To celebrate what would have been artist Eva Gonzales’s 177th birthday, the National Gallery has just picked up a stunning work by the French impressionist called ‘La Psyché’.  In the beautifully composed painting, a woman – the artist’s sister Jeanne – stands with her back to the viewer, a red flower in her hand as she gazes into a mirror. The setting is drab, dour, grey and brown, the whole painting is almost monochrome. This kind of gloomy interior setting was a common theme among the female impressionists, who weren’t able to paint outside with the freedom of the men. Instead, they d ..read more

Fancy yourself a bit of a runner? The London Marathon is one of the biggest sporting events of the calendar, boasting 50,000 runners and millions of pounds raised for worthy causes each year. It’s not as simple as just lacing up your trainers and showing up on the day, though. Not only will you need serious preparation, but you’ll also have to be allocated an official place via a competitive ballot system.  Do you think you have what it takes? Here’s everything you need to know about entering the London Marathon 2025.  How to enter the 2025 London Marathon To secure your spot in nex ..read more

The London marathon happens (pretty much) every year, but somehow that doesn’t stop it coming as a huge surprise to even the most seasoned city-dwellers. So if you’re not already clued up, please be warned that this Sunday April 21, you’ll find 48,000 sweat-drenched runners stampeding through the city, trailing cheering fans, road closures, traffic restrictions in their wake. If your weekend plans involve a pleasant stroll through Blackheath, motoring over Tower Bridge, or picnicking in St James’ Park, please read on. Knowledge is power.  RECOMMENDED: Here’s the full guide to t ..read more

Not sure if you’d heard, but there’s quite a big race happening in London at the weekend. Big enough for the city to be brought to a sort-of-standstill and for your office manager to send out email after email reminding you to sponsor those very fit colleagues of yours. It’s even big enough for your mate to excuse themselves from your birthday pints on Saturday night. Must be pretty big, then. We are – of course – talking about the 2024 London Marathon, which will see around 48,000 people chuck on their trainers and run a hefty 26.2 miles this ..read more

After months of training, on Sunday (April 21), 50,000 runners will descend on the streets of central London as they attempt to smash their PBs and make it to the end of the London Marathon. The 26.2-mile endurance test will break some; others will triumph. But all can reap the rewards of the free offers being doled out to those brave enough to even try.  There’s a whole heap of goodies to make the most of, from things to help with your recovery to food to refuel on after you’ve pounded your way along the route. There’s even stuff up for grabs for those heading down to cheer those doing ..read more

A new survey has proved what we knew already; the most popular food markets in the UK are (mostly) all in London! The winner, by a rather long way, was Borough Market, the jewel in London's foodie crown, with Broadway Market in east London and Seven Dials Market – a food court in Covent Garden – taking second and third spots. The info comes from business banking company Capital on Tap, who have done some research into 50 food markets across the UK and looked at the cold, hard data, from Google search volume to the amount of TikTok and Instagram posts about each location to ..read more

Fancy yourself a bit of a vinyl junkie? Reckon that real DJs don’t need a subscription to Serato? Then you’ll probably already know that this Saturday (April 20) marks the return of Record Store Day.  Founded in 2007 in the early days of the vinyl revival, the annual celebration of indie record stores has since become a key fixture in any crate digger’s calendar, with thousands of stores across the globe participating. This includes many of London’s 50-odd independent record shops, where you can pick up limited-edition releases from the likes of Blur, Olivia Dean, Young Fathers, Sin ..read more

What’s the most you would pay for a cup of coffee? For most people, it wouldn’t be upwards of £5, and it would have to be a really good one. But one London spot is asking people to shell out more than £200 for just one cup of joe. That’s right, speciality coffee bar Shot is selling a brew for an eye-watering £265. It’s Britain’s most expensive coffee.  This is no ordinary espresso. Shot sources the extortionate blend from Okinawa, an island in Japan. The beans are of the Japanese typica variety, and have been in production on the island since 2015.  On the menu, Shot descr ..read more

Remember the days when you could stroll down Chapel Market, pick up your groceries, cop a big packet of batteries and finish the day off taking a picture with a monkey? Us too. But once a lively and dependable bazaar, the old-school market in Angel is struggling at the moment.  According to traders, Chapel Market is ‘slowly dying’, and it needs more shoppers to help keep it alive.  Despite a £1.6 million investment from Islington Council, sellers on the market say it was a ‘waste of money’ and has failed to ‘future proof’ the destination. Traders claim the council’s c ..read more

In a city like London, you’re never too far from some form of luxury. Palaces, boutiques, fine dining, or hotels. And in some, special cases, a mix of all four under one roof. AFAR Magazine recently named their favourite new hotels in the world, and out of the thirty-three mentioned, two are right here in London. The magazine relies on discerning writers with refined, global tastes to choose the best of the best. And this year, their top picks are west London’s Raffles London at the Old War Office Building and The Peninsula (London) in Belgravia. This is Raffles’ first hotel in Britain, and t ..read more