St George’s Day 2017: Where to celebrate in London and what to do

I wonder how the dragon’s family feels about all this? For centuries now, his killer has been lauded as a national hero.

St George’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, as ever on April 23. Though at one time, in the mid 18th century, it was as popular and celebrated as Christmas, now we aren’t even granted a Bank Holiday. Still, they had regular Cholera epidemics too in the 1700s, so not everything was better back then.

Feast of St George 

Trafalgar Square will be busy with the Mayor of London’s party of music, food and drink this Saturday, featuring the Military Wives Choirs, ‘Streets of London’ folk singer Ralph McTell, cooking demonstrations from top chef Theo Randall and Masterchef winner Natalie Coleman, and plenty of family-friendly fun, including a fairground rides and an adventure trail. It’s completely free and no ticket is required: head along from midday.

Info: April 22, Trafalgar Square, WC2N 5DN, london.gov.uk

Battle it out: Combat at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens St George's Day Festival

The Trafalgar Square celebrations might be bigger, but these are our favourite: besides live music and a telling of the classic St George and the Dragon story, there’ll be a hog roast, traditional Georgian dancing and wrestling, pony rides, falconry and fully suited up knights galore. Yes, knights: they’ll be quite literally battling it out in true medieval style. Elsewhere, there’s plenty for children with a Punch & Judy show and traditional games. Oh, and to top it all off, on Sunday they're hosting a dog show.

Info: April 22 – 23, vauxhalltrust.org

Borough Market

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London Pizza Festival returns to Borough Market

Old Georgie must have been a busy man: besides merry old England, he’s the patron saint of all sorts of things, including archers, Boy Scouts, and saddle makers. He’s also the saint for farmers, shepherds and butchers, which makes it a nice tie in for Borough Market. From midday until 4pm, there’ll be live theatre, storytelling and music alongside all the food. Also, in recognition of St George as the Patron Saint of Catalonia (as we say, George was a popular chap), there’ll be plenty of Catalan bites to eat, alongside cooking demonstrations and even folk with a hip-hop twist.

Info: April 23, Borough Market, SE1 1TL, boroughmarket.org.uk

St George in Southwark

Already underway, Southwark going big for St George, with plenty on, including a ‘Dragon Quest’, where children and adults can hunt for George’s enemy across the area. Tickets need to be booked up online in advance. Across the weekend, other highlights include a street parade, live music, dancing, and Choral Evensong.

Info: Until April 24, across Southwark, stgeorge-themartyr.co.uk

Fiddler’s Elbow St George’s Day Special

Head up to Camden for a long set of live music in this beloved pub. Don’t expect old, twee folky music, though: there’ll be alternative rock and punk courtesy of Terry Guy, Dromstad, Shoot the Symphony and Simon Williams. Tickets cost £5.

Info: April 23, Fiddler’s Elbow, 1 Malden Rd, NW5 3HS, skiddle.com

Her Majesty The Queen becomes the first monarch to reign for 65 years - Sapphire Jubilee

The Queen today marks her Sapphire Jubilee as she becomes the first British monarch in history to have reigned for 65 years.

To mark her latest milestone, a poignant photograph of her wearing a suite of sapphire jewellery given to her by her father King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947 has been issued.

Sapphire is the 65th anniversary gemstone and the King’s gift to his eldest daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, featured a glittering necklace, dating from 1850 and made of 16 large oblong sapphires surrounded by diamonds, with a pair of matching sapphire and diamond drop earrings.

The Queen has added a sapphire and diamond tiara - made from a necklace that originally belonged to Princess Louise of Belgium - and a bracelet in 1963 to the collection to compliment the original sentimental pieces.

She had the necklace shortened and the largest stone made into a pendant.

To mark her latest milestone, a poignant photograph of her wearing a suite of sapphire jewellery given to her by her father King George VI as a wedding gift in 1947 has been issued

The newly released portrait was taken by David Bailey in 2014, for the Government’s ‘Great’ campaign, which aims to promote the UK abroad.

