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On April 12, 2024, eight members of the Lyceum Club knocked on the door of Dennis Severs' House in Spitalfields for a candlelit 'Silent Night Tour.' This authentic Georgian home is staged in such a way as to give visitors a glimpse of what the domestic life of an imaginary 18th-century Huguenot family would have looked like. Each room in the house contributes to this in a rather theatrical way, through meticulous arrangements of both mundane and decorative objects.
Following this immersive experience, participants walked to Delamina Kitchen, an excellent Mediterranean restaurant, where they dined in an intimate private room.
Multi-winner of International Piano Competitions (2018 Arthur Rubinstein Prize, 2017 Maj Lind – Finland-, 2019 Leo B. Ruiz Carnegie Hall Recital Prize, and so on…), 29 year old American pianist Mackenzie Melemed gave an exceptional performance at 22 Mansfield Street, demonstrating remarkable virtuosity and musical sensitivity. The challenging programme included works by J.S Bach, A.Scriabin, L. van Beethoven, A.Beach, Sir Stephen Hough, J.Brahms and N.Medtner and took us on new level of musical dexterity and emotion. Mackenzie’s interpretation of J.S.Bach Partita No1 in B flat major was particularly remarkable.
Following this mind-blowing concert, we shared a moment of conviviality with Mackenzie, other guests and our hosts, Mr and Mrs Boas, with drinks and canapes in this magnificent Adam house.
The Lonely Londoners, a World Premiere adapted by Roy Williams from the eponymous semi autobiographical novel written in 1956 by Trinidadian novelist Samuel Selvon (1923-1994).
This powerful and moving production tells the story of Black immigrants mainly from the West Indies arriving in London in the 50’s. Selvon wrote it shortly after moving from Trinidad to London aged 27.
Thanks to a talented cast, a great theatricality with slow motion expressions, dance, songs and music, light effects, this play expresses the emotional side of this storytelling. It expresses the animosity, loneliness and the sense of failed promise of living in almost total isolation in a foreign city far from their homeland. It shows vividly the struggles of Black immigrants against discrimination in housing and job searching in London, not to mention their battle against the London weather.
A powerful subject, a great production with an amazing cast contributed to have a wonderful and friendly evening at the theatre.
The galleries of the Wellcome Collection are little-known to Londoners, and yet they are a fascinating respite from the mainstream of London museums and galleries. The Cult of Beauty exhibition, which spans across millennia to explore humanity’s constant devotion to and exploitation of the ideal of beauty, was both a playful and edifying experience. Ancient artifacts (classical busts and beauty manuals in manuscripts) were thought-provokingly placed beside modern-day objects (contemporary makeup tools and artworks).
Our guide, Sarah, took us through the history of three objects in the exhibition. These included a fifteenth-century alchemical scroll devoted to harnessing the powers of the Philosopher’s Stone and an eighteenth-century etching by William Hogarth demonstrating the alleged discovery of the perfect ‘line of beauty’ which defined what made any given form beautiful. Finally, we were instructed to unwind in the ‘Beauty Sensorium’, a room full of reconstructed beauty products from the Renaissance we could smell and touch.
The Wellcome Collection is a modern, aesthetic, and inclusive space designed for ease of access. We made the most of the beautiful Wellcome Collection café on the ground floor, and walked freely around the reading rooms, which are a haven for students and artists alike.
The Sir John Soane's Museum, the former home of Sir John Soane himself, stands as a remarkable London institution, unique not only for its extensive collection and innovative architectural design but also for the visionary spirit of its founder.
Sir John Soane was an extraordinary individual who rose from humble beginnings as a bricklayer to become one of the most celebrated British architects of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for designing the iconic Bank of England, a neoclassical masterpiece, which was, unfortunately, completely destroyed in the 20th century.
In addition to being an architect, Soane was an avid collector of art and historical artifacts, amassing a vast and diverse collection that includes the sarcophagus of Seti I, hundreds of ancient Roman and Greek sculptures, countless architectural models and drawings, and several paintings by Canaletto, Hogarth, and Turner.
The design of the museum itself is crucial to the collection on display. Soane used the house to experiment with space, light, and structure, making ingenious use of skylights, mirrors, concealed lighting, and hinged panels that maximise display space and literally spotlight the art on the walls.
Today, the museum is equally renowned for its extensive library and collection of architectural drawings by Soane and other prominent architects of his era.
