The Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath
James Clark books into the Clarendon Hotel in Blackheath as his base for exploring the things to do in Greenwich, and discovers a most friendly gem. If it’s all about…
Art in the City: Dancing, Sailing and Making Waves
London Begins at 40 arts columnist Irene Caswell takes a look at the London art openings in September. The cooler temperatures and shortening days signify a move into autumn which…
Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia
Mark Bibby Jackson reviews Josh Azouz’s tragi-comedy Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia at the Almeida. From the off as we are greeted with a character buried up…
London Music Gigs Round-Up
Summer’s fading but the beat goes on. There are some fantastic shows to take you into the autumn, so London Begins at 40 music editor Robert Spellman has compiled an…
Two London Guidebooks for 2021
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a look at a couple of London guidebooks released earlier this year that make navigating the myriad streets of London slightly easier. Like London buses just…
London’s Supper Club Openings, August 2021
London Begins at 40’s food critic James Clark gives his round up of London’s Supper Club Openings for August. Don’t you just love this time of year? It’s when London’s…
The Dilly Hotel London and Madhu’s Restaurant
James Clark checks into The Dilly London and finds an elegant hotel with excellent service, as well as an Indian restaurant with a Kenyan twist. A hotel has dominated no….
August Art in the City: Blake, Beckett and Binet
In the absence of new exhibitions this month London Begins at 40’s art columnist Irene Caswell roundups the ‘last chance to see’ fabulous summer shows to ensure you don’t miss…
Music Album Releases in July
London Begins at 40 music critic, Robert Spellman, casts his eye across some of the latest music album releases in July, so you can enjoy music in the comfort of…
L’amico Fritz at Holland Park Opera
Julia Bright watches the delightful L’amico Fritz by Pietro Mascagni at the Holland Park Opera, one of this season’s four productions. L’amico Fritz is a far cry from Cavalleria Rusticana,…
Tech-savvy YOTEL London Gets Thumbs Up
James Clark checks out the brand new YOTEL London in Clerkenwell and is pleased with what he finds. If someone had said to me a year ago that a brand…
London Live Music in July, August
As the doors finally creak open to the capital’s music spaces, London Begins at 40’s music columnist Robert Spellman offers a selection of London live music in July and August…
Luxuriating in AIRE Ancient Baths London
Mark Bibby Jackson checks into the recently opened AIRE Ancient Baths London and emerges two hours later feeling like a completely different man. There will be a time when international…
Officina 00 the Neighbourhood Italian
James Clark visits Officina 00 in Old Street to settle into a delightful lunch that whisked him back to Italy despite the London weather. Word spread like wild fire across…
Tavolino Bar & Kitchen: Tower Bridge Italian Restaurant
James Clark visits Tavolino Tower Bridge Italian Restaurant, and samples Sicilian food of the highest quality. If I had said to a friend let’s meet at an Italian restaurant near…
Under Milk Wood, National Theatre
Julia Bright reviews Under Milk Wood, that dreamy, poetic masterpiece by Dylan Thomas, which is the first production at the National Theatre since Covid-19 shut its doors. Lyndsey Turner’s inventive…
Art in the City: Bellotto, Taeuber-Arp and Emin
In the second of her regular arts columns, Irene Caswell takes a look at the new July art exhibitions in London, as well as one coming to a close. Summer…
Tinseltown at The Athenaeum Hotel London
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise spend a night at The Athenaeum Hotel London, and enjoy the rich history, wonderful cuisine and green credentials of one of the capital’s most star-studded…
Bookish Break at the University Arms Cambridge
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise take a mini-break at the University Arms Cambridge, just an hour’s train ride from London, visiting the Fitzwilliam Museum and Kettle’s Yard. It’s a bibliophile’s…
London Restaurant Openings June 2021
In the first of a regular column James Clark takes a bite-size look at some of the recent London restaurant openings. It’s an exciting time in the city as doors…
Angel of Anarchy: Eileen Agar, Whitechapel Gallery
The Whitechapel Gallery’s exhibition of the work of Eileen Agar – Angel of Anarchy – highlights both the longevity and variety of one of the most important artists of the…
Redoubt: Matthew Barney, Hayward Gallery
The focal point of Matthey Barney’s first solo exhibition in the UK for more than a decade, currently showing at the Hayward Gallery on Southbank London, is the feature length…
Rubens: Reuniting the Great Landscapes
This summer will see the reunification of two of Rubens’ master landscapes A View of Het Steen in the Early Morning and The Rainbow Landscape at the Wallace Collection in…
Grand Trunk Road: No Compromise on Quality
Mark Bibby Jackson returns to a familiar Indian restaurant of his youth now transformed into the swish Grand Trunk Road, to see whether it justifies the accolade of the best…
