LONDON 24/7 When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. -Samuel Johnson. The Breakfast Club, Absolute Vintage, Gardner's, Sand's Company, The Scooter Caffé, Gordon's Wine Bar, Haunch of Venison, Royal Opera House, Vintage Sunday Train, Pollock's, Commercial Caffé, Brighton, Isle of Wight, Greenwich.
Dear reader, You are about to indulge in the very first edition of London 24/7... Brace yourself. This journey will take you through London but not by the main roads, we will not be strolling down Oxford Street perusing the shops with every other tourist, or taking open top bus tours to see ‘everything’ in a day; we will explore the breadths and depths of London, taking part in hidden experiences, discovering secrets while still unravelling all of those parts of London you will long to see. This magazine will unveil restaurants, exhibitions, bars, clubs, museums, theatres, shops and entire areas which have that certain spark and quirkiness to make them un-missable. We have done the research and hunted around and sampled these gems so that you do not have to waste time. Enjoy and happy exploring.
OUR LONDON 8-15 16-23 24-33 33-41 42-45
The Breakfast Club................................................................Brunch time ... Absolute.. Vintage............................................................Unique Appeal Gardner's bag merchant ....................................................Spitafields Sand's Company..........................Independent film production The Scooter Caffè..................................Lovely afternoon coffee
SOUVENIRS 48-49 50-51 52-53 54-55 56-57 58-59
Gordon's Wine Bar..............................................Wine and Cheese Haunch of Venison ................................................West End Gallery Royal Opera House...............................World's Leading Opera Vintage Tube Train..............................................A Vintage Sunday Pollock's Toy Museum........................................Back to childhood Commercial Tavern .........Authentically Traditional Tavern
POSTCARDS 62-63 Brighton ..........................................................................The London beach 64-65 Isle of Wight ...........................................England's smallest County 66-67 Greenwich.....................................................Where everything starts
OUR LONDON The Breakfast Club, Absolute Vintage, Gardner's, Sand`s PLACES WE LOVE
BREAKFAST CLUB 33, D'Arblay St, London W1F 8EV, UK +44 20 7434 2571 www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com
It could have all been so different. Two children of the 80s, searching for that elusive name for their first cafe in Soho‌ 'The Breakfast Club' could easily have been 'St Elmo's' or 'Save Ferris'. Chickens and pigs would have breathed a sigh of relief. But it was not to be and The Breakfast Club was born in 2005 when we moved into a small cafe on D'Arblay Street in Soho, painted the front egg yolk yellow and filled the place with junk from our childhood bedrooms. The Lucky Trolls seemed to have worked, we built it and you came (thank you!). In 2007 we opened on the lovely Camden Passage in Angel and then in 2009 East London beckoned in the form of the skinny jeans capital of the world, Hoxton. In May 2011, exactly two years after Hoxton we moved into our new home in Spitalfields. There must be someting about the month of May because this year we went South of the River for the first time, opening on Battersea Rise (Hello Yummy Mummys!). The future's looking bright too, with a new addition to our Brekky Club family popping up in London Bridge in early 2014. We're big on our breakfasts- did the name give that away?serving up everything from the traditional English to Pancakes and Eggs Benedict. Worried about fitting into the skinny jeans? Try our mueslis, porridge or fruit salads. As the day progresses we move on to a range of wraps, burgers, burritos, pies and salads. All this washed down with fairtrade lattes, smoothies and a range of beers, wines and cocktails (though unfortunately not in Soho, which is BYO booze).
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Ahh, good old Soho Breakfast Club. Small but mighty, this is the cafe where it all began when we opened up on D'Arblay Street in 2005. In those days we didn't even serve eggs because (believe it or not) it didn't occur to us that a place called 'The Breakfast Club' would attract people looking for a fry-up, not just die-hard John Hughes fans! The cafe has grown with us and signs of all the good times can be found pinned to our walls on polaroid pictures from raucous staff night's out, notes scrawled on napkins and postcards from around the world.
