopaedia which came out as a fortnightly magazine, and it soon appeared in eight bound volumes, and eventually ten volumes. It was published by the Educational Book Company, a subsidiary of Amalgamated Press.

Importantly, the last volume contained a full index. This wonderful work had sections on Familiar Things, Wonder, Nature, The Earth, Great Lives, Golden Deeds, Bible Stories, Poetry, History, Biography, Great Thoughts and The Meaning of Beauty. Different writers wrote the sections including Frances Epps who wrote All Countries and Dr. Caleb Saleeby who wrote The Earth.

This Encyclopaedia was a massive labyrinth of facts and treats with wonderful illustrations which never fade in the memory of those who saw them in childhood with their sensitive developing minds. There were also photographs, engravings, maps and graphics.

This tome changed teaching methods and showed that learning could be interesting and enjoyable. It was used in Schools and Teacher Training Colleges and translated into many languages.

Arthur Mee produced The Children's Newspaper which was very popular and advertised as 'the most cheerful newspaper in the world'.

Mee wrote books proliferously. These included several on different parts of the English countryside, Arthur Mee’s Book of Heroes, London, Heart of the Empire and Wonder of the World and the King’s England. He reckons he wrote a million words a year for fifty years.

Arthur Mee had the rare gift of understanding the mind of a child. He said the inspiration for his Encyclopaedia came from his young daughter’s endless questions and her mother’s wish for a book which would answer them!

Arthur Mee died in 1943 following an operation.

Marian Maitland The Arthur Mee Centre at Stapleford has special facilities for students with learning difficulties and runs Design Courses and Pre Foundation Programmes.

Arthur Mee Centre Church Street Stapleford, Nottinghamshire NG9 8GA T: 01159 175 444

STATUES

Sir John Everett Millais

Sir Thomas Brock John Islip Street, Tate Britain

H

e was a giant amongst Victorian artists, and he used to stand proudly at the east side of Tate Britain, but he has now been relegated to a rather bleak spot at the rear of the building, where few gallerygoers will see him. Together with William Holman Hunt and Dante Gabrile Rosetti, he co-founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in 1848, and immediately criticism was heaped upon him for his portrayal of Jesus in Christ in the House of His Parents. He became very popular with the public, and his use of prints made him extremely rich, including sChildhood of Raleigh, with the boy and his brother listening with rapt attention to the tales of ‘wonders on sea and land’ told by a ‘sunburnt, stalwart Genoese sailor’. He was a profilic painter and his sentimental subjects appealed to Victorian values and an inclination towards cloyiness, and the list includes The Order of Release, The Blind Girl, A Huguenot on St Bartholomew’s Day and Peace Concluded, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1856 to mixed reviews, but was praised by the critic John Ruskin who proclaimed that it

would be recognised as ‘among the world’s best masterpieces’. Even at the time, a remark like that would fly in the face of common sense, as he was obviously swept away on a wave of patriotic fervour. The woman at the centre of the picture, Effie Gray, was once married to Ruskin, and their marriage was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation, due to a misconception on the critic’s part about female anatomy, particularly in the nether regions. Isabella, painted when Millais was only 19 years old, is a curious composition, being a reference to the poem by John Keats, Isabella or the Pot of Basil, itself adapted from Boccaccio’s Decameron. A curator at the Tate Dr Carol Jacobi maintains that it is riddled with hidden sexual innuendos, even ascribing a shadow of a nutcracker on the table-cloth to being a phallic symbol. Along with Ophelia, possibly his most famous painting is Bubbles, which was used as an advertisement for Pears Soap.

In 1885, he was knighted by Queen Victoria and was made President of the Royal Academy in 1896, but died of throat cancer later in the year.

After his death, the then Prince of Wales commissioned a statue of the artist to grace the garden to the east of the Tate. The Pall Mall Gazette called it ‘a breezy statue, representing the man in the characteristic attitude in which we all knew him’. The sculptor Sir Thomas Brock was a favourite with the royal family, who had previously finished the sculpture of Prince Albert on his memorial in Hyde Park, after his mentor and tutor John Henry Foley died. He then went on to sculpt the enormous monument to Queen Victoria in front of Buckingham Palace. Allegedly, George V was so moved at its unveilling in 1911, that he called for a sword and knighted the man on the spot. Like Millais, he was made an Associate Member of the RA, and then a full member in 1891.

Apart from numerous statues around the country, including the one of Sir Henry Irving outside the National Portrait Gallery, he designed The Queen’s ‘veiled’ or ‘widowed’ head, used on all gold, silver and bronze coinage between 1893 and 1901.

Millais stands purposefully with his palette in one hand and a brush in the other, in front of his painting stool.

Although deeply conventional, his statues all have an inner strength and nobility, but he deserves better than to be shoved round the back of Tate.

Don Grant

Photograph © Don Grant

Blue Plaque Arthur Mee 1875-1943

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

13

International Japanese royal family at risk of ‘disappearing’

By Ione Bingley

A

t 82 years old in a rare television address, the reigning Japanese Emperor, Akihito, hinted at plans to abdicate, raising his age and health as factors in the struggle to adequately attend to his duties.

The 125th Japanese Emperor, who has been on the throne for 27 years, worries that he may be too frail to continue his duties as emperor after undergoing heart surgery and having been treated for prostate cancer.

“It was some years ago, after my two surgeries that I began to feel a decline in my fitness level because of my advancing age, and I started to think about the pending future, how I should conduct myself should it become difficult for me to carry out my heavy duties in the way I have been doing, and what would be best for the country, for the people, and also for the Imperial Family members who will follow after me,” admitted Akihito in his address.

A panel in Japan has now begun discussions on the unexpected abdication. As it stands, there is not a law concerning the abdication of an Emperor in Japan, so the Emperor’s stepping down will require new legislation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s six-member advisory panel aims to submit plans for the new law by May next year.

Akihito’s potential abdication has reignited concerns about the diminishing number of male heirs in the royal line, a problem that has been playing on

Akihito’s mind for some time. Born in 2006, Prince Hisahito was the first male heir to be born in 41 years and with the youngest princesses already in their 20s, the royal line is facing extinction unless the government considers allowing female imperials to head the throne.

“As the head of the Imperial family, the emperor has a great sense of crisis that the royals will disappear,” A veteran Japanese journalist and long-time royal watcher told Japan Today.

It is unlikely that the Prime Minister’s panel will broach the subject of male-only succession that Japanese conservatives see as central to an imperial tradition stretching back 2,600 years. Currently, females may take the Chrysanthemum Throne only as placeholders providing they are either unmarried or widows, but the throne will not pass to their children.

The low birth rate of the royal family is magnified on a huge scale by the Japanese population that is rapidly aging and expected to shrink about 30 percent by 2060, this has already proved a problem for succession in many familyrun businesses.

Historically, Japan’s imperial line was preserved by the children of imperial concubines and military royal families known as miyake. However, concubines have not been part of the royal household since 1912 and the miyake families were stripped of their titles by the Allied Occupation following Japan’s defeat in the Second World War. While conservatives favour reinstating the miyake families, this would be at odds with Prime Minister Abe’s policy of encouraging female participation within society.

“At some point, major surgery will be needed,” said Kanto Gakuin University professor Naotaka Kimizuka. “We have reached the point where this cannot be fixed with a band-aid.”

Venezuela: a country at breaking point

By Ione Bingley

Hopes for the opposition coalition wresting power from the socialist government that has presided over the country during its financial downfall, were crushed when the federal courts halted the process towards a vote for the removal of President Nicolás Maduro.

The country appears to be on its knees as it faces recession, with its inhabitants suffering from soaring food prices, crime, malaria outbreaks and medicine shortages.

Leader of the opposition coalition Henrique Capriles stated that the decision by the electoral council amounted to “a coup d'état”.

“There is no other way to call it,” said Capriles. “What we feared so much was hatched."

Timing of the referendum is to prove key for the socialists and the opposing coalition. If the socialist government is able to delay the referendum until 2017, then Maduro’s vice president will automatically take his place until the end of the presidential term, leaving the running of the country in the hands of the socialists. However, if the referendum was to occur before the end of the year, there is a chance that the opposing coalition will take control of the nation.

Since the decision to forgo the vote, protesters in Venezuela calling for President Nicolás Maduro to step down have made the message clear that they will not take no for an answer.

With polls suggesting that 80 percent of Venezuelans would vote against Maduro in a referendum, demonstrators against the country’s 17-year leftwing administration have made a presidential recall their focus.

The anti-government demonstrations

began in October with hundreds of thousands of protestors jamming the streets of Caracas and blocking the main highway, during which the crowds chanted, many wearing white and waving national flags, “This government is going to fall!” as they congregated at nearly 50 sites across the country.

In other major cities around Venezuela protestors clashed with police resulting in 120 injuries, 147 arrests and the death of one policeman attempting to disperse protestors.

President Maduro has accused the opposition of avoiding talks because he, like Capriles, believes that “they don't want dialogue because they want a coup".

The opposition has now threatened to march on the presidential palace if the presidential recall effort is not allowed to continue. Protests outside the presidential palace have been banned since the massive march against the presidency of Hugo Chavez in 2002 that helped to precipitate a short-lived coup.

The opposition coalition also encouraged a general strike leading to the closure of many shops, schools and businesses, but adherence to the strike was reportedly patchy and largely ignored in poorer areas.

The government and the opposition have now met for the first time to enter into talks on the political crisis overseen by a Vatican envoy as well as several other mediators.

The socialist government is accusing the opposition of inciting street violence and wants it to drop its “neo-liberal” economic policies. The opposition, however, will continue to push for a presidential recall referendum.

Support for the opposition has been huge with rallies in the street seeing hundreds of thousands coming together in anger about the delay of the presidential recall referendum. The opposition has threatened to boycott the talks if some of their demands are not met quickly.

“Dialogue cannot be used as blackmail or an oxygen tank to give more time to a government that each day has less time left,” said student protest leader Hasler Iglesias.

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Duterte calms China at sea, fans drug war flames at home

By Natanael Mota

C

hina has pulled its coastal guard forces from Scarborough Bay in the South China Sea last October 29th, after four years of friction with the Philippines. A large fraction of the world’s shipping, worth trillions of dollars, crosses this part of the Pacific every year. The strategical location and richness of resources of the region has fuelled many territorial disputes by neighbours over the years, making it one of the most dangerous points of conflict in Asia.

Culminating with export bans and China’s permanent presence around the two metre-high, 46 km perimeter reef shoal, controversial Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte has reversed the goals of his predecessor, Benigno Aquino III (who in 2012 compared China’s presence to Nazi Germany’s annexation of Czechoslovakia) by going to Beijing and taking the US out of the equation.

Images © Adelie

Antarctic bay to become world’s largest marine reserve

An area in Antarctica as big as Alaska is set to be the world’s largest marine reserve after the 24 member states of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), including the UK, the USA and Russia, agreed to put the area under special protection from human activities.

The new marine reserve, which is considered to be one of the most pristine ecosystems in the world, is to include 600,000 square miles of the Ross Sea and is home to 50 percent of type-C killer whales, 40 percent of Adelie penguins and a quarter of the world’s emperor penguins.

“I’ve realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [President Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world; China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way,” he said during his visit to Beijing last 20th of October.

Trade deals, political nudges and perhaps even fear of Beijing have influenced Duterte to chose appeasement over his usual aggressive tactics. “I will only bring up the issue when we are together face to face”, he said; a stark contrast to when he recently called President Obama “a son of a b***” over US condemnation of his drug war.

China is one of the few nations who haven’t decried Duterte’s vigilante killings of drug users and dealers, around 90% of which are reported to be taking a cheap methamphetamine called shabu.

Hua Chunying from the foreign ministry said Beijing “appreciates Ppresident Duterte’s efforts to crack down on drug crimes...”

The United States had stewardship of the Philippines between 1899 to 1946 (which included a failed bloody attempt for independence) and imposed English over native languages, imported jeans and pop culture, and set up military bases tied with an alliance. Regardless of the country’s past relationship with US, the Chinese South Sea might have been an easier problem for Duterte’s pragmatic politics to solve than his ongoing war on

drugs.

He now says it will take twice as long as the six months he planned, going into the summer of 2017. Duterte is using the same tools and rhetoric that he did during 22 years as the mayor of Davao city, where thousands of civilians were killed for drug dealing of any amount and petty crimes. Despite the Philippines being the first Asian country to abolish the death penalty in 1987, 71 year old Duterte promised he would kill 100,000 “criminals”, no matter how tenuously that label is defined, saying he would fill the bays of Manila to the point that “fish would grow fat from their bodies”. 3600 are reported to have died already.

Since July, more than 700,000 users

China’s Digital Kim Jong Un’s wife has not been Dynasty

By Natanael Mota seen for seven months

Ri Sol-ju, wife of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un, has not been seen by the public since last March, sparking concerns for her wellbeing.

Many North Korean media viewers are concerned that Ri Sol-ju has been harmed by her husband, who was reported to have executed one of North Korea’s top officials for falling asleep in a meeting.

“Ri showed up at public events every two months last year but has not appeared in public for over seven months this year. That’s quite extraordinary.

Some sources speculate Ri’s disappearance may be linked to a check on her activities by Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo-jong,” a North Korea watcher told Yonhap News Agency.

and dealers have “surrendered” to the police. Health Undersecretary Elmer Punzalan said to the senate that there were an estimated 54,000 who needed interned treatment when there are only 5,000 places nationwide.

“You must remember that those who are already in (sic) shabu for almost one year, they are dead. They are the living walking dead. They are of no use to society anymore,” Duterte said. The international community has condemned the killings, citing potential human rights abuses, where sometimes a suspect can be mistaken for someone else; or killed on purpose by others taking advantage of the conflict. Punzalan estimated 24% of those being admitted for shabu abuse can still be rehabilitated within 6 to 12 months.

For more than 16 million voters however, Duterte is the answer to what they think is a slow justice system.

There are those like actress Agot Isidro, however, that strongly disagree with Duterte’s distancing from the US and his assertions that the Philippines will do fine if aid is cut for infringing on human rights. It is yet to become clear whether the Filipino public opinion will follow his ever more extreme tactics, which his cabinet has struggled to keep up with. Duterte has also vowed to stop his frequent swearing in live statements. He claimed that he heard God telling him so on his flight back from talks with Japan last 27 of October.

when the financial system only holds traditional credit history data for 320 million.

The government wants to create its own national reputation system focusing on “administrative affairs, commercial activities, social behavior, and the judicial system”. The official version could have an impact as deep as disabling access to public office positions, social security and better schools.

In 1997 the People’s Republic of China Critics have decried the concept decided to enact what is now called the as “Orwellian” and point out it will ‘Great Firewall of China’ through law. drown out those who don't agree with Almost 20 years down the line, Beijing the general consensus of the public has become more adept at managing its “hivemind”. If people did not like the citizens through the internet, and has mentioned plans of a national credit and way you drive, teach or practise law or medicine, your record would show it. behaviour score system.

If the system can be corrupted, a Elderly Chinese parents can sue hacker would have even stronger ways to their children if they do not visit them power and even incriminate victims. The often enough, impacting their credit more rules the system has, the more it scores. Credit rating means a lot more can be ‘gamed’ to perfect your score. to a Chinese citizen, and is becoming The West installed credit score synonymous with overall trustworthiness, systems some time ago and Public data to the point that it is common to list your credit rating on Chinese dating sites still gets mined, but for company profit.

China's more recent encounter with like Baihe.

Online shop giant Alibaba reportedly credit score issues, in a time of ever more powerful cybertools, could both creates its own credit score for shoppers modernise citizen management and which is even impacted by the products impact the culture of the country. you buy. A person who buys diapers will The Chinese government also have a higher score than one who buys recently published a white paper on the video games because the system will benefits of using the same technologies predict the gamer is lazier. that power Bitcoin. It could potentially This score can also have an effect when applying for a bank loan, a lease or signal China's first steps towards a digital government currency, the ‘BitYuan’, rental services.

Proponents of the system argue there with no need for money printing costs, automatic taxation and comprehensive is not enough information to prevent surveillance. fraud in the population of 1.37 billion

Images © Manman Dejoto

International

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International

Image © Pure Travel

By Catherine Godlewsky

A report by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and WWF shows that the global wildlife population has fallen 58% in the last forty years with little indication of the average annual 2% decline slowing down.

The Living Planet Report is published by ZSL and WWF every two years to provide current data about the world’s animal populations. In this year’s analysis, researchers studied 3,700 different species of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles, which tallies to about 6% of the world’s total vertebrate species.

The report results suggest that human activities including habitat loss, pollution, climate change, and wildlife trade have contributed to the declines, which are especially severe in species that inhabit lakes, rivers, or wetlands.

Researchers warned that if current trends continue, wildlife populations could fall 67% within ten years (compared to 1970 levels).

Images © Shutterstock

A

“It's pretty clear under 'business as usual' we will see continued declines in these wildlife populations. But I think now we've reached a point where there isn't really any excuse to let this carry on,” said head of science and policy at WWF, Dr Mike Barrett.

However, the report itself has drawn some criticism for its alleged bias towards western European species and overambitious attempts to assess population loss in a single figure, but even those who question its numbers agree that animal populations are declining at alarming rates.

Head of ZSL's Indicators & Assessments Unit, Dr. Robin Freeman, said that the research team had used the best available data, stating, “It's entirely possible that species that aren't being monitored as effectively may be doing much worse – but I'd be very surprised if they were doing much better than we observed.”

France not to forgive Francois Hollande

By Natanael Mota

Mr Hollande's public ratings reached 4 percent last month and have consistently been one of the lowest in the history of French presidency. According to polling agency Ipsos his approval ratings in the summer were 40% in 2012, 26% in 2013, 17% in 2014 and 20% in 2015.

A recent 662 page book by two journalists from the French newspaper, Le Monde, who Francois willingly met with in private over the last four years details criticism of almost every corner of French society by the president, from footballers to the poor.

The book, A President Shouldn't Say That, cements any past misgivings regarding Mr Hollande’s political career from both Socialist and opposition right parties.

“It just so happens I am president,” he repeatedly said in his meetings with journalists Gerard Davet and Fabrice Lhomme. The book shows that this attitude permeates Mr Hollande’s interaction with the media.

The more serious offenses include

Cardinals try to exorcise ‘Vatican McDonalds’

By Max Feldman

Opponents of what would be the first McDonald’s restaurant to open in a Vatican building within sight of St Peter’s Square have been boosted by a group of cardinals living above the proposed site.

While local residents were horrified at the thought of the fast food chain right on the doorstep of the spiritual home of Catholicism, cardinals who live in the apartment building above where the fast food chain will be located have more practical concerns, according to Italian media reports.

The cardinals have complained that they were not consulted about the new McDonald’s and are worried that they will have to help pay for extra restructuring expenses to adapt the building, including a new flue for the kitchen.

The problems allegedly started when the cardinals were alerted this summer

by Apsa, the Holy See agency that owns the property and manages the Vatican’s

him referring to the poor as “toothless ones”, calling the judiciary system a “cowardly institution”, saying France has “a problem with Islam”, and saying that he authorised four targeted killings by French secret services.

Mr Hollande has apologized publicly to France’s judiciary and written apology letters to several other institutional bodies.

Experts have suggested that he has little chance of winning a second term next May opening the path to Marine Le Pen, a far-right candidate from the National Front party who welcomed the EU referendum results “Victory! #EUref #Brexit”, she wrote from her Twitter account last June.

The recent violence, unrest and the burden of holding war refugees in France have contributed to unhappiness of the public.

According to a separate poll carried out by Odoxa for French television station France 2, 74 percent of those who consider themselves ‘conservative’ and who claim to support right-wing politics want avowed eurosceptic Le Pen to play a more influential role in French politics, both now and in the future. The news of a surge in support for Le Pen comes as a serious blow to mainstream French parties.

France will elect its next president in a two-round election in April and May next year, with only the top two candidates progressing to the allimportant run-off in the second round. vast real estate holdings, that it had agreed to rent the ground floor space to McDonald’s.

The new proposed restaurant will not technically be located within the Vatican City walls, but it is in a location that is deeply connected to daily Vatican life; a spot where many cardinals, including Pope Benedict XVI, before he was elected pope, have lived.

Opponents are looking to the example set by Florence for inspiration, pointing to the decision by the Renaissance city to reject the proposed opening of a McDonald’s within walking distance of Porta Sant’Anna in order to protect the cultural heritage of the historic centre.

Image © Mike Trott

UNICEF used satellite images provided by NASA to identify regions where outdoor pollution was highest globally. The results suggested that 300 million children are living in regions with outdoor air pollution six times higher than the international standard set by the World Health Organisation (WHO), with 220 million of those living in South Asia.

WHO estimates that outdoor air pollution killed 3.7 million people in 2012 including 127,000 children aged under five. Indoor air pollution mostly caused by wood or coal-burning stoves killed even more people.

By Ione Bingley

Global wildlife population decreases 58% since 1970

15

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One in seven children suffering from air pollution worldwide recent report from the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, estimates that one child in seven is suffering the effects of air pollution, with their developing bodies making them more vulnerable than other members of the global population.

UNICEF has called on 200 governments, due to meet in Morocco this month at a UN-led global warming conference, to minimise the use of fossil fuels to combat climate change and improve health at the same time.

UNICEF executive director Anthony Lake said air pollution was a “major contributing factor in the deaths of around 600,000 children under five every year”, causing illnesses such as pneumonia.

“Pollutants don’t only harm children’s developing lungs; they can actually cross the blood-brain barrier and permanently damage their developing brains and, thus, their futures,” Lake said in a statement.

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Opinion & Comment

MARIUS BRILL’S

MEMEING OF LIFE Meme: An element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another...

My Life as an Anarchist

P

retty much the only time you see the word “anarchic” it’s coupled with “humour” or “comedy”.

Anarchists are the Kardashians of realpolitik. “Aren’t they the ones who drink herbal tea because ‘proper tea’ is theft?”

Anarchism has been considered ridiculous for so long, even the name seems out of another time like Leveller, Fettler or Yuppie. There were a few anarchist bomb throwers a century ago but the idea that a bunch of yobs who don’t believe in organisation could organise a revolution soon became laughable and a byword for daft radical delusionism. It was the occupation you’d announce for a giggle down at the job centre.

And yet, without anyone mentioning its name, anarchy as a real life meme has stealthily evolved into one of the defining political forces of our time. Millions are coming to the anarchist’s conclusion: whichever way you vote, the Government always gets in. And they really don’t like it. Some are even resorting to recipes from The Anarchist’s Cookbook with the glee of a Heston Blewmenup.

Watching the US Election campaigns it seemed Clinton was not only fighting for a liberal democratic agenda and perhaps her own chance to “not have sexual relations” in the Oval Office, but for the whole process of government we have developed over centuries.

Forty years ago this month the Sex Pistols’ released Anarchy in the UK. Like so many kids trying to survive a childhood regulated by post-war militarised parents, I was swept up in awe at the unleashing, and sheer power, of the anger expressed by the dentally couldn’t-give-a-fuck Johnny Rotten.

In the documentary The Filth and the Fury, Rotten admitted that he only used “Anarchist” because it rhymed with “Antichrist”. But then who needed rhyme anyway with all that visceral anger bottled in vinyl?

At that point my only understanding of anarchy was as a state my mother claimed our family lived in whenever someone forgot to do the washing up.

But I was old enough to look it up and young enough to be entranced by its hedonistic potential. I was fired up and

inspired to go straight out and get a tattoo of that ragged capital “A” breaking out of the circle trying to confine it, a scarlet letter on acid. I was going to stick it to authority, and I honestly would have if I hadn’t had a load of homework and a draconian bedtime. “No rules rules” I smugly scrawled on my English exercise book feeling as safe in this paradox as Schrodinger’s cat was from being shot by Zeno’s arrow on Theseus’ ship.

Forty years on and, as per Rotten’s only comprehensible lyric, our “future dream” really “is a shopping scheme”.

Western politics finds itself besieged by something which looks an awful lot like anarchism. The waves of popular movements surfed by the likes of Farage and Trump are not left or right. They are essentially protests against government, of whatever colour, for consistently enabling greed and imposing austerity.

The reason Trump reserved the right to question the US election results is not just because he is a poor loser, even though he might be, but because his core followers are those who suspect the very machinery of government. They call it Libertarianism, but it’s just Anarchy with a small ‘a’. As dearly as any anarchists, the followers of UKIP, Trump and the US Tea Party want an end to interfering government. Just don’t ask what replaces it, that’s as clear as mud, soup and the Brexit strategy.

When the ideologies of left and right were more extreme and at war with each other, democratic government felt the only safe option. Anarchy seemed so far from rational possibility that the 1970 farce Accidental Death of an Anarchist

by Dario Fo, the Nobel Laureate who died last month, used the anarchist’s ambitions as a symbol of futility to which any reaction by the police was, by necessity, an over-reaction. But as our political see-sawing gradually lost momentum and steered to a centre ground, as the storm abated, the capitalist sharks gathered to exploit the calm waters. Now in the wake of their feeding frenzy the libertarian revolution has begun and it will not go away with a Brexit or the US Election result. As Michael Moore tells Britain in his latest film Trumpland, “you used the ballot as an anger management tool. And now you’re fucked.”

“The Anarchy,” for fans of the repetitiveness of history theory, was England’s first civil war in the 12th century. The turmoil revolved around an event celebrating its 875th anniversary this month: the attempt

to crown England’s first woman ruler, Matilda, daughter of Henry I. In an all too familiar act of both misogyny and Francophobia, the London mob halted the coronation and she never officially became queen. The years before and after were some of the bloodiest the country had seen; but then few women have found their way to power in perfect peace.

Unlike other political ideologies Anarchy, even in its most imperfect form, finds itself wrapped up in paradox.

It posits that without government interference people can live richer more fulfilled lives, but then the deregulation of the markets, which unleashed the mammon feast that brought the world to its knees in 2008, was as libertarian as the right to bear arms and shit in the woods.

As I reserve a little wall space to be up against when the revolution comes, I’m already missing the days when “anarchic” was simply a word used to describe the antics of Tom and Jerry or Dick and Dom In Da Bungalow.

A Kafkaesque nightmare

By Peter Burden

Since last June, I’ve felt as though I were immersed in a long, gloomy dream such as Franz Kafka might have relished.

It’s as if, without warning, the nature of mankind has slipped back to an earlier time.

When the dream started, I’d been living in a country which despite its smallness, possessed the fourth largest economy in the world, due significantly to Britain’s relationship with the countries of mainland Europe. This forty-five year old relationship allowed a free trade in goods and services, and provided a consistent source of educated and willing people to maintain our burgeoning prosperity. And it wasn’t just the prospect of employment that brought these people, they were attracted by the idea of living in a land that was tolerant and inclined to embrace and understand new cultures; the very characteristics that have made Britain so prominent in world trade and cultural activity.

We had maintained this arrangement with Europe for forty five years while clearly retaining our independence; with the absolute right, for instance, to choose whether or not we should stay in that relationship, irrational though it would have been to want to retire from it. We had retained our own currency, and were not committed to the provisions of the Schengen Agreement with its lack of

control over the movement of people across national borders (leading to the gathering in Calais of tens of thousands of people who could stay in France, but much prefer the thought of life in Britain), while British people were free to live and work wherever they wanted within the EU. In the conditions that prevailed back in June, our economy was growing at a steady and sustainable rate, employment was at the highest it had ever been; inflation was not much above zero, and, although there was an unacceptable deficit in our balance of payments with the rest of the world, we were some way to dealing with it and the gory mess caused by the crass opportunism of under-regulated and over-greedy western bankers nearly a decade ago.

Nevertheless, despite all these advantages, a minority of people in Britain were feeling insecure about the arrival of workers from unfamiliar parts of Europe. They lived for the most part in areas of the country where these incomers were less densely present, but their irrational fears were preyed upon by self-important power-seeking fringe politicians who had formed themselves into a rudimentary political party, with none of the traditional disciplines of such an organization and few key policies, beyond getting incomers out, and severing our ties with Europe. This party encouraged a regrettable latent xenophobia and a belief that Britain had surrendered its independence and national integrity among these people who were prepared to jettison the fine national characteristics of tolerance and understanding in the mistaken belief that we had in some way lost control of our country.

The notion that we are being overrun by foreigners is a persistent cause of distress among the inhabitants of our island. The first traceable indigenous folk were Neolithic people whose genes are still to be found in remote cwms among the Cambrian mountains of West Wales. I met one of them once in pub in Leintwardine, on the North Herefordshire side of the Welsh Marches. With a flattish face and high cheekbones, he closely resembled Glub, a character who appeared in the late 50s in a cartoon in the News Chronicle. He had been an early subject of cryogenics, having been found encased in an iceberg by the intrepid explorer, Colonel Pewter.

His ancestors must have objected strongly to an invasion of Celtic folk from (perhaps) northern Spain who overran Britain some three thousand years BC. The Celts own noses were in turn put out of joint by the arrival of the Romans, who became our imperial masters for four hundred years, and undoubtedly engaged in extensive interbreeding. After their fall back to the safe and fleshly comforts of Rome, the first Anglo Saxons, Hengist and Horsa arrived, much to the resentment,

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Opinion & Comment demonstrably in a minority of the population, they were making enough commotion (even manging to elect one member to the British parliament) for David Cameron’s government to take the understandable view that it would be best to knock this agitation on the head so that the country could consolidate and carry on strengthening its position.

Cameron promised a referendum in which the people would be asked if they really wanted to leave the European Union, and, quite correctly, he honoured this pledge. It seems, though, that he was so complacent about the outcome, he failed to structure the terms of the vote in a way that would be a fair and democratic reflection of the wishes of the people. He should have demanded, at the very least, an overall majority of the whole electorate to secure this enormously significant alteration to our national circumstances.

Having been asked if they would like to change a fundamental element of the status quo by leaving the EU, thirty eight percent of those eligible to vote in the nation came out to say that they wanted the UK to leave. The remaining 62% registered no such wish.

Despite this significant majority not wishing to leave, we have been told by the current administration that this is what is happening, and there’s no chance of a rerun. It is so crassly undemocratic that it’s almost impossible to believe, and yet commentators on the BBC (Nick Robinson and Laura Kuenssberg among them) have repeatedly stated that “52% of the population have asked to leave Europe.”

Although this is a downright misrepresentation of the truth, it must be going a long way to encouraging the government itself to say they will respect wishes of just 38% of the people while they disregard the wishes of the other 62%.

We have been asked the question; nearly two thirds of us have not expressed a wish to leave the EU, but we are leaving anyway. It defies all concepts of democracy. The government’s reluctance to face down a group of rowdy, triumphalist, ill-informed xenophobes is a shameful demonstration of moral feebleness and an utter betrayal of the parliamentary democracy, so envied by much of the world, which has evolved over the 800 years since Magna Carta was signed.

Meanwhile, all the signs are that our nation is poised at the top of an economic Cresta Run, with no helmet... and no toboggan. This is the Kafkaesque nightmare that I and millions of other Britons are experiencing, while we open our mouths to howl, and no one seems to hear us. www.peterburden.net

no doubt, of the Neolithic, Celtic and remaining Roman population. But they too were regularly raided by Vikings from Denmark and beyond, and, we can assume, were not happy about this insertion of yet another race into their national persona, but like the Romans, the Vikings had come, plundered and intermarried, scattering their genes and place names up and down the eastern half of what had become England. The multi ethnic inhabitants of our island had just about learned to coexist with their Viking invaders, when another bunch of Norsemen, this time via their well-established foothold in Northern France, sailed across the Manche and poked King Harold in the eye. We ultimately accepted them as the bosses, and over the centuries since have taken in a steady stream of ‘foreigners’ ; Jews escaping persecution in Europe in the twelfth century, Huguenots from France, weavers from the Low Countries, Russians fleeing their revolution, loyal subjects and ex-soldiers from our colonies in the Caribbean, India, and Hong Kong; each wave reviving some of the traditional resentment, but usually not for long nor too intensely, despite the energetic but ultimately failed manoeuvres of men like Enoch Powell.

But this habitual resentment lingers on among a few, most of whom are direct descendants of one or other of the more recent waves of incomers. But the truth is that immigration and recolonization have always been what happens to nations, and it’s time the xenophobes got over it.

Now, though, in the context of Europe (where we all share strongly common genes) these same xenophobes have been encouraged by UKIP not to understand that in any relationship, whether interpersonal or international, there must be some mutual yielding, give and take, if you like, in order that the individuals/nations can coexist to their greatest mutual advantage. Nor will they understand that while there are undoubted flaws in the structure and processes of the EU, it would always be better to carry on talking, deploying from within our undisputed influence to work towards making it function better.

The leaders of UKIP, generally not having passed through the higher echelons of education, have themselves been led by a British member of the European Parliament best known for some alarming displays of bad manners and uncouthness not normally associated with British politicians on the international stage. Characterised by the kind of jeering insults that might have been expected in the classroom of a third rate school, Nigel Farage could have been created by the writer of a political sitcom designed to play on the more absurd failings of the political classes. The spectacle of the recent leadership crisis with its punch ups and name-calling is consistent with the short history and nature of the party.

Although Farage’s followers were

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DUDLEY SUTTON’S I WISH I HAD WRITTEN THAT MONOLOGUE OF A BROADWAY ACTRESS

by Yevgeny Yevtochenko

Said an actress from Broadway time had pillaged like Troy: 'There are simply no more roles.

No role to extract from me all my tears, no role to turn me inside out.

From this life, really, one must flee to the desert.

There are simply no roles any more!

Broadway blazes like a hot computer but, believe me, there’s no rolenot one role amidst hundreds of parts.

Honestly, we are drowning in rolelessness...

Where are the great writers! Where?

The poor classics have broken out in sweat, like a team of tumblers whose act is too long, but what do they know about Hiroshima, about the murder of the Six Million, about all our pain? !

Is it really all so inexpressible?

Not one role!

It’s like being without a compass.

You know how dreadful the world is when it builds up inside you, builds up and builds up, and there’s absolutely no way out for it.

Oh yes, there are road companies.

For that matter, there are TV serials.

But the roles have been removed.

They put you off with bit parts.

I drink. Oh, I know it’s weak of me, but what can you do, when there are no more people, no more roles?

Somewhere a worker is drinking, from a glass opaque with greasy fingerprints.

