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Ham&High - Text only page Return to Ham&High homepageNews | Letters | Sport | What's On Single charity to manage Highgate Cemetery after members voteTHE Friends of Highgate Cemetery have voted to abolish two of the three charities which are responsible for maintaining and preserving the historic site. Members held an extraordinary meeting last night (Thursday) in which they voted on a series of resol... Pedestrians mown down as car ploughs through railings in Golders GreenTWO pedestrians were mown down when a car ploughed through protective roadside railings in Golders Green today. Shortly before 2pm the grey Toyota Corolla mounted the pavement in Finchley Road outside the Kim Chee restaurant. A police spokesman confirmed... High speed train link will be "devastating" for CamdenGOVERNMENT plans unveiled today for a high speed rail link between Euston and Birmingham have been branded devastating by MP Frank Dobson. Seven blocks of flats and one park are threatened with demolition to make way for the £30billion high speed link whi... Dalmation escapes bus crash terrorA DOG owner has spoken of his amazement after his Dalmatian escaped unhurt despite being run over and trapped by a number 31 bus. Brian Levy had just returned from taking four-year-old Chloe for a walk and was about to take her into his South Hampstead h... Family pays tribute to murdered Camden schoolgirlTHE grieving family of a Camden schoolgirl, who was killed just a short distance from her home, have spoken of their anguish and shock. Popular Jessie Wright, 16, a pupil at Maria Fidelis convent school in Euston, was found dead in an alle... Woman, 83, dies in West Hampstead house fireAN 83-year-old woman has died of severe burns after a fire at her West Hampstead flat. The blaze at Sidney Boyd Court in West End Lane broke out around noon on Friday. It took West Hampstead and Belsize firefighters an hour to bring the fire under control... Tom Conti calls for better TV dramaHAMPSTEAD actor Tom Conti has called for BBC bosses to follow the lead of their US counterparts and make better quality television dramas. The Shirley Valentine star, who was nominated for a best actor Oscar for his role in Reuben, Reuben, was... The useless spy who lived in Camden TownAN INCOMPETENT Nazi spy who lived in Camden Town and Paddington and had a weakness for women and fine food has been named in a government list. Throughout the Second World War, Werner Strebel pretended he was a Swiss journalist – while in fact... Search for Chalk Farm stabbing attackerPOLICE want to speak to a man, who was captured on CCTV in connection with the robbery and stabbing of a musician in Chalk Farm. Daniel McLean suffered a stab wound to his chest after getting off the number 24 bus after a night out in November 2008. His h... Body discovered in Camden Town car parkA BODY was discovered this morning in Camden Town and police are currently investigating. Officers were called at 7.35am to a car park in Clarkson Row where a man s body had been found. A spokeswoman said the death is being treated as unexplained and that... Northern Line works will hit business hard, says council chiefLike many of your readers, Camden Council has serious concerns about the Northern Line proposed closure programme, and I have voiced these concerns in the strongest terms to London Underground and Tube lines. Whilst we agree that the line is in dire need... Where does Tamsin Omond stand on the big issues?It s definitely a case of the more, the merrier with regard to Tamsin Omond being the latest candidate to join the race for Hampstead & Kilburn (Activist reveals herself as the new candidate for Hampstead and Kilburn, H&H February 25). Most would agree... WHITTINGTON PROPOSALS: Let's end these secret dealSThe Green Party supports the Defend Whittington Hospital campaign because we believe in local provision of public services. We are also the only elected political party in Camden that supports the Keep the NHS Public campaign. Labour, Conservatives and Li... WHITTINGTON PROPOSALS: My family is indebted to hospitalThe march on the Whittington was supported by local and national organisations and members of the public, and was very well attended. The MP for Islington gave an impassioned plea to fight against the closure. Haringey residents were reminded that a few... Reminder: Freedom Pass is nearing its deadlineYour readers may have read recently how the council has renewed its waste and recycling contract. It was a tough tendering process and we drove a hard deal in order to obtain the best value for money possible for the taxpayer. But we have not skimped on... Boris's £858m reserve fund is a disgraceMany people are struggling with their own personal budgets right now. So they will be surprised to discover that Boris Johnson is sitting on £858 million of taxpayer money in reserves, a steep increase of £148 million from last year. Some reserves are vi... Wrong