B R E A K FA ST CLUB CLA S S ICS THE FULL MONTY Bacon, sausage, black pudding, eggs, home-style fried potatoes, mushrooms, beans, grilled tomato and toasted multigrain bloomer
CHORIZO HASHBROWNS A BC original – chorizo, mushroms, home-style fried potatoes and a fried eggs
BACON AND BANANA FRENCH TOAST Weird and wonderful eggy bread concoction
WHEN HALOUMI MET SALAD WRAP Grilled haloumi, sunblush tomatoes, houmous, spinach and balsamic reduction in a warm tortilla wrap
HUEVOS RANCHEROS Fried eggs, tortilla with melted cheddar, refried beans, chorizo, salsa, sour cream and guacamole
EGGS BENEDICT Ham on toasted English muffin with hollandaise
EGGS FLORENTINE Spinach on toasted English muffin with hollandaise
EGGS ROYALE Smoked salmon on toasted English muffin with hollandaise
PORRIDGE With mixed berries, toasted almonds and honey
GREEK YOGHURT With granola, raspberry compote and berries
BIRCHER MUESLI Apple and cinnamon soaked oats, yoghurt, dried fruit, nuts and seed
PANCAKES AND BACON With maple syrup
Brunch served 9-5 every day www.thebreakfastclubcafes.com
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ABSOLUTE VINTAGE 15 Hanbury St, E1 6QR London +44 20 7247 3883 www.absolutevintage.co.uk
Situated in Spitalfields, Absolute Vintage is home to preloved and unused vintage items.. From quirky statement items to that essential period pieces AV is a mecca for all things vintage - (and literally thousands of shoes!) With Absolute Vintage Online you will find rare and unique pieces to go with your vintage look. Our team is devoted to finding great vintage for everyone and anyone. So whether you are looking for that 60’s dress or an 80’s top, you will find your piece of history. Founded from a humble market stall in portobello, Absolute Vintage began life by selling unique vintage shoes in the Nottinghill hotspot. Our idea was to provide people with something fresh and definitive! We quickly became successful trendsetters with our eye catching vintage and colourful displays. Then, recognised for our unique appeal, we were invited to have concessions in Topshop and Miss Selfridges across the country, including their flagship stores in Oxford Circus.
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They went over to East London to have a stall in The Old Truman Brewery, Sunday Up-Market. This was back in the day when the market consisted of a small handful of stallholders. They all fitted along Dray walk and the empty shell now reincarnated as The Big Chill Bar. Seeing the potential in the area we thought we’d do something more permanent. They found a warehouse in the Brewery and fell in love with the place. Absolute Vintage opened in September 2003 and gathered alot of attention from everyone from celebrities to couture designers. They loved our vintage stock! All sourced worldwide and hand picked for its time lasting quality and era defining design. Today they have three stores each offering the best of vintage in their own way making them an ever growing family. At their flagship store, on Hanbury
Street, they have great vintage items for everyone. From those who are seeking cheap as chips bargains, to those who want their everyday unique vintage gear. It's a bit of a wild one, but you are guaranteed to find one thing that you will 'absolutely' (excuse the pun) love! With shoes and bags galore, big Absolute Vintage is THE place to be! Then, there’s Blondie. Blondie is catered towards those who are looking for high quality pieces at reasonable prices, offering many vintage designer shoes, clothing, bags, and then some. Whilst their newest shop, Absolute Vintage Boutique Soho, is a chicer, slicker version of the big Absolute Vintage, compacting the very best of the Hanbury Street Store with a bit of Soho flair. The shop’s diverse style makes it a prize for those who want to find the best of the best, making it a one-stop shop for fashionistas, Soho gogetters, and all.
F R E Q U E N TLY A S K E D Where do you source your stock? We source our stock worldwide.
If I bring some stuff in to show you would you buy? Unfortunately we do not buy that way but there are many other vintage stores that do.
How do you know if what you are getting is authentic vintage? Most items are vintage but not from the era that they are designed. For example a lot of 80’s dresses are styled to look like it’s from a different era.
How do you measure your clothes? All our measurements are in our Vintage Size Guide. Including details on how we measure our clothes.
How long do I have to return items? All items must be returned within 7 days of receiving your items; you can find further details in our Shipping and Returns page.
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GARDNER'S BAGS 149, Commercial St, London E1 6BJ, UK +44 20 7247 5119
Recently, I have taken to dropping in to the premises of my new friend Paul Gardner, the paper bag seller at 149 Commercial St, to observe the constant parade of long-standing customers that pass through, creating the life of this distinctive business. One morning, I called round at six thirty, opening time, to enjoy a quiet chat before the rush and Paul explained that his greatgrandfather James Gardner began trading here in this same building as a Scalemaker when it was built in 1870 – which means Paul is a fourth generation Market Sundriesman and makes Gardners the longest established family business in Spitalfields.
