This is a sponsored article on behalf of Kitty Hawk.

One of London's most central rooftop restaurants has had a sizzling summer makeover.

All-day rooftop lounge Kitty Hawk is a seasonal escape above the city, located just off Trafalgar Square. Its sixth floor position above Page8 Hotel offers dreamy views over the sun-kissed rooftops of the West End and Nelson's Column, which you can soak up as you indulge in the summery flavours of a brand new menu.

Newly-appointed head chef Simone Auer has put her expertise in seasonal produce into creating an Eastern Mediterranean and Southern European-inspired summer menu. Think mouthwatering mezze platters and grilled dishes with fresh citrus notes, warming spices and deep, smoky flavours that'll instantly transport your taste buds to the Levant — ideal for sharing as you bask in the sun with friends.

Begin with warm handmade pittas, served alongside dishes including courgette with fennel and lemon yoghurt. From there, indulge in a selection of succulent grilled meats and seafood, including lamb koftas and Lebanese chicken souvlaki.

Alternatively, linger a little longer over sharing dishes including butterflied seabass with roasted pepper esme, or lamb shoulder finished with pomegranate and pistachio. Sweet-toothed Londoners are catered for with a dessert menu that celebrates Levantine flavours: highlights including a tahini tiramisu, and pavlova served with charred pineapple and sweetened labneh.

Kitty Hawk's redesigned terrace Le Jardin Soleil pairs perfectly with the summer menu. Decked out in coastal blues and dotted with lemon trees, the elegant space invites you to relax and linger over a drink or two.

The chic terrace was designed in partnership with St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, its distinctive floral character and lightly sweet flavour adding a refreshing twist to Kitty Hawk's drinks menu. Sip on seasonal favourites including the Hugo Spritz or the St-Germain Spritz, or try something new: we're tempted by the Mediterranean Martini, a bold blend of San Marzano tomato-infused Grey Goose vodka, Noilly Prat, tomato extract and basil oil.

And if you're keen to squeeze every drop of fun out of the summer, check out the events programme at Le Jardin Soleil: think late-night DJ sessions, brunches and golden hour to see you right through until autumn.

Le Jardin Soleil is now open at Kitty Hawk, 8 St Martin's Place, WC2N 4JH.

A piece of the Barbican Conservatory could be coming to live in your home! Image: Chris Gorman

Bad news: the Barbican Conservatory is closing for three years from the beginning of 2027. Good news: you can adopt one of its plants.

Opened in 1984, the primary reason for the Barbican Conservatory was to hide the theatre's fly tower, but it has since become a form favourite among visitors to the cultural complex, and the perfect antidote to many-a rainy afternoon.

Ahead of its closure, which comes as part of extensive Barbican renovations, more than 2,000 plant cuttings of the Conservatory's temperate and arid plants — including giant-leafed monstera, glossy ficus and purple-and-green tradescantia — are being offered to visitors to take home.

At each 'adoption' event, visitors will learn about the Conservatory's architectural history, the development of its horticultural collection and its planned revitalisation. Tickets (and plants) are free, with donations encouraged.

Two more events take place in September and December, but tickets will go fast. Image: Chris Gorman

It appears that Londoners have some seriously green fingers, because the first batch of tickets, for the August event, were snapped up immediately. There are, however, two more events planned, for 13 September and 2 December 2026, so stay tuned into the Barbican's website/socials for details. And if you're not fortunate enough to bag a Barbican plant, book in a visit anyway, before the Conservatory closes.

After closing in early 2027, the Barbican Conservatory will reopen in 2030, relandscaped for optimal plant growing conditions and fitted with more sustainable systems. It will also be fully accessible, with step-free access throughout, widened paths and a new lift. In another exciting twist, it will open daily, rather than a few times a month. Entry will continue to be free.

The Tea House in Fulham offers a wallet-friendly afternoon tea. Image: The Tea House

London does a sweet line in afternoon tea, from fancy hotels to themed menus to treats for kids. It can be a pricey affair, but it doesn't have to be.

We've hunted out the best value and most affordable afternoon teas in the capital, so you can celebrate that special occasion/eat your body weight in scones and cakes/spend a couple of hours feeling fancy, without the price tag. These afternoon teas all come in at under £35 per person.

Prices are correct at time of writing, but do check with individual venues, in case prices have been recalibrated. And yes, we know, there's many a cream tea to be had for cheaper in London, but we're focusing on full afternoon teas here: think sarnies, scones and cakes — ideally served on a tiered stand. Many of these options give you the choice to add extras such as cocktails or prosecco for an extra charge. The prices listed here are the most basic (read: budget-friendly) options available. Now let's tuck in!

Afternoon tea at The Muffin Man: £38 for two (£19 each)

Do you know the Muffin Man? You absolutely should if you're in pursuit of a wallet-friendly afternoon tea. He lives on Drury Lane Wrights Lane in Kensington, in the sort of place time might have forgotten: beneath the green and white striped awning a three-tiered afternoon tea stand offers three sandwiches (choose your own fillings) along with scones and four mini cakes.

Priced at £38 for two, this includes a glass of pink prosecco each — and all just a couple of minutes' walk from the well-heeled (read: expensive) Kensington High Street. Bookings aren't taken, so you might end up queuing during busy periods

Afternoon tea at The Muffin Man, 12 Wrights Lane.

Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Chocolate Cocktail Club: £27 per person

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Though sweet-toothed bar the Chocolate Cocktail Club is known for its eponymous drinks, it also offers a chocolate afternoon tea at a bargain price. The sandwich section (thankfully?) eschews cocoa, with the chocolate theme creeping in with the scones, which are served with Nutella (frankly a genius move). Strawberry preserve and clotted cream are also available for purists, but once you reach the dessert tier, there's no dodging the chocolate, which is stirred into cakes and macarons.

Unlimited hot chocolate, tea or coffee are included, but if your budget allows it, splurge a few extra quid on a chocotini chocolate cocktail.

Chocolate Afternoon Tea at the Chocolate Cocktail Club, 72 St John Street, EC1M 4DT.

Masala High Chai at Masala Zone: £27.50 per person

The Piccadilly Circus branch of restaurant Masala Zone serves a British-style afternoon tea with an Indian twist. The Masala High Chai includes the flavours of various Indian regions, with samosas and pakoras, along with mini beetroot croquettes. Traditional finger sandwich fillings are given a punchy makeover: chicken tikka, and cheddar pepped up with chutney.

Sweet menu items including a traditional nankhatai biscuit, a popular shortbread found in Gujarat.

Masala High Chai afternoon tea at Masala Zone, 224 Piccadilly, W1J 9HP.

Bazaar High Chai at Cinnamon Bazaar: £27.50 per person

Image: Cinnamon Bazaar

Indian restaurant mini-chain Cinnamon Bazaar is another venue offering an Indian twist on British afternoon tea at an affordable price. Both its Covent Garden and Richmond branches serve High Chai, created by renowned chef Vivek Singh, where spice-infused dishes include masala fish finger sandwiches, spiced paneer rolls and a selection of sweets. All served in jazzy, Indian-inspired settings.

Bazaar High Chai at Cinnamon Bazaar, 28 Maiden Lane and 31-35 Kew Road.

Afternoon tea at the Tea House Theatre: £28 per person

Image: Londonist

If the tea part of afternoon tea interests you most, Vauxhall's Tea House Theatre (not to be confused with Fulham's Tea House, below) is the place for you. The charming independent cafe/restaurant/theatre has a staggering 60 varieties of tea to choose from, though caffeine-heads should note that coffee is strictly verboten.

Book the Royal Winsdor Tea, and sup your chosen brew in unlimited quantities, alongside a cake stand overspilling with finger sandwiches, scones with cream and strawberry jam, a cinnamon bun and petits fours. Time is an irrelevance in such a whimsical venue, with afternoon tea available the moment the cafe opens. Afternoon tea for breakfast? Don't mind if we do.

Afternoon tea at the Tea House Theatre, 139 Vauxhall Walk, SE11 5HL

The Angel of Bow: £28.95 per person

Image: The Angel of Bow

Afternoon tea in a pub? Stick with us. The Angel of Bow is a family-run place, where focus is on quality food, specifically local and well-sourced ingredients. To that end, afternoon tea is served on Friday and Saturday — somewhat incongruously on Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, Royal Albert and Worcester crockery.

Choose between 15 teas (or hot chocolate) to wash down your feast of homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, finger sandwiches (cucumber, smoked salmon, hummus and red pepper, prosciutto and cheese — though they can be changed to suit your taste with advance warning) and homemade cakes, usually baked by landlady Odette. Vegan and gluten-free options are available when booked in advance, and you can add a glass of prosecco for £8.95.

Oh, and if you need to sleep all that food off afterwards, the pub doubles up as a B&B, with five rooms upstairs.

Afternoon tea at the Angel of Bow, 171 Devons Road, E3 3QX.

The Tea House in Bishop's Park, Fulham: £29 per person

Image: The Tea House

A lovely park, with the river running along one side, a palace on the other, a lake, tennis courts... what more could you want from Bishops Park? Afternoon tea? Oh go on then. The park's Tea House offers one of the best value afternoon teas in London. £29 per person (minimum of two people) gets you finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream and a selection of mini cakes, served on a traditional three-tiered stand.

