So far our London Special Report has spotlighted three up-and-coming London neighborhoods: Shoreditch, Holborn and Shepherd's Bush. But within day trip distance of the city are a host of options for art lovers -- here are our top picks.
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| Trafalgar Street in Brighton’s colorful North Laine is lined with retail shops, cafes and pubs. |
Brighton is a kitschy seaside gem best known for its colorful, historic pier with retro amusement park rides. It is also an amusing day out for fans of art and design as the city has been embraced by the creative community recently, priced out of London’s east end. We love the North Laine area: though only a square mile, it contains an astounding 400 shops, 37 cafes, 22 pubs, four theaters, two museums and a library. The combination of tiny retail units and a fierce local association has kept big-chain shops away. Just a few of our favorites: high-design recycled home goods at Eco Logic Cool, a kaleidoscope of colorful beads and even jewelry-making classes at Kerrie Berrie and Bonsai-Ko, just because where else can you find a shop dedicated to Bonsai? Brighton is just under an hour train ride from London Victoria station and departures are frequent.
Once a center for heavy industry, Bristol has reinvented itself as a hub of culture and creativity, and is an easy train journey of less than two hours from London’s Paddington station. The hometown of Banksy, and now more than 100 other street artists and graffiti writers, Bristol is considered “the street-art capital of Europe;” see and learn about 50 works with a tour via Where The Wall. Head to Spike Island to find contemporary-art exhibitions and live events, plus studios where you can see artists at work. For some respite, check out the restored Victorian lido, saved from demolition by local residents in 2000 and reopened in 2006 as the Lido Restaurant, Spa & Pool.
Probably the original “design” destination and Britain’s greatest national icon, a trip to Stonehenge is a must. When President Obama visited Wales for the NATO conference in September, even he made time to see the stones and the 300 archaeological treasures displayed onsite for the first time since the opening of the new visitor center last year. This year, they’ve added Neolithic houses to show how people might have lived 4,500 years ago when Stonehenge was created.
Stonehenge is an easy two-hour drive from London, or an hour-and-a-half train ride from London’s Waterloo station to nearby Salisbury. The awe-inspiring Gothic-style Salisbury Cathedral, with the tallest spire in England (404 feet), is home to one of the four surviving original copies of the Magna Carta. 2015 marks 800 years since the writing of the Magna Carta and there are many celebratory events planned.
Arts Events Coming Up in London
Rebekah Clement of London & Partners reports that amazing art is coming to London in 2015:
One of the Met’s most successful shows is coming to the V&A in March: “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,” the first and largest retrospective of the late designer’s work. They’ve already sold over 16,000 tickets. Book now at www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/exhibition-alexander-mcqueen-savage-beauty.
The Tate Modern is hosting “The World Goes Pop” starting in September; this groundbreaking exhibition will reveal how artists around the world engaged with the spirit of pop art, bringing together more than 200 works. Visit www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions.
Also in September 2015, the Royal Academy will present a landmark exhibition of Ai Weiwei for the first time in Britain: www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/ai-weiwei.