Umm, pretty short notice but WE'RE OFF TO LONDON NEXT FRIDAY!!!!1!1!
Pete's work has been talking about sending him over to work on a project with a fancy design studio (oooh) for two weeks, and I thought I'd tag along and make the most of free accommodation. We've been waiting and waiting for them to set the date and all of a sudden it's next week!
So yeah, I'll have plenty of time to kill during the day whilst he's working, so I'd LOVE some suggestions of places to visit! Not your typical tourist destinations (of course we'll do those too) but more interesting, quirky, DESIGN and CRAFT and TEXTILES places to visit. Anything you think I might find inspiring.
All very scary yet exciting. We've got our eye on renting a flat for the two weeks so we can save money and make our own meals. Fingers crossed we get it :)
And then, we've decided to stay an extra week and go somewhere else in Europe whilst we're there. Still haven't decided where to go so I'd love suggestions on that too.
Eeep!
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Wow that's awesome...I'm green with jealousy! Fraid I can't help you with places to visit as the last time I was in Europe I was 2 :P Have a great time and take lotsa pics!
Hmm, when I lived in London I wasn't crafty at all, so I can't help you with those kinds of places.
But, if you have time to kill on your own during the day, consider one of London Walks guided walking tours. They're great, and will take you to some out-of-the-way, interesting places. I notched up a few dozen of these under my belt during my London sojourn. Highly recommended.
http://www.walks.com/
For my extra week, I would go to Paris. You just can't beat Paris!
Have a great time! I am insanely jealous!
Here's my must visits
The cloth house - they have two stores in Soho my prefered is just past Noel St (47 Berwick Street) They have gorgeous vintage trims on wooden spools and a wall of gorgeous buttons. They also have some nice fabrics mostly linen and cotton.
Liberty - need I say more, it's just around the corner from the cloth house
Loop - a beautiful yarn shop, well worth a visit. It also has gorgeous designers pieces that have been knit, crocheted or made from felt 41 Cross Street, Islington
Have fun, Lara!
The tate modern is a must. The free galleries are fantastic and the building, a converted power station is amazing.
And broadway market also looks very interesting, on my list for my next london sojourn.
www.broadwaymarket.co.uk
I just have to underscore what Sheridan said - do the walks!
I wasn't that crafty either when I last visited, so I'm sorry to say I have no such places to tell about..
I'm back, because you have got me thinking....
If I could get to London, you wouldn't get me out of a Cath Kidston shop.
Or a GreenGate stockist.
http://www.int.greengate.dk/index.html
And definitely go to Liberty. I forgot about that one.
Oh, and I would have to visit a Laduree shop. Go check out those macaroons.
http://www.laduree.fr/public_en/maisons/burlington_arcade_accueil.htm
okay. that's super duper exciting. i want to do a post like that. well, i'm off to kyoto tomorrow. does that count? have a relaxing time. enjoy it all. (sorry. no suggestions.)
LIBERTY!!!! I've never been but by gosh I wanna go. If you do get there - can you take a photo of the fabric floor? I'll live my Liberty dream through you....
Last year we spent a month in England and a month in France. Beautiful!
I did lots of searches for specific threads on Fodors ie textiles, craft etc in the towns we were visiting. The results were wonderful.
I didn't have as much time in London as I had hoped but my recommendations: Liberty, Kath Kidston, some markets (search Fodors), Victoria & Albert Museum is a must for a crafty textile girl and if you are looking for gifts, their gift shop is wonderful. I did a bus tour with my folks and children which was great and check out Kristy's blog from Vintage Pleasures (on my sidebar) She went to London sometime last year and talked all about it.
Feel free to email me if you have any more questions. I know just what it feels like when you want to make the most of the opportunity.
Have a great time!
I live near Edinburgh and would definitely recommend you have a day or two there. I'd also suggest a few days in Ireland. Flights from London or Edinburgh to Dublin are pretty cheap.
oh my goodness I am so jealous, but then again I just got back from Europe so I shouldn't be! Go to Paris, it's the most fantastic place ever and I'm already pining to go back. The weather has warmed up a little since I was there too (so it's now 15 instead of 3 degrees!) so it won't be so frosty! Have fun you lucky thing
Hi Lara, So glad you are coming to England.