to apportion blame for fatal accidentWere I the person who opened the off-side door of the car into the path of a cyclist without first checking to ensure that it was safe to do so, my conscience would be somewhat relieved on reading Councillor Braithwaite s letter (Sadness at cycle death, H... Cyclists do see lorries - they don't see usChristopher Walton of the Road Transport Group (H&H letters, February 11) says that 100 per cent of cyclists involved in fatal accidents them saw the truck before the accident and that: The simple way for cyclists to reduce the number of road deaths is... Disruption and misery when people dig deepThere are numerous flaws with the planning process generally, and in relation to basements in particular. From my experience, the most unfair aspect is that no consideration whatsoever is taken of the disruption and misery extended building works can caus... Association concerned by cycling on pavementsBelsize Residents Association is also very concerned about cycling on pavements. Our members regularly tell us about experiences that have been both dangerous and frightening. This makes some people nervous about going out and has a significant impact on... Confidence not a problem: Nicklas Bendtner ends the week on topIT TAKES more than a few missed chances to get Mr Confident down. Nicklas Bendtner spurned a glut of gilt-edged opportunities against Burnley s porous defence last Saturday – a worrying profligacy that would have more harshly punished by better teams th... We can still improve, says cautious Arsene Wenger after Porto thrasingARSENE Wenger says his side must continue to improve and eradicate any weak moments after seeing them dismantle Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday night, writes Jem Maidment. The Gunners secured a place in the last eight for the third successive y... Arsenal memories...2000: Do you want Van Nistelrooy?2000: PSV Eindhoven said they were growing tired at waiting for Arsenal to make a bid for their £20m-rated striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Harry van Raaig, PSV s chairman, said: We cannot wait much longer. They have another four weeks. If they don t make t... Arsenal memories: FA set Wembley date for derby semi-finalThis week in….1991 The FA confirmed Arsenal's FA Cup clash with Spurs would be played at Wembley – the first time the national stadium had ever hosted a semi final. We saw no merit in sending people up the motorway again when Wembley could stage the even... Arsenal memories: Woodcock sinks Hammers in 1986This week in…1986 Tony Woodcock scored a controversial winner as Arsenal beat West Ham 1-0 at Highbury in front of 31,240. The England striker appeared to handle the ball before firing past Phil Parkes and afterwards he admitted: It did touch my hand,... Exclusive: Ramsey horror brings memories flooding back for ex-Arsenal starAaron Ramsey s shocking leg break at Stoke last Saturday evening brought back some unwelcome memories for Arsenal legend Don Howe. It was 44 years ago tomorrow – March 5, 1966 – when the blond-haired fullback flew into a tackle with Blackpool goalkeeper T... Arsenal fans plan banner tribute to stricken Aaron RamseyARSENAL fans plan to unfurl a large banner in support of Aaron Ramsey at Saturday's home game with Burnley, writes Jem Maidment. Supporters group REDAction ordered the 18ft by 15ft tribute after the Wales international midfielder suffered his double leg... Arsenal memories...1995: Bad break for SeamanThis week in…1995 David Seaman broke a rib for the third time in 10 months and was forced to watch as Arsenal slipped to a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham. It is a severe blow, but we are going to take it day by day with him. There is no cure, only rest, sa... Arsenal memories...1988: Dixon move is offThis week in…1988 Kerry Dixon confirmed he would stay at Chelsea after a move to Arsenal fell through at the 11th hour. West Ham wanted to take him to East London but he rejected their approach to set up a move to Highbury – before Chelsea chairman Ken Ba... Aneke strikes take Arsenal academy kids clear at the topArsenal lead the FA Premier Academy League by 11 points following their 3-2 win over Fulham last weekend. Chuks Aneke scored twice inside the opening 20 minutes - sandwiching Matthew Reece s equaliser for the Cottagers - and the Gunners added a third two... 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... 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... Ellie gets it spot onPetts Wood 1 Hampstead Women 2 A last-minute goal from Ellie Bard helped Hampstead Women progress to the Russell Cup quarter-finals on Sunday. The visitors took the lead when Val Toro s cross was met by Claire Arnold to head home at the near post. The l... Hampstead rack up sixHampstead Under-14s continued their impressive form in the Harrow Youth League at the weekend with a 6-1 victory over Pinnstars. The under-10 A team went top of the league with a 4-1 win over Harrow St Mary s while the under-12s beat Wealdstone 6-3 and th... Spurs v Arsenal clash named as Premier League game of the decadeTop football commentator John Mottie Motson has highlighted a North London derby as his top Premier League match of the decade. In today s Daily Mail, the legendary BBC commentator list his 10 favourite games of the decade. England s 5-1 win in Munich a... 