Londonist Out Loud a podcast for London news, views, and oddities from London, UK. Presented by N Quentin Woolf. (free on iTunes/www.londonist.com)

Welcome to the latest episode of Londonist Out Loud, a podcast about London.

News and Views
Londonist Out Loud is presented and produced by N Quentin Woolf. This week’s show comes from the unusual environment of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park near Mile End tube station.

His guests this week are:

Londonist Out Loud: A Podcast For London, 31 January 2012 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Londonist Out Loud a podcast for London news, views, and oddities from London, UK. Presented by N Quentin Woolf. (free on iTunes/www.londonist.com)

Welcome to the latest episode of Londonist Out Loud, a podcast about London.

News and Views
Londonist Out Loud is presented and produced by N Quentin Woolf. This week’s show comes from The Star cafe in Soho.

His guests this week are:

• Peter Berthoud, Westminster tour guide and blogger at Discovering London
• Jo Moncrieff, Westminster tour guide
• Julia Forte, proprietor of The Star, and owner of the London Peculiar website

The guests discuss recent London news and features including Crossrail developments, the noses of Soho, London’s worst Tube stations, police spending on the Speaking Clock, the ‘Boris Island’ Thames airport proposals, new libraries for London, trouble with the English Defence League, as well as far more London trivia than is probably good for you.

What’s On In London
NQW rounds up the best new exhibitions and shows opening over the coming week.

Remember, you can subscribe to Londonist Out Loud via iTunes or RSS.

Sponsored by Open Pen. Interested in sponsoring this podcast? Contact us on hello@londonist.com for more details.

Londonist Out Loud: A Podcast For London, 23 January 2012 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Ever wanted to explore the rainforest or travel back in time and try your fists at a joust? Well, now you can do both thanks to London’s themed restaurants designed to fill your family’s stomachs and your dreams!

The Rainforest Café is a tropical hideaway in London’s West End and the capitals largest family restaurant. The spectacular restaurant recreates the sights and sounds of the rainforest with the help of stunning special effects such as thunder and lightening storms, tropical rain showers and cascading waterfalls. The Rainforest Cafe is also home to a cast of astounding, lifelike, animated inhabitants including chattering gorillas, a menacing tree-bound jaguar, trumpeting elephants, a life-like crocodile and fluttering butterflies. So Dad’s be prepared for some competition, you may be sharing your table with the King of the jungle!

The menu is wild and wonderful, with all of its dishes inspired by critters. Kids can get suck into a Flying Dragon Pizza or Snappy Salmon Fishcakes and Mum’s, the Lava Nachos are for you! And when you’ve finished, why not try a Sparkling Volcano? A mountain of ice cream and brownies and sauce – it’s a feeding frenzy!

As you leave the forest you’ll pass through the retail village where you’ll discover life-size snakes hanging from the canopy’s branches and hear Tracy Tree telling stories about the world’s rainforests. By the time you leave you will have discovered a new found love for creepy crawlies but more importantly, a greater understanding of how to protect them (Rainforest Café cannot accept responsibility for children leaving with a long list of pets they’d like to bring home!) .

If a mouthful of marshmallow maggots doesn’t fill the kids up, head down to St. Katherines Dock and Join Henry VIII and his court of knights, troubadours, contortionists, magicians, jugglers, minstrels and medieval tumblers at Medieval Banquet, where you can enjoy a four course feast with ale and wine brought to your table throughout the meal by dancing wenches.

Designed for families with slightly older children, this is the true meaning of a dining experience, and you don’t need to be a history buff to benefit from the scene. The restaurant is designed so that everyone can enjoy the magical medieval atmosphere!

The banquet is freshly prepared, serving cold and warm meats, vegetables and a seasonal fruit tart. Music is drawn from the Medieval and Renaissance courts and will be played into the early hours so when you’ve stuffed your stomach you are welcome to get up and dance the night away!

So whether your little ones love to explore or are want to get hands on with history, both of these restaurants offer a night to remember, and you won’t need to cook for a week!

Themed Restaurants in London For Adventurous Appetites is a post from: Anglotopia.net

For those visiting from abroad, the British obsession with pets and all things furry can come as a bit of a surprise. Most countries, particularly those in the Western part of the world, keep pets. Dogs have been domesticated since early times. We know that the Egyptians saw cats as important members of the society and eventually were even worshipped. So, given that the obsession with small, furry little four-legged creatures is nothing new, why have the British become so famous for taking this furry obsession to the next level?

Pet Clothing

The British Pet Clothing industry is ever-growing. From dog coats, to pajamas, hoodies, boots, t-shirts, tracksuits, bathrobes and world cup football strips – there’s an outfit for every occasion when you’re a British dog. Now, Britain isn’t the only country that likes to dress its pets up – the U.S. and Canada are guilty of it as well and I dare say if it was cooler down under, the Aussies would make the charts as well. That said, I know few other countries that have ‘seasonal trends’ for pet clothing. Then again, New York does have Pet Fashion Week. However the UK at least equals that with shows like ‘Pet a Porter’ which takes place at Harrods each year.

But annual pet shows aren’t enough to satisfy the public’s need for all-things-pet. According to the Daily Mail, the Harrod’s pet department is roughly four times the sizes of a tennis court and includes doggie gifts such as a £300 “Swarovski crystal-studded flexi-lead”. One customer is reported to have spent £800 on her pet in a single shopping spree. There seems to be no limit on the things British pet owners will buy.