There is a Contemporary Textiles Fair the weekend you arrive in Teddington (London suburb)http://www.landmarkartscentre.org/hw/visual-arts.html#other080308
The V&A is a wonderfully inspiring museum and you will want to go back a couple of times during your visit (it is free). You can book a time to visit its textile study rooms
http://www.vam.ac.uk/resources/print_study_reading/index.html#textile
During your visit it also has a Central Asian Ikats exhibition
http://www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/index.html
Lesley Craze Gallery in EC1R is a leading contemporary textiles, jewellery and metalwork gallery.
I'll comment again if I think of more!
Have a wonderful time - I wish I was in London to meet you!
Sarah
As others have mentioned, the V&A is excellent, as is the Tate Modern.
Stumbled upon this lovely shop through a blog recently (don't remember which one) - http://www.labourandwait.co.uk
Also, love the stuff that these guys - http://loglike.co.uk - and they're super friendly. They're at the Spitafields Market on Fridays and Sundays. The only downside is that the GBP is so strong, so shopping tends to add up quickly.
here are some more adresses:
- Broadwick Silks Ltd in Broadwick Street: a small shop filled um with silk fabrics
- http://www.macculloch-wallis.co.uk/
have fun!
Sonja
oh bum, i'm at work at the minute so don't have time to tell you about some of the places you can go, but i'll pop back later and give you a few hints/some suggestions
Monda
x
Oh you'll have a great time: Obviously I have to reiterate that you can spend weeks in the V&A and not see everything.
There's always the design museum down on Shad Thames (get to London Bridge, find the river bank, and head right (east)) which is set among old warehouses that are no swanky apartments.
I like the Knit London shop in Bonnington Square (a short walk from Vauxhall tube) which is right opposite a community run cafe, cheap and lovely for a bite to eat (lunch 12-2).
All around Soho, in Berwick and Broadwick streets for fabric shops - lots of them cater for theatre costume makers so you can find amazing stuff.
My favourite walk in London is along the Southbank from London Bridge to the Royal Festival Hall, past Southwark Cathedral, the Golden Hind, Tate Modern, the Globe, the National Theatre...Lots of places to eat at the other end.
And a visit to Borough Market is always nice - the best day is now Thursday since Friday and Saturday are completely rammed and you can't move. It's a food market, so you can buy lots of lovely produce to cook with!
Gee..it has been a while since I have been there too. But if you go to Leeds (which is the mid area of England) make sure you stop at a pub and have a Yorkshire pudding! They are so good!! Cornish pasties are delicious too!
You must go to the Geffrye Museum..
http://www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/
It shows the changing styles of British living through textiles, furniture, room etc. I love wandering through the building.
Another must is the trim shop V V Rouleaux
http://www.vvrouleaux.com/index/page.asp?page_no=5
The branch on Marylebone high street is a treasure trove of bits and bobs.
Enjoy your time in London
I don't have any suggestions.. because never been there... but want to wish you a happy craft/design/textiles search! will you show us some highlights of your trip?
Lara, I'm sure I'm not the only one near/in London who'd like to meet up with you for a coffee and chat. Want to arrange something? (Maybe as a Facebook event?)
Here are my suggestions of places to visit for looking at wonderful things.
Alfies Antiques Market - an indoor treasure trove of antique booths.
Selfridges dept store on Oxford Street for jewellery (ground floor),
and glass/ceramics (basement) and journals/stickers/notecards, etc.
St Paul's Cathedral (pay to go inside).
The Natural History Museum for the architecture (and museum!).
Liberty's, definitely!
The Royal Academy and the nearby Burlington Arcade.
Covent Garden, including the craft market.
Paperchase, on Tottenham Court Road for a very large store devoted to paper and patterned products.
For food, try any Spaghetti House for Italian, any Yo! Sushi for Japanese, any Wagamama and visit Chinatown (esp in the evening).
Oh, and a caffe latte with a cannoli at Bar Italia on Frith Street, Soho, is a must.
Have fun!
I haven't spent enough time in London to give advice on that topic, but I have lived in Granada (Spain), Budapest, and Berlin. My favorite city is Granada, by far, but textile hunting wise, I think Istanbul would be a great place to go. Such an amazing city.
VV Rouleaux is a must, as is the whole of Berwick St (used by all the theatres), Paperchase in Tottenham Court Road, the Bead Shop in Beak Street, Contempory Applied Arts is a great Gallery.