He has no role!

And a farmer is drinking, bellowing like a mule because he’s impotent: he has no role!

A sixteen-year old child is stabbed with a switchblade by his friends because they have nothing better to do...

There are no roles!

Without some sort of role, life is simply slow rot.

In the womb, we are all geniuses.

But potential geniuses become idiots without a role to play.

Without demanding anyone’s blood, I do demand a role! ' 1967 Translated by John Updike with Albert C. Todd

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Business & Finance Investment Fund Liquidity Risk

By Gina Miller

F

ollowing the illiquidity issues that hit UK Property Funds after the Referendum vote on 23rd June, we wondered if other sectors could be hit by the same issues and found that UK Smaller Company Funds could be the next sector to leave UK investors with frozen investments.

SCM Direct were one of the first to highlight the liquidity issues connected to property funds to the UK regulator, the FCA. The issue was a fundamental liquidity mismatch where investors were being allowed to buy or sell these funds daily, whilst the underlying investments would take months to buy or sell. As at the end of September 2016, a full 3 months after the Brexit vote, there is still £9 Bn of investors’ money suspended in property funds, with M&G and Standard Life likely to re-open their funds at the end of 2016 and Aviva even later. But the problem does not stop

there. When funds in a portfolio are suspended, it can lead to the whole of an investor’s portfolio being suspended; for example, in August Standard Life called a halt to any investors wanting to cash in its life insurance bonds following the property fund suspension saga.

Financial Advisers Too Simplistic When Assessing Fund Risk As many investors still use financial advisers (IFAs), clients naturally rely on these advisers to advise on investment risk. However, IFAs tend to be ‘obsessed’ by simply how much a fund changes in price each day (volatility risk), whilst ignoring liquidity risk; that is, how long it might take to sell the actual investments in a market panic situation.

When lots of investors withdraw, a fund’s cash level is depleted. To cope with further outflows, funds need to begin selling the assets within the fund, which can take time. Until they do this they will not have enough cash to return to investors, thus become illiquid.

We were interested to see if the same would occur in other fund sectors and found that the UK Smaller Companies sector faces similar liquidity risk issues if there was a run on these funds in the face of investor nervousness.

Our analysis looked at the following sectors: UK All Companies, UK Equity Income, UK Smaller Companies, Global Emerging Markets, European Companies Excluding UK, European Companies Including UK and European Smaller Companies sectors.

Once we applied our full screening criteria, the research segment of 187 retail funds from all the sectors listed

Article 50

By Catherine Godlewsky Gina Miller is at the centre of both the news and British politics this month in the wake of November 3rd’s successful ruling on her case to the British High Court that triggering of Article 50 without an MP vote would be unconstitutional. The High Court decided that Parliament would vote on Article 50, but it is not yet clear whether MPs will be given a single vote or whether the government will consider a more complicated system to overcome the legislative issues regarding Brexit. “The [High Court] result...is about all of us.

It’s not about me or my team. It’s about our United Kingdom and all our futures,” said Miller. The government is appealing this decision (which has the ironic potential of being referred to the European Court of Justice) and another hearing is expected in December.

Miller said outside the High Court that the government should make the “wise decision of not appealing.”

SECTOR NAME UK Smaller Companies UK Equity Income UK All Companies European Companies Excluding UK European Companies Including UK European Smaller Companies Emerging Market Equities

Source: SCM Direct, Bloomberg LP

above, with assets invested amounting to £245 billion, were analysed to see how many days, and at what cost, would investors be facing if they experienced either a 10% or 20% redemption.

(Data via Bloomberg on 19th & 20th September 2016.)

Findings The average UK Smaller Companies fund has investments which would take more than a day to sell if 10% or more of the fund was redeemed. Yet these funds allow investors to buy and sell the fund daily when the funds itself could potentially not meet such redemptions if just 10% of investors redeemed.

We were extremely concerned to discover that 73% of the UK Smaller Company funds had a liquidity mismatch between their underlying holdings and the daily liquidity offered to investors should 20% of their funds be redeemed.

Several large funds, with £4.6 Bn in total invested, were found to take two weeks or more to meet a 20% redemption, based on the funds participating in 10% of the daily volumes in the stocks held.

But - what if it was more than 20%?

Our research found one fund where

‘State pensions should start at 80’ Think Tank advises.

By Max Feldman

The age at which people are entitled to collect the state pension should be delayed to 80, says a Think Tank. From 2020 the benefits should change so no further entitlements are created but that those already built up are honoured, according to a statement from the Centre of Policy Studies. Study author Michael Johnson said the proposals ‘explicitly embrace the message that work pays, while providing a robust safety net for those who need it’. The Centre says the pension would be £200 a week, or about 30 per cent larger than now.

It would be complemented with a workplace Isa that could not be accessed until the age of 65. For those in need, the report proposes a ‘safety net’ to extend the age people can receive means-tested income support and continue to pay them during retirement. The Think Tank says this would enable the government to scrap pension credit, ‘producing a significant simplification of the benefits arena’. Employee contributions made under automatic enrolment could also be paid into a Lifetime Isa. But former Pensions Minister Baroness Altmann said raising the pension age would help those on higher incomes who have longer life expectancy and would ‘compound current social injustices and lead to wider inequality’.

No. DAYS To sell 10% of Fund 2 Days Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day

No. DAYS To sell 20% of Fund 5 Days 1 Day 1 Day Less than 1 Day Less than 1 Day 1 Day 1 Day

it would take 53 business days to sell to sell 50% of the fund. If it had to sell the entire fund, it would take 22,706 business days i.e. 89 years. Even if the fund managed to participate in as much as 30% of daily volumes, it would still take 7,569 business days i.e. 30 years to liquidate the whole fund.

Of course, in such circumstances a manager might try and place large holdings in the market rather than sell small amounts each day but this might lead to pricing issues as the first investors ‘out of the door’ would receive a far higher price than ones who redeem later.

In such a scenario, it might require the fund to suspend dealings completely to ensure all investors are treated fairly but that means their money would be frozen.

In light of our research, I would encourage all investors in the UK Smaller Companies sector to speak to their adviser or fund group and ask them to look beyond simply how much a share price moves up or down each day, in terms of assessing fund risk. In the wider political landscape we find ourselves, illiquid investments may prove to be a much higher risk.

Gina Miller Founding Partner – SCM Direct

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

19

Business & Finance Financial Journal Awards 2016 Shortlist Announced

By Max Feldman

Financial Trade Journalist of the Year

Ryan Bembridge: Mortgage Introducer Stephanie Hawthorne: Pensions World Samantha Partington: Mortgage Solutions Valentina Romeo: Money Marketing Hannah Uttley: Mortgage Solutions Jonathan Watkins: Global Custodian

Financial Trade Newcomer of the Year

Christine Dawson: New Model Adviser Jack Gilbert: New Model Adviser Alexander Hamilton: IBS Journal Jayna Rana: Investment Week Daniel Rzasa: CityWire Modern Investor Joshua Thurston: CityWire Wealth

Pussy Revenue

By Douglas Shanks

W

e’ve got plenty of general practice clients who by and large think we do a good enough job for them, at the expensive end of cheap, and by and large I’d agree with them. These clients are amongst John Handley’s and my closest friends for life, average client years being about a quarter of a century. They’re not going anywhere, and I’m an age where they can’t be replaced. Newer clients are in various shades of serious trouble, with over eighty percent having committed what the revenue might regard as fraud.

They’re not looking for technical skill, although John has that in spades. They’re buying swagger, attitude and nous.

If one’s on a permanent litigation footing with HMRC, one’s bound to be a bit on edge, trying to peep behind their curtains. HMRC has apparently endless resources to throw at a case. If we lose, the client could end up paying HMRC’s costs; if we win, the client will still pay our costs, and won’t even get tax relief on them. Oh don’t get me started. There must be clause in Magna Carta that deals with that really creepy ‘heads we win tails you lose’. It’s designed to make you think twice about standing up to these fiscal terrorists; and it works.

Brown, once unfettered by Blair, destroyed the trust the accountancy profession had in the revenue. It will take a generation to restore, if ever. The Exchequer’s PR machine has ensured that tax accountants have replaced bankers, estate agents and politicians as the public enemy, but we’re a well organised bunch in and around the Institutes of Chartered Accountants and Tax; we’ll be back.

We’re all good mates; the various interested groups swap their stories.

Let’s face it, the Sherriff of Downing Street is the real enemy, not our fellow gangs of merry men and women. We’ve got good imaginations and limited access to our foes’ behind-closed-doors briefings; conspiracy theories abound.

The latest is that post-Brexit, there’s been an edict to back off and close all but the most contentious cases. A Guardian article in August referred to a backlog of 27,000 anti-avoidance cases waiting to be resolved. You may have read my whinges about the revenue’s deteriorating service standards; that figure could be a lot higher. Ultimately this isn’t poor recruitment or training of individuals; there just aren’t enough of them.

So where’s this all going? We’re good at what we do best: contentious negotiations. We have the greatest respect for most of our competitors, many of whom I’ve worked alongside.

They’re as good as us, and we’re all competitively priced. You’ll select subjectively on style, whether or not you kid yourself it’s an objective choice.

All specialists will have a high success rate (our own failure criteria being incarceration, loss of matrimonial home, or exclusion from professional body under “fit and proper” rules). We all know how far to push HMRC, and when to back off. On two of our most recent cases since Brexit, and it looks like there may be a third, HMRC have beaten me by a whisker to throwing in the towel. Now either HMRC has suddenly chickened out of taking on Doug and his Merry Metropolitans, or someone’s had a word.

I’m talking about cases I was seriously considering running up the white flag.

We think the revenue’s going soft.

The only reason for that is that they’ve been told to. It won’t last. If you’ve got a skeleton, and you’re kicking yourself for missing the generous terms of the now mostly closed disclosure facilities, I think you’ve got a chance. Hire a specialist. Straighten up. It really could be a window I for one never saw coming.

Grab them while they’re purring.

The downside is that someone very senior, maybe the Chancellor himself, or even his splendidly and surprisingly pragmatic boss, thinks Brexit is going to be a hell of a lot more painful than we thought.

Douglas Shanks and John Handley are DSC Metropolitan Chartered Accountants’ slightly paranoid partners

The 30th Santander Media Awards has revealed its shortlist of commended Financial journalists out of a record 250 entries. The independent panel of over 20 industry experts will award the overall winner a prize fund of over £25,000 in cash.

The shortlisted are competing for a prize fund of over £25,000 with the winners to be announced at a prestigious event on Wednesday 16 November at The Banking Hall in the City.

The shortlisted are: Contribution to Personal Finance Education Claer Barrett: FT Lee Boyce: This is Money Simon Gompertz: BBC Sally Hamilton: Mail on Sunday Simon Lambert: This is Money Jeff Prestridge: Mail on Sunday

Financial Consumer Journalist of the Year Claer Barrett: FT Andrew Ellson: The Times Rupert Jones: The Guardian Katie Morley: The Telegraph Laura Shannon: Mail on Sunday Laura Whateley: The Times

Financial Consumer Newcomer of the Year Sarah Davidson: This is Money Marina Gerner: Money Observer Amelia Murray: The Telegraph Olivia Rudgard: The Telegraph Paul Thomas: Daily Mail Aime Williams: FT

Financial Freelance Journalist of the Year Faith Archer John Arlidge Iona Bain Kalpana Fitzpatrick Ruth Jackson Harriet Meyer

Online Journalist of the Year Faith Archer: Mirror Online Lee Boyce: This is Money John Fitzsimons: Lovemoney.com Simon Lambert: This is Money Laura Miller: FT Adviser Kevin Peachey: BBC Online

Financial Consumer Website of the Year BBC News LoveMoney MoneySavingExpert Moneywise The Telegraph This is Money

Financial National Title of the Year Financial Mail on Sunday FT Money Money, The Sunday Times Money, The Times Moneywise Which? Money

Financial Trade/Professional Title of the Year Citywire Wealth Manager Financial Adviser Fund Strategy Money Management Money Marketing Portfolio Adviser

Financial Trade/Professional Website of the Year Citywire FT Adviser Fund Strategy Investment Week Money Marketing

In addition there are two special judges’ awards that don’t have shortlists. The winners of Trade Article of the Year and Consumer Article of the Year will be announced on the evening. These winners will be chosen from other categories’ shortlists.

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

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Education

Access to Higher Education • Art & Design Beauty Therapy • Business Studies & Management • Childcare • Counselling Digital Media & Video Production ESOL / EFL • English & Maths • Fashion Fine Art • First Aid • Glass Making Graphic Design • Hairdressing • Health Humanities • Interior Design & CAD

Jewellery • Law • Midwifery • Millinery Music Production • Nursing • Painting & Drawing • Paramedics • Photography Pottery & Ceramics • Printmaking Psychology • Radiography • Science Social Science • Sport & Fitness • Sport Science • Teacher Training • Watercolour Website: KCC.AC.UK

T: 020 7573 5333

E: info@kcc.ac.uk

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Education Studying Abroad

By Catherine Godlewsky

A

s an American university student, I retreat on principle from decisions, and the typical student lifestyle caters to this retreat with available formulas. For indecisive eaters, there is the reliably bad cafeteria; for indecisive fashionistas, there are North Face jackets, black leggings, and Uggs; for indecisive nappers, there is the library’s bean bag chair.

However, I have abandoned my principles, and I am now distinguished from over 97% of my American peers by the decision I made to study abroad. The fact that I am in London still staggers me, so I’ve been asking both myself and London Program Director for the American Institute for Foreign Study, Anderson Hillen, how this happened.

When I asked Hillen why so few American students study abroad, she explained that my pattern of disbelieving the possibility of going abroad is common.

“In some communities, travel outside of the US just isn’t the ‘done’ thing, so students don’t realise that there is a whole world out there,” Hillen said.

For me, the idea of studying abroad began with peer pressure and a pamphlet, as one of my best friends was suddenly inspired to collect every pamphlet that our university’s study abroad office was giving away and plague me with theories of how much fun it might be to spend a four-month vacation under the pretense of study. Eventually, I succumbed to the general excitement and paid my first visit to the study abroad office, where I received my first round of forms and deadlines.

Partly because I was interested in coming to the UK, but mostly so as not to disappoint the lady who had given me the forms, I filled them out and returned them, with little intention of seeing the plan through. I was just “doing it to see.”

After the first round of paperwork, the forms flew in thick and fast; requests for essays were followed by demands for bank statements and social security numbers. While the vacation-seekers dropped around me, I somehow persevered, calling financial aid meetings with my parents and using my limited crafting skills to raise money for a plane ticket. Through this entire process, I had failed to convince myself that my decisions were real, continuing under my mantra of “doing it to see.”

This process, composed of confusing paperwork, contradictory instructions, and uncertain student funding, is tedious and stressful; although I miraculously

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk made the deadline, many of my fellow students did not and are now missing the opportunity to grow that Hillen stressed as an important part of the study abroad experience.

“I work hands-on with 130-180 students each semester, and it is such a joy to see how they develop during their time abroad. Students who arrive shy, reserved, homesick, and totally questioning why they decided to come abroad leave having travelled all over Europe,” she said.

However, when I consider Hillen’s emphasis on student growth while abroad and the obstacles I faced before leaving home, I find that the typical university’s study abroad system does little to help shy or uncertain students pursue a desire to study abroad. The process’s philosophy seems to be that only those who can answer the riddles of sphinxlike questionnaires may pass the airport terminal gates. However, the students who have ready answers are not the students who need to study abroad, but rather those who are unsure or afraid.

Drawing on her own study abroad experience, Hillen said, “Study abroad will change your life for the better.

It changed my whole world, opened countless opportunities, and even led me into a career field that I absolutely adore.”

For me and other students who have made frightening decision to study abroad, the experience is rewarding, but even as we celebrate London’s diverse student population, perhaps we should consider why so many others stayed home.

Chelsea Nanny Smoking Bonfires

T

he Small One came home from school today with the extended version of the ‘Remember, remember! The fifth of November’ verse.

I’d never seen or heard anything beyond the first four lines before and it doesn’t make for light reading. One of the Small One’s friends has Catholic parents. The Small One says she begged the teacher to ask them not to go to church anymore.

I asked the Small One if he found the poem disturbing and he said no because he’s seen the Eldest playing Grand Theft Auto. Then he asked if we could burn an effigy of Justin Bieber on the bonfire instead of Guy Fawkes. Even though I thought it was a fair request, I reasoned that Justin Bieber had yet to attempt to overthrow a government. And anyway, it would upset the Middle One.

The Middle One doesn’t need any more drama in her life right now. Her best friend, Azalea, has just broken up with her boyfriend. They had been ‘going out’ for a year and a half. The Middle One is struggling to find sympathy for the breakdown of a relationship that consisted of a bimonthly meeting behind the IT block and the peak of which was a solitary chaperoned trip to the cinema to watch Finding Dory. I admire her mature outlook but I also want to ask Azalea how she kept the relationship magic alive for eighteen months. Some of my friends could use the advice. Even if it is from a twelve year old. I try to reassure the Middle One as best I can that the heartbreak shouldn’t last too long. She isn’t sure. She can see from Azalea’s Spotify playlists that she has been listening to nothing but sad songs for the past five days. I suggest to the Middle One that she collates something upbeat and sends it over to Azalea but she gives me a crushing look, which suggests that I don’t know how Spotify works. She’s right. I don’t.

American Mom, meanwhile, is convinced that the Eldest has started smoking. She doesn’t believe me when I tell her that smoking isn’t cool for teenagers these days. If I were her, I’d be more worried about him getting into hacking and being arrested from behind his laptop in his bedroom or sending ill-judged Snapchats on his smartphone.

The Eldest eventually caves and admits that he did try one cigarette. But only to prove to Achilles (a boy in his year, not some abstract argument with a mythical Greek warrior) that it wasn’t a big deal and it genuinely isn’t cool. It’s a bold excuse but American Mom accepts it.

It’s a novel situation for us both to be right about something.

Lady Margaret School and TCS launch STEM initiative

By Ione Bingley

Lady Margaret School in Parsons Green and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have linked year 8 and 9 pupils with employers in a ten-week Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) research project designed to encourage pupils to pursue careers in STEM industries.

“The importance of tech to the UK economy and the need for a diverse and well-educated talent pool can’t be underestimated. Igniting that interest at key stages in young people’s education is at the heart of our TCS IT Futures programme,” said Director of Corporate Sustainability at TCS, Yogesh Chauhan.

Speak the Truth • Live Generously • Aim for the Best

Open Events 2016-17 School in Action See the school in operation with an address by the Headmistress Thursday 3rd November 9.00am – 10.45am Tuesday 17th January 9.00am – 10.45am To book: 020 7348 1748 admissions@sjsg.org.uk www.stjamesgirls.co.uk Earsby Street | London W14 8SH

ST JAMES

Registered Charity No. 270156

Senior Girls’ School

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

including dairy alternatives, the benefits and risks of different fats, and protein sources.

26th November 09:30-17:30 Cost: £89.

blinis and filo chicken pie, under the instruction of cookery experts.

26th November 10:30-14:30 Cost: £155.

Emarketeers

http://www.londonwelsh.org Email: administrator@lwcentre.demon.co.uk T: 020 7520 0074 157-163 Gray's Inn Rd London WC1X 8UE

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Education Adult Education Listings: November-December compiled by Polly Allen

T

his issue’s course selection is as eclectic as ever, with a wide range of short courses to see you through the start of winter.

Unless specified, courses must be pre-booked, are suitable for beginners, and all prices include materials.

Christie’s Education

https://www.christies.edu Email: london@christies.edu T: 020 7665 4350 153 Great Titchfield Street London W1W 5BD

Art Business Winter School

Discover the inner workings of the art market, art taxation and law surrounding art businesses in just one week, guided by the experts at Christie’s. Includes afternoon visits to galleries and the Deutsche Bank Collection.

5th-9th December 09:30-16:00 Cost: £1,600.

City Lit

http://www.citylit.ac.uk Email: foodanddrink@citylit.ac.uk or health@citylit.ac.uk T: 020 7831 7831 Keeley Street Covent Garden London WC2B 4BA

Eight Great Wines from New Zealand: More than just Sauvignon Blanc Develop a better understanding of New Zealand wine, from Chardonnay to Pinot Noir. You may wish to bring water and crackers to refresh your palate between tastings.

18th November 18:00-21:00 Cost: £49.

Veggie and Vegan Vitality: A Nutritional Guide

Are you worried about the nutritional impact of becoming vegetarian or vegan? Find out how to ensure you get a balanced diet in this one day workshop,

Contact via: http://www.emarketeers. com/contact T: 0845 680 1235 Wallace Space, 18 Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0DP

HTML and CSS for Beginners

Learn HTML and CSS code (useful for web and email design) through a one-day workshop covering HTML tags, CSS properties, JavaScript and much more.

Ideal for online marketers and anyone with web-based projects on the go.

Breakfast and lunch provided.

22nd November 09:30-17:00 Cost: £495.

Fair Cake

https://www.faircake.co.uk Contact form: https://www.faircake. co.uk/contact T: 0208 305 1756 16 Highbridge Wharf Greenwich London SE10 9PS

How to Sell Your Cakes

Ever dreamed of turning your GBBOstyle creations into a full-time job? Fair Cake has teamed up with Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium to offer a unique masterclass in culinary business planning.

You’ll study best business practices, how to find clients, and how to market your brand.

1st December 10:00-17:00 Cost: £225.

Leiths School of Food and Wine https://www.leiths.com Email: info@leiths.com T: 020 8749 6400 16-20 Wendell Road, London W12 9RT

Spanish Tapas Revolution

Tapas Revolution chef Omar Allibhoy reveals his insider tapas tips in a cookery demonstration. Watch and learn from the expert (attendees are not required to cook during this course), then tuck into the results for lunch.

26th November 11:30-13:30 Cost: £95.

Winter Entertaining

Seasonal comfort food is on the menu at Leiths. Add a host of wintery dishes to your repertoire, such as beetroot

London Welsh Centre

Welsh One Day Course

Celebrate an endangered language and get to grips with Welsh in a day this November. Suitable for all levels – choose from the beginner, intermediate or advanced group (see website for full details). Lunch and an afternoon drink provided.

26th November 09:00-15:30 Cost: £53.50.

The School of Life

www.theschooloflife.com Email: classroom@theschooloflife.com Phone: 020 7833 1010 70 Marchmont Street London WC1N 1AB

Networking for People Who Don’t Like Networking No matter how many times you try it, networking can be cringe-inducing.

Learn how to network authentically and overcome shyness in professional and public situations, guided by broadcaster and self-confessed introvert Tazeen Ahmad.

30th November 18:40-21:00 Cost: £45 (please check website for 10% concession eligibility).

Life Without Kids

http://www.npg.org.uk Contact via: http://www.npg.org.uk/ about/contactus.php T: 020 7306 0055 St Martin’s Place London WC2H 0HE

Jody Day, founder of Gateway Women, hosts a workshop designed for nonparents struggling in a family-focused world. Break the taboo of childlessness with group exercises and a series of discussions.

6th December 18:40-21:00 Cost: £45 (please check website for 10% concession eligibility).

Drop-In Drawing

St Bride Foundation

National Portrait Gallery

Unwind with casual drawing sessions led by artist Gayna Pelham in the atmospheric National Portrait Gallery.

Though each session lasts two hours, you’re free to arrive and leave at any time.

All materials provided.

18th and 25th November 18:30-20:30 Cost: Free, no need to book.

http://www.sbf.org.uk/print-workshop Email: events@sbf.org.uk T: 020 7353 3331 Bride Lane Fleet Street London, EC4Y 8EQ

One Day Travel Journal Bookbinding

This course, in association with

Life Drawing: Picasso with the Old Shepherds Bookbinders, sees participants Masters create a unique hand bound A5 travel The Ondjaate Wing of the National Portrait Gallery is the perfect setting for this monthly life drawing class, led by Andy Pankhurst.

Suitable for all abilities.

25th November 18:30 Cost: £9 (£7 concessions).

The Photographers’ Gallery

http://thephotographersgallery.org.uk Email: info@tpg.org.uk T: 020 7087 9300 16-18 Ramillies Street London W1F 7LW

The Social: Packaging and Branding Your Work

Get to know fellow photography enthusiasts and focus on selling yourself as a photographer during this salon.

8th December 18:30 Cost: Free (but booking essential).

journal, including sewing and casing processes.

11th November or 3rd December 10:00-16:00 Cost: £75.

One Day Rebind a Paperback

Rescue your favourite forlorn paperback and give it a new lease of life, thanks to this practical workshop. Please bring your treasured paperback and a scanned or photocopied version of its title page.

12th November or 10th December 10:00-16:00 Cost: £75.

Printing on a Wooden Handpress

Let the Dürer Press Group teach you to print in a day, using a traditional wooden handpress and 15th century printing techniques. You can take home your very own finished print.

29th November 10:00-17:00 Cost: £90.

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Education Literary Events and Courses compiled by Catherine Godlewsky

R

ather than hibernating this winter, why not expand your conceptions of literature and poetry with some of London’s most exciting literary events and courses.

This issue’s selection of conferences, open mics, poetry workshops, performances, and courses celebrates the diverse ways you can fit literature into your life.

Central St. Martins Flash Fiction Weekend

Get writing with author Joanna Pocock in this two-day writing course.

Pocock will teach from the great flash fiction authors including Jorge Luis Borges, Lydia Davis, Dave Eggers and Susana Medina and help writers workshop their texts. Participants will leave the course with a complete and well-structured flash fiction piece suitable for submission in a competition.

Sign up at the Central Saint Martin’s website http://www.arts.ac.uk/csm/.

26-27 Nov and 28-29 Nov 10.00-16.00 Cost: £295

The Poetry School

Discover and develop your poetic voice by taking a course from The Poetry School. Options include online courses or downloads, tutoring, masterclasses, and workshops. Learning options range from a £10 download course to a £72 workshop, and the school offers something for every style and experience level. Buy or sign up for courses online at https://poetryschool.com/. Email: administration@poetryschool.com T: 0207 582 1679 81 Lambeth Walk, London, SE11 6DX

Angela Carter: A Celebration

To learn more about the distinguished modern novelist Angela Carter, join Edmund Gordon as he interviews friends of Carter about her life at the British Library Conference Centre.

To purchase a ticket, visit https://www. bl.uk/events. 24 November 19.00-20.30

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

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online: online: www.KCWToday.co.uk www.KCWToday.co.uk

Cost: £10.00 (Check website for concessions)

Debate Chamber

Considering an English degree?

Begin your studies with the Debate Chamber’s English literature masterclasses designed for students aged 15-18. Choose from several topics including feminist criticism, postcolonial literature and theory, and literature and society.

Email: info@debatechamber.com T: 0845 519 4827 20 November 10:30-16:30 Cost: £95

Building Inclusivity in Publishing

Join publishers from around the world to talk about the importance of diversity in publishing. This one-day conference is hosted by The Publishers Association and the London Book Fair with the goal of ensuring equal representation in the publishing industry.

Purchase tickets from the London Book Fair website at http://www. londonbookfair.co.uk/.15 November Cost: £199 (Including VAT)

short stories. Four celebrated authors will be giving their perspective and talking about what makes a short story successful. To book tickets, go to the British Library’s website at http://www. bl.uk/events. 17 November 19.00-20.30. Cost: £10.00

Sunday Serial: A Christmas Carol

By Charles Dickens at Vestry House Museum Join local actors in the Vestry House Museum for a dramatic reading of Dickens’s classic Christmas Carol, read in parts from the 6 November-18 December. Each session will start with a recap of the previous session, so feel free to show up at any point during the event.

This event is free to attend.

6 November-18 December 12.00-12.30

Here be Dragons

Join the Queen of Afro-Caribbean Storytelling Jan Blake for an evening of adult fairytales, folktales, myths, and rumours in the British Library Conference Centre. For more information, check the library’s web site at https://www.bl.uk/events.

16 December 19.00-20.30 Cost: £10.00 (Check website for concession discount)

WordPlay Festival for International Kensington Christmas Book Fair Games Day

Celebrate writing at the British Library’s WordPlay Festival, which is about writerly games, digital narratives, and interactive fiction and features talks from writers, artists, and game makers.

19 November. 11.00-16.:00 E: boxoffice@bl.uk T: 01937 546546

Jawdance

For poets or poetry enthusiasts the monthly open mic night at the Rich Mix theatre is the place to perform or hear feature acts in poetry and music.

Performers can sign up in advance or at the door for the open mic draw that selects performers at random. The open mic is free to attend.

23 Nov. 19:30 start time

The Bookseller Futurebook Conference

Join publishers from around the world to learn about the intersection between publishing and forward thinking technology from speakers from trade, education and academic publishing, start- ups, and gaming. This yearly digital publishing conference is set to expand this year with special strands on EdTech and the audiobook market. Purchase your conference pass from The Bookseller’s website at http://www.thebookseller. com/futurebook-conference/book-now.

2 December. Cost: £421

Telling Tales

Join Ali Smith at the British Library Conference Centre for a discussion of

Do your holiday shopping in literary style on Kensington High Street. The Kensington Christmas Book Fair boasts a vast selection from over 90 booksellers and a festive holiday spirit; tickets are £2 at the entrance or free if downloaded from the Provincial Booksellers Fairs Association website.

3 December 11.00-17.00 Cost: £2 (Free with downloaded ticket) T: 07967 583148

Keats and Festivity

Celebrate Christmas as Keats, Leigh Hunt, and their friends would have with Romantic era poetry readings, quizzes, riddles and refreshments. The event is free at the Keats Museum.

6 December 18.30-20.20

Cultures of Mortality: Death on the Shakespearian Stage

Join scholars at the Globe Theatre for a conference on the differences between modern and early Jacobean views of death and how dramatists incorporated conceptions of grieving and loss into their works. Purchase a ticket for all the three days of conferences from www.shakespearesglobe.com/.

1-3 December Cost: £75 (Check the website for concession discounts)

Historical Modernisms Symposium

Attend an avant-garde modern lit conference at University of London as

scholars attempt to prove the historical background of modernism and fit modern ideas into a larger historical context. It will examine questions of philosophy, world representations of local and historical events, and look for new approaches to literary history. Register online at http://www.ies.sas.ac.uk/ Historical-Modernisms.

12 December Cost: £55 (Check website for concessions)

City Academy

Sign up for creative courses in literature and poetry at the City Academy, where writing tutors will guide workshops suitable for all skill levels and styles of writing. Sign up for courses online at http://www.city-academy.com/ creative-writing.

T: 020 7042 8833 E: info@city-academy. com 33 Eyre Street Hill, London, EC1R 5ET

Christmas at the Charles Dickens Museum

Keep your eyes open for a series of upcoming exhibitions and events focusing on how Dickens celebrated Christmas at the Dickens Museum.

Dates, times and prices are to be posted on the museum website at http:// dickensmuseum.com/pages/christmasat-the-charles-dickens-museum.

A Concert for Winter

Come to the Globe Theatre for a poetry, song, and dance showcase, bringing the best of the past, present, and future of Southwark to the celebration of the winter season. The event is free, but tickets must be booked in advance on the Globe’s website (http://www. shakespearesglobe.com/) or by calling the box office.

T: 020 7902 1435. 8 December 13.00

Christmas Carols at Keats House

Come to the Keats House museum for an afternoon of carols sung by the New London’s Children’s Choir. There will be crafts available for the children while the adults enjoy the splendid Regency era decorations. The event is free with admission to Keats House.

4 December 15.00-15.35

London School of Journalism

To polish your journalism skills or engage with the world of literature, sign up for a distance learning course from the London School of Journalism.

Distance course options include email and post; sign up online at www.lsj.org/ web/courses.php.

T: 020 7432 8140 Email: admin@lsjournalism.com www.lsj.org

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Wonderlab at the Science Museum:

for what they are, and what their proper names are.

The author was very tempted to try some of the more hands-on experiments at the expense of looking like a child; A review like the curious “tooth-o-phone” and

By Natanael Mota the hair salon-style head drier with a light show. The depth of understanding for each experiment was on a smooth curve, from arched bridges to speed flash photography and standing waves in strings and water. Group activities ummary: A fresh breath of air for the Science Museum. A strong, well include the sun-moon-earth stars merrygo-round, a two meter long tesla coil, planned gallery that doesn’t shy away from the Science, encased in bright periodic table cocktail bar (keep your unassuming British “muf ” architecture. It I.Ds handy, real science at work) and a mini auditorium for a range of live opened on the 12th of October. shows. Visits can be tailored and the Once upon a time a budding curators expect that one day won’t be secondary school student from London enough to completely explore the whole with a taste for the exact and the new might have thought the Science Museum venue.

As with all things, the maths section to be the ultimate place of interest. Like was probably one of the hardest to realise a cathedral, but for Science. in concrete, real life experiments. The Two or three visits later and the tessellation wall puzzles and the 3d to magic sparkles of science and wonder 2d shape “slicer” can be engaging to sadly die out. The Natural History younger minds, and the waterspout was a Museum right next door seems, nice touch to make students think about somehow, nicer. Numbers back this too; parabolic trajectories. Little else of pure the National History Museum had 2 maths sprung to the eye. Everything in million more visitors than the Science the gallery relies heavily on maths, of Museum last year (5,284,023 at the course, but it also compares with the NMS and 3,356,212 at the SM). struggles in the classroom of making Granted, it’s a privilege to live in maths engaging and expanding its scope London to appreciate them both to the point of apathy, and a bit like comparing beyond algebra and surfaces (there is a lot more to maths!). Coding can be a dodos to floppy disks.

Does the Science Museum need more great way of showing the practicalities of math to older minds. Make a robot arm David Attenborough? Maybe. Maybe play a piano, help a mecha-mouse escape it’s just that it is a Museum of Science, a labyrinth, or simulate what a flower meant to enshrine what has been and would look like if we tweaked Fibonacci’s not the cutting edge content our thirsty number or pi. minds might wish for...

