London tourism industry pivots to long-haul markets in the face of Brexit March 24, 2019 Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, the royal family: London is blessed with renowned attractions wrapped in tradition and heritage most cities can only dream of. But with Brexit looming, the UK tourism industry, which supports more than one tenth of the country’s jobs, has hit turbulence. Almost every industry representative I spoke with used the [...]
Why properties with less than 80 years left on the lease are suddenly popular with Brexit buyers March 22, 2019 In previous times, the demand for residential property with 80 years or less remaining on the leasehold was generally low. However, current market conditions favour a new breed of savvy buyers, seeking alternate methods of approaching the market who wish to benefit from continued Brexit-related uncertainty. Leasehold property is a depreciating asset, so the less [...]
Focus On Bow: Young professionals are changing the landscape of Bow, but upsizing proves costly March 22, 2019 Few areas in London have seen demographic change like east London, but even within the East End, Bow has changed a lot in recent years. “There is a definite shift taking place, highlighted by the arrival of a number of independent coffee shops, wine bars and restaurants over the past 18 months or so,” said [...]
Interiors: We delve into the world of knitted furniture, a crafty homeware solution with women at its core March 22, 2019 If you know your Mayfair art galleries, then Hauser & Wirth and Messum’s will be familiar territory. In the past few years both have established art centres in the English countryside – Hauser & Wirth in Somerset and Messums in Wiltshire – destination idylls to tempt us city folk into bucolic bliss. An exhibition on [...]
Property of the Week: This Shoreditch penthouse has south-facing City views and is next door to some serious barbecue March 22, 2019 The City of London isn’t known for being a residential hotspot, so you’re most likely to find the penthouse of your dreams on the fringes. Avant-Garde Tower, Shoreditch, £2.4m This three bedroom apartment, however, is so close to the Square Mile – yet with a cooler-than-thou E1 postcode – that you can walk to Liverpool [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend March 22, 2019 New developments on the market this week Royal Docks West, Newham From £685,000 View the last homes at a development in east London where the landscaped gardens are the size of nine tennis courts. A 12th floor show apartment in a 19 storey building has opened up to sell the last of 79 private homes [...]
The White Crow: Ralph Fiennes’ biopic about legendary ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev is a slow burner March 22, 2019 Saying someone is a ‘white crow’ in Russia is a bit like saying someone ‘sticks out like a sore thumb’ over here. It isn’t meant as a compliment in either country, but it could cost you your life in Krushchev’s Russia. Legendary ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev learnt that the hard way when he defected from [...]
Wetherspoon shares swing wildly as profit plunges March 22, 2019 | City Talk Five times the shares failed to make a break above 1,340p stick. Is it sixth time lucky for Wetherspoon? Alongside the usual diatribe against the Brexit process and the tax disparity with supermarkets, pub chain JD Wetherspoon (LSE:JDW) has fallen foul of higher costs, especially with regards to labour. This has impacted the bottom line [...]
Us review: Jordan Peele’s ambitious new film is a brilliant and unsettling commentary on social inequality March 21, 2019 Jordan Peele’s 2017 debut Get Out redefined what a modern horror movie could be. It was slick and smart and terrifying, its body-horror a twisted allegory for the racism – casual and otherwise – suffered by black people. And for a long time, I was pretty sure this follow-up was addressing the same issue, albeit [...]
Downstate at the National Theatre is a difficult drama that questions how society should treat its worst criminals March 21, 2019 A new play about a group of four convicted child sex offenders on supervised release in a social home in Illinois, Downstate is at times a difficult act to stomach. It’s an exercise in humanising a quartet of sex criminals, an exploration of the complex relationship between an abuser and their victim, and of the [...]