Wharf Life, May 29, 2024

inside issue 114

Cardinal Bar And Kitchen - Flying Tiger

Kidbrooke Square - Ben Hart

Why creative thought must be a skill that we strive to nurture Page 14 Third Space CEO Colin Waggett talks openings, trends and growth as he explains the thinking behind the brand’s new east London club

Little Nan’s 2.0 - Crossword

Rotunda Cafe - Life Chronicles

The Tate Institute - Sudoku

East River Wharf - Hacks

The Duke Of Greenwich how Third Space’s Wood Wharf launch sees the Canary Wharf club o er more facilities than ever before Page 8

celebrating the best of Canary Wharf, Docklands and the new east London people - events - treasure - property - foolishness

Call our team on 020 7205 4021 or email cmiller@kiddrapinet.co.uk, ypatel@kiddrapinet.co.uk or mzvarykina@kiddrapinet.co.uk Call our team on 020 7205 4021 or email cmiller@kiddrapinet.co.uk, ypatel@kiddrapinet.co.uk or mzvarykina@kiddrapinet.co.uk

Image by Jon Massey

Where? Waitrose Food And Home Canada Place

Welcome to issue 114 of Wharf Life. This paper is all about taking things to the next level, whether it’s Third Space’s boost in capacity with the opening of its Wood Wharf site, a new home for Little Nan’s that’s four times as big or magic expert Ben Hart’s latest astonishments at Wilton’s Music Hall...

Where?

Across The Estate Canary Wharf

EVENT | Pride On The Wharf

June sees Canary Wharf celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community with a series of events. Expect art, movies, theatre and kids workshops from June 1 onwards. June, various times and dates, free, canarywharf.com

Where?

Jubilee Park Canary Wharf

Enjoy a masterclass in pairing puddings with drinks in the John Lewis cafe above Waitrose. Tickets include a quartet of sweet treats and drinks to enjoy. Jun 13, 6.30pm, £12.50, johnlewis.com GIG | Lunchtime Classicals

Enjoy the rst pair of Wednesday lunchtime concerts in Jubilee Park with musicians from the Docklands Sinfonia set to perform chilled pieces. Jun 12, 26, 12.30pm-2pm, free, canarywharf.com

Killer kitsch: How Tristan Scutt has taken maximalism to a new frontier with Little Nan’s 2.0 in Deptford, expanding to ll fresh space in Resolution Way with extreme levels of nostalgia

Daniel Jennings is the perfect person to sell shared ownership homes

evolution

Canary Wharf - West India Quay

on the radar

need to know

Fans of sparkly crystals rejoice. Swarovski is set to return to Canary Wharf. Having previously occupied the unit in Cabot Place that now has Watch House cafe in it, the brand is set to open a new store this summer in Jubilee Place close to Starbucks swarovski.com

Why The Duke Of Greenwich is ideal for a burger in the sunshine 34

In our last issue, we didn’t know the opening date of Gail’s, which is set to launch a takeaway branch in Waitrose at Canada Place. Well, following extensive investigative journalism (reading the press release), we now do – it’s on June 6 gailsbread.co.uk

Tip: Get the loyalty app for a free drink

set sail for

+ GRILLING on the Water with Skuna Boats

Magician Ben Hart talks teaching stars, creating illusions and unlocking wonderment in his audiences as he gears up for two dates at Wilton’s Music Hall in Wapping 28

doing the deals

get more for less on and around the Wharf

£5

Enjoy £5 pints and two cocktails for £12 at Patty And Bun in Wood Wharf every day from 4pm-7pm, truly a happy three hours of refreshing indulgence pattyandbun.co.uk

50%

Trying out newly opened Rotunda Cafe on the Isle Of Dogs 30

Get a footlong sandwich at Subway in Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place for half price weekly until June 30 when you download the brand’s app and order on it subway.com

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Indulge Aboard The UK’s Most Unique Water Experience

Skuna Boats’ innovative BBQ Boat experiences will transform your time on the water into a truly memorable, bucket list adventure filled with relaxation, laughter and culinary delights

Skuna BBQ Boats can be booked for 2, or up to guests100 ●

BBQ Boat Hire - from £90 Food Packages - from £20pp

Sizzle + Sail

Grill your way to gourmet perfection on serene waters aboard our BBQ Boat

Equipped with state-of-the-art grilling stations, enjoy a freshly cooked meal amid unique views - creating memories that linger long after the sun sets

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write me words you don’t know you need mindatory

noun, fake, from Latin

Using a word like mandatory when your meaning is only within the slightest overlap with its actual de nition. You know, like when you announce a policy of National Service but can’t say how people will be compelled to participate

hoke

verb, real, from North American

To act in an insincere, sentimental or melodramatic fashion for the e ect of making something seem other than it is. See introducing a policy of National Service you just thought of, having previously denied an intention to do so

Boisdale Of Canary Wharf boisdale.co.uk

Enjoy the hits of Shalamar from the silky smooth throat of the man who’s fronted the band since its beginnings in the 1970s. With sounds such as the million-selling The Second Time Around and UK hits such as A Night To Remember and I Can Make You Feel Good, their forthcoming gig on June 26 at 9.30pm promises to be a stylish and soulful a air. Tickets from £19

your

E&E

Canada Place eandejewellery.com

Lovers of accessible, a ordable jewellery can now get their silver and gold x from a new retailer in Canary Wharf’s Canada Place mall.

Expect plenty of cubic zirconia, pearls and precious metals in a bright, welcoming space that feels part high-end spa and part Aladdin’s cave.

Expect tons of products for considerably less than £100 and also a range of sunglasses –because what summer ensemble is complete without some snazzy protective eyewear?

Founded in 2009, the brand opened its rst London store in 2010 and has now expanded to several sites across the capital. With a strong online operation, the Canary Wharf store is its rst foray into east London. It’s open from 10am Mon-Sat and from noon on Sundays.

in 2005, the

Boisdale Of Canary Wharf boisdale.co.uk

As the years tick by, the band’s name gets creepier and creepier, but the hits remain undimmed in their potency, even if age has withered their creators a little. Catch the out t behind the likes of This Ain’t A Love Song, She’s So Lovely and Elvis Ain’t Dead as they once again take to the Boisdale stage.

have sold some four million records, with more than a billion global streams to their name.

Audiences can expect a slew of hits and the usual intimacy of a show at the Cabot Place venue. Scouting For Girls are set to take the stage at Boisdale on June 19 at 9.30pm. Prices start at £49 for the show on its own with various dinner packages (including VIP options available).

GIG Scounting For Girls

Formed

trio of Roy Stride, Greg Churchouse amd James Rowlands

GIG

Howard Hewett

Why not mark the arrival of summer with some unapologetically upbeat crockery? Yours for £4

TIGER TREASURE

Bowl, £4

Flying Tiger Copenhagen flyingtiger.com

That’s right, it’s back. Now Tiger has reduced its plastic tat quotient, from a sustainability point of view we’re more comfortable venturing back inside. There’s now a multitude of wood, paper and ceramic products on display to tempt the impulse buyer who cares for the planet. Our top summery pick are these bowls – great for bright and zingy seasonal desserts that won’t break the bank in £4 dishes.