Some 50 scientists and politicians are That said, the £6 million Wonderlab not happy that the event is ticketed and Gallery (sponsored by Statoil) is cutting that it is sponsored by Norwegian oil edge. It is well thought out and it shows on each of their 50 exhibits, the fantastic and gas company Statoil. When asked, Wonderlab curator Toby Parker said signposts drawn by Andrew Rae and that Statoil did not have creative input the “muf ” direction towards a flexible, into the gallery, which is fairly reassuring inviting and clean architecture. It was sunny that day so one could really tell the at least on what pure scientific content is concerned. Paid exhibitions are not seamless difference between the darker new to either the NHM or the Science sun-earth-moon microcosmos zone and Museum, and pre-booked schools go the bright, shiny playground slide area free. The Wonderlab team hopes to (that teaches you about friction). Either see 200,000 students in school groups could make for a nice spot to eat your packed school lunch, depending on your this year and there is already a waiting list of 30,000. It is a robust upgrade to fancy.

Each physical phenomenon of Nature the previous children’s gallery made to entertain and educate for the years to has a special spot. One for sound, light, space, mechanics, electricity, mathematics come. and chemistry. Biology is better covered sciencemuseum.org.uk/wonderlab at the NHM, so they left it there. Even if pupils are not thinking of doing civil engineering, nuclear and particle physics or science fiction, it’s still very much worth a visit.

When the particle detector came into view one could tell this was a serious enterprise. The Museum didn’t shy away from labeling the little streaks of background radiation in this cloud chamber for what they were: muons, alpha and beta particles. Considering the average age of visitors to be 7 to 14 years, it’s great to let them see the details

Image © Science Museum

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Why on earth study philosophy?

By Judy Forte

This is a question that has been asked for time immemorial. Indeed it is in keeping with the introspective and inherently sceptical nature of the discipline that students quickly wonder ‘why study this at all?’ And then, ‘why not study something more applicable or relevant?’

Well, one could name various philosophers who went on to become cultural gems. Comedian Ricky Gervais of Office fame studied philosophy for one. Philosophers are increasingly being venerated, just glance at Alain de Botton and his various self-help philosophy books and columns being published left, right and centre. They are veritable authorities in our increasingly ‘mindful’ society offering nuggets of wisdom and self-indulgent advice.

But there are many conceptions about the reality for philosophy graduates. Some think it little more than a humanities degree, on a par with film and media, that it is a dead subject, that it is a pursuit of little prospect. While studying philosophy equips one with the same skills as any other degree, essay writing, time management, deadline meeting etc it also equips one with a critical eye which I think is invaluable.

There is obviously an existential and self-indulgent element to philosophy. It all-too-easily leads one down a rabbithole of self-doubt, other-doubt, just general doubt. This is a pitfall which must be traversed in order to reach the sweet centre which is… uncertainty.

Not all graduates leave a Philosophy degree a nihilistic wreck, however it does (and many philosophical friends will equally attest to this), leave you feeling somewhat altered.

Of course philosophy leaves you with a less obvious career path than more driven courses like Law or Medicine. But that does not affect its international reputation. Philosophy holds good standing in Scandinavian countries and an interesting educational feature of Norway and Iceland is that all university students (budding medics and lawyers included), spend their first semester preparing for a compulsory exam in philosophy. It is a respected interdisciplinary course.

In the UK, money-wise, it may not be as dire as is commonly thought. A study composed last year by Payscale showed that while starting salaries for graduates are often less than those with business degrees, by the midway point of their career, many philosophy graduates will be surpassing the incomes of those working in marketing, accounting, and business management. This is inspiring information.

Turning to ethics for a moment, there is certainly a demand for ethical advisers, be it in medicine or even in business, but the feeling is that an ethics-based degree alone is not robust enough to stand up in the job market nowadays.

Granted, most young graduates are fearful of the big ‘what next’ after their degree finishes and up to half of new graduates return to living at home making it a new social norm. The unholy matrimony of a weak job market and high property prices is to blame.

We just can’t afford to pay for our ivory towers straight out of university.

In spite or in light of all this, philosophy seems a well-spent pursuit if the interest and the mental stamina is keenly there.

Image © Karora

Education

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

25

Blakes Restaurant Blakes London 33 Roland Gardens, Kensington, London SW7 3PF T: 020 7370 6701

W

alking into Blakes London it’s hard not to immediately be struck by the décor, designed

by Anouska Hempel it feels mildly like walking into a James Bond set, with striking black and gold geometric patterns as the order of the day. As we (slightly reluctantly) left the wellappointed bar for our table, there was a feeling that at any moment a Blofeldtype would emerge from behind a pillar and offer us the chance to invest in a superweapon. Thankfully no men in black suits with facial scars emerged and my date and I were free to soak in the decadent bohemian ambience unmolested. I couldn’t resist surrendering myself to the tentacled grip of the Charcoal Grill Octopus for my starter, which was possessed of the kind of chewy tenderness that you usually have to trek to Europe to find, whilst my date made a beeline for the nettle soup which was creamy and delicious with a sting in

Christmas Dining Once Upon a Time presents “The Little Treasured Toy Shop”

Celebrate at this pop-up speakeasy cabaret evening in an ‘abandoned New York toy store’ hosted by toys with a Christmas-themed menu and drinks.

40-41 Conduit Street, London W1S 2YQ Call for reservations: 020 3070 3005 Open 18:30 – 24:00 24 November, 2016 – 22 December, 2016

Quaglino’s

Quaglinio’s will be serving a threecourse Christmas dinner from the 1st to the 31st of December at £95 per adult and £45 per child. Dishes will include Pressed guinea fowl, ham hock and foie gras terrine, roast bronze turkey & Parma ham ballotine, chestnut stuffing, pigs in blankets, Praline & banana “Buche de noel”, and mince pie among others.

Open 11:30 – 19:00 (Christmas Day) Call for reservations: 020 7930 6767 Davy’s at Canary Wharf Davy’s will be serving a two-course

the tail.

As we busied ourselves with our starters, the day slowly turned to evening outside with the effect that the muted lighting and flickering candles started meal for £29.95 and a three-course meal for £34.95 with dishes including spiced carrot and parsnip soup, Staffordshire turkey, wild mushroom risotto, Christmas pudding, and potted dark chocolate cherry trifle. The menu labels dishes as gluten free, vegetarian, or contains nuts to help diners with allergies.

Call for reservations: 020 7363 6633

Northbank

Northbank will be serving two Christmas menus, one for £39.50 and one for £45, with dishes including truffled goats cheese mousse with roasted beetroot, confit chicken and duck leg terrine with cranberry chutney, turkey breast with roast potatoes, chestnut stuffing, savoy cabbage and turkey gravy, Christmas pudding with brandy custard, and vanilla cheesecake with poached berries and winter berry sorbet.

Call for reservations: 020 7329 9299

Darbaar

Darbaar will be serving a Christmas Lunch at £80 per person with dishes including Keralan crab and coconut soup, Tandoori paneer, grilled aubergine, apricot cake, Malai koftas with saffron and royal cumin served with dried fruit and chestnut pilau, and spiced fruit and nut pudding with rose custard.

Open 11.30 – 16:30 Call for reservations: 020 7422 4100

to really accentuate the smooth charms of Blakes’ elegant design. Pitched somewhere between high class modern decadence and an opium den, even after a long day out in the rain and cold, it’s hard not to feel suitably seduced and considering that my date for the evening was in fact, a date, this was absolutely no bad thing. It was into this rather sultry atmosphere (though to be fair, the thoroughly excellent bottle of Cariglio Terre Nobili 2014 might have had a fair bit of involvement in setting the mood) that we started on our mains. My date had informed me in no uncertain terms Duck and Waffle The Duck and Waffle will be serving a regular and vegetarian Christmas menu for £85 per guest. The special menu is only available on Christmas Day and includes bacon wrapped dates, crispy polenta, roasted parsnip soup, braised short rib, artichoke ravioli, chocolate fondant, and mince pies.

Call for reservations: 0203 640 7310

The Queen’s Pub and Dining Room

The Queen’s Pub and Dining Room will be serving a Christmas dinner for £80 (£25 for children) with amuse bouche and a glass of bubbly on arrival, followed by warm winter salad, roasted beetroot and butternut squash, candied peanuts, smoked goose breast, Suffolk turkey, chipolata pigs in blankets, pork belly & herb stuffing, chestnut and vegetable loaf, cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding, and brandy crème anglaise.

Call for a reservation: 020 8340 2031 The Landmark London Hotel Serving a Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas afternoon tea, and a Christmas day lunch and dinner, the Landmark offers a range of celebrations for the holiday season. The Christmas day lunch and dinner includes a glass of Champagne, half a bottle of wine, coffee, petit fours, and Christmas party favours in addition to a meal of Jerusalem artichoke velouté, Terrine of Foie Gras,

that she was having the Steamed Wild Salmon and deciding that it’s better not to argue with someone brandishing a fish knife with potentially violent intent, I elected to choose the Slow Roasted Lamb that was impossible to be (with apologies to haters of puns) silent about: A symphony of meat with hints of artichoke spinach and mint of the kind of tenderness that could bring a vegan to tears of envy, paired with pleasantly chunky hand cut chips. The Steamed Wild Salmon didn’t inspire quite have the same Damascene level of wonder, but vanished so quickly that my date was convinced that our neighbouring table must have been sneaking bites when she wasn’t looking.

To finish off, I couldn’t elected death by chocolate mousse, a velvety beast of a desert that felt more like it was eating me than the other way around which left me groaning and contented, whilst my date practically dove headfirst into an ice cream and sorbet. We perked ourselves up with some Espresso Martinis which meant that we didn’t have to be rolled out of our seats. Blakes proves a luxurious and delicious night out that doesn’t cost the moon on a string and with the kind of atmosphere that makes it perfect for anything from a date to plotting world domination with supervillains. Pop in for an offer that you can’t refuse (unless you don’t have working taste buds).

By Max Feldman warm duck croquettes, poached Scottish lobster, bronze free-range turkey, lemon curd, blackcurrant and meringue, Christmas pudding, and Valrhona chocolate mousse, cocoa crumb and poached mandarin for £190 per person.

Lunch: 12.30 – 14:30 Dinner: 19:00 – 21:00 Call for reservations: 020 7631 8000

The Fox and Grapes

The Fox and Grapes will be serving separate Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day menus, with the £95 Christmas Day celebration including celeriac and truffle veloute, herb oil, chestnut & pancetta crumb, citrus cured Loch Duart salmon, Brixham crab mayonnaise, shaved radish, apple and vanilla dressing, roast Norfolk Bronze free-range turkey, Christmas pudding, and Chantilly cream and brandy butter.

There is also a separate vegetarian menu.

Open 12:00- 19:00 (Christmas Day) Call for reservations: 020 8619 1300

Blueprint Café

The Blueprint Café will be serving a £45 Christmas Day set menu with soused herrings, beetroot, and horseradish, duck and chestnut terrine, prawn cocktail, stuffed turkey, deep fried duck egg, beef wellington, mince pies, apple crumble, and Christmas pudding.

Call for reservations: 020 7378 7031

Image © Blakes Hotel

Dining Out

November April/May 2016 2011

Dining Out

www.KCWToday.co.uk

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

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HE ATHENAEUM HOTEL & RESIDENCES building was originally a gentlemen’s club called the Junior Athenaeum, the word loosely translating as library after

Athena the goddess of wisdom. It later passed to the Rank Organisation who welcomed their

By Cynthia Pickard

movie stars to stay when filming in London studios. Since the 1990s it has been family run.

The Bar

transport me back to Harry’s Bar, but the Champagne Julep with Fair-trade goji berry liqueur, strawberries and lots of mint was certainly a step up from a Mojito.

Next to try was the Konik’s Tail Vodka and Sake Collins containing yuzu puree and shiso leaves, deliciously citrusy, definitely not over sugary but at the same time reminiscent of childhood sherbet sweeties. After that although we were certainly far from feeling half dead, our waitress recommended we try the Corpse Reviver. What a discovery! The combination of flavours of Kummel, lemon juice, Tarquin’s handcrafted Cornish gin, (apparently made with the addition of Devon violets and orange zest,) lavender syrup and the star ingredient, Frangelico, an Italian hazelnut liqueur, made for an extraordinarily unusual result, unlike any other cocktail I’ve ever had. Again we tried to work out what it reminded us of, enhanced by the flavour of nuts it seemed to capture the essence of the countryside in autumn.

Mayfair’s five star The Athenaeum Hotel has recently undergone a multi-million pound refurbishment with their former Whisky Bar taking on a new modern look, glass and mirrors, velvet seating and an ‘art piece’, consisting of a loop of hundreds of clips from movies showing men lifting women in the air or over the threshold projected onto a screen; fun but distracting if you sit facing it for too long! The new Bar has widened its appeal to include artisanal spirits, Champagne and signature cocktails, so we thought we should try out a few of bartender magician Giancarlo Mancino’s latest creations.

As well as the drinks menu there’s a set of cards, so we could discover exactly what was in each cocktail, a picture of the drink in question listing its ingredients and the method of mixing them; reading glasses were needed for the small print! The Double Bellini topped with a white peach foam wasn’t quite as peachy as expected and didn’t

Galvin at The Athenaeum

Michelin-starred chefs, brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin have recently taken over the hotel’s restaurant and have decided to made a break from the usual French inspired menus of their other successful restaurants and in this new venture at The Athenaeum they are championing everything British; seasonal British produce from independent growers and farmers as well as creating British dishes with a modern take.

Their philosophy of honesty in the food they serve and the importance of people and hospitality certainly permeates this establishment. The tables are well spaced in a modern unpretentious setting, lots of wood and British designed fittings. The waiting staff are knowledgeable and as for the cuisine, they go for simple presentation and a distinct absence of minimalism, dots or squiggles on the plates.

My friend opted for the Black figs, goat’s curd and Woodhall’s Cumbrian air dried ham, full of serious flavour, while I, as ever unable to resist it, went for the Poached lobster and cauliflower salad, a very light creamy sauce sprinkled with British black caviar and the lobster succulent and tasting of the sea, engendering more reminiscence. I followed with slices of pink Haunch of Denham Estate venison; celeriac puree with crisped kale, barley, blackberries and red cabbage were just the foil for the recognisably flavoured venison, all portions perfectly sized. A glass of Elegance Rosé Côtes de Provence for me and Sauvignon de Touraine for my companion who chose Linguini with brown shrimps, chilli and coriander; the tiny brown shrimps bringing back another memory, Morecombe Bay. She couldn’t resist the idea of that old favourite Floating Island, the foamy island light as a feather in its delight of crème Anglaise, and for me the Organic lemon cheesecake with lime sorbet, wonderfully tart and sharp with very crunchy biscuit base. This was not the end of the evening’s surprises. Our waitress suggested accompanying these treats with a pudding wine and recommended the Moscato d’Asti Chiaro. This light, slightly petillant wine was served very cold and rounded off the meal in the most delightful way making for a memorable evening full of Proustian reminiscences.

A three course Prix Fixe menu for lunch or early dinner is good value.

Private dining and afternoon teas, Sunday lunches with the Galvins at the culinary helm, and events are available too. www.athenaeumhotel.com 116 Piccadilly, London W1J 7BJ T: 020 7499 3464

Image © Athenaeum

Proustian moments at The Athenaeum

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

Images © Cynthia Pickard

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020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

27

Carnivore’s Heaven

await your hors d’oeuvres.

My carnivore’s starter was a very good Carpaccio of beef that he appreciated for not being sliced too thinly, while London Steakhouse Company I tackled the job of detaching the adolescent grilled Scottish langoustines

By Cynthia Pickard from their half shells, tiny but tasty in garlic butter and lemon.

Having polished off the Mojito we then ordered our wine, an Argentinian Malbec for him and a New Zealand Pinot Noir o fully appreciate the delights Rosé for me to accompany our main of a restaurant with the word courses. The Steakhouse doesn’t only ‘steak’ in its name I felt the serve steak of course, but it would have seemed rude not to sample it, so from need to be accompanied by a fullblooded (probably male) carnivore. the various kinds on offer we chose a

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The London Steakhouse Company Chelsea in the King’s Road is a compact 45 seater set on two levels and co-owned by Marco Pierre White. The cartoons by Jak on the walls and the style of background music lend the venue the faint hint of a New York Jazz bar while designer crockery, glass, linen and stiff menus all contribute to the sense of quality required by the affluent local residents.

rare 12oz sirloin served on the bone for the carnivore and a 6oz centre-cut fillet served as two medallions for me.

A few years ago I was invited to lunch at the dining room of the headquarters building of the NatWest Bank where I was treated to the most tender and delicious fillet steak which cut like butter and literally melted in the mouth and by which I have measured every other fillet steak thereafter. London Steakhouse’s meat is supplied by butcher Aubrey Allen and dry-aged for 28 days. The sirloin excellently demonstrated that quality of tenderness but cooking fillet as medallions is perhaps not the way to

The Berners Tavern 10 Berners St, W1

By David Hughes

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argue that buying by the glass does the same, but indisputably, those who love a gamble will feel hard done by.

Any wine can be affected, but buying older wine that has not been checked and re-corked is far from a sure fire bet, even kept in a temperature controlled cave. Although you always hope that you have a perfect bottle, serious collectors and those ordering from the top end of the wine list all accept the risk that some

might be “corked” which adds an extra frisson to those purchases.

With three flights of wine to look forward to and Thierry and Jennifer in charge I was very confident of the quality, but would I like the wine? Not every style appeals, and so it was here.

What other hailed as “elegant” I could happily exchange for the later year, bigger in style and fuller of fruit.

An hour of concentrated gargling

led us to our starter of Prawn Cocktail, Lobster Jelly, Avocado and Crispy Shallot. Chunky and flavoursome in the main, the prawns were a bit lacking in punch for me, but reaching for the salt and pepper put some life back into them.

I’ve noted the lobster jelly as “elusively tasty”. Next up comes that old classic pairing of pork and cabbage, in this case BBQ Dingley Dell Pork Chop, Pickled White Cabbage and a Whole Grain Mustard sauce. It’s a big chop, served just pink, with seared white cabbage. A female guest opposite me commented this was a “man’s dish” and I wouldn’t disagree. There’s plenty of meat that you need to engage with, but it’s well worth the chase, and light years away from the tough over-grilled pallid things that used to be passed off as pork chops.

Lunch was rounded off with a block of Taleggio cheese surrounded by a brandy snap, served with honey, blanched walnuts and fresh fig, which was a good looking dish that tripped a neat path between a savoury and a sweet. But for another appointment, I think I could have easily snuck downstairs to the grand dining room and kept going for a little longer.

My thanks to CA Gran Cru and Liberty Wine.

Bookings for the Berners Tavern on: 020 7908 7979.

Budget around £60 ph plus wine

Image © David Hughes

Monday-Thursday Lunch 12-3, Dinner 5.30-10.30pm Friday-Sunday 12-10.45pm (10pm Sunday) www.londonsteakhousecompany.com/ chelsea 386 Kings Road London SW3 5UZ T: 020 7351 9997

It was busy, by the time we had been set up with a Mojito we had already been served with an amuse bouche, a little pot of risotto with mushrooms, Parmesan and spinach; quite delicious and a great alternative to filling up on the breadbasket while you

hef Jason Atherton is the presiding star here, but this visit was a little unusual in so far as I was attending a wine tasting of Chateau de Santaney wines hosted by Thierry Budin (Credit Agricole Gran Cru, the owners of the estate) and Jennifer Doherty, Master of Wine (Liberty Wines) These two don`t generally get together unless they have something to shout about, but shouting was hardly the order of the day in the upstairs private dining room.

Unusually for high quality Burgundy, all of the wines had been specially bottled under stelvin, or screw tops to you and me, which we Brits love more than almost any other nation. So, this was a bit of an experiment for the Chateau then. We all know the benefits of screw tops from a consistent quality point of view, but there’s generally a bit of resistance from the traditionalists and the top end of the market as it takes a lot of the mystique and theatre away from presenting it to the table. You could

bring out the best from this cut of beef.

The beef was accompanied by a choice of Béarnaise, peppercorn or butter sauce and the house fries were perfect, on top of which for each order served 50p is donated to the children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

I managed to squeeze in a slice of pecan pie accompanied by a sphere of subtle banana ice cream while my companion was forced to deviate from his carnivorous diet by sinking his teeth into a tiramisu.

Apart from maintaining the great quality of the meat, I imagine there is a lack of opportunity for creativity for a chef producing a meal of steak and chips and I regretted not having tried out some of the more interesting sounding dishes on offer; Kipper pate with whiskey, Honey roast pork belly Marco Polo or even Beef Wellington for example. But I left with one very happy carnivore and if you are seriously into steak too, the London Steakhouse Company also has on offer a huge 24oz Boston Chop, that would certainly be something to get your gnashers around!

Image © Steakhouse

Dining Out

28

November April/May 2016 2011

Fashion House of Ho, Ho, Ho

Images © Henry Holland

Henry Holland showing fashion at the V&A

By Lynne McGowan

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk swanked up the catwalk in loud checks, spots, sparkle and wide bands of ostrich feather. Yes, the palette was brash and the mix heady but the cuts were tight.

Amidst the riotous assemblages was the keen eye of a creative mind at work, beneath the colliding collages lay discipline and beauty. The retrospective show kicked off with favourites from recent years like the Agyness Deyn slogan T-shirt, a long, purple plaid dress complete with matching antlers, followed an outfit of appliqued flowers on ripped jeans and a succession of exotic prints.

As with Vivienne Westwood and the late Alexander McQueen, Henry Holland is a British maverick deconstructivist determined to blaze a trail and build a brand. Though shy of describing himself as a designer per se, his clothes are crafted with a confident wit best summed up by himself... ‘...design is about putting a piece of yourself into your work and, for me that is very much that British sense of humour, that tongue-in-cheek nod and a wink. It's what makes us unique.’

crucial roles in his support circle instilling in him ambition and focus.

He is an unlikely fashion doyen and refreshingly didn’t study fashion at Central St Martins but went to LCP (London College of Printing, now London College of Communication) to study journalism. Unable to switch to

fashion journalism he left to write for teen mags like Heat and do a blog for Bliss at the same time screening some of his cheeky slogans on to T-shirts – Henry was on his way.

Though it’s all very well having good connections and bags of swagger, running a Fashion House needs smart moves and clever collaborations. Henry Holland has never shied from opportunities offered, behind the hot colours and razzamatazz belies a cool head for business. His joyful appeal continues to reach out to teens, twenty and thirty year olds alike; he designs for the boys as well as the girls, so indeed there is something for everyone and so much love out there for Henry Holland and his house of fun.

Lynne McGowan

F

ashion in Motion is one of a series free for the public to attend and attend they did last Friday in droves to witness House of Holland strutting its stuff. There was nothing dull or Dutch about this show, it was carnival time at the V&A, celebrating classic outfits from the last 10 years with a rainbow mix bold enough to put Rio to shame.

In a bravura display, young models House of Holland burst on the scene with its first solo show in 2008 on London Fashion Week and 30 collections on is now firmly established internationally. Many famous faces are faithful to the label from the demure Alexa Chung to singer Katy Perry, whilst many like ex-model Agyness Deyn were old pals with Henry before celebrity became so celebrated. His inspiration comes from the streets of London and maybe Tokyo too but his original ideas have spiralled from slogans on £50 tees to inspiring grander houses like Prada, Gucci and Chanel; this season’s collections are looking very ‘Henry Holland’.

Henry Holland comes from a family of ‘doers’; father is a solicitor and his mother Stephanie Holland once wrote a book called Living Positively; both they and his extended family have played

Embroidery Eastern Brilliance Ltd

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020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

29

Fashion

Images © Simon Darcourt

By Polly Allen

find in store at 322 King’s Road, is full of wearable pieces in burnt orange, terracotta, charcoal and teal shades, with finishing touches like the Back Country felt hat.

Image © Peruvian Connection

The Peruvian Mood

The Peru-Inspired Designers

Y

et again, Peruvian influences are spreading across London.

It was only a few years ago that the capital’s culinary scene was inspired

by Peru, but the fashion industry is no stranger to Peru either. Several clothing and accessory brands are using the country’s artisans for inspiration or collaborations this winter.

A long-admired label inspired by Peru turned 40 this year. Peruvian Connection (peruvianconnection.co.uk), founded by Annie Hurlbut, launched to a US customer base in 1976 and caught the attention of the New York Times in 1979. The company has had a UK presence for 20 years, appealing to women “from a fashionable Kensington or Chelsea address or from a castle in Scotland,” Hurlbut says. Throughout its long history, the company has supported Andean workers and championed high quality Pima cotton and alpaca wool, not only fabulously soft, but moth-resistant, from Peru. The heritage behind Peruvian weaving also comes into play.

“Each village in the Andes is represented by its own iconography and colour schemes,” Hurlbut explains. “You can look across a crowded market place and spot the women from Pitumarka and the men from Q’ero.

“The artisans who’ve made our collections over the past 40 years are a part of Peru’s deep textile heritage; their mothers, grandmothers and great grandmothers spun the alpaca yarn and wove the textiles that reflected their identity.”

The Winter 2016 range, which you’ll

Scandi brand Gudrun Sjödén (gudrunsjoden.com), whose British store is 65-67 Monmouth Street, showcases all things Peruvian and Bolivian in its Winter 2016 collection. A trip to shoot the seasonal catalogue included stops in Lima, Cusco, Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu, before going onto Lake Titicaca and across to Bolivia with its famous Salar de Uyuni, the world’s biggest salt flats.

Gudrun Sjödén has always been passionate about eco-friendly design, often incorporating recycled materials such as recycled polyamide and eco cotton into her fashion ranges. This environmental obsession is arguably mirrored by the stops on her trip, such as the man-made Uros islands of Lake Titicaca (made entirely of reeds) and the agricultural terraces of Ollantaytambo, and the use of alpaca yarn in the collection.

Even athleisure has its eye on Peru: print designer Anna Sudbina , a former Central Saint Martins student, created the Peru print for Lucas Hugh’s Autumn/Winter 2016 collection, available in white or black. Pieces come with a vibrant hand-sketched nature motif, featuring botanicals and hummingbirds, and cross-stitch details.

Highlights include the moisture wicking double-layer Inca shorts (£155) and matching sports bra (£80).

Lucas Hugh’s founder, Anjhe Mules, started her research not so far away: in Portobello Market. “We visited Portobello to buy lots of traditional garments and fabrics,” says Mules. “Peru was the planned destination of my honeymoon – the colours and weaving were all part of our research process.”

The Transatlantic Jewellers

London-based Soluna (solunajewellery.com) ensures its luxury jewellery is well-travelled: it’s dreamt up in London and crafted in Peru. BritishPeruvian owner Miguel Depaz trained at GIA (the Gemological Institute of America) in London and is accredited by the Goldsmiths’ Company.

Every Soluna piece is eco-friendly, and the company’s social responsibility

Image © Soluna

Image © The Heritage Brand

The Heritage Brand

policy extends to fair wages, life insurance, health checks and training programs for its South American workforce. Traditional Incan symbols, such as the sun and the jaguar, give these distinctive designs an enduring cultural relevance. They can also be engraved.

Chavín (chavin-jewellery.com) is another Peruvian jewellery brand making waves in London, inspired by the ancient Chavín culture (which predates the Incas) and worn by the likes of Made in Chelsea’s Rosie Fortescue and Louise Thompson.

Stockists include the on-board Duty Free shops of Austrian Airlines, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.

Founded by Simon Ogilvie-Harris, Chavín uses a portion of its sales to support an SOS Children charity project at Lima’s Luz y Vida Centre, where jewellery making workshops run give single mothers a new skill and potential extra income. Like Soluna, Chavín has strong ethical policies, and provides life insurance and health checks for every employee in Peru, 60% of whom are women. Every precious stone used in its designs has been responsibly sourced, and even the product packaging is environmentally conscious. As prices start at under £50, this is an affordable way for consumers to embrace Peruvian culture.

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

Seven more hiring hotspots for formal wear

luxury jewellery available to hire, for 1% of the retail price, plus VAT, and a £75 per day minimum hire charge.

The antique and period collections are particularly striking for formal occasions: who could turn down the chance to wear a 16th century ruby and enamel ring?

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Fashion How to hire formal wear for the festive season

Chic by Choice

By Polly Allen

The Folly Boutique

thefollyboutique.com stocks fashionconscious designer jewellery to hire or buy, with rentals lasting either three or six days. Should you fall in love with the piece you’ve rented, simply pay the balance to keep it forever. With such a vast range of modern designers, such as Smith/Grey and Mawi, you’ll always make a style statement.

H

iring formal dresses and suits has never been easier, with retailers embracing our changing tastes and dress codes, along with the ever-present fear of being seen in the same outfit twice.

One Night Stand

Buckleigh of London

buckleighoflondon.com, a family-run business just a stone’s throw from the Sloane Club on Lower Sloane Street, rents menswear for any smart occasion.

Highlights from the collection include Barathea wool dinner jackets, tailcoats accompanied by white silk scarves, and chic-by-choice.com focuses on flexibility, classic smoking jackets. Alterations are available to ensure the perfect fit. with two sizes despatched for every order, in case you need a more generous Neal and Palmer fit (sizes 4-18 are stocked), and three different lengths available in each design. nealandpalmer.com, based in Piccadilly Arcade, provides morning suits, black Hire periods are four or eight days.

Though customers are advised to book at tie and waistcoats to hire, in chest sizes least 48 hours before an event, the styling 32-50”, 26-44” waist and 30-36” inside leg. The morning suit in light grey Prince team may be able to help with 24 hours’ notice: perfect for those last-minute party invitations. There’s also a 25% student discount.

Girl Meets Dress onenightstand.co.uk, based in Chelsea Manor Studios, has provided luxury dress hire, by appointment only, to clients from across the UK for the past 35 years.

Its collection of 400 dresses is refreshed twice a year, and clients have attended engagement parties, balls and major media events (such as the Cannes Film Festival and the BAFTAs) wearing One Night Stand pieces.

Each customer is given an hourlong styling appointment. They can choose from either dresses or separates in sizes 6-18, then hire accessories, such as gloves and cloaks, to complete the ensemble. Sequinned backless dresses are particularly popular for the festive season.

It’s important to reflect the invitation’s dress code and tone in any formal outfit; One Night Stand owner Joanna Doniger suggests avoiding “clingy, plunging necklines” for corporate events. Don’t forget to match your shopping destination to your deadline, so you get the broadest choice for all those glamorous occasions.

“It’s always best, if possible, to come at least a week before the event; we can do minor alterations if necessary,” says Doniger. “However, as we carry such a huge range, there’s always something great even for last-minute panics!”

girlmeetsdress.com lets customers try up to three dresses and only pay for the one they wear, to be borrowed for two or seven days. The 4,000-strong dress collection caters to all tastes, mixing designers like Alexander Wang, Diane von Furstenberg and Roksanda with mid-range high street options; dresses, in sizes 6-18, are also categorised by occasion, colour and style. If your 2017 social calendar is already getting full, consider upgrading to VIP membership at just £39 per month.

Bentley & Skinner

bentley-skinner.co.uk makes all its

of Wales check, a pattern frequently used in menswear collections this season, is perfect for a winter wedding, whilst the colour spectrum of waistcoats lets you coordinate with your partner’s outfit.

Yardsmen

yardsmen.com, based in Waterloo’s Lower Marsh, focuses on the higher end of the suit hire market. Its Savile Rowtrained consultants will measure and fit an entire Savile Row suit or an individual item eight weeks ahead of your event; ready-to-wear suiting is also available for shorter deadlines. Each piece is made using the finest British and Italian wools, in a range of sizes (36-52” chest, 28-46” waist and 30-36” inside leg). If you aren’t able to pick up or return your hired suit in person, just use the nearest Doddle collection point.

One Night Stand Hire a Beautiful Dress …

Have a Beautiful Evening

8 Chelsea Manor Studios Flood Street London SW3 5SR Phone: 020 7352 4848 Email: Joanna@onenightstand.co.uk Website: www.onenightstand.co.uk Facebook: http://on.fb.me/vhmpv5

020 7738 2348

November 2016

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Royal Albert Hall presents

Events

for November DANCE Ends November 19 Emerge Festival The Space 269 West Ferry Road Isle of Dogs E14 3RS 020 7515 7799 Ends December 3 2016 The Last Tango Phoenix Theatre Flavia Cacace and Vincent Simone is the ‘fiery swan song’ for the pair who have been dancing partners for 20 years specialising in ballroom and Latin dance.

104 -110 Charing Cross Road WC2H 0JP 0844 871 7627

November 10 - 19 Charlotte Edmonds and Robert Binet Royal Opera House A mixed programme of two new works by these young choreographers, each of whom have been mentioned by Wayne McGregor.

Covent Garden WC2E 9DD 020 7240 1200 November 12 John Turner and Chesapeake London Barndance.

Cecil Sharp House 2 Regents Park Road NW1 7AY November 15 & 16 Leviathan The Place:Robin Howard Dance Theatre Multi-award winning choreographer James Wilton using is blend of athletic dance, martial arts and capoeira to distill Melville’s Moby Dick.

17 Dukes Street WC1H 9PY 020 7383 5469 November 19 & 20 The Adventures of the Little Ghost A dance piece based on the book of the same name about a small ghost who inhabits a castle that he wanders around at night, but his only wish is to be able to go around in daylight even if it’s for the last time.

17 Dukes Road WC1H 9PY

November 21 -23 Cloud Gate 2 Sadler’s Wells The Taiwanese dance company made of young dancers presents a triple bill which shows the strength and depth of the skills: ‘wicked Fish’, ‘the Wall’,and ‘cheng Tsungling’s Beckoning’, Roseberry Avenue EC1R 4TN 020 7863 8000

GUY BARKER’S

November 23 - January 1 2017 The Snowman The Peacock In its 19th year based on the book by Raymond Briggs with music and lyrics by Howard Blake, the snowman adventures into the North Pole complete with a visit Father Christmas and an escape from jack Frost..

November 23 - January 12 2017 The Nutcracker Royal Opera House A perennial Christmas favourite with Tchaikovsky’s score brought to life by the Royal Ballet in Peter Wright’s spectacular production.

Covent Garden WC2E 9DD 020 72401200 November 24 &25 Hetain Patel: American Man Lilian Baylis Studio Visual artist and Sadler’s Wells new wave New Wave Associate explores race, gender and identity in the near future where celebrities influence and political correctness rule all.

Sadler’s Wells Rosebery Avenue EC1R 4TN 0844 412 4300

BIG BAND CHRISTMAS WITH CLARE TEAL

AND SPECIAL GUESTS SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER, 6PM

™ & © Universal Studios.

