Jean-Etienne Liotard art review: Has the Royal Academy managed to revive interest in the Swiss-French painter? October 22, 2015 ★★☆☆☆ | Royal Academy Jean-Etienne Liotard was an eccentric chap, by all accounts. The great aristocratic families of Europe thought he was a right laugh, with his eye-catching oriental robes and waist-length beard. They flocked in their hundreds to ask the Swiss-French painter to paint them and Liotard, who was a dab hand at pastel [...]
Is the tech industry pushing up property prices in London? October 15, 2015 Residents in San Francisco have fallen out of love with the tech sector. They blame its success for driving up house prices and rents. Tensions are rising amid claims of a gentrification led by tech workers. Yet right now, London is in love with tech. Google has committed to King’s Cross, while around Silicon Roundabout [...]
UK house prices: The reverse ripple effect on prime London property October 15, 2015 A new expression has entered the property lexicon; the reverse ripple effect. Since the financial crash in 2008, we’re all used to price rises rippling out from the centre of London. The place to watch now is the area around it, known as Emerging Prime. You might assume that a reverse ripple simply means where [...]
Vauxhall property prices: One of the last affordable places to buy a house in Zone One? October 15, 2015 Once, people would come from all over London for an afternoon out at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. It was one of the leading spots for public entertainment. But after it closed in 1840 – the owners went bankrupt – the area has never seemed to regain its former glamour. Now, that stretch of land is just [...]
Night Tube series: Top seven places to buy a house in London along the Victoria Line October 15, 2015 If there’s one thing that unites the areas that appear along the Victoria Line, it’s rejuvenation. So here are the top seven places to invest in along the blue line, according to Paul Williams, head of Savills Islington, based on average sales price data within 500m of underground stations in the 12 months leading up [...]
Lessons in wine: Tis the (Harvest) season for truffle and wine enthusiasts in Italy October 13, 2015 October is the most awaited month of the year in wine country. Harvest is a most decisive moment in the winemaking process as it determines the acidity, sweetness, characteristics and, in general, the style of the wine we will be drinking. The precise date varies, but the majority of wineries in Europe harvest during this [...]
World’s Best Bar Awards 2015 winner: London’s Artesian at The Langham Hotel is officially the best bar in the world October 13, 2015 The best bar in the world is London's Artesian. At least, it is according to the authoritative annual World's Best Bar Awards. (Or, more precisely, the drink industry supremos that make up the award's academy.) But I look on bars as a parent looks upon their offspring, so I can't pick favourites. So here are [...]
Working Lunch: Brasserie Blanc, EC2 October 13, 2015 Melissa York on the best places to eat during office hours in the City and Canary Wharf WHAT? Raymond Blanc’s first City brasserie re-opened last month after a complete refurbishment. Gone are the fussy white tablecloths and pristine cutlery, in favour of rustic oak tables, thick ceramics, pendant light fixtures and vintage French mirrors. [...]
Sebastian Faulks on life’s absurdities and what frightens people about fiction October 9, 2015 “I had the strong impression from your book,” says a character in Sebastian Faulks’ new novel, “that you think the twentieth century has been a catastrophe.” “Undoubtedly,” comes the reply, and what follows is a conversation about humanity’s flaws, the significance of individual life, and the normalisation of genocide that feels well-rehearsed. And [...]
Art review: Frank Auerbach, Tate Britain October 8, 2015 Walking through Frank Auerbach’s retrospective at Tate Britain is rather like flicking through a family photo album. It’s full of personal subjects that change incrementally over decades, of self-portraits, friends, his wife Julia and Mornington Crescent, where his studio has been since 1954. There’s also another reason to get up close and personal with [...]
