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Ham&High - Text only page Return to Ham&High homepageNews | Letters | Sport | What's On NHS doctors give cancer-stricken pensioner the all clearTan Parsons A PENSIONER has branded medical care at the Royal Free Hospital as negligent after being given the all-clear when she had stomach cancer growing inside her. Valerie Walmsley-Hunter, 75, became concerned when she lost two stone in weight in j... Ashes wager to settle Shane Warne poster rowKatie Davies THE Australian cricketer Shane Warne is no stranger to controversy. But now he has found himself at the centre of an unusual row on the other side of the world – between a Camden Town businessman and council chiefs. It was sparked after fell... Stormy weather set to dampen heatwaveThe heatwave is set to come to an abrupt end tonight with thunderstorms and heavy rain forecast. Heavy showers are expected to fall in the early hours of tomorrow morning leading the Met Office to issue a weather warning. Flash flooding caused problems la... Hampstead pupil struck down with swine fluA HAMPSTEAD pupil is the latest person in Camden to be diagnosed with swine flu. A Year 11 University College School student was struck down by the virus while on study leave and had not come into contact with other pupils so the school was advised to rem... Girl, 13, sexually assaultedAllegations a 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted on Primrose Hill are being investigated by Camden police, the Ham&High has learned. The assault took place near Ormonde Terrace, on the South Western edge of Primrose Hill at around 9.30pm on Saturday,... Teenage fighting breaks out in LidoTHE heat appeared to have got to a few youngsters at the Parliament Hill Lido yesterday when police had to be called in to quell trouble. The outdoor pool was packed with teenagers making the most of the sweltering summer conditions. But by early evening... Mum and baby targeted in daylight robberyA YOUNG woman walking with her baby has been targeted in another daylight robbery in Primrose Hill. The 26-year-old had her watch stolen as she we walked along St Edmund s Terrace just after midday on Tuesday. It comes after the Wood and Vale reported las... Highgate couple stand up to gunmanA COURAGEOUS couple in Highgate refused to bow to a robber's demands because they believed the gun he was holding was not real. The man and woman, both aged 30, were walking along Dartmouth Park Hill when they were approached by a man wanting their money.... Chechen gangster guilty of Highgate killingA CHECHEN gangster faces life behind bars after stabbing a student to death when the ethnic tensions of eastern Europe spilled on to the streets of Highgate. Killer Mubarak Suleymanov, 29, plunged a blade into the lungs and liver of Russian Timur Gusev, 2... Diners left terrified as gunman storms St John's Wood restaurantTERRIFIED diners dived for cover as a gunman wearing a motorbike helmet opened fire in a busy St John's Wood restaurant on Friday night. Strictly Come Dancing star Rachel Stevens and BBC reporter Hugh Pym were among the customers who took refuge under the... We desperately need this council land for social housingI am appalled that the Lib Dem/Tory controlled Camden Council is going to close down and then merge, amongst others, the present Ingestre Road home for Older People into the planned new Charlie Ratchford Centre and then will sell off the centre land on In... What has really changed since Boris became mayor?The London Assembly this week said that Boris Johnson s first year in charge has failed live to up to expectations. And aside from banning alcohol on public transport - with limited success - looking around, it is difficult to see what has changed since B... Why I quit Lib Dems and became a ToryLast week I resigned as a member of the Camden Liberal Democrats and joined the Conservatives. This was not an easy decision. I had high hopes back in the years 2000 to 2007 that the Lib Dems offered the right approach and vision for Britain. However, it... No-one in Camden will begrudge Gurkhas their rightsThe success of the campaign led by Joanna Lumley and the Liberal Democrats to give justice and settlement rights to Gurkha veterans is certain to have implications for Camden, which already has an important Nepali community. I am sure that no-one in this... Green Fair should not have been reliant on sponsorshipWE are disappointed that Camden Green Fair has been cancelled (Axed: Green Fair is victim of recession, H&H May 7). This is a big environmental event where people can come together, whether as activists or just out of interest. They can share ideas and go... Our love of the Heath is threatened by wealth and powerYou describe the Millfield Lane planning dispute as The clash of the Titans (H&H May 7). I wish it were. It is the clash between sensitivity, love of the Heath and all it means, and normal home life for many residents, against the power of money or, in yo... Was that a UFO I spotted over Kenwood?SOME 15 years ago, when you could picnic freely on the grass to the west of the Kenwood concert site, I was with a group of friends admiring the starlit sky as the concert was about to end. What