FOCUS ON: ROCHESTER, KENT September 3, 2009 HIGH STREET, WOULDHAMPrice: £330,000Workers looking to escape the hubbub of the City for the pleasant and quiet Kentish countryside need look no further than this three-bedroom cottage in the heart of Wouldham, near Rochester – 50 minutes from Victoria by train. Originally the village forge, the house has exposed beams throughout and flagstone tiles in [...]
In an ecclesiastical home, heaven is a place on earth September 3, 2009 OKAY, so it might involve sleeping where an altar once was. Or perhaps a belltower, nave or vestry. It sounds ever so slightly scandalous, but ecclesiastic properties are recession-busting favourites, with architectural features that can’t be rivalled. In London, there’s a range of options – many of which are considered hip as well as high-end, [...]
Shared ownership getting young professional boost September 3, 2009 IT’S A COMMON refrain that for young professionals in London, getting a foot on the housing ladder can be nigh-on impossible. Increasingly, ambitious young workers are looking to shared ownership schemes. Originally set up by the government as a way to provide affordable homes in housing association developments to key workers like police and nurses, [...]
Stunning sci fi in a district of its own September 3, 2009 FilmDISTRICT 9Cert: 15 FINALLY – a summer blockbuster worthy of the name. District 9, in which aliens visit earth and end up staying, is equal parts riveting sci fi saga, thrilling action adventure and intelligent, darkly comic social satire. For my money it’s the best science fiction film of the decade, and up with the [...]
OUT THIS WEEKEND PREVIEWS September 3, 2009 FILMBIG RIVER MAN Documentary following Mark Strel’s remarkable swim down the Amazon. GREEK PETE Drama about a young man working as an escort in London. PASSCHENDAELE Canadian film about one of World War One’s bloodiest battles. DVDTHE BOAT THAT ROCKED Lacklustre Richard Curtis comedy about Sixties pirate radio, with Bill Nighy. FIFTY DEAD MEN WALKING [...]
Kate’s smart move September 3, 2009 KATE Moss’s latest collection for Top Shop has hit the ground running, as usual. But among the most sought- after pieces are her jackets, ranging from a sexy striped blazer (above) to a Russian velvet jacket to a faux fur coat to – and this one has made the biggest splash – the bejewelled black [...]
MAKING HOLS EASY September 3, 2009 Sara HollambyStyle Counsel HAVING just come back from a blissful two-week break on a beach in the sun, I’ve washed and ironed all my beach holiday clothes. It dawned on me that year after year, on beach holidays, I wear more or less exactly the same things – items of clothing perfect on holiday, but [...]
A butcher can help you eat better and cheaper, too September 2, 2009 THEscene at Fulham butcher HG Walter would once have been a familiar one, with the smartly-aproned staff behind its counter, some serving, some wielding fearsome knives at a giant chopping board, reducing great hunks of animal to alluring, perfectly-formed pieces. French-trimmed racks of lamb and veal, chops painted in herby marinades, plump chicken breasts, deep-crimson [...]
Faulks takes aim at London, the City and Dickens September 2, 2009 A WEEK IN DECEMBERBY SEBASTIAN FAULKSHutchinson, £18.99 WITH HIS interest in the historical past and his solid, straightforward prose, Sebastian Faulks is the bard of Middle England. His most famous books – Birdsong, Charlotte Gray et al – are set in the world wars, times sure to interest your middlebrow reader. So he is taking [...]
Not Fiat for purpose September 1, 2009 I WAS driving another car altogether recently with a motoring pal and we got on to the subject of the Fiat 500. We naturally progressed on to this high-performance version of the car. Fiat has taken the much-loved 500 and let loose Abarth, the designer which is to Fiat what AMG is to Mercedes-Benz. It [...]
