What's on in London January to March 2017

I send a seasonal newsletter directly to members of my friends club but want to let my blog readers have the chance to enjoy it too. So here's a few of the great things happening in London over the winter. 

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IT’S YOUR LONDON NEWSLETTER FOR WINTER 2017.

Here’s your winter 2017 newsletter giving you a taster of the exciting events coming up in the next 3 months in our capital. If you want to hear more about anything listed, or any other things you may have heard about, do send me an email (sue@itsyourlondon.co.uk) and I’ll get right back to you.

A warm welcome to new subscribers!

Have a look a Sue’s blog on the website (www.itsyourlondon.co.uk) to read about what I’ve been up to lately – a peek into life in London. I’m also on Twitter at @itsyourlondon so do join my 4080 followers for all the latest news!

Hope you enjoy your newsletter, let me know what you think.

Best wishes,

Sue Hillman

SPECIAL EVENTS

JANUARY One popular tradition following the festive season is the January sales which offer massive bargains at all stores from the small to the very grand, from a local shop to Harrods. Watch out for Burns Night on 25th when you’ll find Scottish traditions breaking out all over London so why not try some haggis this year! This year the Chinese New Year falls in January, it’s a big event in London and in 2017 we will welcome in the year of the Rooster. 

FEBRUARY Love is in the air with arrival of Valentine’s Day so watch out for special lovvie events and menus at most restaurants.  Ready yourselves for Pancake Day races around London, one of the best being at the Guildhall in the City where the livery companies race and toss pancakes while wearing their very special traditional costumes!

MARCH St Patrick’s Day is big all round the world and London is no exception as the Guinness flows and we have a huge parade and dancing and bands so get out that green outfit and join in the fun in Trafalgar Square. Mother’s Day in the UK falls in March so treat your mum to a special meal in one of London’s fabulous top class restaurants.

THEATRE

January The Kite Runner opens at the Wyndhams Theatre and it will be interesting to see how they stage this powerful story.  Also tackling tough issues, BU21 at the Trafalgar Studios explores a massive (but fictitious) terrorist attack and the reactions of 6 Londoners who survive. To lift the spirits, Thoroughly Modern Millie comes to the New Wimbledon Theatre, based on the 1976 Oscar winning film and starring Joanne Clifton from Strictly Come Dancing. Somewhere in between is a comedy at the Park Theatre called which is based in a family’s frog farm in rural England and their 6 foot frogs, terrorism and the mystery of the long dead mother!

February There’s quite a build up for Glass Menagerie at the Duke of York’s theatre as it is an acclaimed transfer from Broadway starring Tony Award winner Cherry Jones. The Boys in the Band opens at the Vaudeville starring Mark Gatiss of Sherlock fame, offering razor sharp witty entertainment – they say – its first west end outing for 20 years. Tom Stoppard’s Travesties comes to the Apollo starring Tom Hollander, from The Night Manager, and Stoppard’s dazzling comedic writing. The story that inspired the film Calendar Girls comes to the Phoenix Theatre as The Girls with a musical contribution from Gary Barlow.

March  I’m really looking forward to Don Juan in Soho starring the wonderful David Tennant at the Wyndhams Theatre and have tickets for this already! The multi award winning musical La Cage aux Folles returns to London at the New Wimbledon Theatre to lighten our hearts.  The indoor theatre at The Globe, the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse, hosts Othello and the Old Vic takes on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead starring Daniel Radcliffe. The Harold Pinter Theatre brings us Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf starring Imelda Staunton and Luke Treadaway and Conleth Hill.  An American in Paris, a new musical lands at the Dominion Theatre starring Jane Asher

 

ART GALLERIES

January The annual London Art Fair at the Business Design Centre in Islington is a big deal showcasing modern British art from the early 20^th century to now.  January is when a lot of the big autumn shows close so hurry to catch: Wilfredo Lam at the Tate Modern; Beyond Caravaggio at the National Gallery; Rodin and Dance at the Courtauld Gallery; and, Malik Sidibe at Somerset House.