Ends December 13 Social Dance Classes Battersea Art Centre Put on your dancing shoes and join in Trevor jackson’s social dance class for beginners and improvers aged 60+.

Lavender Hill SW115TN 020 7223 2223

020 7383 5469

Royal Albert Hall presents

November 26 Al - Zaytouna Dance Troupe Rich Mix Modern dance and Palestinian folklore combine to highlight the story of the 2014 51 day war in Gaza.

35-47 Bethnal Green Road E1 6LA 020 7613 7498 November 29 - December 3 National Ballet of China Sadler’s Wells A two-act ballet (originally a 20 hours cycle) based on a 16th century Chinese epic love story The Peony Pavilion, directed

by Li Liuyi and choreographer Fei Bo which is a fusion of Western classical ballet with conventional Far East influences.

Rosebery Avenue EC1R 0844 412 4322 December 2 Company of Elders: Art of Age II Lilian Baylis Studio A mixed bill showcasing the artistic flair and flair of Sadler’s Wells’ resident company of over 60s dancers who have

CH TR E R I STM AS AT T H E FO R A LL FA M I LY

in cOncert Film With live Orchestra music by JOhn Williams

rOyal PhilharmOnic cOncert Orchestra

28 December, 2pm & 7pm

Call: 020 7589 8212 royalalberthall.com /royalalberthall

@royalalberthall

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

020 3553 7147 waellis.com

Leighton in that year’s Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, his final submission, before his death in January 1896.

W14 8LZ

previously performed at the National theatre and Houses of Parliament.

Rosebery Avenue EC1R 4TN 0844 412 4300 December 6 - January 29 2017 The Red Shoes Sadler’s Wells Based on the film, Matthew Bourne has adapted the story of a dancer whose world is shattered by her conflicting desires, with a new score by Terry Davies using the music of the Hollywood compose Bernard Herrman.

Rosebery Avenue EC1R 4TN 0844 412 4300 December 6 -10 Eifman Ballet Saint Petersburg: Up and Down Coliseum A UK premiere of Artistic Director Boris Eifman’s ballet Up and Down featuring the music of George Gershwin, Franz Schubert and Alban Berg. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel Tender is the Night and set in the Jazz Age, the story follows the rise and fall of a promising young psychoanalyst and one of his patients.

St Martin’s Lane WC2N 4ES 0871 911 0200

December 6 - 31 Dirty Dancing Phoenix Theatre Set in the summer of 1963 with the music from the film, a story of a ‘steamy’ introduction to learning to dance.

104-110 Charing Cross Road WC2H 0JP 0844 871 7627 December 10 Weekend Lab: Michael Clark Company The Barbican A two-day workshops led by the company dancers.

EXHIBITIONS Ongoing Flaming June: The Making of an Icon Leighton House Museum One of the most iconic works of nineteenth-century British art returns to the house in which it was painted this November. Flaming June: The Making of an Icon (4 November 2016 – 2 April 2017) sees Frederic, Lord Leighton’s masterpiece displayed once again in the unique setting of the artist’s ‘House Beautiful’, Leighton House Museum in Kensington. For the first time since 1895 Flaming June will also be reunited with the paintings shown by

LOST IN SPACE

THE GENTLE GIANT. ACRYLIC ON PAPER. 594MM X 841MM. TONY COMMON

Tony Common LOST IN SPACE Latest works: acrylic on paper THE STASH GALLERY / VOUT-O-REENIES THE CRYPT, 30 PRESCOT STREET LONDON E1 8BB TUBE TOWER HILL/ALDGATE

FRIDAY 11TH NOVEMBER TO 15 DECEMBER TUESDAY TO SATURDAY 5-11PM

Ongoing Inside the Archives: 125 years of Queen’s Gate This special exhibition celebrates 125 years of Queen’s Gate and South Kensington.

As well as fascinating exhibits, the event features speakers including historian Kate Williams. £10 for adults, students/children Free Mon 14 November. From 6pm onwards Queen’s Gate School, 131-133 Queen’s Gate, London SW7 5LE Details and online booking at Queensgate. org.uk/events, events@queensgate.org.uk; 020 7584 5673 December 6 Christie’s Lates: 250 Years of Christie’s An evening celebrating Christie’s 250th anniversary. Artist Adam Dant will discuss his residency with Christie’s and the artwork he created to mark the occasion, and Nic McElhatton, Chairman of Christie’s South Kensington, will speak on the art of auctioneering and share tales from the rostrum. Whether you’re an auction regular or you’ve never set foot in a saleroom before take part in a mock auction, and our Modern British Art specialist will reveal how British artists changed twentieth century history.

Jewellery-making workshops and a special Jewellery Challenge will bring a touch of Christmas sparkle, and the new book, Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s, will be available for purchase: a perfect Christmas gift.

Free entry, cash bar Christie’s South Kensington, 85 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LD Find out more at www.christies.com/lates Ends November 25 Frank Avray Wilson Whitford Fine Art The artist (1914-2009) was the first artist in England to apply the techniques and methods of American Action painting known as Tachisme.

6 Duke Street SW1Y 6BN 020 7930 9332 Ends November 27 Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds British Museum The lost cities of Heracleion and Canopus recently discovered under water at the mouth of the Nile by archaeologists using the latest technology. some magnificent statues, beautiful jewellery and religious objects show the interactions between Greece and Egypt.

Great Russell Street Wc1B 3DG 020 7323 8000 Ends December 4 Turning 200: Celebrating the Birth of the Regent’s Canal London Canal Museum An exhibition to mark the bicentenary of the opening on august 12 1816 of the first section of the canal from Paddington to Camden Town and to the Cumberland

Basin.

12-13 New Wharf Road N1 9RT 020 7713 0836 Ends January 2 2017 Abstract Expressionism Royal Academy of Arts The first major retrospective of Abstract Expressionism in about 60 years features more than 150 works showcasing artists like Arshile Gorky, Lee Krasner, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Willem de Kooning.

Burlington House W1J 0BD 020 7300 8000 Ends January 8 2017 Feeding th 400 Foundling Museum An exhibition that brings alive ‘the connections between what, when, where and why the foundlings ate what they ate; the beliefs and science that were behind the decisions and the physiological and psychological effects.The exhibition contains paintings, photographs, archival material, objects and the voices of former pupils.

40 Brunswick Square WC1N 1AZ 020 7841 3600 Ends January 8 2017 Fashioning a Reign Windsor Castle 90 years of style from the Queen’s wardrobe is an exhibition that marks the queen’s 90th birthday from the period of her childhood in the 1930s to the present day. The collection includes evening gowns and day ensembles and fancy-dress costumes worn in family pantomimes when she was a princess.

Ends January 8 Civic Utopia France 1760 - 1840 The Courtauld Gallery The exhibition considers the place of architecture in public life. It brings together a selection of architectural drawings of public buildings and spaces in France spanning the years from the late Ancien Regime through the Revolutionary and Napoleonic eras to the early years of Louis-Philippe.

Strand WC2R 1LA 020 7845 4600 Ends January 15 Beyond Caravaggio National Gallery The artist was a major influence on his contemporaries and after his death, many others;the exhibition brings together works

by Caravaggio with the Italian, French, Flemish and Dutch artists that he inspired.

Trafalgar Square WC2N 5DN 020 7747 2888 Ends January 15 2017 Bedlam: the Asylum and Beyond Wellcome Collection Tracing the rise and fall of the mental asylum and how it has shaped the complex landscape pf mental health today.

183 Euston Road NW1 2BE 020 7611 2222

020 7738 2348

November 2016

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Ends January 15 Adriaen van de Velde: Dutch Master of Landscape Dulwich Picture Gallery Over 60 paintings and exquisite preparatory drawings by this painter and draughtsman who was one of the finest landscape artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Gallery Road SE21 7AD 020 8693 5254 Ends January 22 Pictures from Punch Cartoon Museum the exhibition includes cartoons by some of Britain’s greatest humorous artists including works of H.M Bateman, Richard Doyle, Norman Thelwell, Ronald Searle, Fougasse, Sir John Tensile and many others.

35 Little Russell Street WC1A 2HH 020 7580 8155 Ends January 22 Rodin & Dance: The Essence of Movement The Courtauld Gallery The first major exhibition to explore Rodin’s fascination with dance and bodies in extreme acrobatic poses. These works, known as The Dance Movements were discovered after the artist’s death and give

Good News

UK-Japan Choir celebrates 25 years of quality music-making!

E

njoying a friendly, diverse mix of Japanese and non-Japanese singers, we rehearse weekly in Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair, giving concerts in St John's Wood Church and other venues. Conducted by Jonathan Gregory, formerly of Leicester Cathedral and St George’s Belfast, we present mostly traditional classical repertoire (Bach, Handel, Mozart etc) using standard choir scores, i.e. no need to be able to sing entirely from memory!

The choir is routinely joined for its concerts by past members from other towns, even other countries, and brings in excellent young soloists who enhance the occasions with their dedicated musicianship. We’ve also gone abroad

a rare insight into the artist’s practices; terra cotta and plaster alongside remarkable drawings.

Strand WC2R 0RN 020 7848 2526 Ends January 29 Intrigue: James Ensor by Luc Tuymans Royal Academy An exhibition curated by the Belgian artist Luc Tuymans which shows Ensor as an outsider innovator who rebelled against the art of the late 19th century influencing the development of Expressionism: he is best known for his macabre paintings of carnivals and skeletons.

Sackler Wing Burlington House W1J 0BD 020 7300 8000 Ends January 29 Touch: Maggie Hambling British Museum Works on Paper by an artist that is also known for her sculpture, paintings, printmaking and installations, but drawing remains at the heart of her work. On show here are drawings and prints many not exhibited before.

Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG 020 7323 8299

to sing; Brittany and Nice, where we were very warmly received, with a tour of Japan next spring and an idea to visit Poland the year after.

Keen to welcome new members, we would particularly benefit from a few more male singers, and probably more non-Japanese singers too, here’s a comment from one of them: “I've found this to be a disciplined, hard-working choir that consistently presents highcalibre concerts. There’s a good sociable feeling about it, and the Grosvenor Chapel is a special place to rehearse.

I like the fact you’re not necessarily expected to turn up all the time, as long as you put in the necessary work. Indeed, if you know the music well from before you’re still very welcome to participate with just a couple of practices leading up to the performance...as long as you've the quality! It’s also nice to be able to mix with the Japanese members without anyone assuming you must have a particular interest in Japan if you’re part of this choir.”

So, to join up all that’s required is enthusiasm, a certain musical ability, a ‘straight’ voice (not operatic vibrato) and the willingness to work as necessary at learning one’s part. Why not come and listen to us (or even sing with us!) in Handel’s timeless oratorio Messiah this December? Or try us out when we resume in the New Year. You’ve nothing to lose and perhaps much to gain.

Ends February 5 Picasso Portraits National Portrait Gallery An exhibition of more than 75 works that covers the evolution of Picasso’s style through his portraits of friends, family, lovers and self portraits which reveals his creative processes as he moved freely between life drawing, humorous caricature and expressive painting from memory.

St Martin’s Place WC2H 0HE 020 7306 0055

Festival of 1969.with objects relating to music, fashion, film, design and politics from Sam Cooke’s A change is Gonna Come and the Who’s My Generation it was a time of hope.

Cromwell Road SW7 2RL 020 794 2000

Ends February 5 the Vulgar: Fashion Redefined Barbican Art Gallery A journey through the history of fashion from the Renaissance to the present day which explores excess and perceived ‘vulgarity’ , looking at “good taste’ from different points of view. A display of historic costumes and contemporary couture by designers such as Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Moschino, Chloe, Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel.

Curated by Judith Clark and psychoanalyst Adam Philips.

Silk Street EC2Y 8DS 020 7638 8891

Ends February 26 South African Art British Museum An exhibition that stretches back 100,000 years covering some of the world’s oldest art objects up through pre-colonial and then the colonial period and apartheid to the present day.

Great Russell Street WC1B 3DG 020 7323 8355 Ends March 1 Maps and the 20th Century: Drawing the Line British Library Learn about the use of cartography for a wide range of purposes and see a selection of Nazi war propaganda and never before displayed Ministry of Defence educational charts.

96 Euston Road NW1 2DB 020 7412 7332

Ends February 26 You Say You Want a Revolution 1966-1970 V & A Museum The focus is on particular moments that defined that period including clubs and counterculture like the Paris protests in May 1968, world fairs, and the Woodstock

Ends March 5 2017 Paul Nash Tate Britain This is the most comprehensive display of the work of the Official War Artist of 1917 for a generation, and includes works of the horrors of war, but also landscapes of the English countryside as well as some

UK-Japan Music Society 音楽協会 UK J 25th Anniversary Concert 日英

Handel

messiah

rd

Saturday 3 December 2016 5pm St John’s Wood Church, London NW8 7NE

Jonathan Gregory Conductor UK-Japan Choir & Professional Orchestra

Ayako Ohtake, Amy Lyddon, Hiroshi Amako, Henry Neill

£15, £10, £7 Concessions *tickets: 07986 196332 &at the door www.ukjapanmusicsociety.org; www.facebook.com/ukjapanmusicsoceity lExciting opportunities to sing with this well reputed choir directed by ex Cathedral Organist lRehearsals in Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair lTraditional European repertoire lMusical ability with a straight voice lGood quality choir with mix of UK & Japanese singers l Welcoming new members

www.facebo ok.com/ukja Contact: y.gregory2411@gmail.com

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Events

November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

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125 ye ars o f Q u e e n ’s Gate

Step into the Queen’s Gate history books with this special exhibition to celebrate 125 years of the School. As well as many fascinating displays to explore, the event will feature speakers including TV historian, Kate Williams, and a special Queen’s Gate Memories Tree.

Monday 14 november 2016 6.00 pm — Queen’s Gate school London SW7 5LE

tickets £10, students free Book online via queensgate.org.uk/events

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

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surrealistic work and early drawings.

Millbank SW1P 4RG 020 7887 8888 Ends March 12 Hair by Sam McKnight Embankment Galleries A major exhibition celebrating the master hairstylist Sam McKnight 40-year career.

He has been at the forefront in the creation of fashion’s iconic images and memorable hair styles. Photographs, magazines, original catwalk outfits from Westwood and Chanel as well as commissioned wigs and hair-pieces.

Somerset House Strand WC2R 1LA 020 7845 4600 Ends March 12 Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear V & A Museum The fascinating and sometimes controversial tale of underwear with over 200 examples of men and women’s underwear from about 1750 to the present day. Historically underwear was designed to protect or enhance the body.

Cromwell Road SW7 2RL 020 794 2000 Ends April 17 2017 The Remarkable Life Story of Emma Hamilton National Maritime Museum Emma was one of the most famous international celebrities of her time and the exhibition traces her career from rags to riches and back again through over 200 objects, paintings by George Romney, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Thomas Lawrence with letters between Emma and her lovers.

Greenwich SE10 9NF 020 8312 6565 December 1 - April 2 Robert Rauschenberg Tate Modern The first major exhibition of this artist for 35 years and the first retrospective since his death in 2008; an artist that with Andy Warhol was the creator of Pop art, a practitioner of performance art, an innovator who worked with paint, silkscreen printing, found objects, newspapers and any other rubbish that caught his eye and inspired him.

Bankside SW1 9TG 020 7887 8888 December 1 - May 21 2017 Making Nature: How We See Animals Wellcome Collection The exhibition examines the historical origins of our ideas about other animals and the consequences of these for ourselves and our planet.

183 Euston road NW1 2BE 020 7611 2222

FAIRS AND FESTIVALS November 14 Royal Brompton Charity Christmas Gift Fair The Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity hosts its first ever Christmas Gift Fair on Monday 14 November at Chelsea Old Town Hall, King’s Roadfrom 10am-4pm. Local stallholders will be selling English sparkling wine, artisan cheeses, candles and luxurious cashmere clothes, to name a few.

Entry is free.

November 11- 13 BBC Good Food Show Olympia Grand Discover the Capital’s Michelin masters including Tom Kerridge and Michael Roux Junior cooking live in the Supertheatre, live interviews, pop-up restaurants, street food vendors and latest cook books with their authors.

Hammersmith Road Kensington W14 8 UX 020 7385 1200 November 11 - January 25 Winter Festival Southbank Centre Transformed into Nordic landscape with a large tree with Scandinavian decorations, a market and seasonal events and worldclass theatrical performances and concerts, community choirs and social dances. christmas shopping at the Winter Market with its wooden cabins that are full of quirky gifts, affordable crafts as well as snacks and drinks.

Belvedere Road SE1 8X 847 99100844 November 12 Lord Mayor’s Show Traditional pageants in the City, including horse-drawn coaches and fireworks.

November 13 Remembrance Sunday Whitehall the Cenotaph March Past The Royals lay wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall to honour the dead of WWI and II and the British Legion organises the March Past which includes such diverse participants as ambulance services, firefighters, Lions and Rotary Clubs, The Boys Brigade with the Scouts and Guides, the Blue Cross, the Romany and Traveller Society and the Shot at Dawn Pardons Campaign.

November 15 & 16 Wadsworth Friends of Royal Trinity Hospice Fair.

St Luke’s Church 40 stalls, a silent auction and a Nearly New stall to raise money for the charity.

November 15 6.30 - 9.30 A preview November 16 8.30am - 3.30pm 194 Ramadan Road SW12 8RQ

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Canine Partners Carol Service 15 December 2016 at 7.00pm St Mary Abbots Parish Church, Kensington.

In the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO. Readings by: Pam Ayres, Valerie Singleton, Tim McMullen, Rula Lenska, Jack Fox and Jo Hill accompanied by canine partner Derby.

A Canine Partners demonstration dog taking part in the Carol Service

H

osted by Draycott Nursing & Care for the 5th year, this wonderful magical family Carol Service has become a must-not-miss diary date. Every year celebrities, canine partners and their Assistance dogs take part in the service that always proves to be an awe inspiring and heart warmingly emotional experience. This year we are expecting 20 dogs to take part in the Carol Service and student Natalie Preston, a canine partner, will share with the congregation how her dog Faye changed her life.

Canine Partners is a UK charity transforming the lives of people living with disabilities by partnering them with amazing assistance dogs. These amazing dogs bring a greater independence and quality of life to their partners, offering increased security, companionship, and practical help with everyday household tasks most of us take for granted. Such as opening and shutting doors, unloading the washing machine and picking up dropped items.

These life-changing dogs also provide psychological and social benefits including improved independence, confidence, social interaction and self-esteem. Each dog costs around £20,000 to train and support through their partnership. Their work to restore independence, ensure peace of mind to loved ones, even save lives, is priceless.

You simply cannot put a price on independence.

Each year over 1,000 people make

Performances by Thomas’s School Choir.

Participation by Canine Partners Assistance Dogs. enquiries about having a canine partner and the waiting list continues to grow.

There are currently 369 partnerships across the UK. Our aim this year is to raise £40,000 through the Carol Service to support the funding of incredible assistance dogs trained by Canine Partners. Canine Partners receives no government funding, relying solely on public donations and legacies Angela Hamlin, Founder of Draycott Nursing & Care and host of the Carol Service explains, “Many people are unaware that in some areas of the UK dogs can be registered as an official carer reducing the need for human carers, especially at night. As a provider of care into people’s homes for 20 years I know it’s the companionship, feeling of security and kindness that those we care for and their families cherish. I am continually in awe of the ability of these four legged carers who deliver this in heaps and bounds”. www.draycottnursing.co.uk Tickets: £35 Adults £10 Children (under 12 years of age) Buy tickets online www.caninepartners. org.uk/DraycottCarolService2016 For further information, to pay by cheque or make a donation call 020 7351 7171 or email carolservice@ draycottnursing.co.uk St Mary Abbots Parish Church, Kensington, Kensington High Street, London W8 4LA

November 20 London International Antique Doll, Teddy Bear and Toy Fair Olympia 200 years of childhood favourites: Buy from the best in the world of antique experts and enthusiasts. Speakers on teddy bear restoration, a history of early dolls.

Hammersmith Road Kensington W14 8UX 020 7385 1200 November 23 - January 2 2017 Christmas at Kew Kew Gardens A mile long trail through botanic gardens which is lit up with more than 60,000 lights. In the North Pole village lives Santa and his elves. Ride on the Victorian Carousel and the helter skelter. A carpet of swaying lights, a scented garden of blazing fires, giant crystals, colour changing reed and crystal flowers art installations, a tunnel of dancing lights and a karaoke jukebox.

Richmond TW9 3AB 020 8332 5655 November 25 - 27 Hyper Japan Tobacco Dock Japanese street food from curries to sushi and many fresh edibles in the Eat-Japan food court, a Gaming area, a Saki tasting, Needle Felting, Holiday Macarons, Hizaki on his/her guitar, a variety of traditional Japanese clothes and fabrics, flower

Enjoy Christmas

arrangements and new and exciting designs in technology.

Tobacco Quay Wapping Lane E1W 25F info@hyperjapan.co.uk November 17 - 20 Taste Of London Tobacco Dock World class chefs turn their hands to Christmas menus, watch and learn. Try gourmet food and drink.

Tobacco Quay Wapping Lane E1W 25F 020 7680 4001 November 17- 25 Hope and Fear & Being Human Festival Seven Festival Hubs in Dundee, Exeter, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Swansea and London.

250 Events which include lectures, talks, and an installation organised by 71 universities are mostly free. The University of London will present work made in collaboration with refugees in Calais, and street artists in London and will explore the languages, cultures and histories of London and the world. For more information about subjects times and places Go to beinghumanfestival,org November 19 & 20 Asian Bride Live Olympia National Grand Asian weddings require planning; 200 stalls of specialist wedding suppliers

Father Christmas is in back in residence too from Tuesday 6 to Saturday 24 December following his very successful at the Royal Albert Hall. visit last year. Take your little ones on a magical adventure around the Hall led by There’s plenty on offer for all the a captivating Victorian doorkeeper who family this year from visits to Father knows all the Hall’s secrets and help them solve puzzles to find your way to Father Christmas to jazz, carol concerts Christmas’ grotto where a wonderful visit and even tennis. awaits.

Also for the children, and those young For something a bit different before the at heart, as part of the Royal Albert Hall’s festive season gets fully underway, the amazing film with live orchestra series, Champions Tennis comes to the Royal E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial takes place Albert Hall from Wednesday 30 November on Wednesday 28 December. Director to Sunday 4 December. Watch the greatest Steven Spielberg’s heart-warming players on the grandest stage with Pat masterpiece is filled with unparalleled Rafter, John McEnroe, Tim Henman and magic and imagination as it follows the Mansour Bahrami confirmed so far. moving story of a lost little alien who Then we’re particularly looking forward befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. to Guy Barker’s Big Band Christmas on Experience all the mystery and fun of Saturday 11 December with special guests their unforgettable adventure, complete Clare Teal, Kurt Elling and Soweto Kinch. with John Williams’ Academy Award®This swinging, soulful celebration of big winning score, performed live by the Royal band music from Count Basie to Duke Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, in sync Ellington, Benny Goodman and Louis Prima will be a fabulous night of jazz with a with the film projected on a huge HD screen!

Christmas twist!

And finally, in the run up to New Year’s To get fully into the Christmas spirit, go Eve, Christmas Spectacular will keep your along to the Raymond Gubbay Christmas spirits high with wonderful music, thrilling Festival which runs from Tuesday 13 lights, sensational lasers and dazzling December through to Christmas Eve with performances by King’s College Choir and indoor fireworks alongside all your classical favourites with performances on 27, 29 and Handel’s Messiah through to Christmas Carol Singalongs and Carols by Candlelight 30 December. with plenty of opportunities for you to To find out more, visit singalong to your heart’s content. www.royalalberthall.com

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and some of the biggest names in wedding decor, fashion, catering, photographers, bridal makeup and a cat-walk with models wearing the latest South Asian fashion with collections from the leading designers.

Hammersmith Road Kensington W14 8UX 020 7385 1200 November 26 Club de Fromage on Ice Alexander Palace A huge success last year, Fromage returns with the best music and with more skating under the Ally Pally canopy with a lot of sliding around on the ice.

Alexander Palace Way N22 7AY 020 8365 4337 November 30 - December 4 Champions Tennis Royal Albert Hall The Season ending finale to the ATP Champions’ Tour: former Grand Slam Champions, World No. Ones and national icons compete. Entertainment from some of the game’s biggest stars across singles and doubles matches.

Kensington Gore SW7 2AP Box Office 020 7589 8212 championstennis.co.uk/tickets/

December 1 - January 5 2017 Trafalgar Square The Norwegian Christmas tree, an annual gift from the people of Oslo, thanking the people of Britain for its support in WWII. On December 1 between 6 - 7pm the choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields sing carols around the base.

Central London WC2N 5DS 020 7766 100 December 3 Kensington Christmas Book Fair Book Lovers please note the Kensington Christmas Book Fair has moved to a smart new venue a little further along Kensington High Street.

Thousands of beautiful, rare, collectable, and quirky books, prints, photographs and ephemera will be offered for sale at prices to suit every enthusiast.

11am-5pm Cafe on site, plus bars and restaurants.

380 Kensington High Street, London, W14 8NL £2 entrance or download your complimentary ticket at www.pbfa.org December 3 Wam Bam Club Christmas Special Royal Albert Hall

Dress code, (glamorous with no jeans or trainers) to attend the longest-running and best loved of burlesque supper clubs,the Wam Bam Club with its magic, crazy contortions, juggling and tongue in cheek comedy. Dinner will be served before the performance with desserts at the interval.

Elgar Room Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 December 4 Antiques and Collectors Fair Alexander Palace A vintage pop-up fair with 300 antique dealers offering hand picked quality goods; ceramics, jewellery, artworks and retro homeware. A choice of bars, cafes and restaurants on site. Antique evaluations also available.

Alexandra Palace Way N22 7AY 01636v702 326 enquiries@iacf.co.uk December 13 - 19 Olympia Horse Show Olympia The world’s top competitors will be at the show which hosts three FEI World Cups: Carriage Driving, Dressage and Show Jumping. Lusitano horses from Portugal and the Spanish equestrian artist Santi Serra with his amazing dogs and horses, the Shetland Pony Grand National, the Kennel Club Dog Agility class returns as well as the Olympia Finale.

The Grand Hall Olympia Way W14 8UX

info@olympiahorseshow.com 0871 230 5580 December 18 Family Day: Festival of Lights Keats House Storyteller Olivia Armstrong recounts tales from around the world.

Keats Grove Hampstead NW3 2RR 020 7332 3868 MUSIC December 7 Royal Brompton Carols by Candlelight Charity Concert BBC’s Nick Robinson joins Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity on Wednesday 7 December at 6.30pm to read at their Carols by Candlelight concert at St Luke’s, Chelsea. Festive choir music, mulled wine and mince pies are sure to get you in the Christmas spirit. To book your seats, please visit:www.rbhcharity.org/ event/carols December 7 London Christmas Tea and Carol Charity Concert St Mary Abbots Church To raise money for the charity Hope and Homes for Children, Ruth Jones and Emilia Fox team up to do readings, with the tenor Jonathan Antoine singing and the choir from St John’s school Leatherhead, the violinist Florica Grigoras and the soprano Alicia Lowes.

Kensington Church Street W8 4LA tickets 01722 790111

Join us at Chelsea Physic Garden’s Christmas Fair 26th & 27th November 2016 www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk KCW Today Christmas Fair ad.indd 1

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020 7591 4314 The Royal College of Music holds Lunchtime concerts (1.05pm) and Rush Hour Concerts (6.00pm) at St Mary Abbots, St Martinin-the-Fields, Charlton House, Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, Regent Hall and St James’s Piccadilly.

St Paul’s Cathedral has a series of Sunday Organ Recitals where some of the world’s finest organists play; Tom Daggett, Stephen Moore, Joseph Beach and Matthew Jorysz. Most Sundays 4.45 - 5.15 Ends November 19 Oreste Wiltons Music Hall The opera stars of tomorrow in a black comedy of Handel’s masterful pasticcio.

1 Graces Alley E1 8JB 020 7792 2789 Ends November 28 Free Monday Lunchtime Recitals at the Royal College of Music 1.05pm showcases the best winners of the RCM’s major prizes.

Royal College of Music Prince Consort Road DW7 2BS

Ends December 3 Tales from Hoffman The Royal Opera House Vittorio Grigolo and Leonardo Capalbo share the title role lead an excellent cast including Thomas Hampson, Sonya Yoncheva, Christine Rice and Sofia Fomina in Offenbach’s fantastical operatic drama.

Bow Street Covent Garden WC2E 9DD 020 7304 4000 November 13 The are a few of my favourite song; Don Black Elgar Room In conversation with Mark Shenton. A career spanning over five decades, Don Black has written over 100 songs for films including a quintet of bond theme songs. he has won an Oscar two Tony awards five Ivor Novello awards and a Golden Globe.

This is a fundraising event to raise money for the Theatrical Guild.

Royal Albert Hall Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 November 17 - 20 Classical Spectacular

Royal Albert Hall With the best classical music, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of John Rigby and state of the art technology to multi-coloured laser displays and the famous thundering finale of the 1812 Overture as well as the classical Spectacular Dancers and the muskets and cannons of the Moscow Militia, it is a night to remember.

Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 November 18 The Battle of the Somme Royal Festival Hall See the iconic 1916 film by Geoffrey Malins and John McDowell with Laura Rossi’s acclaimed music performed live by the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by John Gibbons. 7.30 Southbank Centre 020 7960 4200 November 18 Mix: London Sinfonietta & Marius Neset LSO ST Luke’s Saxophonist Marius Neset’s music ‘mixes the lyricism of his Scandinavian roots with the high-octane fury of Bates and Zappa’.

He leads his quartet and nineteen London Sinfonietta players. 8.00pm 020 7638 8891 November 19 New Generation of Jazz Royal Festival Hall A day of sonic experimentation and mind-

blowing harmonies with Daniel Herskedal, Laura Jurd and Dinosaur with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Keith Lockhart conducting. 4.30pm Francesco Tristano on the piano with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Keith Lockhart conductor. 7.45pm November 22 Soundcrash Royal Albert Hall Performances from Hidden Orchestra, Andreya Triana, and a headline performance with Roots Manuva.

Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 November 23 - December 12 Manon Lescaut Royal Opera House The first revival of Jonathan Kent’s thought-provoking production of Puccini’s first operatic triumph. Sandra Radvanovsky and Aleksandrs Antonenko conducted by Antonio Pappano.

Bow Street Covent Garden WC2E 9DD 020 7304 4000 November 23 Methera Cecil Sharp House A unique ensemble: a string quartet with the roots planted in the musical traditions of England and Sweden and beyond. Lucy Deakin on the cello John Dipper and Emma Reid on fiddles and Miranda Rutter on the viola play some newly composed

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November 25 The Breath & Julie Murphy: The Foundling Museum Two artists from totally different backgrounds unite: urban guitarist Stuart McCallum and Irish flautist and singer Rioghnach Connolly are complemented by the pianist John Ellis and drummer Luke Flowers alongside Welsh singer-songwriter Julie Murphy. 7.00pm 40 Brunswick Square WC1N 1AZ 020 7841 3600

November 25 & 26 Jools Holland and his Rhythm and Blues Orchestra two nights of Jazz and blues.

November 27 The Scratch Youth Messiah Royal Albert Hall Where the singers outnumber the audience in a celebrated choral participation event in its 42nd year with the sound of 3,500 voices. 7.00pm Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 November 29 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Cadogan Hall Mozart’s ‘Magic Flute Overture’. ‘Eugene Onegin Polonaise’ Tchaikovsky, Bruch’s ‘Violin Concerto No1’, and ‘Saint-Saens’ epic organ “Symphony No 3’, with JeanLuc Tingaud conducting and Jennifer Pike on the violin.7.30 Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DQ 020 7730 4500 December 1 - February 9 2017 Il Trovatore Royal Opera

Saturday December 3rd Hilton Olympia Hotel 380 Kensington High Street W14 8NL 11am-5pm

December 3 UK Japan Music Society is celebrating its 25th Anniversary.

St John’s Wood Church Singers welcome for future concerts. 5.00 pm Lord’s Roundabout, St John’s Wood, London NW8 7NE December 4 Elgar Room These are a few of my Favourite songs: a conversation with Dame Judi Dench Royal Albert Hall Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 December 6 Christmas with the Stars Royal Albert Hall Brass bands, choirs, classic carols singalong favourites along with some TV’s top stars.

Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212

I

December 8 Young Artists’ Platform Violist Jordan Sian presents a program of English viola music including a rare baroque sonata by William Flacon, a contemporary of Handel. 1.00pm Foundling Museum 40 Brunswick Square WC1N 1AZ 020 7841 3600

RHS

t’s Christmas and you are stumped for gift ideas. You want to give not just a present but the right present. Perhaps the adventurous chef in the family might appreciate an old

LONDON

November 25 & 26 Scarlet and Gold Cadogan Hall The bands of the Household Division comprising the Foot Guards Regiments and the Household Cavalry present their winter concert, an evening of musical pomp and grandeur with a repetoire of traditional and modern military music.

Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DQ 020 7730 4500

The first revival of David Bosch’s new production with two casts including Maria Agresta, Lianna Haroutounian, Anita Rachvelishvili and Dmitri Hvorostovsky.

Bow Street Covent Garden WC2E 9DD 020 7304 4000

handwritten recipe book; for a musician what about a letter written by a famous composer? For a grandchild, you might be thinking about starting a book collection; for the traveller, a tale of exploration in the Arctic wastes or the tropics of Africa.

You will find them all here at the Kensington Christmas Book Fair.

Whatever your interests, be assured there will be something here to whet your appetite. Amongst the stands you will find nostalgia-evoking titles from childhood, ground-breaking literary firsts, and intriguing collections of photographs, magical autographs of the famous and infamous, beautiful illustrated works, original artwork, decorative prints, and a host of other surprises.

As you browse the stalls of Britain’s leading rare and second hand booksellers, look out for particular treasures being offered for sale. First editions of Alices’s Adventures in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A first edition of Shackleton’s Last Expedition and a rare copy of John Cooper Clarke’s Poems, Ten Years in an Open Necked Shirt, a signed copy of Munro Leaf ’s Ferdinand the Bull and signed photograph of Everest by Tom Longstaff.