‘She has very kind eyes with a mischievous glint,’ he said at the time. ‘I’ve always liked strong women, and she is a very strong woman.’

Despite the historic occasion, it was a sense of ‘business as usual’ yesterday as Her Majesty went to church and chatted with well-wishers on the eve of her

‘Back to London this week,’ the 90 year old monarch said as she thanked veteran Royal fan Mary Relph, who had handed her two red roses outside St Peter and St Paul church in West Newton on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Source Daily Mail

NW1 calling: blue plaque marks site of former squat where The Clash singer Joe Strummer lived

The new plaque at 33 Daventry Street marks the site of the squat where Joe Strummer lived between 1978-79

 

Murad Qureshi via Twitter

New sign celebrates the musician’s connection with NW1 during the height of the London punk scene.

British punk rockers from the band The Clash, Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon pose for a photo in 1978. Photo credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images

The Seymour Housing Co-Operative has unveiled a blue plaque at the site of a former squat occupied by Joe Strummer.

The Clash singer lived at 33 Daventry Street in NW1 between 1978 and 1979, a period widely regarded as the punk rocker’s most creatively fecund.

As Strummer passed away in 2002, so he’s still not eligible for an official English Heritage blue plaque.

According to the blue plaque scheme at least 20 years must have elapsed since the candidate’s death.

Alexandra Palace: Restoration reveals hidden theatre

Campaigners hoping to restore Alexandra Palace in London to its former glory are getting closer.

More than £25m has already been secured to refurbish the site, including a disused theatre.

Open day at Tooting fire station this Saturday - 27th August 2016

Tooting Fire Station is opening its doors to the public as part of London Fire Brigade’s 150th Anniversary celebrations.

From 11am to 4pm on Saturday August 27, firefighters will be welcoming people inside the station on Trinity Road.

Children and adults alike will have a chance to watch the crew showcase their skills and the capabilities of the heavy duty equipment they use, as well as hear them answer questions about the work they do.

Youngsters will even be able to climb into the front of a fire engine, and be given an explanation of how and when the engine’s blue lights and siren are used.

There will also be a chance to marvel at Clapham Fire Station’s turntable ladder appliance which will be brought along especially for the day.

The event is one of 65 special open days organised by the London Fire Brigade with the help of Playmobil to celebrate the anniversary of its inception in 1866.

The sewage works called the Cathedral of the Marsh

When Crossness sewage works opened in Abbey Wood, south-east London, in 1866, it was the first building of its kind in the world.

The engines were shut down in the 1950s but volunteers are hoping to regularly open the Grade 1 listed Victorian pumping station for visitors.

Watch the Video  BBC 

Sir Joseph Bazalgette’s sewage treatment works was the first of its kind in the world and helped eradicate cholera in London

A glorious monument to the towering genius of Victorian engineering reopens this week, complete with a smart new cafe and a distinctive whiff of sewage drifting across from the working side of the Crossness sewage pumping station, south-east London.

The astonishing building, described as “a cathedral on the marsh”, was the first of its kind in the world, designed by Sir Joseph Bazalgette, chief engineer of the Metropolitan board of works, to awe and inspire visitors from across the UK and Europe. They came to marvel at his solution to the appalling problems caused by untreated sewage and contaminated water supplies in a rapidly expanding city, which led to epidemics of killer diseases including cholera.

His solution was to take sewage as far as possible from the city through gravity flow and steam-powered pumping engines, and then dump it untreated into the Thames far to the south-east of the city. When the tide was coming in, the sewage was held in a tank covering 2.6 hectares (6.5 acres), with rows of workers’ cottages and a cricket pitch on top: the workers apparently grew magnificent tomatoes.

The site reopens after a £2.7m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The restoration project has added a new museum display and cafe.

The exterior is magnificent, originally including a giant humbug-striped chimney, and retains doorways modelled on Norman cathedrals and carved capitals including a portrait of Bazalgette looking down with satisfaction upon his work.

