The London Traveler

A new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery shines a light on black talent in the acting profession with photographic portraits of thirty black British actors. They’ll be shown on a plasma screen in the Ondaatje wing of the NPG from April 4th to June 8th; admission is free.
Photographer Franklyn Rodgers has a distinctive, rather abstract approach to portraiture, using monochrome photography and dramatic lighting to create dramatic and even bizarre compositions. But the importance of the show for many will be its celebration of black culture and black success.
Coincidentally, one of the NPG’s most recent commissions shows another …read more

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I mentioned Paxton & Whitfield, doyen of London cheese shops, yesterday. But any lover of cheese should also find time to pay a visit to one of the Neal’s Yard Dairy shops – the original one in Covent Garden, or the Borough Market branch.
Now P&W is a very fine shop, a very fine shop indeed. But my affections have been captured by Neal’s Yard – the huge walls of cheese stacked up, the massive wheels of it, the whiff of cheese that hits you as you walk in, the absolute, almost bloody-minded concentration on cheese, cheese, the whole cheese …read more

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There are ladies who lunch. And then there are ladies who do tea. Afternoon tea.
You can join them at the Ritz Hotel’s Palm Court, if you like. This is a marvellous, rather camp atmosphere, with Louis XIV furniture, chandeliers, bone china tea service. I can imagine Hercule Poirot or perhaps Lord Peter Wimsey taking tea here. And you’ll need to follow the rather formal dress code of the period – no trainers, no jeans, and gents, wear a jacket and tie.
A variety of sandwiches, scones, pastries, and of course your tea, will set you back £37. And you’ll need …read more

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I remember once when I was travelling in France being asked whether we still had ‘le five o’clock tea’. Every Frenchman naturally identifies the English with cricket, a stiff upper lip, and afternoon tea – though somehow, cucumber sandwiches have never made it across the Channel.
But “tea” mean several things in English and it’s important to distinguish them. There are many hidden meanings in English tea culture – class connotations, ‘in’ and ‘out’ teas, and words that don’t mean what they seem to mean (‘high tea’ is a meal, not a beverage).
First of all, what I’d call “builder’s tea” …read more

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The new Heathrow Terminal 5 has just opened – but while architectural correspondents from the major newspapers were impressed when they were shown round a few weeks ago, passengers’ experiences have been much less impressive.
Problems with baggage handling have extended check-in lines, caused British Airways to cancel nearly 70 flights, and caused incoming passengers long waits to get their checked baggage back. Checking of baggage was suspended for some time, too.
In fact this isn’t the first time Heathrow has been in the news with baggage problems. Heathrow terminal 4 also had baggage problems in February this year when the computer …read more

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I rather like this statue of Sir John Betjeman in St Pancras station. (It’s on the upper level, on the way to the champagne bar.) How much nicer it is than the much bigger ‘kiss’ statue which takes pride of place in the restored Victorian station.
Martin Jennings created the image of the poet looking up at the wonderful Victorian roof of the station, as if he was seeing it for the first time. Betjeman is slightly rumpled, his coat blowing around him, his hat probably about to fly off, but the sense of wonder on his face gives the …read more

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Antony Gormley used the opening of his new show (blogged below) to lambast public sculpture in London.
His Angel of the North started a trend for public authorities to commission sculpture. But he’s disappointed in the standard of what is being set up.
One work that deserves this ire is “Meet me at St Pancras” by Paul Day. Gormley singles it out, and I dislike it too. Its photo-finish makes the folds of fabric seem almost slimy, everything is rounded like a Beryl Cook painting, but without the humour. And it tugs at the heart-strings in a nauseous way like a three-year-old …read more

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In the heart of St James’s, you’ll find one of London’s best cheese shops. Some people say it’s the best, though I prefer to see it as a sort of Arsenal v Man U match versus Neal’s Yard – they’re both great outfits but you never know which one will win this match. And they tend to have slightly different supporters.
Paxton & Whitfield, at 93 Jermyn Street, announces its name in golden lettering across the bressumer, and the slightly yellow light inside illumines huge wheels of cheese and even hams hanging from the ceiling. It looks like you might imagine …read more

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Regent’s Park in summer is a wonderful resource. You can play softball, run, take a horse on its sandy tracks (but you’re not allowed to gallop – a canter is as fast as you go), or play tennis.  Or just laze in the sun.
But until recently I didn’t know about the Hub. Now, this list of activities has expanded to include Pilates, Yoga, Power Walking, Tai Chi and Power Stretch. There’s even mother and baby yoga.
And this comes on a ‘Pay as you go’ basis – no need to pay gym fees.
The Hub is quite an intriguing building – it …read more

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Spring is definitely here if you speak the language of flowers. The snowdrops have come and gone, the crocuses have blazed out, daffodils everywhere are celebrating the Welsh rugby team’s success, and the bluebells are a month early.
Take a trip to Richmond Park and you can find one of the most beautiful bluebell walks, in the Isabella Plantation. It’s in the corner of the park closest to Norbiton station.  The whole plantation was laid out to provide a less manicured, more natural wood and water environment than the surrounding parkland then had, and it’s a marvellous place to wander at …read more

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