Interiors: Embark on a ‘tipples and trees’ tour to get festive inspiration from London’s hotels and restaurants December 5, 2016 Now the merry month of December is upon us it’s time to fire up the festive spirit and prepare to entertain descending hordes of relatives. But what to do with them? A Christmas-themed afternoon tea or a festive cocktail at one of London’s landmark venues is a surefire way to impress. This time of year, [...]
Focus On Maida Vale: Why financiers and celebrities flock to the birthplace of the London mansion block December 5, 2016 The London mansion block has never been so popular, yet there are only a finite number in existence. While many luxury property developers are seeking to reinvent them for the 21st century for a tidy profit, the birthplace of the original – the real white-stuccoed deal – is still Maida Vale in north west London. [...]
Property of the Week: Former seminary and Call the Midwife location now an impressive property for sale December 5, 2016 Space is in short supply in London, which is why this chapel, the centrepiece of a former college in north London, is such hot property. Spanning over 8,000sqft – over twice the size of a generous Georgian townhouse – this Grade II Listed building has surveyed the surrounding area of Mill Hill Village from the [...]
Brexit is bringing European “shopcationers” to London to do their holiday shopping December 5, 2016 Spanish and Italian shoppers are set to hit the streets of London in droves this weekend to bag bargains ahead of Christmas. Since the EU referendum, the weak pound has made London a prime destination for "shopcationers", or people travelling from abroad with the intention to shop, new data suggests. Read more: Christmas shopping will be cheaper this year [...]
Opinion: Forget banning letting fees – it’s time we introduced compulsory regulation into the lettings sector December 2, 2016 Invent a snappy name, rent a shop and build a website – and, hey presto, you are now set up as a lettings agent. And until the Chancellor’s move to ban fees in the Autumn Statement, you could charge whatever you liked to tenants to handle the renting of a property. Unlike many of our [...]
New Builds: 600 new homes are set to be built on a site the size of three football pitches in south London December 2, 2016 The Quarry, Bexley A quarrying site that hasn’t been used in 40 years is set to be home to 600 new properties. The first new homes – 80 per cent of which will be modern family houses hoping to attract upsizers – will go on sale in the new year. There will also be a [...]
Robert Rauschenberg review: Tate Modern show is a whirlwind art history lesson but the man behind the work remains elusive December 2, 2016 Robert Rauschenberg has catholic tastes. He’s a bubbling cauldron of ideas – one of which is a literal bubbling cauldron – with little threading them together beyond a ceaseless, sometimes maddening desire to make things. All kinds of things: a white-painted canvas, sculptures built from salvaged junk – derided as “funfair” fodder by his contemporaries [...]
Moana review: Disney’s newest animation is a celebration of another culture rather than a mining of it December 2, 2016 Disney films have taken a perverse turn in recent years. Its live action movies – Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, the Jungle Book – are aping its animations, while its animations are becoming increasingly realistic. Nowhere is this more apparent than Moana, the studio’s latest musical blockbuster, whose CGI characters seem more real than half the [...]
Christmas gift guide: All the luxury clothing and accessories gift ideas you’ll ever need December 2, 2016 We get it. You're busy. You're important. You have things to do, people to see. You don't have time for such fripperies as Christmas shopping. This year, instead of slogging around the shops anxiously trying to figure out what to buy for whom, just take our Christmas gift guide with you. Boom. Christmas shopping sorted. Don't [...]
The Children’s Food Campaign says the FDF’s top UK brands don’t oppose the sugary drinks tax, so the FDF shouldn’t either December 2, 2016 The Children's Food Campaign (CFC) has asked the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) to stop opposing the tax on sugary drinks, claiming its top UK member brands are less aggressively opposed to the duty than the trade association. Out of 55 FDF members contacted by CFC, 14 gave full responses, including Birdseye, Slimfast, Wrigleys, Mars, Weetabix and Haribo. Seven [...]