To see these and other highlights visit our website at www. pbfa.org or pop in to the book fair for a special festive treat.

Friday Late 6–10pm only £5

December 15 Messiah Royal Albert Hall Goldsmiths Choral Union, English concert Chorus and Highgate Choral Society with Rebecca Evans soprano, Jennifer Johnston tenor, Alastair Miles bass and Brain Wright conductor with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Kensington Gore SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 December 17 & 18 Festive Music Weekend Hampton Court Palace Music from the court with Tudor tunes and traditional carols.

Surrey KT8 9AU 020 3166 6000 PHOTOGRAPHY & FILM Ends December 31 Capturing the City Bank of England Museum Images from the bank’s own collection which covers the entire history of this medium as well as that of the bank and its staff from the Victorian times.

SHOWS

RHS Urban Garden Show Sat 12–Sun 13 November, 10am–5pm (Friday Late 11 November, 6–10pm)

Royal Horticultural Halls St James’s Park London Victoria Public entry £6 in advance, £9 on the door, RHS Members free

rhs.org.uk/londonshows

RHS Registered Charity No: 222879/SC038262

pieces alongside timeless traditional material. 2 Regent Park Road NW1 7AY 020 7485 2206 November 24 An Evening of Lucknow Traditions Cadogan Hall Featuring the legendary tabla maestro pandit Swapan Chadhuri accompanied

by Surjeet Singh on sarangi and Rekesh Chauhan on harmonium. this will be followed by a performance of Kathak

by Deepak Maharaja and he will accompanied by Pranshu Chatur Lai on tabla and Ghulam Waris on harmonium and vocals.

Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DQ 020 7730 4500

The Kensington Christmas Book Fair

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Ends August 28 2017 Edmund Clark: War of Terror Imperial War Museum An exhibition of still photography, videos, films and documents which illuminates the controversial methods taken by states to protect the citizens against terrorism, which involve problems of human rights and legality. Guantanamo Bay, Censored letters, a man living under Home Office Control Order and the processes used to detain and transfer suspects without legal procedures make for an illuminating and troubling experience.

Lambeth Road SE1 6HZ 020 7416 5000 Ends November 17 Shade into Shade Purdy Hicks Gallery An exhibition of the Finnish photographer Jorma Puranen who ’constructs a dialogue between early 20th century paintings of the Arctic landscape and his own photographs of Lapland and northern Scandinavia’.

25 Thurloe Street SW7 2LQ 020 74019229 End November 26

The Image as Question Michael Hoppen Gallery The images in this exhibition were not taken for their ‘ photographic properties’, but to prove a point, to inform, as evidence, to serve a specific purpose.

3 Jubilee Place SW3 3TD 020 7352 3649 Ends November 27 Around the World in 80 Years: Bill Wyman Proud Gallery An exhibition of former Rolling Stone’ bassist Bill Wyman’s photographs to mark his 80th birthday. A series of previously unpublished photos which provide a behind-the-scenes look at the band, and a retrospective of Wyman’s life on the road.

161 King’s Road SW3 5XP 020 7839 4947 Ends January 8 2017 Tales: Photography by Sonya Hurtado V and A Museum of Childhood Images by the Hackney based photographer explores the imaginary world of childhood.

Cambridge Heath Road Bethnal Green E2 9PA 020 8983 5200

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RHS

SHOWS

Reindeer guest appearance 12 – 4pm

RHS London Christmas Show Perfect for last-minute gifts Sat 17–Sun 18 Dec, 10am–5pm (Fri Late 16 Dec, 6–9pm) Royal Horticultural Halls

St James’s Park

rhs.org.uk/londonshows

London Victoria

RHS Registered Charity No: 222879/SC038262

Bartholomew Lane EC2R 8AH 020 7601 5545

Ends February 26 2017 You Say You Want a Revolution V and A How the finished and unfinished revolutions of the late 1960s changed the way we live today and how we think about the future. ‘A rousing and pertinent excavation of the revolutionary spirit of the 1960s’ Cromwell Road SW7 2RL 020 7942 2244 Ends September 10 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Natural History Museum 100 exceptional images selected from the 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs from 95 countries. From flies to elephants all Nature’s riches are here.

Cromwell Road SW7 5BD 020 7942 5000 November 17-February 26 2017 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2016 National Portrait Gallery An international competition, open to everybody from any country in the world; young, old, amateur, professional photographers featuring both traditional and contemporary approaches.

St Martin’s Place WC2H 0HE 020 7306 0055 November 30 - December 4 Underwire Festival British Film Institute The festival recognises the talents of female filmmakers in directing, producing, screenwriting, editing, cinematography, sound, lighting and composing. There are awards for under 25s behind or in front of the camera.

Southbank Belvedere Road SE1 8XT 020 7255 1444 December 1 - January 15 2017 Reality is a Dirty Word: Ken Russell Proud Gallery Post-war London looked at through the lens of the late great film maker, Ken Russell. Before he became a film director, he was a photographer with his work appearing in such magazines as Picture Post; sometimes poignant, sometimes funny, unconventional irreverent.

161 King’s Road SW3 5XP 020 7839 4947 December 8 Curzon Cinemas Royal Ballet Live on screen of The Nutcracker; perennial Christmas favourite.

Approx. running time 2. hours 15 minutes at Curzon Cinemas in Bloomsbury, Chelsea, Mayfair, Richmond and Wimbledon Ends May 7 2017 The Radical Eye Tate Modern Elton John’s ‘unrivalled’ collection of photographs from the classic Modernist period (1920s- 50s) with over 70 artists including Brassai, Kertesz, Modotti, Rodchenko, Lange and some Man Ray portraits exhibited for the first time.

Bankside SE1 9TG

TALKS The British Museum holds Free Lunchtime gallery talks of 45 minutes with a guest speaker or curator. Tuesdays to Fridays 13.15 November 10 In Conversation: Luc Tuymans National Portrait Gallery: Ondaatje Wing Theatre One of the most respected and criticallyacclaimed painters working today, talks about the unique display of his portraits of sitters wearing glasses with Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director.

St Martin’s Place WC2H 9HE Call 020 7306 0055 Or book through website November 10 Fantastic Maps: from Winnie the Pooh to Game of Thrones 19.00-20.30 British Library Conference Centre A celebration of the genre by the writer and broadcaster Brian Sibley who explores some maps of fictional landscapes and publisher David Brawn looks at the worlds of Tolkien and C S Lewis. The cartographer and artist Jonathan Roberts creator of the official maps of Westeros and Essos from George R R Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire. A book signing will follow. 96 Euston Road NW1 2DB 01937 546546 or boxoffice@bl.uk November 17 Timing the Stars: Astronomers and German precision horology around 1800 17.30-19.00 British Museum The annual Dingwall-Beloe horological lecture will be given by Dr Sibylle Gluch.

A drinks reception before the lecture. Free but Booking essential.

020 7323 8181 November 29 Global Conquest: How Railways took over the World British Library In 1830 the world’s first railway opened between Liverpool and Manchester and by the end of the century 200,000 miles of track crossed the world. Author and commentator and railway historian Christian Wolmar charts how the railways spread so fast.

19.00- 20.30 01937 564562 or boxoffice@bl.uk November 30 Looking after the Sutton Hoo collection British Museum Room 41 A gallery talk by Adrian Doyle, Fabiana Portoni and Sue Brunning. 13.15-14.00 Free just drop in.

December 3 Psychoanalytic Forum: Eating Difficulties Sigmund Freud Lecture Theatre This aims to provide a better understanding the different types of eating disorders. 2.00pm

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Compiled and edited by Leila Kooros with assistance from Fahad Redha

Byron House 112A Shirland Road Maida Vale W9 2BT December 7 Waking the Giant: How a changing climate triggers earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes Geological Society Bill McGuire, science writer, broadcaster and currently Professor Emeritus of Geophysical and Climate Hazards at UCL,and In the wake of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami, a member of the UK Government Natural Hazard Working Group. The Talk is twice on the same day 3.00pm and 6.00pm. Entry is Free but places are allocated on a ballot basis.

To enter www.geolsoc.org.uk/lectureballot Burlington House Piccadilly W1J 0BD 020 7439 3470 THEATRE Ends November 19 All My Sons Rose Theatre Michael Rudman directs this revival of Arthur Miler’s classic story of love and greed.

24-26 High Street Kingston KT1 1HL 020 8174 0090 Ends November 19 Comus Sam Wanamaker Playhouse A masque by John Milton in honour of chastity, in which a lady lost in the woods encounters a mysterious stranger, Comus, the God of revelry who promises refuge…..

21 New Globe Walk SE19DT 020 7902 1400 Ends November 25 My Mother Medea Unicorn Theatre Written by Holger Schober translated by David Tushingham and directed by Justin Audibert.

A modern play which offers a new angle on the Greek myth of Jason and Medea retelling the story thorough their children’s eyes.

147 Tooley Street SE1 2HZ 020 7645 0560 Ends December 3 King Lear Old Vic Glenda Jackson returns to the stage on the role of King Lear in Deborah Warner’s production of the play, with Rhys Ifans as the Fool, Jane Horrocks as Regan, Celia Imrie as Goneril and Morfydd clark as Cordelia. the Cut SE1 8NB 020 3137 7420 Ends December 10 Removal Men The Yard Writen by Jay Miller and M.J. Harding

and directed by Jay Miller A love story in an immigration removal centre, a play with live music and songs.

Unit 2A Queen’s Yard White Post Lane Hackney Wick E9 5EN 020 3111 0570 Ends December 22 The Sewing Group Royal Court Written by E.V. Crowe and directed by Stewart Laing. A woman arrives in a village in pre-industrial England with a wish to sew and learn from their simple life, but soon she upsets the equilibrium.

Sloane Square SW1W 8AS 020 7565 5000 Ends January 22 2017 Lazarus Kings Cross Theatre Based on the book The Man Who Fell to Earth focuses on a man unable to die, haunted by a past love ….by David Bowie and Enda Walsh, directed by Ivo Van Hove Kings Boulevard N1C 4BU 020 3137 7420 November 15 - 31 Baddies The Unicorn Theatre The Big Bad Wolf, Rumpelstiltskin, The Ugly Sisters and Captain Hook, all ‘Baddies’ are determined to find out who has changed the fairytale rulebook and why.

147 Tooley Street SE1 2HZ 020 7645 0560

Panel Debate and Reception Brexit and the UK’s Industrial Strategy: Role of Science and Innovation 18:00, Wednesday 7 December 2016, SCI, Belgravia

90th Anniversary

November 16 - 19 INK festival Pleasance Theatre A showcase of the ‘brightest and the best’ in new playwriting; it champions new writing from East Anglia. “…live back to back performances of short plays and films plus live music.”

Carpenters Mews North Road N7 9EF 020 7609 1800 November 23 - December 1 The Revenger’s Tragedy Pleasance Theatre Written by either Cyril Tourneur or Thomas Middleton, directed by Rodney Cottier. A violent tale of lust, treachery and ambition in the italian court.

Carpenter Mews North Road N7 9EF 020 7609 1800 November 23 - January 1 The Snowman The Peacock Theatre Raymond Briggs’ perennial favourite returns for Christmas with music and lyrics by Howard Blake.

Portugal Street WC2A 2HT 020 7863 8222

On 23 June 2016, the British voted to leave the EU. The Government is keen to promote an Industrial Strategy, but what will our post-Brexit Industrial Strategy be? And how will Science and Innovation contribute to this?

7 December 2016 marks the 90th anniversary of the foundation of ICI plc. From its inception on 7 December 1926, ICI focussed on innovation as a means for driving growth and value. It went on to become the bellwether of British industry, filing more than 33,000 patents and employing hundreds of thousands of people globally.

Join us on Wednesday 7 December to explore the role that science and innovation played in creating an industrial powerhouse and the lessons that may be applicable to the UK today as it seeks to develop a new Industrial Strategy for a post-Brexit world.

The panel debate on The role of Science & Innovation in post-Brexit UK, will be chaired by Paul Drechsler, President of CBI. There will also be an exhibition showcasing 90 years of Innovation in ICI.

Register for the debate and reception E: conferences@soci.org T: 020 7598 1561 W: soci.org/events SCI, 14-15 Belgrave Square, London SW1X 8PS KCWT_brexit_v2.indd 1

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Arts & Culture Beyond Caravaggio

National Gallery Sainsbury Wing Until 15 January 2017 Admission £16 www.nationalgallery.org.uk

M

ichelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was certainly the bad boy of Renaissance art. He killed a man, Ranuccio Tomassoni, in a row over a woman, Fillide Melandroni, one of his models and a famous Roman beauty and courtesan. Recent research has disclosed that Tomassoni, who was not only a rival but her pimp, was murdered in a botched castration attempt

by Caravaggio, and he bled to death. She appeared in four of his paintings, the most dramatic and bloodthirsty being Judith Beheading Holofernes, thankfully not on display in this show. Salome Receives the Head of John the Baptist from the National Gallery’s own collection, is a striking example of a late Caravaggio composition. The man placing the severed head on the salver does so in a nonchalent, matter-of-fact manner, while Salome herself is looking away, with an unreadable expression, which could be shame, regret or disgust. As with many of his paintings, there is a single light source, and although he is attributed with spawning a whole generation of painters using a single candle as a primary light, he never actually used one himself in his paintings, apart from in his colossal Seven Acts of Mercy, which hangs as an alterpiece in the Church of Pio Monte della Misericordia in Naples, where a man enters the scene at the back holding a candle flare. In the sensational The Taking of Christ, painted in 1602, one man holds up a lantern, hidden from view by a soldier’s helmet, which turns out to be a self-portrait.

The story behind the rediscovery of The Taking of Christ is an intriguing one. It was donated to the Leeson Street Jesuit community in Dublin almost 70 years ago by Dr. Marie Lea Wilson, the widow of Percival Lea-Wilson. He was in the Royal Irish Constabulary during the 1916 Uprising. and had humiliated Irish prisoners in his custody at the time.

His character briefly appears in the film Michael Collins. Consequently he became a marked man and was killed by the IRA in 1920 in Gorey, County Wexford. Dr Wilson was still trying to recover from the murder of her husband when she visited Edinburgh in the early 1920s.

There, she bought a painting attributed to a 17th century Dutch painter named Gerrit van Honthorst. Back in Dublin, she turned to a Jesuit priest named Father Finlay for help and advice.

Although it appears she never truly

Above: Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, Salome Receives the Head of John the Baptist Left: Orazio Gentileschi’s The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Courtesy National Gallery

recovered from the loss of her husband, she gave Father Finlay the misattributed Von Honthorst as a sign of her gratitude in the 1930s. Sergio Benedetti, a leading member of the National Gallery’s restoration and conservation team, was invited to the Jesuit House in central Dublin in 1990, where they were doing some renovation work, and was shown the van Honthorst, which was hanging in a dining area for the priests opposite an open fire. It was thick with varnish and soot, which was cleaned off and Benedetti’s hunch that this was the ‘lost’ Caravaggio was realised. The Jesuits then gifted it to the Irish National Gallery, to ensure that it remained in Ireland. Along with the serene The Supper at Emmaus, these two of the six Caravaggios on display, are the stars of the show. The dramatic tension is tangible, with the canvas crammed with soldiers and bystanders caught up in the action, but the focus of the viewer’s attention is on Judas kissing Christ in the ultimate act of betrayal. Christ’s expression is one

of resignation and humility tinged with profound sorrow, exemplified in his interlaced hands.

Two of the other four were once wrongly attributed to Bartolomé Estaban Murillo, namely Boy Peeling Fruit, on loan from HM The Queen, and Boy Bitten by a Lizard, from the National Gallery’s collection, both early works. The former is one of his least successful works, particularly the downward-looking head, but the fruit is what draws the eye into the picture.

The other ‘boy’ combines a narrative drama with supreme painterly skills, in both portraiture and still life. Because of the number of boys in his paintings, and often with few clothes on, Caravaggio was thought to be a homosexual, reinforced by Derek Jarman’s biopic, but recently art critic Andrew GrahamDixon purports that he probably swung both ways, and the curator Letizia Treves suggests that the amount of bare, male flesh may have been more at the insistence of some of his clients, notably

the cardinals. Rutilio Manetti painted a version of Victorious Earthly Love, with a grinning naked Cupid standing among objects symbolising the arts and sciences.

The iconography clearly derives from Caravaggio’s Amor Victorious, although his Cupid, thought to be his friend and follower, Cecco del Caravaggio, sits provocatively with his legs astride, while Manetti’s youth looks ridiculous and is bordering on the kitsch.

In contradictory terms, he was a sublime painter, with a gentle touch, but he was also a violent roughneck with a short fuse, who was always in trouble with the authorities for brawling and getting involved in street-fights. He was lionised by the great and the good of Rome, and was revered and loathed in equal terms by his fellow painters, but he had many followers, who tried to paint like him, particularly his use of chiaroscuro. He was a master storyteller, and his revolutionary approach to smudging the line between sacred and profane subjects was emulated by his followers and imitators, the ‘Caravaggesques’. However, in the middle of the 17th century, less than thirty years after his death, he fell from grace and a new, classic tradition was formulated.

For the next 300 years he slunk into the shadows. Amongst the artists who admired his style and genre paintings were Bartomoleo Manfredi, with his menacing and unwelcoming A Drinking and Musical Party, Mattia Preti’s Draughts Players, Bartolomeo Manfredi’s The Fortune Teller, George de la Tour’s Dice Players, Antividuto Gramatica’s Card Players and two fine works by Francesco Buoneri, called Cecco del Caravaggio, A Musician and Interior with a Young Man holding a Recorder, which both display the most remarkable still life virtuosity.

Amongst the biblical paintings are Orazio Gentileschi’s David and Goliath and the The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, which is a very strange compostion indeed. Joseph is shown completely out for the count, with his head thrown back in a state of comatose abandon. The baby Jesus is being suckled by the Virgin, and looks at the viewer as though he is a trifle upset by the interruption, and, in a seriously incongruous juxtoposition, their donkey is placed at the very centre of the canvas, with just his head visible behind a rather drab wall. The action in David and Goliath is striking in more ways than one, with the stunned giant trying to defend himself from the sword about to whip his head off. His daughter Artemesia was possibly a finer painter than her father, again depicting Judith Beheading Holofernes in an even more gory manner than Caravaggio, but represented in this show by a single work, the sensual Susannah and the Elders.

This is a must-see exhibition that will delight and enthrall not just those that revere Caravaggio, but will introduce viewers to a wide range of fine painters, with whom many will be unfamiliar.

Don Grant

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Self-portrait. 1896. © National Portrait Gallery.

Picasso Portraits National Portrait Gallery Until 5 February 2017 Admission £19 www.npg.org.uk/picasso

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wo of the greatest artists the world has ever seen, separated by 300 years, are now separated by 300 yards from each other in Trafalgar Square. At the National Gallery, Caravaggio and the ‘Caravaggesques’ have a swaggering show of talent, intrigue and drama, while, around the corner at the National Portrait Gallery, Picasso’s flamboyancy, fluency and flair is there in spades. This is a very classy show, showing the enormous range of the Spaniard’s styles, periods and media, from the realist portraits of his boyhood to the more gestural expressions in old age. In association with the Museu

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Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, by Pablo Picasso.1910

Picasso, Barcelona, it includes over 75 portraits by the artist ranging from wellknown masterpieces to works that have never been shown in Britain before.The latter include the extraordinary cubist portrait from 1910 of the German art dealer and early champion of Picasso’s work, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, loaned by the Art Institute of Chicago and from a private collection the exquisite portrait executed in 1938 of Nusch Eluard, the acrobat, artist and wife of the Surrealist poet Paul Eluard.

It is curious how the French have all but hijcked Picasso, with the Musée National Picasso in the smart Marais district of Paris owning his works on a grand scale, with over 5,000 pieces including 3,700 works on paper, ceramics, sculptures in wood and metal, and paintings, and since 1985 more than 1,000 exhibits have been bought by the museum. The French car giant Citroën even called one of their models the Zsara Picasso, with the Catalan artist’s signature on the side of the car, a deal brokered by his son Claude for an undisclosed sum, and much to the horror of many old friends of Picasso, including Henri Cartier-Bresson.This is the first large-scale show of his portraits since Picasso and Portraiture at MOMA

in New York in 1966. Picasso did not work to commission, so the sitters were mostly friends, mistresses, wives, children and acquaintances he met in Barcelona, Paris or Antibes. His range varied from formally-posed portraits to scribbled caricatures on scraps of paper, and from drawings from life to those paintings done from memory. Most of the sitters were women, and he has a reputation of going straight from worship to abuse, famously saying to his mistress Françoise Gilot in 1943. ‘Women are machines for suffering.’ Indeed, as they embarked on their nine-year affair, the 61-year-old artist warned the student forty years her junior, ‘For me there are only two kinds of women, goddesses and doormats’. He had a number of muses, and dozens and dozens of lovers, and some are depicted in the exhibition. Of the seven most important women in Picasso’s life, two, Marie-Thérèse Walter and Jacqueline Roque, killed themselves, and two went mad. Each stood for a different period of his career and who had an influence on him, as well as a source of inspiration, but also anguish and passion, which resulted in a new visual language, such as semi-abstraction, Cubism or neoclassic realism.

The exhibition also includes a

number of self-portraits, all painted with an unswerving eye that challenges the painter as well as the viewer, in a Rembrandtesque way. Amongst the portraits are those of Guillaume Apollinaire, the French poet and critic, Carles Casagemas, his best friend, Santiago Rusiñol, the modernist Catalan painter, Jaume Sabartés, another close friend who became his secretary and administrator, Jean Cocteau, Igor Stravinsky, Fernande Olivier, one of his lovers who wrote a memoir of their life together, Olga Stepanovna Khokhlova, a ballet dancer and his first wife, Françoise Gilot, Marie-Thérèse Walter, Dora Maar, Lee Miller, and Jacqueline Roque, his second wife. Olga was rendered in a restrained and serene style inspired by the 19th-century painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Velázquez, another colossal influence, also features, with his own take on Les Meninas, which he painted over fifty time in various modes and styles. Picasso was forever searching and seeking new ways of interpretation in whatever style, whether it be still-life, narrative or, in this case, portraiture, and this exhibition empahasies what an enormous influence and instigator he was in 20th century art.

Don Grant

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

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Arts & Culture Intrigue: James Ensor

by Luc Tuymans

Portrait of the Artist Queen’s Gallery Until17 April 2017 Admission £10.30 www.royalcollection.org.uk

Royal Academy: Sackler Wing Until 29 January 2017 Admission £11.50 www.royalacademy.org.uk

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rying to name famous Belgians is a popular question at pub quizzes. Some can come up with a handful, including two painters, René Magritte and Peter Paul Rubens, then maybe Eddy Merckx the five-times Tour de France winner, Adolphe Sax of ’phone fame, and then they let the side down by citing Inspector Poirot and TinTin, although his inventor Herge was.

James Ensor would not get a mention, nor probably would Luc Tuymans, who curated the exhibition. Clearly, Ensor was an eccentric and his take on life was idiosyncratic, to say the least. A glance at some of the titles of his drawings and etchings hold a clue: Haunted Furniture, Warmth-seeking Skeletons, The Pisser and The Bad Doctors, with a strange little oil entitled Skeletons Fighting over a Pickled Herring, painted in 1891, which was meant to depict two critics fighting over him and his reputation.

He was born in Ostend to an English father and a Flemish mother, who ran a curio shop selling seaside souvenirs, carnival items and masks, objects that would later populate his paintings. He entered the Académie des Beaux-Arts d’Ostende for a year, then the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels for three more, but became disillusioned by their strictures, and co-founded a group called Les Vingt, inviting such luminaries as Paul Cézanne, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and George Seurat to exhibit alongside the twenty Belgian artists. He seemed to be obsessed with masks and death and many of his works feature skeletons, skulls and theatrical costumes, including a self-portrait Skeleton Painter.

Many of his etchings and paintings are macabre and morbid in the extreme, as he became more and more isolated and felt misunderstood by the artistic establishment. The Bad Doctors, both as a drawing and an oil painting, may have been influenced by his doctor’s lack of ability to diagnose a ‘frighteningly large’ tapeworm. He was often sick, with dental and stomach problems, and had to take to his bed in pain, coughing up blood, which may have manifested itself in such ghoulish and nighmarish subject matters.

He was extremely well-read, and his Symbolist work was influenced by writers

Above: James Ensor.

The Intrigue. © Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp.

Left: James Ensor.

Skeletons Fighting over a Pickled Herring. © Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique.

such as Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Baudelaire, as well as Gustave Flaubert, Honoré de Balzac and Johann Goethe.

His early work could be described as Impressionistic, particularly his interiors, but he also owed a debt to J M W Turner in his treatment of light in his landscapes, such as the vast Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise, the couple being dwarfed by the painting’s true subject, light. For Ensor, capturing the light allowed him to convey ‘passion, anxiety, struggle, pain, enthusiasm or poetry’. Two of his most important paintings are The Intrigue (1890) and The Entry of Christ into Brussels (1889).

The latter is displayed as a copperplate etching, the original oil on canvas remaining in the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and both are crammed full of people and combine religion, carnival, caricature and political satire.

The Intrigue is his most famous picture and depicts a game of identity played on the Ostend streets during the Shrove Tuesday carnival, when the inhabitants and visitors alike used to dress up in elaborate costumes and don masks.

Tuymans knew this painting from his childhood and called it a ‘very fearful thing to look at . . . it is a very frontal and confrontational picture of a group of people.’ Masks can be disturbing, scary or funny, and this highly-colourful painting

is full of mystery and magic as the group of ten or more people crowd forward towards the viewer in a threatening way.

Hanging next to it are two other ‘mask’ pictures, Skeletons in Fancy Dress and From Laughter to Tears, which explore similar themes, while his 1892 still-life, The Skate, has erotic stirrings in his treatment of the volute shell.

From the 1890s, his political weapon was satire, as he took on the state and the church in a country where politics and Catholicism were inextricably linked, as well as the critics, who had mostly given him a hard time. After 1900 his productivity waned, although his fame contiued to grow. He was proclaimed ‘a prince of painters’, and people such as Albert Einstein, Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann and Emile Nolde visited him in Ostend. He was unable to stop Georges Seurat from exhibiting at Les Vingt, in spite of his furious objections for a painter he despised, calling his style ‘overly theoretical, methodical, systematic and cold’, but he successfully blocked James McNeill Whistler from joining.

He sounds as though he was as irascible as the volatile American painter. By the time he died in 1949, he had become the establishment figure he had always disdained as a youth, accepting the title of Baron from King Albert I in 1929.

Don Grant

Crikey! Not another exhibition of portraits? Two months ago, we had the BP Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. A month ago, there were the Hockney Portraits at the RA, and currently at the NPG is the Picasso Portraits exhibition. Well, you can relax.

The subject is broader than the title suggests, and the exhibition has been broken down into four main chapters, namely Producing and Collecting Portraits of Artists,The Artist at Work, Playing a Role, and The Cult of the Artist. The most contemporary picture on display is a close-up and personal selfie by David Hockney created on his iPad using the Brushes app in 2012 on the occasion of him being appointed to the Order of Merit, while Lucian Freud’s powerful etching commemorates the same honour in 1996. The straight self-portraiture includes those by Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, the two Carracci brothers, Annibale and Agostino, Daniel Mytens, Gianlorenzo Bernini, Giovanni Battista Piazzetta, William Hogarth, with his pug dog, Trump and a searching one of Sir Joshua Reynolds. This shows him wearing glasses, four years before his death and two before he went blind.

Previously, a severe cold, contracted while in Rome, left him partially deaf, and he is seen in the highly-detailed canvas The Academicians of the Royal Academy, by Johan Joseph Zoffany with a silver ear trumpet. Interestingly, the two female founding Academicians, Mary Moser and Angelica Kauffmann, are shown as portraits on the wall, as it may have been deemed as being improper for them to be present at a life-drawing class with nude male models, of which two are depicted in the painting. His other elaborate painting is of The Tribuna of the Uffizi, crammed to the gunwales with paintings, painters, sculpture, connoisseurs, diplomats and wealthy travellers, including a self-portrait.

Sir Edwin Landseer was a fine animal painter, and a favourite with Queen Victoria. In The Connoisseurs: Portrait of the Artist with Two Dogs, the amusement springs from the way his dogs are peering over his shoulder at his sketch pad with critical eyes, whilst doing a self-portrait. There are two delightful drawings by two friends, Francesco Bartolozzi and Giovanni Battista Cipriani, side by side, each drawing each other. “The Artist at Work” is the theme of the next gallery, with the

020 7738 2348

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Arts & Culture Austrian Eduard Jakob von Steile’s St Luke Painting the Virgin dominating the room. As the patron saint of artists, St Luke had by tradition this honour.

There is a charming little drawing by Pietro de’ Pietri c. 1700 of Alexander the Great’s court painter Appelles painting his favourite concubine Campaspe.

Legend has it that while painting her, he fell in love with her, and Alexander intuited this from the painting, so he kept the painting but gave Campaspe to the painter. Thomas Rowlandson has a hand-coloured etching of a lecherous Joseph Nollekens sculpting a beautiful young woman as Venus Suckling Cupid, and another entitled Chamber of Genius, in which the artist is so absorbed in his work, he has failed to notice he has knocked over the chamber pot, the cat clawing at his legs, his indolent wife asleep, while one child is pouring wine and the other working the bellows.

Apparently Queen Victoria destroyed all Rowlandson’s erotic material avidly collected by George IV after a serious bout of humour-fade.

There is a very loose portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh on board Britannia painting on deck during his 1956-7 world tour by Edward Seago, and the Prince has repaid the compliment by painting the painter in a cabin. Judith with the Head of Holofernes has been a popular subject with artists, and Cristofano Allori’s composition is a belter, with an alluring Florentine beauty in a shimmering cadmium yellow robe holding a sword in one hand and the severed head in the other. The model for the Jewish heroine was Maria di Giovanni Mazzafirra, with whom the debauched Allori was having a passionate but stormy relationship. At the end of the affair, he grew a beard and painted himself as the decapitated Assyrian

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general. Hanging on the same wall is a stunning self-portrait of Artemesia Gentileschi, who also painted the same subject, with herself as Judith, but with even more brutality and gore. This may have had something to do with the fact that she was raped at the age of 17 by the artist Agostino Tassi, a close friend of her father Orazio. When Tassi failed to marry her, as the social dictates of the time demanded, her father sought recourse in court. During the trial, Artemisia described her struggle against Tassi and her attempt to attack him with a knife. Gentileschi’s Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura) follows the the description of Pittura in Cesare Ripa’s Iconologia, ‘with full black hair, dishevelled . . . a gold chain from which hangs a mask of imitation,’ and other allegorical details about dress.

A Vanitas is a masterpiece of still-life

by Pieter Gerritsz van Roestraten, with coins, a silver ginger jar, a pocket watch, a book open at a print of a laughing Democritus and a skull. Hanging above is a glass sphere, a bit like M C Escher’s, reflecting a tiny figure of the artist looking towards the viewer. In the same gallery is the astonishing, and enormous, Cimabue’s Madonna Carried in Procession

by Frederic Lord Leighton painted over two years as his submission to the Royal Academy in 1855, where it was seen by Queen Victoria and purchased for 600 guineas. There are many fine treasures in this exhibition, including a series of 224 miniatures commissioned by Lord Cowper and painted by the Italianborn painter Giuseppe Macpherson of ‘Painted Portraits in the Florentine Gallery’, but it is worth going to see it for the Gentileschi alone. There is an excellent publication to accompany it for a special on-site price £19.95.

Don Grant

Queen's Gallery. Artemisia Gentileschi. Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting (La Pittura)

Paul Nash

Tate Britain Until 5 March 2017 Admission £16.50 tate.org.uk ‘Important’ and ‘distinctive’ are words used all to frequently when discussing artists like Graham Sutherland, Ben Nicholson, or, in this case, Paul Nash. They were indeed three of the leading modernist British artists of the 20th century, and Nash was also prominent in the international modern art movements, such as Surrealism, showing alongside European artists including Jean Arp, Georges Braque, Max Ernst, Paul Klee Fernand Léger, Joan Miró, and Pablo Picasso. In 1933 he formed Unit One, with a group of British artists, including Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson and Henry Moore, and explored the debates surrounding Abstraction and Surrealism, in which he experimented during the 1930s.

He is probably best known for his paintings of the First World War as a war artist, particularly The Menin Road, which depicts the water-filled shell-holes, debris and petrified tree-stumps, lit by dramatic shafts of light against dark, angry clouds, and in the middle, two soldiers are running across the lunar landscape. He had previously joined the Artist Rifles in September 1914 and was sent to Ypres Salient, where he witnessed the horrors of war and its effect on the landscape, painting We Are Making a New World, Spring in the Trenches, Ridge Wood and the eerily dramatic The Ypres Salient at Night in 1918. Although he also painted still lifes, landscape is central to his thinking and philosophy, possessing from an early age, a great sense of place. He found mystic life-forces all around him, in the clumps of trees and contours of the surrounding hills, standing stones or an iron-age hill fort. ‘On every hand it seemed a beautiful legendary country haunted by old gods long forgotten.’ He saw trees as humans, and he was much influenced by the Surrealist painter Georgio de Chirico, placing significant and symbolic objects and architectural elements into his landscapes. He also explored the notion of life-forces in inanimate objects, such as monoliths, trees, stones and bones.

The curators state that he worked

closely with Eileen Agar with the use of photography and combining natural objects in collages and assemblages. What they fail to say is that they had a passionate affair that started in 1935, which had a major influence on both her life and her art. She also had affairs with Joseph Bard, and Paul Eluard, and spent a holiday with Picasso.

She photographed rocks at Ploumanac’h in Brittany that she described as ‘enormous prehistoric monsters . . . a great buttock ending in a huge thumb, or a gigantic head tuned with organ pipes, a foot rearing up like a dolmen.’ At the same time, Nash published an article in the Architectural Review, entitled Swanage or Seaside Surrealism. This was followed up by The Life of the Inanimate Object in Country Life, having already become the art critic of The Listener. He was asked by John Betjeman to write about Dorset for the popular Shell Guides series.