Choose between tea or coffee to accompany it, and make sure you book in advance. Note that the area (though not necessarily The Tea House itself) tends to get busy on Fulham FC matchdays, as Craven Cottage is very close by.

Afternoon tea at The Tea House, Bishops Park, Fulham, SW6 6EA. The cafe is operated by Roots & Berries, with similarly good value afternoon tea available at several of their other London locations.

Afternoon tea at Browns: from £32 per person

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A classic afternoon tea is served at several branches of Browns Brasserie, and though prices vary by location, they all tip the affordable end of the scale. Begin with savoury items including a lobster roll, a ham sandwich and a ploughman's sandwich (veggie options include an egg mayo roll, and cream cheese and cucumber sandwich). Move up a tier to scones served with the traditional clotted cream and strawberry jam, along with blackcurrant jam, and finish your baked banquet with a selection of mini cakes and puddings.

Afternoon tea at Browns Brasserie. At time of writing, it's priced at £32 per person at Butler's Wharf and £34 per person in Covent Garden and Victoria.

Afternoon tea at Cutter & Squidge: from £32.50 per person

Image: Cutter & Squidge

Renowned Soho bakery Cutter & Squidge usually has a themed afternoon tea running at any given time, but alongside that is the more budget-friendly Soho Signature Afternoon Tea: a selection of three classic sandwiches, two scones served with jam and cream, a slice of dream cake, a macaron, and a biskie (Cutter & Squidge's flagship product, a cookie sandwich similar to a whoopie pie), served with a pot of tea. Excellent value considering the central Soho location.

Soho Signature Afternoon Tea at Cutter & Squidge, 20 Brewer Street, W1F 0SJ.

Budget stretching to £35 or a jot above? Try these

🫖 Boulevard Brasserie's classic afternoon tea with a French twist: £37.95 per person

🫖 Afternoon tea at the Cellarium at Westminster Abbey: £39 per person

🫖 Afternoon tea on board the Sunborn London yacht, permanently moored in Royal Victoria Dock: £40 per person.

Not one, but four, Samuel Pepys tours take place on 4 September. Images: public domain

Ask anyone to name a London diarist, and the answer is near-unanimous: Samuel Pepys.

Though the 17th-century naval clerk and Tory MP only kept a diary for nine-and-a-bit years, that was plenty of time to open a visceral window into the London of that era, both fascinating and problematic; indeed Pepys himself was involved in the slave trade, and gave unwanted attention to women.

His diary is most famous of all for documenting the ravages of the Great Fire of London, which ignited in the early hours of 2 September 1666. Pepys was already documenting it in his journal by mid-morning that day: "By and by Jane comes and tells me that she hears that above 300 houses have been burned down to-night by the fire we saw, and that it is now burning down all Fish-street, by London Bridge."

To remember Pepys — and to mark the anniversary of the Great Fire  — City of London Guides are having another Samuel Pepys Day on Friday 4 September 2026.

Pepys kept his diary for just over nine years. Image: public domain

Two different walking tours leave at five-minute intervals starting out from the City Information Centre, St Pauls Churchyard from 12pm, with the last departure at 12.22pm:

"To the Exchange and Beyond" heads eastwards, taking in the places, people and incidents from Pepys' life — and ending at the site which sparked the Great Fire broke out.

"To the Wedding Cake and Beyond" heads westwards to Pepys' place of baptism, early childhood and the areas where he socialised, dined and went to the theatre.

Both 2024 and 2025 were sell-outs, so we'd advise booking in advance. Proceeds from tickets go to the Lord Mayor's Appeal.

Samuel Pepys Day tours, Friday 4 September 2026, £15

Each year, up to six apprentice watermen race the 7.3km from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea. Image: Matt Brown

Did you know that the world's oldest river race takes place in London?

We've all heard of the University Boat Races, but there's an even more historic race along the Thames. Each year, up to six apprentice watermen take to the river in sculling boats and race the 7.3km from London Bridge to Cadogan Pier in Chelsea.

The event, called Doggett's Coat and Badge, was first contested in 1715. It's taken place every year since, including during both world wars and the Covid pandemic.

This year's event takes place on 2 September 2026, setting off from London Bridge at 1.15pm.

The winner of a previous race approaches Cadogan Pier to receive the coat and badge. Image: Matt Brown

The race is named after Thomas Doggett, a Drury Lane actor who relied heavily on watermen to get from his Chelsea home to the West End. Doggett initiated the race in 1715 and organised it each year until his death in 1721.

Entrants were traditionally working watermen (like cab drivers, but in boats). Still today, the competitors are drawn from the ranks of apprentices at the Company of Watermen and Lightermen. In 1992, the first woman to compete, Claire Burran, came third.

Race winners receive the same prize that was offered in 1715, a red coat with silver arm-badge depicting the horse of Hanover (George I of the House of Hanover had recently become king when the first race was contested.)

A coat and badge on show at Twickenham Museum. Image: Matt Brown

For such an historic event, the race keeps a fairly low profile and has nowhere near the fame of the Oxford and Cambridge race. That makes it much easier to watch the action unfold, as crowds are non-existent. Even at the 300th anniversary event in 2015, we were able to easily find space on Albert Bridge to watch the finish.

The race is perhaps most famous for its namesake pub. The Doggett's Coat and Badge stands prominently beside Blackfriars Bridge. Its upper floors are an excellent place to watch the action row by.

One of the oldest Doggett's badges still in existence, at Watermens' Hall

Doggett's Coat and Badge, London Bridge to Cadogan Pier, 2 September 2026, from 1.15pm.

Bourdain loved a louche London layover, which inevitably featured a few pints of the city's signature drink, er, Guinness. Image: Londonist

With the Anthony Bourdain biopic, Tony, released in the UK on 14 August — we raise a glass a few glasses to the late cook/presenter, with a bar crawl of the drinking dens he visited/endorsed.

Most of the below happen to feature in season one, episode nine of The Layover (2012), though Bourdain also ate his way through plenty of London for A Cook's Tour (2001) and Parts Unknown (2016).

We've done this as a walkable route, but as Bourdain himself quipped of our fair city: "People here like to drink. Sometimes too much, and sometimes, admittedly, not well." Consider half pints/zebra striping/not doing this whole thing in one go.

If you're going it alone, be sure to accompany yourself with a copy of Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, a perennially sizzling read.

A Harvey's Best Bitter at the Royal Oak, Borough

First on the agenda: a pint at the Royal Oak. (It's a fun agenda.) Image: Londonist

It's usually beer 'o clock on any given Bourdain TV show — and so we begin our crawl with a drop-in at the Harvey's-run Royal Oak in Borough. It cameos in The Layover, though admittedly only for a few seconds, while Bourdain waxes lyrical about its lack of music/fruit machines. There are no shots of the man himself here, leading us to deduce that the crew snatched some shots while Tony was off elsewhere (perhaps doing shots of another kind). Had he been taken to the Royal Oak for a pint, surely he'd surely have been handed a foaming glass of Harvey's Best Bitter, a no-nonsense brew for a no-nonsense man.

A glass of fizz with oysters at Wright Brothers Borough Market

The Wright Bros. Piper-Heidsieck plays nicely with a trio of Carlingfords. Image: Londonist

When it opened in 2002, Wright Bros. was at the vanguard of trendifying Borough Market, and just a couple of years later, the oyster slingers got the nod slurp of approval from Bourdain in The Layover. Though he's not filmed guzzling any of their molluscs in the episode, we know he had a soft spot for the chain. Wright Brothers co-founder Robin Hancock recounts to us that while dishing out oysters for a Fergus Henderson book launch in 2004 "This guy came up behind us and said 'you guys want a hand shucking?' I turned round and there was Anthony Bourdain." Bourdain would probably plump for a pint of porter to go with his bivalves (that was his hungover order when visiting Matt The Thresher in Dublin). But seeing as there's more Black Stuff on the horizon for us, consider a flute of fizz instead. The Wright Bros. Piper-Heidsieck plays nicely with a trio of Carlingfords.

A tankard of black velvet at Sweetings, the City

Pewter tankards of black velvet (Guinness and champagne) are a tradition at Sweetings. Image: Londonist

It's over the river for lunch — and for an aperitif, a pewter tankard of black velvet, a mixture of stout and champagne invented as a quaffable send-off to the late Prince Albert. In The Layover, Bourdain and St John chef Fergus Henderson 'drain a few' while waiting for their table. "These people are, like, running the world," observes Bourdain of the chablis-quaffing captains of industry surrounding him, "and they're getting hammered!" Sweetings being a restaurant, you will need to order some food too. Bourdain had the smoked haddock and poached egg, although when we visited, manager Sue Knowler told us it was something else that was a revelation for Bourdain: "Fergus said to him 'you must have mushy peas!' He was like 'Mushy peas? What the hell is mushy peas?! They're just squished peas!' Then he tasted them and went 'Ohh... now I understand!'" Note: Sweetings is temporarily closed for August 2026.

A Guinness at the Two Chairmen, St James

What can we say. Bourdain liked a Guinness. Image: Engin Akyurt, Pexels License

Were we tasked with flaunting the finest London drinking establishments to Tony Bourdain, a Greene King number would not be on the top of the list, or the middle of it — or indeed anywhere near the damned list at all. However, rules is rules, and in The Layover, the Two Chairmen is where Marco Pierre White decides to rendezvous, and who would argue with Marco Pierre White. We've had fizz. We've had fizz and Guinness. Now it's time for... Guinness! That's Bourdain's order anyway. The two Gareth Southgate lookalikes who appear in this segment warn London newbies off ever ordering a shandy — although to be fair, this was 2012, and the thirst-inducing effects of global warming have since caught up with us. If you want a shandy, have it.

