Your Sunday morning best-of-Londonist weekly round-up.
Must-read articles
- Reading these readers' memories of London really put a smile on our faces this week.
- 10 secret underground spaces in London
- See the oddities at TfL's lost property office in this video.
- This rediscovered archive of photos shows what the Barbican was like in its early years.
- Wine? Did somebody say wine?
- 10 things Paris invented before London.
- Is the Mayor of London right on Europe?
- How does it feel being European in London?
- Cycling in London is booming, but what's stopping more people getting on their bikes?
- Heads up: it's Mother's Day next Sunday. We've put together a few London-themed gift ideas.
Did you know...
- ...about the astronaut up a tree in Kennington?
- ...which bits of London are named after plants?
- ...about the time a bomb fell on West Ham United's ground, Upton Park?
- ...that the typeface used on signs on the tube is 100 years old this year?
- ...where the East End of London begins and ends? It's not that easy to define, it turns out.
- ...about the clock which features a former prime minister masquerading as a sun god?
- ...that St James's Park was an 18th century cruising ground?
London News
- Crossrail has been named the Elizabeth line after the Queen...or maybe it's named after one of these London-y Lizzies?
- Inner London's last public golf course is to close.
- It looks like rent increases will force the Feminist Library in Waterloo to close this week.
- The Bush Theatre is having a £4million revamp. Meanwhile, the show must go on.
- Designs for this year's Serpentine Pavilion in Hyde Park have been revealed.
- It's time to build pop-up housing.
- Hackney's homeless are getting their own currency — designed by street artist Stik.
Top reviews
- THEATRE: Eimear McBride's novel A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing is gripping on stage ★★★★★
- ART: Dante's Inferno comes alive at Courtauld Gallery ★★★★☆
- THEATRE: Firebird handles the sexual exploitation of teenagers in the UK with well-researched insight ★★★★★
- ART: Imran Qureshi's paintings are spoiled by overzealous curation at The Curve ★★☆☆☆
- THEATRE: Cleansed at the National Theatre didn't make us walk out, it just made us numb ★★★☆☆
Things to do
- Are you brave enough to walk 15 feet over hot coals in bare feet?
- Bagpuss and The Clangers are coming to town.
- Looking for something different to do for Mother's Day (*cough* next Sunday *cough*)? Try this lot.
- Young Adult author Holly Bourne offers some tips for keeping teenagers amused in London.
- 10 unusual ways to keep fit in March.
Browse and book more London events at our tickets site powered by YPlan.
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