s that up there? A police helicopter? Too high in the sky –... Why I'd like to take the chopper to this air noise nuisanceFortunate to live in a fairly quiet part of Camden Town, my enjoyment of the sunshine on my balcony overlooking the Regent s Canal was somewhat spoiled on Sunday by a banner-towing helicopter, flying around over the area above Mornington Crescent for some... New Labour leader will inspire others from minority groupsI was delighted to hear about Councillor Nasim Ali winning the election for the leadership of the Camden Labour Group. This is almost as exciting for Camden as President Obama winning the Presidential race to the White House. I remember the days when it... Nation owes a debt to Jean Pateman says former Highgate vicarApart from an editorial comment in an earlier edition of your paper which expressed the hope that any rumoured differences in opinion on the affairs of Highgate Cemetery should be resolved amicably and swiftly, subsequent issues of your paper did not, as... Arsenal recruits youth players to the top flightFour members of Arsenal's FA Youth Cup winning side have been rewarded with professional contracts - but the Gunners have released EIGHT other players in a busy week at London Colney. London-born defenders Luke Ayling and Craig Eastmond, French stopper Ce... Vermaelen flies in to become Arsenal's first summer signingArsenal completed their first signing of the summer after confirming the arrival of Belgium international defender Thomas Vermaelen for an undisclosed fee from Ajax. The 23-year-old put pen to paper at Emirates on Friday afternoon after flying into Englan... Young Arsenal star makes two-goal dream debut for EnglandKieran Gibbs made a dream debut for England U21s in their 7-0 thrashing of Azerbaijan on Monday evening. The Arsenal fullback, who started in defence before moving into midfield for Stuart Pearce s side, netted twice and set up another in the friendly win... Gervaise named as Arsenal Ladies new managerTony Gervaise has been named as Arsenal Ladies new manager. The 54-year-old Scot will succeed Vic Akers, who stood down from his role last month after 22 years. Gervaise joined Arsenal in 2008 as Academy Director and was also assistant to Akers last seas... Wenger unhappy with Walcott's dual role for EnglandArsene Wenger says he does not want Theo Walcott to play for both England Under-21s and senior side this summer. The Arsenal winger is in line to be picked by England manager Fabio Capello for next month s World Cup qualifiers with Kazakhstan and Andorra... Wenger is back in the supporters' good booksArsene Wenger appears to be well and truly back in Arsenal fans good books after an end-of-season love-in at The Emirates on Sunday. After his veiled threats the previous week, in which he publicly noted Real Madrid s interest in taking him to Santiago B... Pires: Arsenal must resist Milan's interest in AdebayorFormer Arsenal star Robert Pires has called on the club to resist AC Milan s interest in Emmanuel Adebayor. Pires, now at Villarreal, said this week: The Italian team would never try to take him if he was not a good player. He can do much better, but y... Bould's young Gunners relive Anfield dream as Arsenal clinch FA Youth CupArsenal won the FA Youth Cup for the seventh time in their history after seeing off Liverpool in the second leg of the final on Tuesday night. The Gunners already led 4-1 from the first leg at Emirates last Friday – watched by a fantastic crowd of more th... GUNNERS YEARS: Cole wants to escape French clique, claims Kenyon2005: Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon claims Ashley Cole wants to move to Stamford Bridge because of a French clique at Highbury. Speaking at a Premier League commission into Chelsea s tapping up of the Arsenal defender, Kenyon says: He (Cole) wa... GUNNERS YEARS: Porto resist bid to bring Bobby Robson to Highbury1995: Porto insist their manager Bobby Robson must stay in Portugal – despite Arsenal s attempts to install him in the Highbury hot-seat. Gunners vice-chairman David Dein has been courting the former England boss, who has a year left to run on his contra... Udal's men seek first four-day winMiddlesex 153 & 233 Gloucestershire 342 & 45-1 MIDDLESEX remain slumped near the foot of the County Championship table after a crushing defeat against Gloucestershire at Bristol last week, writes Simon Jackson. The nine-wicket setback means Shaun... Chris Silverwood: Our big wake-up callLAST week s nine-wicket County Championship defeat against leaders Gloucestershire at Bristol was a wake-up call for all of us. If I am brutally honest we were outplayed in all departments. The only shining light was the performance of David Burton, who t... EXCLUSIVE: Chris Silverwood on the season's aimsWE return to County Championship action on Saturday with a trip to Chelmsford to face Essex still looking for our first league win of the season. We drew our first three league games, against Glamorgan, Leicestershire and Surrey, but I ll settle for that... Shah's 72 is all in vainOwais Shah's superb display with the bat failed to prevent England from suffering another defeat against India in the One Day International Series in Bangalore on Sunday. The