LAST CHANCE

Player Kings Noel Coward Theatre, via Tottenham Court Road Station (12mins) playerkingstheplay.co.uk

Follow Sir Ian McKellen from his home in Limehouse’s Narrow Street along the Liz Line to the West End for this romp through Shakespeare’s King Henry IV parts one and two. Adapted and directed by Robert Icke, this production transposes the tale of Falstaff (McKellen) and Hal (Toheeb Jimoh) to a contemporary British gangster land with plenty of debauched thievery and, naturally, sherry. In place until June 22, when it goes on tour, this is a tour-de-force from its leading man. Tickets start at £52.50

EVENT

Pride And Prejudice Museum Of London Docklands museumoflondon.org.uk

Head over to West India Quay on June 22 and 23 at 10.30am for a celebration of queer history. Recalling Pride And Prejudice, the Museum Of London’s pioneering display 25 years ago, visitors will be able to hear talks and stories about love and connection, prejudice and hardship in the docks, London and beyond. Expect panels, object handling, craft activities and music at these free sessions.

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how a trip west to The Cardinal offers twists and turns for Wharfers exploring via Liz Line

by David Massey

The Cardinal Bar And Kitchen is the newly renovated restaurant at Hotel Saint, conveniently neighbouring Aldgate East station and offering a diverse selection of all-day dining options.

I visited for dinner and after being welcomed into the smart mid-century-style dining area (inclement weather rendering the outdoor terrace area out of action) was presented with a selection from the approachable menu billed as “European classics”.

Open in this incarnation since the start of May, The Cardinal should do well enough as a hotel restaurant serving guests, but there’s an aspiration here to reach a wider clientele.

The menu takes classics and contemporary trends (there are bao buns) and aims to put them through its own lens. Named for the four

cardinal virtues – justice, fortitude, temperance and prudence – I’m still not certain which was most prominent.

A mezze sharing board (£11) –revealed its star to be the spicy red pepper muhummarra alongside hummus and baba ghanoush. This was followed by pillowy ricotta gnudi (£16) in a wild mushroom and creamy butter sauce which stayed on the right side of too-rich.

Thus fortified, a pause between courses offered the opportunity to take in the dining room, admiring the cosy booths and banquettes upholstered in green to echo the copious leafy planting. I may be biased, of course, as this fabric reminded me of my own sofa.

Florian, the amiable maitre d’, guided me towards a glass of a fresh Vermentino from his home region to ease into the mains – a prudent choice.

Classics came, each with a slight twist. The chicken (£18), served with spinach, was moist with a crispy skin

and tempered by subtle notes of truffle dashi in the sauce.

Similarly well judged was the salmon (£20), on a creamy bed of artichoke puree with a subtly spiced salsa to accompany.

The grain risotto (£16) I found slightly less successful. Topped with smoked tofu, the whole texture tended a little too close to rubbery, although the croutons of crispy aubergine offered a welcome textural counterpoint.

I cannot fault the sides. Grilled asparagus and, especially, the HP sauce-glazed carrots garnished with almond nibs were all more than the sum of their parts – a truly memorable plate of veg and one where the twist worked.

A Basque cheesecake is seldom unpleasant to bask in. The Cardinal’s came infused with Earl Grey tea for £9 and was delicious.

Where other purveyors might proudly display a caramelized or even blackened top crust, this one had been subjected to a snowfall of

icing sugar, which was not entirely necessary.

Could The Cardinal be bolder? The menu more focused? Perhaps, but if good cooking of well loved dishes with subtly individual twists sounds good, you can be confident this restaurant will do them justice.

need to know

While Cardinal is located next to Aldgate East station, it’s also walking distance from both Whitechapel and Liverpool Street, making it easily accessible for Wharfers using the Liz Line. It’s typically open from 7am until midnight on a daily basis, serving hotel guests, those with reservations and walk-ins. Go to thecardinallondon.com for more information

Scan this code for more about The Cardinal or to make a booking

Cost of a mezze sharing board at The Cardinal Bar And Kitchen

Chicken with spinach boasts a hint of truffle dashi in its sauce

Images by Victor Huang

The Cardinal’s mezze sharing board

Grain risotto

Basque cheesecake

why

Third Space’s

Wood Wharf opening means members benefit from even more facilities

by Jon Massey

Third Space Canary Wharf is already at the top of the fitness tree when it comes to facilities. On its own, the Canada Square club offers a vast array of workout spaces, studios, machines and equipment. There’s a pool, a climbing wall, a crossfit-inspired strength and conditioning space and a combat area with a boxing ring. Nothing else on the estate comes close. And the facilities are only half the story. The studios and gym floor are home to hundreds of classes each week, all included in the monthly fee, meaning members can indulge in everything from spinning to sound baths, HIIT sessions or weightlifting.

But with the opening of the brand’s Wood Wharf club, that offering and capacity has received a massive boost – essentially beating an already unbeatable proposition because access is included with membership of the Canary Wharf club as standard.

Expansive new studios mean Hot Yoga and Reformer Pilates classes are now available at Third Space for the first time on the estate. There’s also a fully equipped training space and a swimming pool at the 15 Water Street location, which is spread over two floors above Tribe hotel and Dishoom.

“When I joined, we had four clubs and three brands – it was abundantly clear that the right one to grow was Third Space, which brought together serious business and lifestyle propositions,” said Colin Waggett, Third Space CEO. “It had a brilliant name too, so the initial challenge was to bring those four locations, which included the former Reebok Sports Club in Canary Wharf, under the Third Space name.

“Having achieved that by 2017, we started to look at new sites including one near Fenchurch Street and then Islington. We were gradually building and we started looking at Wood Wharf in 2018.

“It’s been a long time coming, but that’s reflected in the quality of what we’ve created here. continued on Page 10

Length of the pool at Third Space’s new Wood Wharf location

Third Space CEO Colin Waggett says one of the joys of his job is that he has to constantly use the clubs to keep a check on things

Scan this code to find out more about Third Space

from Page 8

“We decided that for Canary Wharf and Wood Wharf we would only have one membership so people don’t have to make a choice between the two sites.

“If you buy into one club, you get access to both. By doing that, it’s made it easier to get the proposition right at Wood Wharf.

“It provides something different to the main Canary Wharf site –more of a country club feel with the pool and spa. We’ve also got a massive, multifunctional training space. Then, over the last five years Reformer Pilates and Hot Yoga have become ever more popular and that’s why we’ve built those studios.

“The former, especially, is having a big moment and, had we not built the Wood Wharf club, we’d have put facilities into our Canada Square site.

“We have to watch the big trends and change our space allocation in both clubs over time to reflect them. Right now that means less cardio activity and fewer cross trainers but more racks for weightlifting and greater space for our mind and body offering with Yoga, Pilates and sound baths.”

