AboutLondon Laura – May 2024 Newsletter

When I was in Finland one winter, the locals told me they don’t consider spring to start before May. That way they are not disappointed. So, that’s something for us all to remember next April when we feel a bit hard done by with the chilly weather.

Did you try any of my recommendations from last month? I saw the RIBA exhibition which was worth the trip as the cafe is decent too (although not ‘service with a smile’.) And I spent time admiring Flaming June at the Royal Academy. It really is one of my favourite paintings. I thought it could benefit from better lighting to admire it more. But there is a seat nearby and you can gaze upon this joy for free.

Bagels Update

Thank you for the bagel recommendations after I discussed my current London faves last month.

I tried Papo’s Bagels in Hackney which specialises in New York-style bagels. The chive ‘schmear’ was a hit with the teen. Not a term we use often in the UK so I’ll explain that it’s a Yiddish word used in the US for the cream cheese used in bagels. And the ‘everything’ bagel was good (it has onion and garlic seasoning, sea salt, sesame and poppy seeds).

But, I still prefer the plain bagels from Beigel Bake Brick Lane Bakery (the white one at 159 Brick Lane). I’m hearing strong rumours that Beigel Shop (the yellow one at 155 Brick Lane) isn’t going to reopen. Does anyone know if this is true?

Day Trips From London

As we all fully emerge from winter hibernation, I know many are thinking about days out exploring. I’ve just been on a day trip to Manningtree which is a small but pretty town in Essex. I found an amazing treasure trove and saw a unique building nearby.

National Trust sites are often a good choice and I can recommend Knole and Scotney Castle. Both are in Kent so good for the south Londoners. I wrote about my favourite Kent beaches a few years ago so you could combine a day out with culture and the seaside.

West Londoners can enjoy Henley-on-Thames or any of The Chilterns. And north Londoners might like to consider Oxford or Suffolk.

Do you have a favourite day trip from London?

What’s Happening This Month?

Opening on 2 May, the British Museum has Michelangelo Last Decades looking at the last 30 years of the artist’s remarkable life. This was when his return to Rome brought him new commissions, including the monumental Last Judgment fresco, and marked the beginning of a dramatic new chapter.

The Charles Dickens Museum has a new family-friendly exhibition. Faithful Companions: Charles Dickens & his Pets opens on 15 May. Throwing the spotlight on the dogs, ravens, goldfinches and cats who shared houseroom with the Dickens family, as well as Dickens’s horses and the animals that became characters in stories such as Oliver Twist, Bleak House and Barnaby Rudge.

The National Gallery is celebrating its 200th birthday this month. The NG200 weekend’s fun starts on Friday 10 May. And even if you can’t get there during the day to go inside, the outside projected light show should be fantastic.

Now You See Us – Women Artists in Britain 1520–1920 is the next Tate Britain exhibition continuing the Tate’s focus on more female artists today and throughout history. Spanning 400 years from Tudor times to the First World War, this follows women on their journeys to becoming professional artists challenging what it meant to be a working woman of the time by going against society’s expectations.

The now-renamed King’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace has Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography from 17 May. It charts the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 150 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives.

At The Courtauld Gallery, Vanessa Bell: A Pioneer of Modern Art opens on 25 May. Bell (1879–1961) was one of the leading artists associated with the Bloomsbury Group, the avant-garde group of artists, writers and philosophers who pioneered literary and artistic modernism in Britain at the beginning of the 20th century.

And the Paddington Bear Experience is opening at County Hall on 31 May. It’s a new interactive experience that will feature a large-scale, multi-sensory adventure, we’re told. The retail store, inspired by Mr Gruber's marvellous antique shop, is already open.

So there you have it. Lots of reasons to be out and about in May. Enjoy!