The Pursuit of Idleness
What a delectable notion is the concept of idleness. The very word conjures up a wealth of richly imaginative language, in which to indulge one’s dreams of doing nothing: lazing, loafing, lounging,...
View ArticleWaterloo
The Southbank is an interesting place. It is the intersection of so many different parts. There is Waterloo Station with the swarms of commuters who are disgorged every morning and swallowed back up...
View ArticleThe Changing of the Guard
Readers, he’s back. Edwardian Britain’s most charismatic trickster, and in an entirely new scheme- ahem, adventure. This is the tale of Thaddeus Watts and the Changing of the Guard… Author’s note: In...
View ArticleThe English Dandy: Who, Sir? Me, Sir?
Margaret May muses on the erstwhile English Dandy – his emergence, his rise to pre-eminence and fall from fashion, and whether he might still be among us… The English Dandy. Sadly, a phrase...
View ArticleGenealogical Journeys
So Derek Jacobi’s a Huguenot descendant? And Paul Hollywood comes from war hero stock? As the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are? graces our small screens once more, Margaret May takes a trip...
View ArticleShort Fiction: Laura’s Dress
In a charming tale of sartorial self-consciousness, Harry Chapman tells the story of young New Zealand girl, Laura, and the evolution and acceptance of her pride and joy, her new dress… Laura loved her...
View ArticleLaura’s Dress, Part II
In the second part of Harry Chapman’s story, the girls arrive at school and Laura, resplendent in her new finery, draws some prying and not altogether praise-worthy eyes… They made it just in time. All...
View ArticleFlash Fiction: Swirling Mist
Following the announcement of the winners of the ‘Story in a Teacup’ short fiction competition at last week’s Henley Literary Festival, we are delighted to publish the winning entries in our pages, in...
View ArticleMoonlight Jasmine
We’re delighted to publish the winning entry from Dragonfly Tea’s ‘Story in a Teacup’ competition, in association with the Henley Literary Festival. From over 650 entries, the judges voted this...
View ArticleTaking to the Thames
Londoners take it for granted, visitors often miss the opportunity its views afford; but it’s been witness to more milestones in the city’s history than there are boats that follow its course. Margaret...
View ArticleThanksgiving: An American Affair
To those across the pond the fourth Thursday in November heralds Thanksgiving and the start of the ‘holiday’ season. Having family and friends in the United States, and sensing impending excitement, I...
View ArticleSense and Sensibilities at Stonehenge
I’m standing on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, at Stonehenge – Europe’s most famous prehistoric site and one of England’s most mystical landmarks. It’s approaching dusk on an unseasonably balmy...
View ArticleFor Whom the Bells Toll
Moving to a house in Somerset, some years ago, which overlooked the parish church and its surrounding churchyard, I soon found out that the noise of traffic on the M40 in London had been exchanged for...
View ArticleTales from The Oriental
There’s nothing that says ‘at home in London’ quite so much as having one’s own Club. In the first of a new series exclusive for the Arb, NICK HAMMOND discovers a Club in the heart of the West End...
View ArticleFrom Gamekeepers to Gentlemen: The Bowler
Where has it gone? Once the height of sartorial elegance, and beloved by city bankers, civil servants and the man about town, the bowler hat has virtually disappeared. A symbol of respectability...
View ArticleElizabeth Tower
With the news that after 157 years of near unbroken chiming Big Ben is to be silenced for essential repairs, Margaret May pays her respects to this London institution, and the iconic gothic tower in...
View ArticleWhen the Thrilla in Manila Came to Kilburn
Cycling up Haverstock Hill in Belsize Park on a late July day in 1966 I saw a crowd waiting outside the Load of Hay pub. Word was out that Muhammad Ali, in town to fight Brian London, was coming to do...
View ArticleTales from The Oriental
An army marches on its stomach, according to Napoleon Bonaparte. So does NICK HAMMOND according to, er, him. His latest Tales from The Oriental… Deep in the basement among rambling corridors, there is...
View ArticleElectricity on Wheels
When I was around 6 years old, I remember sitting on top of bunkbeds still wearing patent party shoes and a velvet party dress watching the scene below. It was early evening on Christmas day, we were...
View ArticleFacing the Music…and the Reviews
Do you remember when you had your exam results published at school or university? If you’d done well, all good; in fact, if you’d done particularly well, it was an opportunity to enjoy the acclaim and...
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