Get hold of a magazine called Crafts, its very good and will have all current exhibitions in it. Have fun, its a great city, I loved living there.
Hello! How exciting to be spending 2 weeks in London!! There are so many great places to visit - try Notting Hill and High Street Islington for wanders about, the V&A is great, the Tate Modern is also fantastic! There are so many great museums that you will be hard pushed to visit them all! Try Borough Market for a great wander - lots of foodie goodies!!
As for somewhere to visit!! I would think about Paris - it is fantastic and I can give you some good tips for crafty type places there - but I would also think about some of the Scandinavian capitals - Copenhagen is really a favourite - fantastic design, beautiful walkable city, you could also go from there to Stockholm or Gothenburg. Amsterdam is of course another favourite.
hello from london, as i type this i am roughly 1 minute away from the door to libertys, and i agree with everyone, its incredible, get the lift to the top floor and work your way around and down, the things you will see will make your heart go boom boom boom, and another massive recomendation of mine is travel everywhere by bus..you get to see so many things from the top floor of a double decker that you will never see on the underground...i have lived here for over 10 years and know it like the back of my hand...feel free to message me for any info you might need...you will have a blast..even though this place drives me crazy sometimes,i know every day i live in a special place...oh and if your going anywhere in europe then it has to be paris..go on the train and go under the english channel...thats an adventure in itself...check out my flickr for some images of liberty and london, and see the cakes in my recent blog post, well they were in a shop at the station where you get the train to paris...so much fun your gonna have.
Try a walk down Marylebone High Street. Lots of lovely retail therapy (VV Rouleaux, Cath Kidtson, Emma Bridgewater...) If you look at http://www.streetsensation.co.uk/marybone/mh_intro.htm
you'll find you can have a look at what's there. It works for other parts of London too if you want to be super-organized before you visit.
You're going to have a ball!
I second everyone who's said the V&A and the Tate Modern. They're spectacular! Also, just down the river from the TM is the Design Museum (http://www.designmuseum.org/) which has a fantastic gift shop.
London's markets are amazing. I'd avoid the Borough Markets on a Thursday because hardly any of the stalls are actually open. If you get there early on Saturday morning you can walk around fairly hassle free.
On Sunday, head to the Spitalfields Markets and Brick Lane for the Sunday Up Markets, then take the short walk to Colombia Road for the flower markets on a Sunday. This is one of my favourite things to do in London! There are lots of gorgeous shops on the way - Laden Showroom for unique designer pieces, Tatty Devine for good jewellery, Treacle for cupcakes and Vintage Heaven for lovely ceramics.
The Dover Street Markets (http://doverstreetmarket.com/) are beautiful and the London branch of the Rose Bakery is on the top floor.
That's everything I can think of! Have fun!!
If you go to spitalfields market and brick lane try to go to Cheshire Street.
Its got lots of interesting little shops including labour and wait (which someone mentioned earlier) and Shelf which is my favourite shop - http://www.helpyourshelf.co.uk/
They stock rob ryan prints, jonathon adler ceramics, shinzi katoh and countless other beautiful things.
Hope you have a great time!
Saturday: Borough market - go early!
Sunday: Columbia St market, then walk down to Brick Lane then Spitalfields.
Get a beigel in brick lane - but make sure it's from the first shop closest to the nearest main road. You'll see - it's the busy one!
Soho: Berwick Street for fabric galore. Liberty of course. Eat at Ten Ten Tei - cheap + great japanese in Brewer Street near Liberty.
Take to Oxford Street for Muji and then cross the road over to Great Titchfield Street for the best fashion / textiles / bookshop in London. I can't remember the name, but it's very close to the Oxford Street end.
Loop is fabulous - well worth the trip as Upper Street and Camden Passage (on the way from the tube) are good. The Crafts Council is in that area so you could combine a visit. http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/
Both the shop and the exhibition space are worth the trip.
In Covent Garden is The Dover Bookshop www.doverbooks.co.uk/ - where you get to browse all the copyright free books before you buy. Great for pattern and design inspiration. While you're in Covent Garden, visit Pout www.pout.co.uk in Shelton Street for makeup, Neal's Yard for Neal's Yard dairy and the Neal's Yard apothecary, then head to Freud's (take a right out of Neal Street into Shaftesbury Ave then go down the black iron staircase) for a delicious cocktail in rustic cool surrounds.