“The most common response we get is just a shocked ‘wow!’ when people see it for the first time,” said Mike Jones, one of the volunteers who helped bring the building back to life.

The four giant steam-powered beam engines – the real attraction for many of the engineering pilgrims who visit – are surrounded by a blaze of polished brass, and dazzlingly painted cast-iron columns, spiral staircases and screens ornamented with figs, included for their laxative qualities.

The engines were named after senior members of the royal family, including Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort. When they were finally decommissioned in the 1950s, the cost of dismantling them was so enormous that they were simply left idle. The Crossness Engines Trust now holds them on a peppercorn lease from Thames Water. The restoration happened thanks to thousands of hours of unpaid work by volunteers united in a passion for the heroic Victorian engineering and architecture. Their include retired railway workers and electricians, engineers, teachers, an artist, a trade union negotiator and a university historian, Peter Catterall, who came on an open day because of his interest in social and political history, and found himself conscripted.

Bazalgette’s “cathedral” was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1865. The guests included the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and what contemporary newspaper accounts called “an excellent déjeuner” was served to 500 people.

By then at least 30,000 Londoners had died in successive cholera epidemics, but the main impetus to tackle the problem was the Great Stink of 1858, when during a steaming summer the fetid Thames was so appalling that MPs considered abandoning the Palace of Westminster, and compromised by hanging deodorising chemical-soaked sacking over the windows.

Bazalgette was wrong about the cause of cholera. Like many of his contemporaries he believed the culprit was “miasma” – basically the stench – but his solution worked, Catterall said. The last epidemic was in 1866.

The trust now hopes to increase the open days and visitor numbers. “This has been described as a retirement home for old men in boiler suits and beards,” Jones said. “We want to broaden that out a bit.”

Crossness pumping station is at Bazalgette Way, Abbey Wood, London SE2 9AQ

Clipper Round the World yacht crews welcomed in London

A procession of sail boats meandered down the River Thomas today as a 12-strong fleet of yachts marked an emotional conclusion to the gruelling race round the globe. 

Hundreds of amateur sailors celebrated the completion of the 40,000-nautical-mile ocean race - the world's longest - by finishing under the capital's Tower Bridge.

Hardy competitors had survived ferocious weather conditions - including menacing 90-foot waves and wild gusts of up to 100mph - in what organisers described as being 'an endurance test like no other'.

The return of the 70-foot ships to London, where the race began last August, signalled the end of an epic marathon that has taken them through 14 ports and six continents. 

But their homecoming was also tinged with sadness as crews remembered the two competitors who died during the challenge, the first fatalities in the race's 20-year history. 

Croydon tram stops added to London Tube map

Transport for London is set to quite literally put Croydon on the map in June when it adds tram services to the Underground map for the first time.

The new design intends to make it easier for people travelling to the borough, as well as Wimbledon and Beckenham, to plan their journeys with the tram lines added in the network's distinctive green.

Since the new tram platform at Wimbledon was completed last year the number of trams running between Wimbledon and Croydon has increased by 50 percent.

In February this year TfL also introduced four new trams to make a total of 34 carrying passengers around the network.

The new Underground map also shows where and when major upgrade works will take place on the London Overground route between Gospel Oak and Barking, as part of Network Rail's Railway Upgrade Plan.

The latest stations with step-free access have been added to the map and will continue to be updated as more stations are improved.

Customers will begin to see the latest Tube map in stations throughout the next week, and it will be available to view online, along with other transport maps produced by TfL, at www.tfl.gov.uk/maps from June 3, 2016.

Source Croydon Advertiser

V22 Osprey choppers spotted above major landmarks over the Thames.

Londoners spotted a heavy duty military presence on manoeuvres over the capital yesterday.

Scores of people noticed the V22 Osprey choppers spotted above major landmarks over the Thames.

The £43 million heli-plane, nicknamed the Transformer, is among tools available to SAS troops should a terror attack similar to Paris occur in the UK.