Colin knows a thing or two about keeping abreast of developments in the industry. Having joined Fitness First in 2004 as chief financial officer, he was running the company a year later and presided over its growth from 250 locations in 10 countries to 500 in 25, expanding into the Middle East, south-east Asia and Australia.

Striking out on his own, he founded studio fitness concept Psycle in 2012, which included a branch in Canary Wharf’s Crossrail Place albeit before any trains were running. While on that journey, he met the owners of Reebok Sports Club, who were acquiring Third Space and ended up joining the company as CEO in 2015. While the pandemic meant pausing plans for expansion, the brand is now very much back on track with sites in Battersea, Wimbledon and Clapham

“Next year we’ll open three or maybe four clubs – which could make seven in two years – and that’s a lot,” said Colin.

“These are all sites we signed four years ago so we’ve known they were coming and we’ve been preparing for them. Our business is property and people. The property side happens very slowly, the design, construction and the rest of it.

“The people side can happen quite quickly – we usually need a team of 50 or 60 people to open a club. About half to two thirds of them are already working in one

Studios at Third Space Wood Wharf offer packed programmes of Hot Yoga and Reformer Pilates workouts

The pool area at Third Space

Wood Wharf features a sauna and a hydrotherapy pool

Preserving the quality we have at our existing clubs is a complete obsession with new openings. Our mantra is we get better as we get bigger

Colin

Waggett, Third Space

of our clubs. It’s all about getting the skills and culture right, which is what we spend time preparing for. It’s always a challenge but that is what we’re here for.

“Preserving the quality we have at our existing clubs is a complete obsession with new openings. Our mantra is we get better as we get bigger – so we work really hard to ensure that’s the case.

“The golden rule when opening a new club is always to promote internally. Our heads of department will be two-thirds internal as well.

“The things we’ve been investing in, knowing these openings have been in the pipeline, are recruitment, training and education. We have a significant team of master trainers who are out there recruiting instructors and training them up to the standard we want them to be at.

“We’re in the fortunate position of being able to recruit the best. Our Canary Wharf and Islington clubs both have what we call Academy Teams, which are gateway jobs for people looking to become personal trainers.

“Our smaller clubs also help because that network provides career pathways which help us fulfil that mantra of being better.”

With the Wood Wharf launch well underway, the refurbishment of the Canary Wharf club is itself an ongoing mission.

The space formerly used for The Pearson Room is set to be repurposed as a mind and body space to cater for the upswing in demand for Yoga and sound baths, while the existing studio will likely be filled with more Reformer Pilates machines to accommodate larger classes.

It’s all part of a carefully curated mix that’s designed to give frequent users the best deal possible.

Scan this code to find out more about Third Space

“We’re great value if you come regularly and terrible value if you don’t,” said Colin. “We don’t have membership contracts. If people want to leave, for whatever reason – life’s got in the way, they’re too busy – then they should leave feeling good about us. Our aim is to never let people down, but to recognise that some will cease training. One in five of our new continued on Page 12

from Page 11

members is actually someone returning to us. For all the things available to you, our price per day or per visit is extremely good value.

“It’s about an investment in something, a good use of time. We’re aimed at people who are prioritising their fitness and want good experiences – members who are trying to get the most out of life in busy London. We meet their demands as these change and evolve.

“With a master trainer in charge of each area of fitness, they’re always looking at our programme to see what’s performing, how it can be improved or refreshed – a bit like changing a menu at a restaurant. You want to keep your favourites, but you want new attractions too.

“One of the things we’re doing more of across our clubs is focusing on that whole spa experience with saunas, plunge pools and hydrotherapy.

“At one time it was thought they just felt nice but increasingly there’s a real purpose to spending that time, whether for the physical or mental benefits you get from them.

“Sound baths, for instance, are curiously absorbing and a really nice treat. If you’re training at a high intensity, adding in softer programming to a club gives our members greater value.

“The ambition is that one day every one of our clubs will close with a session. People can then train in the morning and come back at the end of the day for what’s essentially 45 minutes of meditation – that would be wonderful. Wood Wharf itself has quite a different vibe to our other clubs – it’s beautiful to look down on the water and the streets below from the third floor.

“Some people will prefer to train there or just come for specific classes while mainly using Canary Wharf. It could just be where the mood takes them on the day.

“The club generates more capacity for us and, now that it’s open, we’ll be doing more to sell the two offerings together.”

need to know

Club membership at Third Space Canary Wharf, including access to Wood Wharf currently costs £217 per month. Group access for the brand’s clubs (excluding Mayfair and Islington) costs £245. Go to thirdspace.london for more

Scan this code to find out more about Third Space

Temperature of the Hot Yoga studio where members can try Yin, Hatha or Vinyasa classes in a space flooded with natural light

Above, Third Space Wood Wharf features a large Reformer Pilates studio with machines allowing for a range of approaches to the various disciplines including Tower Pilates and Dynamic Reformer classes

Left, floor-to-ceiling windows and low level lighting make the new club’s Hot Yoga studio a warm and inviting environment for those seeking flexibility and strength. Curtains can easily be drawn for moments of relaxation towards the end of a class

Above left, Wood Wharf has an extensive training space equipped with cardio machines, plenty of weights and other equipment designed to satisfy members’ needs

virtual viewpoint

by Chris Ezekiel

Apple recently took the unusual step of apologising for an advertising video, promoting the company’s new iPad Pro, after it was roundly criticised on social media. The ad showed musical instruments, cameras, books and artworks being pulverised by a giant hydraulic press. The message, supposedly, was that its new super powerful, incredibly thin digital slate, is the only creative tool anyone could ever need. However, one headline referred to it as “culture crushing”. My reaction was similar. It is strange that none of the senior execs who saw it before it went out – including boss Tim Cook – saw a problem. Or maybe it was all a deliberate marketing ploy. As Oscar Wilde said: “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about” - and there’s certainly a lot of people discussing the ad. But in the world of AI, it poses a bigger question. Technology should be designed to enhance the human spirit and experience, not reduce it. No doubt tablets, as well as other computing devices and technology, have a creative role to play.

These devices can make the creative process more e cient. But at heart creativity is not about e ciency. The whole point is that it involves many forms, has human expression at its core and elicits emotional connections.

There’s much talk about AI taking over the world and making humans completely redundant. I believe the bigger threat to humankind is that we give up on creativity because our perception is that AI can do a better job more e ciently and cheaply – “creative muscle atrophy”, as my doctor friend Kishan describes it.

Creativity is the essence of humanity, and we risk losing our ability to solve problems creatively if we let technology do too much of the thinking for us. Having two toddlers makes me think about this a lot. Another friend, Kishan’s partner Josie is a professional nanny and is inspirational with her work. She’s constantly reinforcing creativity from the earliest ages (the photos featured are a piece by Josie and my son Matthew made in Mudchute park).

