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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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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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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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Bettys is brilliant. To me it epitomises the quintessential British tea room. On my recent visit to York a trip to Bettys for afternoon tea was on top of my must do list alongside seeing the York Minster.
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Next to Platform 8, in Victoria Train Station, there is a small plaque to the Unknown Warrior. His final resting place is in the nave of Westminster Abbey. Although we do not know his name or his rank in the army, his tomb is a very poignant remember of all those who died during World War One but whose bodies have never been identified.
Each year on 10th November the London branch of The Western Front Association holds a ceremony to remember the arrival of the body of the Unknown Warrior at Victoria Station.
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Great honour to be featured as one of the contributors to lasminute.com's blog, The Most Haunted Places in London. Perfect timing for Halloween.
If you ejoyed reading this why not join me on a tour, the story about the Haunted Hospital features in my Sinister Smithfield walk.
Happy Halloween everyone!
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London is full of amazing buildings and one of my favourite is Strawberry Hill House. It was the former home of Horace Walpole, a writer, collector and the son of Robert Walpole, the first British Prime Minister. What makes the house so special is that it is one of the earliest and finest example of the Gothic Revival, a style beloved by the Victorians when they tried to emulate the medieval architecture of the great cathedrals and created their own interpretation of the Middle Ages. Many years ago when I first moved to London I visited the house when it functioned as St Mary's University so it was wonderful to make a return visit with Yannick following it's magnificent restoration.
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This weekend Archibald Leach aka Cary Grant Comes Home to his home town of Bristol (11 – 12 October 2014) where there lots of fab and fun events taking place. Yesterday I enjoyed afternoon tea at Avon Gorge Hotel and attended fascinating talks at the Watershed which gave great insight into his personal life and acting career.