There’s more to Chinese culture than willow-patterned plates or Ming vases; we explore Beijing’s fast-growing contemporary art scene July 28, 2017 Picture the likes of London’s White Cube, the Saatchi Gallery, and the Serpentine, all transported to, say…Hounslow. Would you be as inclined to head there of a weekend to take in the latest exhibition by Damien Hirst, or Tracey Emin? Serious collectors from around the world as well as art-loving Chinese investors are doing something [...]
Focus On Brixton: David Bowie, buzzing nightlife and honest burgers keep average house prices at around £550,000 July 27, 2017 In many ways, Brixton is the capital of south London. With its excellent transport links into central London and exhaustive range of shopping, dining and nightlife options, if you didn’t have to work, you probably wouldn’t need to leave. It even has its own currency. Over 250 businesses accept the Brixton Pound and around £50,000 [...]
Property of the Week: This four-storey penthouse next door to Tower Bridge is on sale for the first time in 35 years July 27, 2017 There are penthouses with views and then there’s the High Command. This highly unusual Grade II Listed property in Shad Thames is so close to Tower Bridge that it’s practically within touching distance when you’re having a cup of tea on one of its many terraces. High Command, Shad Thames, £9.5m This is the first [...]
Allelujah! review: Alan Bennett’s NHS play at the Bridge Theatre is cosy and cautionary all at once July 27, 2017 It’s often said that the NHS and the BBC are the twin religions of Britain. If there’s a triplet, it’s probably Alan Bennett, who’s decided to make the health service the subject of his first new play in five years. Allelujah! isn’t quite as sprightly as it sounds, being set on a geriatric ward, but [...]
Fitness advice: There are get-fit-quick shortcuts, but be prepared for some hard work July 26, 2017 We see “before and after” photos all over the internet and in magazines, and many of us think, “Is this even possible? Are these photoshopped? Is that even the same person?” Some of the time-frames given are questionable, but you will be surprised what your body can do in a short space of time. [...]
City of Ghosts film review: An important documentary held back by lumbering, artless direction July 21, 2017 In 2013, after ISIS took control of Raqqa, a group of citizen journalists began secretly recording and publishing their activities. Calling themselves Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS), the group formed to counter ISIS’s slick propaganda machine, and deliver the truth about their atrocities to the world. Much of what we know about ISIS’s barbarism [...]
A new Leica masterclass at Gleneagles invites you to brush up on your camera skills between rounds of golf July 21, 2017 Perfect your portraits and learn from renowned landscape photographer Colin Prior at his masterclass run in conjunction with Leica. Set in the grand hotel of Gleneagles in Perthshire, nearby lochs and heathlands give ample opportunity for the habitual wildlife photographer to improve their skills. How do I get there? Fly to Edinburgh or Glasgow, they’re [...]
Sailing the Faroe Islands in a 60 foot round-the-world racing yacht, with zero experience July 21, 2017 This is a monumental step-up. Six months after a blissful family sailing holiday in Greece, I am climbing into a Fladen survival suit on a 60 foot round-the-world racing yacht in Torshavn harbour, which you will of course recognise as the capital of the Faroe Islands. I’m wondering if I’ve bitten off more than I [...]
Focus On Woolwich: Crossrail, a huge regeneration project, cultural quarter and affordable housing in SE18 July 14, 2017 The West End, the Southbank, Shoreditch and now… Woolwich? Could this south east London suburb be the new place you head to on a Saturday night to soak up some culture? If it’s astronomical house price rises over the past five years are anything to go by, it could well be. In March, planning permission [...]
Exploring the lost coastlines of Mozambique, one of Africa’s fastest growing tourist destinations July 14, 2017 The southern African nation of Mozambique boasts one of the continent’s longest coastlines. It stretches for two and a half thousand kilometres along the Indian Ocean and is dotted with some of the best beaches on the planet, like the spectacular manta ray meeting point of Tofo and the coral reef enclosed bay of Pemba. [...]