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Paul still has his great-grandfather’s accounts from the end of the nineteenth century, when as Scalemakers they serviced the scales for all the traders in the fruit and vegetable market on a regular basis. Turning the pages and scanning the lines of James’ fine copperplate handwriting your eye alights upon the names, Isaac, Isaiah and Ezekiel, indicative of the Jewish population that once defined the identity of Spitalfields. There is an ancient block of wood with two scoops carved out that are smoothed with wear, it has been in use since the days of Paul’s great-grandfather. Then his son Bertie (Paul’s grandfather) used it, then Bertie’s son Roy (Paul’s father) used it and Paul still keeps his cash in it today. As the twentieth century wore on, each of the successive Mr Gardners found that customers began to expect to buy their produce in a paper bag (a trend which is now reversed) and so the trade of dealing in bags supplanted the supply of scales entirely over four generations.
Turn your back
on the traffic rattling down Commercial St and stand for a moment to contemplate the dignified Brunswick green frontage of GARDNERS Market Sundriesman. An old glass signs reads “PAPER & POLYTHENE BAG MERCHANT” and, sure enough, a variety of different coloured bags are festooned on strings like bunting, below them are some scales hinting at the origins of the business and then your attention is distracted by a mysterious wooden sieve, a momento of Paul’s grandfather. Enter the shop to be confronted by piles of bags of every variety in packets stacked up on either side and leaving barely any room to stand. Only two routes are possible, straight ahead leading into the dark recesses where the stacks grow taller and closer together in the gloom or turn right to the makeshift counter, improvised from an old countertop supported upon yet more packets of bags. Beneath the fluorescent glow, the dust of ages is settling upon everything. You think you have entered a storeroom, but you are wrong because you neglected to notice Paul sitting at the counter in a cosy corner, partly concealed by a stack of bags. You turn to greet him and a vista appears with a colourful display of bags and tags and tapes and those old greengrocers’ signs that say “Today’s price 2/8" and “Morning Gathered” – which creates a pleasant backdrop to the figure of Paul Gardner as he stands to greet you with a genial “Hello!” With his wavy grey locks, gentle face, sociable manner and innate decency, Paul could have stepped from another age and it is a joy to meet someone who
has successfully resisted the relentless imperative to haste and efficiency at any cost, that tyrannises our age and threatens to enslave us all. When you enter the shop, you enter Paul’s world and you discover it is a better place than the one outside. Paul was thirteen when his father Roy died unexpectedly in 1968, creating a brief inter-regnum when his mother took over for four years until he came of age. “I came here the first day after I left school at seventeen”, says Paul, “It was what I wanted to do. After the first year, my mother stopped coming, though my nan used to live above the shop then. I haven’t had a day off since 1972. I don’t make much money, I will never become a millionaire. To be honest, I try to sell things as cheap as I can while others try to sell them as expensive as they can. I do it because I have done it all my life. I do it because it is like a family heirloom.” Paul Gardner’s customers are the stallholders and small businessmen and women of East London, many of whom have been coming for more than twenty years, especially loyal are the Ghanaian and Nigerian people who prefer to trade with a family business. Paul will sell small numbers of bags while others only deal in bulk and he offers the same price per bag for ten as for a hundred. Even then, most of his customers expect to negotiate the price down, unable to resist their innate natures as traders. Paul explained to me that some have such small turnovers they can only afford to buy ten carrier bags at a time.
In his endeavours, Paul supports and nurtures an enormous network of tiny businesses that are a key part of the economy of our city. Many have grown and come back with bigger and bigger orders, selling their products to supermarkets, while others simply sustain themselves, like the Nigerian woman who has a stall in Brixton market and has been coming regularly on the bus for twenty-three years to buy her paper bags here. “I try to do favours for people”, says Paul and, in spontaneous confirmation of this, a customer rings with the joyous news that they have finally scraped enough money together to pay their account for the last seven years. Sharing in the moment of triumph, Paul laughs down the phone, “What happened, did you win the lottery or something?” Paul has the greatest respect for his customers and they hold him in affection too. In fact, I think Paul’s approach could serve as a model if we wish to move forward from the ugliness of the current business ethos. Paul only wants to make enough to live and builds mutually supportive relationships with his customers over the longterm based upon trust. His is a more equitable version of capitalism tempered by mutual respect, anchored in a belief in the essential goodness rather than the essential greediness of people. As a fourth generation trader, Paul has no business plan, he is guided by his beliefs about people and how he wants to live in the world. His integrity and self respect are his most precious possessions. “I have never advertised,” says Paul, “All my customers come because they have been recommended by friends who are already my customers.”