A bottle of London Pride at Bradley's Spanish Bar, Tottenham Court Road

Drink on the kerb outside Bradley's, a la Bourdain. Image: Londonist

Now, Bradley's Spanish Bar — with its NSM Prestige II jukebox — really is a classic central London establishment, though to do this in true Bourdain style, take your glass outside to the kerb, and clink it against those of strangers. What's in the glass? When Bourdain asks Marco Pierre White what he's having in The Layover, White vaguely suggests 'a pint of ale', but seemingly, Bradley's don't serve pints of ale, so the pair end up with bottled London Pride. Wax lyrical about how London allows you to get drunk on a set of double yellow lines, preferably with a jacket slung over your shoulder. Allow your speech to slur a touch, while acknowledging the night is still young.

A bottle of Peroni at Trisha's, Soho

"There is no finer establishment." Image: Luca Nardone/Pexels

From Spain to Italy! Well within stumbling distance of Bradley's, Bourdain wisely chooses to flex the expense account and hail a black cab to Trisha's, the secret-not-secret-at-all dive bar on Greek Street, where the walls are bristling with stills from the Godfather, the chintzy tablecloths look like something out of the, well, Godfather, and membership costs about the same as a couple of pints. OK, a Peroni isn't what we'd necessarily choose, but we're sticking to the script, and that's what Tony and Marco go for in The Layover, as they slouch over the bar and converse with the barkeep. "There is no finer establishment," concludes Bourdain. "An extraordinary place," agrees Marco, before showing just how sloshed he is by failing to recognise a photo of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.

An espresso with a Fernet Branca at Bar Italia, Soho

Home to "The best cup of coffee or damn close to it". Image: Londonist

There's no rush in getting to our final stop of the crawl, because Bar Italia is open 22 hours of the day. Another retro Italian joint, this is where Bourdain whiled away many an hour on his London jaunts (it was handily close to his hotel of choice, Hazlitt's).  Sober up with a cup of what Bourdain described as "The best cup of coffee or damn close to it", before topping up your blood alcohol level with a Fernet Branca chaser, which Bourdain did when with Fergus Henderson. Then, if you can afford it, sleep this whole episode off at Hazlitt's.

Bonus Soho bars: Gerry's Club, the French House, the Phoenix Artist's Club

All staunchly Soho; all have Bourdain blessings. But maybe save them for another time.

Bonus bonus bars: Princess Victoria, Shepherd's Bush and the Hunter S, Dalston

Stout and a scotch egg are calling. Image: Hammersmith & Fulham Council via creative commons

In a Brexit-seasoned Parts Unknown from 2016 (Season 8, Episode 4) Bourdain visits the Princess Victoria in Shepherd's Bush, pulls up a stool next to Nigella, and between them, they demolish pints of Guinness with scotch eggs, whitebait and chips. We daresay that'd make a rewarding afternoon in itself. Just not the same afternoon as the above bar crawl.

Otherwise, head east to the the taxidermy-bestrewn Hunter S pub in Dalston, where in the same Part Unknown episode, Tony talks politics and class with the Kills frontman Jamie Hince over a pint of *checks notes* ah yes, Guinness. Sláinte!

Little Angel Theatre has been enchanting people of all ages for 65 years. Image: Little Angel Theatre

Since 1961, Little Angel Theatre in north London has pushed the boundaries of puppetry, crafting a universe of different characters and working on a diversity of projects, from pantos to Coldplay videos.

To mark 65 years of enchanting people of all ages, the theatre is launching Marionettes: An Exhibition Celebrating String Puppets, running 22 August-6 September 2026.

This collection of puppets and objects charts the story of the theatre, including pieces crafted by its founders John and Lyndie Wright, as well as those by the man behind Animata, Stephen Mottram; Sarah Vigars (known for her birds); and the theatre's current Associate Director, Oliver Hymans. Entry is free, no strings attached.

It's hoped the exhibition will inspire more people to become involved with puppetry. Image: Yola Sornsakrin

Marionettes... forms part of 600 Years on Strings, an anniversary year programme, which also includes the world premiere of The Sorcerer's Apprentice (22-30 August), the restoration of Little Angel's historic marionette bridge (it's one of just a handful of theatres in the world still equipped with one) and new marionette making and performance training.

Right now, you can count the number of people in Britain making a living carving marionettes, on one hand. Little Angel Theatre continues its mission to change that. Says Oliver Hymans:

Endangered crafts survive because people choose to practise them, teach them and pass them on. If this exhibition helps even a handful of people discover the same fascination I felt standing backstage at the Little Angel Theatre all those years ago, looking up at those silent figures hanging patiently above me, then perhaps we have helped ensure that marionettes will continue to dance for generations yet to come.

Marionettes: An Exhibition Celebrating String Puppets, at Little Angel Theatre, 22 August-6 September 2026. Free, book ahead.

If you/the kids think puppetry might be a calling, there are plenty of ongoing talks, workshops and the like to dive into at Little Angel Theatre.

Tube trains could've had wooden wheels. Image: Phillip Ridlen, Unsplash License

"Screeeeeeeeeeeee!"

The toe-curling squeal of steel alloy wheels grinding on Tube tracks is enough to make you leap up from your moquette seat and yell: "ARE WE SURE WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING, PEOPLE?!"

Londoners in 1930 were going through the same frustrations. By this time, cast iron wheels had been ditched in favour of steel, but the grinding of metal on metal often remained insufferable.

And then an inventor by the initial-heavy name of A. A. D. Lang suggested he might have the solution: wooden wheels.

Lang was no crackpot. A successful inventor, he'd created a laminated wooden propellor built up via layers of thin wood. After five years of tinkering, his company, Lang Wheels, introduced a similar design for wooden wheels, created by layering discs of wood on top of one another, and cementing them firmly together. "Each layer," explained the Herald of Wales, "is composed of six sectors of specialy [sic] chosen spruce, so arranged that the grain of each sector runs in a different direction. The layers are placed on top of one another in such a way that the joints between the sectors of one do not coincide with those of the other."

Image: from the Herald of Wales, July 1930, courtesy of Newspapers.com

As well as being lighter and less noisy than steel, the wheels were supposedly 'immune to moisture or heat', plus there was a suggestion they were actually more resilient than steel. Lang had already shown off the strength of his wheels during War Office trials for gun carriages, held in Woolwich. The wheels had been run on tracks for a distance of 192 miles, before being subjected to machine gun fire and shelling. After which, they were still fine.

Interest in Lang's wheels was understandably high, and test wheels were made for the London Underground Railway and London Tramways, as well as for the Manchester Corporation. Mr Murray Griffiths, Director of the London District and Underground Railways, hailed the invention as "A wheel that will wear, and that will obviate the terrible noise we now experience in our towns." Griffiths went on to say he was quite satisfied that the wooden wheels would go on to be used on the railways.

Wooden wheels never became a thing. Image: Ketut Subiyanto, Pexels License

Meanwhile, Lang challenged the Central London Railway to stick a mic in one of its carriages to record the noise, before refitting the carriage with one of his wooden wheels and doing the same again.

These were thrilling times for screech-phobes. So what happened with Lang's wooden wheels? Well, we're not entirely sure. The records fall silent about the experiments. Perhaps subsequent tests saw the wheels crack, splinter, catch fire or all of the above. The whole 'machine gun fire' thing did sound incredulous after all. As far as we know, wooden wheels were never properly, well, rolled out on the London Underground.

Lang Wheels carried on regardless; in 1933 they diversified into the fairground and theme park game, quickly trebling its workforce to manufacture roundabouts, dodgems, autodromes and the like. The screeching from those riding on such contraptions would have matched the wheels on any Tube train. But at least in this case, the passengers were having fun.

The Classic Boat Festival returns to St Katharine Docks in September 2026. Image: St Katharine Docks

Some 50 vintage boats will moor up at central London's only marina for a free festival.

The Classic Boat Festival returns to St Katharine Docks — next to Tower Bridge — on Saturday 12- Sunday 13 September 2026 as part of the Totally Thames Festival. It's the 17th time the event has been held, once again extending into the west basin so that larger vessels such as Thames sailing barges can take part.

You can climb aboard some of the boats. Image: St Katharine Docks

Among the vessels on display are several of the surviving Dunkirk Little Ships, which sailed across the Channel to rescue trapped Allied soldiers in 1940. There's also the chance to see historic tugs, as well as motorboats from the Bates Star Craft range.

Some of the work boats and sailing and motor yachts will be available for the public to climb onboard and chat with the owners. Wobbly on your sea dock legs? Stay ashore for live entertainment, food and drink stalls, kids' activities and other nautical-themed happenings across both days, including talks from boating experts.

The festival starts and ends with an opening and closing salute of horns each day. Image: St Katharine Docks

The Classic Boat Festival at St Katharine Docks takes place 12-13 September 2026, 10.30am-5pm both days. It's free to visit. The festival starts and ends with an opening and closing salute of horns each day.

The Great River Race 2026 also takes place on 12 September.

"The books are here. But right now, they cannot be properly catalogued, displayed or made accessible to the public." Image: Marta Branco, Pexels License

For over half a century, Pepukayi has dedicated himself to making rare and out of print Black books available to his community in and around Tottenham.

