Country Life 6-Apr-2022

THE NEW LONDON RESTAURANTS PUTTING A SPRING IN OUR STEP This time of year is synonymous with new beginnings, so April's LONDON LIFE celebrates the myriad restaurants opening up across the capital (At a glance, page 32). Chef-led pubs, in particular, have been going from strength to strength. Unlike the gastropubs of old, the new generation is gloriously idiosyncratic, riffing as much on the interests of its founders as it does on traditional pub-grub tropes. In Notting Hill, Norma's Ben Tish has opened The Princess Royal, or rather, re-opened it, as it dates back to the late 1800s. Together with a Mediterranean-influenced menu that will delight fans of Mr Tish's Sicilian-Moorish cooking, there's a stylish oyster and crudo bar in the middle. It comes hot on the heels of James Knappett's wood-panelled…

Find your place THE carousel has finally stopped—and by that I mean the restaurant called Carousel has finally found a permanent space, on Fitzrovia’s Charlotte Street. The past few years have been a whirlwind for co-founders Ollie and Ed Templeton’s wildly successful pop-up, in which time they have welcomed a dizzying array of guest chefs and put on more foodie events than it was ever possible to keep up with. Staying put suits Carousel and its new townhouse digs include a wine bar, chef residency space, restaurant pop-up and private dining area (020–7487 5564; www.carousellondon.com). The wine bar is a triumph: the ‘best food I’ve had in London this year,’ exclaimed my dining companion. It’s a casual, tiled space populated with French bistro- and high, bar-style seating. There’s a menu of minimum-intervention…

EMPEROR TRAJAN, a man well used to hero worship, would have been put out at the tribute that modern Londinium pays him. Dwarfed by the remains of the Roman wall behind it, his bronze—an early 20th-century replica of a 1st-century marble—is not only modest, but also a Frankenstein mix in which the head doesn’t match the body. It only takes crossing a ruins-peppered subway to travel ahead 800 years to Norman times and a much mightier emblem of royal power: the Tower of London. ‘William the Conqueror,’ explains joint chief curator Tracy Borman, ‘wanted to subdue the “evil inhabitants” of London by creating a symbol of Norman domination over the native Saxons. I think he did a pretty good job of it.’ ‘Age, luck and vicars’ foresight have made All Hallows a…

Monkwell Square, £2.5 million Roman ruins can hardly get closer than to this house, which overlooks a landscaped square incorporating a section of the London wall. Entirely renovated by architects Inside-Out, it has two floors of living space and four bedrooms upstairs. The roof terrace takes in views across the square to the Barbican. Hamptons (020–3369 4371) Crown Square, £6.9 million For striking views of the Tower of London, few places beat One Tower Bridge, on the opposite bank of the Thames. This four-bedroom home makes the most of the panorama, with floor-to-ceiling windows in the living and dining area, the separate kitchen and the main bedroom. Knight Frank (020–3944 6318) St Katharine Docks, £2.25 million Situated 10 minutes' walk from Tower Hill, this apartment overlooks the St Katharine marina and the Shard beyond. The open-plan…

What to do Watch the Wintershall Players’ free, full-scale performance of The Passion of Jesus, at Trafalgar Square on April 15 What to eat A pastry-to-go from Cédric Grolet’s counter at The Berkeley hotel—the famous chef’s first patisserie outside of France. Don’t leave it too late: M. Grolet’s trademark Noisette and Citron cakes are made fresh every morning and once they’re gone… they’re gone (www.the-berkeley.co.uk) What to buy Tickets to The Treehouse, a new hospitality experience at the Wimbledon Championships 2022. Enjoy food and drinks by Michelin-starred chef Tom Sellers and a viewing spot over Centre Court and No 1 Court (www.keithprowse.co.uk)…

• In 1854, the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company tried to gain a monopoly on London's burial industry by opening a railway line connecting central London and Brookwood Cemetery, a graveyard in Surrey that was, at one time, the largest in the world • The trains utilised existing tracks belonging to the London and South Western Railway. When they arrived at the graveyard, the carriages were shunted down a dedicated line into one of two stations-one for Anglicans and one for non-conformists. The train compartments and station waiting rooms were also partitioned by both religion and class • Although the graveyard and railway line were built in response to London's burial crisis-limited space meant that the oldest graves were regularly exhumed to make room for new bodies-the London Necropolis Railway was…