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Britain’s Story – Face by Face

From Shakespeare to Bowie — and a modern twist by Jenny Saville

While the boys explore Soho and Chinatown in search of the perfect nosh, I go roaming for something equally enticing. Today’s pitstop – London’s National Portrait Gallery.

Hi there lovely readers,

Throw me into a jolly good bookshop or an art gallery and I’m in my happy place, one offering a mental journey via the mighty pen, the other a visual journey through an artist’s chosen medium. And what better way to blend the two than review London’s history via the Portrait Gallery? Top floor (early centuries) down (current), starting with the current guest artist…

First Stop: Jenny Saville – The Anatomy of Painting

I begin with an intriguing exhibition by Jenny Saville, one of Britain’s most celebrated contemporary painters. A collection of 45 works tracing her career and her ongoing conversation with art history. The show was created in close collaboration with the artist herself, and it feels like stepping into her evolving sketchbook of bold, raw humanity. Exciting, at times visceral, a must-see when you’re in London Town. Here’s just a small example…

The Gallery Itself – Britain’s Ultimate Family Album

From there, I wander into the main gallery — a place that tells the story of Britain not through dates or dusty timelines, but through faces. The National Portrait Gallery is all about the people: queens, rebels, poets, politicians, pop stars, and everyday heroes who’ve shaped the nation. Starting point? Yep, the top floor!

What makes it so brilliant?

I loved that the gallery is all about the who, not just the how. The art is important, but the real focus is on the person in the frame and their impact on British history and culture; from Tudor monarchs to pop culture creatives. Through paintings, drawings, photos, sculptures and digital media for every individual who has left a mark on Britain, chances are they’re here.
Having visited the Tower of London and explored its bloodied timeline, the Portrait Gallery humanised that history. Walk chronologically and you’ll see Britain’s story unfold through the eyes of Shakespeare, Churchill, Bowie, Malala — and so many more.
 It’s Britain told not through battles and dates, but through the people who lived, led, created, and inspired. Thoroughly recommend!

A few things I learnt along the way…

# Ada Lovelace (1815-1852), a mathematician and computer pioneer,  worked with the inventor Charles Babbage on plans for a device called the Analytic Engine. Her work led to her being described as the earliest computer programmer.

Ada Lovelace  – artist Margaret Carpenter (1836)
Mary Shelley – artist Richard Rothwell (1840)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

# Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (1797 – 1851) married the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote Frankstein (The Modern Prometheus – written 1818, revised 1831), and other fine works, and after her husband’s death, penned a travel log of her travels throughout Europe with her late husband. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (who died after giving birth to her daughter) was also an English writer as well as a philosopher and advocate of women’s right,  best known for A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792).

# David Beckham’s portrait is actually a video recording of him sleeping (and not a snore or dribble in sight!)

David Beckham (‘David’) by Sam Taylor-Johnson

 

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When Monuments Speak

What London’s memorials whisper if you pause long enough to listen

The Australian War Memorial – London

Hi there lovely readers!

The feet are getting weary but not the enthusiasm! While I compile a snapshot of highlights from the last few days, thought I’d share two particularly moving London Memorials.

Tucked into Hyde Park Corner, right where London’s ceremonial heart beats between The Mall and Buckingham Palace, stands a piece of home: the Australian War Memorial.
Amidst its fellow monuments to war, this one doesn’t shout. Instead, it rises gently from the park, a sweep of Australian granite that feels part sculpture, part landscape.

It’s worth taking a closer look for when you do, you’ll see the walls covered in 23,844 place names — the towns and regions our lost Australians called home before leaving to serve in the World Wars. Layered over these are the names of 47 battles where they fought. Quite moving as it’s vast, yet intimate, every word carved in that stone carrying its own story.

Architect Peter Tonkin described the design as reflecting Australia itself — wide, generous, open — with subtle nods to gum leaves and even a boomerang in the curving form.

A place of remembrance, yes — but also of connection. The two men beside me, our host and G, both Military men, are somber at the thought that even here, in the centre of London, Australia’s stories and sacrifices are etched into the city’s fabric.