PetCations

Kennels have been on the way out for a long time now. British pet owners feel that sending their pet to a kennel or cattery whilst they’re away is akin to sending them to prison. Many feel that they can’t enjoy their holiday, knowing that their pet may not be enjoying theirs.
For many years the concept of a house or pet sitter has lurked in the background, although this was typically dominated by old-fashioned agencies. Thanks to the growth of the internet however, the pet sitting industry has seen explosive growth in the UK as more and more people grow concerned over the quality of kennels and their own pet’s wellbeing.

James & Jemma who run their own pet sitting business, the house sitting couple, expect the trend to continue. “We’ve seen a huge demand for pet sitting over the past few years and I think as more and more people become aware of it, this will only increase. Kennels are on the out and pet owners are increasingly thinking about their pet’s holiday experience as well as their own. Most importantly, in today’s financial climate, few people can afford the cost of a kennel or cattery, especially if they have more than one pet.

The internet has spawned house and pet sitting communities where people pet sit for free, or comparatively very little, in return for free accommodation and we expect this to be a big trend in the coming years.

But even pet sitting is competing against new trends within the pet market. Luxury dog hotels such as The Grove are popping up, along with doggie retreat spas, country clubs, although these last two are still seen as slightly O.T.T. by many pet owners.

Christmas Shopping

But although many of the pet owners denouncing luxury pet hotels and resorts will do so for financial reasons, that hasn’t stopped the British public shelling out on their pets over Christmas. According to a study by Which? Magazine, the pecking order goes children, partners, pets and in-laws with pets expecting around £16 worth of presents waiting for him under the tree. Although this figure will amount to several hundred million, it’s perhaps not as excessive as the Kiwis who spend more on their dogs than on their partners.

Getting Buried With Pets

The final nail in the coffin, so to speak, has to be getting buried with your pet, where the UK has seen a dramatic demand for this service. Penny Lally who runs pet crematorium, Penwith Woodland Burial Place has been allowing joint graves for pets and pet owners since 2003 and already has a backlog of more than 100 customers wanting to be buried with their pets.

The service is still quite new, with the first joint burial having happened just in 1995, and although it’s unlikely to ever trump the might of the British pet clothing industry, it still shows promising signs of growth.

Britain’s obsession with pets is one that many visitors to the UK find quirky to say the least, but loving your pet is a core part of being British and understanding this quirk is a vital part of understanding what makes British people tick.

Guest Post: Puppy Love: Cute or another Quirky British Obsession? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A British man has built his own rocket back in his back yard. Awesome.

Weird Britain: Brit Builds his Own Rocket Pack in his Back Yard is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The met office records some of the UK’s most extreme weather patterns. Here are a few that hold the current weather records.

Brought to you by Confused.com – Find cheap car insurance in minutes.

The UK’s most extreme weather events – Infographic is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Scotland’s National Museum of Costume’s exhibition for 2012 will be Off the Peg: Fashion from the ’40s and ’50s.

The exhibition will centre around designs produced by Horrockses Fashions Ltd, one of the most well-respected off-the-peg labels of the 1940s and 1950s. Horrockses gained a reputation for practicality and glamour combined with easy-care fabrics. They produced evening gowns, day dresses, beach clothes and housecoats in bold innovative prints.

Horrockses Fashions were sold in most of the cities and towns in Britain. They were backed by successful advertising campaigns and it is said that the young Queen Elizabeth was a fan of the designs. The garments in the exhibition are on loan from private lenders and the exhibition is organised by the Fashion and Textile Museum, London.

Scotland’s National Museum of Costume showcases fashion trends from the 1850s to the 1950s. The museum is in a Victorian country house 11km (7 miles) south of Dumfries on the A710, on route 7 of the National Cycle Network.
It is open daily 10am–5pm Apr–Oct (closed Nov–Mar), admission £4.50 adults, £3.50 concessions, £2 children (under-5s free), £11 family ticket. Off the Peg: Fashion from the ’40s and ‘50s runs from 1 April to 31 October.

National Museum of Costume. Shambellie House New Abbey, Dumfries DG2 8HQ Scotland
Tel: +44 300 123 6789
Website: www.nms.ac.uk
Facebook: National Museums Scotland
Twitter: @NtlMuseumsScot
Flickr: National Museum of Costume
Blog: The Feast Bowl

Forties and Fifties fashions on show at Scotland’s National Museum of Costume in April is a post from: Anglotopia.net

There’s a fun website called How it Should Have Ended that takes gaping plot holes from popular movies and re-imagines their endings based on fixing them.

In this video they present how Harry Potter should have ended and it really makes a lot of sense!

Source.

Hilarious Video: How Harry Potter Should Have Ended is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Liam Fisher has produced this article on behalf of vroomvroomvroom.co.uk, a car hire service operating in the UK.

Whether it’s the chance to gawp at supercars, marvel at automobiles from days gone by, or just enjoy a fun auto festival for the whole family, there is sure to be something that will meet your needs when visiting the UK. Car shows are a popular pastime in Britain and attending one is an excellent way to see some incredible cars and displays whilst on vacation.

Starting off with Silverstone, the home of British Motor Racing, there is of course the British Formula One GP, taking place every July. There are also several other events at the track throughout the year, such as TRAX, a performance car event taking place in September, featuring both a Live Action and Motorsport Zone, incredible stunt driving performances, and racing displays from a number of different teams.

Other performance car shows worth checking out include; Japfest, Europe’s largest Japanese supercar festival, held every May at the Castle Combe Circuit, and the huge Autosport International Racing Car Show held every January at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham. There are also many great shows put on at the Santapod Raceway, the most popular drag racing track in Europe. There are some really fun events being run here this year, including Big Bang, a festival for Volkswagen enthusiasts taking place over the last weekend of April. The event will feature music, racing and lots of VW Camper Vans. There are many other events taking place at Santapod, including festivals based around Japanese cars, street cars and stunt shows. You may also be interested in Shakespeare, York, and Rockingham Raceways as they also put on fun events year round.