Such activities are essential in the development of young minds which will grow up and help shape the world to come. It’s essential that we don’t let creativity atrophy or fail to emerge as children are growing by setting them challenges and rewarding their creations as we go. Personally, I nd that telling improvised stories at bedtime is not only a great way to switch o , but also keeps the creative muscles well exercised.

Scan this code for more information about Creative Virtual or follow @creativevirtual and @chrisezekiel on X

for the case creativity

Devices can make the creative process more e cient. But at heart, creativity is not about e ciency

Chris Ezekiel is founder and CEO of customer engagement solutions specialist Creative Virtual based at Canary Wharf’s Cabot Square

Chris Ezekiel, Creative Virtual

Above, Chris’ son Matthew works to nish a creative task on the Isle Of Dogs

Left, the end result of his labours

how Ben Hart is aiming to give the gift of magic and astonishment to audiences at Wilton’s

by Jon Massey

As he’s a magician, it is – of course – impossible to completely trust anything Ben Hart says. It’s a grey day in London when I call him on a cruise ship in Mykonos where he’s performing. He assures me the weather is equally crap off the Greek island. Maybe it is, maybe he just wants to make me feel better.

Making people feel things is Ben’s trade. At 16 he was awarded The Magic Circle’s Young Magician Of The Year in 2007, having started practising tricks as a kid. One of 300 members of the organisation’s Inner Magic Circle, his career since leaving school has seen him perform all over the world, become a finalist on Britain’s Got Talent and America’s Got Talent: The Champions as well as teach the likes of Tom Cruise close-up illusions for the latest Mission Impossible

He’s set to appear at Wilton’s Music Hall in his latest show, Jadoo, with performances on July 15 and 16.

While we chat about his return to London, he casually mentions he’s just been helping Russell Crowe and Rami Malek accrue skills for their forthcoming movie Nuremberg, for a scene where US military psychiatrist Lt Colonel Dougals Kelley shows ermann G ring a coin trick.

“I really enjoy teaching other people,” said Ben. “Part of my work is consulting, and it wouldn’t be possible for me to be a performer if I wasn’t still teaching because the process really teaches me.

“These people are titans – I’ll be showing them a simple piece of magic and suddenly I’ll see something I didn’t expect – weaknesses or strengths that I can incorporate into my own work.

“With movies, I’ve been really interested in when people blink. Actors rarely do it because their faces can take up so much space on a screen that movement can be a big statement that might not be necessary.

“In my own work I’ve realised that I blink all the time – even when I’m doing something sneaky, which is a bit of a tell. That’s the kind of lesson you learn. Then, when I’m designing work for other magicians, their creativity informs what I’m doing in a symbiotic way.

“Any artist has to collaborate at some level. By tradition, magic is very solitary and that’s detrimental to it as a form. By collaborating, I’ve broken down some of the self-inflicted barriers I’ve made for myself.”

Nevertheless, Ben paints himself as a an outsider. On the cruise ship he tells me he goes for breakfast with his cap pulled down: “The audience is a bit too captive. There’s nothing worse than being famous and having an audience that can’t leave. They just want to chat but, like any performer I rely on my scripts and I don’t like environments where I can’t do that”. It’s part jest, but also part truth. He

paints a picture of a man “trapped” by his own talent and early success – at once fascinated by the research and plagued by the ideas for tricks that will take years to realise or perhaps will never be performed. Should we take him at face value, or is his apparent honesty all part of the patter?

“Making new work can be quite a painful process,” he said. “What happens is, you think of an impossible idea – anyone can do that – and then you do research to see how you can edge yourself closer to that becoming a trick.

“That process for me now takes longer and longer – it can be years. There’s usually no light bulb moment. A magic trick is a synthesis of compromises –magic is not possible, so you have to make accommodations and work out how the audience can see them as I want.

“It’s also a process that’s di cult to talk about, because the magician’s canvas is the bit nobody sees – that they shouldn’t even be aware of.

“My job is to host an evening of entertainment – all of my choices are about making sure the audience’s experience is amazing. I’m not interested in how hard it is to fool them, it’s more about getting them to a place where they can go on the journey. I’m like a tour guide who can take them somewhere where they might be able to experience something amazing.

“As a magician I want to reveal to the audience a feeling of astonishment which is already inside them.

“Everyone knows we’re capable of feeling wonderment, but it’s infrequent that we get to do it. I create this environment.”

That’s exactly what audiences at Wilton’s can expect when Ben takes the stage, albeit with limited props.

“It’s really one of my favourite venues in the whole world,” said Ben. “I’ve been lucky enough to perform all over the place, but having a venue that’s old and full of atmosphere is incredible – I really love it. It’s also a very good venue for magic in terms of audience sight lines. Because it’s so stripped back, there can’t be any feeling that there are people hiding anywhere.

“My show is rooted in storytelling and I hope the magic I do has a bit more power behind it than people might have experienced before. I have stripped back all the cheesy aul aniels stuff.

“There are no sequins - I don’t insult the audience’s intelligence by getting them to think that a box is empty or anything like that.

“Coming at it from a contemporary stance, I’ve managed to create the kind of magic show you might have seen 100 years ago, but you would seldom see now. Almost everything I do depends on

I think magic is an incredibly direct creative form. I can get a gasp of amazement from an audience within 60 seconds of the show starting and that’s incredibly e cient theatre

Ben Hart, magician

objects borrowed from the audience, so they know they’re legitimate – not fakes.

“I think magic is an incredibly direct and creative form. I can get a gasp of amazement from an audience within 60 seconds of the show starting and that’s amazingly e cient theatre.

“The audience goes on a sort of magical rollercoaster during the show – it’s like a theme park level of emotion. An object you thought was there, isn’t, or that something isn’t what you thought it was. Magic is a kind of mind-hacking, really playing with people’s perceptions and how they remember things – it’s fascinating stuff. It reminds us that you can’t trust everything in the world. Magicians can hold a lot of emotional power, which can be neglected. We need to remember we’re all living in an illusion and this is a magical thing.”

As for the future, Ben says he has at least 10 tricks that he’s continuing to slave over, although that number just represents the ones where there’s a chance of completion.

“There are loads of things I’d love to do in front of an audience,” he said. “Most are miles away from being finished. I’ve also got a list of stuff I’ve been working on since I was a kid, which I don’t think will ever be performed.

“I’d especially love to do a version of an old Indian street magic trick called the Mango Tree Illusion. A seed is planted and – over the course of a 30-minute show – it grows into a tree, complete with fruit.