rain-affected defeat handed India an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-match se... CHRIS SILVERWOOD: A great finish - but third isn't good enoughWHAT a great finale. We followed up last week s excellent victory over promoted Worcestershire with a 93-run victory against Northamptonshire at Wantage Road in the last County Championship match on Saturday. And for the second successive year we ve finis... Texan billionaire swoops into Lord's and sets up world's richest challengeA TEXAN billionaire landed his helicopter on the sacred pitch at Lord s on Wednesday and brought some of football s buzz and bling to cricket. Sir Allen Stanford (pictured) stepped off his chopper at the home of cricket to launch Stanford Twenty20 for 20... Aussie is knocked for six by warmth of Lord's welcomeNOT only is Keith Bradshaw the first foreigner to be chief executive of the quintessentially English Marylebone Cricket Club, he is also an Australian – the bitter arch enemies of England s national cricket team. So you would be forgiven for thinking he h... Arsenal keen on Arshavin - but not at £20millionZenit St Petersburg have confirmed Arsenal have shown an interest in their star player Andrei Arshavin – but the two sides are reportedly far apart on their valuation of the player. The Russians are believed to want £20m for Arshavin, but the Gunners valu... Harry wins battle to bring Defoe back to White Hart LaneJERMAIN Defoe is on his way back to Spurs after Portsmouth finally accepted a bid for the England striker, writes Patrick Mooney. The deal, which is expected to be in the region of £15m, sees Defoe return to the club he left under one year ago. Harry Re... Tottenham lad Jay signs long-term contract for GunnersArsenal striker Jay Simpson has signed a new long-term contract. The 20-year-old graduate of the Gunners youth system scored twice in the Carling Cup fourth round 3-0 victory over Wigan Athletic in November and also played against Sheffield United and Bu... KELLY SMITH: Arsenal Ladies striker speaks exclusively to Ham&Highby Jem Maidment FOR a side who recently chalked up their 100th consecutive Premier League game without defeat, there remains an air of despondency around Arsenal s outstanding ladies side. Losing heavily, 6-0 at Swedish side Umea IK in the last 16 of the Uefa Women s Cup... Star striker Kelly ponders move from Arsenal to BostonBY JEM MAIDMENT Arsenal Ladies star striker Kelly Smith is mulling over an offer from America. I ve been drafted to Boston for the start of a new league over in the U.S next summer, says the 30-year-old, who spent seven years in America before moving to... Jem Maidment analyses Arsenal's 'top of the league' financial positionRecession? What recession? Britain s shrinking manufacturing industry, City institutions and small businesses may be bracing themselves for financially lean times ahead, but Arsenal are truly bucking the trend. Success on the pitch, at least regarding pot... EXCLUSIVE: Terry Neill's love affair with Arsenal and HullArsenal may be his first love, but Hull City, the next visitors to The Emirates Stadium, will always hold a special place in the heart of Terry Neill. The Northern Irishman is the only person to have managed the two clubs and remains, nearly 40 years on,... Modric a danger to England's World Cup hopes - WoodgateJONATHAN Woodgate has picked out Tottenham team-mate Luka Modric as Croatia s danger man ahead of England s vital World Cup qualifier on Wednesday. Woodgate, who was surprisingly overlooked by Fabio Capello for both Saturday s trip to Andorra and in Croat... Keothavong: I will fight backCUMBERLAND'S Anne Keothavong has vowed to fight on after Tuesday s traumatic first round defeat at Wimbledon. The British No.1 had a set point at 5-3 in the opening set against the lower ranked Patricia Mayr of Austria but then suffered a total collapse,... Alexandra Palace will again host world darts championshipALEXANDRA PALACE will host the world s first £1 million darts event in December - with Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship tickets now on sale. The World Championship will celebrate its third year at the iconic north London venue over 13 days of play... Keothavong makes historic leap into semi-finalsCUMBERLAND'S Anne Keothavong became the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1983 to reach the semi-finals of a WTA Tour clay-court event by winning in Warsaw, writes PATRICK MOONEY. Keothavong, the British No.1, crushed Ioana Raluca Olaru 6-0, 6-1 and... 23,000 see Arsenal Ladies edge FA Cup Final victory over SunderlandArsenal Ladies won their fourth successive FA Cup on Monday with a 2-1 win over Sunderland in the final at Derby s Pride Park. Katie Chapman gave the Gunners a 32nd minute lead and Kim Little added the all-important second in injury time in front of an imp... Tottenham fans mourn death of cup winner Jimmy NeighbourFORMER Spur Jimmy Neighbour, part of the Lilywhites 1971 League Cup winning team, died of a heart attack at a Buckhurst Hill hospital on Saturday. At the time of his death Neighbour, 58, had been recovering from a recent hip replacement operation. The Ch... Anne Keothavong bursts into world Top 50 after reaching semisCUMBERLAND