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... 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... Camden's silver liningCAMDEN S Alex Tofalides captained the British Cadet Men s Foil fencing team to silver at the European Cadet Championships in Athens last week. Tofalides, a 16-year-old University College School student, also finished in the top eight out of 200 fencers fr... 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 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... Two golds for Bradley - now he can't wait for London 2012MAIDA Vale cyclist Bradley Wiggins was still celebrating this week despite failing to become the first British athlete in 80 years to bag a hat-trick of Olympic golds. The 28-year-old finished up with a brace of gold medals in Beijing after his successes... Harriet, 11, becomes yongest-ever winner of women's finalHarriet Dart became the youngest winner of the Cumberland women s title when she beat Gemma O Donoghue in straight sets on Saturday. Dart, 11, the British No.4 in her age group, lived up to her top seeding, winning 6-3, 6-1. Dart also reached the final... MCC prepared to mount underground mission at Lord'sMiguel Cullen The MCC is considering using underground rail tunnels beneath the hallowed Lord s turf to house cricket nets. Two disused Underground tunnels, once used by the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines, could now be put to a different use, if a deal b... Spurs to get official reception but victory parade looks unlikelySpurs fans will be given several chances to get even closer to the Carling Cup following Sunday s epic 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley. The trophy will be displayed at the Spurs Megastore on Tottenham High Road this weekend and will also be shown off... Hampstead hit the cup trailHampstead & Westminster booked their place in the semi-finals of the EHL Cup with a convincing victory over Old Loughtonians on Sunday. Facing a team from the division below them, H&W had it all to lose but put in a solid all-round performance to take the... UCS blow it at the deathUCS Old Boys 16 Chiswick 25 UCS saw their promotion hopes dashed by a late Chiswick try on Saturday. Despite leading 16-15 with 15 minutes remaining, the Old Boys conceded a late try and penalty to give the visitors a vital victory. The loss sees UCS drop... Wasps are a fly in the ointmentWasps Amateurs 24 Hendon 12 Hendon failed to capitalise on their dominance as they slipped to defeat in their Herts/Middlesex League One match against Wasps Amateurs. The visitors controlled much of the game but saw two efforts held-up over the try-line... Belsize lose their cool but turn up the heatOld Isleworthians 8 Belsize Park 53 Belsize Park ran in nine tries as they overcame ill discipline to beat Old Isleworthians. The visitors suffered two successive yellow cards late in the first half to leave them down to 13 men for a short period...... Sam again please as Rovers returnSPURS have the perfect opportunity to put the pressure on their rivals this weekend – they are first up on Saturday, and they could not ask for a kinder fixture. Blackburn are far from the worst team in the division, and they currently sit 10 points clear... Sam again please as Rovers returnSPURS have the perfect opportunity to put the pressure on their rivals this weekend – they are first up on Saturday, and they could not ask for a kinder fixture. Blackburn are far from the worst team in the division, and they currently sit 10 points clear... Now Palacios must play his cards rightBy Ben Pearce FORMER Spurs captain Tim Sherwood admits that Wilson Palacios is walking a tightrope as he struggles to avoid a costly 10th booking against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday. Sherwood, who made 93 appearances for the Lilywhites between 1999 and 2003, is now... Sam again please as Rovers returnSPURS have the perfect opportunity to put the pressure on their rivals this weekend – they are first up on Saturday, and they could not ask for a kinder fixture. Blackburn are far from the worst team in the division, and they currently sit 10 points clear... Dawson's Shaw to be hurt by England snubBy Ben Pearce FABIO Capello has been a frequent visitor to White Hart Lane this season and, as he prepares to name his World Cup squad, he is sure to be back in N17 in the coming weeks. However, as he has cast his eye over Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Je... Fulham v Spurs: Can Cottagers avoid hitting the wall?FULHAM fans continue to pinch themselves as they enjoy