Now, the 76-year-old has reached out with an emotional plea to help him save the one-million-strong collection he has amassed at the Maa Maat Centre on Tottenham High Road.

Explains Pepukayi: "I have been through two major operations. And I am still fighting to keep this vision alive. But I cannot do it alone. Years of financial pressure, repeated break-ins, and the worsening condition of the building have left this collection locked away from the very people it was meant to serve.

"The books are here. But right now, they cannot be properly catalogued, displayed, or made accessible to the public."

In July, the building was broken into, something that has happened before, and may well happen again without the right improvements made. "Every break-in risks losing books that took decades to source," says Pepukayi, "some of them can never be replaced."

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With help from the Black British Book Festival, and founder/author Selina Brown (who also interviews Pepukayi in the video above), a GoFundMe has been established to raise money to secure the building, reopen it and catalogue the collection.

"Without help now," says Pepukayi, "books may be damaged, dispersed or simply remain locked away and inaccessible for years to come. 50 years of searching, sourcing and safeguarding Black literature — at risk of never reaching the people it was collected for."

The GoFundMe is off to a healthy start, heading well towards the initial £50k requested. Give it a visit to find out more and to donate.

Adapted from a feature that first appeared in August 2025 on Londonist: Time Machine, our much-praised history newsletter. To be the first to read new history features like this, sign up for free here.

This is actually a sculpture, on a quiet road near Canary Wharf. Image: Matt Brown

9 December 1868 is a doubly important date in world history. In the city of Breslau in Prussia, Fritz Jakob Haber vacated his mother’s womb and settled down for his first feed. 40 years later he would develop the ammonia-producing Haber process, which now feeds half the planet (through fertilisers), and kills vast numbers of people (through explosives). Haber was, arguably, the most consequential scientist of all time.

On the same day as his birth, the world’s first traffic light was unveiled in Westminster.

It was a spectacle. The contraption behaved like a railway signal, but towered six metres (20 feet) over the carriageway, with a trio of four-foot arms and a glowing headpiece, “like a dovecote”. Here’s a press image from the time:

The Westminster street semaphore, from the Illustrated Times, 16 January 1869. Copyright the British Library Board via the British Newspaper Archive.

This “frightful monument,” as one letter-writer saw it, was quite alien, like something from the pages of HG Wells (though not yet; he was currently toddling around his parents’ china shop a few miles away in Bromley). It might have been a “gratuitous hideousness” (another letter-writer), but the street semaphore was sorely needed.

Victorian London was a crazed clopjumble of horse-drawn traffic, all vying for progress along the ill-paved streets. The rules of the road had yet to be codified. Nobody indicated. Nobody had assumed priority. It was a dung-scented free-for-all.

Well, not quite. The busier junctions enjoyed the superintendence of a policeman. The short arm of the law would bend, stretch, and beckon, to let drivers know when it was their turn to proceed. It must have been a hellish job. Many policeman were injured amid the vehicular maelstrom.

One junction had a particularly bad reputation. This is the one where Parliament Street runs into Parliament Square and the approach to Westminster Bridge… the junction nearest Big Ben. It’s still a wretched grimfest today, but back in the 1868 it was a right old snarl up. Two Members of Parliament had recently been injured trying to cross on foot, while a traffic policeman had been killed earlier in the year. The spot was chosen, then, for Britain’s (and the world’s) first traffic lights.

A “dreadful portent”

The brains behind the scheme was John Peake Knight, a respected superintendent on the South Eastern Railway. Knight had a simple idea: that signals like those used on the railways might also tame London’s road traffic.

His experimental apparatus was duly installed at the Westminster junction, roughly where the Winston Churchill statue stands today. It did not look much like a modern traffic light. For daytime operation, a semaphore system could start and stop the traffic by the raising or lowering of mechanical arms. Only at night, when red- and green-filtered gas lamps were used, did the system look the part. None of this was done automatically, of course. A policeman still had to stand on the island and operate the device, and he was usually backed up by more than one colleague to help further manage the flow with gesticulations.

Should you accidentally ‘quantum leap’ into the body of an 1860s coachman, then you’ll need to know how to understand the signal. Happily, this contemporary information sheet has survived in the archives:

Richard Mayne, whose name appears at the bottom, was head of the Metropolitan Police… or, at least, he was for a few more days. He died at the end of December 1868 while the trial was still ongoing. Image: Public domain.

Simply put, you were free to guide your vehicle forwards unless both arms were in the horizontal, or the red signal lamp was illuminated. Notice that the sign mentions a pedestrian crossing. This was actually the whole point of the exercise. This first traffic light was a binary: either it was on to all vehicles or off to all vehicles. The arms could not be moved independently. During the ‘stop’ phase, all traffic halted and pedestrians were able to cross (in all directions) safely. During the ‘go’ phase, traffic would proceed in all directions, with some orchestration from a policemen. You’d be mad to try and cross on foot.

The traffic lights had some initial success. "The regular town drivers are fairly, and to quite an unexpected extent, amenable to the signals," thought the Illustrated Times, soon after the lights were installed.

A plaque to John Peake Knight near the Westminster junction he tried to tame. Image: Matt Brown

Others were more skeptical. One commentator, on approaching the “Dreadful Portent” from Westminster Bridge, asked his driver what it was. “Another o' them fakements put up to wex the poor cabbies,” came the reply. A more serious limitation was the manpower needed. The signal still required a police presence. The lights and semaphore reinforced the hand gestures of the constabulary, but didn’t replace them.

Appearances aside, these early traffic lights were simply not good enough. Many drivers did not understand what the angled semaphore blades were supposed to indicate. Others ignored them. The technology often broke down. In January 1869, a gas leak caused an explosion at the base of the semaphore, badly burning the face of the police operator.

The lights lingered on for a few more months, but constant breakdowns and general ineffectiveness led to their removal by the end of the year. Semaphore systems were adopted elsewhere, but London would not see further signalling for many decades. The roll-out of traffic lights in London was proving to be a stop-start affair.

The first electric traffic lights

Regular readers may recall that London’s first traffic island was supposedly installed at the top of St James’s Street in 1864. Remarkably, London’s first electronic traffic lights were anchored to that very same spot.

Eight sets of lights were placed along Piccadilly — between the Circus and Clarges Street. They were switched on on 3 August 1926, to coincide with the remodelling of traffic flow in Piccadilly Circus. Much as today, London’s first lights had three colours: green to go, red to stop, and amber to be ‘ready for a change’. This time, London was behind the curve. Electric traffic lights had been in limited use in the United States for over a decade by this point, and numerous European cities had also dabbled.

The locations of London’s first eight traffic lights, as deduced from newspaper reports of the time. The blue house symbol represents the control booth on St James’s Street. Image: Matt Brown in Google MyMaps.

Circuitry wasn’t yet reliable enough for an automatic system. Rather, the lights were overseen by “a perspiring policeman in full uniform, including helmet,” perched inside a grey, glass-fronted booth on St James’s Street. The poor fellow would sit there squinting down the road, pushing buttons for hours on end, and sequentially scrolling through the phases on each signal.

These light signals were not for the direct benefit of drivers. Rather, they were intended as cues for the regular traffic police, who were stationed at each set of lights, to perform the customary gestures. This was, after all, an experimental system, and motorists had no previous experience at obeying coloured lights. The chief benefit was that one man could now coordinate the entire street, rather than the existing anarchy of independent junctions.

A policeman on point duty at Piccadilly Circus in 1911. Image: public domain

The Piccadilly lights were of limited success. Traffic flow was judged to be improved, but the mixture of a beckoning human and a guiding light caused confusion. The police on point duty could not always see their lights, which then as now were hooded. “A hundred times a day, drivers are waved out of Bond-street into Piccadilly be the policemen on point duty, although the signal at the corner is set to danger," reported the Evening News one month into the trial. “Similarly, a hundred times a day drivers see the green and think all is well for straight ahead, and find that the policeman will not let them pass”.

These mixed messages, and the sheer cost of employing so many members of His Majesty’s Constabulary on traffic duties (around 1,300 across town at any given time) meant that moves towards a fully automatic system were inevitable. London was again slow to adopt such a system. Detroit had automated lights as early as 1921, and the technology was widespread in North America by the end of the decade. Meanwhile, various towns across the UK, including Hastings and Wolverhampton, held their own trials before London.

The first large-scale system in central London was installed in Trafalgar Square in 1933. It was surprisingly sophisticated. The lights were informed by pressure sensors on the road surface, which relayed information about traffic levels on different approaches. Drivers were even given filter arrows, which allowed traffic to turn from the National Gallery onto Charing Cross Road, even though other directions were on ‘red’. These pioneering lights had their teething issues, but were quickly deemed a success. 14 police officers were reassigned from traffic duty.

Trafalgar Square is today notable for its novelty pedestrian lights, which feature various designs inspired by Pride and the LGBT+ community. This one has a subtle heart between the figures. Image: Matt Brown

Automatic lights enjoyed their finest hour in November 1937, when “the biggest unit of traffic signals in the world” was installed at Piccadilly Circus. The “robot master mind” controlling the junction was officially named “Little Eva”. This box of wonders received signals from nine detectors on approach roads, and could vary the phase times according to demand. It was estimated at the time that Little Eva would save some £3,600 a year on police time, and provide a smoother flow as well. Pedestrians were an after-thought. According to one news report: “The loud speakers of a police car continually barked: "Use the subways, they are safer!" but few people did so.”