S Anne Keothavong has burst into the world s top 50 after her semi-final loss to Caroline Wozniacki in Tennessee at the weekend. Keothavong is up to 48th place in the world rankings despite failing to reach the final of the Cellular South Cup i... WENGER: We still have work to doArsene Wenger urged his young side to fire themselves back into the title race after Arsenal s rollercoaster season hit new heights at Stamford Bridge. Robin van Persie, making his 100th Premier League appearance for the club, scored twice in three second... Spurs face first home defeat since Redknapp's arrivalSpurs 0 Everton 1 TOTTENHAM crashed to their first defeat at White Hart Lane since the arrival of manager Harry Redknapp five weeks ago when they were beaten by Everton on Sunday. The Lilywhites had lost just once in nine games since Redknapp took over t... Spurs march on in EuropeNEC Nijmegen 0 Spurs 1 TOTTENHAM all but booked their place in the knockout stages of the Uefa Cup last night (Thursday) when they cruised to a deserved win against NEC Nigmegan in Holland. Jamie O Hara s 14th minute goal was enough to earn maximum points... Middlesex delay trip to IndiaMIDDLESEX yesterday cancelled plans to fly to Mumbai in the wake of terrorist attacks in the Indian city, writes Patrick Mooney. The Lord s outfit had been due to fly out to Mumbai for the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League. But they have postponed their... Hot streak continues as Hampstead leave Finchley with all 28 pointsFinchley 0 Hampstead 28 HAMPSTEAD S hot streak continued on Saturday when they trounced Finchley in their London League division three clash at Summers Lane. The resounding victory was Hampstead s fifth straight league win and are n... UCS Old Boys edged out at TwickenhamTwickenham 15 UCS Old Boys 11 UCS Old Boys failed to build on an early lead to crash to defeat in their London League three match away to Twickenham on Saturday. Dan Stewart s men twice led during in the first half but were unable to main... Zakora wanted by SevillaSevilla this week confirmed they are interested in signing Tottenham midfielder Didier Zokora – at the right price. The 28-year-old, who has struggled for regular football at the Lane since the arrival of Wilson Palacios in January, has been tipped as on... Harry's reality checkHARRY Redknapp found out this week just how hard it will be to recruit a top player to the Lane. The Spurs boss lost out on Aston Villa s Gareth Barry on Tuesday afternoon when the midfielder signed for Manchester City for £12million. Redknapp had been ho... Redknapp has done a wonderful job for Spurs, says prodigal KeaneROBBIE Keane this week pronounced himself satisfied with the progress Tottenham have made since his return from an unhappy spell at Liverpool. The Spurs and Ireland captain, scorer of the Lilywhites goal in Sunday s 3-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield,... Keothavong vows to bounce back after whitewashCUMBERLAND S Anne Keothavong this week vowed to bounce back following her French Open whitewash by World No.1 Dinara Safina, writes Patrick Mooney. The British No.1 did not play badly but she was simply outclassed by the top seed at Roland Garros. I m no... GARY MABBUTT reviews roller-coaster season at White Hart LaneTHIS season has been a classic roller-coaster one for Tottenham. We started with high hopes of pushing the top four in the Premier League but spent most of it fighting relegation. In between, we reached a second successive Carling Cup final – and should... HARRY'S GAME: Sloppy goals did for us at AnfieldON THE DISPLAY AGAINST LIVERPOOL: Today we conceded some sloppy goals but it was a typical end-of season game. If we had upped the tempo and played a bit better we could have got something. We were desperate at half-time, being only 1-0 down, and I sai... MABBUTT: Highs and lows of roller-coaster seasonTHIS season has been a classic roller-coaster one for Tottenham. We started with high hopes of pushing the top four in the Premier League but spent most of it fighting relegation. In between, we reached a second successive Carling Cup final – and should... EXCLUSIVE: Gary Mabbutt on how Spurs can scoop the poolGARY Mabbutt is backing Tottenham to finish the Premier League season on a high and complete the double over Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, writes PATRICK MOONEY. Spurs, in fact, have beaten the Merseysiders twice this season – in the Carling C... Defoe determined to become Spurs' first choice strikerJERMAIN Defoe said he is intent on reclaiming a regular first-team place next season after scoring in Spurs 2-1 win over Manchester City at the Lane on Saturday. Since returning to N17 in January after a 12-month stint with Portsmouth, the England strike... HARRY'S GAME: Quotes from the Tottenham boss on victory over CityON THE DISPLAY AGAINST MAN CITY: We dominated the first half and should have been out of sight. We played some terrific football, created chances and if we d come in at half-time three goals up it would have been about right. Unfortunately, we lost Jonat... Swiss Cottage swimmers continue impressive start to the seasonCAMDEN Swiss Cottage continued their impressive start to the season