arguably the most successful season in the club's history. Despite qualifying for the inaugural Europa League last season with a best-ever seventh-placed finish...... White Hart Lane to see more of Dos Santos Mexican flair?HARRY Redknapp has hinted that Giovani Dos Santos could finally get a run at the first team following Jamie O Hara s departure to Portsmouth on loan. The Mexican midfielder was given his third competitive start under Redknapp in the 5-1 Carling Cup victor... Levy sees David James as a poor investment - so it's no dealSpurs manager Harry Redknapp may have persuaded Daniel Levy to free up the funds for Nico Kranjcar, but the chairman was unwilling to purchase yet another Portsmouth player, goalkeeper David James. Redknapp was keen to sign his favourite stopper, who he... Liverpool must bring their best game to the Lane - Ledley KingLIVERPOOL will have to bring their A-Game to the Lane on Sunday, warns Ledley King, as Tottenham aim to carry last season s home form into the new campaign. Spurs have only been beaten once in N17 under Harry Redknapp, and the rearguard broke the club s a... 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... Crash into the strange world of JC BallardThe provocative, visionary writer JG Ballard claimed that he turned to science fiction in the 1950s because he didn t want to write the Hampstead novel. The great thing about science fiction was that nobody in it lived in Hampstead, he said. The Gagosi... Mat Collishaw, Tracey Emin and Paula Rego: At The FoundlingBY ALISON OLDHAM Brit artists Tracey Emin, Paula Rego and Mat Collinshaw put the issues raised by the Foundling Museum – and which still continue today – into even sharper focus The most poignant items in the collection at Bloomsbury s Foundling Museum are the tokens... Are you captured on camera?The historic, ever-changing district of King s Cross is the focus of three artists projects commissioned by Camden Arts Centre. The thought-provoking work produced in 2008-9 goes on display at the centre next weekend. Art and architecture collective publ... Freud’s granddaughter explores his artistic sideHard as it may be to imagine the world today without the contribution made by Sigmund Freud, that is just what his great-granddaughter Jane McAdam Freud has done in her exhibition Atonement at the London Centre for Psychotherapy in Kentish Town. She explo... A challenge to myth of Van Gogh as lunatic geniusLetters that accompany the paintings at the Royal Academy s show reveal the painter as sensitive, well-read and hard-working Did Van Gogh ever come to Hampstead or Highgate? We don t know that he didn t, according to Martin Bailey, author of Young Vince... Wild animal genes brought to surface in Man's Best FriendBy Alison Oldham Jon Buck says his mask-like sculpture Man s Best Friend, with its primitive teeth of nails, is reminiscent of a tribal artefact: The position of the hand so close to those jagged teeth also reminds us that although man s best friend is the old... Capturing the verve of dancers in performanceTo Milein Cosman, master of the illusion of movement, runs Ernst Gombrich s inscription in a copy of his seminal work Art And Illusion which he gave to his fellow Hampstead resident in 1962. Her powerful portrait of the Austrian art historian was in the... 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... 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... Erotic thriller Chloe is too much of a parodyChloe (15) Director Atom Egoyan Starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Max Thieriot, Meghan Heffern 99 mins Two star rating People in glass houses shouldn t get involved in Fatal Attraction-style erotic thrillers. This latest film from... Alice, Alice - where the heck is Alice?Alice in Wonderland 3D (PG) Director Tim Burton Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas 108 mins Two star rating BY MICHAEL JOYCE Though he works in a rather a narrow range ( you can have it... Tolstoy’s life comes from Russia with loveThe Last Station (15) Director Michael Hoffman Starring James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti, Anne-Marie Duff 112 mins Two star rating Towards the end of his life Tolstoy (Plummer) renounced private property and advocated cha... Lovely book, shame about the movieBY MICHAEL JOYCE The Lovely Bones (12A) Director Peter Jackson Starring Saoirse Ronan, Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Michael Imperioli 125 mins Two star rating Imagine a version of Psycho with a wishy-washy new age narration by Janet Leig... A Chinese girl’s experience of the UKShe, A Chinese (18) Director Xiaolu Guo Starring Lu Huang, Wei Yibo, Geoffrey Hutchings, Chris Ryman 98 mins Released February 26 Three star rating China s single child policy may be a laudable contribution to tackling the global population explosion... Feel good with a crazy little thing called loveCrazy Heart (15) Director Scott Cooper Starring Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall, James Keane, Ryan Bingham 115 mins Three star rating Doddering, ambling, forgetful, careful to avoid any sudden shocks – this is a film that very effec... Mel Gibson’s latest film takes credibility to the very edgeReview bv Michael Joyce Edge of Darkness (15) Director Martin Campbell Starring Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Bojana Novakovic, Shawn Roberts. 