I've not spent much time in Marylebone High Street but I hear the farmers market is good - and the restaurant Relais de Venise does amazing and cheap Steak Frites.
Definitely Tate Modern - in fact walk from Embankment or Westminster Station along with South bank all the way to the Design Museum. Along the way, have a coffee at the NFT under the bridge by the book market, you might stumble across a festival at Coin Street, before you pass the oxo tower take the steps up one level and browse the design shops. There's a good furniture shop near the tate modern. If you look, from the river, to your right, there's a round brick building. Follow that building and it's tucked in there, next to an architecture studio.
For food, you can pretty much rely on Pret or Eat (expensive) at lunchtime. For grocery shopping, Fresh and Wild http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/UK/index.html or Planet Organic http://www.planetorganic.com
Our favourite special occasion restaurant is Andrew Edmonds in Soho. http://www.london-eating.co.uk/171.htm and there are loads of great pubs everywhere.
For a brilliant guide of London, go here: http://thisisnaive.com/?page_id=104
forgot to say, Marimekko!!
http://www.marimekko.co.uk
and orla kiely!!
http://www.orlakiely.com
but you knew that :)
wow, so many good suggestions already. Here are mine:
From 12th 16th March there is the Country Living (magazine) spring fair at the Business Design Centre in Islington www.countrylivingfair.com/Spring/page.cfm/Link=1/t=m/goSection=1
Janet Bolton will be there exhibiting her contemporary embroidery/applique. There will be a real mixture of crafts, homewares etc.
check out www.southbanklondon.com
You will find lots of info on here, but more specifically the OXO tower wharf (a collection of studios/shops of designers and makers) and also the Tate Modern.
If you want to do theatre, you should get your tickets on www.lastminute.com as they are always a cheap way of seeing some good plays/productions. Also on lastminute.com you can get restaurant deals (2 for the price of 1 etc, and theatre+meal packages)
For food, I would also recommend wagamama - informal japanese canteen, really good fast food - not junk food!
www.wagamama.com (and there is also one on the southbank if you end up going to the tate modern and Oxo tower)
Shops - go to paperchase, any of them, the bigger the better.
Also 'artbox' in neal street (off Covent Garden) - stationery, kawaii, cute.
In the UK, you must visit Brighton on the south cost. There are some lovely shops and strolls along the beach front to be had.
In Europe, try to spend a day or two in Bruges (Belgium). It is beautiful - old cobbled streets and interesting architecture (not to mention moules frites and mayonaise, and waffles!)
Enjoy your time here - and feel feel to get in touch if you have any questions or need any help.
Monda
x
Brighton is on the south coast (not cost - doh!). You can probably get there in about 1.5 hrs from London by train
Monda
x
I havent been to london in a loooong time, I live in chile, but I have to recomend Timorous Beasties, beautiful and inteligent textile and wallpaper design.
http://www.timorousbeasties.com
this is from their website:
Timorous Beasties London
46 Amwell Street, EC1R 1XS
Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday. 10am - 6.00pm
Saturday. 10.30am - 6.00 pm
Sunday. Closed
T: 00 44 (0)20 7833 5010
F: 00 44 (0)20 7833 8010
E: london@timorousbeasties.com
hope you like it! and good luck
Absolutely green with envy!!! The Tate and V&A for sure. Make sure you pop into a Muji store (www.muji.co.uk and you'll find some addresses for their London stores). Visit some markets and enjoy walking around. It's awesome!
A visit to the Conran shop http://www.conranshop.co.uk/content1.aspx?postingid=stores&language=en-GB
And for a side trip - try Prague or Edinburgh. Or the markets in Paris.
You'll come home needing a holiday after all of this!!!
Wow very exciting! When living in London I worked at Contemporary Applied Arts, a splendid small gallery in Percy St. W1, full of talent.It is worth a peek. Otherwise I was an east-london girl and recommend exploring the culture around there. Brick Lane (+ Brick lane markets), Columbia Rd flower market is a saturated spectacle of colour (don't forget to get some mini cupcakes from Treacle), Spitafield Markets(some little galleries around there too), and Shoreditch has many moody bars for a drink.