The Women of World War Two Monument

Strolling around Whitehall we paused to admire this striking bronze monument honouring the seven million women who kept Britain running during WWII. After checking out the War Rooms, we identified that the bold gold lettering across it even mimics the font of wartime ration books.

Around the outside hang 17 sculpted uniforms and helmets, symbolising the hundreds of jobs women took on — from mechanics, engineers, and bus drivers to air raid wardens and munitions workers. Yet when the war ended, most were expected to “quietly hang up their uniforms” and return to domestic life.

As history shows, women’s contributions were often overlooked, but they were extraordinary: more than 640,000 served in the armed forces, including pioneers like Lilian Bader, one of the first women to qualify as an instrument repairer with the WAAF, and Georgina Masson, the first Black woman officer in the ATS.

Standing before the monument, you can almost feel the weight of those stories — women who shaped history but too often faded into its margins.


So many more monuments in recognition of the many wars fought, however I felt compelled to tell the story of two that particularly pulled at our collective heart strings. More soon and continuing the military theme with a day trip to Portsmouth tomorrow. 

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Brains, Bridges and a Bed to Die For

From King’s College Chapel to a punt gone wrong — our Cambridge adventure.

What a hoot! A punt on the Cam that went hilariously sideways (literally), a catch-up with family, a wander through a majestic chapel, and the fluffiest bed this side of Fawlty Towers… our weekend in Cambridge was quite the adventure!

Hi there, lovely readers!

Don’t the Brits usually flock to Majorca, the Lakes District, or the Cotswolds for their holidays? “Nope, all a myth — it’s Cambridge, mate!” laughed our travel buddy as we dodged endless tour guides shepherding their gaggles through the narrow cobbled streets as their devoted flocks stared with open mouths at the majesty of the Universities.

Had the staff at our new digs not been wrestling with “newbie syndrome” at check-in, we’d have launched earlier and beaten the crowds. Instead, we waded through the masses and climbed into our punt for a merry jaunt down the River Cam.

Punting on the Cam


Our punting chauffeur was a pro, guiding us past centuries-old colleges, spires, and bridges, while sharing tales of famous alumni and quirky Cambridge lore. Then came the highlight: a self-hired punt overloaded with family, dogs, and six-packs, wedging itself sideways under a bridge. Cue chaos — punts bumping like dodgems, passengers shrieking with laughter, and one disgruntled duck side-eyeing us when we collided with its rock. Comedy gold. Such a schadenfreude moment! I was reticent to capture the culprits’ embarrassment on film, lovely readers. The smile on my face as I write this leaves an indelible memory.


Naturally, the drama was recapped later with a soothing G&T in hand.

Wandering Amongst Genius

Cambridge isn’t just pretty streets and punting chaos — it’s a living brainbox of a city. Of course, I just had to share a few interesting facts for those considering going, memories for those who have been….did you know:

  • People have lived here since the Bronze Age, thousands of years before the university.
  • The University of Cambridge has been shaping minds since 1209.
  • It’s made up of 31 colleges, each with its own traditions, rivalries, and quirks.
  • With 120+ Nobel Prize winners, it’s basically a Nobel factory.
  • Alumni include giants like Newton, Darwin, and Hawking — talk about rewriting science as we know it!
  • The breathtaking King’s College Chapel is Gothic glory at its finest, complete with the world’s largest fan-vaulted ceiling.
  • The Eagle Pub is where Watson and Crick announced DNA’s double helix over a pint. Cheers to that!
  • The Corpus Clock features a giant grasshopper — the “Chronophage” — literally devouring time as it ticks.
  • On Parker’s Piece, the first rules of modern football were hammered out. (Yes, Cambridge gave us the beautiful game.)
  • And if all else fails? There’s always punting — equal parts serene, scenic, and spectacularly slapstick.
Where footie rules were born

The Corpus Clock – Cambridge
Life Between the Stones

Beyond the fun facts, Cambridge is a joy to wander: coffee and people-watching on Market Square, leafy strolls through college gardens, and that first glimpse inside King’s College Chapel, which stopped us in our tracks.

Dinner with family, much laughter and reminiscing, a little too much wine and finally – collapsing into that deliciously fluffy bed… Cambridge, you charmer, you.

 

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