when they won the second round of the National swimming league at Eltham. Swiss bagged 367 points from a maximum 400 to gain their second victory in the competition following their first... Keothavong: I will fight backCUMBERLAND'S Anne Keothavong has vowed to fight on after Tuesday s traumatic first round defeat at Wimbledon. The British No.1 had a set point at 5-3 in the opening set against the lower ranked Patricia Mayr of Austria but then suffered a total collapse,... Keothavong stuns Schiavone to progress in the US OpenCUMBERLAND S Anne Keothavong became the first British woman since Jo Durie in 1991 to reach the third round of the US Open when she stunned 25th seed Francesca Schiavone in three sets on Wednesday, writes Patrick Mooney. Keothavong, 24, broke the Italian... Masters of photographyIn her seminal book On Photography, Susan Sontag says: What is written about a person or an event is frankly an interpretation, as are handmade visual statements, like paintings and drawings. Photographed images do not seem to be statements about the wo... Subtle comment on city dwellersWrite about what you know best is traditional advice for would-be authors of fiction. For figurative painters of contemporary life, sensitivity to telling details in the appearance of subjects can be more important than familiarity with their milieu or... Kentish Town gallery opens its doors to an eclectic new line-upThe flaxon ptootch gallery on Kentish Town Road has announced a new line-up for its 2009 monthly exhibition calendar. The first public preview evening on Thursday features Benjamin Buckley, Luke Kulchstein and Dawes Gray. The eclectic line-up of artist... Decades of arts research to discover what lies beneathThis month two Queens Park art experts, who are neighbours, have their first books launched – both the fruits of decades of research. Philippa Abrahams reveals the secrets and techniques of artists through the ages in Beneath The Surface: The Making Of Pa... Teddy boys live on in affectionate tribute to inspirational art teacherAn Artist In Slumland was The Observer s headline for its review of Margareta Berger-Hamerschlag s best-selling Journey Into A Fog, about teaching art in Kilburn and Paddington youth clubs in the 1950s. Reverence for young life shines through pages whic... Superlatives and expletives in the life of Wyndham LewisBY ALISON OLDHAM The iconoclastic artist-writer Wyndham Lewis drew superlatives – and undoubtedly expletives – from those who knew him. TS Eliot said he was the greatest prose writer of my generation . Walter Sickert described him as the greatest portra... Livingstone, you may presume, will showcase Campbell originalsLivingstone Studio in Hampstead is holding a selling exhibition of original work by legendary textile designers Collier Campbell. It s of covetable painterly hand-brushed scarves, each with a unique design. They are made from diaphanous silk which makes t... Eclectic selection for Suburb's annual summer showOn Sunday an annual summer show for Hampstead Garden Suburb will be launched in the Lutyens-designed Main Hall of Henrietta Barnett School in the Suburb s Central Square. Curator Jeff Jackson brings together an eclectic selection of modern British and con... Ruth's prizewinning exhibition of images to treasureBy ALISON OLDHAM Wedding photographers bear a heavy responsibility – to capture images to treasure at an event which can t be restaged. Dartmouth Park photographer Ruth Corney wears this hat as lightly, indeed gaily, as her many others. Her picture of a... Kate Greenaway's Hampstead studio gets a new lease on lifeFrench artist installs himself in Victorian illustrator Kate Greenaway s former home by Alison Oldham A Victorian artist s studio in Hampstead has been returned to the art world. In 1885 the illustrator Kate Greenaway commissioned architect Norman Sh... Telstar is all flaw and no geniusTelstar (15) Director Nick Moran Starring Con O Neill, Kevin Spacey, Pam Ferris, Tom Burke, JJ Feild, James Corden and Ralf Little 108 mins Two stars Providing a strange companion piece to the bland period comedy of The Boat That Rocked, here s a bland p... Katyn is well made but what is the truth?It's 1939 and, in the opening scene, the Poles get their first inkling of the hideous... 'Hateful' Transformers sequelThis dreary, miserable summer of reboots and retreads hits its nadir with this hateful, inhuman spectacle.... Kaufman's SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK is a five-star masterpieceThis is a film that has perplexed, infuriated and angered audiences and been deemed by some as unreleasable. But I m here to tell you that this is the simplest, most straightforward film you will ever see. Kaufman has previously delighted audiences with... Cantana fails to score in French FilmWriter Aschlin Ditta seems to specialise in films with misleading titles set in London over the summer. After 2006 s Scenes Of A Sexual Nature (or rather Sexless Nature), he s now come up with French Film, a British film that is so terribly, terribly Bri... FIGHTING is an unexpected form of badNever make assumptions. Judging from the supremely unenticing title and a trailer that suggested a generic punch em up with all the