On a non eastern note, there is an Orla Kiely shop at Covent Garden, and actually a few cutsie shops surrounding it, although can get garishly touristy in there.
As for mainland Europe, Berlin for arts culture, or Barcelona. If you want to take it easy head to Slovenia.
If I had the money, I would visit Scandanavia, perhaps that is another option for you.
I hope you have a fabulous time.
xx
DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY the Victoria & Albert museum. It is, as my boy put it, a 'girl museum'. It's pretty much a craft and design museum, but HUGE. Like, a whole room dedicated to skeleton keys huge. Maybe set aside two days, as I wanted to go twice and I'm not even a designer by trade.
Also Liberty's department store. As in, the Liberty's that do Liberty florals. It's got quite swanky labels and is in an excellent mock-tudor building. Very fun.
For the extra week I'd be in Berlin in a snap. Or may three days Paris, four days Berlin.
Sorry, I forgot to add a note about food. Forget Wagamama (sorry guys!), it's a worldwide chain store and this is London! You can do so much better.
Some ideas:
Busaba Eathai, Marylebone & Soho (Ok, this is a chain too but it's much more interesting than Wagamama. The rosy apple chicken curry is lovely)
Hummus Brothers, Soho & Holborn (a restaurant serving just Hummus? Crazy? Maybe! But it works. And it's cheap and tasty too!)
Sagar, Hammersmith (it may not look like much from the outside but come here for amazing vegetarian indian)
The Gate, Hammersmith (this is one of my all time favourite restaurants. It's allegedly the favourite vegetarian restaurant of Chris and Gwyneth and even Sir Paul: http://www.thegate.tv/)
There are hundreds of incredible places to eat here. Visit: http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/
for a guide.
Gosh, reading all these suggestions is making me excited about visiting them and I already live here! Hehe.
Now I want visit the places I hadn't heard of before. Anyone else wanna join me one weekend?
Paola
awesomeness! wow great new!
have a great time!
hmm... happy for you. sad for me. Just when I book my flight to Melb, you head off OS. I'm sure it's nothing personal is it LARA??
Have a great time!!! I want a full shop report when you return.
hey - you should check out www.weebirdy.com for some cool london shopping tips. i've read about crafty, fabric and textile stuff there
Take the train up to Edinburgh, Scotland! On the way, stop in the Lake district to see the Beatrix Potter estate. There are lots of fabulous B&Bs nearby. It's a great place to stock up on handmade woolen goods for a very good price. If you're looking for textiles, there's a fantastic fabric shop in Oxford, another great day trip.
There's a Busaba Ethai on Store Street, off Tottenham Court Road and so Lara could take in Paperchase at the same time. (Re: Wagamama, I believe they're owned by the same guy.) And then maybe walk to Foyles bookstore on Charing Cross Road.
So, the only thing to add to the great suggestions here is to find your own walking tour- online resources are great and take the bus and sit right above the driver.
It is really easy to get around London and sitting in a double decker made me feel like it was my own private tour bus : )
Definitely go to Paris the extra week. While in London make sure to visit Topshop!
Have a great time Lara, V&A have some great talks and slide shows on Friday nights check them out before you go.
Get to Brick Lane great eclectic shops and fantastic food especially Indian. I think there is a market on Sunday, maybe someone else knows.
lucky you! I put the same question out, but didn't get som many answers, when a new blogger.
Here are some links and suggestions from our trip last september. Enjoy!
+ kew garden if spring has come a bit closer! + Spitalfields market weekends
http://bibbiforsman.blogspot.com/2007/09/london-suggestions.html
http://bibbiforsman.blogspot.com/2007/10/what-else-i-saw-in-london.html
http://bibbiforsman.blogspot.com/2007/10/pif-update-and-busy-london.html
http://bibbiforsman.blogspot.com/2008/10/victoria-albert.html
If I had only one more choice, I would go to Berlin. Friendly, creative, alternative + classic Europe put together. Stay in the former eastern parts of town and visit Potsdam.
Ooh you will love London. Check out my post about when I went http://vintagepleasure.typepad.com/vintage_pleasure/2007/07/camden-and-port.html there's a link in it to the comments I got recommending places.