However, after Gardners survived two World Wars and the closure of the market, there is now a new threat as the landlord seeks to increase the annual rent from £15,000 to £25,000 in a single step this June. “I earn two hundred and fifty pounds a week,” reveals Paul with frank humility, “If I earned five hundred pounds a week, I could give an extra two hundred and fifty towards the rent but at two hundred and fifty pounds a week, the cupboard is bare.” Ruminating upon the problem,“They’ve dollied-up the place round here!” says Paul quietly, in an eloquently caustic verdict upon this current situation in which his venerable family business finds itself now, after a hundred and forty years, in a fashionable shopping district with a landlord seeking to maximize profits. Paul needs to renegotiate his rent increase and we must support Paul by sending more business his way (at the very least, everyone go round and buy your bin bags from him), because Paul is a Spitalfields legend we cannot lose. But more important than the history itself, is the political philosophy that has evolved over four generations of experience. It is the sum of what has been learnt. In all his many transactions, Paul unselfconsciously espouses a practical step-by-step approach towards a more sustainable mode of society. Who would have expected that the oldest traders in Spitalfields might also turn out to be the model of an ethical business pointing the way to the future? Below you can see Paul’s grandfather Bertie Gardner, standing with Paul’s father Roy Gardner as child outside the shop around 1930. In the next picture you see Roy, now a grown man, standing outside the shop after World War II, around 1947.
SAND'S COMPANY 82, Sint Marychurch St, London SE16 4HZ +020 7231 2209 www.sandsfilm.co.uk
Sands Films create their own films in house as well as hiring out their studio for filming. They are also a costume hire company and make all the costumes by hand for films and TV productions. Sands Films is also home to the Rotherhithe Picture Research Library.
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Sands Films is a small British film production company, founded by producer Richard Goodwin and director Christine Edzard in the early 1970s, and based in Rotherhithe, London. The company is known for its production of costumes for period dramas. Recent films includes Bright Star (2009), The Young Victoria (2009), Anonymous (2011), Bel Ami (2012) and Les Miserables (not yet released). As an independent film production studio Sands Films has its own soundproof stage, workshops, costume department, set construction workshop, cutting room, cinema and otherl services needed to make films. It is a self-sufficient and fully integrated production facility. Cinema and television companies as varied as Working Title, Talkback, BBC, C4, Freemantle, Ridley Scott Associates, Sky TV, the Royal Opera House, the New York Metropolitan Opera and Canal+ have used the facilities at Sands for their projects. The studio has also been successful in delivering full production packages to companies in need of a London studio base, from A Passage to India" (1984) to Bright Star (2009). Sands films supplied facilities to Working Title's productions of "Anna Karenina" (2012) and the forthcoming Les MisĂŠrables. Notable productions for which the company has produced costumes include all the Agatha Christie films produced by EMI (including Death on the Nile),[1] Vanity Fair (2004), The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Fingersmith (2005), and Pride & Prejudice (2005).[2] The building that Sands Films occupies is a former granary, now a grade II listed building. Since 1976, it has housed a small film stage, film theatre, picture library, workshops and costume stores. Recently, Sands Films has been raising money to finance the acquisition of this property and to modernise its production facilities. The situation has arisen because the property owner were seeking to redevelop the site. The aim of this business plan is to protect the company's place of business and to secure the long term continuation and development of the studio activities. In September 2011 Sands Films has offered to purchase the property this offer has been accepted and the completion took place on Friday 18 May 2012. The company continues nevertheless its fund raising activity.
SAND'S CINEMA CLUB Sands Films runs a small and informal Cinema Club with screenings in our viewing theatre. The club aims for a better knowledge of the History of World Cinema. Many of the titles shown are seldom seen. The shows are usually at 20.30 every Tuesday evening. Membership is free, but you need to join by sending your details (names and e-mail address). For several years, Sands Films Cinema Club has screened film seasons arranged by year of production to place each film in its context. The club’s aim is a better appreciation of film history and to create the opportunity for everyone to discover or revisit films which otherwise would lie dormant, sometimes forgotten.
