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The Theatre
Recently I was lucky enough to attend one of the rare behind the scenes history tours of Alexandra Palace. Named after Alexandra, Edward VII's wife, and affectionally known as Ally Pally. The original building sadly burnt down just sixteen days after it opened.
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On Good Friday hot cross buns are distributed in the churchyard of St Bartholomew the Great. The ceremony known as the Butterworth Charity, was named after Joshua Whitehead Butterworth who created the trust in 1887. It was set up to provide the sum of six pence to twenty one needy widows in the parish and buns were to be handed out to children who attended the distribution. With the understanding that nowadays anyone who attends can have a hot cross bun I went to investigate further.
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Two Temple Place was built for William Waldorf Astor, one of the richest men in the world, and today it is owned by the Bulldog Trust charity. Since 2012 it has opened its doors for a free annual exhibition. With this also comes the wonderful opportunity to visit one of the most splendid buildings in London, a magnificent Victorian house.
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Cinderella the live action film opens in cinemas on 27 March 2015 and to celebrate the occasion the official and free Cinderella The Exhibition has opened in Leicester Square, featuring over 100 props and 30 costumes designed by the Academy Award-winning costume designer Sandy Powell. Tickets can be booked online at no cost. The exhibition is presented by Swarovski and is only on until Friday 10 April 2015.
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Old Swan Hotel - Harrogate
Earlier this month I fulfilled my long standing wish to stay at the Old Swan Hotel in Harrogate which has connections with the mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie, the Queen of Crime.
On the evening of 3rd December 1926 Agatha left her home in Sunningdale and her 4 seater Morris Cowley car was later found abandoned at Newlands Corner in Surrey. By this time Agatha was aged 36 years old and was already a successful crime writer and her 6th novel, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd had just been published. Her sudden disappearance attracted both national and worldwide interest. The search for Agatha was the largest manhunt of the time, involving over 1,000 police officers and civilians, and reputedly the first search in England to use airplanes. Arthur Conan Doyle (author of Sherlock Holmes) gave a medium one of her gloves in the hope of locating her, however Agatha's whereabouts remained a mystery for several days.
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Speedy’s Sandwich Bar and Cafe, with its instantly recognisable red canopy, features in all three television series of the BBC’s Sherlock. It's located directly below the first floor flat which is home to Sherlock and Watson. Since featuring in the hit TV series, with its modern day twist on Sherlock Holmes, the cafe has been welcoming fans who visit. So the other day I stopped by for a delicious breakfast.