Property of the week: This West End flat gets you a pass to one of Mayfair’s secret gardens August 2, 2019 Where luxury homes are concerned, Mayfair pretty much has it all. A quick scan of current property listings reveals homes complete with built-in pizza ovens, spa treatment rooms and their own chauffeur-driven Bentleys. There is one area where most of its premium pads fall short, though – access to a garden. Not a roof terrace, [...]
Revealed: The outer London borough that locals say has the best commute August 2, 2019 Sweaty summer mornings on the Northern line getting you down? Been apologised to over a tannoy one too many times? Sick of travelling with a lower level of comfort than someone’s handbag? You might want to consider a move to Richmond-Upon-Thames, which despite all of its train and tube stations being in zones three to [...]
Cycling – a perfect blend of business and pleasure July 31, 2019 Every July, our TV screens are dominated by two major sporting events – the green grass of Wimbledon, and the men in lycra cycling across France for what is often regarded as the toughest sporting challenge in the world, the Tour de France. While even the most reluctant of fans is suddenly gripped by the [...]
‘High-tech’ homes in NW1 listed July 26, 2019 Do you love them or hate them? Whatever your opinion, the row of homes at Grand Union Walk in Camden Town is now officially architecturally significant, having been awarded grade II listed status by Historic England last week. The ten three-bedroom houses and two flats in NW1 were designed by Sir Nicholas Grimshaw in the [...]
Let’s Play: How Youtubers are making millions playing video games July 25, 2019 For the past decade, largely unnoticed by traditional media, scores of YouTubers have been racking up millions of views by posting videos of themselves playing video games. These videos, called Let’s Plays, occupy a niche position in the new online ecosystem. Let’s Players aren’t competitive gamers; in fact, they’re often pretty hopeless at video games. [...]
The rise of the ASMR-tists: The online phenomenon touted as an antidote to anxiety and insomnia July 25, 2019 The slurp of a woman eating soup; the abrupt snip of scissors through hair; the crinkle of tinfoil being scrunched into a ball. For some people, these everyday sounds ignite a mysterious, near-ecstatic sensation known as Auto Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR). This reaction is characterised by a kind of low-level euphoria, similar to the prickly [...]
Mauritius: Paradise, but not as you know it July 24, 2019 This tropical island offers the cliched white sands and blue seas, but there’s more to discover at this most unusual of holiday destinations Pop quiz: What is the only tropical island to host its own classic car rally? This November, Mauritius will be the unlikely home to some of the rarest and most expensive classic [...]
How to host a dinner party: Top tips to ensure guests leave happy July 24, 2019 My editor asked me to write about how to throw the perfect dinner party. But there’s a problem: while I host quite a few myself – and pull them off pretty well, I think – I don’t have much to compare them to. You see, nobody ever invites me back. Read more: Trisara hotel review [...]
The most divisive tower blocks in the country, the Barbican Estate, have reached their half century July 24, 2019 Rising from the literal ashes of World War 2 bombs, the Barbican Estate has always been far more than a housing development. Designed by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, it was envisioned as a utopian blueprint for post-war British living – a tower block that wasn’t just about cramming in as many people as possible, [...]
Could magic mushrooms fix your brain? We try Europe’s first legal psychedelic therapy retreat July 24, 2019 Ten of us sit in a semicircle around a makeshift altar. In front of us lies a small statue of Buddha, various rocks and crystals, some pine cones, a carved mushroom, a small chemists’ weighing scale, and a wooden bowl filled with psychedelic ‘truffles’. We’re in a lodge on the outskirts of Amsterdam overlooking woodland [...]