In the Second World War, he was appointed by the ‘War Artists’ Advisory Committee’ to a full-time salaried war artist post attached to the Royal Air Force and the Air Ministry, and he became fascinated by flight and aerial conflict. His extraordinary Totes Meer (Dead Sea) depicts the wreckage of hundreds on German fighters and bombers brought down over England, and ressembles a great sea of metal waves, with another called The Messerschmitt in Windsor Great Park 1940.

The Air Ministry did not appreciated what Nash was attempting to paint, and wanted to end his contract. However, Kenneth Clark Chairman of the WAAC, defended him, stating that Totes Meer was ‘the best war picture so far I think’. He became increasingly ill with asthma, although continued to work in Oxfordshire, painting his beloved Wittenham Clumps, which he knew as child, and in Dorset, on a series he called Aerial Flowers that combined his fascination with flying and his love of the works of Samuel Palmer. He was also influenced by William Blake, and his final works were of gigantic sun-flowers, based on his poem, Ah! Sun-flower.

Paul Nash is certainly ‘distinctive’ and could not be anything other than English, and an important figure in the history of British modernist art, but when confronted by his hesitant proto-surreal paintings, such as Kinetic Feature or Lares, or his thin, washed-out The Diving Stage or Mansions of the Dead, one could legitimately ask whether this was the same hand that produced those dramatic sea-scapes at Dymchurch and Rye, full of geometric dynamism, bold colours and positivity.

Don Grant

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Images © Trustees of the British Museum

Arts & Culture

South Africa: The Art of a Nation

By Angus Fitzpatrick

S

outh Africa: The Art of a Nation, the latest exhibition to be curated at the British Museum, is a concise yet eloquent and extremely effective show.

It embarks on a mission to showcase the age, depth and continuity of traditions in South Africa, against a backdrop of the harsh political conditions that have affected the country for centuries.

The narrative of the exhibition is illustrated using archaeology alongside contemporary art to demonstrate the common ideas of what it has meant to be human in the region for millennia. This story begins with some of the earliest art found in the world, through to the arrival of the Europeans and subsequent periods of colonisation and apartheid. Due to this vigorous and well-documented history, South Africa is displayed as a unique case study for the development of human kind.

When addressing the colonial period, a refreshingly honest account is offered

of the hardships suffered by the local population. As South Africa transformed from a materially under-developed region in the 17th century, to a lynchpin for European global trade, the land and its people underwent great changes, largely without consultation or thought for their welfare. However, this did not go unchallenged, as a succession of wars in the following centuries testifies.

At this time, the inspiration for art changed rapidly from scenes primarily depicting local spiritual practices, to European technologies of war. The

overall aesthetic of the art becomes more militaristic and seems to convey a newly taught artistic preoccupation with war. This should not be viewed as new violent society, rather as evidence of a cultural exchange with Europe, where a lengthy history of military painting had been extollingly employed. As trade increased, contact with Asia did too, further expanding the reach for cultural influence.

By the 19th century, the abject disregard for those the colonisers had enforced dependency upon, manifested itself in the social cleansing of the apartheid. The art from this period rarely forgets the overbearing strains of this racial oppression. For some, the most effective way of regaining personal freedom was to express subtle yet powerful objection through the personalising of everyday objects, like the beaded waistcoat on display at the exhibition. For the more radical,

“resistance” art openly criticised the apartheid regime and harshly campaigned for a better quality of life.

Now, the country has emerged as a major force in contemporary art, boasting one of the most established markets on the African continent. Much of this art draws on the earlier politics of the region, exploring what it is to be a South African in a modern, increasingly liberal society. The exhibition justly celebrates this exciting time for South African art, including works by Jane Alexander, Penny Siopis and the world famous, William Kentridge.

This exhibition comes at a poignant time in South African history, as the country begins to heal from centuries of misconduct and oppression. It delivers justice to a global audience by remembering the millennia of artistic traditions in the region prior to the European arrival, and starkly describing their brutal mission. Along with the 2015 Indigenous Australia exhibition, this show ushers in a new era of conscious global curating for the British Museum, where both the negative and positive realities of their collection are acknowledged; one that is much needed in the 21st century.

South Africa: The Art of a Nation at the British Museum.

27 October 2016-26 February 2017.

Adult £12

November 2016

Arts & Culture

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

Image © V&A

uniforms, bedclothes, pillows and bags were often embroidered with precious stones and elaborate images. There was desire among wealthy churchmen to show off their riches through dress.

‘Split stitching’ gave the embroidery works both depth and fine texture. It was worked in spirals and formed contours on the surface. ‘Underside couching’ cleverly meant that thick gold thread appeared to be unbroken on the face of the garment. This had the effect of reducing the stiffness of the cloth.

The magnificent Copes (cloaks) of the Middle Ages were vividly decorated with Biblical Tales and Martyrdoms of the Saints. Figures were mostly upright on the Copes so the story could be followed. As early as the 13th century craftsmen had adapted the latest techniques of Gothic figurative art for decorating altar frontals and vestments.

However, during the 1530s the Reformation had a detrimental effect on the embroidery Industry and on the survival of many of the masterpieces of that art form. Some were cut and altered to conform to the new religious outlook, others were taken abroad or concealed by Catholic families. It was fortunate that many excellent Bishops' Copes were interred with their owners.

Large numbers of embroiderers died in the Black Death. In the 15th century production moved to the Low Countries, but the work was not of the same quality as before.

The 19th century witnessed a revival

Opus Anglicanum: Masterpieces of Medieval English Embroidery The V&A Museum.

Until 5th February. 2017

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ngland had a reputation for producing fine, luxurious embroidery during the 12th to the 15th centuries. There was a great demand for this work by Crowned Heads and Church Leaders in Europe.

The makers of the embroidery were a tightly knit community of men and many women based in the City of London, who grew rich from this trade.

This was an age when a great number of people were illiterate, and the richly embroidered clothes and vestments worn

by Royalty, Church Leaders and Civil Dignitaries told the story of Christ’s life and the lives of the Saints. Threads

of gold and silks in the embroidery bore witness to the power of the wearer, whether that power was eternal or fleeting. The artistic embroidery works, made with exquisite craftsmanship, conveyed spiritualistic symbols to the people.

From 1250 to 1325 art produced at Westminster and the Royal Court was very influential with many wealthy ladies being patrons of embroidery, and this art form reached its zenith in the early 14th century.

Embroidery needed manual dexterity, artistry and expensive materials, such as gold, silks and precious jewels. Military

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of interest in Medieval Art, with the V&A supporting the movement. This led to rediscovery of much Opus Anglicanum.

This is a generic term, first coined in the 13th century to describe the luxurious embroidery, with gold and silk threads, made by the English.

The Exhibition at the V&A, appropriately named Opus Anglicanum displays masterpieces of embroidery which evoke the grand buildings where they were worn, the historical events of the time and the famous people with whom they were associated. Many masterpieces have returned to England for the first time in 700 years. They are

displayed with other valuable exhibits from the V&A’s own priceless collection of embroidery. Owing to the fragility of these works it is unlikely that there will be another Exhibition of this size.

A hundred, handmade exquisite pieces are on view. Some are associated with renowned figures, such as Edward I and his Queen Eleanor, Edward the Black Prince and Thomas à Beckett.

Exhibits include stoles, maniples, episcopal stockings and even slippers.

One of the most spectacular exhibits is the Toledo Cope (1320-1330) from Toledo’s Catedral Primada de Santa Maria. It is richly embroidered with images of the Virgin Mary, Apostles and Saints. Some of the latter are trampling on their tormentors. This exhibit is from the best embroidery period. It also shows Edward the Confessor and refers to Westminster Abbey. There are many scenes framed by Gothic arches and pairs of birds which are decorative but not symbolic. This cope spans 11 feet and is majestic with its tawny red and blue colouring.

Another exhibit, The Jesse Cope depicts a story from the Old Testament.

Here we see embroidered The Tree of Jesse. Jesse, the prophet, is asleep at the base of the Cope and a vine grows out of his side. From the vine spring branches and scrolls, intricately worked, which provide the framework for the ancestors of Christ. King Solomon and King David and prophets from the Old Testament are depicted. This Cope is unusual because its scenes are chosen from the Old Testament rather than the New Testament.

A third Cope, particularly memorable for the beauty of its embroidered patterns and decoration, depicts Saints and Prophets framed with boughs of oak and lions’ heads, and there are angels seated on thrones holding stars once enhanced with miniscule pearls.

Few embroidered works for secular use have survived, but the Exhibition displays some interesting pieces, including a velvet horse trapper from Edward III’s time, an embroidered tunic worn by the Black Prince. He is best known for defeating the French at the Battle of Crécy. One of the Seal bags of English Monarchs on display has inlaid wool work and decorations on both sides depicting the arms of England, three gold lions. This bag is associated with a Charter of Edward I and relates to Westminster Abbey.

The Co-Curators of this Exhibition, Opus Anglicanum, have shown that the art of embroidery deserves more recognition. It provides a rare opportunity to see superb masterpieces of this forgotten art.

Support was generously provided by the Ruddock Foundation for Art and further supported by Hand and Lock.

Advance Booking is recommended: E: vam.ac.uk/opus; T: 0800 912 6961. Booking fee applies.

Image © Musée de Cluny

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

www.KCWToday.co.uk

BY JAMES DOUGLAS

Vaughan Williams & Friends

Ralph Vaughan Williams St John’s Smith Square Holst Singers Benjamin Nicholas Parry I was Glad; Stanford Beati quorum via Op. 38 No. 3; W Lloyd Webber Gloria from Missa Santae Mariae Magdalenae; Howells Requiem; Holst Nunc Dimittis H127; Vaughan Williams Lord, Thou hast been our refuge ‘Psalm 90’; Vaughan Williams: Mass in G minor Friday 7 October 2016

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his was another of those events I’d been looking forward to for some time, and indeed have plugged in these pages. We are blessed within the Royal Borough and its environs with world class venues. It is invidious to pick one out, but all dogs have their days; St John’s Smith Square looks like these are its. Augmented by the status of hosting the Southbank Centre’s classical concerts during a refit, the intensity of the programme created

by Richard Heason’s team is remarkable.

I had meant to stay in town and go to the full weekend; after the first night I bitterly regretted not sticking to the plan. That said, as I sit and write, the vibrancy and gothic glamour of the Ralph Vaughan Williams’ weekend’s first concert still reverberates in my head. Was it the quality of the singing, a peculiarity of the venue, or were our central seats towards the back some sonic vortex?

The thing that will haunt me for the rest of my life was the colour, depth and sheer quality of the bass vocals. It was all excellent but neither Florence nor I wanted the Mass in G minor to end.

St John’s Smith Square, of the really senior venues in the Kensington Chelsea and Westminster area, has of

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Lorenzo Da Ponte Così fan tutte

that we’d arrived in time for half an hour of adverts, we found the evening was all the better for the introductory interviews and relays of the buzz from the opera house itself. The definition was so good at times I really did think the actors were standing in front of a screen backdrop. The sound system was perfect; one couldn’t help but be conscious that excellent camerawork meant no one (paying perhaps twenty or thirty times the cost of a ticket) could have had a better view. The performance itself was outstanding, bringing out the bitter-sweet dark realism of the story, considered then as perhaps now, almost too raw for what is classed as a comicopera.

a lifetime’s experience, enhancing your appreciation of the performance?

You’ve done the travelling; there is no marginal cost. Music critic and journalist Christopher Morley, and Senior New Music Editor at Faber Music, Elaine Gould’s introduction to Joubert was unmissable. I thought it would be useful.

It was essential, and at times a most moving tribute to their former teacher, who as he approaches his ninetieth birthday is extremely active, and his attendance raised the drama of the performance. Making the pilgrimage to Birmingham willingly, I was delighted by the experience. The other hacks were charming about the online Woods’ interview, and the school and its music hall are gorgeous, as indeed is Sophie Larsson who was sitting next to me.

Since I’d lauded the two productions I saw her in last year (Woods’ Mozart’s Requiem K626, and the RCM’s Britten’s Albert Herring) we had a fine time.

The opera itself is stunning. This in concert production, recorded for live CD to be released on 1 March 2017, was a remarkably evocative rendition, and one was left feeling that this cast would certainly do the full-staged Jane Eyre justice.

London Chamber Music Society (The school for lovers) Odeon Covent Garden live stream The Royal Opera House 17 October 2016 The multi-dimensional effect of Jan Philipp Gloger’s new production of Mozart and Da Ponte’s seminal opera, created by the theatre-setting, is a triumph; given the extra dimension of the live screening, our experience in the cinema was enhanced still further.

Perhaps this was intentional. I’m a muso. I don’t go to a venue for the experience. The Royal Opera House is a fabulous brand, but that’s a function of the quality of the music. The livescreening is now so good it offers these great venues that cost the earth to run, invaluable additional audience revenues.

It’s just got to be such good news for everyone. I honestly don’t think I could have enjoyed this outstanding first-class five-star production of one of the truly great operas more. Editor Kate and I hooked up at six-thirty on a cold and rainy day and took our comfortable seats, wide enough even for me, and with the legroom of a stretch Phantom.

Suppressing groans at the thought

John Joubert Jayne Eyre

Kenneth Woods English Symphony Orchestra Ruddock Hall, King Edward’s Schools, Edgbaston 25 October 2016 It was an unmissable privilege to be invited by Kenneth Woods to the recording of the world premiere of John Joubert’s third opera Jane Eyre. It’s always a delight to have an excuse to interview Kenneth Woods; you can see the full text on our website www.kcwtoday.com All preconcert chats are worth attending. If you’re giving up an evening, why wouldn’t you put aside an extra hour to listen to real experts condensing

Joseph Haydn; Symphony No. 44 in E minor, Hob.I/44 Trauer James Francis Brown; Lost Lanes, Shadow Groves for clarinet & strings Emma Johnson: clarinet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K550 English Symphony Orchestra Kenneth Woods Kings Place 90 York Way, London N1 9AG Sunday 11 December 2016 6:30pm Hall One

If you were hoping to go to this with Florence, too late, I’ve booked her, and we’re looking forward to it. Kenneth Woods and the English Symphony Orchestra are next in London at Kings Place on the 11th of December for a programme in which two great tragic Classical symphonies by Haydn and Mozart frame a modern classic, James Francis Brown’s beautiful new clarinet concerto Lost Lands, Shadow Groves, with Emma Johnson, with whom Kenneth is working for the first time.

Image © English Symphony Orchestra

(CLASSICAL) MUSIC

course the killer-advantage of being a church; the baroque setting of these sacred masterpieces couldn’t be better.

It was a magical evening, enhanced by my charming French companion, and a lovely chat with Richard himself, the perfect host. Speaking of world class venues ….

Image © Royal Opera House

Arts & Culture

November 2016

Arts & Culture

BALLET

David Bintley’s The Tempest

Well danced by all the company, but once again BRB’s men took the honours with strong performances by the male principals, soloists and corps de ballet throughout the performance.

An engaging evening’s entertainment.

Perhaps not Bintley’s finest piece but certainly worth a visit!

Kenneth MacMillan’s Anastasia.

A Masterpiece Returns

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ince 1995, David Bintley has choreographed numerous ballets for The Birmingham Royal Ballet as its long standing Artistic Director. Being at the helm directing and choreographing for a major dance company for this length of time is a rare feat that very few people have achieved.

He certainly continues to leave a legacy of ballets for future generations to enjoy; Still Life at a Penguin Café, Hobson’s Choice, Far From the Madding Crowd to name but a few, putting him alongside Balanchine as a great choreographer as well as an outstanding artistic director.

Bintley’s latest challenge was to dance up a storm to Shakespeare’s The Tempest.

A brave move to excite a live audience with Shakespeare’s narrative that was written to be performed as a play where the spoken word is king! For the most part Bintley manages to create his own inventive language of dance that engages a dance audience with the complexities of Shakespeare’s profoundly brilliant plot that has love, revenge and power at the heart of the unravelling drama.

The first act was virtually all story

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online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

Images © Bill Cooper

BY ANDREW WARD

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

telling which is hardly surprising with so many characters to be introduced in order to set the scene as Bintley sticks to the plot. It is not until the 2nd act that the audience gets their fix for dance.

Bintley’s clever indulgence with the Sea Nymphs letting their hair down and the wedding party delivering a feast of dance with Neptune God of the Sea and Goddess of the Harvest, Air and Marriage giving us a slice of the action with some much needed dance. Sally Beamish’s commissioned score plays to Bintley’s choreographic talents. Her score uses the full orchestra working as a true artistic partnership with Bintley.

Like the divertissement danced by Alain in Ashton’s La Fille mal Gardée, the rarely used wind instrument, the bassoon, was perfectly used to enhance and bring out the humour in Bintley’s choreography of the comic scenes. No better an example was Stephano the drunken Butler’s divertissement that brought chuckles of laughter from the audience.

Performances of note: Jenna Roberts was deliciously fluid and innocent as Miranda; Joseph Caley was awash with passion and romance, with superb classical form as Ferdinand; Tyrone Singleton shows he has much to offer as he came out of his shell playing the role of Caliban with assured acting abilities; Iain Mackay used his long limbs to best effect as Prospero; both James Barton and Valentin Olovyannikov made the most of Bintley’s comic scenes as Trinculo The Court Jester and Stephano The Drunken Butler respectively; and finally Lachlan Monaghan, Mathias Dingman, and Tzu-Chao Chu were simply dazzling in their respective roles as Neptune, Ariel and Pan.

In the 1960’s, Kenneth MacMillan had already created several masterpieces including Romeo & Juliet that delights audiences and challenges ballerinas over 40 years later. He created this ballet for Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, however he was dismayed to find out from the Royal Opera House (ROH) management that he had no say in the casting. Fonteyn and Nureyev were chosen to be the lead couple for box office reasons. MacMillan took up the directorship of Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1966 where he created the one act ballet Anastasia for Lynn Seymour. Returning to The Royal Ballet as director in 1970, MacMillan decided to create a full-length version of Anastasia which was premiered in 1971 with Seymour in the lead role. Right from the outset of MacMillan’s career he wanted to challenge the rules of Classical ballet, the establishment, and audiences alike.

Human drama was the overriding force behind his choreographic intentions. For MacMillan the dark subject matter of conflict, cruelty, betrayal, sexual tensions, and physiological disorders of the human mind was what he wanted to explore in his quest to challenge the norm. He was a genius ahead of his time.

In 1967, when MacMillan created the ballet, it was not known whether

Anna Anderson really was the youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II and sole survivor of the brutal assassination of the Russian Royal family in 1918.

MacMillan was not interested in the ballet being a documentary about the Imperial Royal family, rather a raw expressionist piece depicting Anderson’s identity crisis as she grappled with her memories in a mental asylum, set to haunting music by Bohuslav Martinů.

Adding two further acts provided a stark contrast between the lavish life style of the Russian Royal family and the pain inflicted in the dark and gloomy hospital ward of the third act. MacMillan consciously wanted to put down a marker that he could also create pure classical ballet. Tchaikovsky’s First and Third symphonies provided him with the platform to create divertissement in the ballroom scenes matching the opulence of the Royal Russian Court which was more akin to what audiences expected to see at the ROH. The Royal Ballet kept this masterpiece pretty much in the cupboard as few could match Lynn Seymour, MacMillan’s muse for many years, with her dramatic outpouring of grief, grit and psychodrama. Natalia Osipova comes close to matching Seymour. Marianela Nuñez and Federico Bonelli danced the Act 2 divertissement with consummate ease and classical style. Rasputin, danced

by Thiago Soares, fared less well paling into the background with no real traces of hypnotic powers.

A re-work of this ballet into two acts would highlight even more the contrast between the cossetted life of the Royal Family with the harrowing anguish of Anna Anderson in the mental asylum.

DNA has since proved that Anderson was not Anastasia but MacMillan died before the evidence was revealed.

A polished revival with debuts coming up from Laurent Cuthbertson and Laura Morera make it worth a night out!

Runs till 12 November. www.roh.org.uk Box Office 020 7304 4000 Image © Tristram Shenton

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November April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

portrait of the French Revolution: A Place Of Greater Safety.

Mantel started writing the 872 page novel (!) decades before in 1975 and the sprawling narrative bears all of the tell-tale marks of authorial obsession.

This being Hilary Mantel though, this obsession can only be a plus. The novel focuses on the interlocking lives of three of the key instigators of the revolution: George-Jacques Danton: a man of brutal ambition and overwhelming personal force, Camille Desmoulins: a Lothario whose charm belies his taste for violence and Maximilien Robespierre an incorruptible idealist whose rigid adherence to right and wrong will eventually lead revolutionary France into the bloody darkness of the Terror.

Proceeding from their earliest childhoods to their final bitter days, Mantel recasts the dense historical material into a fastpaced thriller (well, as fast-paced as an 872 page novel can be at any rate). There is no danger of being overwhelmed if you go into the novel with no specific historical knowledge (beyond ‘everybody gets beheaded’), A Place Of Greater Safety provides a comprehensive portrait of one of the most astounding periods of Continental history as a constantly shifting mandala of paranoia and opportunism, where anything is possible. Historical figures both titanic and forgotten all spend just enough time on the stage for a reader to get a handle of their politics and personality.

There is a certain soapy quality to the text on occasion as complicated extramarital affairs entangle the huge cast of characters incestuously close, but any concerns about narrative fluffiness are disposed of by the sharp (and often

sarcastic) tone of the prose. Mantel editorialises here far more than in the Wolf Hall series and the sense of authorial voice is much more present than within the confines of Thomas Cromwell’s head.

As a result of the sheer sprawl of the novel there are sections that work more than others, but it is never less than captivating, especially the final third of the novel where the country sinks into the The Terror so slowly that it’s easy to fully empathise with the moral compromises being made until the eruptions of mass executions leaves the reader stunned with a feeling of partial complicity. Whilst all of the central cast’s lives are destroyed (figuratively and in some cases literally) it’s Robespierre,

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Literature

In our monthly feature on classic literature Max Feldman climbs the scaffold for Hilary Mantel’s bloody history of the French Revolution, A Place Of Greater Safety, initially released in December 1992.

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ilary Mantel is often held up as one of Britain’s greatest living novelists, but even after the burst of popularity that came in the wake of Wolf Hall mania (like Beatlemania but with more political expedient murder) many of her earlier novels haven’t received all too much retrospective attention. This might have something to do with the fact that her interests and focuses are constantly shifting from book to book. A fan of the detailed and brutal world of denunciations and naked ambition conjured in Bring Up The Bodies isn’t necessarily going to be a fan of the strange mix of science and storytelling that drives The Giant, O’Brien (and indeed might throw it across the room complaining of a headache). However out of her eleven novels (not counting short stories and memoirs) one stands out as the obvious antecedent for the, ahem, Wolf pack: 1992’s behemoth sized

Word Crimes In the spirit of Andrew Marr’s Paperback Heroes, KCWToday is undertaking its own practical guide to the (unwarrantedly) guilty pleasures of genre fiction. In this first instalment Max Feldman takes a look at the guiltiest of them all: The origins of the sordid world of crime fiction.

Airport bookshops overflow with both romance novels and crime fiction and that’s no accident. Both appeal to primal human emotions that even people who only read one book a year can appreciate. Of the two crime fiction tends to get the worse rap, condemned as formulaic and even sexist (considering that women have a tendency to be reduced to plot devices who exist only to be murdered in the genre). However at its best crime fiction can offer up a dark mirror to both human nature and the ethics and sociological underbelly of their settings. The roots of modern crime fiction go all the way back to Edgar Allan Poe and Arthur Conan Doyle, but like science fiction, the genre exploded with the preWorld War II rise of the pulps, magazines

like Black Mask and Weird Tales, which were printed on cheap paper, and written and published by people who were often after a quick paycheck more than they were interested in lasting, quality literature.

Which means there’s a metric ton of the stuff out there, even if you focus solely on the golden age of crime fiction, and much of it is awful; clichéd, tawdry tales penned by hacks. However two titanic writers rose out of this morass: Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. These two authors wrote audacious and bitter portraits of a world that was fuelled by sin and vice and anti-heroes engaged in a Sisyphaen struggle to wrest some truth and order out of the endless chaos. The spirit of these writers can be traced through crime fiction to the modern day in authors like Patricia Highsmith, Agatha Christie, Donald Westlake, Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Block, Walter Mosley, James Ellroy, George Pelecanos, and Dennis Lehane. Whilst it can seem morbid to stare into the abyss to the extent that the best crime fiction invites the reader to do, there is as much to be learned about human nature in the pages of Perfidia as in War and Peace.

By Max Feldman

who spends much of the book as an unswerving moral compass, whose fall is the most painful. His staunch principles ironically lead him to greater and greater violent excesses and paranoia as show trials and executions increasingly become the only way that he can see to maintain the fledgling republic. A Place Of Greater Safety might not have the single-minded focus that made Wolf Hall such a sensation, but it is in many ways a more impressive work due to its scale.

The French Revolution is one of the most important events for democracy and liberty in history and it’s to Hilary Mantel’s credit for keeping her head with such a cutting view of the sharp end of history.

Image © Black Mask

A Place Of Greater Safety

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November 2016

Poetry

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

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OVEMBER, with its short days, fallen leaves and chill in the air, reminds us that the year is drawing to a close. It is a month where being tucked up under a duvet with a good book and glass of wine seems a more pleasurable option than walking through the city fog to meet up with friends for an evening.

Many poets have found inspiration in this, the eleventh month of the year, and here the poetry page plays host to a classic! The Shepheardes Calendar (1579) by Edmund Spenser is part of a collection of works that fit into the Pastoral tradition, a genre of poetry attributed to the Hellenistic Greek poet, Theocritus. The works of this genre offer an idealised view of rural life and traditions through dialogues between Shepherds, Shepherdess and other country characters. The Pastorals involve singing competitions, generally about love and death, between rival Shepherds and are used as a means to critique some of the major social, governmental and religious issues of the day.

In the Shepheardes Calendar, Spenser deliberately uses archaic forms of vocabulary and dialogue to recall the Old English of Chaucer and pay homage to the father of Literature. The twelve poems in the cycle follow the twelve months of the year and in this extract from November, Spenser tells us that the brighter songs of May are no longer suitable for a month which sees autumn come to a close. The hero of the piece is Colin Clout, a shepherd in love with Rosalind. However, as with all great love stories his love is unrequited. In this extract, Spenser has Colin sing an emotionally charged lament about the death of Dido, the Daughter of a Shepherd of Note. However it is equally addressing the distressing reality that Rosalind has rejected his love and is lost. The subject of loss and death is given even more potency in the fact it is set in November and the passing of autumn.

Extract from Shepheardes Calendar: November (1579) Ægloga vindecima. Thenot & Colin.

Thenot.

Colin my deare, when shall it please thee sing, As thou were | wont songs of some iouisaunce?

Thy Muse to long slombreth in sorrowing, Lulled a sleepe through loues misgouernaunce.

Now somewhat sing, whose endles souenaunce, Emong the shepeheards swaines may aye remaine, Whether thee list the loued lasse aduaunce, Or honor Pan with hymnes of higher vaine.

Colin.

Thenot, now nis the time of merimake.

Nor Pan to herye, nor with loue to playe: Sike myrth in May is meetest for to make, Or summer shade vnder the cocked haye.

But nowe sadde Winter welked hath the day, And Phoebus weary of his yerely tas-ke, Ystabled hath his steedes in lowlye laye, And taken vp his ynne in Fishes has-ke.

Thilke sollein season sadder plight doth aske: And loatheth sike delightes, as thou doest prayse: The mornefull Muse in myrth now list ne mas-ke, As shee was wont in yougth and sommer dayes.

But if thou algate lust light virelayes, And looser songs of loue to vnderfong Who but thy selfe deserues sike Poetes prayse?

Relieue thy Oaten pypes, that sleepen long.

Thenot.

The Nightingale is souereigne of song, Before him sits the Titmose silent bee: And I vnfitte to thrust in [s]kilfull thronge, Should Colin make iudge of my fooleree.

Nay, better learne of hem, that learned bee, An han be watered at the Muses well: The kindlye dewe drops from the higher tree, And wets the little plants that lowly dwell.

But if sadde winters wrathe and season chill,

Accorde not with thy Muses meriment: To sadder times thou mayst attune thy quill, And sing of sorrowe and deathes dreeriment.

For deade is Dido, dead alas and drent, Dido the greate shepehearde his daughter sheene: The fayrest May she was that euer went, Her like shee has not left behind I weene.

And if thou wilt bewayle my wofull tene: I shall thee giue yond Cosset for thy payne: And if thy rymes as rownd and rufull bene, As those that did thy Rosalind complayne, Much greater gyfts for guerdon thou shalt gayne, Then Kidde of Cosset, which I thee bynempt: Then vp I say, thou iolly shepeheard swayne, Let not my small demaund be so contempt.

Colin.

Thenot to that I choose, thou doest me tempt, But ah to well I wote my humble vaine, And howe my rymes bene rugged and vnkempt: Yet as I conne, my conning I will strayne.

Vp then Melpomene thou mounefulst Muse of nyne, Such cause of mourning neuer hadst afore: Vp grieslie ghostes and vp my rufull ryme, Matter of myrth now shalt thou haue no more.

For dead she is, that myrth thee made of yore.

Didomy deare alas is dead, Dead and lyeth wrapt in lead: O heauie herse, Let streaming teares be poured out in store: O carefull verse.

Shepheards, that by your flocks on Kentish downes abyde, Waile ye this wofull waste of natures warke: Waile we the wight, whose presence was our pryde: Waile we the wight, whose absence is our carke.

The sonne of all the world is dimme and darke:

The earth now lacks her wonted light, And all we dwell in deadly night, O heauie herse, Breake we our pypes, that shrild as lowde as Larke, O carefull verse.

Why do we longer liue, (ah why liue we so long) Whose better dayes death hath shut vp in woe?

The fayrest floure our gyrlond all emong, Is faded quite and into dust ygoe.

Sing now ye shepheards daughters, sing no moe The songs that Colin made in her prayse, But into weeping turne your wanton layes, O heauie herse, Now is time to dye. Nay time was long ygoe, O carefull verse.

Whence is it, that the flouret of the field doth fade, And lyeth buryed long in Winters bale: Yet soone as spring his mantle hath displayd, It floureth fresh, as it should neuer fayle?

But thing on earth that is of most auaile, As vertues braunch and beauties budde, Reliuen not for any good.

O heauie herse, The braunch once dead, the budde eke needes must quaile, O carefull verse.

Compiled & Edited by: Dr Emma Trehane MA PhD

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www.KCWToday.co.uk

Arts & Culture REVIEWS

The Thing

Director: John Carpenter Running Time: 108 minutes

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Image © Universal

ver the course of his decade spanning career, Director John Carpenter proved repeatedly that he was one of the most aptly named directors in the business. A true craftsman, Carpenter produced deceptively unflashy films that have provided absurdly fertile soil that countless hacks have since ploughed.

From the unknowable menace of Halloween’s monstrous and motiveless serial killer Michael Myers who inspired 1000 copycats (films rather than killers, one hopes) to the paranoia and zombie like menace of the siege thriller Assault On Precinct 13, Carpenter produced films decried as ‘genre’ work that ended up carving out their own subgenres. Whilst often derided by the critical establishment on their release, Carpenter’s oeuvre has spawned a cult just as fervent and rabid as any that might feature in one of his films.

Of all of his films, however, 1980s The Thing stands out as perhaps the purest example of Carpenter’s particular genius. Whilst the title seems to promise cheesy B-movie thrills like The Blob or I Married A 100-Foot Tall Atomic Communist! (and is indeed derived from 50s Howard Hawks directed screamer The Thing From Another World) The Thing instead seals the unsuspecting audience into a hyperbaric chamber of paranoia and terror. Combined with some of the greatest practical effects ever shot to celluloid (a tiny amount of CGI was used to smooth off edges but otherwise it’s just rubber and machines) the end result is a deeply unsettling horror/ sci-fi that is on a par with The Shining when it comes to claustrophobia. Set in

a research station in the icy wilderness of Antarctica, the film follows the rapidly declining fortunes of a team of researchers who are infiltrated (quite literally) by a parasitic alien capable of physically replacing any living creature with a perfect copy. As a result paranoia rules the day as, sealed in by the arctic chill, the base’s occupants realise they have no way of telling who is human and who isn’t. Starring Kurt Russel at his most charismatic as reluctant hardbitten leader R.J. MacReady, The Thing captures the grim sense of exhaustion and cabin fever perfectly but it’s when the endlessly cranking tension finds its release during the fraught moments when the creature is forced to reveal itself. The head of a husky peels open like a banana and erupts into an octopus like writhing thicket of tentacles and fangs; a man’s chest becomes huge jaws that bite off a doctor’s arms; a head disengages from a torso, sprouts legs and eyes on stalks, and then scurries off.

John Carpenter re-interprets the source material into something closer to the Book of Revelation than Howard Hawks.

Compared to the frenetic ‘jumpscare every minute’ approach of most of modern horror, The Thing is positively glacial in its pace. This is actually one of the film’s major strengths in that its deliberate pace lends The Thing much of its power, things go from bad to worse gradually enough that the feeling of looming doom is almost a physical force. The film was a commercial and critical flop on release (E.T. had just been released in 1982 and audiences were more keen on cute aliens phoning home rather than violently assimilating humanity) but has since come to be regarded as one of the peerless classics of sci-fi horror (the pulsing Ennio Morricone soundtrack doesn’t hurt either). By The Thing’s climax, when things (no pun intended) end the only way they were ever going to, it’s hard not to leave the cinema wondering if the smile playing across your lips is entirely your own.

The Cult Of Carpenter season (which includes The Thing) is playing at the BFI Southbank until December

Lo and Behold: Reveries Of The Connected World Director: Werner Herzog Running Time: 98 minutes

The cliché about Werner Herzog is that he’s far more eccentric than any of the mystics and madmen that his films tend to feature.

With his dramatic (and easily imitated) Teutonic accent, actively bizarre (if extremely quotable) worldview, and decades’ worth of deeply unusual behaviour (which include everything from shrugging off being shot by a random sniper during an interview as it was “not a significant bullet” to eating his own shoe on camera) he has long been an active character in his documentaries like no other filmmaker. You know exactly what you’re getting with a David Attenborough or Louis Theroux, but the main buzz of a Herzog doc (even beyond the fact that he’s a damn good documentarian) is the prospect of another glimpse into the man’s worldview, however surreal.