I would definitely recommend Portobello Market on saturday morning.In fact all day! Sunday Columbia Road Market shouldn't be missed.It's advertised as a flower market but it is so much more.Lots of great shops and stalls.Vintage Heaven is worth a visit http://www.vintageheaven.co.uk/ Next time I am definitely visiting VV Rouleaux http://www.vvrouleaux.com/index/page.asp?page_no=5 and Spitalfields Market http://www.visitspitalfields.com/
Do some research and plan your days out.Get yourself an Oyster card for the tube and an underground map.Have fun!!!
Come to Switzerland!
Oh, I'm incredibly envious! When I lived in London, our favourite breakfast on a Saturday morning was a roast pork roll with apple sauce on a baguette just out of the oven at Borough Market. Get there super early!
Everything I was going to suggest has already been covered - Liberty, VV Rouleaux (I love this shop!), V&A Museum, Muji, Marylebone High Street, Topshop, Oasis, Cath Kidston, Treacle at Columbia Road market...I would love to go back!
I think you'd love Brighton - it reminded me a bit of Brunswick and Fitzroy.
oh oh oh the jealousy! my hubby's off in april but my 'condition' will keep me here! we lived in london for nearly 4 years before we got married and we always long to go back...you are so lucky!!!
you must eat at mildreds in soho (from memory its lexington ave or off it) and is the best modern veggie..they do veggie burgers with wedges and the best fruit crumble. Its super trendy, affordable and yummy. We also love to eat at wagamamas which you'll find everywhere!
for a bit of fresh air head up to primrose hill....very trendy, cute shops and a short walk from train station..might spot some celebs there too
I adored cath kidston on marlyborne high street, its on 2 levels and full of everything and such a cutesy shop.
I also loved liberty and there are always things on sale in there and I've got a great stock of little make up bags and the like
oohhhh have fun and can't wait to see what you bring home
Corrie;)
I wrote a couple of post on 'my patch' here:
http://mypiccalilli.blogspot.com/2006/09/cheshire-street-accessories-and.html
http://mypiccalilli.blogspot.com/2006/09/cheshire-street-homewares-and.html
Columbia Road is 10mins away and lovely on a Sunday morning. And Spitalfields worth a visit in the afternoon.
Libertys is a must.
Borough is fantastic for food and generally wandering.
I would definitely try and visit the Tate and have a wander along the river to the Southbank.
Will comment again if I think of others - have fun!
Oops the links didn't work but you can find the post under the shopping category on the blog!
How exciting... there is nothing like visiting somewhere for the first time. Realise that many of the suggestions are duplicated by your other visitors, but here you are
East
Columbia Road on Sunday morning, it closes at 2pm
Leila's Deli and Ally Cappelino on Calvert Avenue
Brick Lane various, but nothing as good as on...
Cheshire Street for Labour & Wait, Mar Mar Co, Shelf, Ella Doran and others
Truman Brewery for Story Deli - THE best pizza in London by far, organic and amazing toppings, each one is like a work of art...
Spitalfields Market on Sunday, also Thursday lunchtime is really worth a visit, lots going on with shops in the new development as well as the market, plust you have A Gold and Verde & Co on Brushfield Street & St John Bread & Wine on Commercial St which is near to The Ten Bells Pub of Jack The Ripper Fame
Two little beauties are Story on Wilkes Street and Hurwundeki on Puma Court (this is a hairdressers, but walk past and take a look... it's owned by Ki, lovely Korean man, and it's wonderful to look at, they have an old record player and play the most ecelectic collection of records (http://www.hurwundeki.com/)
Geffrey Museum is a wonderful interious collection (www.geffrye-museum.org.uk/)
South
Borough Market on a Saturday, this is the only day of the full market and it does get busy, but even so I think it's worth the squeeze, there are various parts open on other days (no market on a Sunday)
Shipps Tea Room
Konditor & Cook
Neals Yard Cheese
Monmouth Coffee
To the East of here you have Tower Bridge and Shad Thames
To the West you have Tate Modern, Oxo Tower, Hayward Gallery, South Bank Centre, London Eye
All Walking distance
On Bermondsey Street you have The Garrison which would be so worth a visit (www.thegarrison.co.uk/)booking advised in the evening and also you have the Fashion & Textile Museum with is about to re-open
North
Islingon would be a nice day of shopping and cafes... you have
Aria
Twentytwentyone
Loop (knitting)
Toast
Euphorium Bakery
along Camden Passage you have
Elk In The Woods (www.the-elk-in-the-woods.co.uk/)
Kamilla Ruberg (jewellery)
Paul A Young (chocolate)
From here you are a short walk to Amwell Street and onto Exmouth Market for
Family Tree
Moro (highly recommend booking to eat here once)
EC1 (jewellery)
Metropolitan Books
Antoni & Alison (www.antoniandalison.co.uk/shop.php)
Also north Hampstead & Primrose Hill
Central
LIBERTY - has anyone suggested this place yet?? HA!