If all this is a bit too racy, there are a huge number of vintage car shows taking place in the UK this year. There are some excellent ones run in the spectacular grounds of Blenheim Palace. In July there will be a Mini and VW show, as well as a pre 1950s American car show, and in August the Oxfordshire Classic Car Show takes place there. If you are in London in June, you should attend The Bromley Pageant. It is the world’s biggest one day classic car show, with 3,000 exhibitors. There are also several vintage car/air shows over the course of the year, such as the Waddington Airshow (July) and the Little Granden Show (August). Also worth attending is the Classic Motor Show at the NEC, the biggest classic car expo in the UK (mid-November).

There are a few interesting festivals being run at Brands Hatch, such as the Lotus Festival, in August, with lots of races and demonstrations from Lotus racing teams. However, the biggest car festival of the summer is without a doubt The Goodwood Festival of Speed, a three day festival from 28th June-1st July. Managing to attract a huge 181,000 people last year, it is billed as the world’s largest motoring garden party, featuring a moving motor show, forest rally stage and a 1.2 mile hill climb, graced by a whole host of breathtaking automobiles. The Kop Hill Climb, taking place in September, is another hill climbing car meet with a big following.

Last but not least, the National Motor Museum, near Southampton, has some great events lined up, including, The Custom Hot Rod Festival in June. At the festival there will be music stands, demonstrations, camping facilities and a very reasonable entry price.

Given the wealth of options available, the only question left is, how are you going to fit it all in?

Resources:

Silverstone: http://www.silverstone.co.uk/events/2012-Formula-1-Santander-British-Grand-Prix

http://www.traxshows.co.uk/

Japfest: http://www.japfest.co.uk/

Autosport International: http://www.autosportinternational.com/

Big Bang: http://www.big-bang.co.uk/index.htm

Santapod: http://www.santapod.co.uk/

Stuntfest: http://www.stuntfest.co.uk/index.htm

Blenheim Palace: http://www.blenheimpalace.com/whats-on/events

Bromley Pageant: http://www.bromleypageant.co.uk/

Waddington: http://www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk/classic-car-exhibition

Little Granden: http://www.littlegransdenshow.co.uk/

Goodwood Festival of Speed: http://www.goodwood.co.uk/festival-of-speed/welcome.aspx

NEC Classic Car Show: http://www.necclassicmotorshow.com/

National Motor Museum: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk/attractions/national-motor-museum

Kop Hill Climb: http://www.kophillclimb.org.uk/

Guest Post: Car Festivals in the UK is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The UK’s largest exhibition of contemporary stone sculpture will be held this summer in the Jacobean house and landscaped gardens of Asthall Manor in the Cotswolds.

On Form is a celebration of stone sculpture and will present the work of 28 of the most accomplished sculptors working today. Featured artists at this biennial exhibition will include Bridget McCrum, Matthew Spender and Emily Young. An events programme will offer painting workshops, geology talks, poetry, theatre and artists’ talks.

Asthall Manor overlooks the Windrush Valley and dates from the early 17th century. In 1919 the manor was bought by Lord Redesdale, father of the Mitford sisters. Nancy Mitford’s fictional Alconleigh in The Pursuit of Love is based on Asthall Manor, as well as the Redesdales’ other houses.

A flat above the Manor House’s Ballroom will soon be available for short-term lets for up to five people. These are the rooms where the older Mitford children – Nancy, Pamela, Diana and Tom – stayed when the family lived at Asthall. The murals in the main bedroom are by Nancy Mitford.

On Form runs from 17 June to 15 July, Wednesdays–Sundays noon–6pm, admission (including catalogue) £7.50 adults, £6 concessions, under-12s free.

Asthall Manor, Burford, Oxfordshire OX18 4HW
Tel: +44 1993 824319
Website: www.onformsculpture.co.uk

Sculpture Exhibition at a manor house in the Coltswolds is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Five important Monet paintings of water lilies will be brought together for a major exhibition at Tate Liverpool this June. Two of the pictures have never before been shown in Britain.

Tate Liverpool’s new exhibition, Turner Monet Twombly: Later Paintings, brings together more than 60 later works of three prolific artists, J.M.W Turner (1775-1851), Claude Monet (1840-1926) and Cy Twombly (1928-2011).

All three artists were considered radical painters in their time and the exhibition will explore their similarities in style, subject and artistic motivation. They were all concerned with mortality in their later work. The five Monet water lily paintings display an interest in water and reflection which he shared with Turner, as a response to both his personal grief and devastating world events.

Jeremy Lewison, curator of the exhibition, says: ‘The water lily paintings mark the crowning moment of Monet’s career and are among the most recognised of his paintings. To have five major examples in an exhibition is incredibly rare. Painted against the backdrop of the First World War, they represent an oasis of calm while all hell was breaking loose around him. For Monet these paintings assuaged his sense of personal grief. Mourning and loss are key themes in this exhibition for all three artists.’

Tate Liverpool is open daily 10am–6pm, admission free. Turner Monet Twombly: Later Paintings runs from 22 June to 28 October, admission £12/£9.

Tate Liverpool, Albert Dock, Liverpool L3 4BB
Tel: +44 151 702 7400
Website: www.tate.org.uk/liverpool
Facebook: Tate Liverpool
Twitter: @tateliverpool
YouTube: Tate
Flickr: Tate Gallery

Monet, Turner and Twombly united at the Tate Liverpool is a post from: Anglotopia.net

From the beginning, the unexpected has pervaded the 60-year reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

As a child, “Lilibet” and her younger sister Margaret were groomed for a life considered ordinary by royal standards. However, at the age of 10, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor’s future as Defender of the Faith was sealed when her father took the throne in an unforeseen turn of events.