Londoners were clearly impressed by the sight of the hi-tech military hardware. Many posted photographs on Twitter after spotting them

London weather: Snow falls in capital for second time in two days ... and it's April

Snow has fallen in the capital for the second time in two days – even though it’s nearly May.

Astonished Londoners took to social media to share photographs as snowflakes fell across the city accompanied by claps of thunder and lightning.

Similar conditions hit the capital on Tuesday, with Met Office forecasters revealing it was the first time snow had dusted London in late April since 1985.

Unusual sight: Londoners shared their amazement on social media Twitter/@yak32

On Wednesday night areas including Brixton in south London and parts of west London were affected.

The snowfall came amid thunder and lightning and some shared stunning photographs of ominous clouds building before the downpour.

One Twitter user suggested the scene seemed like the opening of apocalypse movie The Day After Tomorrow.

Forecasters at the Met Office had predicted showers on Wednesday and warned of frost forming overnight, but snow came as a surprise.

Minimum temperatures going into Thursday were set to be -1C, the Met Office said
Source - Evening Standard

River Thames Monster: Fresh sightings fuel speculation of creature lurking in the depths

New footage has emerged which apparently shows a creature lurking in the River Thames.

The two clips have ramped up speculation that London could have its very own version of the Loch Ness monster.

An 18-second clip of a mysterious dark shape moving through the water was posted on YouTube on Saturday.

What lies beneath: Footage of another sighting in the Thames YouTube/Lea K

But even the person who posted the clip wasn't convinced by what they saw.

The video was shared with the caption “Nessie in the Thames” by user Lea K, who wrote: “Everyone was looking at a freaking rainbow and no one paid attention to this thing… it’s probs just rubbish haha.”

A day later, footage of another apparent sighting emerged, showing a strange object near the Thames flood barrier.

In it, a dark shape briefly surfaces before disappearing again with a small splash.

....
The apparently sceptical user who posted the video wrote: “Could be anything. COULD be the new Nessie! Let's go with that.”
Source Evening Standard

Giant pieces of Orbit tower slide are hauled into place

Work has started to install the world’s longest and tallest slide around the Orbit tower in the Olympic park.

A team of specialist abseilers lifted the first pieces into place on Friday. Initial attempts on Thursday were abandoned because of bad weather.

The Slide, billed as “London’s most spectacular and thrilling new attraction”, is due to open in early summer and tickets will go on sale in the next few weeks.

Workmen install the first pieces of the giant helter skelter slide Glenn Copus

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It will be the world's longest and tallest slide (Glenn Copus)

It will cost £5 a go, but visitors will also have to pay for admission to the ArcelorMittal Orbit — £12 for adults and £7 for children aged between three and 16.

The Slide will wrap around the Orbit 12 times and be 178 metres long, allowing users to reach speeds of about 15mph on the 40-second descent.

It was created by Belgian artist Carsten Höller at the invitation of Sir Anish Kapoor, designer of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, and is costing £3.5 million to build.

The attraction is due to open in the summer (Glenn Copus)

A spokeswoman for the London Legacy Development Corporation, which runs most of the Olympic park and is funding The Slide, said: “This is a unique collaboration between two of the world’s leading artists and a major new art installation for London.” 

Olympic bosses hope the opening of The Slide will improve visitor numbers to the Orbit, which have been lower than expected.

Last year the London Assembly revealed the tower lost £10,000 a week in its first year after reopening in April 2014 following  the Olympics.

London weather: Saharan dust cloud warning as capital 'hotter than Ibiza'

Londoners have been warned to expect high levels of pollution on what could be the hottest day of the year so far.

Forecasters predicted that temperatures could soar to up to 19C (66.2F) in parts of the UK on Sunday, making it hotter than Barcelona and Ibiza.

But they also say the South East is likely to be hit by high pollution due to Saharan dust being swept in.

Officials warned of moderate to high air pollution as southerly winds bring in dust from the Saharan region.