116 mins Two star rating Last year it was Russell Crowe in State of Play; this year it is Mel Gibson s turn to make of movie... Back to old-fashioned fun as Disney returns to basicsThe Princess and The Frog (U) Directors Ron Clements and John Musker Starring the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Michael-Leon Wooley, Jim Cummings 97 mins Three star rating The latest movie from Disney is a something entirely unex... A Precious film that will make you laugh and cryPrecious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (15) Director Lee Daniels Starring Gabourey Sidibe, Mo nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz. 109 mins THREE STAR RATING Sometimes a film will come along that no matter how much... Storyline that's really wild and wonderfulWhere The Wild Things Are (PG) Director Spike Jonze Starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano 101 mins Four star rating Max is a wild and unruly nine-year-old child who doesn t quite fit in. Wh... The art of smoking survives at Manchester Street, MaryleboneIntroduced to his first sophisticated smoke by writer Roald Dahl, Joseph Connolly rediscovers the pleasure at Marylebone s latest bijou hotel which boasts a splendid terrace specially dedicated to the art This, gosh, is my 50th restaurant review for the... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: A bunch of real Australian charmersIt would be less than honest to fail to admit that wine writers rely quite considerably on public relations companies – for details of who sells which wines, photographs to illustrate articles, background information, and more. Westbury Communications is... Russian here for some decent comfort foodJoseph Connolly experiences the glory of being a tsar and meets a Russian spy, all without leaving Chalk Farm! I went to Russia the other evening. Well all right, then… more the Chalk Farm end of Regent s Park Road. Da. Where there nestles a restaurant... LIZ SAGUES: Delicious wines that are fairly tradedSo much for suffering in the the pursuit of good intentions: you can now drink Fairtrade wine and enjoy it. Of course, that s far too superficial a statement. Decent Fairtrade wine has been around for ages, but you had to pick and choose. You still do, bu... Gordon Ramsay brings listed inn back to lifeFOR years, the York and Albany was a crumbling architectural gem on English Heritage s at risk register . Part of Nash s scheme for Regent s Park, its listed status meant it couldn t be bulldozed. But after decades lying derelict, who would have the cash... GRAPEVINE with LIZ SAGUES: £7 Aussie fizz wins friends worldwideAsk Islay Kennedy about the wine project which has succeeded way beyond her wildest expectations and the words bubble out in a glorious stream. That s entirely appropriate: it s all about a £7 fizz which has won Kennedy a lot of friends. And crucially for... Our High Streets are overflowing with Christmas treatsThere s no need to tear your hair out among the crowds on Oxford Street, there s plenty of delicatessens and markets in north London which are overflowing with Christmas treats, says Frances Bissell Think you have left it too late to do your Christmas s... You can have your cake and eat it too, at Claridge’sI don t do tea – the drink or the meal – but just last week I did, my God I did. I m actually still rather full, you know. It s a lovely tradition though, isn t it? English afternoon tea: foreigners can t get enough of it. And in one of London s grand hot... Poetry is all the rage again, but Poem failed to scanJoseph Connolly pens an ode to a missed opportunity at Mediterranean bar and grill Poem Poetry is on a roll – it’s all just so-o-o very trendy again. This happens, from time to time, the last occasion being possibly when that W.H. Auden tear-jerker was read out in Four Weddings And A Funeral – and now, just recently, we have T.S. Eliot voted the nation’s favourite poet. Yes, I know: T.S.Eliot.... Freemasons fare is far from being poetry in motionNovelist Joseph Connolly dashes into the Freemasons Arms for a bite to eat and to shelter from the pouring rain after a day out at Keats House Steak House. Just been there. So very subtle, with its pastel washes, perfectly set in Old Hampstead tranquilit... REVIEW: Crouch End Festival Chorus, Haydn s Creation, BarbicanFor all that it sounds like something from a Monty Python sketch, the Crouch End Festival Chorus is the most accomplished of the large-scale outer London choirs and flourishing at the moment... REVIEW: Venus and Adonis Dido AND Aeneas Hampstead Garden Opera Upstairs at