THE GIRL WITH A HAT BOX (1927) Tuesday 19th June
OKRAINA (1933) Tuesday 25th June
All screenings on Tuesday at 21:0 0 PM Book online at www.sandsfilms.co.uk
THE SCOOTER CAFFÉ 132 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7AE UK + 44 20 7620 1421
The other day, I discovered a gorgeous little cafe which is right up Miss Immy's street. It's the Scooter Caffè in SE1, which is so close to Waterloo station, you can skip there before you can say Chattanooga Choo Choo. Far too quirky and cool to have a website, Scooter Caffè is a real find, frequented by locals and those in the know. It used to be a scooter and moped workshop which had a couple of tables and chairs where you could enjoy a coffee. But the workshop has now relocated to Bermondsey, whilst the coffee aspect has evolved into a fully fledged cafe, whilst retaining lots of its scooter, moped and Vespainfused charm. The staff are really friendly, the decor is fun, the cakes are awesome and there are 3 resident cats. What's not to like! Scooter Caffè is located down the far end of Lower Marsh which is like a mini village with everything you could possibly need including a laundrette; chemist; bookies; hardware shop; Chinese takeaway; bookshop and a baker. There's also Greensmith's, a lovely deli & wine shop, as well as Trussons menswear shop which looks like it's been there since the 1970's. There's also a great little Italian and a Cuban restaurant. And not one, but two excellent vintage shops - Radio Days and What The Butler Wore. For a culture fix, The Old Vic theatre is a stone's throw away.
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As you walk in the front door of Scooter Caffè, you're hit by an aroma of freshly ground coffee, as the bright red Gaggia coffee machine gurgles away knocking out plentiful cappuccinos, espressos and other caffeine concoctions. Nostalgic music plays in the background as you find a comfy pew at one of the mismatched tables and chairs and absorb the quirky surroundings. The walls are adorned with numerous vintage signs, mirrors, pictures and clocks, whilst dishevelled bookshelves creak with random objets d'art, books and other odds & ends. There's a pretty outdoor area where you can sit amongst the trees and terracotta plant pots in the sunshine. Or disappear downstairs for a more dark, cosy atmosphere better suited for evenings and late night clandestine rendezvous. All kinds of people go to Scooter Caffè whether they're creative types discussing work over a beer; friends gossiping over a glass of wine; lovers sharing one cake (two forks), or loners escaping with a good book and a double chocamochalattecino. As well as serving splendid tea and coffee, there's a well stocked bar, but they don't actually serve food - the amazing thing being that you can bring your own, on the basis that you're polite enough to take your rubbish away with you, which is more than fair enough. But if it's cakes you're after, then I defy you not to give in to a slice of magnificent red velvet cheesecake or a homemade custard tart. To add to the nostalgia vibe, they sell proper Coca Cola in glass bottles, as well as good old fashioned Tunnock's teacakes with the gooey marshmallow middle.
SOUVENIRS Gordon's, Haunch of Venison, Royal Opera... A COLLECTION OF TREASURES
GORDON'S WINE BAR Gordons wine bar is thought to be the oldest wine bar in London (which probably makes it one of the oldest in the world!) and has been established in its present form since 1890. The bar is loved by old and young alike due to the totally unique atmosphere in which time seems to have stood still. As you enter the bar you find yourself in a room with old wooden walls covered in historical newspaper cuttings and memorabilia faded with age. Make your way to the cellar and you need to stoop to get to your rickety candlelit table – anonymity is guaranteed! If the sun is out you can also sit outside in Watergate walk and enjoy watching the world go by. The bar is very much a family affair, owned by Wendy Gordon who is the wife of the late much loved Luis Gordon, and now looked after by Luis’ eldest son Simon. The Gordon’s wine bar family includes the bar staff many of whom have been with us for years under the caring management of Gerard who brings French joie de vivre to the atmosphere and ensures our customers are well looked after. The award winning wine list is varied and full of interesting wines at very reasonable prices. Sherries, madeiras and ports are served from
the barrel. Food comes in proper portions ranging from home made pies to wonderfully mature cheeses. For those interested in history, the building in which the bar is situated was home to Samuel Pepys in the 1680s and more recently (1820) by Minier & Fair, a firm of seedsmen who used it as a warehouse. This came to an abrupt end when, in 1864, the river was embanked and the warehouse landlocked, following which it was turned into accommodation and Gordon's wine bar began its life. Rudyard Kipling lived in the building in the 1890s as a tenant and famously wrote “The light that failed” in the parlour above the bar, the building is now named Kipling House. Angus Gordon who set up the bar in 1890 was one of the few remaining “free vintners” who were able to set up and sell wine anywhere without applying for a license as a result of Edward III’s Charter to them in 1364 – granted as a result of his financial embarrassment at being unable to repay a loan made by the Vintners to him some years earlier! The current Gordon family who own the bar are not actually related to Angus Gordon but it was a happy coincidence that Luis Gordon discovered the bar and took it over in 1975 so was able to maintain the Gordon name.