depth and insight of a Dolph Lundgren movie, I went in certain of having a very bad time. Instead, I get a piece steeped... Angels and Demons is a 'busy' sequelThough The Da Vinci Code made $758.2 million worldwide and currently is No. 27 in the all-time box office list, star Hanks (pictured) and director Howard have remarkably little to live up to with their sequel to The Da Vinci Code. Like Matrix Reloaded or... REVIEW: Sounds like Teen SpiritA film about the Junior Eurovision Song Contest. I m guessing this provokes two instant and sharply divergent reactions – Kids! Eurovision! Ghastly! swiftly followed by... REVIEW: Little AshesThere's no folly quite like the Life of the Artist biopic folly, a genre that practically guarantees... REVIEW: Coraline 3DMichael Joyce These days, when computers have done so much to ease the process, animation can se... Welcome to Ivy WorldWhat does The Ivy – arguably still London s best known restaurant – have in common with the English novel? The more cynical among you might suggest that they are each of them populated by characters who do not really exist, stranded forever amid a setting... Liz Sagues judges the Saint-Bacchus awardsFor the French to ask the English to decide their best wines must mean a massive swallowing of national pride. But all credit to the CIVR – the professional committee which oversees the quality and promotion of wines from Roussillon in Southern France – f... Nothing to eat hereOne hundred years old. Yes, all right – no more tittering at the back: joke over, thank you. Not me, no (though by God it can feel like it sometimes) – but Selfridges, the venerable Oxford Street store. It is owned by a rather glamorous and incalculably r... A different kind of steak-out on Heath StreetBY JOSEPH CONNOLLY Attentive readers might recall that last week I lunched in the whitest restaurant in town – St John. Soon after I went for dinner to the Hampstead outpost of the Argentinian chain, Gaucho, whose interior is modelled upon that of a coal mine. Walls, floor... Saintly experience alongside the captains of industryJoseph Connolly joins the Captains of Industry for a meal of bits other restaurants can t reach St John is in his heaven – or hell, dependent upon your taste. Here we have uncompromisingly British, and stripped down to the bone – such defiant unfanciness... Good pizza and red wine are a winning combinationYOU can t go wrong with pizza or pasta accompanied by a large glass of red wine. Which is why it is easy to... Arriving at Oslo Court is like finding a long lost friendJoseph Connolly goes boldly in search of the holy grail of old-fashioned restaurants and finds the unknown God, I did feel such a fool, though – that very first time I was invited to Oslo Court (the restaurant so famous for being unknown). My host s in... Ordinary tuck done extraordinarily well - that's the wonder of WooliesIt might be one of the It restaurants but the Wolseley in Piccadilly is the real deal – with its authentically Gallic and ordinary tuck done extraordinarily well, writes novelist Joseph Connolly The It Factor . That indefinable thing that just a f... Le Mignon, where the only thing that groans is the tableBY BRIDGET GALTON LEBANESE cuisine is characterised by a table-groaning feast of Middle Eastern dishes such as hummus, falafel and lamb kofta. Beirut-born Hussien Dekmak opened Le Mignon restaurant, famed for its authentic home-style cooking, in Camden Town in 1997. Now he... St Pancras: a great place to catch some excellent seafoodKaties Davies finds there is more to catch at St Pancras station other than the Eurostar to Paris THE hugely successful St Pancras station and Eurostar terminal has drawn us closer than ever to Parisian glamour but the new fine dining experience inside... FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: Julian Lloyd-Webber at St Jude'sIt's quite an achievement to be at the same time one of Britain s most popular musicians and one of its most undervalued; but it s true of Julian Lloyd Webber who, apart fr... Brahms brings balmHampstead and Highgate aren t short of star residents – some of whom throw themselves into community life, some of whom don t. But one who does is the internationally celebrated pianist Stephen Kovacevich, who not only turns up at local concerts – you ll... Classical pianist passes on his talents in HampsteadA CLASSICAL pianist, who finely tuned his playing with tuition from some of France s greatest talents, has returned to Hampstead to pass on his technique. Michael Stembridge-Montavont, 48, has played in concerts across Europe and accompanied the singer Ta... SPRINGFEST REVIEW: Curlew RiverThe centrepiece of this year s Hampstead and Highgate Springfest, Benjamin Britten s Curlew River was if nothing else a proof of what a spectacular venue the restored St Stephen s is turning into. Grandly atmospheric in the gathering dark, it was perfect... Organ music can be wackyNorth London isn t short of organs, but some are more distinguished than others. And one person qualified to know is the eminent British organist Jennifer Bate. She was virtually born and raised at the console in St James s Muswell Hill – a great beast of... REVIEW: La Boheme English National Opera