not far from here is
Fernandez & Wells (www.fernandezandwells.com/)
Nordic Bakery (www.nordicbakery.com/)
Sir John Soane's Museum (www.soane.org/)
Soho for Cloth House on Berwick St plus other fabric shops
Maison Bertaux is also a MUST for cake & tea on Greek Street
Yauatcha try the tea house on the ground floor
St Christophers Place for Marimekko
Marylebone Lane for
Button Queen (buttons)
Paul Rothe (old fashioned cafe)
KJs Laundry
Tracey Neuls
Saltwater
VV Rouleaux (LUSH ribbons & trimmings)
Marylebone High Street for
Skandium
Cath Kidston
Daunt Books (LOVE)
Emma Bridgewater
Conran
Farmers Market
Covent Garden for Orla Kiely
Mayfair for
Dover Street Market, got to the Rose Bakery on the top floor for a piggy latte
Wright & Teague (www.wrightandteague.com)
Fortnum & Mason visit the parlour (www.fortnumandmason.com/Our-Restaurants/Parlour-Restaurant.aspx)
The Wolseley (www.thewolseley.com/)
West
The V&A
Knightsbridge
Sloane Square
Kings Road
Fulham Road
Walton Street for
Farmacia Santa Maria Novella
Portobello Road (Friday is the best day for the market) & if you want to go to the cinema you MUST go to The Electric
Westborne Grove
Ledbury Road
Dont forget our Parks, we're the greenest city in the world.
Kensington Gardens for Peter Pan
(www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/peter_pan_statue.cfm)
Slightly further afield are
East - East Dulwich
West - Chiswisk
Day Trips
Whitstable - Frank (www.frankworks.eu)
Brighton - Bill's (www.billsproducestore.co.uk/)
Winchester - The Hambledon (www.thehambledon.com)
Oh my... this is a long post sorry, can you see that I love my home town?? Taking a quick glance back over my suggestions can you also tell thatI like a cafe!!
Enjoy every minute of being here, safe travels
wow what a list! if i ever go to London i know where to come for hot tips :)
i have nothing to add except that i lived in Brighton when i was a kid and i loved it. i notice someone else has recommended it. apparently these days it's quite a cool place. so that's my suggestion.
I was just about to say Exmouth Market ... but it looks like Read Me has given you the best info of the lot... Everything mentioned there is sperb, and from exmouth market you can easily walk to the BIG Magma book store in Clerkenwell (much bigger than the one in Covent Garden, and often with an exhibition going on down stairs).
Covent Garden for more that just Orla Keily - veritable treasure trove of shops fanning out from Seven Dials.
Did she mention Sir John Soan's museum in Holborn? Oh yes she did - up the road from there on Southampton Row is the most beautiful handmade paper shop in the world ever and their basement is filled with bookmaking and bookbinding stuff.
When at Liberty's, you must also go to Carnaby Street area, and go to Kingley Court ... some really great design/art/craft/fashion shops in there....
Oh Dear, you've made me very homesick ... We moved out of London 6 months ago ... To lovely Bristol so thats OK - bit definitely hoping to be there around easter weekend ...
hnHi Lara, Someone suggested a bookshop on Great Titchfield Street( just behind Oxford circus) it's called Franks and well worth a look. This used to be the fashion district of London, but sadly most companies have moved further out. Cross Oxford Street to find Berwick Street in Soho and some great fabric shops, and Kleins on Noel St. for trims ( if he's still there!)There's loads of places to eat around there too. John Lewis' (big dept. store) Haberdashery Dept is worth a look.
And I don't know if any one mentioned Designers Guild, and Mint and The cross- you'll have too google them! Have fun and don't forget to look up, the architecture is amazing!
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