It would be the first of many detours along the royal road ahead.

In honor of her Diamond Jubilee, which this year celebrates six decades of her rule, here are Queen Elizabeth’s Top 10 Royal Moments:

1. The Abdication of King Edward VIII

When Elizabeth’s grandfather King George V died in 1936, the crown passed to her uncle King Edward VIII.

However, Edward refused to forsake plans to marry the twice-divorced American Wallis Simpson, opting instead to abdicate the throne less than a year after his father’s death.

The switch propelled her father, George VI, to the throne and altered Elizabeth’s life forever. Suddenly the 10-year-old girl was reading the latest political news and absorbing lessons on British government.

Here’s a video of his historic speech:

2. Accession to the Throne

On Feb. 6, 1952, while on a trip to Kenya with her husband, Prince Philip, Elizabeth learned her father had died and she had inherited the crown at the age of 25. She immediately returned to Britain as quickly as possible.

Thrust into the global spotlight, Elizabeth was named Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year – 1952.

Here’s a historical video all bout her Accession Day:

3. Coronation

Elizabeth’s coronation as Queen at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953 was the first coronation broadcast on television.

The more than 8,000 guests, including prime ministers and other heads of state from throughout the Commonwealth, witnessed the Archbishop of Canterbury place the crown on her head.

In a radio broadcast marking the occasion, the Queen said, “throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.”

4. Silver Jubilee – 1977

More than one million people gathered along the streets of London to watch the Royal Family, led by the Queen and Prince Philip in the golden state coach, on its way to St. Paul’s at the launch of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebrations.

“I want to thank all those in Britain and the Commonwealth who, through their loyalty and friendship, have given me strength and encouragement during these last 25 years,” said the Queen at the time.

5. “Annus Horribilis”

In a speech given Nov. 24, 1992 to mark the 40th anniversary of her accession, the Queen referred to 1992 as her “annus horribilis,” or horrible year.

It was, after all, the year her sons Prince Charles and Andrew, the Duke of York separated from their wives, Diana and Sarah, respectively; daughter Princess Anne divorced; and a fire destroyed a portion of Windsor Castle.

During that speech, Elizabeth said, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. … I sometimes wonder how future generations will judge the events of this tumultuous year. I dare say that history will take a slightly more moderate view than that of some contemporary commentators.”

6. Death of Diana, Princess of Wales

When Diana, former wife of Prince Charles, died following a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, members of the Royal Family were depicted as unemotional and lacking in compassion for not displaying grief publicly.

The Queen subsequently broke convention by bowing to Diana’s coffin as it passed Buckingham Palace during the funeral procession and paid tribute to Diana during a live television broadcast on Sept. 9, 1997, thereby ending criticism from the tabloids.

During her speech, Elizabeth said, “Since last Sunday’s dreadful news, we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana’s death. We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in the last few days. So what I say to you now, as your queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart. First I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.”

7. The Deaths of Princess Margaret and the Queen Mother

In 2002, the Queen lost her sister and only sibling, Princess Margaret, and her mother, the Queen Mother.

Margaret died Feb. 9. In a statement from the Palace, the Queen announced her death “with great sadness.”

The Queen Mother died the following month on March 30 at the age of 101 with Elizabeth at her bedside.

8. Reception for Charles and Camilla

Despite her well-known disapproval of their relationship, the Queen held a reception at Windsor Castle in honor of the April 9, 2005 marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles. She and Philip did not attend the civil wedding ceremony.

The marriage was said to have been the culmination of the long and controversial relationship of Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.

9. Advising Prince William on his Wedding

The Queen assisted her grandson in planning his April 29, 2011 wedding to Kate Middleton.

Not only did Elizabeth advise William regarding what to wear (his Irish Guards uniform), she helped shape the guest list for the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. “I rang her up and said ‘Do we need to be doing this?’ ” he said in an article printed in The Daily Mail. “And she said, ‘No. Start with your friends first and then go from there.’ And she told me to bin the list.”

10. Farewell Tour, Visit to Ireland

Last year, at the age of 85, the Queen embarked on what many referred to as her “Farewell Tour” of the Australia, her 16th visit to the continent.

She also became the first monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland since it gained independence in the 1920s. The historic four-day visit was conducted in May.

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Leeann Neal. LeeAnn is an Oregon coast freelance writer and journalist. Her grandmother, whose own grandparents moved to the United States from London in the 1800s, was a staunch Anglophile who insisted on passing on the ritual of afternoon tea, and who made Yorkshire pudding from scratch each Christmas.

What’s your favorite moment of the Queen’s 60 year reign? Let us know in the comments!

Diamond Jubilee: The Queen’s Top 10 Royal Moments of Her 60 Year Reign is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Buying a home for the first time is one of the biggest financial commitments you’ll make in your life. However, when once it was easy for first time buyers to get their foot on the ladder, with the current economic slump for many of us that first buy seems a long way off. But this isn’t time to despair. With the right advice and information, you could be moving house into your own home in no time.

Here we’ve got a few tips to start you on your way:

Government funded schemes

It’s important to make sure you check out the Government backed affordable homes schemes which enable first time buyers to step on the ladder with a much smaller deposit than that which is required in the open market. This will give you the opportunity to buy the property outright eventually, with the rent you pay on the non-owned portion usually being less than your mortgage. In today’s economic climate this is one of the best ways to get into the market and one that shouldn’t be ignored.

