Zaha Hadid at Serpentine Sackler Gallery review: a surprising, inspiring look at a true great December 9, 2016 Zaha Hadid’s iconic buildings can be found everywhere from Beijing to Brixton, a distinctive baroque modernism that curves organically across some of the most famous skylines. Less well known are the notoriously fiery architect’s paintings, many of which pre-date her first completed project. They are collected for the first time in this Serpentine exhibition, commissioned [...]
Property market predictions 2017: From Brexit to tenant fee bans, we’ve asked London’s biggest real estate agents to look into their crystal balls December 8, 2016 2017 will see the rise of Build-to-Rent in London Mark Collins, chairman at CBRE Residential Throughout 2017, I hope that SME developers continue to be championed and encouraged by local government, as these housebuilders will play a major role in alleviating the housing crisis. Access to land and financial support as well as flexible planning systems [...]
This lively adaptation of Pride and Prejudice squeezes twenty characters out of two actors December 8, 2016 Jane Austen’s novels are about the macrocosm in the microcosm. They are about the discreet play of agendas that turn a regency drawing room gathering into an epic battle of wills, for those lively enough to read between the lines. Johannah Tincey’s adaptation of Pride and Prejudice explores this polite, compact ferocity by casting two [...]
Once in a Lifetime at the Young Vic review: Harry Enfield fails to set fire to this dated Hollywood comedy December 8, 2016 Recent years have seen a slew of productions about Hollywood, from the magic of its inception in Travelling Light to its seedy latter days in Speed-the-Plow. Falling chronologically between the two is George S Kaufman’s bawdy 1930 comedy Once in a Lifetime, which charts the upheaval brought about by the arrival of the “talkie”. In [...]
Buried Child at Trafalgar Studios: Ed Harris shines in this searing portrait of a decaying America that’s the perfect prelude to Trump December 8, 2016 Buried Child, first performed in 1978, feels like it was written for the dog days of 2016. Sam Shepherd’s quietly crushing portrait of entropy and despair is concerned with those disillusioned white working classes that have dominated the news agenda since 8 November. It’s about the death of the American dream in the wake of [...]
Opinion: Head of Savills’ Auctions on why owner occupiers are still the minority buying homes under the hammer December 8, 2016 Property auctions have changed dramatically over the last 30 years, evolving from small-scale events focused on lower value property, to day-long sales featuring a wide cross-section of the market. And the sector continues to grow. Savills Auctions has sold over £300m worth of property in 2016. Over the past three decades the reasons for selling [...]
New Builds: On the market this week, from the Manhattan-inspired towers in Canary Wharf to hipster pads in Hackney December 8, 2016 Manhattan Plaza, Tower Hamlets From £550,000 Enjoy views of Canary Wharf’s rapidly rising skyline from the tower of a new development that’s less than a ten minute walk from all the shopping and nightlife it has to offer. The Canary Wharf and City View Collection, the third phase to go on sale at Manhattan Plaza, [...]
Watches with power-reserve complications are the latest must-have trend; here are some of the best December 8, 2016 Sometimes, complicating things just a tad can be a good thing. A watch can give you the time with beautiful simplicity; but just as a well-judged pocket square brings a bit of flourish to your look, a little extra on the face of a watch adds interest and horological spice. A power reserve display – [...]
My Inspiration: Jake Burger, chief gin instructor at Portobello Road Gin’s Ginstitute on fabled recipe tome The Savoy Cocktail Book December 8, 2016 The Savoy Cocktail Book was first published in 1930 and it’s been in print ever since, apart from a brief break during the second World War. Lots of the drinks remain relevant today, although there were far fewer ingredients back then than we’re used to today. I did a bit of analysis and about a [...]
Give the gift of time this Christmas: the top new watches to declare your undying love to another human being December 8, 2016 The hot-list: our favourite new watches to buy your loved ones this Christmas. Tudor Pelagos LHD £3,020, tudorwatch.com If the “LHD” of the title – standing for “left-hand drive” – doesn’t give it away, the position of the winding crown should: Tudor’s latest diving watch is for the left-handed. Hence the crown is on the [...]