“The magician then cuts the mangoes off so people can see they’re real. The traditional secret is to swap out the trees when the audience isn’t looking. There have been many takes on it and I’ve been working on mine for years but whether I’ll ever solve it, I don’t know.”

key details

Ben Hart: Live is set to be performed on July 15 and 16 at Wilton’s Music Hall in Wapping. Both shows start at 7.30pm and last 90 minutes plus an interval. Tickets start at £12.50. Go to wiltons.org.uk for more information

Scan this code to nd out more about Ben Hart’s show

Ben Hart is set to perform two shows in Wapping, with tickets starting at £12.50

Ben says he’s not especially driven by audiences applauding him but gets satisfaction from helping them discover wonderment in themselves

Wapping - Limehouse - Whitechapel - Tower Hill

what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

GIG | Baba Ali

Where? The George Tavern Whitechapel

Baba Doherty and Nik Balchin prepare for a headline show at the iconic venue with a blistering set of their latest releases expected. Check out Heart Racer. Jun 20, 7pm, £7.50, thegerogetavern.london

Where? Half Moon Theatre Limehouse

KIDS | Marvellous Myth Hunter

Those aged ve-11 are invited to join the Myth Hunter on a journey across the world as the most astounding stories are unpacked for them. Jun 20-22, times vary, £7, halfmoon.org.uk

Where? Troxy Limehouse

the

Jun 23, 7pm, from £41.52,

Enjoy free exhibition Launching A Landmark: The Unseen Opening Weeks at Tower Bridge as the crossing celebrates 130 years in existence with a showing of photographs that have never been seen in public before. Until June 22 towerbridge.org.uk

Scan this code to nd out more about the exhibition and the Tower Bridge Experience itself

GIG | Hussam Alrassam

The Iraqi singer, best known for his modern arabic music inspired by events in his home country, brings his voice to

historic Limehouse venue.

troxy.co.uk

Images by Matt Crockett

£3.30

Cost of an Americano at Rotunda Cafe in Island Gardens – there’s no extra charge for plant-based milks or decaf

tried + tested

Rotunda Cafe, Island Gardens

what’s this?

Why, this is Rotunda Cafe, newly opened on the Isle Of Dogs – a launch that’s been hotly anticipated locally given the long period of its gestation. The metal shutters have now been drawn wide and opening hours are currently 7am-6pm on weekdays and 8am-6pm at weekends.

where is it?

Island Gardens, close to the listed rotunda providing access to the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (hence the name, presumably). It sits a little back from the river but enjoys commanding views of the Old Royal Naval College, National Maritime Museum, Cutty Sark and even the Royal Observatory through large windows, some of which are sexily curved. If the view was good enough for Canaletto, it’s good enough for you.

what’s inside

Jumbo terrazzo is having a bit of a moment interior-design wise and here it’s complemented by dark green and pastel tables, comfy chairs, stools, plenty of exposed wood and lighting that’s just a little bit Squid Game. Pot plants and shiny white tiles make it all feel clean, but welcoming.

what can I buy?

Breakfast centres around avo on toast (from £7.25) with various add-ons. Filled savoury croissants (£5.50), cereal bowls (from £5.60) and, of course, breakfast buns (from £8.50) with bacon, egg, salmon and more. Lunch staples and toasties (from £8.60) have an Italian theme with lasagne (£12.50) and burrata caprese (£9.50) on the menu.

and to drink?

Co ees, teas, soft drinks plus food and drink especially for kids with eats starting at £4.

what’s it like?

The view and steady stream of people through the park will doubtless make this a success. Few places in London enjoy vistas of this quality and the design of the cafe does much to maximise its main attraction.

c’mon, what about the food?

Rotunda is very new – so teething troubles are forgiveable. Avocado On Toast comes with bacon, egg and streaky bacon on sourdough and is presented beautifully – garnished with a sprinkling of chives. At £15.20 (the meat and dairy are extras) it really ought to be. It also ought to be hot, but the cooked elements are barely warm. Sent back, the sta immediately replace it with one at the correct temperature, which is, obviously, miles better. Positives include rich, salty bacon done perfectly and avourful chunks of Cumberland sausage. My decaf Americano is excellent too. The sourdough, however, is very thinly sliced raising questions of value for the base dish. Perhaps there’s a little re ning to be done here, but then it’s only been open for a day when we visit. There’s time yet... Go to rotundacafe.co.uk

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Rotunda Cafe in Island Gardens

Rotunda’s design makes much of its epic view

what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

STAGE | Photographs

Sisters June, Sydney and Bea are busy balancing their lives when the death of their nan throws everything into turmoil. How will they navigate their grief? Jun 25-28, times vary, £14, space.org.uk

Where?

Trinity Buoy Wharf Leamouth

TRY | Armadillo: CLT Sound Pavilion Part of the London Festival Of Architecture, this installation explores innovative construction and acoustic design, acting as an ampli er. Jun 1-Jul 18, 7am-7pm, free, trinitybuoywharf.com

STAGE | Somewhere Between This piece of spoken-word theatre by Abu B Yillah explores black identity and fatherhood as a third-cultured migrant in Britain. One night only. Jun 15, 7pm, £8.50-£15, poplarunion.com

The Island Gardens cafe has tables both inside and out

how

Little Nan’s 2.0 takes extreme maximalist kitsch to the next level

under fresh railway arches in Deptford

by Jon Massey

Tristan Scutt is surrounded by his brain and he’s all the happier for it. e first opened Little Nan’s Bar 11 years ago as a pop-up tribute to his late Little Nan Jojo, using her furniture and crockery for the decor in a pop-up space behind The Bunker Club in Deptford Broadway.

Success blossomed as customers fell for cocktails in teapots, a wealth of knick knacks and Tristan’s genuine passion for ’80s and ’90s memorabilia. Then, after several locations, he found Little Nan’s a home at Deptford Market Yard, where it’s spent the last eight years occupying as many as four richly decorated railway arches.

Now, however, a fresh chapter has started. Having endured three years of precarious leases and a reduction in space, following the arrival of new managing agents, Tristan has taken the decision to move on – well, actually just up the road. Head along the railway line from the existing bar down Resolution Way and, just beyond Villages Brewery, a new wonderland has been created. Under much larger arches, Tristan has created essentially four venues in one.

“First of all there’s Little Nan’s 2.0, which has Flat Butcher above it – a space that can be hired, inspired by Pat Butcher from EastEnders,” said Tristan.

“Then there’s the Grown Grandkids Play Den with air hockey, table football and arcade games, and Aunties Ballroom on two levels with a custom-made glittering anchor to celebrate Deptford.”

If that sounds a lot, it’s because it is. Four times bigger than the Deptford Market Yard space (and with four extra toilets), Tristan has one setting when it comes to interior design and that’s just to

Our decor is nostalgic – there are a lot of nods to Deptford history including a custom-made anchor and cabinets lled with memorabilia

Tristan Scutt, Little Nan’s

go for it. Everywhere there are display cabinets packed with things. Fabrics and colours clash amid a riot of leopard print, neon and fake ivy.

“It’s an expression of extreme maximalist kitsch,” said the founder and grandson who has an MA in fine art from Goldsmiths.

“Our decor is nostalgic – there are a lot of nods to Deptford history including the anchor plus cabinets filled with memorabilia and toys.

