Chateau Gütsch: Journey to Lucerne, the ticking heart of watchmaking January 11, 2015 Overlooking Lucerne, Chateau Gütsch is a belle-epoque retreat with a horological secret. As a writer with a particular penchant for Swiss watchmaking, I probably use the term “chocolate box” far too frequently. Hard not to when describing a springtime visit to an atelier nestled in the verdant Jura foothills, surrounded by cows and their clanking [...]
TheTrainline.com IPO: Chief executive Clare Gilmartin is ready to test the markets January 8, 2015 Stock market flotations are very much at the glamorous end of business in the City. Relatively young firms are suddenly exposed to public markets, and gain huge recognition – not to mention financial rewards – for their hard work building the business. It is certainly an adventure for bosses and owners. Visits to investment banks [...]
Something for the weekend January 8, 2015 SEE FOR MILES SKY GARDEN AT 20 FENCHURCH STREET You can drink and dine atop the City’s most controversial skyscraper, the Walkie Talkie, which threw open the doors to its restaurant, bar, viewing platform and sky gardens this week. To book, visit skygarden.london LIGHT UP YOUR WEEKEND WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL Make the most of darkness [...]
Wiggins unveils team and plots bid for Rio gold January 8, 2015 FORMER Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins has launched his own professional cycling team, named simply Wiggins, as part of preparations to become the most decorated British athlete in Olympic history. The squad will race primarily on the road although the ambitious aim is to equip four-time Olympic champion Wiggins and team-mates for a [...]
Charlie Hebdo shooting: Europe unites against terrorist outrage in Paris January 7, 2015 David Cameron’s long-awaited talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel over EU reforms were overshadowed by tragic events in Paris yesterday, where hooded gunmen killed 12 people during an attack against satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. Speaking at the British Museum with Merkel, the PM said: “What has happened in Paris is an appalling terrorist outrage. We must never [...]
Virgin Active IPO: London misses out as gym chain plans South Africa float January 7, 2015 Gym chain Virgin Active is looking for investment bankers to run the likely £1.5bn flotation of its shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange over the coming months. A South African sale would be a loss to London, as the brand has a strong presence in the UK. The group traditionally had more sites in the [...]
In pictures: This is what Peckham’s own Walkie Talkie Sky Garden would look like January 6, 2015 Peckham could one day have its own version of the Walkie Talkie Sky Garden thanks to a local architecture student's plan to transform the area's disused railway into an elevated green space. (Source: peckhamcoalline.strikingly.com) The proposal, which is currently in drawing stage, would see the creation of a 1km-long green park and cycle route [...]
Walkie Talkie Sky Garden: Bookings roll in but rules have riled January 5, 2015 The lifts of 20 Fenchurch Street opened to the public yesterday, with roughly 80 excited guests heading up to be among the first to experience the building’s Sky Garden. Booking opened to visitors on 1 December and according to Rhubarb, the company running the Sky Garden’s attractions, it has been popular, with 500 bookings for [...]
Robert Sarver: Phoenix Suns owner circles for Glasgow Rangers FC January 5, 2015 Robert Sarver, an American financier and owner of the Phoenix Suns basketball team, has made an approach for Glasgow Rangers, the football club confirmed in a statement yesterday. The approach remains unofficial, with Rangers adding in the statement that “there can be no certainty that an offer will be made, nor as to the terms [...]
The Walkie Talkie has opened its Sky Garden to the public, but is it the City’s ugliest building? January 5, 2015 Christopher Costelloe is director of the Victorian Society, says Yes Despite tough competition – the new UBS HQ in Broadgate promises to be quite remarkably ugly when completed – the Walkie Talkie is probably the ugliest building in London. We owe its architect, Rafael Vinoly, a great debt for demonstrating precisely why almost all buildings [...]