Marco Petagna, from the Met Office, said parts the South East would see the highest levels of pollution.

"On Thursday, dust from the Sahara region was lifted up into the atmosphere", he said.

"At the moment, certainly across the south of the UK, we've got southerly winds that's allowed that dust to transport northwards towards the UK.

"And with outbreaks of rain developing at times over the next couple of days, some of that will get washed out of the atmosphere and give a slight deposit of dust on cars."

The pollution could pose a potential health risk to vulnerable groups.

At-risk individuals, including those with lung and heart problems, should "reduce strenuous physical exertion" if they are in an affected area, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said. 

Temperatures peaked at 15.8C (60.4F) in Holbeach, Lincolnshire, on Saturday, and are expected to rise to between 18C (64.4F) or 19C (66.2F) in the South East on Sunday.

Sophie Yeomans, from the Met Office, said average temperatures for early April were normally around 11C (51.8F) or 12C (53.6F), while this year's highest recorded temperature was 18.7C (65.6F) in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, in March.

"If we reach 19C that would make it the hottest day of the year," she said.

"But it's a bit of a mixed bag - in Scotland and Northern Ireland and further north, there is some rain around for most of the day. In Scotland and in the North, it will be fairly chilly and highs will only reach 11C.

"Further south, in England and Wales, it's mainly going to be sunny spells and patchy cloud. Western areas might just see some showers in the evening that will be quite heavy.

"The best of the weather is going to be in the South East."

The warmer climate is due to tropical continental air being brought into the UK through a change in wind direction.

But it will not last, with the Met Office warning that early next week will become "fairly unsettled" with heavy showers. Temperatures could still reach 17C (62.6F) in places.

Bookmakers were predicting the hottest day of the year this weekend, but seem sceptical that this April will be the hottest on record, only offering odds of 100/1.

Source ES

US embassy in London to become luxury hotel in £1bn revamp of Grosvenor Square

America’s “fortress” embassy in Mayfair is to be converted into a luxury hotel as part of a £1 billion restoration of Grosvenor Square, the Standard can reveal.

Ambassador Matthew Barzun and his team of diplomats move out of the Grade II-listed modernist block — one of the most heavily protected buildings in London —  to occupy a new home in Nine Elms next year.

It will be reborn as a 137-bedroom five-star hotel with a spa and ballroom for 1,000 guests, according to plans to be submitted to Westminster council next month

There will also be six high-end shops and five restaurants.

An artist's impression of the exterior of the hotel

The Qatari owners of the embassy have promised to demolish the intimidating rows of bollards and barriers put up after the 9/11 attacks and restore Grosvenor Square to its former status as an “open, expansive green space for residents and visitors to enjoy”.

Developer Qatari Diar  —  controlled by the Qatari Investment Authority sovereign wealth fund —  has called in British architect Sir David Chipperfield to draw up redevelopment plans.

A public exhibition on the scheme will run from April 11 to 16 at 24 Grosvenor Hill.

Jerry Holmes, chief development officer for Qatari Diar said: “We take our responsibility to the local community very seriously and are committed to 

undertaking an in-depth and thorough engagement with local residents, businesses, amenity societies, heritage bodies, Westminster City Council and other local stakeholders.”

America’s largest European embassy has served as its diplomatic mission in Britain since 1960 and been at the centre of protests against the US government, most famously 1968’s violent anti-Vietnam war demonstrations.

The move to Wandsworth will end a US association with Grosvenor Square that goes back more than 200 years to first envoy John Adams in 1785. 

Source ES 

London landmarks to light up in Belgian national colours to honour victims

The Belgian beamed onto landmarks across London to honour the victims of the Brussels attacks.

The National Gallery and the London Eye will light up in Belgium's national colours as London pays tribute to the dozens killed and hundreds injured in Tuesday’s bombings.

Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, the National Theatre and Wembley Stadium will also display the colours this evening.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The scenes in Belgium were truly appalling and it is important we pay tribute to the victims, as well as show our solidarity with the people of Brussels. 

