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York in North Yorkshire, England, has a fascinating history, beautiful architecture, a fabulous selection of places to eat and drink and there's plenty to see and do. It's one of my most loved cities and here is a brief list of some of my favourite things to do in York.
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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 Christmas Eve, 24th December 1914 Agatha Miller married Archie Christie, her first husband, at Emmanuel Church, Guthrie Road, Clifton, Bristol. On a recent visit to the city I did a bit of research to identify the location of the church only to discover, like in all good detective novels, that things were not as they first appeared to be.
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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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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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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.
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The transformation of King’s Cross is well underway and there’s a lot to discover. So whether you are looking for somewhere nice to eat in a fascinating heritage building or wanting to enjoy a family day out, King’s Cross is well worth checking out. Last week I was delighted to be taken on a private tour of the area and hear more about some of the projects which are opening soon
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Have you ever wondered what London is like on Christmas Day? Well on the big day London virtually shuts down, as there is no public transport the city is a lot quieter and almost everywhere is closed. Today was the first time I’ve explored London on Christmas Day, the weather was quite mild and it was a beautiful day for a walk. Here are a few photos...