February Two new and contrasting shows open at the Royal Academy: Revolution: Russian Art 1917-1932; and, America After the Fall: Painting in the 1930s. The former looks at the revolutionary art breaking boundaries, through Kandinsky, Malevich and the Socialist Realism movement through other media including film, until Stalin’s clampdown in 1932. The latter show has 45 iconic works from Pollock, O’Keeffe and Hopper among others, and American Gothic by Grant Wood which has never before left America.   It explores post-crash America in flux, with rapid social change and financial insecurities through what is being billed as a ‘once in a generation’ exhibition. The Tate Britain brings us a comprehensive David Hockney show, bringing together 60 years of painting, video, sketches and photography. Wolfgang Tillmans work is in display at the Tate Modern

March The National Gallery will be exploring the artistic relationship between 2 great Renaissance masters, Michelangelo and Sebastiano del Piombo from 1510 to 1540 in a new exhibition called Meeting of Minds, through their collaborations. 2 excellent exhibitions close in March: Paul Nash at the Tate Britain and Australia’s Impressionists at the National Gallery.

SHOPPING, FASHION, MARKETS

January The January sales are a big event and massive bargains are to be found in the grand department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges, designer boutiques all around town and the reliable chain stores.

February The big news for February is the winter London Fashion Week which will showcase the spring/summer collections followed by London Fashion Weekend when they let the likes of us in to peruse what’s new and what we will be wearing very soon.  

March As the days get longer and the temperatures warm up, make the most of London’s street markets:  Portobello on Saturdays; Camden market any day; Spitalfields most days but best on Sundays; Borough food market Wednesday to Saturday; and, Columbia Road flower market on Sundays.

MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS

January  Alexandra Palace is hosting a London Model Engineering Exhibition, so lots of railways but also planes, tanks, trucks and boats. The Victoria and Albert Museum has a new show opening in January looking at the Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London. The new Design Museum just opened late November so make a trip west to check out the beautiful renovated building in Kensington.

February  The Science Museum’s big new show will explore the last 500 years of robots from the scientific and artistic viewpoint. From a 1500s articulated mannequin to the state of art 2017 life changing machines, there will be 100 robots, 15 of which will be working models. At the Victoria and Albert Museum you can visit Collecting Europe examining the big question ‘What is Europe now?’ by travelling 2000 years into the future courtesy of 12 international artists who then look back to now from then to answer that question – sounds intriguing….

March Book early for the adult sleep overs at the Natural History Museum, Dino Snores! The British Museum has a new show called The American Dream: Pop to the Present, showcasing for the first time the museum’s outstanding collection of American prints from the 1960s through this turbulent time in the country’s history. 

FOODIE THINGS

January January sees the marking of Burns Night and not just in Scotland, so seek out some Scottish food to celebrate and bravely try some haggis in restaurants such as the Boisdale and Hix restaurants. Kricket, a modern Indian in Soho offers small plates. Tommi’s Burger Joint in Soho offers a change to the USA brands with Icelandic burgers! Mere in Fitzrovia comes with a good pedigree as Monica Galetti, known from Masterchef but mostly as ex Gavroche chef, opens her own place. Six Storeys is one of the easily named places as, you’ve guessed, is an entire townhouse in Soho Square will be offering all day dining and drinking. One of my favourite French restaurants, Casse Croute, has a new location round the corner, offering breakfasts and brunches every day called Pique-Nique which is a little delayed from its original opening plan. 

February Steve Parle from the Dock Kitchen (where he cooked me a wonderful meal recently!) opens Palatino majoring on Roman cuisine in Clerkenwell. The Cheese Bar, a food truck, settles down in Camden Market with top grilled cheese toasties. Nape in Camberwell will serve cured meats, a deli and bottle shop, the meat will be great as Cannon and Cannon run the place are famous for their quality charcuterie. Rail House Café from the Riding House Café folk will be opening a large venue in the Victoria area which is in need of some good new places.

March  Several advance listings say ‘early/spring 2017’ so it’s quite a safe bet that March onwards will seem them hit the restaurant scene but apologies if they get their acts together and hit February. Maple and Kings in Kings Cross will offer healthy eating – salads, cold press juices and gluten free desserts. The luxurious Stafford Hotel is having a refurb and upping its restaurant game with the James Durrant run The Game Bird, expecting a very British menu. Another well-known chef, Claude Bosi formerly of Hibiscus (now sadly closed) will be running both floors at the glorious Bibendum building. A huge opening in terms of scale will be Ned in the City from the Soho House group. Called Ned after Edwin Luytens, always called Ned, who designed the building, it is a massive site and will have 8, yes 8, restaurants, private members club and private dining (making 9 restaurants) , a 252 room hotel and a Cowshed spa and a gym.

