I first heard about The Wallace Collection years ago when I was writing a secret guide to Marylebone for a magazine I was working on at the time. As part of the feature, I was interviewing locals to find out their favourite spots in the area and one woman I talked to mentioned The Wallace... Continue Reading →
London walks: Belsize Park, Primrose Hill and Regent’s Park
When I lived in London, I used to try to get out for a long walk most weekends. One of my favourite walks was from Belsize Park to Marylebone or Regent's Street in central London, via Primrose Hill and Regent's Park. If I was feeling particularly energetic and had the time, I'd sometimes start the... Continue Reading →
London: Westminster, St James’s Park and Hieroglyphs at the British Museum
On my second day in London, I headed into town bright and early to start the day with a little touristing. My destination? Westminster. Situated on the banks of the River Thames in the heart of London, the historic district is home to a slew of the capital and the country's most iconic landmarks, including... Continue Reading →
London: St Paul’s Cathedral
I didn't have much of a plan when I went to London, I had lots of vague ideas about different places I'd like to visit, but nothing set in stone and I found myself changing my plans on a whim during the trip. One of the places I'd thought about visiting was St Paul's Cathedral.... Continue Reading →
London: Cezanne at the Tate Modern
At the end of November I had a week off work and decided to head to London for an impromptu day trip that, thanks to various family and friends, turned into a three-day stay. It wasn't my first trip to the capital of 2022 as earlier in the year, I'd circumnavigated the M25 on a... Continue Reading →
Cheltenham
In early March 2020, I spent a day in the Gloucestershire spa town of Cheltenham. Two weeks later we all went into lockdown and this post has sat languishing in my ever-growing drafts pile since, as it didn't feel quite right to publish it at the time when we couldn't leave the house. So in... Continue Reading →
Westbury Court Garden
Over the bank holiday weekend, we set off on a little roadtrip to Westbury Court Garden, a small water garden in Westbury-on-Severn in Gloucestershire. I'd seen a few photos of the garden on Instagram a few weeks earlier and intrigued by what I'd seen, decided to check it out. The garden was created in the... Continue Reading →
Ham House and Garden
The banks of the River Thames to the south-west of London are dotted with stately homes and grand palaces. From Kew Palace to the Duke of Northumberland's Syon Park, to Marble Hill House and the majestic Hampton Court Palace. So when I was browsing through the National Trust's handbook and came across Ham House and... Continue Reading →
Tyntesfield
If I was ever to write an Agatha Christie-style 1920s murder mystery, I'd set it at Tyntesfield, a gloriously Gothic manor surrounded by acres of land in the middle of the Somerset countryside. It's the sort of place where you could imagine cocktail-drenched parties full of bright young things taking place and then a dead... Continue Reading →
London: Kew Gardens
I was in London in the spring catching up with friends, when one of my friends suggested we spend the day at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. I love Kew Gardens and hadn't been there for years, so I was more than happy to revisit one of my favourite London haunts. Home to more... Continue Reading →