Now that summer’s over and the rugby world cup’s finished, we Londoners can look forward to (briefly) getting our city back before the Christmas tourist influx starts. And with the fine weather holding, it’s a good time to go and visit the places that you never normally go to because they’re just for tourists. Like the Royal Mews, for instance. Continue reading
I bet you’ve walked past Freemasons’ Hall on Great Queen Street, just round the corner from the Opera House in Covent Garden, a million times and never thought of going inside. I certainly hadn’t. It’s the headquarters of a bizarre secret society open only to men, so why would I want to go in there? Because it has some of the most spectacular Art Deco interiors in the country, that’s why. Continue reading
Eltham Palace, in South London, isn‘t a palace at all (well, except for a small bit of it). It’s a house, built in 1933 by Stephen Courtauld ( younger brother of Samuel Courtauld who founded the Courtauld Institute) and his wife, Virginia. They were both Art Deco fanatics and the house they built is a masterpiece of Art Deco design. It’s now been beautifully restored by English Heritage. Continue reading