PARKS AND GARDENS, ROYAL PALACES

January Twilight Tours of the Tower of London will open your eyes to the spooky and gruesome history of this historic site but please don’t have nightmares. Adult Ghost Tours at Hampton Court Palace continue the scary theme….

February  Also at the Tower of London is Conquest, a costumed live activity aimed at half term crowds who will be called upon to help defend the Tower against enemies on all sides! The Banqueting House hosts a big Palace Pub Quiz, such an impressive room to spend a fun evening in.  If you are near Green Park at midday on 6^th February, hurry there to hear the gun salute to mark Accession Day to celebrate when the Queen took on the throne – there will be at least 41 rounds!

March. Kew Palace reopens at the end of March after its winter hibernation so combine it with the wonderful sight of spring flowers at the Kew Botanical Gardens.

SPORT

January Darts kick off the sporting year at Alexandra Palace with the last rounds of the world championship final. Then the Dafabet Masters comes to Alexandra Palace, snooker’s biggest invitation event. Also at Alexandra Palace in a busy month are the World Championships of Ping Pong where they say the game is returning to the mainstream!  The football season pushes through the 2 cup competitions with key rounds being played in the League Cup and FA Cup with plenty of London teams on show. NBA Basketball can be cheered on at the 02 Arena where the Denver Nuggets face the Indiana Pacers .

February The Six Nations starts with matches at Twickenham where we will be looking to England to continue their winning ways – apologies to the other home nations but I’m English. The football League Cup final will be played at Wembley. Netball comes to the SSE Arena Wembley when England play Australia and New Zealand take on South Africa in the Quad Series.

March  The Six Nations continues and completes all the matches through March, England’s last game will be against Scotland at Twickenham. The England football team are on the trail to the 2018 World Cup with a qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley.  In boxing David Haye fights Tony Bellew in a heavyweight clash at the 02 Arena.  The FA Cup reaches quarter final stage and I hope some London clubs are still in the draw.

MUSIC

January Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne take on the 02 Arena for their ‘last ever tour’ called The End! Also at the 02 is Drake. Several venues have David Bowie tributes on this 1^st anniversary of his death, including the Jazz Café. Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna with its combination of music and death defying acrobatics takes on a long stint at the Royal Albert Hall. Ronnie Scott’s has some good shows including Ruby Turner, Claire Martin, Manu Katche and Booker T Jones.

February Blast from the past Donny Osmond comes to the Apollo with Soundtrack of My Life. Also at the Apollo are Busted and Bon Iver. LeAnn Rimes plays one night at the massive London Palladium venue. Green Day are at the equally big 02 Arena

March The Kaiser Chiefs come to the 02 Arena as does Craig David and Olly Murs and the C2C massive country music festival with some of the biggest names. Elbow play 3 nights at the Apollo.  A R Rahman takes on the Wembley SSE Arena and The Who play an acoustic version of Tommy at the Royal Albert Hall. Old favourites The Stranglers play their biggest hits on their Classic Collection Tour at the Brixton Academy. The atmospheric venue Union Chapel hosts Macy Gray and G4, and top reggae band Aswad play at Under the Bridge.

Enjoy London!

Sue

@itsyourlondon

www.itsyourlondon.co.uk

v  Everything is current at the time of writing but dates, events and venues may change 

London's wonderful Christmas lights and trees

London looks brilliant any time of the year but in the build up to Christmas London dresses up in its very best festive lights and trees pop up all over the city.  

I'd love to show you a few of the fabulous sights to enjoy right now in London.   Covent Garden is a good place to start as they have the best tree, in my view, and fabulous lights. This year's theme is mistletoe - ahhh...   You can shop for gifts and enjoy some refreshment as you explore. 