From that point on, it was a big green GO for traffic lights in London. They spread across the city and country like a tricoloured rash, and remain a key part of road infrastructure today.

Now, there’s an unwritten rule of feature writing that your final paragraphs should always include a call-back to the opening paragraphs. How on earth am I going to pivot back to Fritz Haber? Well, watch this manoeuvre…

Another of those early traffic light set-ups was placed at the corner of Southampton Row and Russell Square at some point in 1932-33, during measures to disentangle an experimental one-way system. It was at precisely this time that Fritz Haber made a series of short visits to London. He almost certainly stayed in the Russell Hotel, right next to the traffic lights.

Long-time readers of this newsletter will know how important this particular set of traffic lights proved to be. It was here, also in 1933, that one of the most important thoughts in human history took place. While on his way to the Russell Hotel (the same one Haber used), the physicist Leo Szilard paused at the crossing to wait for the traffic to stop. It was then that he had a ‘Eureka moment’ in which he conceptualised the nuclear chain reaction — the process that would lead to both nuclear power and nuclear weapons. Szilard is therefore a rival to Fritz Haber as the most consequential scientist who ever lived. One was born on the same day as the traffic light, and the other was inspired by one. Like the road-traffic control network, everything is connected.

After that unhinged conclusion, I’ll sign off with some music. Behold, this uplifting ode to traffic lights by Monty Python:

The free one-day festival takes place Saturday 5 September 2026. Image: London.gov

The breadth of London's Black cultural and creative talent will be showcased at the fourth edition of Black On The Square.

The free one-day festival takes place Saturday 5 September 2026 in Trafalgar Square. The line-up includes:

🎤 Main stage performances from Tomorrow's Warriors (celebrating 35 years of jazz); MOBO Unsung (marking 30 years of supporting emerging R&B and hip-hop artists); artists from the Notting Hill Carnival (2026 is its 60th year); LatinoLife (marking 20 years with Viva Sound System, with an an Afro-Latin music showcase featuring reggaeton, baile funk, merengue, bachata and salsa).

🎨 Activities for children and young people including face painting and art workshops.

🍗 Black-owned food stalls — plus live cooking demos.

🎲 The chance to play ludi and dominoes.

🎪 Other stalls offering wellbeing sessions, financial advice surgeries, free blood pressure checks and more.

Here's a highlights video from 2024's Black On The Square:

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: "I’m delighted that Black On The Square returns to once again celebrate the incredible contribution of our Black communities. This free family event has become a key part of our cultural calendar, bringing Londoners and visitors of all backgrounds together for a showcase of how London's Black communities have shaped the sound, flavour and soul of our city for generations."

The event is now an annual fixture, joining a host of others held in Trafalgar Square, including Diwali, Eid, St Patrick's Day, Lunar New Year, Vaisakhi and St George's Day.

Black On The Square, Trafalgar Square, Saturday 5 September, 12pm-6pm, free — no need to book.

All weekend

Tuck into East and Southeast Asian street food. Image: Ryan Dinham

CHARITY SUPER.MKT: Charity Super.Mkt returns to Coal Drops Yard with a curated market of vintage and pre-loved fashion, repair drop-ins and upcycling sessions. The pop-up brings together charity sellers — including stands supporting the British Heart Foundation, Fight for Sight and Havens Hospices — alongside designer and high-street second‑hand pieces, all raising money for good causes. 6-9 August 2026

KERB GOES EAST: For one weekend, street food connoisseurs KERB pop up at Canada Water, bringing together about 50 traders serving East and Southeast Asian street food — from Japanese comfort food and Singaporean curry puffs to Indonesian classics and Korean-Mexican mash-ups. At the same time, Urban Garden Fair holds an East Asian summer market full of independent craft and culture stalls. 8-9 August 2026

WHIPPIES ICE CREAM: Central London gets a new ice cream spot, as Whippies opens in Seven Dials Market on Saturday. From the team behind Carnaby's Big Kid Ice Cream, Whippies specialises in soft serve ice cream with a nostalgic twist: think towering sundaes and brain-freezing slushies. For opening weekend, ninety-nine Flake 99s priced at 99p, are up for grabs each day. From 8 August 2026

A new ice cream parlour opens this weekend. Image: Big Kid Ice Cream

CAMDEN FRINGE: The Camden Fringe gets underway, offering a month of theatre, music, comedy and dance at venues across the area. Highlights of this jam-packed first weekend include 7-7-7, a one-man ritual-performance that confronts the illusion of free will; and Killing Swine, a gripping new thriller inspired by Macbeth. Take a look at our picks for Camden Fringe 2026 or browse the full programme. 3-30 August 2026

UPSIDE DOWN LONDON: Pinhole London installs a temporary camera obscura on the Terrace at Alexandra Palace, projecting a live, upside-down view of landmarks such as the Shard and the BT Tower — and this weekend is your last chance to catch a peek. Until 9 August 2026

HOLY POP!: Last chance to see Holy Pop!, a Somerset House exhibition dedicated to the world of modern shrines and collections of objects which honour celebrity heroes. Until 9 August 2026

Last chance to worship at the altar of Holy Pop! Image: David Parry

COMEDY FESTIVAL: The laughs keep coming at Roundhouse Comedy Festival in Camden, where this weekend's acts are courtesy of comedy streaming service Dropout. Saturday's Um, Actually takes the form of a trivia gameshow centred around nerdy pop culture, while Dirty Laundry brings four guests to anonymously air their, well, dirty laundry on Sunday. Until 18 August 2026

OUTDOOR CINEMA: Another chance to watch a film in the open air, this time out west at Gunnersbury Park. The pop-up Picturehouse screen enters its second and final weekend, screening Jurassic Park on Saturday and Grease on Sunday. Your ticket includes a £7 credit towards food and drink on site. 7-9 August 2026

COSTA DEL CROYDON: A pop-up beach once again appears on a car park rooftop in central Croydon for the summer. Feel the sand between your toes in a giant sand pit, try bungee trampolines, a water splash zone... and — new for 2026 — adults-only evenings on Thursdays. Who needs Brighton anyway? FREE, 7-31 August 2026

Saturday 8 August

Explore an enchanted garden. Image: Capel Manor Gardens

ENCHANTED GARDEN DAY: A Fairy Forest, treasure hunts, storytelling, walk-around characters, face painting, a bouncy castle and craft workshops are all part of the Enchanted Garden Day at Capel Manor Gardens in Enfield. Tickets include entry to the venue's 30 acres of gardens, the mini zoo, daily animal talks and historic maze. 10am-3pm

WALL-E: Kids bouncing off the walls nice and early? Whisk them over to Canary Wharf for a free open-air screening of 2008 Pixar film Wall-E, about a lonely robot who falls in love. FREE, 10.30am

CAMDEN'S LOST CINEMAS: Let Nigel Smith walk you back to a time when Camden Town was dripping with cinemas, including the opulent Camden Hippodrome and the unique Plaza. This (literally) cinematic guided tour also includes a flying visit to the Camden Odeon and the chance to pay tribute to Muppets creator Jim Henson. 11am-1pm

COCKTAILS IN THE CITY: The second and final edition of this year's Cocktails in the City takes place at Bedford Square Gardens, opening the usually-private park to ticket holders, with 20 of London's best bars appearing in pop-up form to serve their tipples. There are also street food stalls, live music, a silent disco and cocktail making workshops. 12pm-4pm/5pm-10pm

THAMESMEAD FESTIVAL: The free Thamesmead Festival returns to Southmere Park today. Four stages pop up, with local performers showcasing their talents, spanning R&B, soul and rap music, headlined by 10-piece collective Natalie Williams & the Soul Family Band. Also happening: craft workshops, kids' entertainment, a local market and loads more. FREE ENTRY, 12pm-7.30pm

THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT: Part of the Hong Kong Golden Age season, Holborn's Garden Cinema screens of Mabel Cheung’s 1985 debut The Illegal Immigrant, about an undocumented Chinese immigrant in New York navigating a sham marriage and the challenges of legal and economic precarity. It's followed by an online Q&A with the director. 1pm

Enjoy tipples and entertainment in Bedford Square Gardens. Image: Cocktails in the City

WIND IN THE WILLOWS: Explore the stretch of the Thames that Sir David Attenborough calls his favourite place on the planet, with this Wind in the Willows walking tour from Richmond to Twickenham. Led by Laura Agustín of Footprints of London, the route takes in the Tudor gatehouse of Richmond Palace, the wildflowers of Marble Hill Park, and the rock music history of Eel Pie Island. 1pm-4.30pm

CAJUN APRÈS-MIDI: Head to Jamboree in King's Cross for a lively afternoon of Louisiana-style music and movement. The session kicks off with a dance lesson followed by live waltzes, blues and two-steps from the Là-bas Cajun Band, including rare double-fiddle numbers. Musicians of all levels are invited to join the stage for an "electric jam" during the final hour, with full support from the house band. 1.30pm-5pm

GAY MEN'S CHORUS: For the first time ever, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles performs on this side of the pond, at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden. Expect a mix of Motown, musical-theatre numbers, anthems and gospel, with repertoire ranging from Stevie Wonder and the Temptations to songs from Dreamgirls, The Wiz, La Cage aux Folles, and Wicked — all raising funds for Terrence Higgins Trust. 2.30pm/7.30pm