the Gatehouse HighgatePurcell s Dido and Aeneas and John Blow s Venus and Adonis are contenders for the title of first genuine English opera and fit together well in a double-bill. Both... REVIEW: GeNIA St Mary s Munster SquareGeNIA (so spelt, no surname) is a young Ukrainian pianist distantly related to the uber-pianist Horowitz; and the draw of her recital in this new Regent s Park concert series run by Markson Pianos was the inclusion of music... Choral Society rises to toughest of challengesREVIEW: HIGHGATE CHORAL SOCIETY – ALL HALLOWS, GOSPEL OAK. Because music critics tend not go to concerts that begin with the 1812 Overture, we tend to forget what an extraordinary score it is - with qualities beyond the rabble-rousing and moments you c... 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: Ghosts, Duchess Theatre near Covent GardenTwo star rating To put Ibsen into the West End shows courage, especially when it s Ghosts – a play described on its first reception as an open sewer . Ibsen may not be seen as a perpetrator of filth, but those two double o words gloom and doom stick... REVIEW: The Dead School Tricycle Theatre, KilburnFour star rating Pat McCabe s adaptation of his own novel depicts 70s Ireland as a dark, twisted place, stalked by mental illness and haunted by the past. Repressive, traditional values cannon into the individualism and liberalism of educated, pot-smoking... A meeting of minds in an accountant’s officeFormer banker John Steinberg and TV director Ray Kilby were introduced through the man who did their books – now they have written a farce about the perils of greed. Bridget Galton talks to them A FORMER banker is satirising ruinous greed and money ob... Tradition and liberalism prove an explosive mixA small town Irish classroom provides the setting for an investigation into what happens when past and present values collide. Sean Campion, who plays the old school headteacher, talks to Bridget Galton THE clash between traditional values and modernisa... Something of today this way comes to Hampstead TheatreA play exploring what happened next in the land of Macbeth is a metaphor for our present-day conflicts, finds Bridget Galton SHAKESPEARE S Macbeth ends with the tyrant slain at Dunsinane Castle and Malcolm pledging to bring order to a troubled land. B... REVIEW: RITES OF PRIVACY New End Theatre HampsteadTWO STAR RATING David Rhodes is a lanky shaven-headed actor who was born into a Jewish family with a cruel but charming father. He delighted in secretly dressing up in his mother s clothes from an early age and, in this one-man show, he gives thumbnail sk... Edward Hall named as Hampstead Theatre's new artistic directorHampstead Theatre has named its new Artistic Director. Edward Hall will lead the company from the end of January and his inaugural season will be announced later this spring or early summer, to open in autumn 2010. Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Board... REVIEW: Detaining Justice Tricycle Theatre, KilburnThree star rating Detaining Justice is the last in the Tricycle s Not Black and White Season, a look at British society today from the perspective of black writers, and is, inevitably, politically charged. Bo... This Oliver provides a disturbing picture of the 19th centuryOLIVER TWIST Lion and the Unicorn Theatre Kentish Town Four star rating Billed as Oliver Twist as you ve never seen it before! A sort of antidote to Lionel Bart, this is Ray Shell and Giant Olive s second venture into the seamier world of Dickens. Trev... Tutt tutt, now it's time to be serious, JulianGreen Wing star Julian Rhind-Tutt is exploring his dark side in Victorian ghost story Darker Shores at Hampstead Theatre. He talks to Bridget Galton about what drew him to the role as she tries in vain to get a straight answer out of him IT S impossib... Tim Burton finds the dark side of Alice's WonderlandThere are many film adaptations of Lewis Carroll s classic but Tim Burton has put a new spin on it by featuring an adult Alice. He and wife Helena Bonham Carter, who stars in the film, talk to Marianne Gray There must be more than 20 film versions of Le... JULIAN CLARY: feeling absolutely fabulous at 50IN HIS 25-year career, Julian Clary has done prime time TV, made a cameo appearance in Neighbours and played panto in Crawley. He s also written one autobiography, two novels, and been the target of a Daily Mail outcry for that Norman Lamont gag at the 19... Michael Foot on why he loved his dog DizzyIn this article, first published in the Ham&High in August 1996, the late Michael Foot explains his affection for his dog Dizzy, his constant companion on Hampstead Heath. The article later appeared in The Uncollected Michael Foot, Essays Old And New, 195... Organic life revolves around the fruit and veg stallFor more than 10 years, Michael Render has brought fresh produce to South End Green and provided an important place for people to meet. Sadly, he s leaving – but all is not lost, discovers