"What we wanted to do was to make this about people. When I came into my role, it was exactly at the time that the pandemic began. We built a team, an idea, and a vision through remote work."
The new Kusuma Nature Play area designed for kids includes a wooden jetty, slide, climbing webs, lookout points, log steps, timber balance beams, and a den building frame.
An enigmatic coin that someone used to board a British bus seven decades ago is now entering the collection of the Leeds Discovery Centre, following the revelation that it's a bit of 2,000 year old currency from the former Carthaginian trading settlement of Gadir, in modern-day Cádiz, Spain-one of Europe's longest-inhabited cities, settled by Phoenicians around 1,100 B.C.E.
It's not a house of outstanding art, being a self-taught carver whose skills evidently advanced over the years, as you can see the evolution from fairly rough carving on the stairs to the very skilled work in the living room. He also created the paintings on the walls - talented chap - but never finished the carving in the living room, as his time finally ran out.
The Grade II listed building is on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register and is currently recorded as being in poor condition. The national Marine Society and Sea Cadets (MSSC), which held the lease, has confirmed that it can no longer meet the building's repair obligations and will surrender the lease so that restoration can be carried out by new occupants.
Bringing such a culturally and historically significant building back into public use has been a huge privilege for everyone involved. This restoration has taken years of considered collaboration and care, guided by a shared commitment to do justice to the Town Hall's heritage while giving it a new lease of life and protecting it for future generations to enjoy.
The charming Amersham fairground organ museum, which is usually open a few Sundays per year, has now started offering guided tours. The occasional open days are more a chance to sit and listen to the old fair organs playing their pipes, and have a nice lunch at the same time. However, the guided tours, which will take place on Saturdays, will offer a deeper dive into their collection of organs and the music cards that control them.
London is a city that rewards curiosity. Beyond the iconic landmarks, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the London Eye, lies a quieter, more intimate version of the capital. This is the London locals know: tucked-away streets, overlooked parks, independent cafés, and historic corners that rarely make it into guidebooks. For travellers willing to stray from the obvious routes, the city offers countless hidden gems that reveal its true character.
Despite its proximity to one of London's busiest tourist attractions, its back street location is remarkably quiet and peaceful. Leading off Stafford Place, it was originally, and unsurprisingly, called Stafford Mews, as it was built as stabling for houses on Buckingham Gate, facing the palace. Constructed around 1860, the stables were simple two-storey houses, built initially with stables at the ground and accommodation above.
Step inside Don't Tell Dad and you're immediately greeted by a warm, low-lit vintage atmosphere. When we arrived, a funky soundtrack was drifting over dark wood floors, while super-comfy olive-green velvet banquettes, booths, and bar stools offered a front-row view of the kitchen in action. Wood panels with coloured glass windows, marble-topped tables set with linen napkins, and vintage cutlery and candle holders hint at 1930s Art Deco elegance, while oval mirrors and playful statement lighting reinforce the space's French bistro vibes.
This part of London sits just outside the historic City walls, so it attracted traders who wanted to avoid the strict rules binding City merchants. The land was later acquired by Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Cleveland, who developed it, hence the main road being named Wentworth Street. If you're wondering about Ann's Place, that was probably after his wife, Anne Hopton.
The row of shops (and pub) here used to be known as Butchers' Row as it was lined with, well, butchers of course - and they would hang their meat outside their stores on rows of metal hooks. Most of the buildings have since been redeveloped, but the gap between shops on Aldgate High Street has been there since shortly after WWII. The gap wasn't due to bomb damage, but for some reason, one building was cleared, and later its neighbour as well.
The Big Brine, co-founded by Emma and Clarice, who have backgrounds in events and event catering, will bring together the worlds of food, wellness and sustainability by showcasing the craft and culture behind brining and fermenting.
The City of London Corporation described the resulting plan as 'sensitive, conservation-led, yet future facing'. Changes will be made to the Barbican's famous Conservatory, beloved among Londoners for its lush greenery, to address long-standing maintenance issues and to improve accessibility. This will include a new lift (providing step-free access to the fly tower for the first time) and stairs up to the Conservatory's raised balconies, offering eye-popping views over the flora below.
Your weekly Londonist roundup, featuring Londony news and features. Including the room behind that world-famous balcony. Hat's the way uh-huh, uh-huh... You can hire it for birthdays, too. No tube strike on Monday after all. If you see what we mean. Mirroring the proposed Bakerloo line extension. When, where, who and how of London's biggest run.
For most of its life, the alley's main feature was the church of St Martin Orgar, possibly named after Ordgarus, a Dane who donated the church to the canons of St Paul's. Sadly, most of the church was destroyed during the Great Fire of London. The badly damaged remains were restored and used by French Protestants right up to 1820.
The alley likely came into existence when the first Leadenhall Market, as a market for herbs, opened, with a long passage leading from the market to Gracechurch Street. The alley used to be longer and straighter, but the eastern half was cut off when a building was constructed on the site. That building was demolished in 2000, and archaeologists researched it for Roman remains in 2002.
Treasures unearthed by hundreds of archaeologists so far during work on the controversial planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC. The 450,000 objects, which are being held in a secret warehouse, include a possible Roman gladiator's tag, a hand axe that may be more than 40,000 years old and 19th Century gold dentures. It is an "unprecedented" amount and array of items, which will yield new insights into Britain's past, says the Centre for British Archaeology.