“It’s a reference to Deptford Vintage Market, where many of the items were sourced, but it’s also a celebration of local stores from back in the day like Abstracticus, the Second Time Round shop in Lewisham Way and Aladdin’s Cave.

“I hope it’s somewhere people will feel at home. They’ll have seen what we can do over the road and here we can do even more of it and on a longer term basis.

“Anything too empty scares me. Our AirBnB holiday home is like this in Weymouth and my flat is like this in Deptford – this is really how I live.

“When I look back at photos of the original pop-up I think it was a little simpler – perhaps I was worried 11 years ago how people would feel. Now it’s just: ‘Go for it’. I love stuff, I’m a massive EastEnders fan and I’m addicted to Deptford Market, so this is a great reason for me to trawl all the local shops and the stalls to fill the venue. Our cabinets are obviously

Years since Tristan created Little Nan’s as a pop-up in Deptford

Little Nan’s founder and grandson, Tristan Scutt, in front of a rich quilt wall in Aunties Ballroom

it

Expect many cabinets lled with nostalgic toys and other items at Little Nan’s 2.0

full of things I like, but I’m also always looking at and listening to what our customers are into.

“Initially all our cocktails were named after members of the Royal Family. Then I realised not everyone was quite as big a fan of the Windsors as I was, so we changed things.

“We have got rid of our Prince Andrew, although we still have a Prince Harry, which dates from before the whole book thing.

“It feels nice to have created these new venues. It’s been a mad couple of months and we’ve had some great guys doing the build.

“My mate, Matt Sargent, has made all the fabrics and then I’m responsible for the rest of the decor.

Weirdly, it’s been a calming process.

“I think after what has been a stressful couple of years this has wound up being such a great move for us. ou always have to turn stuff into positives and, perhaps, this was the kick we needed to find a better space.

“That’s why it feels great. We’d never have been able to do what we’ve done here in our original units.”

Excited to welcome guests, Tristan has been slowly opening sections of the new venue while the build has been going on, partly I suspect because he can’t resist sharing the new spaces.

Extended facilities go deeper than the bathrooms and entertainment areas. 2.0 will have room for a proper kitchen and there are plans to invite chefs in for pop-up collaborations in due course.

While Aunties Ballroom can be set out as extra hospitality space, it also lends itself to performances beneath the rich satins, silks and quilts that coat its walls.

“We’ve now had our first event there – a comedy night called Your Friend And Mine hosted by poet and comedian Jack Scullion, which went really well,” said Tristan. “We especially want the ballroom to be multi-purpose.

“There’s no static furniture so we can have it set up in so many different ways. It can be used for performances or decked out with tables and chairs.

“Here, all of our spaces can be opened up and used as one or sectioned off. eople can hire the whole thing or, for example, we might have Little Nan’s open and a workshop up in Flat Butcher.

“I’m excited to see how people use the space over the summer and how it evolves.

“It’s the start of a new chapter

Rotherhithe - Deptford - Bermondsey what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

Where?

Brunel Museum Rotherhithe

and I think we’re really ready for it. It’s 11 years since Little Nan’s started and it feels good to be doing this in Deptford.

“We’d been looking for a new space for a while. It’s been an opportunity to really think about what we’re doing after 11 years of Little Nan’s. Before the eight years in Deptford Market Yard, we’d done the pop-ups.

“Our new location is a nod to everything we’ve done before and all that we have learnt about how to put on really good events for customers’ birthdays, hen-dos and other celebrations.

“That’s what we’ve done under these two huge arches. With the move, we wanted to have somewhere we could really spread our wings and express what we want to do and that’s what we’ve done.

“We know our customers love our outdoor space and we have that here as well, but we have so much more inside too. I’m really excited to see people come in.”

With things in a fluid state as the venue gets fully up and running, the best place for updates is Little Nan’s Instagram feed, which can be found @littlenansbar. Stay tuned for news of opening hours and future events.

key details

Little Nan’s 2.0 is located in Deptford’s Resolution Way. Hours are subject to change as things get under way, but the venue is currently open Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm-12.30am. Go to littlenans.co.uk for more information

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SPORT | Euro 2024

Watch the footie in the Tunnel Shaft via a big screen projector. The events will include a pop-up craft beer bar and a ra e with fun and games promised. From Jun 16, times vary, from £5, thebrunelmuseum.com

Where? The Pen Theatre South Bermondsey

COMEDY | Chris East

Pre-Edinburgh, the comic brings his latest show – My Brain Is Soup, Your Hands Are The Spoons – to the South Bermondsey venue for your delectation. Jun 21, 9pm, £8.30, thepentheatre.com

Where? The Albany Deptford

STAGE | Windrush: The Journey Pegasus Opera Company pays tribute to Windrush by celebrating the music of black classical composers, past, present and future. Jun 26-28, times vary, from £10, thealbany.org.uk

Catch Brutalism In Colour at Gareth Gardner Gallery in Deptford’s Resolution Way, an exhibition of super saturated photography taken at over 100 locations by Christopher Hope-Fitch that’s free to visit from June 7-16 garethgardner.gallery

Scan this code to nd out more about Brutalism In Colour at Gareth Gardner Gallery in Deptford

Aunties Ballroom

Little Nan’s 2.0

Some interior decor at the venue

Little Nan’s started doing this in Deptford.

Pat on a visit to Little Nan’s

Cost of the Cheeseburger from The Duke Of Greenwich’s outdoor barbecue £13

how The Duke Of Greenwich serves up a fine distillation of outdoor dining and drinking behind protective walls

by Jon Massey

There’s something comforting about a walled garden. Whoever rst had the idea of throwing up high ba es to keep out gusts of wind and trap sunshine for the enjoyment of those within should be found and lauded.

At some point, that invention morphed into the sheltered pub garden – a protected space that really makes the most of the British weather. A ne example can be found behind The Duke Of Greenwich, a short walk from Maze Hill station and within strolling distance of the town centre.

Here, great slabs of brickwork shelter customers from urries of air in a space strewn with tables and benches to get on with the important work of eating and drinking.

Having undergone a recent facelift, it’s currently hosting weekend drinks pop-ups around the return of its outdoor barbecue.

The owerbeds have been tidied up and there’s now more space for patrons, as well as a big screen that will show the Euros in due course.

On a sunny day, it’s hard to beat and the Duke has the added bene t of retractable rear windows creating an indoor-outdoor vibe and providing shelter should the inevitable happen and precipitation occur.

It’s the food that we’re primarily concerned with here, however – just how good is a burger and chips? The pub pitches itself very much at the quality market – typi ed, perhaps by its entry level pint costing £6, albeit for a locally brewed Duke-branded lager.

That follows with the food too, meaning diners can expect wellsourced meat from Lyon’s Hill regenerative farm in Dorset, sh from Cornwall via James Knight Of Mayfair and veg from Shrub provisions.

Its Cheeseburger (£13) comes topped with relish, bacon jam and a surprisingly avourful dairy square on a toasted bun and garnished with a sliced gherkin. It might not look like much, but there’s avour here, the pressed patty having soaked up the

smoke and the ames to deliver them in juicy fashion to the mouth.

