Luxury

 
Interview
A Green & Pleasant Land…
Take your pick of contemporary architecture or a house steeped in centuries of history.
 
England’s idyllic green gardens are celebrated as some of the most beautiful in the world. Head of Gardens and Estates for the Historic Royal Palaces, Terry Gough and his team tend to the thousands of trees, plants, sweeping vistas and ancient monuments that have been enjoyed by England’s kings and queens for centuries.
 
Why do you think the English are such a passionate gardening nation?

 
‘LINLEY has developed an international reputation for creating furniture and accessories that represent English craftsmanship at its very best’
 
David Linley founded his eponymous business in 1985 with the aim of designing and manufacturing furniture of the highest quality. Some 28 years on, the now well    established English design company LINLEY enjoys prominence as both a retail and bespoke business specialising in the design and production of furniture, upholstery, interiors and home accessories of a superlative quality.

 
Napoleon called us a nation of shopkeepers – it’s a tradition we’re proud to uphold.
 
London’s most prestigious department stores and shopping streets – Bond Street, Sloane Street, Savile Row, Harrods, Liberty, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason, to name a few – are as familiar landmarks as Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London. But stick solely to the shops in the capital and you’ll miss some of the most interesting shopping experiences in the world.

 
Whatever is on your wish list, you will certainly find it here, and more.
 
Even more sumptuous is an experience offered by luxury concierge service Quintessentially: a private tour of the ‘Queen’s grocer’ Fortnum & Mason before it opens, followed by a tea tasting and an invitation to create your own version of the store’s iconic picnic hamper. You will then be whisked to the grounds of Windsor Castle by helicopter to enjoy your hamper before taking a tour of the castle.

 
Interview
Dressed to the nines..
Sarah Mower is the British Fashion Council’s Ambassador for Emerging Talent and is an MBE for Services to Fashion. She lives in London as American Vogue’s correspondent, while also working as a fashion journalist, an advocate for young designers and a professor at Central Saint Martins College of Arts & Design. Who better to talk us through London’s designer shopping scene?
 
Who are your favourite better-known designers?

 
‘Twice voted the world’s best department store... more than 350,000 people visit the store every week and nearly 20 million every year’
 

 
‘Austin Reed boasts over a century of design excellence and an
international reputation that’s founded on personal service, remarkable tailoring and a passion for quality without compromise’
 
Austin Reed has a proud British heritage. Founded in 1900, Austin Reed boasts over a century of design excellence and an international reputation that’s founded on personal service, remarkable tailoring and a passion for quality without compromise.

 
Interview
All The World’s A Stage…
Gregory Doran is the Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He’s also a lifelong Shakespeare fan. It’s no surprise, then, that he lives in Stratford-upon-Avon, the birth and death place of William Shakespeare, where he soaks up the sights and sounds of the rolling Warwickshire countryside just as Shakespeare did.
Where’s your favourite place to see a Shakespeare play?

 
 
The British Museum was founded in 1753, the first national public museum in the world with a simple mission statement “to preserve its collection for the use and benefit of the public who may have free access to view and peruse the same”.
In 1857 the new purpose built Museum opened with the Round Reading Room at its heart. Changes continued throughout the nineteenth century with the iconic development of the Great Court and the construction of the Norman Foster roof in 2000.

 
‘Each year, The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet give almost 400 performances of heritage works, classic operas and ballets, contemporary work and new commissions to more than 600,000 audience members’