“They have the sympathy of every Londoner and our thoughts will be with them as they do their best to recover from this despicable atrocity.”

The Brandenburg gate was illuminated in the black, yellow and red of the Belgian flag last night REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch

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Last night, landmarks across Europe including the Eiffel Tower, the Brandenburg Gate and the Trevi Fountain were illuminated in the aftermath of the bombings, which claimed at least 31 lives.

Two bombs were detonated at an airport and another blast went off on the city's metro system, leaving a further 270 people injured.

Jennette Arnold, chair of the London Assembly, said: “We must send a clear signal that atrocities like the events in Brussels yesterday will be not be tolerated.

“When London lights up its landmarks, we are condemning terror and mindless acts of violence and standing side by side with Belgians in their tragic hour.”

City Hall also announced that Trafalgar Square will host a vigil on Thursday from 6pm to 10pm, organised in partnership with the Belgian embassy. 

A 25-metre silk flag will be placed in the central staircase in the square.

Sponsor a square foot of Painted Room restoration at Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College

Londoners are being asked to help fund a multi-million-pound restoration of the Painted Room at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.

The hall, part of Greenwich’s Unesco World Heritage Site, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor and opened in 1694. It was decorated by Sir James Thornhill be-tween 1708 and 1727 and has been de-scribed as “Britain’s Sistine Chapel”.

“Britain’s Sistine Chapel”: the Painted Room at the Old Royal Naval College

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The Heritage Lottery Fund has provided £3 million and there have been gifts from private donors including The Sackler Trust.

However, the work needed on almost 40,000 square feet of paintings will cost about £8 million in total and the public are being encouraged to help by sponsoring a square foot.

The conservation work will be open to the public, with a temporary lift installed to enable access to scaffolding for tours. There are also plans for a new gallery and cafe.

Conservation director William Palin said the hall is one of “Britain’s greatest architectural and artistic treasures”. Work is set to begin in September and finish in early 2019.

For more information visit ornc.org

Bagpuss finds a new home in London

Children's TV favourite Bagpuss has found a new home at the V&A Museum of Childhood in London.

The pink and white striped cat, who starred in a 13-episode BBC series in 1974, has been put on display alongside The Clangers.

The five pink, long-nosed, mouse-like creatures, who lived on a small planet, starred in a self-titled show which launched on the BBC in 1969.

Bagpuss: Alice Sage, Curator at the V&A Museum of Childhood in east London with the original puppet Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Both Bagpuss and The Clangers were the creations of Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin, and filmed in a barn in rural Kent. 

Iconic: Alice Sage, Curator at the V&A Museum of Childhood in east London with two of the original Clanger puppets

The Clangers, Bagpuss & Co exhibition will showcase the work of Smallfilms, Firmin and Postgate's production company.

It opens to the public on Saturday at the V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green.

Pioneering 'social supermarkets' selling cheap food opening in London

Three new “social supermarkets” selling food stock cheaply to people on low incomes are set to open across London.

The supermarkets in Haringey, Enfield and Lambeth will sell in-date foods that would not be sold by big retailers for reasons such as incorrect packaging or over-production.

All the food will be in-date and would otherwise be sent to landfill. Services like employment help, budgeting tips and cookery lessons will also be offered.

The 'social supermarkets' will sell food which would otherwise be sent to landfill Rex

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The three new stores follow the success of the pilot supermarket which opened in Lambeth last year and has so far helped 520 households in south London.

Like the first, the new shops will receive funding from the Mayor of London’s High Street Fund as part of a £129 million investment in the capital’s high streets from Boris Johnson. 

On the stores, Mr Johnson said: “When I visited the Lambeth Community Shop last year, I was struck by the range of training and skills services, making it a hugely positive resource.

"This funding will help boroughs kick start similar ‘social supermarket’ ventures that can really help local people on tight budgets. I want to see more innovative schemes on our high streets that tackle food waste, help communities and offer access to a variety of good standard cheaper food.”