The gherkin is perhaps the biggest clue to the thing –contrast the fresh, luxuriant portion size with the one or two slices found in a McDonalds hamburger and you’ll get a sense of things.

While the combo of grilled bread and meat is something of a distillation of classic barbecue fare, the chips are something else.

Pay £5.50 for fries and you’ll get a pretty metal bucket of crisp potato slivers. Although in some ways I’m a purist when it comes to chips – salt and vinegar are hard to beat – it seems the culinary world has moved on with dirty fries and wedges now the dominant force in hospitality.

The Duke’s sit somewhere in between, unslathered in dressing but seasoned with an unapologetically punchy smoked peri peri salt that quickly establishes addiction. We’d probably have had to re-order had they not perplexingly arrived somewhat on the late side.

Generally, though, service is swift, slick and caring from a team who clearly relish their roles. Drinks and tap water arrive in double quick time including a avourful Mirror Mirror Lager from the pop-up and a dry, forgiving apple cider from Archway’s Umbrella.

The latter sits well against the powerfully sweet melange that is The Duke’s Maze Hill Mess (£8), an excellent marriage of meringue, fruit and plump, well-whipped cream. A sweet end to an altogether delicious experience.

need to know

The Duke Of Greenwich is to be found on the corner of Colomb Street and Woodlands Park Road near Maze Hill railway station, which connects to London Bridge via Greenwich and Deptford. The pub is open on Tuesday from 4pm-10pm, Wednesday-Saturday from noon-11pm and from noon-9pm on Sundays. Go to dukeofgreenwich.com

Scan this code to nd out more about The Duke Of Greenwich

what’s on things to do, places to go, people to see

GIG | Girls Aloud

Celebrating 21 years since their formation, the girl group take to the stage. Expect Sound Of The Underground and many more hits to dance to. Jun 22-27, 6.30pm, from £59, theo2.co.uk

STAGE | Locomotive For Murder

This improvised whodunnit show promises devilry, deception and plenty of laughs along the way as the expressive farce careers towards a deathly reveal. Jun 21-22, 7.30pm, £21, greenwichtheatre.org.uk

The Irish comic headlines Live At The Works with turns from Jamali Maddix, Fatiha El-Ghorri and host Lou Sanders on the undercard. Heavyweight laughs. Jun 15, 6.30pm, from £20, woolwich.works

The O2 has unveiled the Ninety Third, a new premium seating option with a club lounge and restaurant that members can use to see all shows in the arena. Prices start at £15,000 per year excluding VAT theo2.co.uk

Scan this code to nd out more about the Ninety Third or to purchase a membership at the venue

COMEDY | Dara O Briain

The Duke Of Greenwich’s Cheeseburger comes with a generous slice of gherkin atop its toasted bun

The pub is near Maze Hill Station

The Maze Hill Mess

Fries with smoked peri peri salt

The Duke’s walled garden

PAPER LOVES TREES

European forests, which provide wood for making paper, paper packaging and many other products, have been growing by 1,500 football pitches every day!

Years since the Tate Institute was built in North Woolwich’s Wythes Road

how ReSpace is set to transform the Tate Institute into ‘a 21st century social facility’

by Jon Massey

The Tate Institute in North Woolwich is set for a new lease of life. Newham Council has appointed social enterprise ReSpace Projects to transform the disused structure into a multi-functional social enterprise aimed at serving the needs and aspirations of the local community.

Built in 1887, the institute sits opposite Tate & Lyle’s sugar refinery and originally served as a social club for factory workers and their families. Over the years it has taken on many roles including serving as a library, an air raid shelter and a sports club before its closure in the 1990s.

Locally listed, the plan is to bring the structure back into use with design and construction already under way. The aim is to make the property safe and functional by July.

Eventually, an enterprise hub, workshops, an event space, a subsidised café, creative studios and community gardens will be created as the project progresses.

“The Tate Institute served as a very important social hub for the

delivering purpose

workers and residents of Silvertown for many years,”said Darren Mackin, director of community wealth building at Newham Council. “Our investment will give the building new life and purpose. ReSpace is an exemplary social enterprise that will deliver on our social and community wealth-building ambitions for the building and the wider North Woolwich area.”

Gee

Sinha, founder and director

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of ReSpace, added: “We’re really pleased to be able to fulfil the vision of a thriving social and enterprise hub.

“We’re excited to work with the residents of Silvertown and Newham, and look forward to bringing the old Tate social institute back into community life.

“We specialise in reusing otherwise wasted resources for social good, and hope this project will go on to be a valued local asset for years to come.”

key details

The Tate Institute is located in Wythes Road, North Woolwich in east London’s Royal Docks Go to royaldocks.london

View a hybrid archive of lm, site casting and digital scanning in this exhibition surveying the traces left of Beckton Gasworks. By appointment only. Jun 21-30, noon-6pm, free (book it), royaldocks.london

Where?

EVENT | Royal Wharf Summer Fete

Find tness, live music, street food, refreshing drinks, a market, kids’ entertainment and garden games at the Ballymore and Oxley scheme’s annual bash. Jun 22, 11am-5pm, from free, royaldocks.london

CLUB | Kaos Midsummer Edition

Featuring Dahc Dermur VIII, Twang, Nanzhen Yang and Arrosa, a night of hard industrial techno beckons. Expect a provocative experience for the uninhibited. Jun 22, 11pm-7am, from £15, ra.co

Sweheat Sauna on the edge of Royal Victoria Dock o ers sweat baths and cold plunges to east Londoners and visitors to the area. The facility is currently expanding as demand for its services and events grows sweheatsauna.co.uk

Where?

Art In The Docks

Royal Albert Wharf Where? Fold Canning Town

Royal Wharf Park Silvertown

The Tate Institute in North Woolwich has been out of use since the 1990s

how Life Chronicles uses digital technology to plunge visitors back in

time for an evolutionary adventure

by Jon Massey

Eclipso has unveiled the latest virtual reality presentation to arrive at its Westfield Stratford City facility. Life Chronicles, a collaboration with content producer Excurio and the Museum D’Histoire Naturelle of France, takes visitors on a time-travelling romp from the first creatures in the primordial soup to the emergence of early humans.

It’s the second immersive experience to play at the east London facility and is now running concurrently with pyramid exploration adventure Horizon Of Khufu.

Lasting 45 minutes, Life Chronicles sees participants don VR headsets to pursue a robot guide called Darwin and scientist Charlie as they travel through 3.5billion years of evolution on a quest to return to the present.

Along the way they both offer snippets of information about the environments and some of the animals encountered.

While the story is linear in nature – a quest to recover lost pieces of tech – the various places presented can be explored freely by visitors, who can get up close with a range of sharply rendered digital flora and fauna.

“We’ve been super excited about this content coming to London,” said venue director and UK spokesperson Karl Blake-Garcia. “It’s been a year in the making and it’s a topic that people may not have revisited since they were at school.