ALLEGRA: Maureen Lipman stars in Allegra, a play about a woman who cannot stop herself from bursting into song, and the effect it has on those around her. It's on at the Harold Pinter Theatre, but only until tonight. 2.30pm/7.30pm

Mark Jamaican Independence Day in Stratford. Image: London Reggae & Food Festival

REGGAE FOOD FESTIVAL: Celebrate Jamaican Independence Day (6 August) in style as the London Reggae & Food Festival returns to Riverside East in Stratford. DJs Saxon Sound, Seani B, Izzy Bossy, Shayna Marie, Vybz-SR and Tuggzy Onpoint play a soundtrack of reggae and dancehall, alongside authentic Caribbean food traders. 3pm-10pm

MY CHEMICAL HOEMANCE: We Are Still Young returns to Between The Bridges for a summer party featuring a special live set from My Chemical Hoemance — an LGBTQ+ take on My Chemical Romance covers. Expect emo and alternative anthems across The Pier, with street food vendors and bars on site. 6pm-11pm

JAY JURDEN: American comedian and writer Jay Jurden, whose credits include Hulu, Netflix, HBO and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, brings a new hour of stand-up to Soho Upstairs. Expect fast-paced, personal comedy exploring identity and current topics in a 60-minute set. 7.15pm

POUR IT UP: Unpretentious party vibes take over the upstairs club room at The Old Queens Head in Islington for a late-night session of R&B and hip-hop. Expect a genre-spanning soundtrack featuring the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Peggy Gou, Burna Boy and Beyoncé, with DJs keeping the floor moving until the early hours of Sunday morning. FREE before 9pm, until 3am

Sunday 9 August

Explore the history of Notting Hill Carnival. Image: Glodi Miessi, Unsplash License

FAMILY BEACH DISCO: Little ones and their grown-ups can let loose at JW3 on Finchley Road for an uplifting, all-ages dance party. Led by fan favourite Ilana Banana, the Family Disco on the Beach features bubbles, rainbows, parachute games and a specially-curated playlist designed to get everyone from crawling babies to grandparents moving. Crafting activities are also available on-site to complement the sensory musical experience. 11am-12pm

NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL WALK: As the 60th anniversary of Notting Hill Carnival approaches, take part in a guided walk around Notting Hill that covers the Windrush Generation, the murder of Kelso Cochrane, and the Mangrove Nine — to learn how community organising and culture shaped the Carnival. Begins at Ladbroke Grove station. 11am-12.30pm

ITALIAN MUSIC: Fresh from their annual festival in Tuscany, the musicians of Sinfonia Smith Square bring a Mediterranean flavour to Westminster for their final performance of the year. Sinfonia Smith Square’s Guide to Italy features a whistle-stop tour of much-loved Italian music performed across the hall, the gardens and the surrounding square. Grab a gelato and explore the Grade I-listed Baroque venue during this family-friendly musical journey. FREE, 11.30am/1.30pm/3.30pm

ART IN THE PARK: Free, drop-in art and craft workshops for children, families and adults are on offer this afternoon in Windmill Gardens, adjacent to Brixton Windmill. Activities include paper flower making, t‑shirt painting, junk plants, nature collages and kaleidoscope making. Just turn up to take part. FREE, 1pm-5pm

Enjoy live music on board the Golden Hinde. Image: Croydon Clicker, Creative Commons

GIRL DINNER: This afternoon's Sip & Paint session at London Art Bar (Holborn) centres around Wyland Tondelier's Summer Table For Two painting. Have a go at creating your own version of the masterpiece, aided with a drink or two, with all art supplies provided. 2pm-4pm

LONDON BRONCOS: Rugby league team the London Broncos are at their home ground, the Cherry Red Records Stadium in Wimbledon, facing Goole Vikings in this round 23 clash in the Betfred Championship. Adult tickets start at £18. KO 3pm

SKOOB BOOKS EXTRAVAGANZA: Bloomsbury's iconic second-hand bookshop is celebrated with an evening of drinks, shop history and literary community at The Horse Hospital. The Skoob Books Extravaganza features a show-and-tell of the shop's ephemera collection and a quiz with "rich prizes" for the well-read. Browse books for sale and meet the team behind the long-running institution. FREE entry, 6pm-10pm

NO FRILLS FOLK CLUB: Musicians of all abilities are invited to pull up a chair at The Windmill in Brixton for an evening of informal, round-the-table music making. The No Frills Folk Club welcomes a vast range of styles, from bluegrass and western swing to Yiddish, Scandinavian and Balkan tunes. Whether you want to swap songs, learn new techniques, or simply enjoy a pint while the house band plays, the atmosphere is relaxed and inclusive. FREE, 7pm

LIVE ACOUSTIC GUITAR: Guitarist Kris Dollimore brings his solo instrumental project, Sirkus Post, to the Golden Hinde, offering an evening of relaxed acoustic music. Expect original solo pieces in alternative tunings, in an atmospheric setting. 8pm

Things are about to hot up... Image: Tower Hamlets

Curry fans, tikka look at this!

The Brick Lane Curry Festival returned in 2025 after almost a decade off — but now it's firmly back as an annual fixture.

Taking place in the Brick Lane neighbourhood of east London on Sunday 20 September 2026, the Brick Lane Curry Festival showcases the best of Bangladeshi and South Asian food, culture and community.

The festival celebrates culture as well as cuisine. Image: Tower Hamlets

While last year's event was a three-day affair, 2026's has been condensed into one day, cramming in:

🌶️ A vibrant procession from Buxton Street to the Brick Lane Arch to start the day (around 12pm) with themed floats and dancers. Performers include Taal Torongo, Showmi Das Dance Company, IMD Legion and Bolly Flex.

🌶️  For the rest of the day, up until 7pm, all kinds of street entertainment mingles with the Brick Lane crowds, including dancing, dhol drummers and live street art.

🌶️  The important bit — the food! Street stalls from various Brick Lane restaurants, offering regional and specialty dishes, plus pop-up cooking demos. (Note that the whole event is free to attend, but if you reserve a spot, you get access to a 20% discount for participating restaurants — a no-brainer if you're planning to eat!)

🌶️ A festival stage with appearances from Bengali music stars Nish and Mumzy; plus the Bollywood Brass Band.

🌶️  The Gaat: Family Zone, offering free, family-friendly activities such as traditional saree draping and lungi wrapping — as well as an array of sports, games and a bouncy castle.

Eat al fresco in Brick Lane for a change. Image: Tower Hamlets

Bangladeshi immigrants, many hailing from Sylhet, have been calling this part of east London home en masse since the end of the Second World War, with the first curry houses opening not long after. By the 1970s and 1980s Brick Lane had transformed into "Bangla Town", a thriving hub for the Bangladeshi community — and has long been considered one of the best places in Britain to go for a curry.

Says Guljar Khan, from Bangla Town Business Association: "Brick Lane's famous curry houses and local independent businesses are the beating heart of the East End, built on decades of hard work, passion and tradition.

"This festival isn't just a celebration of world-class food, it is a lifeline for our high street, supporting local livelihoods and keeping our historic culture thriving."

Anyone who enjoys a curry would be Madras to miss it.

Brick Lane Curry Festival, 20 September 2026, 12pm-7pm

Turning the Tide is one of countless riverine events taking place across September. Image: Catherine Yass/Becky Bailey

Totally Thames — London's annual celebration of everything riverine — is back this September. Here, we dip our toe into the cultural waters, to bring you our pick of events.

Hosted by the Thames Festival Trust, Totally Thames runs across 20 boroughs (including the City) from 1-30 September 2026. It's awash with exhibitions, performances, art installations, boat trips, walks, talks and more — all designed to help you learn about, and appreciate, the Thames. London's multitude of other rivers, docks, and beaches are celebrated too.

The Great River Race returns on 12 September. Image: Hannah Smiles

Here's a smattering of happenings that've caught our eye:

🌊 Kayaking for Beginners at Kew Bridge (5-6 Sept): Newbies to kayaking can take to the water with the help of Chelsea Kayak Club experts, at these Kew Bridge taster sessions.

🌊 Culture Cargo (5-19 Sept): The sailing barge SB Raybel is transformed into a floating venue, staging live music, conversations and more as it flits from Gravesend to St Katharine Docks to Royal Docks.

🌊 Scratching Out a Living: The Medieval Female Proletariat (12 Sept) Laura Agustín takes you on a walk along the Thames, where you'll 'meet' six medieval women — scullery maid, victualler, laundress, alewife, sex worker, huckster — who once worked and lived here.

🌊 Sing For Water (12 Sept): Over 40 choirs join forces to form a 'super choir', singing a repertoire of (we assume) water-themed songs at the Oxo Tower Courtyard.

Helen Epega presents multisensory, site-responsive opera, Where the River Holds Us. Image: Dele Oluwayomi

🌊 Great River Race (12 Sept) 250+ boat crews compete in this extraordinary marathon along the Thames from Millwall to Richmond.

🌊 Ganga Aarti on the Thames (13 Sept): This free afternoon/evening out at Greenwich's Old Royal Naval College features food, music, live entertainment and cultural celebration inspired by Indian traditions, culminating with a Ganga Aarti, a traditional ceremony of light giving thanks to the river.