The Queen's grocer (they have a plaque to prove it!) has some really unusual windows this year including the boy and the brussel sprouts and the turkey having a tug of war with a chopper! They are all beautifully crafted in the strangeness. 

Last year Regent Street had an epic fail with their decorations which were far too dark to enjoy so it was a relief this year to see the light, bright and very sparkly angels that cover the full length of this famous shopping street. 

Kew Gardens goes all out with their illuminated trail which sells out so fast I missed out last year so was determined to book early and was entranced by their lights.  The high point was a laser and lights show on the palm house, hard to photograph but here a a few to give you an idea of the magic. 

Ice rinks pop up in all of London's most iconic sights:  the Tower of London, Somerset House and the Natural History Museum:

Talking of ice, one of the more unusual trees was to be found at Kings Cross where a tree is trapped in an enormous block of ice.

The Strand didn't want to be left out and repeated last year's jolly decorations, as did Oxford Street: 

And finally, the best festive afternoon tea, happily consumed at St Ermin's Hotel:

I hope you enjoyed a virtual tour around festive London, where it really is 'looking a lot like Christmas.....'

Bye for now

Sue 
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk

Welcome back to two of London's great houses: part 1, the Queen's House.

2016 has undoubtedly had some bad moments, upsets and losses so I've been seeking solace in my home town. London cheers me up every day with sights that lift the mood and as Samuel Johnson said ' when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life'.  Samuel was clearly from a different age and surely meant women as well!  So exploring London is how I lift myself up and although new experiences are good fun, I really enjoy welcoming back old friends. 

This year we saw the return of 2 of London's great houses, both wonderfully refurbished. The Queen's House in Greenwich and the impressive Banqueting House on Whitehall. 

Part 1 brings you the Queen's House which was designed by prominent architect Inigo Jones and completed in 1635. However, it had taken 20 years to build during which time the original Queen it was built for, Anne of Denmark, had died! She was the wife of James 1 and it was their son, Charles 1 (more of him later in part 2!) who gave this beautiful building to his wife Henrietta Maria. This elegant building was the first in the classical style in England and would have caused quite a stir at the time. King George lll bequeathed it to a charity in 1805, as he preferred to be in Kew Palace, and it become a school until 1934 when it was taken over by the National Maritime Museum. 

Reopened in time to celebrate its 400th anniversary, the house has undergone a wonderful restoration which incorporates new work and showcases its famous art collection.  There is so much to enjoy here but top tips to look out for are: the Great Hall; the geometrical floor; the gold leaf in the ceiling by Richard Wright; the tulip staircase; the painting of Queen Elizabeth 1; and, the collection of fabulous paintings.

As you arrive, the elegant proportions of the house greet you:

The Great Hall is Inigo Jones's perfect cube and retains most of his original features.

The marble floor uses black Belgian and white Italian marble in a magnificent geometric pattern.

Richard Wright, a Turner prize-winner, used the theme of gold leaf, found throughout the house, to add a feeling of lightness to the Great Hall. The original paintings were removed and taken to Marlborough House and Wright's work responded to the house and its tradition of the highest level of craftsmanship. 

The tulip stairs are so graceful with these wonderful curves which are captivating  They were the first staircase in England to have no central support, as each step locks into the next so supports itself.  The original blue has been restored on the ironwork in a striking contrast the the pale walls. 

The painting of Queen Elizabeth 1 is the newest acquisition in the collection was saved for the nation this year by public donations where it can be enjoyed in person although the light in that room makes it a little hard to photograph! Elizabeth was born here, as was her father Henry Vlll, so it is particularly important that this painting has returned to her first home. This was painted just after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, a campaign planned by the Queen and her advisers, here at the Queen's House. 

There are numerous fine and famous paintings in this collection along with some more modern pieces, as well as some fascinating artifacts. Here are just a few to whet your appetite:

Van de Velde The Younger 

Painting of a kangaroo by Stubbs who had never seen one! 

A room called Face of War with 'ordinary' navy men 

LS Lowry

Richard Eurich 

Canaletto 

 This bust of Galileo has a hidden nook which is said to contain a piece of crimson velvet, a relic of his academic chair!

As you leave, one of Greenwich's great views faces you so take a moment to relish the symmetry and grandeur of the Old Royal Naval College. 

