London Spy 10:09:16 The Weekly #London News Review

It's our weekly London roundup starting with a few headlines that caught the eye in London over the last week or so, click the links for the full stories…

Compiled & Edited by Adam Scott-Goulding

TRAVEL: New Hopper Fares Mean Cheaper Bus Travel From Next Week…

Bus passengers in London will be able to make a second journey for free within one hour of beginning their first from next week, the city's mayor Sadiq Khan has announced.

Officials estimate that 30 million bus journeys currently costing £1.50 will become free every year.

From September 12 passengers using pay as you go with Oyster or contactless payment cards will be able to take advantage of the new Hopper fare.

Passengers using the tram network - which serves Croydon and surrounding areas - will also be eligible for the free journeys.

Mr Khan described the measure as a "key part" of his transport strategy.

Full story in The Independent 

ARCHITECTURE: London tower wins Carbuncle Cup 2016…

Architecture website BD named the Lincoln Plaza housing tower designed by BUJ Architects as the winner of the Carbuncle Cup 2016. Though the developer Galliard intended the building - featuring geometric cladding, projecting glass balconies and a so-called sky lounge - as a striking new landmark to stand alongside the towers of Canary Wharf, the residential complex was described by architect, critic and competition judge Ike Ijeh as a "putrid pugilistic horror show that should never have been built".

The BD editorial also quoted him as saying, "In its bilious cladding, chaotic form, adhesive balconies and frenzied facades, it exhibits the absolute worst in shambolic architectural design and cheap visual gimmickry.

"Essentially, this building is the architectural embodiment of sea sickness, waves of nausea frozen in sheaths of glass and coloured aluminium that, when stared at for too long, summon queasiness, discomfort and if you’re really unlucky, a reappearance of lunch as inevitably as puddles after a rainstorm."

Full story Architecture & Design

PROPERTY: Live In A London Castle for £2.75million…

A home in an 18th Century castle overlooking one of London's most treasured parks has gone on the market for £2.75million.

The Grade I listed home extends to some 3248 sq ft in Greenwich and is set within two and a half acres of grounds.

It was constructed in 1719 by architect and dramatist John Vanbrugh, whose other works include Blenheim Palace and the stately home Castle Howard in North Yorkshire.  

He built the castle as his own residence before it was divided into four sections, in the late 1970s.

Described as “a fabulous family home” with five bedrooms, 2 Vanbrugh Castle is on the market with the Cluttons estate agent in leafy Blackheath.

The castle sits at the top of Maze Hill with views of the park, the City and Canary Wharf.

Full Story Evening Standard 

(I blogged about Vanbrugh Castle in the Cartoon & Comic Book London series, catch up with that post HERE)

In Brief

ARTS: Tate Chief to Stand Down – New York Times

THEATRE: Lloyd Webber Brings School of Rock to London – The Guardian

CLUBBING: London Club Fabric Closed in Wake of Drug Tragedies – The New Statesman

EXHIBITIONS: Political Posters At the William Morris Gallery – This Is Local London

ENVIRONMENT: Garden Bridge Splits Opinion – SE1

The Best Recent Posts from The Daily Constitutional…

Grabbing a Bite After the Rock'n'Roll London Tour At Poppies Soho…

A Rolling Stones Playlist – YOUR favourite Stones Songs…

A Ramble From Old Kent Road to Whitechapel…

A Little Venice Summer Photoblog…

Sherlock & His Illustrators…

If You Do One OTHER Thing In London…

Our weekly slot in which we point you in the direction of other happenings and events in our great city. A new exhibition, a gig, a museum, a pop-up-shop – the best of London within a few minutes of a London Walks walking tour.

'Ave A Cuppa Tea And A Scone

With around 80,000 objects on display at the British Museum – out of a collection of 8 million – it's the blogging understatement of all time to say that's there's plenty to see at the nation's most famous cultural institution.

But as exquisite as the near-1000-year-old Lewis Chessmen undoubtedly are…

… there's simply no amount of jam and clotted cream in the world that will make them melt in the mouth with a nice cup of tea.

This, on the other hand…

… object number 80,001, is a different matter altogether.


Afternoon tea at the British Museum – booking advisable – is served in the Great Court Restaurant between 3pm and 5.30pm every day.


All the details you need are here: www.britishmuseum.org/visiting/eating

Walking & Footwear News

Far and away my favourite story of the week is this one from Kentucky in which a 14-year-old boy gave the shoes off his feet to a homeless man…

Laron Tunstill, who is nicknamed “Ron Ron,” was with the non-profit group PURP - an organization that’s “dedicated to help kids find their purpose” - doing homeless outreach on Labor Day when he spotted a man wearing shoes covered in holes.

Without exchanging any words, the boy sat down next to the older man, untied his shoes and handed them over.

At first, the man said “No.” But Ron Ron insisted.

“He was poor. So, you know, I just did what I had to do,” Ron Ron told CBS News.

An image of the pair went viral on Facebook with nearly 8,000 shares.

Jason Reynolds, the founder of PURP, said Ron Ron comes from a crime-ridden neighborhood. He’s been watching the teen grow into a fine young man over the past three years that he’s been with the organization.

“When I first met him, he was wild,” he joked. “Now, three years later, he’s finally coming around. He’s going around and spreading love and trying to help others spread love.”

Hundreds of people commented on the post, praising the boy for his selfless act.

Full story CBS news: www.cbsnews.com

Seen in London This Week…

City on fire! Snapped on my phone, the dome of St Paul's "aflame" to mark the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London last Saturday…

And Finally…

Is this the worst London postcard ever?

I'm particularly pleased that they've subtitled the London bus as "London Bus" while differentiating the Houses of Parliament with the caption "Houses of Parliament". Handy, that. 

London Spy will return next weekend.

A London Walk costs £10 – £8 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.