🌊 Turning the Tide (17-20 Sept): The columns of the disused Blackfriars Railway Bridge become a canvas for Turner Prize-nominated artist Catherine Yass' installation, which makes visible Deaf/deaf and disabled people, and is created in partnership with disabled-led theatre company Graeae.

🌊 Where the River Holds Us (27-28 Sept): Helen Epega presents this multisensory, site-responsive opera, which blends music, storytelling and audience participation, inviting us to explore our relationship with water, climate and place.

Totally Thames, London-wide, 1-30 September 2026. Some events are paid-for, others are free. Find out more on the official website.

Free things to do in London this week.

Entertain the kids at a free Playday. Image: Coram's Fields

Walk The Line

A reminder that The Line — a walkable free art trail stretching between North Greenwich and Stratford — invites you to complete as much (or as little) of it as you fancy, admiring installations by the likes of Rasheed Araeen, Gary Hume, Abigail Fallis, Madge Gill and Yinka Ilori. What's more, every weekend throughout the summer, a cohort of friendly Youth Guides is scattered along the trail, happy to engage in a chat, and impart further insights into the artworks.

All summer.

The Solar System in Kingston

If you happen to be around Fairfield Recreation Ground in Kingston with the kids this summer, there's a chance keep them distracted for a while, with To the Moon & Beyond: Kingston's Solar System Walk. Stuck up around the park are information sheets on the Sun, Moon and various planets — providing a fun and free way to get steps in, while brushing up on stellar stats.

Until 30 September.

Summer Screens

There are two chances to catch a film at the free Canary Wharf Summer Screens open-air cinema this week.

Make like it's summer 2023, with Greta Gerwig's Barbie on Tuesday evening. Margot Robbie stars as the eponymous toy steps into the real world and gets a reality check. As for Ryan Gosling? He's just Ken.

Then on Saturday morning, there's a family screening of Pixar film Wall-E, about a lonely robot who falls in love.

4 and 8 August.

London meets Goa

Image: Marcio Menino Fernandes

Willesden Gallery, located within Willesden Green Library, opens a new exhibition on Tuesday, showcasing portraits from daily life in both London and Goa. Daily People is the work of London-based artist Marcio Menino Fernandes, and celebrates the diversity of our city through quiet moments and everyday faces.

4-16 August.

Coram's Fields Playday

The annual Coram's Fields Playday — taking place on Wednesday — sees families invited into the Bloomsbury park for a free day of activities celebrating Article 31 of the United Nation's charter on the Rights of a Child, which states every child has the right to play. Trampolines, an inflatable obstacle course, a stage, a sports zone and a reading corner are all part of the event, which also marks an impressive 90 years since Coram's Fields opened.

5 August.

Pocket Garden Sessions

Rising Shropshire songwriter Danny Griffiths brings his indie-alternative anthems to the riverside for a free lunchtime concert on Thursday. Part of the Summer by the River programme, the performance takes place in the Putting Down Roots Pocket Garden near Morgan's Lane. Catch a lunchtime set from an emerging artist known for big, melodic hooks.

6 August.

Get a free beer on Friday (details below). Image: Guinness

London's odd traditions

We're huge fans of the bizarre rituals and ceremonies which take place in London every year. If you are too, head to Guildhall Library on Thursday afternoon for a free talk about the capital’s many fascinating customs and observances.

6 August.

Japanese film screening

Watch a free screening of documentary Bon-Uta: A Song from Home, which follows residents of Fukushima who were displaced by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of 2011. The film — which is screened at Japan House London (Kensington) on Thursday — looks at the potential loss of their centuries-old Bon dance traditions as a result of the displacement.

6 August.

Free Guinness

To mark International Beer Day on Friday, the Guinness Open Gate Brewery London in Covent Garden is giving away free brews (craft, pint of Guinness or pint of Guinness 0.0). Head to the on-site Old Brewer's Yard pub from 12pm, and if you're among the first 100 people to order, your beer is on the house (of Guinness).

7 August.

Sun yourself on a south London rooftop. Image: Costa Del Croydon

Upgrade Yourself

Somerset House hosts Upgrade Yourself Festival, a free two-day event for 16-30 year-olds hoping to work in creative industries. Rather than a traditional careers fair, it's a chance for young people to connect with industry experts through workshops, mentoring sessions and creative activities.

7-8 August.

Costa Del Croydon

A pop-up beach once again appears on a car park rooftop in central Croydon — ideal for free summer holiday entertainment. Feel the sand between your toes in a giant sand pit, try bungee trampolines, a water splash zone... and, new for 2026, adults-only evenings on Thursdays. Who needs Brighton anyway?

7-31 August.

Thamesmead festivities

Image: Stephen Chung for Peabody

The free Thamesmead Festival pitches up on the banks of Southmere Lake on Saturday. Four stages are filled with local performers showcasing their talents, spanning R&B, soul and rap music — and headlined by 10-piece collective Natalie Williams & the Soul Family Band. Also happening: craft workshops, kids' entertainment, a local market and loads more.

8 August.

Family fun in Paddington

To mark the launch of a new Paddington-themed Monopoly board, a free Family Fun Day is being thrown in Norfolk Square Gardens, featuring live music, face painters, a helter-skelter, family-friendly inflatables and a giant Mr Monopoly you can have your photo taken with.

8 August.

Art in the Park

Take the family to Windmill Gardens, alongside Brixton Windmill on Sunday, for an afternoon of free al fresco crafting. Art in the Park is a chance to take part in various craft workshops including paper flower making, t-shirt painting, junk plants, nature collages and kaleidoscope making. Different activities are available for children, adults and families, so the event is suitable for all ages.

9 August.

Some serious monkey business went down in London late in 1926. Image: Matt Brown/Bob Brewer via Pexels

Yes, you did read that right. The hijinks-laden escapade of 13 monkeys — all members of a travelling 'jazz band' — really did happen in London, 100 years ago.

The place: Notting Hill. The time: Friday 19 November 1926. Thieves break into the premises of 'amusement caterer' Mr T Murphy on Latimer Road. They're about to get more than they bargained for.

Spying a wooden, coop-like structure, they crack open the door, expecting a hen or two to waddle out. Instead, out pour 13 more-than-cheeky monkeys. The alarmed thieves scarper. So do the monkeys – making for the rooftops, then on to nearby Latimer Road station, where they entrench themselves beneath the railway arches/platform.

The monkeys, by the way, are pro musicians. In town for an engagement at the World's Fair, to be held at the Agricultural Hall on Christmas Eve. Reports do not suggest they take their instruments with them as they flee. (When you're on the lam, a drum kit is not your best friend.)

One monkey broke into a confectioners, troughing a pound of peppermint creams. Image: Phil Beard, Creative Commons

Keeping up with the rambunctious escapades of the monkeys isn't easy — especially as newspapers give slightly differing reports as to their names, crimes and whereabouts. But in a roundabout way, here is what unfolds:

🙊 From their makeshift Latimer Road lair, the escapees sally forth with all manner of monkey business — frightening old ladies, breaking into homes, yanking off roof tiles, tearing down curtains and making frequent raids on grocers' shops and stables ("One this morning was observed sitting on a horse's back"). Snookums, a cymbalist, helps himself to cigarettes. The drummer, Jennie (or Jenny or Jeannie, depending which report you read), ransacks a local sweetshop, troughing a pound of peppermint creams. She is caught soon after by "an old army man who had been in Singapore and understood monkeys".

🙊  The mood is not so humorous as it is threatening. Any attempt to approach the monkeys is met with a volley of banana skins and nutshells. One monkey finds a tobacco pipe and "puffed this while he gazed with scorn at his would-be captors." Another — or perhaps the same psychotic simian — "clutched at a hammer and brandished it with threatening intent."

🙊 Three of the sax players head to Notting Hill Gate station, where they take up residence and hurl chunks of wood at children.

🙊 "Smart little trumpeter" Issacs lets himself into the bedroom of a Mrs Harris of Mersey Street and her baby, almost scaring the former to death. "Issacs," writes the Province, "has already established a reputation for 'frightfulness' in the area".

🙊 Another monkey plays Santa, by sliding down a succession of chimneys (well it is almost Christmas). A woman taking tea spots the be-sooted monkey on her dresser and faints, the tea tray crashing to the floor. The monkey nicks a slice of bread then scarpers back up the chimney. "Another woman who has lived with her window open for ten years," writes the Courier and Advertiser, "has now nailed it up".

🙊 Reports from startled locals files steadily into police stations: "Latimer Road indeed has an endless supply of jungle tales." Mr T Murphy receives bills left, right and centre for everything from stolen chocolates to broken crockery, It's a wonder he doesn't suffer a nervous breakdown.

A photo of one of the captured primates (which one exactly we're not sure). Image: British Newspaper Archive

🙊 A group of the monkeys (reported as seven, but possibly six otherwise the figures don't add up) get hungry and bored, and are easily lured back to their cages.

🙊 Two more monkeys are captured the next day, as is Issacs.

🙊 That still leaves four: Bimbo, a drummer; cymbal crasher/cigarette snatcher Snookums; Sandy (specialist instrument unknown); and Franko, the band's leader — a dab hand with the baton, and described by the Daily News as "a saxophonist with ambitions for a cabaret career in the West End". Franko is worth over £100, and the show can't go on without him, says Mr T Murphy. A £25 reward is offered for his capture.

