London Underground

Problems with the Next Train Indicators at Mile End station Diamond Geezer

Mainline / Overground

Pictures and video show ongoing £8.4 million track upgrades which have closed the railway between Watford and Euston. Watford Observer

Tunnel to Heathrow could be privately funded under revived rail link plans ianVisits

HS2 has recorded more than 2,300 near-miss incidents in the past four calendar years, Construction News

Rail operator Southeastern has announced a series of timetable changes to be introduced in May and December 2026, ianVisits

Eurostar has launched a five-day flash sale with one-way fares from just £35 to some of Europe’s most popular city break destinations Standard

Rail engineers have completed a major set of track upgrades that were carried out at London Waterloo station during the Easter weekend. ianVisits

Miscellaneous

Food bank founder at Bermondsey tube station honoured for selfless work Southwark News

Police launch appeal as London Underground contractor requires surgery after assault Standard

Class 66 to haul rail tour from Norwich to London Rail Advent

The London Underground’s historic 1930s tube train is going to be back out on the rails this summer, and tickets are on sale now ianVisits

And finally: Derek Chisora casually takes tube to last ever fight against Deontay Wilder The Sun

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The image is from an April 2020 article: British Rail’s short experiment with travelling pubs

They’re offering two tours, both on the Piccadilly line to include Heathrow in one direction or up to Cockfosters in the other.

Tickets cost £30 per adult for the front carriage and £25 per person for the other three carriages.

If you’re lucky, they might open the door in the front or rear carriage to let you look out of the driver’s view, but that’s subject to the staff/volunteers on the day.

Apart from the pleasure of riding in the old train itself, much of the fun is watching the looks on people’s faces as your old train rumbles through the stations, with some people gasping in delight and waving at you. Do wave back.

Saturday 2nd May

Northfields to Heathrow and back

This is a return journey departing from Northfields station to Heathrow and around the loop then back to Northfields. Each journey will last approximately 45 minutes.

Tickets available here.

Departures from Northfields are at 10:05am, 11:20am, 12:30pm, 2:40pm, 3.50pm and 5pm.

Sunday 3rd and Monday 4th May

Cockfosters to/from Northfields

You can take a single trip from either Cockfosters or Northfields through the centre of London.

The trips will take around 70 minutes

Tickets to depart from Cockfosters are here.

Departures are at 11:40am and 4:10pm

Tickets to depart from Northfields are here.

Departures are at 9:40am and 2:10pm

If built, the railway would provide a western link for Heathrow Airport, departing from the mainline railway at Langley and running in a tunnel to Heathrow’s Terminal 5, where an underground station already has two empty platforms waiting to be used.

Although the rail link is classified as a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, it has long been expected to be partially funded by private investors — usually expected to be majority Heathrow Airport, although any private investor could provide the funding if they saw a reason to do so. Under development for some years, the project was formally put on hold in 2021 due to the pandemic collapse in air travel.

The study, commissioned by the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce (TVCC) with funding support from Transport for the South East (TfSE), concludes that the rail link could deliver strong economic returns under both two-runway and three-runway expansion scenarios at Heathrow Airport.

One of the headline findings is that estimated construction costs have fallen, with the report identifying potential efficiencies — particularly in tunnelling — that could significantly reduce the overall bill.

At the same time, they say passenger numbers at Heathrow have rebounded faster than expected following the pandemic, with 2025 passenger traffic already matching pre-COVID forecasts.

The study suggests that, assuming a 2032 opening date, the project could achieve a return on investment by 2044.

Under a two-runway Heathrow scenario, the scheme is expected to be viable, although returns may be relatively modest unless costs can be further reduced. However, under a three-runway scenario — now backed by government policy — the outlook improves markedly, with a modelled internal rate of return (IRR) of around 8.1% over 30 years, potentially rising to 11% under some assumptions.

The report also examines how the project might be delivered using a mix of public and private funding.

A “split package” model is proposed, with the tunnel and Terminal 5 connection, potentially financed by private investors, while the Langley  railway grade-separated junction could be delivered by Network Rail with public funding

Under this model, the tunnel section could, in theory, be fully privately financed, although, as infrastructure investors typically seek returns of 8–10%, it could only be funded if Heathrow Airport builds its third runway.

TfSE continues to highlight the Western Rail Link as a key project in its long-term plans, arguing that it would transform rail access to Heathrow from the west, cutting journey times, reducing road congestion and supporting economic growth.

Next steps and calls for support

A proposed Phase 2 study would take a more detailed look at the economic case, refine delivery options and help inform any future Development Consent Order (DCO) application – particularly in the context of a potential third runway at Heathrow.

If progressed, the Western Rail Link would provide a long-sought direct rail connection from the Great Western Main Line into Heathrow, a project that has been under discussion for more than a decade but has yet to secure final government approval.

The TVCC says that the full report will not be published as it contains potentially sensitive commercial information, but has provided the summary findings.

The archive belonged to Cecil French, an Irish artist, critic, and collector who lived in Fulham and assembled a significant collection of 19th-century British art at a time when it was deeply unfashionable. A large portion of the collection was later donated to the council, and they say that the acquisition of his archive adds depth to that legacy.