“What we find, especially with adults who bring their children, is that they fall in love with the subject all over again.

“What we wanted to do was present these environments so people can have those moments of nostalgia while learning about evolution and dinosaurs when seeing them as if they were standing right there.

“It’s an incredible experience and there’s nowhere else you can do something like this. While the most popular part of the experience is probably the Jurassic era, the more obscure moments in Earth’s history are also really appealing to a lot of people because not everybody knows about them.

“Personally, I love entertainment that gives me that ‘wow’ reaction. My favourite part of Life

£21

Starting price of an adult ticket to experience Life Chronicles at the Eclipso Center in Stratford

The biggest joy we get is seeing the raw emotion from people leaving the experience. I love that we’re able to create these experiences

Karl Blake-Garcia, Eclipso

Chronicles is probably walking on the edge of a cliff just after encountering some prehistoric dwarf elephants – that’s very cool.

“But I also love being under the sea and seeing the ancient aquatic life in the oceans swimming past.

“No matter what you’re interested in, there are things that will resonate. The experience covers plant and animal life as well as early human history and it’s very important, because the Earth’s past is a really big part of who we are today and why we are the way we are.

“The biggest joy we get at Eclipso is seeing the raw, unfiltered emotion from people leaving the experience.

“With our Egyptian experience, I’ve seen people come out in tears of joy because they’ve got to experience the pyramids.

“VR is like magic – I love that Eclipso is able to create these really beautiful moments for people – it’s touching and amazing to think that all they are doing in reality is walking around an empty space that has some black and white stickers on the wall. I can’t wait to see what the reaction will be to Life Chronicles as we see more and more people join us for the experience.”

Eclipso’s VR jaunts are suitable for a wide range of participants including children – although those visiting will need to be able to stand and walk for 45 minutes without a break.

While in the virtual landscape, participants see people in their group as named ghostly outlines, while participants in other groups simply appear as anonymous human shapes (so visitors can avoid bumping into each other).

Real walls appear as bright red grids to prevent the immersed from bumping into them.

For more information about the experiences or to book go to horizonkheopsexperience.com or lifechronicles-experience.com

Other real people in the environment appear as ghostly outlines

real making it

Visitors don VR headsets to plunge themselves into the linear Life Chronicles experience

tried + tested Life Chronicles

While signi cant e orts have been made to ensure the info imparted by Charlie and robot cube and time travel device Darwin, is historically accurate, the attraction of Life Chronicles is really in its visual chutzpah.

There’s some sort of plot that means it’s necessary to collect techy orbs, strewn throughout our evolutionary past, but the joy is more in the journey, than the destination.

With VR goggles on, a wonderful, if somewhat stylised carousel of worlds unfolds as we ride a trilobite, narrowly miss a collision with an Icthyosaur and get caught in a Mexican stand-o between T-Rex parents and a group of Triceratops.

But as each new location pops into view, there’s an irresistible temptation to simply kneel down and xate on the subtle textures employed to render a tiny insect or the feathers on a parrot.

While there’s a spot of video game gimmickry as we shrink, grow and y on imaginary platforms, the real magic comes in simply seeing extinct animals wander out of the undergrowth. It’s as close as the current tech will currently allow to that burst of excitement when one encounters a real wild animal. The only frustration I felt was that I couldn’t pick up a tiny prehistoric horse and bring him home – maybe that’s the 4.0 iteration.

Jon Massey need to know

Life Chronicles is currently running at the Eclipso Center at West eld Stratford City. The facility is open from 9am at weekends and from 11am on weekdays. Adult tickets start at £21 with tickets for under-18s and concessions costing £18

For more information go to lifechronicles-experience.com

Scan this code to nd out more about Life Chronicles

the community choir for an evening of music, song and dance with soul stirring garage, musical theatre and r’n’b numbers all in the set. Jun 22, 7.30pm, £14, stratfordeast.com

| Wrestling Pub Quiz

for those who enjoy a few drinks and like to joke about men in tiny shorts, this event promises cash prizes, merch and a slammer of a good time. Jun 21, 7pm, from £15, rulezero.co.uk

| Riverside East The cafe, street food venue, rooftop bar and terrace has o cially opened for business underneath The Orbit. Expect plenty of events and avours. Ongoing, riverside-east.co.uk

GIG | Stratford East Singers

Concept art for the primordial soup

An artist’s impression of the VR Ichthyosaur display

Concept art for T-Rexs meeting Triceratops

Sudoku

Take a break from that phone

How to play

To complete Sudoku, ll the board by entering numbers one to nine such that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

More to play

You can nd more Sudoku puzzles and a wide selection of other brainteasers available to download for free at puzzles.ca

Notes

crossword

Cryptic

Across 1. Moments in time, occasionally (3,3,4) 7. Friendly ceramics? (5) 8, 11. Put on and rip – it’s fair usage (4,3,4) 10. Local tithe may be gymnastic (8) 11. See 8 acc 13. Goon takes the cake (6) 15. Recaps conceal a very long distance (6) 17. Lift up beams of light, we hear (4) 18. Our crime reveals a Greek actress (8) 21. Broken fence is very tactile (7) . Sonic offspring is confused (5) 23. Sending the jewellery packing is tough going (10)

Down

1. Sounds like the horse refuses (5)

2. No matter, it’s uncaring (8)

3. Latecoming drone, we hear (6)

4. Shut this – you may be caught in it (4)

5. As seers go, they delete things (7)

6. Find a cathedral in a many-sided shape (10)

9. Instructions are the way to go (10)

12. I see raisins are egocentric, sort of (8)

14. Crossword for the underground? (7)

16. About that doing word? It vibrates! (6)

19. Employing drugs? We hear a tune from you (5)

20. Diamond bloke who loves those pyramids (4)

beating the whether you’re cryptic sleuth or synonym solver in it for quick wins, this should satisfy

Quick

(6)

Leather strip (5)

Cease (4)

Across: 1 Blancmange; 7 Bu y; 8 Umpteen; 10 Tealight; 11 Stab; 13 Uncial; 15 Barrel; 17 Trim; 18 Tinnitus; 21 Drastic; 22 Amour; 23 Despairing.

Down: 1 Ba a; 2 Atypical; 3 Caught; 4 apps; 5 Greater; 6 Obstructed; 9 Nebuliser; 12 Sannyasi; 14 Climate; 16 Kimchi; 19 Thong; 20 Stop.

Across: 1 Now And Then; 7 China; 8, 11 Wear And Tear; 10 Athletic; 11 See 8 acc; 13 Eccles; 15 Parsec; 17 Rays; 18 Mercouri; 21 Lattice; 22 Scion; 23 Scrambling.

Down: 1 Neigh; 2 Whatever; 3 Newbie; 4 Trap; 5 Erasers; 6 Octahedral; 9 Directions; 12 Narcissi; 14 Cryptic; 16 Reverb; 19 Using; 20 Giza.

Set by Everden