47 Villiers Str, London WC2N 6NE, London +020 7930 1408 w w w.g ordon s win eba r. com
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HAUNCH OF VENISON Haunch of Venison was founded in 2002, and named after the London courtyard (Haunch of Venison Yard) in which the original gallery space was based. In 2007, Haunch of Venison became a subsidiary of Christie’s International plc. but continues to operate as an independent company run by Senior International Director Emilio Steinberger. Haunch of Venison has locations in London, Berlin and New York. The London branch relocated in 2009 to Burlington Gardens, where it occupies the former Museum of Mankind building. This venue provides over 21,500 square feet of gallery space. The Haunch of Venison London exhibition programme focuses on both newly commissioned and historically important work from gallery artists, alongside shows from younger, emerging artists largely unseen in London. Located off Bond Street in London's West End, the Haunch of Venison represents hugely successful artists and has branches in New York, Berlin and Zurich as well as in London. It's location makes it a popular choice among gallery goers, and it's a gallery that should be high on your list if you're spending a day wandering the West End art exhibitions.
103, New Bond Street, London, W1S 1ST +44 20 7495 5050 www.haunchofvenison.com
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ROYAL OPERA HOUSE The Royal Opera, under the direction of Antonio Pappano, is one of the world’s leading opera companies. Based in the iconic Covent Garden theatre, it is renowned for its outstanding performances of both traditional opera as well as commissioning new works by today’s leading opera composers such as Harrison Birtwistle, Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Ades. Some of the most famous singers of all time have performed with the Company including Plácido Domingo, Angela Gheorghiu, Anna Netrebko, Renée Fleming, Bryn Terfel, Jonas Kaufman, Rolando Villazón, Juan Diego Flórez, as well as the late Luciano Pavarotti and Joan Sutherland. The Jette Parker Young Artists Programme, founded in 2001, offers exceptionally talented professional singers a tailored programme of coaching and performance opportunities and many of its graduates are now seen regularly on the international stage. Based at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, The Royal Ballet, led by Director Kevin O’Hare, is Britain’s largest ballet company. The Company has a wide-ranging repertory showcasing the great classical ballets, heritage works from Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, as well as new works by the foremost choreographers of today.
Bow St London, WC2E 9DD UK +44 20 7304 4000 www.roh.org.uk
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VINTAGE TUBE TRAIN There are some chances to take trips on a vintage tube train and a steam train next month, and tickets go on sale today for trips on a steam train. First up is the 1938 era art-deco tube train, which will be plying the tracks around Harrow and Amersham as part of the annual Rickmansworth Festival on Saturday 19th June. Long term readers will know I am rather keen on these vintage trips, even if only to watch the looks of astonishment from people on the platforms as the “wrong train” pulls in to the station – and then departs without collecting anyone. Priced between £5 and £20. Tickets will be released shortly. Steam returns to the Met. The following weekend, the Transport Museum bring steam trains back to the network. Not back to Baker Street as earlier this year, the steam trains will be running along the Metropolitan railway between Amersham and Harrowon-the Hill. Customers can travel in either the recently restored ex Metropolitan Jubilee Coach, dating back to the 1890s or ex British Rail 1950s coaches. Each train formation will consist of a Steam Locomotive, Sarah Siddons Electric Locomotive, ex British Rail 1950s coaches, ex Metropolitan Jubilee coach and a Class 20 Diesel.