Some of the artworks from the collection were displayed at Leighton House last year.

The newly acquired material includes correspondence between Cecil French and the art dealer David Gould from 1946 to 1952, alongside a sketchbook, photographic negatives, and a substantial group of prints, engravings and woodcuts. Together, they offer a detailed insight into French’s artistic interests and the networks that underpinned his collecting.

The archive had remained within the estate of David Gould, co-founder of the Taranman Gallery in Knightsbridge. Its acquisition represents a rare opportunity to reunite documentary material with the artworks to which it relates.

The council says that bringing the archive into public ownership is expected to support future research, exhibitions and interpretation, offering a fuller picture of both French’s work and the wider context of Pre-Raphaelite collecting.

Assembled over decades by Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert, the collection was previously shown at Somerset House before moving to the V&A on permanent loan. Until recently, it sat in what was essentially a long passageway — easy to pass through, and just as easy to overlook.

It wasn’t even a named gallery – just a space on the V&A map for “Gold, Silver and Mosaics”.

That’s changed.

By absorbing some former offices — the East Asia Offices that once ran alongside the corridor — the museum has nearly doubled the gallery’s size. What was once a linear route is now broken up with side rooms and alcoves that invite you to pause, explore and double back, turning it into a destination rather than a thoroughfare.

After a two-year refurbishment, and without any announcement, the V&A quietly reopened the galleries a few weeks ago.

At first glance, the collection can feel eclectic, even a little random. But as you spend time with it, a pattern emerges. The Gilberts were drawn to objects with stories – often linked to notable former owners – and to pieces that play visual tricks.

So what looks like a painting might turn out to be a mosaic. A decorative bird is actually a cup. A seemingly painted table reveals itself, on closer inspection, to be covered in glass micro-mosaic. An antique cabinet is “painted” not with pigment, but with intricate stone commesso.

This fascination with miniature craftsmanship runs throughout the displays, often paired with a touch of social history through illustrious – and at times very dodgy – provenance. And while many objects are small, the collection isn’t exclusively so – the gleaming silver swan, made in 1985 for Gilbert’s Los Angeles home, is an unmistakable centrepiece, requiring four British craftsmen to create.

The reworked gallery is now arranged into themed zones — including Silver and Gold, Collecting Stories, Object Stories, Micro Mosaics, Small Boxes and Stone Commesso — helping to give structure to what might otherwise feel like a cabinet of curiosities.

There are quieter highlights too.

Enamel portraits of Scottish monarchs line one display, while Frederick the Great’s snuffboxes are given pride of place in specially designed cases. Elsewhere, the tiniest objects often prove the most compelling — intricate boxes and miniature artworks so finely detailed that you find yourself leaning in, trying to work out how they were even made.

Magnifying glasses at some of the cases helps. A lot.

Not everything in the collection has an easy history.

In 2019, it emerged that a 4,500-year-old gold ewer had been illegally exported before being acquired by the Gilberts. It has since been returned to Turkey, with a modern commission now standing in its place — a reminder that museum collections are not fixed, but evolve as new information comes to light.

More darkly, there are also stories here of Nazi and Soviet looting and how many mid-century collectors were often unaware of the background of the objects they bought.

There is though also a sense of playfulness woven through the displays.

A micro-mosaic landscape doubles as a hidden human profile, while a necklace depicting views of Rome turns the idea of a souvenir into wearable art. Alongside the objects, the gallery also explains the painstaking techniques behind them, adding another layer of appreciation.

It’s a thoughtful reinvention.

What was once a space to hurry through while seeking more interesting exhibitions has become a place to linger — and a collection that might previously have been overlooked now rewards time, curiosity and a closer look.

The Gilbert Galleries are in rooms 70 to 72 on the second floor of the V&A Museum and are on the Exhibition Road side of the building. It’s free to visit.

There’s a chance to go behind the scenes at Hyde Park’s working nursery next month and see how The Royal Parks produce and care for hundreds of thousands of plants each year.

This guided tour offers rare access to a part of the park usually closed to the public, revealing where nearly half a million plants are grown annually to keep the Royal Parks in bloom. Along the way, you’ll discover the nursery’s history, explore its modern facilities, and learn about the environmentally responsible methods used to cultivate more than 900 plant varieties.

The tour also offers insight into the year-round cycle of work — from propagation through to planting — that shapes London’s seasonal displays across the capital’s green spaces.

The tours take place on Friday 9th and 15th May at 3pm and cost £15 per person.

Tickets are available here.

The nursery is in the middle of Hyde Park, a short walk from the Serpentine North gallery.

Sutton House was built on the orders of Sir Ralph Sadler, and unusually for a residential house at the time, he chose to build it entirely from brick, giving it its original name of Bryck Place.

However, having risen up the courtier ranks, he built a bigger home elsewhere and sold his Hackney house. Over the centuries, it passed through a lot of owners, including on two occasions, being used as a school. At one point, it was split into two homes, and finally in 1930, it was bought by the National Trust.

Sadly, they weren’t the best owners and didn’t do much with the building, eventually leasing it as offices, and after the union left, the building fell into disrepair.

