Lanzarote is far more fun – and far classier – than you probably think November 26, 2016 THE WEEKEND: With year-round sun and a large ex-pat community, this Canary Island has unfairly gained a reputation for being overrun with stereotypical ‘Brits Abroad’. However, breathtaking beaches, a diverse landscape and a new line of luxury resorts have made it an affordable and desirable destination for those yearning for a relaxing getaway. Former PM [...]
Interiors: Tara Bernerd looks back on her 15-year career designing hotels and elite residences around the globe November 25, 2016 If there’s one imminent interiors project in London that we can’t wait to sneak a peek at, it’s the show apartments for One Park Drive, a Herzog and de Meuron-designed cylindrical tower taking shape in Canary Wharf. It’s highly-anticipated, not just because the 472-apartment tower is one of the largest remaining undeveloped sites in the [...]
Focus On Peckham: How it went from Only Fools fame to be the first time buyer capital of London November 25, 2016 Whatever you think about 2016, it’s been a billboard year for Peckham. Two large houses near Peckham Rye station sold £2.5m this year, a record price for the area, firmly cementing SE15’s fast-growing reputation as a desirable place to live. It’s not bad for an area that is embedded in the national psyche as the [...]
Autumn Statement opinion: Will the Chancellor’s ban on fees kill off the high street letting agent? November 25, 2016 Two days on and the property industry is still reeling from the Chancellor Philip Hammond’s decision to ban letting agent fees for tenants almost immediately. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, given that these fees were banned in Scotland four years ago and the Government has actually been consulting on them for the last [...]
Property of the Week: Church Grove in Kingston, an enormous Victorian treasure on the edge of a royal park, is on sale for £2.695m November 25, 2016 If you have a conservatory in your house, you’re considered pretty lucky. But few have one that was built in the 19th century that’s secured with a stable door straight from Hampton Court Palace. Church Grove, a six-bedroom house in Kingston-Upon-Thames, does though. Foxtons has been marketing the unusual feature as a “sun room”, but [...]
New Builds: Homes on sale this week on a new town square in Ealing and Help to Buy in Sydenham November 25, 2016 Dylon Works, Sydenham From £227,997 with Help to Buy London, from £389,995 for private sale apartments Over 200 homes will go on sale tomorrow, with the option to take out a 40 per cent equity loan via the government’s Help to Buy London scheme. Primed for first time buyers, 221 out of 223 one to three bedroom [...]
Choose Scotland. Choose a high quality of life. November 25, 2016 | City Talk Scotland is one of the most hauntingly beautiful places in the world, the history is fascinating, the men are handsome and the whisky is delicious. But don't eat the macaroni pies." JK Rowling says it all. (Although she might not be entirely right about the pies.) Scotland is widely-regarded as an outstanding place to live, and that's [...]
Paint the town blue for St Andrew November 25, 2016 | City Talk Skirling bagpipes, swinging kilts and flying Saltires – they’re a sight for captive eyes in Scotland. But on November 30th the country steps it up as it celebrates our patron saint, St Andrew. For those of you not in the nostalgic north this Wednesday, here are five ways to celebrate #ourstandrewsday from absolutely anywhere. Even in [...]
Allied review: Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard rumours are far more interesting than this weak WW2 drama November 24, 2016 There aren’t many stars left who can be said to have that old-school Hollywood glamour, but two of them unite for this nostalgic World War 2 drama. Brad Pitt plays Canadian spy Max, who falls for a French agent (Marion Cotillard). The pair marry and move to London, raising a child and living a seemingly idyllic [...]
Magnus: this chess documentary charts the genesis of genius November 24, 2016 Of all the sports in the world, competitive chess is not one that inspires Hollywood-style underdog stories. But this tale of the genesis of genius is, in its own way, as compelling as any blockbuster. People of a certain age, of course, will remember the epic battle of minds that was Garry Kasparov vs Bobby [...]