In Lo And Behold Herzog (who has a reputation as something of a luddite.) gets to grips with the internet, bringing his camera and his offbeat interpretations onto the internet past and future. We begin in what Herzog describes as the “revolting corridors” of the campus of UCLA, the “birthplace of the internet, where professor Leonard Kleinrock offers a peek inside the first computer to interact remotely with another computer, in the autumn of 1969. However any assumptions that the documentary will offer a straight historical timeline of the internet soon goes out the window. Lo and Behold was originally commissioned as a series rather than a single feature and this initial conception has left its mark on the structure of the film which is split into ten separate sections. These disparate vignettes focus on everything from programming human ethics into self-driving cars to a rehab centre for gaming addiction, and the episodic nature of these segments make Lo and Behold feel noticeably scattershot in the early part of the film. The only thing that anchors the docs constituent sections together is Herzog’s personality,

guilelessly asking scientists whether “the internet dreams of itself ?” or silencing Elon Musk but deadpanly volunteering himself for a one way trip to Mars. With a lesser director this would be perilously close to shtick, but there is something oddly pure about Herzog’s way of looking at the world that somehow discourages such an interpretation.

After the first 20 minutes however Lo and Behold finds it’s groove, the tagline Reveries Of The Connected World is an apposite one as Herzog is far more Image © Net Scout

Feldman MAX

interested in riffing on some of the more outré philosophical implications of the internet than tying things up in a bow. This is actually a smarter way of approaching the dauntingly dense subject of the internet than attempting to squeeze a lifetime’s worth of material into a 98 minute documentary. Herzog’s unique approach coaxes more intriguing interviews out of the various boffins he has assembled, by virtue of his nonstandard lines of questioning. Whether mulling over the potential of solar flares to plunge us back to the stone age or on a grieving mother’s declaration that the internet is the literal anti-Christ, Herzog approaches his reveries with steely precision and a complete lack of judgement or criticism (the closest he comes is a disappointment that one of patients at the game addiction clinic refuses to talk about her online character which he refers to as a “malevolent Druid dwarf.”). Whilst the musing almost playfully surreal tone might prove off-putting for those hoping for a more straight documentary, those who are prepared to go along with Herzog’s mental leaps and obsessions will find plenty of intriguing insights to behold.

November 2016

Arts & Culture

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

Image © Columbia Records

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House Director: Oz Perkins Running Time: 87 minutes

Leonard Cohen: You Want It Darker

E

ven at the best of times, there are few who would accuse Leonard Cohen of being overtly cheery.

However considering the fact that at 82, rock’s most celebrated poet/ladies’ man recently announced that he was “ready to die” and only hoped that it wasn’t “too uncomfortable”, it’s not too hard to read bleak premonitions of doom into every lyric of his 14th album, the aptly titled You Want It Darker. However there is a slight sense that, to a degree, Cohen is having a secret laugh at the drama and handwringing inspired by the thought of a Cohenless world and is vamping it up with innuendos regarding his mortality as a private joke.

That’s not to say that things aren’t appropriately ‘dark’ (the title is not a question but a declaration after all) the apparently bottomless boom of his famous (if increasingly gnarled) baritone frequently lurks beneath the uplifting organs like a spectre at the feast. The album’s production (handled by his son Adam Cohen) makes the growling carol of his voice as the album’s true north, stripping out the cheesy keyboards in favour of smoky violins and guitar (he even makes the hitherto unimaginable step of replacing Cohen’s beloved female harmonies with a cantor male choir, surely a sign of the apocalypse). Whilst the lyrical concerns are still as focused on the intricacies of the human heart as ever, this album presents a more spiritual Cohen than is usual, hewing closer to his

past career as a monk than as a Olympiclevel Lothario. The real shocker on this record isn’t so much Scythe of Deathacles hanging over Cohen’s head but the fact it’s basically sexless. Cohen’s lyrical world has long been supported on the three titans of death, sex and religion but sex has finally fallen by the wayside (“I don’t need a lover” he croons on Leaving The Table “the wretched beast has been tamed”).

The album’s heart is exposed early, and plainly, in the title track. Its religious tones veer toward disdainful (“If you are the dealer/I’m out of the game/If you are the healer/I’m broken and lame”) but his oaky growl quickly becomes rapturous. Treaty is remorseful about how a relationship ended (“I’m so sorry for the ghost I made you be / Only one of us was real / And that was me”), while On The Level acknowledges that resisting a dalliance with someone inappropriate was the right thing to do, despite the lack of pleasure gained. On Leaving The Table, the protagonist acknowledges that the time has passed for new beginnings or re-dos; Traveling Light is similarly resigned to an extinguished romantic dream; and It Seemed The Better Way expresses regret about unnamed ideological alliances. Only If I Didn’t Have Your Love is optimistic, as it finds solace in how love brightens and validates the beauty around him. So far so Cohen, it’d be unlikely for him to pick this time in his life to decide to write a rock-opera or Lord Of The Rings themed concept album, but there is a quiet dignity and a great power in these new songs, if this is well trodden ground for Cohen, that’s only because nobody does it better. Whether or not there are any more albums following You Want It Darker is almost immaterial, You Want It Darker succeeds in everything it sets out to do.

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Can a horror movie get by on nothing but atmosphere? that queasy feeling of unease and unreality that most films swiftly abandon after they’ve dramatically unveiled the monster. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House suggests that maybe it can. This curious object with a curious title is the second feature from writer-director Oz Perkins, son of Psycho star Anthony Perkins. Does horror run through the filmmaker’s veins or is he just a very fast learner?

Perkins commits to a singularly strange approach to the horror, turning a simple ghost story into an exercise in extremely prolonged unease.

From the very first scenes, Perkins establishes where his priorities lie. The film is set over a single year and entirely in one location, the rural Massachusetts house where hospice nurse Lily (Ruth Wilson) arrives to care for the aged, ailing Iris Blum (Paula Prentiss), a retired author of airport-fiction horror novels. The house is haunted, but doesn’t look especially spooky: It’s old but not dilapidated, with lots of natural light and neutral colors. Rather than tease a supernatural presence, Perkins reveals it immediately, opening on the ghost—a blurry spectre in white lace, flickering softly from the shadows. There will be no ambiguity about whether this apparition is real or imagined, nor any suspense about where the story might be going: “Three days ago, I turned 28 years old,” Lily reveals through her first-person narration. “I will never be 29.”

I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives

In The House doesn’t want to jolt you out of your seat. It wants to burrow under your skin and stay there. There’s also something unnervingly, even anachronistically affected about Wilson’s lead performance; her Lily comes across like a neurotic 1950s wallflower, babbling to herself to calm her failing nerves.

(The spooked caregiver’s meetings with her employer, played by a dryly amusing Bob Balaban, put a small eternity of dead air between each line of their awkward conversation.)

Perkins isn’t above the occasional well-timed jolt, administered through the reflection of a rabbit-eared television or the sudden swing of a sharp object. But these moments feel almost obligatory.

The filmmaker seems more interested in seeing how long he can sustain a disquieting aura, extending silences, darkening shadows, and engulfing us in the nightmare subjectivity of Lily’s fear. It’s the kind of movie that lends mundane details, like an unoccupied kitchen chair, an ominous significance, just for how long they occupy the centre of a frame.

Opening with a dedication to the filmmaker’s famous father, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House conjures one moment of Janet Leighworthy terror, transmitted almost entirely through its lead actress’ reaction shot.

After more than an hour of build, it’s the closest this very slow burn gets to a conventional payoff. Otherwise, Perkins contents himself playing a single note of consuming creepiness for 87 minutes, a strategy destined to turn off horror buffs seeking traditional scares. But the director has developed a style so unique, so controlled, and so out of step with contemporary fright-flick trends that even those disappointed with its repetitions may find it tough to entirely shake. Pity the film’s only streaming: The eerie glow of its images and the immersive hush of its sound design deserve to be experienced on the big screen. Since that’s not possible right now, dim the lights, draw the curtains, and fall under its spell.

Image © Netflix

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www.KCWToday.co.uk

Arts & Culture Mr Barry’s War

By Caroline Shenton Oxford University Press 288 pps. £25 ISDBN 978-0-19-870719-6

T

he first thing to say about this book starts with the title, which is most misleading. Her previous volume was entitled The Day Parliament Burned Down, which, although has more than of a whiff of a disaster movie about it, at least it stated categorically what it was about. Perhaps, ‘Mr Barry’s Battle’ would more apposite? War or battle, Charles Barry’s skirmish certainly did test his mettle, and his ultimate ‘victory’ over bureaucracy, hostile politicians, strikes and spectacular feats of untried civil engineering, are evident in one of the most recognizable buildings in the world. When Barry won the competition to design and build the new Gothic Houses of Parliament, he thought this would be a chance of a lifetime and would make him rich and famous. After the old Palace of Westminster burned down on 16 October 1834, Sir Robert Smirke, an in-house architect with the Office of Works (originally called the Office of Woods) and designer of the

Canned Heat?

By Max Feldman

Image © Canned Art

The tin can has enjoyed a peculiar relationship with art ever since Andy Warhol first produced his famous pop-art prints of Campbells Soup tins. Rod MacClancy has taken that tradition to the next level as the curator of Canned Art, providing original art by established artists in a new, affordable form: Framed on tin cans! In honour of the (increasingly swiftly) upcoming Christmas, MacClancy recently exhibited his 12 days of Christmas collection which features everything from Five Golden Spaghetti Rings by Natasha de Samarkandi to Five Ladies Lap Dancing, a tongue in (someone else’s) cheek effort

British Museum, was asked to assess what was salvageable and re-roofable.

Sir John Soane had a hand in reconfiguring the House of Lords in order to accommodate Queen Caroline’s trial

by KCWToday’s very own Arts and Culture editor Don Grant. The complete collection available for purchase on the website leans heavily into the whimsical, with Can of Worms (Brian Usher/Anji Richards), Spaghetti Western (Tony Common) and the rather meta Can Can (Ian Irvine) fully taking hold of the possibilities offered by the rather outré art form.

Everything on the website is available for purchase as either the original artwork, a print or in can form (which are all priced at £7), though it should be noted that whilst the cans are bursting with artistic merit, opening them up to try and scoop it out is probably a bad idea (depending on how desperate for custard you are).

MacClancy has opened up a cheap and fun way of interacting with art that allows an audience to pull up a chair and eat their fill.

A PARTIDGE IN A PEAR TREE

as not Art,as notfood. as food.

SoldSold as Art, Doeat notcontents. eat contents.

Do not CannedArt.co.uk ©2016 CannedArt.co.uk ©2016

for alleged adultery, in advance of her estranged husband’s coronation, while Smirke designed more temporary accomodation.

An open competion was arranged, of which there were 97 entries, and, after rows about corruption, favouritism, and an all-out slanging match between the losing architects, Barry was declared the winner.

And that’s where his troubles really started.

The engineering challenges of building on the swampy quicksand that was Thorney Island, were solved by constructing an enormous concrete platform, known as ‘Barry’s Raft’, even with having two massive towers.

Having over 1,000 Peers and MPs, each trying to stick his oar in, while awaiting nearly 25 years for their ‘home’ to be finished. Barry took on the irascible genius Augustus Pugin to design the

interior decor of ‘the world’s most famous secular cathedral to democracy.’

It was all happening amid social turmoil, Chartism, leading to the stonemason’s strike, enormous railway termini being constructed all over the capital, the Great Stink of 1858 and outbreaks of cholera.

It took the great Victorian civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette to design a sewage sytem that took the effluent beyond the metropolitan area.

There were overspends, mainly through the MPs changing their minds, with more criticism heaped upon poor Barry and to a lesser extent, Pugin, but together they battled on and although he would have gladly ‘thrown in the trowel’ after one scathing attack, and a confontation with a heating and ventilation expert, with whom he had not consulted, Dr Reid, he and Pugin persevered with their vision and produced an iconic monument, known all over the world, as famous as Caroline Shenton states in her well-told tale of skullduggery and intrigue, as the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building and Taj Mahal. Now that the Houses of Parliament are crumbling and in need of a £4bn renovation, one wonders whether Ms. Shenton would be on hand to witness and record the rows about the costs of the re-fit amongst the backbiting back-benchers as history repeats itself ?

Don Grant

www.cannedart.co.uk CannedArt.co.uk has available two collections of Limited Edition tin cans relabelled with works of art produced by established artists, all members of the Chelsea Arts Club At only £7.00 each plus £2.80 P&P they make ideal Secret Santa or original Christmas presents for your discerning friends and family.

Look on the website at the 12 days of Christmas and the Set of 7 in the Whimsical collection. There are limited editions of 50 of each can and on the website you also have the ability to purchase the signed original or limited edition prints of each artwork.

These are bound to become collectibles just think of Piero Manzonis tinned faeces and Warhols Campbell Soups!

But stocks are very limited so register and order as soon as possible on the website with your name address and email and quoting “KCWT” for fast delivery

www.cannedart.co.uk

020 7738 2348

November 2016

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

Travel

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

Prices from

£949 PER PERSON INCL. FLIGHTS

Exclusive 5 F Platinum Chalet Hotel Le Savoie, in the heart of Val d’Isère Fantastic location just 300m from the slopes Exclusive transfers to/from the airport with refreshments Spacious en-suite bedrooms Breakfast, afternoon tea and 5 course dinners (6 nights per week) with choice of menu and complimentary wine In-house ski rental, spa area and massages For more information or to book

Visit inghams.co.uk/luxury or Call 01483 345 062

It’s (not) grim up North

By Max Feldman

W

hilst discussing my upcoming trip to Northern Ireland with friends and family, the word that kept bobbing up was “bleak” (with the close runnerup being “rainy” and “Guinness” staggering in at third). Having only been to Southern Ireland once before and not remembering it all that clearly

Ski France in Style this Winter

(to this day I’m unsure whether my memories of Dublin are genuine or just misremembered passages from Ulysses) I had no idea what to expect and these frequent declamations weren’t exactly confidence boosting.

On arriving and being met with a gigantic vending machine stuffed with “Tayto” branded crisps covered with illustrations of dancing potatoes it seemed that all of the dire warnings were justified but on walking out of the airport I was greeted with glorious sunshine (apparently this was one of the five near-mythical sunny days that Northern Ireland gets a year) and bleak would be the last word to come to mind. The Northern Irish landscape seems like a wilder version of our own; stark cliffs loom distantly and any bend on one of the snaking roads might unveil a ruined church or castle wreathed in mist (Northern Ireland seems unique in being able to manage both healthy sunshine and mist simultaneously). The climax of the trip is a visit to the Giant’s Causeway, a volcanic extrusion of pillared rocks that serves as a kind of walkway into the pounding ocean. Whilst South America might have the freehold on Magical Realism, Northern Ireland has enough enchantment to draw visitors back again and again.

The Railway Touring Company

Phil Jones

Christmas Sussex Belle

Bognor Belle

Tuesday 6th December 2016

Tuesday 13th December 2016

Join us on a special train to celebrate the Festive Season in style. Our train travels from London Victoria to the Sussex coast crossing the North and South Downs and passing through the beautiful countryside of the Weald. It will be hauled by British Rail built Pacific 4-6-2 No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell.

This is a wonderful way to enjoy a leisurely lunch whilst appreciating the scenic views from your carriage window.

Our tour today commences at London Victoria and we will make a visit to the popular seaside resort of Bognor Regis, steam hauled by British Rail built Pacific 4-6-2 No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell, recreating the great days of steam hauled expresses from London to the south coast. We will also be visiting the Littlehampton branch, rarely travelled by a steam hauled train.

Price includes:

Price includes:

• Standard £99/£303 family – a reserved seat usually at a table for four • First £129pp/£393 family – morning coffee & Danish pastry, afternoon tea – selection of sandwiches, scones, jam & cream • Premier £199pp/£606 family – includes Buck’s Fizz, morning tea or coffee and Danish pastries and a four course lunch silver served at your seat.

• Standard £109/£332 family – a reserved seat usually at a table for four • First £159pp/£486 family – morning coffee & Danish pastry, afternoon tea – selection of sandwiches, scones, jam & cream • Premier £249pp/£760 family – full English breakfast and a four course lunch silver served at your seat.

The Railway Touring Company, 14a Tuesday Market Place, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1JN Visit www.railwaytouring.net or phone us on 01553 661 500.

Bookings are made subject to the terms & conditions of The Railway Touring Company

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Family carers also play a vital role in looking after their aged loved ones in their homes with some carers being unpaid and some receiving Carer’s Allowance if they work full-time hours.

Currently 1 in 8 adults (around 6.5 million people) are carers and they save the economy an estimated £132 billion per year. Despite this saving, being a carer can pay dismally with Carer’s Allowance paying less than the national minimum wage (£6.70); because of the significant demands of caring, many people do it full-time.

Care homes have also faced difficulties in recent times recruiting staff with 20 percent of care homes lacking staff, particularly male staff. Some believe the government needs to work

harder to ensure enough nurses are trained up for work in care homes. “The Department of Health is not good enough at determining how many nurses we need” said chief executive of the Registered Nursing Homes Association, Frank Ursell.

Paid-for nursing courses which offer NHS bursaries are oversubscribed.

The recent furore around the working status of foreign workers following fallout from the EU referendum has its implications for the care sector also.

A report by Independent Age showed that our ageing population needs more help. Currently, 1 in 5 care workers are migrants but the Government’s migration policies appear to be becoming increasingly stringent against the inflow of these workers. Non-EU migrants make up the largest part of migrants working in the social care sector. Many believe the government must allow low skilled workers from outside Europe into the UK to help the sector meet its malnourished staffing needs.

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Health Care homes

By Judy Forte

I

n England there was on record half a million over 90 year-olds in 2015 according to the Office for National Statistics. Most recent figures show that the number of centenarians (people aged 100 and over) in the UK has risen by 65 percent over the last decade. Considering these statistics showing that people are living longer, one must beg the question, how do we treat our older citizens?

Recent campaigns, particularly evident on social media throughout last winter, against the rising epidemic of loneliness brought older people centrestage and highlighted the need for emotional as well as physical care for the elderly. Some campaigns like Age UK’s befriending service implore the public to volunteer time to lend a listening ear and provide some simple company to the aged. We are social animals after all and this quality does not disappear with age.

Approximately 416,000 people live in care homes. Care homes serve as an inclusive term here for nursing homes which incorporate nursing care and residential homes which do not. Though both residential and care homes provide assistance with basic personal care, only care homes can accommodate those with more complex medical needs.

One barrier to the employment of care assistants without a degree involves the perceived lack of a career pathway.

Assistants may feel they cannot progress unless they take time out of work to get a nursing degree and hence surrendering the hands-on nature of their role. There is also an unfortunate image associated with nursing homes which is perhaps off-putting to potential carers. The role of nurses in residential homes can be much more relationship-focussed. Some are hopeful that the negative perception of care homes can be changed. “I wish more people could see how good care can be and that nursing homes can be brilliant places to work” said lead care worker for a home in Surrey, Ola Szychulska.

Contrasted with other cultures, the UK is seriously lagging in terms of how we treat our elderly. Asia is famous for its positive and nurturing attitude to the elderly with the culture usually centring on an idea of ‘filial piety’ which values the family unit and treats older people with the utmost respect. And closer to home France passed a decree in 2004, following a tragic spate of pensioner suicides, making it a legal obligation for descendants to visit elderly relatives and provide them a home or fund their home.

As a generation, perhaps we ought to take a little more inspiration from other cultures and honour and care for our elderly.

A C H A N C E T O H AV E YO U R S AY

— Auriens, the owner of 2 Dovehouse Street, formerly the Thamesbrook House Care Home, is holding a public exhibition to showcase its initial plans for the development of an extra care facility at this site.

The exhibition will also provide an opportunity for Chelsea residents to give their views on the plans.

We look forward to seeing you there.

— Tuesday 22 November 2016, 10.30am – 8.30pm Saturday 26 November 2016, 10.30am – 4.00pm

— Small Hall, Chelsea Old Town Hall King’s Road, London, SW3 5EE

Draycott_KC&WToday_Nov16_FinalAW_161102.indd 1

02/11/2016 13:00:52

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Health

November 2016

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

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of MPs on the 18th of October.

“After my diagnosis,” Robertson said, “I was left in a big black hole not knowing where to turn. Having contact with a care advisor would’ve made all the difference and prepared me for the years ahead. Instead, I had to try and work out what was best for me and put myself in danger by sometimes pursuing the wrong treatment.”

“NHS needs to realise that neuromuscular diseases, like mine,” said Khan, “are very complicated and patients desperately need a care advisor to look after their care to ensure nothing gets missed. I think it’s ridiculous that this is happening somewhere like London and the South East. But it’s obvious that, across all the different NHS trusts, no-one wants to accept responsibility or talk to each other. As a patient, it’s frustrating.”

The eight specialist neuromuscular centres in London have no care advisors.

These centres provide care for around 9,000 people in London and a further 5,000 in the South East area. By comparison, there are four expert care advisors between 6,000 people in the South West, three for 6,000 in Yorkshire and the Humber and three for 5,000 people in the East Midlands.

A report from Muscular Dystrophy UK in July concluded that 40% of hospital admissions could have been prevented if patients had access to better

coordinated care.

“Failure by South East Trusts to invest a small amount in a care advisor, for people with muscle-wasting conditions,” Nic Bungay, Director of Campaigns, Care and Information, Muscular Dystrophy UK said, “is costing the NHS millions of pounds down the line. Hospitals waste vast sums on avoidable emergency care, while patients are left struggling alone until they are rushed into hospital, and suffer physical and psychological effects as a result.”

www.KCWToday.co.uk

Health

By Fahad Redha

NHS bosses were criticised by disability campaigners for ignoring calls to invest in specialist care for people with muscular dystrophy. NHS providers have refused to fund vital, ‘care advisors’ in the South East. This lack of care is leaving patients vulnerable to severe health complications.

Muscular dystrophy refers to a group of inherited genetic conditions that gradually cause the muscles to weaken, leading to an increasing level of disability.

Mutations in the gene responsible for the structure and functioning of muscles cause it. Over 70,000 people in the UK suffer from MD or a related condition.

Care advisors would provide emotional, as well as practical, support for families affected by “muscle-wasting conditions.” They also offer advice and information to educate other local health professionals.

Two South East MPs, Caroline Ansell (Eastbourne) and Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) joined patients Sulaiman Khan from East London and Andy Robertson from Canterbury to demand answers from NHS bosses at a face-toface meeting in parliament with dozens

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Flu vaccination drive

By Fahad Redha

England’s biggest flu vaccination drive was launched in October. 2016’s Stay Well This Winter campaign will see over 707,600 children aged 2-7 in London getting protection from the flu. It has been extended to include children in year 3, a further 107,000.

At risk adults will be offered a flu vaccine. This includes those with longterm health conditions such as asthma or heart disease, pregnant women and those over 65. Residents of care homes as well as carers are also encouraged to get the jab.

This year, children aged 2, 3 and, 4 can get the vaccine from their GP.

Breast Awareness Tea Party in RBKC

By Fahad Redha

Women with learning disabilities are not well informed about breast cancer and their uptake of screening is low, evidence shows. Maura Ireland, who manages a supported living house for the Yarrow disability charity, is working with NHS health chiefs to raise awareness.

The charity has launched an initiative for women with learning disabilities in response to this. It hosted a Breast Awareness Tea Party involving bingo and blow-up boobs. Over 60 women and their carers attended at the Elgin Centre in Shepherds Bush, where they learnt about the importance of breast check-ups and the process of screening programmes.

“Many women do not think breast care is important and have refused to attend screenings even when there has been cause for concern,” Ireland said. “This is a serious issue and women with learning disabilities could end up being unaware they have breast cancer and will suffer

Parents with children in years 1-3 are asked to give permission for their child to receive a free nasal spray at school.

Children are most likely to spread the flu. Vaccinating them would benefit the whole community. Several million people get flu every winter which last year led to more than 2,000 NHS intensive care admissions in the UK. Flu can be dangerous for those with long term health conditions such as respiratory disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchitis or emphysema), diabetes, heart, kidney or liver disease; and chronic neurological diseases (multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy).

Pregnancy can weaken the body’s immune system and flu can cause some serious complications for either the mother or the baby.

“The flu vaccination offers protection for millions of people most at risk including young children,” Dr Fiona Butler Chair of West London Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said, “the elderly and those with long-term health conditions.

“Flu is not the same as the common cold and we must recognise the difference. Flu symptoms tend to start much more suddenly, can be more severe, and last longer.

“If you are eligible for a free flu vaccination then please contact your GP, pharmacist or midwife for more details.”

poorer outcomes.”

Mary O’Shaughnessy a Yarrow service user who attended the tea party agreed.

“I have enjoyed today and I like how we are shown about breast cancer using breasts that we can feel and find the lump ourselves. It’s easier to understand and the cake is delicious!”

“Yarrow has been providing support for people with learning disabilities for over 25 years,” John Crawford, Chief Executive, Yarrow added, “and we want to continue to give our users the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of health and health conditions.

“Given the success of our event for people in Hammersmith & Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster, we will be looking to do further tea parties in other boroughs.”

Image © RBKC

Muscular Dystrophy

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Health

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Health

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Helping you take care of yourself World class clinical care in west London Kensington’s Bupa Cromwell Hospital offers an exceptional healthcare resource for Londoners. Whether using private health insurance or ‘selffunding’, our world-renowned services are available to everyone, and just a five minute walk from Kensington High Street, Earl’s Court or Gloucester Road. private GPs with walk-in appointments the latest diagnostic technology, with no waiting times and quick results London’s leading consultants, with appointments available at short notice health screening packages to suit every budget Women’s Health Centre with female-only specialists Call us on 020 7460 2000 or email info@cromwellhospital.com to discuss your healthcare needs.

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An egg a day Cycling faster can Screen toddlers can keep stroke a increase exposure for heart disease, away. to pollutants study suggests

By Fahad Redha

A

t least that’s what a recent study from EpidStat Institute in Michigan and DLW Consulting Services in Utah suggests. While eggs do contain cholesterol, researchers have found no link with eggs and heart disease and a reduced risk (12%) of stroke for people who ate one a day compared to those who only had less than two a week Recent studies have also shown that cholesterol in food has little impact on the levels in your blood as most cholesterol in blood is made by the liver.

The research also seems to support the idea that eggs can be a part of a healthy diet, though it did not look at people’s whole diet. Eggs are also a source of protein, vitamins and minerals.

It should be noted however that the researchers found no evidence that more was better; that the risk was reduced by eating more eggs.

By Fahad Redha

By Fahad Redha

So says Canadian engineer Alexander Bigazzi from the University of British Columbia. He used a series of equations to calculate the speed that walkers, joggers or cyclists need to travel to minimise the pollution they breathe in. He applied these to a theoretical population of 10,000 people, both male and female, of varying ages.

He found that this speed happens to be the level at which most cyclists would normally travel, about 3-8km an hour walking, 8-13km an hour jogging, and 12-20km an hour cycling on flat ground.

Going above these speeds, according to his model, increases the potential harm caused by air pollution, which contributes towards 40,000 deaths a year in the UK. However, other studies have argued that the health benefits of cycling outweigh any pollution-related risks, unless you live in an area with extreme pollution.

Research from Queen Mary University of London and Great Ormond Street Hospital suggest screening toddlers for heart disease risk. The study looked into familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH), an inherited condition that affects around 1 to 2 in every 250 people in the UK that can cause abnormally high cholesterol levels.

While it doesn’t usually have any noticeable symptoms, people with FH aged 20-40 are 100 times more likely to have a heart attack than other people their age.

10,095 one-year-olds were tested to explore the feasibility of screening for FH. They tested the toddlers at the time they had routine vaccinations. 28 children were found with FH. However, it also found that not all children with it have high cholesterol and some with high cholesterol did not have a known FH mutation.

The researchers therefore suggest testing cholesterol levels first.

Once diagnosed, FH is relatively straightforward to treat through lifestyle changes as well as drugs known to reduce cholesterol.

020 7738 2348

November 2016

Health

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“It’s understandable that women are feeling both worried and confused about their fertility. There is so much information (and also misinformation) out there which in some situations is causing unnecessary stress, but the truth is that there’s no one size fits all approach to fertility advice,” said Consultant Gynaecologist at The Lister Fertility Clinic and part of HCA Healthcare UK, Dr James Nicopoullos.

For women who were concerned about getting pregnant, nearly half were worried that they may have a fertility problem that they didn’t know about and, in women aged 35-44, 70 percent worried that their age might affect their ability to have a baby.

Despite this, the majority of women had not had their fertility tested, with some saying they wouldn’t know how to go about it and 1 in 3 women reported finding it hard to get information that they could trust.

“It’s easier than ever now for women to take the decision of when to have a baby back into their own hands.

Techniques such as egg freezing mean women can now keep that option open so there is no need to feel anxious or pressured into rushing into a decision,” said Dr Nicopoullos. “I would caution against oversimplified messages about how age equates to fertility, and would say that anyone who is worried, regardless of age, seeks reputable advice and considers a fertility test.”

Smartphones and tablets disrupt children’s sleep

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Health Advice overload spreads fertility anxiety among younger women

By Ione Bingley

T

wo thirds of 18-24 year old women worry about their fertility with conflicting information, pressure from celebrity culture, friends and family all adding to fears, according to new research from HCA Healthcare UK. The study suggests that conflicting and unreliable fertility advice is causing ‘unnecessary stress’ to women in the UK prompting leading fertility experts to urge women not to take too much notice of generalised advice.

62 percent of 18-24 year olds said they worry about not being able to have a baby, with over two thirds reporting that they have felt upset, stressed or pressured by conflicting fertility advice.

By Fahad Redha

Researchers have found “found significant links” between using devices like smartphones and tablets and disrupted sleep in children. Researchers from various medical colleges including King's College, Cardiff University School of Medicine and University College London analysed data from more than 125,000 children aged between 6 and 19 years old, and found a clear association between electronic devices and sleep problems such as not getting enough sleep at night, reduced sleep quality and daytime sleepiness.

These problems were also found if children had access to, but did not use media devices at bedtime.

Children who use these devices are more than twice as likely to have an inadequate amount of sleep, and almost three times as likely to be excessively sleepy during the daytime.

It is thought that the reason for this is because “children are restless, anticipating social media messages,” the NHS press release says. However, it also points out that the cause was not looked into by researchers.

Evidence shows that sleep is as important as healthy eating and exercise for childhood development. Those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese. This is likely because they tend to eat more sugary food during the day which gives them energy to stay awake.

The NHS recommends parents ban the use of media devices in the bedroom and include relaxation techniques to help them sleep. These include a warm bath, reading a book and, creating a dark, quiet, tidy bedroom environment for sleeping.

“Interventions to minimise device access and use need to be developed and evaluated,” the authors recommend.

“Interventions should include a multidisciplinary approach from teachers and healthcare professionals to empower parents to minimise the deleterious influence on child health.”

November 2016

Health

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

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Dr Tattum would like to introduce For all the ‘soon to be’ and ‘have you to the new technology (popular in been for many years’ mothers- all Canada and US) combining ultrasound, radiofrequency and cryolipolysis for visible women suffering from vaginal laxity, Dr Tattum would like to invite you reduction in fat (especially stubborn fat), to experience non-invasive Genevieve cellulite and tighten skin on your face Vaginal Rejuvenation (Radio-frequency and body. The procedure can replace the to tighten vaginal walls and cryo for need for Botox, by collagen remodelling, cooling the mucosa). In a few weeks time

A mighty antiaging discovery

by Jayne Beaumont

A

s Skincare becomes more scientifically based, many new products are becoming available that are penetrating deeper into the skin and having a positively lasting effect on its appearance.

One such product is the MitoQ* Serum, part of the MitoQ* range of supplements that have been thoroughly researched, developed and tested in New Zealand and have been scientifically proven to do what they claim to do.

Scientists discovered MitoQ during their search for compounds that could treat liver disease and brain disease.

These scientists were looking to correct levels of ‘oxidative stress’ that damages cells and the energy imbalances that occur in liver and brain diseases. What they found was a way to support the Mitochondria that exist within every

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Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

cell providing beneficial effects across the whole cell and slowing down the processes normally associated with aging.

Over a decade later and fifty million dollars of research as well as two hundred published research papers, globally patented MitoQ* was launched.

Essentially, it works by helping to sustain the health of the Mitochondria that are the ‘powerhouses’ of each and every cell in our bodies and most importantly, produce about 90% of the chemical energy that cells need to survive. No energy, no life! They also produce other chemicals that the body needs for purposes such as disposing of waste and to ensure that ‘sick’ cells are eliminated before they can morph into unwanted growths or tumours.

At the same time, Mitochondria generate many unwanted free radicals caused by environmental toxins such as UV radiation, pollutants or as a result of normal cellular activity. These damage skin tissue if not kept in check.

However, the body creates its own anti-oxidants to combat the free radicals such as coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) but in diminishing amounts as we age. This can result in numerous skin conditions such as acne, pigmentation, wrinkles, psoriasis and skin cancer.

Enter MitoQ! It can be perceived as a hybrid of CoQ10 but is hundreds of times more effective in targeting and supporting the Mitochondria. It is an

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MitoQ* is a result of years of scientific research culminating in a revolutionary breakthrough that slows the aging process by working at the fundamental cellular level necessary for long term health and wellbeing and what’s more, it is reflected in the skin.

For certain, it is a powerful product that reveals a deeper insight into the way our body works.

The Serum and Supplements are now available online in the UK at: www. mitoq.com

it will enhance your sexual experience, improve hydration in intimate areas (especially for those suffering from Atrophic vaginitis) and also helps stress incontinence if there is one.

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Astronomy

NASA. Largest canyon in the Solar system. Valles Marineris. 3000KM long, (Grand Canyon USA, 600km), 8km deep, 600km across.

8mths of data back. Its lander reached the surface but sadly failed after 20 secs.

In 1974 the USSR successfully launched an orbiter and lander called Mars 7, a problem free journey to Mars ensued until near the end, when the lander separated prematurely from the orbiter, apparently due to a computer chip error.

Now the two craft are orbiting the Sun instead of the red planet.