Ensure you get an agreement in principle

If you make sure you get an ‘agreement in principle’ from a lender before you start your property hunt, it will give you an idea of how much you can actually borrow. The way things are at the moment this is especially important as lenders are requiring much bigger deposits than before (around 25%). This will also help you as vendors are much more likely to take you seriously. All too often property chains break due to people pulling out following a failure to raise the required finance. It’s often expected you have this in place when you start looking – the estate agent will ask.

Set a budget and stick to it

This is a simple piece of advice, but arguably the most vital you’ll ever hear when looking for your first home. You may have your heart set on a specific property, and be willing to go over budget to get it. If you start thinking it’s only another few thousand pounds, where will this end? Remember you have to think about all the other costs involved with buying a house like legal fees or Stamp Duty Land Tax. Going over budget by just a few thousand on the actual asking price could have severe financial implications. If you’re serious about getting on the property ladder, get it right.

Think about your credit score and plan ahead

Most lenders will run a credit check on your to understand whether or not you are able to handle credit. Before you apply for a mortgage, it’s therefore important to think about your current credit score. Think about factors that can affect this. Don’t go overdrawn unless you have a planned overdraft and then don’t exceed it. Make sure you make all your rent payments on time, and if you don’t have a credit card, you should consider getting one to help boost your rating.

Guest Post: Top tips for getting your foot on the property ladder in Britain is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Making a biopic about Margaret Thatcher is not an easy thing to do. She’s not a sparkling conversationalist, she’s not overly witty, and she’s not electric in personality. However she is one of the most significant women of the last century and remains England’s first and only female Prime Minister. She is a woman who, while in office,  caused as much controversy as she gained accolades.

Thatcher is the subject of a new biopic, ‘The Iron Lady.’ In the film Meryl Streep plays Thatcher in her older years with Alexandra Roach portraying her in her formative years. Jim Broadbent co-stars as Denis Thatcher. Richard E. Grant and Anthony Head also appear in the film.

Encapsulating the entire life of someone as significant as Ms. Thatcher is no easy task. She is a daunting figure who even today casts a shadow over the office of Prime Minister. Nonetheless this is what ‘The Iron Lady’ sets out to do. Using flashbacks the movie establishes early on that Ms.Thatcher was a potent political leader who came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to stand side by side with other leaders in a male dominated world.

History shows us that Margaret Thatcher was a woman who, when she set out to do something, got it done. Her Achilles heel however that was she often didn’t play well with others. As she rose to power in the Conservative Party she stepped on a lot of egos and spewed a lot of venom at some of the most respected people in Britain. Streep brings this out in her performance with rich detail, upending tranquil scenes with sudden bursts of rage and anger. She also does a magnificent job of bringing the inner turmoil that Maggie suffered all her political life; being a woman in a man’s game.

In fact it is this that haunts Thatcher and makes he lust for power so intense. As Thatcher, Streep perfectly mimics her voice, mannerisms and vocal pitch. It is a striking proposition to play her and Streep undertakes this fearlessly.

Alexandra Roach has it somewhat easier. Her younger Thatcher, although fighting early on for a political seat, is far more endearing and naive. The film’s few tender moments come when she and a younger Denis (Harry Lloyd) meet, court and fall in love.  Roach sets the groundwork for what is to come and allows Streep to roam free in the role later on. Thatcher’s early years in politics were not easy and Roach’s performance reflects her ambition, drive and determination to be seen as more than a grocer’s daughter. She too has taken a dauntless role and made it her own.

Broadbent is superb. He gives the film a breath of air when things get intense. He also holds his own with Streep onscreen as she hustles and bustles boisterously from crisis to crisis. Broadbent, although appearing mostly as an illusion of Thatcher’s dementia throughout most of the film, gives Denis a life, albeit one that is subservient to his wife’s insatiable desire for adoration and power.

Olivia Colman plays Carol Thatcher, Maggie’s daughter who watches helplessly as her mother moves from the worlds of the past and present without any differentiation. It’s not easy being the daughter of one of the most controversial figures in the world and Colman brings this out in the role. She brings a sense of angst as a daughter caring for a mother who is in mourning and suffering from dementia.

The film is set over three days in Thatcher’s life following the death of her husband. Over this period Lady Thatcher, suffering from dementia, recalls her life. It is not obvious at first, but her dementia is profound. She struggles to control herself and oftentimes finds herself speaking to her dead husband. Flashbacks and archival footage tell the story of her ascension and decline from power as well as her life out of office. These flashbacks chronicle her rise from obscurity to her rise through the House of Commons and eventual leadership of The Conservative Party. This is where Streep really takes the reigns of the role and runs with it. As Thatcher becomes PM and leads Britain into the Falklands War she intensifies her performance. She perfectly nails Thatcher’s cold ambivalence to labor strikes, youth protests and the antiwar movement.

Streep skillfully recreates the cold and calculating Thatcher that got things done her way and balances that with a woman, who late in life, struggles with getting a grip on reality and being an ordinary citizen. This careful balancing act enables her to bring a sense of tragic melancholy to the elderly Thatcher who clearly remains bitter, angry and lost after leaving office.

During Thatcher’s rule she faced several crisis situations. The UK’s youth culture and union workers protested and criticized her ever move. The riots they caused were profoundly demonstrative in illustrating how divided she often made her nation’s citizens over her policies. As Prime Minister she was not always popular. She was one of the most controversial leaders of the 1980s who oversaw a period of economic malaise, went toe to toe with the IRA, and went to war over the Falklands. She also  staunchly supported American interests in the Cold War by allying Britain closely with Ronald Reagen’s United States, another move that enraged her colleagues and most vocal opponents.

