Focus On Stoke Newington: Why leafy north London enclave Stoke Newington went from zero to hero on the housing market November 21, 2016 Stoke Newington, a leafy north London borough untroubled by a connection to the London Underground network, has become a byword for the kind of middle-class urban elite that drives UKIP voters round the bend. Once dismissed as a undesirable destination, the gentrification of Hackney has seen Stokey’s fortunes turn full-circle, and while it doesn’t yet [...]
The Titanic’s grade II-listed London ticket office has been turned into £5m luxury apartments November 21, 2016 Got £5m burning a hole in your pocket and an interest in gruesome maritime history? This might be for you: a developer has just unveiled a block of luxury flats in the building where the Titanic's ticket office was located. Grade II-listed Oceanic House, in Trafalgar Square, has been redeveloped into six luxury apartments, including [...]
One of the world’s most luxurious ski resorts has opened a curious new attraction November 18, 2016 High up a mountain, at 1,550m and with snow all around, my children are screaming with laughter as they’re swept off their surfboards by a giant wave. No, you read correctly; surfboards. We may be in what’s more commonly regarded as a skiing mecca – Courchevel, France – but if there’s one other feature this [...]
Airbnb wants to sort out your entire travel itinerary way beyond home rental November 17, 2016 Airbnb wants to arrange your entire trip for you, not just find you a place to stay. The startup has set out ambitious plans to expand beyond simply being a holiday home rental platform, to turn itself into the go-to app for people's entire holidays with the addition of local trips, meetups, restaurant bookings and more. [...]
Fancy some stargazing? Hop on a plane to La Palma, the most stellar of the Canary Islands November 17, 2016 The farthest of the Canary Islands from the coast of Africa has just 80,000 inhabitants, and 150,000 visitors per year. Unlike its rocky neighbours, there is enormous variety on the island, with mountains above the clouds, black sand beaches and a night sky that has made it a must see for astrology lovers the world [...]
New architecture tour of the National Theatre celebrates 40 years of Brutalism on the banks of the Thames November 17, 2016 “This is a public building, so you’re welcome to come up whenever you’re passing,” is the repeated refrain of our tour guide for the evening at the National Theatre. And it’s worth repeating as it’s a fact we often forget about many of London’s most famous landmarks. We’re uncommonly lucky to live in a city [...]
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 [...]
Restaurateur Mark Hix reminisces with artist Gavin Turk about the glory days of the YBAs ahead of his upcoming show at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery November 10, 2016 I’ve converted a couple of veggie artists over the years, tempting them with tasty cuts of rare beef – Tim Noble and Mat Collishaw spring to mind – but I suspect Gavin Turk is a lost cause. Gavin, one of the original YBAs, has been veggie for over five years and went full-vegan last year; [...]
Edinburgh’s quality of life key to attracting talent from across the globe November 10, 2016 They say home is where the heart is: where we feel comfortable, safe and free to explore our interests and dreams. Home can be four walls and a roof, a familiar serene landscape or a vibrant city. Home is good for the soul, but interestingly, recent research has also begun to explore the strong correlation [...]
Gordon Ramsay interview: Michelin stars, overtaking the French and why his new restaurant, Le Pressoir d’Argent, is something special November 9, 2016 “If I’d tried to open this restaurant 15 years ago, I’d have been shot, hung upside-down and had my bollocks put in that thing over there, the pressoir d’testicle.” Finally, I thought. So measured – serene even – was the Gordon Ramsay sitting opposite me, I’d started to wonder if his famously filthy lyricism had [...]