There is a great deal to enjoy at the Queen's House and amazingly it's free to visit! 

For more info about visiting the Queen's House,  click here.

Keep an eye out for part 2, the Banqueting House  - coming soon!

Bye for now,

Sue

@itsyourlondon

www.itsyourlondon.co.uk 

A luxury dessert tour of London

I was looking forward to a massive sugar rush when I was booked on a Luxe Dessert Tour of London. We met in London's most famous meeting spot, by the statute of Eros in Piccadilly Circus, although it's not Eros but his brother Anteros, but that is another story.... 

It was raining so umbrellas were up and raincoats pulled tight but our guide Lynton was full of energy and enthusiasm and was determined to make us forget the weather.  Our two and a half hour tour around London's posh shops was a great way to explore the area, learn about its rich history and taste some wonderful treats. Our tour was a new one from Intrepid Travel's Urban Adventures and we were delighted to be trying it out!

Our guide in full flow

Our first stop was Fortnum and Masons, but not before we'd heard about Hatchard's, London's oldest bookshop which has been serving readers since 1797, including the Royals who get their books here. Opposite, if you look carefully you can see  Albany House, which has been home to London's posh bachelors since 1802 including Lord Byron who'd pop over the road to Hatchards to sign his books. No need be a bachelor these days and rumours are that Terence Stamp is a current resident.  On to Fortnums, famous for being the Queen's grocer, to lust after all their beautiful goods and their luxury hampers in particular. I wonder which ones the royal family enjoy with a cup of Fortnums famous tea. 

Extra-ordinary biscuits 

Glace fruits

I'd love this hamper for Christmas

 

Tea, Fortnums style 

We popped into the Royal Academy for some interesting history nuggets and a photo opportunity with an original red phone box, K2s as they are known to the experts. 

K2 phone box 

On to Burlington Arcade for our first tasting treat from the famous Parisian macaron shop, Laduree, which sells the most beautiful creations in a vibrant range of colours and flavour. They are just the right side of chewy with good amounts of filling and wonderfully moist. Burlington Arcade was the first glass covered shopping street in the world and is the epitome of elegant retailing with its own guards, called Beadales, who look a bit stern but are happy to pose for a photo. Dating back to 1819, the arcade's shops have offered top class discrete shopping to the stars of the past and present and to the Royals. 

Macarons from Laduree

Guarding Burlington Arcade 

Elegant Burlington Arcade

On to Godiva Chocolate shop on Regents Street to taste these top end Belgian chocolates and enjoy their displays. We wove our way into the heart of Mayfair, passing by Saville Row to hear about the Beatles last concert which took place on the roof of their office building until a neighbour complained about the noise and had them shut down!

Pretty in pink 

Chocolate snowmen 

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Our guide made sure that we had plenty of stories to entertain us as we walked around this fascinating part of London, he also pointed out signs and buildings and even found things that this London resident hadn't seen before, including these signs on the Bag O Nails club: 

Popping into Kingly Court,  walking through Liberty's and strolling down Carnaby Street, we got a real feel of Soho, its history and place in pop culture while taking in the luxurious feel of every inch of Liberty's.  Then it was on to our final stop where the chocolate went into overdrive! The eccentrically named Choccywoccydoodah is full of extraordinary chocolate creations and is a feast for the eyes. We snuck up the back stairs to their secret room on the top floor where the highlight of our tour was their chocolate feast.   Plates of chocolate cake, dark, light or triple chocolate as well as a variety of brownies greeted us and we dived in without much restraint.  The room itself is a delightful fantasy garden and the staff were extremely friendly, passionate about their chocolate and very cool people.

That's some wedding cake!

Fantasy chocolate pieces: 

Massive chocolate pony

Art deco style cake 

The fantasy garden room:

And now the chocolate feast - there were several plates of each of these!

This was an enjoyable tour and we certainly had our fill of chocolates, while learning a good deal of London history from our entertaining guide. 

Find out more about this tour and how to book here and more about Choccywoccydoodah here.

Bye for now,
Sue
@itsyourlondon
www.itsyourlondon.co.uk 



*** Full disclosure: as is customary in the tourism industry, I was offered to try out this tour at no cost to myself.  This did not influence my review.