London ColiseumIt may seem as though Jonathan Miller is in permanent residence at ENO. But the truth is that the shows you see with his name attached tend to be revivals – old productions which come around and around again without any great involvement on his part. He... REVIEW: National Youth Orchestra, Roundhouse, Chalk FarmFour star rating It s a rare thing, these days, for significant orchestral concerts in London to venture north of the Euston Road. But there was a time – some 30 years ago – when the Roundhouse flourished as a centre for contemporary music after it was s... REVIEW: Elmore Judd, Jazz Cafe Camden TownFour star rating Garbed in black fedora hats and ties, not white coats and safety specs, and toting saxophones and drum brushes, not Bunsen burners and test tubes, Elmore Judd were nevertheless all about the big experime... REVIEW: Gotan Project, Roundhouse Chalk FarmFive star rating In Argentina, to tinker with traditional tango is tantamount to treason, but as the Roundhouse witnessed, the Paris-based collective Gotan Project have found international success by doing just that. T... Hampstead's John Rutter is king of the Christmas CarolGiven the state of world affairs, it s hard to predict the supply of peace and goodwill among the nations in the next few weeks. But people will certainly be singing about it. And as they do – in cathedrals, churches or mud-hut missions from Nebraska to N... FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the SommeFrank McGuinness has said when he wrote this in the early 80s, he was more concerned with dramatising the Orange mindset and relationships between men facing death than wi... REVIEW: Much Ado About NothingMuch Ado is a black comedy with much cruelty hidden beneath the jokiness. This production, set on a spiral stage – a little like a skateboarding park – concentrates heavily on the comedy. I... REVIEW: HamletJude Law was memorably acted off the stage at the last attempt by a stunning debut from fresh-out-of-drama-school Eve Best in Tis Pity She s A Whore. A decade on and his empty emoting has matured... REVIEW: CollaborationAs a companion to Taking Sides (see review right), Ronald Harwood premiered a second play in 2008, this time about composer Richard Strauss – another musician who was living through the horrors o... REVIEW: Taking SidesTAKING SIDES Duchess Theatre near Covent Garden Four stars We are in 1946 Berlin during the de-Nazification process. The interrogation room is wrecked, great cracks in the walls and planks hastily nailed up to keep the door in place. The war may be over... FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: Amongst FriendsTwo couples, former neighbours who had lost touch, catch up over dinner. What starts out as a group of spouses bantering about their partners shortcomings and disagreeing over current affairs quickly t... REVIEW: The Last CigaretteJasper Britton, Felicity Kendall and Nicholas Le Provost dressed in identical slacks and blue shirts are in front of three identical desks bearing typewriters and with papers strewn about. In perfect synchr... REVIEW: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?Trafalgar Studio 2 near Charing Cross Five stars The play was first produced in 1962 in the Kennedy era just as the Cuban crisis was about to take effect. But no politics, or in fact anything that is going on outside, is ever going to affect George and M... ANITA HARRIS enjoys magic moments at the New End TheatreAfter years in the business, Anita Harris explains to Bridget Galton why she is looking forward to the intimacy of the 100-seat New End Theatre for herlatest role – a tribute to former West End and Broadway star Gertrude Lawrence WHICH is scarier? Being... REVIEW: Dimetos, Donmar WarehouseFour star rating South African writer Athol Fugard is perhaps best known for his political plays that challenged apartheid. Here he seems to focus on the fine line between harmony and chaos in personal relationships. Dimetos, a talented engineer, has aba... FIRST NIGHT REVIEW: Ray Davies at KenwoodTHUNDER storms, flooding and soggy deckchairs made for the start that Kenwood s organisers had all been dreading. Hamp-stead Heath could hardly have felt any grislier by the time Ray Davies strode out onto the stage on Saturday. The warm lighting that bat... RAY DAVIES: Looking forward to KenwoodRAY DAVIES is one of the most enduring music stars ever to emerge on either side of the Atlantic and his early songs mark him out as the godfather of rock n pop. And on Saturday June 27, lead singer and songwriter of The Kinks will play the opening night... SHORT STORY COMPETITION: the chance for unpublished writers to shineBUDDING writers inspired by the uniqueness of life around Hampstead and Highgate can enter their work in a short story competition. The fiction prize – open to writers who do not yet have an agent or publishing deal – is part of a new three-day book festi... NICK MORAN: Lock Stock star brings music maverick's story to lifeIslington's Holloway is not an area known for its stars. But, at No.304 Holloway Road, there s a black plaque on the wall that marks the legendary Joe Meek – the world's first independent music record producer. A fascinating north