Probably the first really successful craft were Viking 1 and Viking 2 which the US launched in 1975 and which sent back thousands of images, atmospheric data and soil experiments trying to search for microbial life. Although there were two notable successes in 1996 with Mars Global Surveyor (more images than all previous missions put together) in the 24yrs between the Vikings in 1975 and 1999 with the arrival of Mars Odyssey there were eight failures including Mars Polar Lander which was lost on arrival after a sensor shut down thinking it had landed. It hadn’t! A Japanese attempt in 1998 flew straight past with fuel problems, and an ambitious Russian/Chinese attempt to return a sample of material from Phobos a small moonlet of Mars failed due to

Mars Exploration Difficult to get to and even more difficult to land on

By Scott Beadle FRAS

M

ars has always figured strongly in the human imagination, in a time when only the Moon and the stars lit up the night sky, fear and foreboding were felt whenever a blood-red dot rose above the horizon and crossed the fixed background of the starry sky. Mars, the Red Planet, was a familiar yet suspicious omen of war and aggression for thousands of years.

Mars has remained still a fascinating object in the human conscience and imagination. We’ve imagined a canal building civilization, a dying race looking for a new world to inhabit. In 1938 people fled their homes after a radio broadcast of War of the Worlds that spooked millions of people into believing that tentacled creatures had landed on Earth in their war machines.

Today we know that there are no ancient civilizations, monsters, or canals and yet the dangers of Mars still lurk in our conscience, for we wish to visit it and ultimately colonize it; but know it is a hostile world covered in toxic soil and blasted by the Sun’s radiation. It is far dryer than the Sahara and far colder than the Antarctic.

Yet Mars is the most Earth-like of

NASA. Curiosity exploring the surface of Mars in Gale Crater

planets in the solar system, it has the potential to have harboured life and where we humans could one day hope to settle. To do so we have to conquer our fears and make peace with it and to do that we have to learn to know it.

The first attempt to fly by Mars was in 1960, when the then USSR tried to send a spacecraft called Korabl on the 483 million km (300 million miles) journey, it failed to reach Earth orbit.

This attempt was followed by five more failures from the USSR until 1964 when Mariner 4 succeeded in a flyby for the US. Three further failures from the USSR caused by faulty radios, through to launch vehicle failure, were followed by two more US successes in 1969 that returned a few images. The USSR’s first success was in 1971 when Mars 3 was successfully inserted into orbit and sent

cheap parts, design shortcomings and lack of testing. Stuck in Earth orbit until 2012 when it eventually re-entered our atmosphere and burnt up.

In 2003 our very own European attempt by ESA, called the Mars Express Orbiter set off carrying an all British lander Beagle 2. Although the orbiter has been incredibly successful and is still delivering good science all contact with Beagle 2 was lost. It was assumed to have crashed on entry into the Martian atmosphere. However, in 2011 it was spotted intact on the surface.

The hard part had been accomplished but unfortunately two of its petal like solar panels failed to unfold and blocked its communications antenna, hence no signal, so frustrating for all involved.

Why is it all so difficult?

Well getting anywhere in space is

hard, there are complex navigational problems to solve, complex mathematics involved, everything is moving relative to everything else; gravitational effects from the Sun and other planets require small adjustments at certain points to a craft’s flightpath. A small error can mean crashing into the planet or missing it all together. The space environment isn’t a friendly place. There can be single event upsets such as an energetic particle passing through a computer chip causing a glitch, or corrupting data, to massive solar flares that can destroy a spacecraft’s electronics in seconds.

The road to the launch pad is nearly as daunting as the journey to Mars.

The craft has to be built to survive the arduous trip, and be able to complete its science on arrival. Nothing less than exceptional technology and planning is required If getting there is hard, landing is considered to be even harder, described

by NASA as six minutes of pure terror.

One of the biggest problems with Mars is its thin atmosphere which simply can’t slow the spacecraft up as much as a thicker atmosphere, so the aero braking effect is much less.

The most successful recent lander (2012) was Curiosity which was the size of a mini. Too heavy for airbag landing it had the most hair-raising system in operation called the Sky Crane.

Curiosity entered Mars atmosphere travelling at 21000Km/h (3000Mph) and had only 7 mins to reach the surface at 0Kph/Mph. First it deployed a large parachute to slow to 1600Km/ h(1000Mph) and its heatshield reached 870°C (1600F). It then discarded the heatshield at an altitude of 7 Km and at 1.8Kms the descent stage fired its retro rockets. At 20mts the descent stage lowered Curiosity to the surface on cables. At touchdown, the cables were cut and, job done, the descent stage fired itself away at an angle to crash a couple of kilometres away! All pre-programmed, amazing.

So, what happened with our latest attempt ESA’s Schiaparelli that detached from the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) on Oct 20th. It appears to have been fine on entry including jettisoning the heat shield but the parachute may have been released at too high an altitude and the retro-rockets cut out too soon, at 300Km/h and with an impact of “where there should have been a lander there is a blackened crater!"

Setbacks such as these shouldn’t deter us and I hope the next ExoMars project will get its funding, especially as the next lander prototype has been assembled in Hertfordshire, UK (pre-Brexit of course).

Of course, the history of the various attempts to reach and successfully land on the surface of this very hostile world is a reminder of the obstacles and pitfalls awaiting the early pioneers waiting in the wings for the first human habitation and colonization of Mars, our old God of War.

November 2016

Science & Technology New recyclable coffee cup could solve landfill woes

By Ione Bingley

I

n March this year, celebrity chef and environmental campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall took to the streets of London in a double-decker bus adorned with 10,000 coffee cups and armed with a megaphone to set right a confused British public that has been mistakenly recycling their takeaway coffee cups.

“Every day hundreds of thousands of Britons put their coffee cup into a recycling bin. They're wrong. Those cups aren't recyclable, and the UK throws away 2.5bn of them a year. It must stop,” said Fearnley-Whittingstall.

Ordinary coffee cups are made from paper laminated with a plastic layer to make the cup waterproof. These layers must then be separated in a recycling unit so that the paper can be used again.

However, once the paper and the plastic layers have been bound together, they are very difficult to pull apart and the technique required is only supported by two recycling facilities in the UK. So most of the cups end up in landfill, accounting for around 25,000 tons of waste a year.

Taking this to heart, a brand called Frugalcup has been attempting to engineer a takeaway coffee cup that can be recycled in ordinary waste facilities.

And they claim to have succeeded.

“2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are used in the UK each year. The vast majority of these end up in landfill. Put them end to end and they would go round the world five and a half times,

Geoengineering to tackle climate change:

Image © Slide Team

A looming possibility

By Ione Bingley

would weigh as much as a battleship and are made from over 100,000 trees,” said Head of Marketing at Frugalcup, Jonathan Boyd. “Frugalcups are made from recycled paper that is untreated with the chemicals that are used to make current paper cups water resistant.”

The idea behind the Frugalcup is simple, the inner plastic lining is so lightly glued in place and rolled under the lip that standard paper recycling facilities can easily separate the paper from the lining.

The designers are now attempting to attract the interest of big coffee chains, many of which pledged to address the recycling issue as a response to FearnleyWhittingstall’s ‘War on Waste’.

“A number of the big coffee shop chains have shown an interest in the Frugalpac cup,” said Boyd. “Of these Starbucks has publicly announced that it is looking at the Frugalpac cup with a view to launching a formal trial.”

Continuing their work to address non-recyclable packaging across the board, the company has designed four more products based on a similar technology that they have pledged to roll out over the next six months, including a rumoured recyclable carton for wine.

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

online: www.KCWToday.co.uk

RESEARCH NEWS

The common, white, mute swan has been found to windsurf in Sweden. Using their wings as sails, the swans are able to propel themselves across the water at high speed by harnessing the wind like a windsurfer. This allows them to travel much faster than by paddling.

The Wilson Journal of Ornithology New fossil evidence dating back 1.8 million years shows scratches on the front teeth caused by a tool held in the right hand that was used to saw a piece of meat held in the teeth and stretched taut by the left hand. The dental fossil reveals that a right-handed bias has been present in the human species and our relatives for much longer than previously thought.

Journal of Human Evolution Engineers have created ‘green’ flooring that can convert footsteps into usable energy using wood pulp. The material, usually considered a waste product, contains tiny fibres that can be chemically treated to produce an electrical change when they come in contact with untreated fibres. The flooring, made of a combination of treated and untreated units, produces energy when walked over and can be used to power lights or charge batteries. Nano Energy

The conventional understanding of testosterone production to make males larger, braver and more powerful has been undermined by the discovery of 'mean girl' meerkats that are able to make twice as much testosterone as males. Meerkats live in groups with one female leader and up to 50 male and female helpers with the boss lady meerkat banishing females that manage to get pregnant or killing their pups so they continue to look after her own.

Scientific Reports

A United Nations body is investigating controversial methods to avert runaway climate change by re-engineering the Earth’s oceans and atmosphere, in a bid to achieve the global carbon levels laid down in the Paris agreement.

“Within the Paris agreement there’s an implicit assumption that there will need to be greenhouse gases removed,” said Phil Williamson, a scientist at the U.K.’s University of East Anglia, who worked on the report. “Climate geoengineering is what countries have agreed to do, although they haven’t really realized that they’ve agreed to do it.”

Large-scale geoengineering could include pouring nutrients into oceans to save coral habitats or spraying tiny particles into the Earth’s atmosphere to reflect the sun’s rays back into space.

Geoengineering proposals have been shunned in the past because of their unpredictable consequences on global ecosystems.

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Image © Rob Curtis

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CO2 levels in the atmosphere have surged past an important threshold and may remain there for “many generations”. The 400 parts per million benchmark was reached in 2015, but 2016 is set to be the first year that level will remained above the benchmark year round. While the El Niño weather phenomenon has contributed to the raised levels, the amount of CO2 is irrefutably linked to human emissions and will contribute towards what has been forecast as a new era of climate change reality.

World Meteorological Organisation

When we tell lies for personal gain, a part of our brain called the amygdala produces negative feelings, but we quickly become desensitised to these feelings with subsequent lies. The amygdala reponds less and less to lies of increasing magnitude allowing us to become adapted to deception and encouraging us to tell bigger lies in the future.

Nature Neuroscience Parasitic weeds are able to steal genes from the plants that they are attacking and use those genes against their host plant. The method, called horizontal gene transfer, is common in more simple single-celled organisms like bacteria, but is very rare in more complex life forms like these parasitic plants. Farmers around the world struggle with parasitic species like these and the new finding might open up new methods of control.

PNAS

Long-term exposure to air pollution is linked to a greater incidence of high blood pressure according to the largest ever study investigating the effects of both air pollution and traffic noise. The study followed over 41,000 people in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Spain for five to nine years. European Heart Journal

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Motoring From the Back Seat.

Part 37

By Don Grant

O

have her phone number!’ There was a photograph of a drophead Renault Floride to accompany an article by John Bolster on the test-day for French cars at Monthlery, with a blonde Bardot clone perched coquettishly on the door.

‘This picture shows to advantage the striking lines of the body. The model has independent suspension all round, giving excellent handling qualities and also has quite a lively performance!’ It was the same dumb and dumber philosophy that spawned the girlie calendars in garages and plumbers’ and builders’ merchants in the 1960s and 1970s, with pneumatic ladies sitting astride giant Champion spark-plugs or a piston.

Pirelli thought they had brought an element of class to the pin-up calendar by employing top fashion photographers,

n 19 April 1957, the cover of Autosport featured a redhead and a blonde. The redhead was a Testa Rossa Ferrari, and the blonde was a Swedish actress called Jan Harrison who was sitting behind the wheel. A week later, she was photographed at the Palm Springs races, having been dubbed “Queen of Palm Springs, Road Races” talking to dad beside the VW Autosport Press Bus. She had previously entered the Miss America contest, but was barred because she had been secretly married. She obviously liked marriage and motor racing, as she divorced her first husband and married Ken Miles’s old boss, Carroll Shelby, who left his wife and kids for her in 1962. They then divorced and Carroll married another three times, while Jan re-married her first husband. She was a model, appearing in such erudite magazines as Spick, Stag, Joy, Rogue, Sir! and Breezy, and she acted in a film called Fort Bowie and appeared in Rawhide. It was quite common in those days to have scantily-clad girls draped over the bonnets of cars at motor shows, and Autosport was no exception in showing these photographs. There were the usual double ententes, worthy of Humphrey Lyttleton, about bodywork, beautiful lines, performance, handling and attractiveness, as well as nice headlamps and hooters.

A girl in a low-cut dress and large breasts sitting in a car, with a caption reading, ‘Trying the Singer Chamois for size – and what a size! – is an “extra” most motor-car owners can only dream about.’ Another, with a girl climbing into a sports car, reads, ‘Bottoms First! This is the only satisfactory way of getting into the new 3ft. 4in., 160mph June Wilkinson, GG and Henry Taylor at Sebring 1964.

Elva-BMW at the Motor Show, as 19-year-old model Donna White so ably demonstrates!’ taking a troupe of top models, make-up A girl in a bikini languishes on the artists, costume department and flying bonnet of a car. ‘Who’s for a ride? Under them all to exotic island locations, like a new insurance scheme anyone can the Bahamas or Jamaica, and produced drive a demonstration Elva Courier a ‘tasteful’ girlie calendar, albeit an arty – everyone (apart from our model!) is one. After the first tame one came out fully covered.’ ‘Last week’s Sports News in 1963, with photographs by Terence pin-up caused so much technical interest Donovan, art directed by Derek Forsyth, that we make no excuse for publishing things began to get racier, with Brian a frontal elevation.’ ‘No, sir, you cannot Duffy, Peter Knapp, Harry Peccinotti,

Barry Lategan, Francis Giacobetti and Herb Ritts all bringing their trademark imagery to the party. Dad came back with the second calendar in 1964, with pictures by Robert Freeman, and it was duly hung in the kitchen. Derek Forsyth was also the executive producer on a 1966 Pirelli promo entitled The Tortoise and the Hare, a snappy little film directed by Hugh Hudson and featuring

a beautiful blonde in a white E-Type Jaguar and a double trailer goods lorry as the tortoise on the Autostrada del Sole. Dad took me to see the première and I was deeply impressed by Robert Brownjohn’s title sequence, which had all the graphics stuck onto lorries and cement trucks. Whenever dad went to the US to cover a race at Sebring, Palm Springs or Daytona in Florida, there would always be ‘a bevy of beauties’ surrounding the drivers and their entourage, some with sashes, proclaiming “Miss Florida”, or “Miss Player 200”.

Dad was photographed with a lady called June Wilkinson, who was an English model and actress, who was discovered

by Hugh Hefner and appeared a number of times in Playboy, and for some unaccountable reason, she was known as “The Bosom”. They are forever saying that motor racing is dangerous. Those cantilevered torpedoes actually look quite dangerous themselves.

Motor racing has always attracted glamorous ladies, particularly since the war, and they were known as pit popsies, grid groupies or umbrella girls and they were there to promote tyre companies and racing teams, with Monaco always attracting the most attractive girls.

The drivers in the sixties and seventies were not unlike pop stars in the female attention they were given, and many found it difficult to keep it in their pants a few thousand miles from home. Of the Formula One drivers in the 1950s, Mike Hawthorn, Ron Flockart and Peter Collins were the louche Lotharios, with Graham Hill and Innes Ireland in the 1960s, and later James Hunt, in a spectacular way, all legendary swordsmen.

One can only surmise about today’s crop, as their lives are pretty well-controlled by the PR arm of the teams, although Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button always seem to be linked romantically with various models and singers, as befits their playboy life-styles. Jackie Stewart, the dour three-times World Champion, thinks that Lewis has lost focus, due to his love of partying. Wee Jackie was certainly not a party animal, according to dad, and was deeply serious about his career in motor racing. Hamilton’s old humourless boss at McLaren, Ron Dennis echoes Stewart’s prissy condemnation, ‘If he was at McLaren he wouldn’t be behaving the way he is because he wouldn’t be allowed to.’ Lewis says, ‘I don’t want to be a jet-set star. I want it to be the rock and roll lifestyle.’

Bernie Ecclestone is all for this, as it is at least breathing life into his ailing F1 circus, due to the processional and boring, rule-riddled racing. Marianne Williamson is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, who wrote Powerful beyond Measure, containing the lines, ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.’ Hamilton has the quote tatooed on his chest.

Presumably that is for others to read.

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tyred early experiments in automotive technology. Their big day is Sunday the 6th when the Annual London to Brighton Run sets off at an unseemly hour to give them a chance to clear the capital on relatively quiet roads. Not all of them will make it, but the run represents a defiant blow for the ultimate in “re-use, not replace” Two other events on the horizon worthy of note, especially as the weather is generally not too conducive to standing around motor racing circuits at this time of year; The Classic Motor Show at the NEC (Birmingham, 11-13th Nov) features almost every kind of car and bike imaginable; autojumble, a chance to see a car being brought back to life in the restoration theatre and heaps more. Wear comfy shoes, there’s a lot to cover. For those who want to stay closer to home, and don`t mind something a little less comprehensive the London Classic Car Show, incorporating The Motorsport International for the first time comes to Excel 2326th Feb next year.

July 2016, and July 2017

By David Hughes

I

’m guessing you might be thinking “is he a lot too early, or a little too late?”

Conveniently, a bit of both really.

Billed as the world’s biggest classic event, The Silverstone Classic is a marvellous blend of top class racers, parades, old buffers-a-buffing, music, and retail therapy.

There’s a lot of shows out there, but this is a big ticket extravaganza lasting 3 days, and it needs a major shop window to entice in the next generation of enthusiasts. Obligingly, Regent St closes to ordinary traffic to set up this RAC sponsored event, comprising one of the most interesting and valuable collections of cars on Saturday November the 5th.

Yes, really – and it’s free!

The cars cover several generations, but there’s a must see in there for me.

It’s 40 years since James Hunt won his world F1 championship and set many a youths’ imaginations on fire with his playboy lifestyle, myself included. What could be better I thought; drive an F1

Classic Cars return to London

By Fahad Redha

A century of supercars was among the stars at the Classic & Sports Car Show 28-30 October.. Nearly every decade was represented from the 1908 Mercedes GP to the McLaren P1 hybrid hypercar. More than 17,000 people cast their vote and elected the McLaren F1 from the 90s, the ancestor of the P1, the greatest supercar of all time. It beat icons including the Mercedes 300SL ‘Gullwing’, the Lamborghini Countach, and the Ferrari F40.

But it wasn’t just the supercars that people came to see. From Alfa Romeos to Jaguars, Porsches and Aston Martins, there was no shortage of Europe’s finest sports cars sports cars. A Bedford J0 pickup truck sat beside a Ferrari 246 Dino and a Mercedes CLK63 ‘Black.’

Electric Classic Cars brought a Beetle that the firm had converted to electric power. Boasting a 100-mile range, the green (actually, it was red!) VW is the perfect way to keep an old car long after the oil wells have run dry.

Legendary Jaguar test driver Norman Dewis opened the show on Friday the 28th of October. By the entrance was

car, meet loads of gorgeous girls, travel the world, get paid loads of cash. Ideal.

My careers’ master took a more sanguine view. For the eternal optimists amongst us, dwindling youthful ambition can be at least partially rekindled by visiting the exhibition featuring his title winning McClaren M23.

At the other end of the spectrum are the pioneer cars; the pre 1905 spindlya reproduction of the Jaguar XJ13, celebrating its 50th anniversary. While filming a promotional film for Jaguar when the car was new, Dewis lost control when a rear wheel broke off. The crash nearly destroyed the car, though thankfully, Dewis was uninjured.

It was far from the only special Jaguar there. Beside a couple of E-Types, a unique XK120 by Pininfarina, undergoing restoration, sat inside the hall.

Outside the palace, a six-wheeled Tyrrell F1 car from the 1970s led parades of cars along the South Terrace. From vintage BMWs to modern highperformance vehicles, the hill was alive to the sound of engines.

And finally, there was the auction. Highlights included a 1971 Lamborghini Miura, once owned by Sir Rod Stewart that sold for £909,000.

The singer’s car was finished in blue and its model year makes it one of

the later years for the legendary Italian thoroughbred. The Miura was the first mid-engined road car and is seen by many as the original supercar. With its 370bhp V12 engine, it topped out at over 170mph, which made it the fastest car in its day.

Other cars sold included a one-owner 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that sold for £450,000 and a Ferrari 246 GT Dino

that hit £371,000.

From the return of the London Motor Show, in Battersea Park (5-7 May 2017), the Classic Car Show in Excel (23-26 Feb 2017) and now the Classic & Sports Car Show, London is once again a city for enthusiasts. For anyone who’s driven in the capital, it seems like an oxymoron. But how many cities have had races inside of them (Formula E) Image © Classic Car Show

Silverstone Classic

Image © David Hughes

Motoring

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May April/May 2016 2011

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

Sport

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Sports fixtures London Home Football

Nov 19 Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday 15:00 Nov 19 QPR v Norwich 15:00 Nov 23 Arsenal v Paris Saint Germain 19:45 Nov 26 Chelsea v Tottenham 17:30 Nov 27 Arsenal v Bournemouth 14:15 Dec 1 QPR v Wolves 19:45 Dec 3 Fulham v Reading 15:00 Dec 11 Chelsea v West Brom 12:00

International Rugby

Nov 12 England v South Africa, Twickenham Stadium, London Scotland v Australia, BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Wales v Argentina, Principality Stadium, Cardiff Ireland v Canada, Aviva Stadium, Dublin Nov 19 England v Fiji, Twickenham Stadium, London Wales v Japan, Principality Stadium, Cardiff Scotland v Argentina, BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh Ireland v New Zealand, Aviva Stadium, Dublin Nov 26 England v Argentina, Twickenham Stadium, London Scotland v Georgia, Rugby Park, Kilmarnock Ireland v Australia, Aviva Stadium, Dublin

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Rugby

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Nov 19 Hertford v Sutton & Epsom

Nov 19 Tonbridge Juddian v Shelford Nov 19 Westcliff v Guernsey Nov 19 Southend Saxons v Dorking Nov 19 Wimbledon v Colchester Nov 19 Amersham & Chiltern v Chichester

Nov 19 Guildford v Westcombe Park Nov 26 Chichester v Wimbledon Nov 26 Colchester v Guildford No 26 Guernsey v Amersham & Chiltern Nov 26 Westcombe Park v Hertford Nov 26 Shelford v Westcliff Nov 26 Sutton & Epsom v Southend Saxons Nov 26 Dorking v Tonbridge Juddian Dec 3 Amersham & Chiltern v Shelford Dec 3 Tonbridge Juddian v Sutton & Epsom Dec 3 Southend Saxons v Hertford Dec 3 Wimbledon v Guernsey Dec 3 Westcliff v Dorking Dec 3

COLLECTION AND DELIVERY

Guildford v Chichester Dec 3 Colchester v Westcombe Park

Motorsport

Nov 13 Brazilian Grand Prix Nov 13 Moto GP, Grand Prix of Valencia

Nov 15 6 hours of Bahrain Nov 16 Formula E, Marrakesh Nov 17-20

WRC, Rally Australia Nov 27 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Nov 28-30 Brazil, 6 hours of Sao Paulo

Golf in September

Courtesy of BBC Sport Nov 10-13, 17-20, 24-27 PGA European Tour

Tennis

Courtesy of BBC Sport Jan 1 Hopman Cup Australia

Horse Racing

Ascot Nov 18-19 November Racing Weekend and Christmas Fair Kempton Park Nov 9, 16, 23, 30 AWT - Twilight Nov 21 Afternoon Jump

Marathons in the UK Nov 12 Endurancelife Gower Marathon Rhossili, Swansea Nov 20 Cornish Marathon Liskeard, Cornwall Nov 28 Viking Coastal Thanksgiving Marathon Birchington, Kent TBC Luton Marathon Luton, Bedfordshire

December 2016 Dec 3 Endurancelife Dorset Marathon Wareham Dorset marathonrunnersdiary.com Compiled by Fahad Redha

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November April/May 2016 2011

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Crossword & Bridge This is the fifty first Wolfe Cryptic Crossword C. Hopkins of W10 was last month’s winner, congratulations. Thank you to Ms J. Keene for correcting me, quite rightly, about my clue to one across in crossword number 49. Please let me have any comments or suggestions you may have and remember if you haven’t totally finished the whole crossword still send it in as the first correct or substantially correct answer picked at random will win a prize of a bottle of Champagne kindly donated by Lea and Sandeman send your grids either by post to Wolfe, at Kensington and Chelsea Today 80-100 Gwynne Road London SW11 3UW or scan it in and send by email to wolfe@ kcwtoday.co.uk. www.leaandsandeman.co.uk/Fine-Wine.

106 Kensington Church St, London, W8 4BH. T: 020 7221 1982. Contact Sandor.

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Across 5 Direction of clue carried to Calvary. (6) 7 The world of learning right out of arcade before Mia Farrow joined in. (8) 9 Take drugs on the train. (8) 10 How fast the Lone Ranger told Tonto to go onto Toronto! (6) 11 Remove from service when short month precedes mantra with overseas religious group. (12) 13 Reportedly I see twice around one gone east needing no introduction (6) 15 Exit beheading going back to childhood. (6) 18 Army tribunal reportedly captured law keeper. (5-7) 21 Some of those whose lot is not to be happy. (6) 22 Cell car I arranged for routine office work. (8) 23 I buy feta to make one more attractive.

(8) 24 BBQ tool could be held by flask, ewer or tin. (6) Down 1 Feel depressed leading conurbation to city centre. (8) 2 Fat mother held one like platinum. (6) 3 Blue bling made by mobile software in the country (8) 4 Fame created by Wren on rebuilding.

(6) 6 In Tesco ales certain to come together.

(8)

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♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

7 5 4 KQJ A J 10 9 8 42 ♠ Q932 AK6 N ♥6 10 8 7 5 4 2 W E ♦ KQ2 64 S ♣ Q J 10 9 5 87 ♠ J 10 8 ♥ A93 ♦ 753 ♣ AK63 ♠ ♥ ♦ ♣

1. Invitational raise to the notrump game.

2. Rejected – holding a barren minimum.

West led ♥5 to 2NT, and declarer overtook dummy’s ♥J with ♥A to lead ♦3 to dummy’s ♦8. East won ♦Q and, realising from observing dummy’s ♥KQ that there was no future in returning partner’s lead, naturally switched to his fine ♣ suit.

East switched to ♣Q - top of a sequence. Declarer played ♣K, which held the trick, and led ♦5 to ♦9. East won ♦K and paused to reflect. His club switch had not worked too well; it was clear declarer also held ♣A because his ♣K had won the trick (if West held ♣A he would have beaten ♣K with it). There was only one suit left for East to lead, spades. He led ♠2 and West beat ♠10 with ♠K, cashed ♠A, and led ♠6.

East won ♠Q and cashed ♠9, the setting trick.

It would have been different if declarer had won East’s ♣Q switch with ♣A (not ♣K). Now East would not have known who held ♣K (even a trustworthy West, whose signals could be relied upon, would have had trouble discouraging clubs “throw low means no”, as his lowest pip was the seven). East might easily have persisted with clubs when he won ♦K. Declarer would then have made his contract; three hearts, three diamonds and ♣AK making up his eight tricks.

ANDREW’S TIP: As declarer, generally play the highest of touching cards.

This will leave the defenders more in the dark.

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7 Images designed to show prejudice against the old. (6) 8 Seriously involved with individual not the other to begin with. (4) 12 Elude around modern time for a daring adventure. (8) 14 Unsophisticated energy source maybe well found. (5,3) 16 Solicitors may earn it re taking on

cases. (8) 17 Woody sounds like a difficult situation. (6) 18 To begin with criminal leads I question every secretive group. (6) 19 Not wanting a piece of poetry. (6) 20 Sound from the south west to go the opposite way. (4)

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Monthly Bridge Tip for Intermediates When you as declarer possess two (or more) cards that are adjacent (e.g. a king and a queen), then they have equal value. It may seem of little relevance which one you choose to play. However this is not so!

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November 2016

Chess

Kensington, Chelsea & Westminster Today

plays Levon Aronian in round one, will feature what may be the game of the tournament to decide the whole, with Hikaru Nakamura as white taking on Wesley So, black! The reason being that the former is the only player who can still catch So in the overall GCT standings.

The winner receiving $100,000 and the runner up $50,000. Let’s hope its not a draw.

Late news; the ECF announced at its AGM that it has long last elected a Woman Director, Sarah Longson (née Hegarty). Let’s hope this is the beginning of a new era of success for English women’s chess.

By Barry Martin

Mikhail’s tale & the Queen’s trail

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which contain more games by him than any other player, a grand respect!

The 10th Memorial finished with Ian Nepomniachtchi in first place with 6/9 points, with Kramnik in a surprising 7th position 4.5/9, 9th Tomashevsky 3.5/9 and Boris Gelfand 2/9, last.

The puzzle to follow shows one of the few decisive games played between the winner and the 9th placed player, that shows even Grandmasters can sometimes exhibit feeble play that most club players would rather forget!

However, an unforgettable occurrence has just entered the stratosphere with the showing of the chess sourced film, The Queen of Katwe, about “a Ugandan urchin girl turned international chess champ”, which has, as they say in the industry, ‘a feelgood factor’. However, in this instance it is a real ‘feelgood factor’ based on a real story of how Phiona Mutesi raised in the slums of Katwe, a suburb of Kampala, Uganda, amongst the sewerage and abject poverty, where they are in constant fear of where the next meal will come from, raises her game when she chances upon a missionary who gives out mugs of porridge to the hungry children and endeavours to teach them chess as a form of education and strategy to develop their thinking. Robert Katende, the missionary, is constantly in battle himself, ( a game within a game) with Harriet, Phiona's mother, the former wanting Phiona to aspire to the position of international chess prodigy, whilst Harriet wants her daughter to “simply accept their lowly status quo and the daily grind of life”. The film directed by Mira Nair, (Monsoon Wedding etc.), casts Lupita Nyong’o, (Oscar winner for 12 Years a Slave), as Harriet, and the film won third place at the recent Toronto International Film Festival as People’s Choice. However, its European and USA release has created a crescendo of visceral exhortations for

a best-picture Oscar. Lupita Nyong’o when asked about why she took the role said, “...I only know that nothing like this had crossed my desk. I thought it was radical, a rare thing, and an uplifting story where Africans are front and centre of their own story. I knew in less than 10 pages that I wanted to do it” “The film doesn’t shy away from struggle, and it doesn’t sanitise poverty!” Despite its portrayal of poverty the inhabitants of Katwe are both colourful and positive, and the film's closing scenes embrace an exuberant dance and music fest that has cinema audiences on overdrive leaping spontaneously from their seats and dancing in the aisles! Nyong’o has said that her Oscar has given her more than anything the luxury of choice.

What chess has given Phiona is not that much different, although it is a world of differences, in that it has given her choice beyond and above ‘the daily grind of slum life!”

Returning to the chess world November has the great battle to see who will be the next World Champion.

Played in New York, Carlsen and Karjakin hopefully will play for wins, and give us a world match to be remembered for inspired play, and not a collection of predictable draws.

The London Classic, 9th-18th December, Olympia, London, draws to an end. The Grand Chess Tour, and the pairings including Michael Adams who

The puzzle is from the The Mikhail Tal Memorial Tournament 2016, between Ian Nepomniachtchi v Evgeny Tomashevsky. This game had barely begun, but in a tournament with such a surfeit of draws this game at least had some fire about it, although Black’s play was quickly seen to be too casual, and he quickly succumbed to white’s more accurate strategy. On move 6... white had advanced his pawn to e5, instead of, for example developing his pieces, attacking Black’s knight on f6. A challenging move, which must have disturbed Black since he probably thought Nc3, to protect the e pawn, or Bishop d3, preparing to castle, whilst equally protecting the pawn on e4. In response Black played 6.....Qe7, denying white’s plan to take on f6, since this would be illegal. White played 7. Qe2.....

Touché, in the circumstances! Black’s next move seemed safe, but begins an awkwardness that characterises this game for him. Unfortunately there were few options at this point for Black, what was it, and how did the game progress?

Answer up side down below.

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CHESS

he Mikhail Tal Memorial chess tournament was played at the Museum of Russian Impressionism, Moscow from the 25th September-6th October. This was the 6th event of the Chess in Museums Project.

This international project is supported by the Russian Chess Federation with funding from the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charity. The first of these inspired events was for the World Chess Championship between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand in 2012 and this took place in the State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow.

In 1991 and again in 1993, I along with Richard Humphreys and Raymond Keene, organised two Art and Chess symposia at the Tate Gallery, London and couldn’t realise a more culturally suitable and exciting location for chess related events. This was the 10th Mikhail Tal tournament and featured a very strong group of contenders, but this didn’t mitigate an increasing trend appearing in top flight world tournaments, of a plethora of draws, where players appear to be playing for a draw to evade a loss! In this tournament out of 90 games, 60 games were drawn , with only 15 decisive games, 15 wins and 15 losses. It is ironic in a sense since Tal played, ‘a daring, combinational style,’and known ‘for improvisation and unpredictability’! His creative genius was couched into a thrusting style and undoubtedly the best attacking player of all time! Playing this year’s tournament in an art museum also complements Tal’s own educational development since he graduated as a student from the University of Riga in Literature with his thesis on the satirical works of Petrov amongst others. He summarised his profession in tandem with his cultural outlook with, “Every game was as inimitable and invaluable as a poem”. His abilities were evocatively conjured in the tag The Magician from Riga, and still holds the records for both the first and second longest unbeaten runs in competitive chess history! He became the youngest player to win the the USSR Chess Championship aged 20 in 1957, and in consequence that year FIDE waived the normal channels chess players go through and awarded him the Grandmaster title. Tal, 19361992 is included in major books of collected games including, Modern Chess Brilliances, and The Mammoth Book of the World's Greatest Chess Games,

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7.Qe2, Nd5?!. 8.c4, Ba6. 9. b3,g6. 10. f4,Bg7. 11. Qf2,Nf6. 12. Ba3,d6. 13.Nc3, 0-0.14.0-0-0, Ne8. 15. g3, Bb7. 16, Bg2, f6. 17.exd6, Nd6. 18.c5, Nf5. 19.Rhe1, Qf7. 20.Bf1, Rfd8. 21. Rd8, Rd8. 22. Bc4, Rd5. 23.Qe2, 1-0, Black resigns.

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