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Publisher of lively guides to the history, culture and contemporary life of your London neighbourhoo

16/09/2025

ART versus REALITY. Which is the most vibrant, the most alive?
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Alexandra Blum is fortunate in having a studio overlooking the Thames Barrier and the vast industrial landscape of Woolwich Riverside. She finds the location deeply inspiring … And I find her work more vibrant than life!

15/08/2025

There has been much raving about the newly opened V&A Museum Store in the Olympic Park (Stratford). The outside is disappointing but the interior lives up to the hype: it is incredibly PHOTOGENIC!
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It was also liberating to wander around the place, led by my eyes only, without following a set narrative or a curator’s intention or feeling obliged to absorb endless historical facts.
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There are very few captions, only for large landmark exhibits - for instance the surprising acquisition of a fragment from the Robin Hood Gardens estate, demolished in 2018 (picture 2), a perfect fit for the Museum of London …
The strapping and packing of objects became a thing of beauty and I noted a small army of women constantly polishing the glass barriers.
There is another museum store which took my breath away when I visited it in 2023: The Depot of Museum Boijmans van Beunigen in Rotterdam (the last two pictures). Also recommended.

08/08/2025

I fell under the charm of the quirkiest bookshop in London: Word on the Water. It is housed in a canal boat moored along the Regents Canal at King’s Cross. I enjoyed both the originality of the venue and the choice of books.
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I fight a daily battle against acquiring more books … but I could not resist the appeal of this wonderful bookshop and bought a small book. I would never have been able to spot it in a Waterstones bookshop! At the cash desk they asked whether I wanted the book stamped and I gladly said yes to the delightful miniature barge. ❤️

18/07/2025

Since 2021, the painter Graham Crowley has been curating yearly exhibitions in his studio/gallery at Wickham Market (Suffolk) under the title ‘Silent Disco’. He says he brings artists together who deserve to better known! He selects the artists and they select their work (one per artist).
——————————————————Graham the curator has described his state of mind in a fascinating 2023 catalogue called ‘The Tyranny of Ambition’. There he admits that he has abandoned his search for approval ‘I’ve learnt to set my own agenda’. He also quotes the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein:
‘I don’t know why we’re here, but I’m pretty sure it’s not to enjoy ourselves’. Having described the artists he selected in warm and loving terms, he concludes his essay ‘Enjoy’. If ever there was a contradiction in terms … And yet, both statements are true! ————————————————-The show is fully recorded on Graham’s website (under Films) with his lively commentary … but I had the privilege of visiting it with and it was magical. At times there is a silent dialogue between the small paintings and large counterpart images (Lotz, Jenkins). Pictures
1. Amber Khokhar 2. Ferha Farooqui 3&4. Josie Jenkins (and Velasquez) 5&6. Lothar Gotz (and Towner Art Gallery) 7. Harriet Mena Hill 8&9. Graham Crowley

29/06/2025

Back to ENJOYING London after a period of calm and reflection … Oh the range of it, the depth of it, and the joy of it! In no particular order:
1. Martin Creed at Camden Arts Projects (finishing on 29 June)
2. Guided tour of the Anthony Rudolph Collection (Anthony was the partner of and model for Paula Rego), Ben Uri Gallery 3. Meeting the author of the Tarot of Versailles at The Book Elephant. 4. Ancient India , living traditions; British Museum exhibition

09/06/2025

The NLA - New London Architecture - is currently housed in Guildhall’s former business library in the City. There they have two fabulous MODELS of London, one of which shows 240,000 buildings across a 200 km2 area (Pictures 1 & 2).
I went specifically to hear a talk about the mapping of South Asian history, using the large London model. This was fascinating in many ways and based on the SOUTH ASIAN HISTORY LONDON MAP published by Blue Crow Media. It is so exciting to see ‘alternative’ histories being integrated into main stream history. Though it’s a pity this map was not better produced because its mission matters.
Pictures 1& 2. NLA London model; 3. Ayah’s Home in Hackney for Indian Ayahs and Chinese Amahs (nannies); 4. Bushra Mohamed; 5. Jagonari Asian Women’s Centre; 6. The South Asian History London Map

08/04/2025

I was pleasantly surprised by my visit to Van Gogh’s House. It was derelict when it was first brought to the public’s attention but what a transformation now! The guided tour was excellent, the weather glorious and the trees in full bloom (in the neighbourhood, not at the house). Recommended!

23/03/2025

To lunch or dine at the Clink Restaurant in BRIXTON PRISON is quite an experience. Security is a top concern and by the time they have finished with you, nothing is left to carry except your Visa card to pay the bill.
“Your meal is cooked and served by prisoners training towards gaining their accredited qualifications. By dining with us, you are giving them a valuable learning experience .”
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How was the meal? Sophisticated and utterly delicious. I had crispy pork and garnish followed by a large oyster mushroom with tasty accompaniments, fantastic chunky chips and a blood orange pie with meringue topping. No alcohol. The phones being banned there are no photographs of the food - it’s a pity because it was beautifully presented. I left with a bittersweet feeling - worthy and well intentioned scheme but the gap between the two worlds feels so wide … The rural Brixton mill is just a short walk away and it was a very refreshing end to the day.

19/03/2025

THRILLING news: the wonderful new bookshop at Elephant & Castle has started taking in our publications. It is The Book Elephant owned by Tim and Kasia Wrobel (photo 2). They opened on 24 December 2024 after many frustrating delays but have been going strong ever since. It’s a really lively venue which serves tea and coffee, ant the hope one day of introducing beer!
At weekends when it’s really busy the bookshop is in the hands of the lovely Lucia and Eva (photo 4).
I’ve started volunteering there one day a week … Why? The start of a new venture? WATCH THIS SPACE …

28/02/2025

My friends have been raving about the Towner Art Gallery exhibition - ‘Drawing the Unspeakable’. I was curious and escaped to Eastbourne for a day.
It is an extraordinary show: the drawings of course but also the terrific curation of father (David) and daughter (Lisa) Dimbleby. Their texts -with dialogues- are beautiful and not only throw light on the works on display but also why they were chosen. Outstanding and very moving. The exhibition ends on 27 April.
From the INTRODUCTION: ‘What do we do when a situation feels unspeakable? When our body is disturbed - unsettled by emotion, fraught with feeling, which cannot be put into words. When speech does not release the disturbance, but distorts or augments it, or when a mouth is blocked and words do not come at all.’

25/01/2025

‘VAN GOGH BREAKS RECORDS AT NATIONAL GALLERY. The show was the Museum’s most popular ticketed exhibition’ reports the Museums Journal (online, 23 January 2025). The selection of paintings was outstanding and so was their presentation against beautifully coordinated colours. But Van Gogh’s slim connection with London was not mentioned, understandably. If you would like to catch up with it, check our publication ‘The Streatham Sketchbook’ (available on Amazon). Streatham was indeed the key location in this instance …

28/10/2024

Hew Locke’s exhibition at the British Museum is PROFOUNDLY moving. This artist provides such an important testimony to the deep, deep roots of our western culture - the British Museum is a major London institution which is too easy to trust without questioning. Full marks to them for commissioning this searching and soft spoken artist to challenge the hidden life of museum objects.
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“Do objects belong here, or in their place of origin? What is their place of origin? I have my opinions. Things change and shift and opinions differ. Everything is fluid” writes the artist.
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So much emotion in this soulful exhibition! DO GO.

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