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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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The Andaz Hotel has been on my must do list for ages (for fascinating reasons listed in the blog title) and a couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of going there with the delightful Helen Langley. The hotel's 1901 Restaurant, where afternoon tea is served, certainly has the wow factor and it was orginally built as the hotel's ballroom.
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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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This month's scone blog saw me making a return visit to To A Tea. To my deep shame as a City Guide, I have to confess to only recently discovering this delightful tea emporium in the City of London but it has quickly become one of my favourite tearooms. 
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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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This month’s scone blog features four fabulous places to enjoy scones. I started off with a visit to the Delaunay Counter which is one of my favourite cake places in London. The Counter is a separate eat in/ take away deli, adjacent to The Delaunay Restaurant, and its menu is inspired by the grand cafes of central Europe. I often stop by for tea and cake but I have been curious to try their afternoon tea which is offered at an unbelievable price of just £12.95, so how could I resist!
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Quiet London Postcard Book is available from 5th March 2015 and I was delighted to be sent a copy pre - publication to review. If you enjoyed reading Siobhan Wall's Quiet London you will love this selection of beautiful cards depicting some of the most iconic images from her original book.
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When I heard that The Colony Grill Room at The Beaumont was serving bespoke ice cream sundaes we just had to investigate. So on Sunday (very appropriately) Davide and I went along to sample its delights.
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Today Mackintosh Architecture opens at RIBA (The Royal Institute of British Architects) and is on until Saturday 23 May 2015. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 – 1928), the Scottish architect and artist, is one of the most influential designers of the late 19th and early 20th century and this exhibition devoted to his work features over 60 original drawings, models and films. This is one of the exhibitions I am most looking forward to seeing in London this year as Mackintosh is very special to me as it was discovering more about his work that started my passion for architecture and design, particularly my appreciation of modernist styles.
Mackintosh was born in Glasgow and most of his surviving work can be found in his home city. In 2006 Wendy Jo, dear friend and fellow CRM lover, and I visited Glasgow and joined the Mackintosh in Style weekend organised by the CRM Society. The weekend was amazing as we visited so many wonderful buildings so I thought I’d post a few photos of our trip.