In the middle of the 1980s, it was squatted in and turned into an impromptu punk gig venue. That probably inadvertently saved the building, as the National Trust was eyeing it up for conversion into modern flats. But a campaign was started to save it, and finally in 1987, the National Trust was persuaded to save the building instead.

To be fair, by the time the Trust took ownership, the building’s true history had been pretty much lost, but a £2 million restoration in 1990 revealed the layers of history that had been covered up, so they opened it up to show off the recovered history within.

And what a marvellous old building it is.

They’ve managed to restore most of the key rooms back to what they would have looked like in Tudor times, while a couple of other rooms have been preserved as classic Georgian and Victorian parlours.

The ground-floor Linenfold Parlour gets its name from the remarkable wood panelling around the walls, carved to resemble draped fabrics. At a time when walls were often covered in tapestries, it’s a clever and very expensive alternative.

Some of the panels can be opened, or are left open, so you can see the famous brickwork behind the wood.

The staircase wasn’t covered in wood, but was painted, and enough of it survives, now behind protective plastic, to give a hint of how bright and colourful the rest of the house must have been. It manages to retain that mixed air of a semi-derelict house that’s been given just enough restoration to save it and preserve its history without being overly sanitised.

One room upstairs has, rather incongruously, a lino floor mat, but it’s probably harder-wearing than a replica mat could be. But up here is also the Great Chamber, where only the very best of guests would be entertained. You can also take in the squat upstairs, the basement chapel, if it’s open, the cellar (not on my visit), the Tudor kitchen, and the courtyard.

Overall, it’s a terrifically tudor timecapsule, and while hardly a grand stately home, there’s enough wows to delight almost anyone.

Sutton House is open on Friday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm, with guided tours also available at 11:30am and 2:30pm.

Entry is £7.50 for adults, £3.75 for children, or free for National Trust members.

Full details here.

It’s a short walk from the two Hackney Overground stations.

A visitor tip, if you visit on the last Sunday of the month, you can also climb up St Augustine’s Tower, which is a few minutes’ walk from Sutton House.

The property developer organises the tours in part to showcase the site and explain their master plan for the area, as well as why they believe it’s a good idea.

The tours are also a chance to stand in the middle of what was the Earl’s Court exhibition centre, look around the cleared site, get up close to the Lillie Bridge depot, and walk on top of the huge concrete slab that sits above the mainline railway.

At the time of writing, tours are taking place on the following Wednesdays at 12pm:

• 15th April
• 29th April
• 13th May
• 27th May
• 10th June
• 24th June
• 8th July
• 22nd July
• 5th August
• 19th August
• 2nd September

You can book a free ticket from here.

The site entrance is a short walk from West Brompton station.

The Vestry House was constructed in 1730 to house the parish workhouse and was later used as a police station, an armoury, a builders’ merchant and a private home. The building opened to the public as a local history museum in 1931 and also housed the borough archives and local studies library.

The museum closed at Christmas in December 2023 for £5.3 million of refurbishment works, and was due to reopen this spring. Walthamstow Council has now said that the museum will remain closed until the autumn or winter this year.

During its closure, the construction works have included refurbishing the 18th and 19th-century museum buildings, refurbishing the existing heritage museum, installing new ramps to improve accessibility, new decoration, and new services. In addition, the millennium extension building has been partially rebuilt to create space for the relocated cafe.

When it reopens, the museum, which used to be split over two floors, will be consolidated onto the ground floor and feature new co-curated displays made with the local community, including partners GB Carnival and Red Light Busking, alongside historic objects, including the UK’s first petrol car.

New permanent exhibition spaces will showcase cultural heritage stories and artefacts from the museum’s collection, some of which have never been shown before.

The revitalisation of Vestry House Museum has been supported by £4.5m from the borough’s Levelling Up Fund, including £800k match funding from Waltham Forest Council.

Thirty years ago, the National Gallery bought a brutalist concrete building behind the Sainsbury Wing, which is currently occupied by a hotel and offices.

Following an architectural competition late last year, the gallery has selected Kengo Kuma and Associates, in partnership with BDP and MICA, to carry out the £375 million development.

They say that the expansion will be the largest transformation since the Gallery’s formation in 1824, even more so than the Sainsbury Wing extension that opened in 1991.

The Jury Panel found the design submission to be‘exemplary’ and awarded it the highest available score.

They commented, “The design is both innovative and beautiful, meeting the ambition and sensitivity required for an international gallery commission. It is respectful of the Sainsbury Wing galleries … and the approach to the public realm and roof garden creates a generous presence, enhanced by trees and greenery. The thoughtful design of the external spaces, with links to Leicester Square, evokes an open visitor welcome which is further enhanced using Portland stone and stepped massing, which shows sensitivity to the surrounding streets and allows natural light to be drawn into the building.”

The detailed design work now needs to be carried out before a full planning application is submitted.

The Project Domani campaign is a £750 million initiative that will create new spaces to house an expanded collection, establish an acquisitions fund for modern paintings, and ensure the National Gallery’s long-term sustainability by building a financial endowment.