London story, Meek built... DUSTIN HOFFMAN AND EMMA THOMPSON: Real lives, real lovesBridget Galton EMMA Thompson, who has lived all her life in the same West Hampstead street, describes her latest film as a love letter to London. Last Chance Harvey centres around an unexpected romance between two middle-aged lost souls, who fall for each... JOHN BURNINGHAM on painting a childhoodJOHN Burningham and his wife Helen Oxenbury have helped create some of the nation s best-loved children s books. Not that they do it together. Oxenbury, whose work includes the evocative images to Michael Rosen s We re Going On A Bear Hunt and Martin Wad... Sir Michael Caine: role of a lifetimeTHERE remains something of the cockney geezer about Sir Michael Caine. Despite his knighthood, wealth and fame, the Rotherhithe-born star has all the patter of an east end barrow boy. Asked what he would like on his tombstone, he quips: See you later, no... DAVID BLUNKETT: The calm after the stormBEING forced to resign from a front-line position in British politics is, one would presume, pretty tough going. Camera crews follow you as you re forced to smile and pretend it s what you decided for yourself, while knowing that the media – which has pr... MICHEAL KUSTOW' S unholy trinity produced a pained but powerful chronicleCrouch End author Michael Kustow tells Bridget Galton about his new book and his life as a dissenting British Jew IN HIS late 60s, theatre and TV producer Michael Kustow experienced several shocks to the system that jolted him to the core. The death of... ALISON STEADMAN has come a long way since Abigail's PartyThere’s more to Highgate actress Alison Steadman’s range than flouncing women like the iconic Bev in Abigail’s Party – as she proves in the role of an elderly woman showing the early signs of dementia. Katie Masters finds out how she got her inspiration Serving up an iconic performance is a double-edged sword for an actor. On the one hand, it puts you firmly on the map. On the other, the part tends to follow you around, evoking constant comparisons. Alison Steadman s iconic performance was as Beverley,... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: Think pink for picnic seasonAs the season of picnics and more formal outdoor eating approaches, think pink – but, please, not white zinfandel or white grenache... The UK rose market continues to flourish, while sales of other colour wines stagnate, but half of all the bottles sold a... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: Aristocratic encounter with vinho verdeNo-one thinks of vinho verde as a posh wine, but my first encounter with it on its home territory was in very aristocratic circumstances. The ornate gates of the Palacio de Brejoeira swung open in front of our scruffy hired Polo, and waiting at the end of... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: Medal winners will be worth the waitPatience, please – it will be a while before you can find the medal- winners from this year s International Wine Challenge on the shelves of your favourite wine shop. But it should, I believe, be worth the wait. Over the two weeks immediately after Easter... WHO'S WHO: Michael Goodwin, bookshop ownerMichael Goodwin owns the Highgate Bookshop in Bisham Gardens. He is originally from Sheffield and is a keen Sheffield Wednesday football fan. How long have you been in Highgate? I have been in the book trade since leaving university. I bought the shop i... REVIEW: ONCE A CATHOLIC Upstairs At the Gatehouse HighgateThree star rating Once a Catholic – always a Catholic is the saying and this satire written in the 70s about the 50s seems to prove it. It is not so much a play as a series of sketches about young girls being indoctrinated into a series of terrifying idea... Jackson's Lane campaigners celebrate 11th hour reprieveTan Parsons AN ARTS centre in Highgate has been saved from the brink of ruin after winning a last-minute reprieve. The Arts Council decided last week not to withdraw £135,000 from Jacksons Lane, which means the centre can continue its outreach work inste... YUNGUN'S RAP: I'm not from the ghetto, I'm from HighgateYungun is all about smashing stereotypes – which is unsurprising, since by day he s a top-flight Eton-educated lawyer, while at night he s a rapper, writes Miguel Cullen As I walk down Parkway in Camden Town on the way to meet rapper Yungun, a number... REVIEW: Loot, Tricycle Theatre KilburnFive star rating Over the dead body of her patient and his wife, the coffin between them, the nurse hands in her notice to Mr McCleavy and demands to be proposed to. A few minutes further in, Mr McCleavy s criminally errant... Artist Marta's work is the bee's knees for Robin GibbIT IS one thing for a celebrity to enjoy your art – but being invited to paint their nearest and dearest is a more impressive accolade. Russian artist Marta Grigorieva is putting the finishing touches to a commissioned portrait of RJ Gibb, son of the lege... REVIEW: Radio Golf Tricycle TheatreFour star rating PITTSBURGH in the 1990s is the setting for the last of renowned playwright August Wilson s series of 10 dramas that highlight aspects of African-American life in the 20th century. The tale centres on Danny Sap... |