When Meryl Streep takes a part she inhabits every fiber of that character. Here she completely transforms herself into Ms. Thatcher. The tone, inflections and mannerisms are pitch perfect and thus the audience completely forgets they are watching an actress.  Thatcher is not an easy person to like and Streep gets it right by not trying to make more out of her then she is. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that Thatcher is often very cold and domineering . Yet her version of the PM is tinged with a sense of loss over the death of her husband and frustration over how she left office.

Although The Iron Lady is one of Streep’s triumphs as an actress, the film itself  misses its mark. The pacing is off and the audience is left to wonder somewhat as they attempt to discern what Maggie perceives as real or imaginary. The  ensemble is terrific but suffers from a script that drags a bit in places as it struggles to make Thatcher interesting and compelling. The fact is that  it is hard to make one of the world’s most unlikable political figures interesting to a wide audience.

Director Phyllida Lloyd
 adeptly chronicles her life and political rise by, at times, presenting the film like a stage production with closed in sets, tight dialogue and powerful acting. By staging the film in this way she manages to make this daughter of a shop owner watchable. It also creates a natural spatial tension that enhances the scenes where Thatcher is at combat with her rivals. Lloyd also takes advantage of some great locales for filming. Being able to film inside some of the most powerful places in the British government lends a lot to the production. It is a cinematic treat. The costumes and sets are also great.

She also knows enough to let Streep go out on her own and inhibit the character without interference. With Roach she lets a young actress find her way with the part, resulting in a breakthrough performance.

‘The Iron Lady’ is a film held together by Meryl Streep. The supporting cast is also quite good, however there is something flat about the film that makes it difficult to connect with. It could be that even on screen Thatcher is not easy to warm up to. Another problem is that this movie is over ambitious in trying to deliver a complete picture of someone as complex as Margaret Thatcher. The film is unapologetic of her flaws and characteristics and doesn’t try to rewrite history. Nonetheless it somehow misses  capturing her many complexities which is probably impossible to do in a feature film.

This evasive, all pervading problem of Thatcher’s unlikability is what makes ‘The Iron Lady’ a good film but not a great one. It is a very good film that has so much more potential to be a great one. Maybe the film suffered from Thatcher’s problem of not knowing when to hold back and ease up. Still, despite this, it is worth seeing.

‘The Iron Lady’ is a must see for fans of British politics, popular culture and history. Sadly many people today know little of the discord she brought to her nation’s youth culture or just how close she came to plunging England deeper into the murky depths of The Cold War. She was controversial, powerful. resourceful and resolute. She moved Britain from austerity into a new era of nationalism while restoring it as a world power. ‘The Iron Lady’ affords Anglophiles the opportunity to familiarize themselves with one of Britain’s most polarizing personalities while watching an amazing actress, Meryl Streep, make the part completely her own.

Brit Movies: The Iron Lady Review from an American Perspective is a post from: Anglotopia.net

MPs could be forced to move out of the Houses of Parliament after subsidence has caused Big Ben’s clock tower to lean by an alarming 18 inches. Report by Sophie Foster.

Video: Leaning Big Ben to force MPs to move out of the Houses of Parliament is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A unique artistic collaboration will turn a dilapidated building in Oxford into a giant compendium of strange, amusing and haunting stories in May this year.

Other Worlds is a series of installations in 25 rooms in Rochester House, an empty Victorian building that is destined to be a museum of storytelling. Throughout May, 25 writers will be paired with 25 other artists to produce works inspired by the current state of the building.

Among those taking part are writer and broadcaster Michael Rosen, composer Nick Bicat and Oxford city poet Kate Clanchy. The concept for the exhibition was devised by Dark Angels who run a creative writing programme of master classes at Merton College, Oxford.

Part of the Victorian building was a pub listed in the 1846 Oxford Directory. In 1899 Merton College bought the site from Magdalen College and developed it for residential accommodation, including the Master’s lodgings. In 1921 the site was sold to the Postmaster General for £6,400. Additional buildings were added for a sorting office and a telephone exchange.

The Story Museum is due to open in the refurbished Rochester House in 2014. It aims to be a world centre for story and storytelling and hopes to attract 100,000 paying visitors a year. Authors Philip Pullman, Michael Morpurgo, Michael Rosen and Jacqueline Wilson are patrons of the Story Museum.

Stuart Delves a director of Dark Angels says: ‘Discarded equipment, the last leavings of former occupants, abandoned spaces awaiting some magic… even when they’re empty, these buildings are atmospheric. When they are adapted, with a storytelling purpose, they become extraordinary. We wanted to show our support for The Story Museum in an exciting, practical way.’

Other Worlds, 1 – 31 May, The Story Museum, Rochester House, 42 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP
Tel: +44 1865 790050
Website: www.storymuseum.org.uk/otherworlds
Facebook: The Story Museum
Twitter: @TheStoryMuseum

A derelict building has stories to tell in Oxford is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The city of Bath is celebrating its place in the fashion world with a year’s emphasis on fashion and a week of special events.

Bath is a World Heritage Site and has attracted fashionistas since its days as a spa town in 18th-century Georgian times. The author Jane Austen set two of her six published novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in Bath and lived in the city from 1801 to 1806.

Bath in Fashion, from 25 to 31 March, will feature special events, talks and exhibitions. Milliner Stephen Jones, who has collaborated with major fashion designers including John Galliano, Dior and Comme des Garçons, has always admired the fashions of the Regency period. He will curate From Georgiana to Boy George, a six-week exhibition of his designs, at the newly refurbished Holburne museum, opening on 24 March, admission free. On 30 March Jones will talk with fashion critic Sarah Mower at a ticketed event (£15) at the Museum.