🙊 Some 20 people are now part of the hunt for the remaining fugitives: station staff, police, livid shopkeepers, bounty hunters. Traps are set, but the monkeys are wily/quite violent. The press know a good story when they see it. "I went monkey hunting in Notting Hill yesterday," writes an excited reporter for the Daily News.

🙊 Snookums is eventually captured, although not before an acrobatic display around Latimer Road station, which crescendos with him biting the hand of his captor.

🙊 Franko is spotted jumping on the roof of a Paddington-bound train (some say he boards the train), before vanishing into the night.

🙊 Meanwhile, Mr T Murphy receives a telegram from Tom Norman, a travelling showman at the Saracen's Head in Rugby:

Monkey captured here this morning, after doing considerable damage, for which I shall expect you to pay. Am sending him passenger to Euston.

It's Bimbo! In RUGBY ffs! And Norman has managed to bag him up in a sack, and send him back to London. Writes the Guardian: "The monkey, looking cold and crestfallen, struggled vigorously when the guard led it on a chain to the Parcels Office. It took three porters to hold it down while press photographers secured a 'snap'".

🙊 Fears grow that Franko and Sandy may have perished from exposure. But then, on 27 November, the Daily Express reports that Sandy has demonstrated that very morning that such reports are exaggerated, "by sitting on a pile of logs in a wood yard... and hurling lumps of wood at the custodian." Classic Sandy.

🙊 After this, the reports peter out. Was Sandy ever captured? And what became of Franco? We like to think that, as the Lancashire Daily Post suggested, he made it to Paddington and the Cornish Express, on which he journeyed to the softer climes of the English Riviera, living happily ever after. Hard to swallow perhaps, but then so too are the previous 1,000 words.

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Rounding up the best new pub openings from the past year or so.

Pubs are struggling. No question. We read about old favourites closing all the time. It's not quite a story heading in only one direction, however. New pubs open, too, and some of them are very good indeed.

Below, we've rounded up some of the better openings from the past year or so, including a handful of reopenings. We'll aim to renew this list every six months or so.

The Black Cap, Camden Town

The Black Cap, 171 Camden High St, NW1 7JY

Image: The Black Cap

Not so much a new pub as a welcome return for one of north London's most celebrated LGBTQ+ pubs. The Black Cap closed down in 2015 amid much acrimony. Fortunately, a vociferous community campaign led to the Black Cap's reopening in March 2026. Once again, the joint sparkles with drag bingo and karaoke sessions — and if you have a particularly good night here, you can even book a room.

The Black Eel, Dalston

The Black Eel, 41 Kingsland High St, E8 2JP

Image: Matt Brown

You *think* you're going to booze in an old pie-and-mash shop... and you are. But the Black Eel has hidden depths. Progress through to the back rooms and you'll find an assortment of handsome drinking spaces, plus a games room and a sizeable rear garden. One of the best new openings of recent times.

The Golden Tooth, Stoke Newington

Golden Tooth, 79 Green Lanes, N16 9BU

Image: Matt Brown

Arguably a restaurant with a pub tacked on the front, the Golden Tooth is a follow-on project for chef Matthew Scott, who wowed the crowds with London Fields restaurant Papi. The GT's drinking area is, however, also very welcoming, with around a dozen tables, a hearty range of kegs up on the chalkboard (no cask), and Dexy's Midnight Runners followed by ELO on the speakers. Great vibe.

Hand and Marigold, Bermondsey

Hand and Marigold, 244 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3UH

Image: Matt Brown

What a charmer this place is. Independently owned (well, in a microchain with the much-loved Trafalgar in Merton), the H&M stocks an ever changing range of cask from small breweries. The interior looks like a survivor from the early 20th century, but it's mostly (good) pastiche.

The Horsemen, Broadgate

The Horsemen, 1 Broadgate, EC2M 2QS

Image: Matt Brown

Ostensibly an 'American-Irish' pub, but any cultural niceties are lost in the mega-scrum for the bar. As Broadgate's only proper pub (the White Horse is now closed), this place can get decidedly busy of a weekday evening. Come a little earlier, though, and you can enjoy a pleasantly wooden bar with prominent Guinness taps reminding all and sundry that this is supposed to be an Irish pub.

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft, 181 Stoke Newington Church Street, N16 0UL

Image: Matt Brown

A slim, attractive bar, not unlike the nearby Auld Shillelagh in layout. The offering is very different, however, with a veritable xylophone of fun keg choices, and an octet of cask, mostly from small breweries. There's a bit more space in the garden out back, which was in use for a wedding on our visit... hence no photos. The pub is, of course, named after the early feminist writer and mother of Mary Shelley, who started a boarding school down the road in Newington Green, which also boasts an unusual sculpture/statue of the writer.

Ninety One, Brick Lane

Ninety One, 91 Brick Lane, E1 6QL

Image: Matt Brown

Having opened earlier this year inside the former Brewmaster's House on Brick Lane, Ninety One already boasted an enviable courtyard for summer sips. Now it's teamed up with the Jamaican/Turkish mash-up maestros of Jurkish, to serve dishes like plantain hummus and curry goat manti. They even do a twist on the Sunday roast. The main area manages to feel simultaneously like a bar and a classic pub, with cosy corners circling the more open-plan floor in front of the bar. Fun place.  

The Pocket, Upper Street

The Pocket, 25 Canonbury Lane, N1 2AS

Image: Matt Brown

Widely feted since its opening in March 2025, The Pocket has quickly established itself as one of London's best pubs. This is hardly surprising, seeing as it's from the same team behind the Southampton Arms in Gospel Oak, long held as the gold standard in craft ale pubbery. The Pocket is an utter joy for beer (or cider) fans, with two dozen options on keg and cask. And it's bigger than it pocket-sized, too, with plenty of space at the back and an upstairs room.

The Stranded, Strand

The Stranded, 430 Strand, WC2R 0JR

Image: Matt Brown

Strand has always been a bit lacking in pubs, bar the wonderful Coal Hole and the George. The Stranded has more of a bar feel about it, but it does serve proper fancy beer, and comes from the same people as the Euston Tap and the Jackalope, so gets the nod in our book. Expect a strong range of continental lagers and ales, leading on variations of Budvar.

The Trafalgar, Chelsea

The Trafalgar, 224-226 King's Rd, SW3 5UA

Image: Matt Brown

King's Road really needed a good pub. The Cadogan Arms looks gorgeous, but also feels a bit cliquey and exclusive. The Trafalgar, converted from an old NatWest banking hall, definitely has the touch of 'posh' about it, but the place is very open and friendly. A side room handles the gastro-seekers, but the main bar is a glorious drinking space, easily the best in the area. Also: Harvey's on cask... you don't see that very often in this here London.

Walham Green, Fulham

Walham Green, 472 Fulham Road, SW6 1BY.

Image: Matt Brown

A poke in the eye to anyone who's snobbish about Wetherspoons, Walham Green is one of those must-visit pubs with heritage aplenty. Built into the former Tube ticket office, the place is a time capsule of old rail paraphernalia. All this with Wetherspoon prices (Ruddles £1.99? Yes please), and we have a winner. The chain has opened numerous other bars recently, notably at Waterloo, London Bridge and Paddington, but this is the only one to write home about.

The Wild Swan, Holborn

The Wild Swan, 99 Fetter Lane, EC4A 1BT

Image: Matt Brown

Hard to credit it when you step in the door, but this is a completely new build. The pub is simultaneously modern and fresh, yet also somehow olde-worlde. Not sure how it pulls the trick off, to be honest. The pub is tied to Yorkshire brewer Thornbridge, and thereby has an exotic (to us Londoners) range of cask ales. If the downstairs is busy, try the well appointed room upstairs.

Coming soon...

Benjamin Franklin, a new Wetherspoon's at 11 Strand (24 November 2026). The website makes it sound like the pub will be in Franklin's old house on Craven Street, but it's actually in a modern-ish office building.

The Hero’s Return, Pink Floyd-themed pub at Battersea Power Station (late summer 2026)

Kong, a Chinese-style pub in Norton Folgate, on the site of the Water Poet (late 2026)

Piccadilly Hall, a giant Wetherspoon's on Shaftesbury Avenue (13 October 2026)

Talli Queen, Indian pub in Shepherd's Bush (late summer 2026)

Image courtesy First Rail London

Four new community roundels have been installed at Bethnal Green station.

Head over to Bethnal Green station (the Overground one, not the Underground) and you'll find that it's been decorated with four eye-catching roundel mosaics.

Each one was pieced together at community workshops with contributions "from babies as young as six months old to residents aged 85".

The mosaics are inspired by the Weaver line, which runs through the station and is itself named for the rich textile history of the area. Look closely at the artworks and you'll see numerous references to Huguenot weavers, bobbins, warps, wefts and looms.

Image courtesy First Rail London

The roundels also weave in references to other features of the area, such as Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, the Museum of Childhood and even local bus routes. Some of the tesserae namecheck local notables such as textile designer Anna Maria Garthwaite and boxer Daniel Mendoza.

The project was overseen by Maud Milton of Artyface, who has created mosaic roundels for numerous Overground stations. This batch were created with the help of First Rail London (who operate the Overground on behalf of TfL), Good Shepherd Mission and Young V&A.

Image courtesy First Rail London

These are such joyous objects, which not only look gorgeous but also involve local communities. We can only hope that similar creations one day beautify every station on the network.