Cars, horses, glamour: a glorious summer awaits at Goodwood June 12, 2011 IN his famous song the Stately Homes of England, Noel Coward noted of the nation’s country piles that “the fact that they have to be rebuilt / And frequently mortgaged to the hilt… certainly damps the fun / Of the eldest son…” Try telling that to Charles Gordon-Lennox, eldest son of the 10th Duke of [...]
Savvy investors will soon be taking to water June 9, 2011 FORGET yachts, successful City boys and girls will be cruising to work on boats in the years to come. Marinas are springing up alongside London’s Thameside developments. Chelsea’s flashy 1,000-apartment Imperial Wharf has just opened a marina, while Vauxhall’s St. George Wharf is building a river taxi pontoon on its doorstep that will open in [...]
Architects cast an expert interior eye June 9, 2011 FREELANCE writer Elisa Wickham and her partner were faced with a debate two years ago when they began renovating the interior of their promising, but outdated shabby three-bed property in N7: Pay an architect to advise or go direct to a builder? “Neither us have any building abilities and we don’t have massive incomes so [...]
BRAINTREE, ESSEX June 9, 2011 GRESHAM HOUSE, BRADFORD STREET Price: £749,95 This listed property runs across four floors and retains a number of period features. The house has six bedrooms, two bathrooms, three reception rooms including an orangery. There is a small playroom, kitchen, living room, laundry, utility room, office and cloakroom. There is a gym in the basement. Contact: [...]
SELL June 9, 2011 MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL LONDON ESTATE AGENCY, KAY & CO Q.I have £500,000 in cash to invest in a buy-to-let flat in central London. What should I buy? A.One-bedroom apartments are always in demand in central London which fits in well with your budget. I would recommend that you look for a property with a low [...]
Architectural landmark and family home June 9, 2011 WHOEVER ends up buying the White Cottage, on a quiet road at the south west corner of Wandsworth Common, will not only become owner of a supremely elegant family home, but custodian of a highly unusual piece of architectural history. The house, built in 1903 and on the market for £5m, is the work of [...]
Canada festival goes Down Under June 9, 2011 A TROOP of didgeridoos playing a live chorus for commuters set the tone for this year’s much-anticipated Canada Festival. On June 28th, the atmospheric instruments will serenade workers arriving on each of the City’s five main bridges (Blackfriars, Millennium, London, Southwark and Tower Bridge) as they head to work. This year, in case [...]
Film Review June 9, 2011 Cert: PG SOMETHING of a surprise megahit back in 2008, the original Kung Fu Panda film turned out to be one of the best animated films of the past decade. The mix of loveable animals, Oriental mythology and martial arts fun proved irresistible to kids – plenty of family households have reverberated to “hi-YA!” cries [...]
ALSO OUT THIS WEEK | FILM, MUSIC, GAMES June 9, 2011 FILM KABOOM Bizarre, eventually apocalyptic look at life, sex and the universe, from director Greg Araki. MOTHER’S DAY Remake of the Eighties horror flick, with Rebecca de Mornay as a psychotic mommy. POINT BLANK Not the legendary Lee Marvin film, but a run-of-the-mill French action caper. DVD 127 HOURS JAMES Franco stars in Danny Boyle’s [...]
Top hampers for summer picnics June 8, 2011 SUMMER is on its way and with that the promise of picnicking with friends, taking in concerts, tennis, festivals and Polo events outdoors (the vision, of course, never involves British rain.) Preparing for such affairs can be a kerfuffle, not least the task of arranging a good picnic and drinks, but thankfully London’s food purveyors [...]