Manolo Blahnik, one of the world’s most influential shoe designers will appear in conversation with fashion writer Iain R. Webb at the Museum on 29 March (tickets £20). Blahnik was born in the Canary Islands in 1942 and has made Bath his home for 30 years.

The Fashion Museum in Bath’s Assembly Rooms has one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of contemporary and historic dress. Sport and Fashion is its special exhibition for 2012. It opens on 4 February and will trace how historic sportswear has influenced the creations of contemporary designers. Admission £7.50 adults, £5.50 children, £21 family ticket.

Bath in Fashion 25–31 March, various venues
Holburne Museum, Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4DB
Fashion Museum, Assembly Rooms, Bennett Street, Bath BA1 2QH
Tel: +44 844 847 5256 (tickets Holburne Museum talks)
Website: www.bathinfashion.co.uk
Facebook: Bath in Fashion
Twitter: @BathinFashion
Flickr: Bath in Fashion
Blog: Bath Fashion Girl

The fashionable city of Bath – Bath in Fashion is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Combining tradition with modernity, it’s possible to create a functional yet rustic and relaxing home that perfectly reflects the ambience of a charming country cottage. Whether you live in the countryside or simply wish to transform a suburban home into a rural retreat, take a look at these English country cottage decorating tips and ideas.

Colours

Before you begin decorating you should decide on an appropriate colour scheme. Opt for subdued tones reminiscent of the countryside, such as shades of brown, yellow, rust and green. Textured British made carpets in a soft shade of beige are a great choice for your flooring and will look great with a broad range of wall colours and furnishings. Add a pop of colour with icy blue, which will work well on accessories (such as candles) or as a subtle feature in your wallpaper.

Furniture

Comfort is key when it comes to furnishing your country cottage. Wood tones on bookcases, coffee tables and rocking chairs will fit perfectly with the theme and colour can be added with plump cushions and soft throws. For something a little brighter, consider painting distressed furniture in white, mint green or light blue. To get this right takes some preparation but there are plenty of guides to furniture painting online.

Soft furnishings

Opt for soft furnishings that accentuate the cosy romantic feel of the room. Lace and floral designs are ideal and the patterns you choose don’t necessarily have to coordinate. For example striped cushions mixed with various floral patterns will work well as long as they are from the same colour group. In the bedroom, a handmade patchwork blanket will look great thrown across the bed or draped over an armchair.

Accessories

To complete the look, don’t forget the little details. Hang copper pots and pans in the kitchen and, if possible, install brass taps for the sinks to contrast the wooden tones and soft colour palette. Decorate dressers with family photos placed in distressed photo frames or add a touch of colour with candles. Fresh flowers are an instant way to bring the outdoors in and brighten up any room.

Guest Post: English Country Cottage Decorating Ideas is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Battle Proms is a series of open-air picnic concerts at some of England’s finest stately homes and Palaces.  These concerts are quintessentially British spectaculars featuring a full 52 piece orchestra with choreographed Spitfire air display, Napoleonic cavalry re-enactors, 200 live firing cannons and breathtaking fireworks!

Our website is  www.battleproms.com

Here’s a video of a recent concert:

Venues include Highclere Castle the venue for TV’s Downton Abbey, and Princess Diana’s family home Althorp Park:

• Burghley House, Lincolnshire – 7 July
• Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire – 14 July
• Hatfield House, North London – 21 July
• Highclere Castle, Berkshire – 4 August
• Althorp House, Northamptonshire – 11 August
• Ragley Hall, Warwickshire – 18 August

These are all within a couple of hours drive from London – see the map on our homepage.

What is a Proms concert?

The concept of the ‘Prom’ concert was first introduced in 1895 by Mr. Robert Newman, manager of the Queen’s Hall, London, and talented young musician and conductor Mr. Henry Wood. Their aim was to heighten the popularity of classical music by staging concerts with an informal atmosphere where the audience could stand, walk around (hence the ‘promenade’), and eat and drink. This relaxed and quintessentially British way of appreciating live orchestral music remains to this day a truly exceptional experience.

It is this great Proms tradition which inspired the Battle Proms Concerts, but in order to go that extra mile we have moved to the great outdoors and developed a distinctive and unique event with additional drama and flare, and a few thunderous surprises!

Attendance at the concerts is between 4-8,000 people, creating an electric party atmosphere. Concert-goers are invited to bring their own food, drink and furniture and make the party their own. Highlights include the 1812 Overture with live cannon fire and a sing-along proms finale with all the favourites like Rule, Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem. Our concert series continues to grow, and for many it is the event of the summer. This year will of course feature a special tribute to the Diamond Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II in the form of a salute fired by a team of gunners from an authentic vintage field gun. No summer trip would be complete without this uniquely British celebration!

Coming Soon: The Battle Proms Concerts in 2012 – One at Highclere Castle (aka Downton Abbey)! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

We’ve come across a fun British English/EU English Translation chart. Basically what the British say and what they really mean. It’s hilarious.

Hat tip to Anglophenia for the discovery.

British Speak Translation Chart – Infographic is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The art gallery that occupies the Georgian mansion of Compton Verney is to hold two new exhibitions when it opens for its 2012 season at the end of March.

Into the Light: French and British painting from Impressionism to the early 1920s marks a decisive period in the history of European art. This exhibition looks at paintings produced on both sides of the Channel from the 1870s to the early 1920s.