Book Online or telephone 020 7565 7298 w w w.m e t .c om / v inta getu betra itrip
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POLLOCK'S MUSEUM Pollocks Toy Museum takes its name from Benjamin Pollock, the last of the Victorian Toy Theatre printers. Set up by Marguerite Fawdry who bought up the stock of Benjamin Pollock Ltd., after trying to buy one small item for her son’s toy theatre. Originally at Monmouth Street, near Covent Garden, the present museum has been at Scala Street since 1969. Nearly every kind of toy imaginable turns up here from all over the world and from all different time perods. It’s a fascinating exhibition of toy theatres, teddy bears, wax and china dolls, board games, optical toys, folk toys, nursery furniture, mechanical toys and doll’s houses. Pollock’s Toy Museum occupies two houses joined together in the heart of Fitzrovia, one 18th century, one 19th; the rooms are small and connected by narrow winding staircases. The whole place exudes atmosphere and evocations of those special times of childhood. Every corner is filled with visual delights and no matter which direction you look new surprises are there to behold.
"If you love art, folly or the bright eyes of children, speed to Pollock's". -Robert Luis Stevenson, Memories and portraits.
1, Scala St, Greater London W1T 2HL, UK +44 20 7636 3452 w w w.p o l locks toy mu s eu m . com
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COMMERCIAL TAVERN Its authentically traditional pub
exterior jutting out into Commercial Street like a ship’s prow, the Commercial Tavern is a wantonly wacky revamp outpost of the Hoxton boho bar beat. Polaroids of 24-hour party people, a whole wall of Interview magazine covers and a cluster of retro lampshades all point towards the venue’s underground bent, although the pretty young bar staff will still provide your change on a silver platter. It’ll be too dark to see the beer taps on the brightly tiled bar counter, but ale drinkers should enjoy a pint of Meantime Helles or London Pale Ale, or Young’s Special. If chat and early Bowie over the speakers start to lose their appeal, there’s a pool table filling most of a small side room; upstairs has its own bar.
142-144 Commercial St, London E1 6NU +44 20 7377 8455
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POSTCARDS from Brighton, Isle of Wight and Greenwich. WEEKEND GETAWAY
BRIGHTON Brighton is the major
part of the city and unitary authority of Brighton and Hove (formed from the previous towns of Brighton, Hove, Portslade and several other villages) on the south coast of Great Britain. Not long ago, the English port town of Brighton was considered louche and seedy, a has-been resort with crumbling piers and weathered hotels for so-called dirty weekends. But with cosmopolitan London just an hour away, it was a matter of time before this funky town regained its color. In recent years, chic Londoners have rediscovered Brighton’s lanes and Regency-style buildings, turning it into what’s now called “the gay capital of England." When the weekend rolls around, London’s media and design elites arrive in a caravan of Jaguars, check into boutique hotels and disappear into dance-till-dawn clubs. The scene is reminiscent of Miami Beach, except it is the chilly English Channel at the end of the boardwalk. Step up and step out in a city of show stopping dance, drama, music, comedy, cabaret, arts, culture and festival events. Every night is show night in Brighton, as the city's music venues, concert halls, cabaret bars, theatres and comedy clubs burst into action with some of the best entertainment in the business.
Brighton tourist information centre + 012 7329 0337 www.visitbrighton.com
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ISLE OF WIGHT The Isle of Wight, known to the ancient Romans as Vectis, is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 3 to 5 mi (5 to 8 km) off the coast of Hampshire, separated from Great Britain (referred to by its inhabitants as "the mainland") by a strait called the Solent. It has the distinction of being England's smallest county - but for only half of the time. From historic sites to natural delights, major national events, the Isle of Wight is a unique holiday destination and has something for everyone. The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest and most famous of these early festivals and the unexpectedly high attendance levels led, in 1971, to Parliament passing the "Isle of Wight Act" preventing gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island without a special licence. The event was revived in 2002 at Seaclose Park, a recreation ground on the outskirts of Newport. It has been held annually since that year, progressively expanding.
Isle of Wight tourist information centre +44 19 8371 7214 www.visitisleofwight.com
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GREENWICH If you're looking for the home of time, the Meridian line and a wealth of maritime history, come to Greenwich and visit the famous World Heritage Site. Most of these fascinating Greenwich attractions are free to visit. Why not stay overnight so you can enjoy the great range of shops and restaurants as well as our maritime heritage? National Maritime Museum Queen's House Old Royal Naval College Royal Observatory Greenwich Cutty Sark St Alfege Church Rangers House, the Wernher Collection The Fan Museum Greenwich Park Greenwich Rourist Information Centre can help you plan your trip, book accommodation, sell travel tickets and provide information about Greenwich, London and the rest of the UK. Their friendly staff have excellent local knowledge and can help you make the most of your time there. So come and see them!
Greenwich tourist information centre:: + 075 7577 2298 www.visitgreenwich.co.uk
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