Should museums in London start charging (again) for entry? June 19, 2026 Our museums are struggling to scrape by – but is charging admission really the answer? Eliot Wilson weighs up the arguments Neil MacGregor celebrated his 80th birthday this week. The Glasgow-born art historian, considered by Sir Anthony Blunt at the Courtauld Institute the most brilliant pupil he ever taught, has exercised an enormous influence on [...]
The best bottles to buy this English Wine Week June 19, 2026 English Wine Week is almost upon us (20-28 June) and we have more to celebrate than ever before, with our producers seeing massive wins across global competitions. A magnum of Sugrue South Down’s ‘The Trouble with Dreams’ 2009 (Hedonism, £195) became the first English sparkling in large format to receive Best in Show at the [...]
VW Golf R 2026 long-term review: Final verdict on a classic hot hatch June 19, 2026 When I first enquired about running a Golf R, I expected this to be a swansong of sorts. The eighth-generation VW Golf was to be the last, we were told, as the electric ID.3 filled the family hatchback-sized hole in the Volkswagen range. Thankfully, reports of the Golf’s demise were a little premature. Volkswagen had [...]
New Mk1 Ford Escort RS makes world debut at London Concours June 19, 2026 The first new Ford Escort Mk1 RS in 50 years has been revealed at London Concours. Built by Boreham Motorworks, the reborn fast Ford is more than just another restomod.
Mexican Michelin stars arrive in the Square Mile at Ned pop-up June 18, 2026 London’s options for good Mexican food are scarce. There is the Michelin starred Kol in Marylebone, Taq in Notting Hill and Fonda in Mayfair, each offering their own stamp, but London’s Mexican diaspora is relatively small, and that means we just don’t have the quality nor quantity of decent places to eat. One country that [...]
Five surprising things I learned at Royal Ascot 2026 June 18, 2026 The fanciest horse race in the country, if not the world, is upon us: Royal Ascot 2026 runs until this Saturday 20 June, with daily races giving the opportunity to dress up and drop a load of money on the equine with the funniest name. I went down for the first time this year and [...]
Volkswagen Transporter Sportline 2026: The van that wants to be a VW Golf GTI June 18, 2026 Imagine an illicit liaison between a Volkswagen van and a Golf GTI. The result, nine months later, might look something like the Transporter Sportline. So, is this flagship ‘sports van’ a welcome addition to the family? If the idea of a sports van sounds like a contradiction in terms, tell that to the thousands of [...]
This Peugeot 205 GTI is the car you remember from your teenage years June 18, 2026 Back in the 1980s, if you were Somebody in the City, you probably drove a Porsche. But if you were an up-and-coming hotshot who’d made some lucky bets on gold futures, you’d splash the cash on a Peugeot 205 GTI. Launched in 1984, this was Peugeot’s riposte to the runaway success of the original VW [...]
You can buy AI software, but not years of AI development experience June 18, 2026 Over the past two years, AI has moved from a specialist technology to a boardroom priority at remarkable speed. Today, almost every company can access powerful AI tools, whether through large language models, workflow automation or AI assistants integrated across different parts of the business. What is becoming increasingly clear, however, is that access to [...]
Bowls Club is the City’s most eccentric (and brilliant) pop-up June 17, 2026 The Bowls Club in Finsbury Square is the City’s eccentric pop up that makes you feel like you’re anywhere but London. If you love it, why not nominate it for our Toast the City awards – find out how here! Two formidably dressed judges – some poshos from the King’s Road – are engaging in [...]