Focus On Roehampton: Thinking of living in Wandsworth? Consider this leafy spot instead and you could save £100,000 February 22, 2019 The thing about university towns is they’re always full of students. This doesn’t just make them a great property investment for Revolution bars and Wetherspoons, but also for landlords who fear void periods, even if it means occasionally having to get Pot Noodle stains out of the carpet. The University of Roehampton – incidentally, the [...]
Opinion: Banning letting agent fees is a sweeping measure that wasn’t properly thought out and doesn’t get to the root of the problems February 22, 2019 Property is one of many industries that has fallen behind the times when it comes to accountability and transparency. In my view, one of the best ways to improve any industry is with carefully thought-out investment in regulation, especially in a world that increasingly demands accountability. The lettings industry needs this as much as any [...]
Property of the Week: House designed by Sir David Adjaye in King’s Cross is on sale with internal fish ponds and gardens February 22, 2019 If you’ve been meaning to drop into the Design Museum for the new Sir David Adjaye exhibition, consider this week’s Property of the Week a taster of what’s to come. This three bedroom house was created by the British architect, who was the lead designer of the National Museum of African American History and Culture [...]
On the Basis of Sex film review: Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic is timely but takes few risks February 22, 2019 On the Basis of Sex is a timely reminder of all that US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg accomplished on the long, winding road towards gender equality, and why it still matters today. We open on the Harvard victory song, extolling the triumphs of the “men” in attendance. It is 1956, the sixth year [...]
Cold Pursuit film review: Liam Neeson’s junket admission eclipses an otherwise serviceable revenge drama February 22, 2019 In an alternate timeline, Cold Pursuit would have been a low-key cinematic release, more of the same from an actor we’ve come to know as the go-to guy for revenge dramas. But Liam Neeson had other ideas. In a run-of-the-mill press junket, Neeson, apropos of nothing, told a story about stalking the streets of Belfast [...]
Akyra Thonglor is the perfect hotel from which to explore Bangkok’s most happening entertainment district February 22, 2019 Often viewed by travellers as a mere stopover point on the way to discover Thailand’s tropical islands or Chiang Mai’s Golden Triangle, Bangkok should not be missed out as a destination in its own right. It’s currently experiencing an exciting renaissance with an abundance of forward-thinking hotels and innovative restaurants opening their doors, not to [...]
Villa la Massa hotel review: Laura Millar leaves the crowds behind for a suite spot just outside Florence… February 22, 2019 It’s the romantic destination you pick when you want to avoid the cliché of Rome, but Florence has just as much history, culture, and amazing food, frankly. However, it can get a bit crowded. The solution? Stay a little outside the city, where it’s cooler, quieter, and you can have easier access to some of [...]
Shipwreck play at the Almeida review: An ambitious but flawed take on the Trump presidency February 22, 2019 You wait months for a fractured, meandering, three hour play about politics and then two come along at once. Following the Old Vic’s tortuous reheating of Arthur Miller’s depression-era memoir The American Clock comes the Almeida’s Shipwreck, a new play that concerns itself with the bleeding edge of the Trump presidency. It begins with a [...]
Berberian Sound Studio review: This homage to giallo horror films is a supernatural assault on the senses February 22, 2019 Berberian Sound Studio is a pedestrian name for a pretty out-there theatrical experience. Based on a horror film directed by Peter Strickland and starring Toby Jones, it was lavished with praise on the art film circuit when it was released in 2012. Now it’s a play in the Donmar Warehouse, whose intimate seating arrangements and [...]
Franz West at the Tate Modern review: A vivid picture of of a singular mind February 22, 2019 I left the Tate Modern’s Franz West exhibition with a strong desire to get extremely drunk with the artist. Now sadly deceased, West was louche and messy, arrested on at least two occasions for being publicly sozzled, and his entire oeuvre feels like a mad two fingers up to the art establishment. Producing work from [...]