Matilda Moreton One stall can make a village. The Organic Fruit... DAVID MORRISEY: An illuminating journey from actor to directorFor some time, David Morrissey had been searching for a film he could set in his hometown of Liverpool. After finding a script by chance, he then faced the task of bringing it to screen, he tells Marianne Gray David Morrissey was born and brought up... Auditions underway for talent show that could make you a starTHE first auditions are already underway for the talent show which could see one very talented performer being set on the path to international stardom. By the middle of May one very talented person will have the music world at their feet as their first p... Ambition marches on for Hampstead Theatre's founderJames Roose-Evans isn't capable of resting on his laurels. Anyone else who founded a major institution like Hampstead Theatre might put their feet up in their 80s. But he still has the energy, vision and passion to found a new theatre – appropriately tit... Comedy writer is back in the thick of itWww.jesuit. humor.blogspot. com is a largely unfunny anthology, mainly involving homily-enhancers and laboured puns about obscure religious orders. However, the Jesuits do have their own crucial moment in British comedy. Back in 1991, two unknown comedy w... GERALD RONSON: tough tycoon reveals allFOR the first time in his 55-year career, it seems that tycoon Gerald Ronson is hinting that retirement may be hovering somewhere, albeit very faintly, on the horizon. Although it is not surprising for most men of 70 to be talking about leaving the workin... Jools Holland gears up for Kenwood concertHE is a familiar presence on our televisions as the warm and genial host of his music show, Later, but what Jools Holland really relishes is playing concerts with his band. His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, who are performing at Kenwood on August 15, combin... REVIEW: Ghosts, Duchess Theatre near Covent GardenTwo star rating To put Ibsen into the West End shows courage, especially when it s Ghosts – a play described on its first reception as an open sewer . Ibsen may not be seen as a perpetrator of filth, but those two double o words gloom and doom stick... REVIEW: The Dead School Tricycle Theatre, KilburnFour star rating Pat McCabe s adaptation of his own novel depicts 70s Ireland as a dark, twisted place, stalked by mental illness and haunted by the past. Repressive, traditional values cannon into the individualism and liberalism of educated, pot-smoking... WHO'S WHO: Laurence Higgens, community workerLaurence Higgens is the new manager of the Community Association for West Hampstead which was formed after the closure of the previous community centre. The 30-year-old has been working there for only a couple of months but is already enjoying the area.... LIZ SAGUES: Delicious wines that are fairly tradedSo much for suffering in the the pursuit of good intentions: you can now drink Fairtrade wine and enjoy it. Of course, that s far too superficial a statement. Decent Fairtrade wine has been around for ages, but you had to pick and choose. You still do, bu... REVIEW: JERUSALEM Apollo Theatre Shaftesbury AvenueFour star rating Jez Butterworth s contemporary vision of the English countryside features no farmers or foxhunters – just sad, mad and dangerous people getting off their heads on drugs in the woods. It s the annual St George s Day village fair and a rag... WHO'S WHO: Ian Davis, dentist and photographerfIan Davis is a dentist in Golders Green. Passionate about photography, he has decided to combine his work with his favourite hobby by shooting artistic photos of moulds of his patients mouths being treated by tiny models of workmen. He has been working... Auditions underway for talent show that could make you a starTHE first auditions are already underway for the talent show which could see one very talented performer being set on the path to international stardom. By the middle of May one very talented person will have the music world at their feet as their first p... WHO'S WHO: medical consultant Malcom VandenBurgMalcom VandenBurg is a consultant in general and pharmaceutical medicine specialising in internal medicine, drug abuse, addiction and sexual health. He has lived in Hampstead for 40 years and before that, he was neighbour to Hollywood star Jean Simmons in... WHO'S WHO: SUZI MARTIN, singer, songwriter, landladySuzi Martin, landlady of the Torriano pub in Kentish Town, is trying to avoid the closure of her business. Singer of The Torrianos, a band composed of herself and of two other staff members, she has written a song in a bid to help to save the pub. She ha... REVIEW: SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION The Old Vic, WaterlooTWO STAR RATING JOHN Guare s 1990 play won stacks of awards and introduced us to the rather empty pop philosophy that we are all just six removes from everyone on the planet. But despite fine performances,... |