The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel

Said by many to be the English equivalent of the Sistine Chapel, The Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich is one of the most spectacular and important baroque interiors in Europe. You might get some idea what awaits when you first arrive at the Cutty Sark station or as I prefer to… Continue reading The Painted Hall of Greenwich – Englands Sistine Chapel

Dr Alfred Salter – The man who created an NHS before the NHS was created

My walk of discovery along the southern bank of the Thames through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe was proving to reveal all manner of hidden gems of London both past and present.  The next discovery however was something or rather someone which I knew next to nothing about.  Not far from the manor house and Angel Pub… Continue reading Dr Alfred Salter – The man who created an NHS before the NHS was created

The Worst Restorations Ever

The U.K. is covered in old buildings and ruins.  Deciding which to fully or partially restore, which to manage to prevent further degradation and which to let disintegrate away is a complicated process depending on the structures uniqueness and importance to history and the arts as well as expense. The rules are very strict and… Continue reading The Worst Restorations Ever

Whitechapel Street Art

I’ve written before about my Jack The Ripper Tours in Whitechapel, London and even posted a few photos too. Today I arrived there with an hour to spare so decided to have a little look around as I often do in this area. Whitechapel is of course famous for its poverty and crime problems. In… Continue reading Whitechapel Street Art

Is there Life on Mars, is there life on Earth?

I’ve spent 11 hours today editing my new book whilst listening to constant features dedicated to and music from David Bowie in BBC 5Live. I remember the first time I came across David Bowie, I was about 3 years old in 1977 and I was going through my mother’s record collection st my grandparents. Already… Continue reading Is there Life on Mars, is there life on Earth?

The Turner Prize Vs The Turnip Prize or Is Modern Art Pants?

This week sees one of the most eagerly awaited annual awards for contemporary art and what’s even better The Turner Prize too. The Turner Prize of course is one of the worlds most vaunted awards for contemporary art.  The Turner prize has been running since 1984 and shockingly is named in honour of perhaps the… Continue reading The Turner Prize Vs The Turnip Prize or Is Modern Art Pants?

The Angel of The North

Many cities and regions are defined by their buildings. statues and works of art.  Some such as The Great Wall of China, Leaning Tower of Pisa achieved this status despite being originally built for very different reasons.  Others like the Eiffel Tower or even the London Eye were only ever meant to be temporary structures and… Continue reading The Angel of The North

It’s always the last place you look

This is a small bonus post as I have two more serious posts coming up and I wanted to lighten the mood… before it had already got soured! Some of you may remember that in February I wrote a post on Leonard Nimoy and I mentioned how I had met him several times and was the… Continue reading It’s always the last place you look

Beauty & The Beast – Double Standards in Ancient Greece

Standards of beauty have always changed through the years and from country to country.  What is fashionable in one time and place may not be in the other.  Whilst today is most Western countries it is considered trendy to sport a glowing sun tan, a few centuries ago being as white as a ghost was… Continue reading Beauty & The Beast – Double Standards in Ancient Greece