Undressing The Mistress: On Other Women & Etymology
Humans are fallible, sometimes they cheat.
And though they do a fair amount of cheating the mundane – taxes, say, or maths tests – they also cheat their partners…
On Mothers: Passing the Baton of Papergirl
People never talk about the weight of newspapers. An inch wide, pinched between your thumb and finger. A couple of inches when folded in two. An inky wad that will jam nicely into the letterbox, hovering above the doorstop that’s saturated from last night’s downpour. The metal bar of your …
Desire, Love, Identity: The British Museum’s LGBTQ Tours
In the 18th century, two upper-class aristocrats – Sarah Ponsonby and Eleanor Butler – ran away from their furious families to elope in a Welsh village. Their gothic cottage was closed in by grassy peaks and thrilling ravines…
Peacocks & Greedy Patrons: Visiting V&A’s Filthy Lucre Exhibition
As decadent as its given title, Filthy Lucre is a mouth-watering installation by contemporary artist Darren Waterston that reinterprets Whistler’s notorious Peacock Room, one of the finest examples of 19th century decorative art…
Get Living: London’s Latest Victory
Future living – the smart way – is no longer just about investment and postcodes. It’s about creating a beautiful environment for your family, a safe space for you, and a thriving local culture that nourishes…
OYSTER EATERS REJOICE! You have survived the summer.
Everyone knows the old adage: never eat oysters in any month without an ‘r’. That ruled out everything from May to August; an entire third of the year that has been anathema to any self-respecting ostreaphile…
Reviving Lost Arts: Natalia Cola
Despite what they tell you, it’s surprisingly hard to pass a pleasant evening. You have to be in the mood to go out for theatre and fireworks. You have to be overworked to always stay at home…
The Truth About Keats… Romantic or Cockney?
Were you to stumble across a portrait of John Keats you’d encounter the face of a vibrant, classical 19th Century English gentleman. Further investigation would reveal him as a young poet of the Romantic era, intelligent enough to qualify as a medic at Guy’s Hospital, Southwark…
Judy Garland: From London to Stonewall, and Back Again
Despite all her hopes, London wasn’t able to save her. But little spectres of those hopes, as well as her glittering triumphs, still linger over the locations which bore witness to Judy Garland’s final act…
The Life and Times of George Formby, Britain’s First Pop Star
The current popularity of the ukulele with everyone from retired Home Counties housewives to uber-cool East London hipsters makes it surprising that the name George Formby remains unknown outside a circle of dedicated fanatics. Once a huge draw at the UK box office, and at one time the highest paid entertainer in the country, Formby and his uke churned out a string of hit records in the 1930s and ‘40s…