Travel

John Craxton/Pallant Gallery Chichester

The Pallant Gallery has done – more than any other museum – much to redeem the reputation of many 20th Century British painters. In some cases, like the 1920s society artist Glyn Philpott or Leon Underwood, I wondered why, whereas with others – like Johnny Minton, regarded as the [...]

November 22, 2023 // 0 Comments

Bernard Levin, Michael Portillo, Simon Sebag Montefiore

What do the three above have in common? You may be surprised by my answer: a Panama Hat. Sir Ttevor MacDonald recently paid an affectionate tribute to Bernard Levin. . This tribute also included his travel programmes, made late in his life following Hannibal’s march and the length of the Rhein, [...]

November 16, 2023 // 0 Comments

Venice: City of Pictures (Martin Gayford)

As one might expect from such an eminent art historian Martin Gayford’s latest work on Venetian art and architecture is a thorough, well-researched study with beautiful images. He covers the ‘Big Four’ of Venetian art – Titian, Tintoretto (the only artist born in and of Venice) [...]

November 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

The joys of Sussex

The other day a colleague on the Rust wanted a head’s up on the Wiston Wine Estate. I had never visited it though Wiston is a highly-rated vineyard but the enquiry set me thinking how much Sussex has to offer. There are vineyards at Ridgeview, Rathfinny and Nye Timber and, although each [...]

September 26, 2023 // 0 Comments

An expedition to two National Trust properties

Earlier this year the Boss and I joined the National Trust on a “family ticket”. For many years she had been a member of the organisation and occasional visitor to a variety of its properties. In my case, whilst I had been to a few of them over the past six decades, this was more by informal [...]

September 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

A la Colthard/foodie travelogues

Cooking and television have a productive relationship. Before Big Brother, Peter Bazalgette made his name and the start of his fame and fortune with Ready Steady Chef. This launched the celebrity chefs like Pierre Marco White , Jamie Oliver and Keith Floyd. The phase has now moved onto travelogues [...]

August 16, 2023 // 0 Comments

Farleys House & Lee Miller

Sussex is well blessed with places of the arts to visit. I have visited and reviewed Charleston, the Bloomsbury outpost where Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant painted and had a brief affaire, and Batemans – the home of Rudyard Kipling at Alfreston. By bad luck my planned trip to Farley Farm [...]

August 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

A visit to the Historic Naval Dockyard Portsmouth

Yesterday I made a long-planned trip to the historic naval dockyards in Portsmouth organised by two friends in West Sussex – one a historian the other an ex-soldier. As with many things planned well in advance, when the day came round it was not the most convenient as the weather was [...]

July 8, 2023 // 0 Comments

Ten pound Poms

I saw the last episode of this drama last Sunday and enjoyed it. To a certain extent it rounded things off to another it left matters open as the director and producer James Brockenhurst and cast must surely hope for a second series. It deserves it but there may not be enough for the [...]

June 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

The end of the journey

Yesterday I travelled back from Nice on Easyjet. It made me think how much air travel has changed in my lifetime. When I first took a plane in the 1960s there were no budget airlines and the choice was Air France or British European Airways. There was a first class and standard. Nice only had one [...]

April 29, 2023 // 0 Comments

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Terry Venables

November 28, 2023 // 0 Comments

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Terry Venables . He was more than an acquaintance less than a friend. As in lifetime, opinion is divided on his merits and [...]
Frans Hals at the National Gallery

November 25, 2023 // 0 Comments

Yesterday I went to the National Gallery to see the Frans Hals exhibition – his first retrospective in 30 years- and enjoyed it immensely. You might think that [...]
Art of Film/Comedy/Sky Arts

November 24, 2023 // 0 Comments

Last night Ian Nathan presented the latest in the series on comedy. It’s obviously hard to cover this vast topic in an hour but nonetheless I was disappointed by the [...]
More worries at Sussex CCC

November 23, 2023 // 0 Comments

The decision of young Ali Orr – Sussex Sharks wicketkeeper – to reject a new contract and sign for Hampshire has sent shock waves through the club. In the past [...]
Napoleon

November 23, 2023 // 0 Comments

My heart dropped when in the opening sequence of Napoleon Joaquin Phoenix opened his mouth and a broad Brooklyn accent emerged. In films like Spartacus Kirk Douglas and [...]