There will be 54 paintings and drawings on show by artists including Cézanne, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sickert, Sisley, Vanessa Bell, Eugène Boudin, Alexander Stanhope Forbes and Philip Wilson Steer. The exhibition reveals interesting connections and shows how a more spontaneous approach to painting produced depictions of the shifting of light over the landscape.

Gainsborough’s Landscapes: Themes and Variations will be the first exhibition devoted solely to the landscapes of Thomas Gainsborough (1727–88). It brings together a group of paintings and drawings from public and private collections that span his whole career. If painting portraits was Gainsborough’s business then painting landscapes was his pleasure. These works reveal the mind of the great artist at work and play.

Compton Verney is a Grade 1 listed Robert Adam mansion set in 50 hectares (120 acres) of parkland. It was home to the Verney or Willoughby de Broke family for almost 500 years, until the early 20th century. Then their derelict 18th-century mansion was transformed into a gallery of international standing. The gallery houses six permanent collections which focus on areas currently under-represented in British museums and galleries, and include British Folk Art, masterpieces from the Golden Age of Neapolitan art from 1600 to 1800, and one of Europe’s foremost Chinese collections.

Compton Verney is open 11am–5pm Tue–Sun and Bank Holiday Mons. Admission to the grounds, the six permanent collections and special exhibitions is £12 adults, £10 concessions and students, £24 family ticket, £2 children 5–15, under-5s free. Into the Light and Gainsborough’s Landscapes will be on show from 31 March to 10 June.

Compton Verney, Warwickshire CV35 9HZ
Tel: +44 1926 645500
Website: www.comptonverney.org.uk
Facebook: Compton Verney
Twitter: @ComptonVerney
YouTube: Compton Verney art gallery

Art: Impressionists and Gainsborough at Compton Verney is a post from: Anglotopia.net

It’s difficult to measure which English city is the best place to make your home as everyone has a different ideal. Whether you’re looking for homes for sale in the UK that offer the best affordability, or are close to great schools, take a look at our guide to some of the best cities to live in the England.

Cambridge

Named Britain’s best place to bring up kids by Virgin Media, picturesque Cambridge has shown steady improvements in the emotional and physical wellbeing of its children and young people. It displays a significant decline in the number of obese children of primary and secondary school age and the county ranks in the top 20% for the level of satisfaction with parks and play areas[1]. Educational facilities in Cambridge are also considered to be very good, with four private schools located within the city itself.

Birmingham

With an average house price of £158,980[2], property in Birmingham is among the most reasonable for a city in the whole of the UK. What’s more, there have been numerous low cost housing developments throughout the area, offering buyers a great choice of affordable homes. But that’s not all, Birmingham has also been performing excellently across the education sector, with improvement among children obtaining five or more A*-C grades at GCSE level and achievements among Early Years and Key Stages 1 and 2[3].

Brighton

Nicknamed the city by the sea, residents of Brighton are believed to enjoy one of the healthiest lifestyles in the country. According to a survey, nearly 80% of Brightonians report either ‘good’ or ‘very good’ health and 23% (well above the national average) play sport regularly. 40% say that the city’s open spaces and parks are important to them and everything from early death rates and male life expectancy in the area are showing signs of improvement.[4]

London

The sprawling capital city offers a range of great places to set up home. Amongst the most highly rated are Lewisham and Sutton. Whilst many Lewisham residents are ‘income deprived’, around three quarters like where they live and 80% believe that everyone gets on well, landing this London borough the title ‘Best place: where everyone gets on well’ from Virgin Media[5]. Sutton, on the other hand, has gained recognition as one of the best places to lead a green lifestyle, with an above average 34% of household waste being recycled[6].

Guest Post: Best Cities to Live in England is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The largest ever exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci’s studies of the human body is to go on display in May at the Queen’s Gallery, next to Buckingham Palace.

Leonardo was not just one of the great artists of the Renaissance: he was also a pioneer in the understanding of human anatomy. He wanted to be ‘true to nature’ in his painting, so he researched the appearance of the physical world in all its aspects, especially the human body. But as human bodies were hard to come by, many of his earliest drawings were based on medieval treatises and his work on the bodies of animals.

Leonardo intended to publish this work in a treatise on anatomy. But when he died in 1519, his anatomical drawings remained among his private papers and their significance was effectively lost to the world for almost 400 years.

His papers were pasted into albums by his successors, and one of the albums was brought to England in the 17th century. It was probably acquired by King Charles II and has been in the Royal Collection since at least 1690. Today the drawings are among the Royal Collection’s greatest treasures.

The Queen’s Gallery is open daily 10am–5.30pm (closed 16 Apr–3 May and 8 Oct–1 Nov), admission adults £7.50, seniors/students £6.75, under-17s £3.75, under-5s free, family ticket £18.75. Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomist is at the gallery from 4 May to 7 October,

The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA
Tel: +44 20 7766 7301
Website: www.royalcollection.org.uk
Twitter: @BritishMonarchy
Flickr: The British Monarchy’s photostream

The anatomy of a genius – Da Vinci Exhibition Coming to Buckingham Palace in May is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais insults Johnny Depp and Madonna as well as the ceremony itself during the awards. Here’s a video of Ricky’s highlights from last night.

What did you think of Ricky Gervais at the 2012 Golden Globes? How did he do?

Golden Globes: Video Highlights of Ricky Gervais Hosting the 2012 Golden Globes is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A short docu-film shot at the Ace Cafe, exploring the thoughts owners and their Mini ownership. Check it out below – very cool!

“It’s A Mini Thing” – Classic Minis at Ace Cafe London from David Itzcovitz on Vimeo.

British Cars: “It’s A Mini Thing” – Classic Minis at Ace Cafe London Mini Documentary is a post from: Anglotopia.net