Ever fancied yourself as a swashbuckling fencer? The historical drama ‘Chevalier’ based on the life of Black master fencer Chevalier de Saint-Georges opened in UK cinemas today on the anniversary of his death in 1799. Born in Guadeloupe, West Indies, the son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, he rose to dizzy […]
In the here today gone tomorrow world of Brexit Britain where an increasing number of shops are closing because of economic uncertainty, it’s warming to stumble across London shops that have survived for centuries and continue to thrive. Here are five of the oldest. 1567 The Old Curiosity Shop, 13-14 Portsmouth St, Holborn. Even beyond […]
The Studio series of What’s Hot London? visits artists in their working environments to catch a glimpse of their creative processes and atelier inspirations. An artist in action with paintings in different stages of working progress offers a new perspective on the art which we usually only catch hung and dry in a gallery space. […]
The first few lines of a memorable single by 60s American rock group The Doors is a poignant reminder of the delicate ecological balance that exists on this planet. 2017 was full of doom and gloom, in this regards, with endangered species and climate change issues. As we move into the first few days of […]
The Nordic nations of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland are known for celebrating the festive season with that unique Scandinavian flavour, so a December visit to their London eateries will be that bit special. There’s the Scandinavian Kitchen in Great Titchfield Street, W1, Curious Yellow Kafe, Old Street and Nordic Bakeries in Covent Garden, Soho, […]
The full title of this novella was A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost-Story of Christmas and was Dickens’ third Christmas themed-story, this being the longest but taking only six weeks to write. He was inspired to write it after a visit to Field Lane, Ragged School in London, which was a charitable institution […]
The term ‘taxicab’ was first used in the late 1800s when the single horse-drawn Hansom cab invented in 1834 by architect Joseph Hansom was refined and redesigned by John Chapman to include a mechanized taximeter to measure journey fares. Although first used in London and other UK cities, it’s patent was quickly adopted by other […]
21-year-old Neelam Gill is tentatively described as the UK’s first Indian A-lister model, a title she was given shortly after her debut at London Fashion Week 2014 and underlined by becoming the first Indian model to be chosen for the Burberry campaign. It’s been nothing short of a whirlwind of firsts since signing for Models […]
British Museum The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened to the public on 15 January 1759, becoming the world’s first national public museum. It was made up of a substantial collection bequeathed to the nation by physician and naturalist Sir Hans Sloane, so this baronet was in many ways the de facto founder of […]
On December 1st 1919, Lady Astor became the first woman MP to take her seat in the House of Commons but was not the first elected. Sinn Fein supporter Countess Constance Markievicz was elected a year earlier in 1918 but turned it down. Nancy Witcher Langhorne Astor was born to a wealthy railroad construction family […]
Hillary Clinton Graffiti/Painting Shoreditch By Street Artist Pegasus
