Volkswagen Passat GTE review: The car the autumn statement is out to get November 14, 2016 A few years ago, company car drivers cottoned onto the tax advantages of the hybrid Toyota Prius, with its low CO2 emissions. Then, suddenly, they were everywhere – no longer limited to being the eco-warrior’s favourite mode of transport. The same happened with double-cab pick-up trucks, as company tax rules classed most pick-ups as commercial [...]
New Builds: Help to Buy homes in Stanmore and Canning Town and luxury in west London November 14, 2016 Stanmore Place, Stanmore From £495,000 A new show apartment has opened in north west London to showcase the most luxe homes to go on sale at the Stanmore Place development yet. Despite this, there are still 21 of the new one to three bedroom apartments in the Royal Crescent collection that are available to purchase [...]
Opinion: Many criticise London’s rapid regeneration but there’s lots to admire, too November 14, 2016 The changing residential landscape across London is sometimes met with disapproval and resentment. Gentrification can be a symbol for negativity, with many arguing that neighbourhoods lose their character and soul as a result. However, what I have seen as a long-term resident in Hackney, a borough that’s often held up an example of gentrification, is [...]
Success by design: City A.M. meets ePorta founder Aneeqa Khan November 14, 2016 For a business traversing the worlds of interior design and technology, you might expect the office of Eporta to be plush with elegant textiles, walnut coffee tables, and moody pendant lamps. But presently, it’s not. “I am someone who cares about my surroundings,” says Aneeqa Khan, founder of Eporta. “This office really isn’t nice enough [...]
The Radical Eye: Modernist Photography at the Tate Modern review: Elton John’s personal photography collection is astonishing November 11, 2016 In a moment of irony at this exhibition of Elton John’s personal photography collection, a security guard berated a woman for taking a picture on her iPhone. It was a neat reminder of how saturated and disposable this medium has become in the 21st century, clogging up social media feeds, propped up by technology that [...]
King Lear at the Old Vic review: Glenda Jackson’s return to the stage is a triumph November 11, 2016 Glenda Jackson has spent the last 25 years researching the intricacies of political life especially for this role (she’s been the MP for Hampstead and Highgate). It was worth it – and what a loss to the stage the last quarter of a century has been. Her gender-switched Lear is by turns viperous, bawdy and [...]
Interiors: We ask the experts how to snazz up your dinner table before the Christmas hordes arrive November 11, 2016 Staying in is the new going out; we want to bring friends home to warmth and hospitality. Being able to light intimate candles for dinner is one of the overlooked joys of shorter days. However, with the trend for simplicity, and sharing, we need to be careful not to make boring choices when it comes [...]
Focus On Rotherhithe: A £34m investment has brought a new town square, library and cultural centre to the Docks November 11, 2016 Rotherhithe, a conservation area in the Docklands in south east London, is one of the prettiest and most rapidly gentrifying places in the capital. With a long and proud history as a major trade port, it was a working dock right up until the 1970s. It was also home to the first under-river tunnel in [...]
Here’s everything that happened in the sixth episode of The Apprentice November 11, 2016 This week’s Apprentice sent the final 12 on a wild goose chase around London in a classic task – the treasure hunt challenge. They were given all night to find every object on a list, which shouldn't have been too hard considering London is now a 24-hour city. Perhaps a more difficult challenge before the advent [...]
Cymbeline at the Barbican review: Epic, thrilling and bold to the core November 10, 2016 Shakespeare is the still the master of blending the personal and the political. And nowhere is this showcased more effectively than this production of Cymbeline by the RSC, set in “a dystopian Britain not too far in the future” (the programme’s words, not mine). In a symbolic act of self-sabotage, our green and pleasant land [...]