The London Traveler

A nice little video on The Times website takes us through Westminster tube station and explains some of the engineering wizardry that was needed to create the structure.
Okay, it’s a two minute video so it doesn’t go into nearly enough nerdy detail for me. If you want a more leisurely approach, there are some super pictures on the Metro-bits website.
And there is a marvellous article in the London Review of Books which analyses the architecture of each of the Jubilee Line stations – all built for the Jubilee line extension which was a Millennium project – as well as …read more

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I rather like those histories of everyday things – ‘Latitude’, the story of spice, the history of salt. Exhibitions of locks and keys from the middle ages, or the furniture exhibitions at the Geffrye Museum, fascinate me.
So an exhibition of desks is a must! As a writer I spend most of each day at one, and it isn’t beautiful.
When I daydream, I imagine myself sitting at a fine Louis XIV desk with curvy gilt legs, or a lovely Restoration bureau…
“8 Desks” is a bit more modern but equally stylish. Jean Prouvé and Jean Royère’s almost minimalist, strikingly modern desks …read more

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The Geffrye Museum doesn’t sound like a major draw. A museum about furniture. How interesting is that?
Actually, it’s a lot more fun than it sounds. First of all, the setting is lovely. Just a few minutes by bus from Liverpool Street, the museum is set back from the road, with a fine garden in front. Mature trees provide shade, and a herb garden scatters its scent.
The museum is housed in a fine set of eighteenth century brick almshouses. Go inside (entrance is free), and you’ll find a set of rooms, each one designed in the style of a …read more

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