As we navigated through this extraordinary home, with its myriad small rooms brimming with artefacts, our knowledgeable guide, Phillip, helped us understand the mind of a visionary man. Soane was not only instrumental in shaping the architectural landscape of his time but also left behind a legacy that continues to inspire and fascinate almost two centuries later.
[For those of us who like the idea of following in the footsteps of those who came before us: Sir John Soane negotiated a private Act of Parliament in 1833 that stipulated that the house and the collection that it housed would be preserved exactly as it was arranged at the time of his death, in perpetuity. Constance Smedley and Lyceum members of the original Lyceum Club should therefore have been able to gain access to this house just like we did and should have been able to admire the museum’s collection displayed in the exact same way that we did too. Chances are that they did...] .
It was a fascinating tour of the areas behind the velvet curtain, that are normally off-limitsto the public, led by our friendly and knowledgeable guide, who gave us plenty of time to see everything and ask questions. The tour made us realise how complex the opera house is behind the scenes. We saw storage areas for scenery and a rabbit warren of rooms storing costumes, sound and lighting equipment etc. We found out that most costumes and accessories are made in the specialist workshops within the ROH Production Wardrobe Department and that the new ROH costume store facility, which is in Essex, provides a controlled environment achieved with ventilation and low humidity levels. We saw a small room, with an ozone generator that destroys bacteria and odours, where the costumes are treated before going into storage.
A particular highlight was the chance to watch a Royal Ballet rehearsal through a side window. We were lucky enough to get a peek of Sarah Lamb, Yasmine Naghdi and Ryoichi Hirano, three principals at the Royal Ballet. Even Kevin O Hare, director of the Royal Ballet was attending the rehearsal. We enjoyed a view of the stage from the Royal Box. The Box has a secret private dining room “the King’s Smoking Room” designed for Edward VII with its private Victorian water closet dating back to 1858.
We finished the tour with a little bit of history and learnt that the magnificent Royal Opera House, with its grand classical portico fronting Bow Street, is actually the third theatre built on the Covent Garden site. Both the previous theatres were destroyed by fire, a serious hazard in the era before electricity. The original theatre, the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, opened in 1732.
The tour was followed by lunch at the beautiful Piazza restaurant on the 5th floor. The tour certainly sparked the desire for most of us to book a future event at the ROH, a symbol of artistic excellence.
We enjoyed a friendly and relaxed evening of contemporary Broadway songs performed by eight young and talented 3rd year Musical Theatre students from the Trinity Laban
Conservatoire of Music and Dance. In the programme were works selected from musicals
written over the last 30 years, that were nominated for, but did not win the ‘Best Original Score’ Tony Award like “Serious” from “Legally Blonde” or “Raise your Voice” form Sister Act.
The lively performance was followed by a buffet supper served in the beautiful venue of the Polish Club in South Kensington.
We started the visit with a very informative presentation of the exhibition exploring the impact of Jewish Londoners on British fashion. The guide showed us photographs and told us stories about some of the people who shaped the fashion industry.
The exhibition is staged as a walk through the streets and shops, in which the Jewish community lived, with a Central line tube tunnel linking East and West. The exhibition begins in the East End and is immediately very personal. It starts with a trunk, suitcase, and handbag carried by immigrants as they travelled to the UK, including a tiny brown leather case belonging to a 5-year-old, who arrived here via Kindertransport.
The exhibition also highlights the broader cultural immigration within the East End and how communities worked together. We read stories about a Jamaican tailor who worked for a Jewish tailoring firm and a Bangladeshi seamstress, Anwara Begum, whose sewing machine is on display.
The exhibition crosses over to the West End, and the blossoming of the high street under the eye of Jewish entrepreneurs like Marks & Spencer, Moss Bros as well as Wallis and Chelsea Girl (which would become River Island).
What is so refreshing to see in Fashion City is the spotlight placed on overlooked immigrant practitioners who were integral to the development of London’s reputation as a fashion capital.
Our visit was followed by a friendly lunch and good food at a nearby Restaurant, which was surprisingly busy on a Saturday in a business area like Canary Wharf.
The magnificent Leighton House, famous for its unique Arabic Hall and art collections, yesterday hosted a beautiful performance by the Rossetti Ensemble. Members of the Club were lucky to attend this sold-out concert where the Rossetti musicians played piano quartets by Beethoven and Dvorak as well as a contemporary composition by David Matthews.
During the interval, members enjoyed an opportunity to chat over drinks and nibbles.
For the second year in a row, we had a great time visiting the Mayfair Antiques and Fine Art Fair with our glass of bubbles in one hand and the map of the exhibition in the other, ready for our exploration.
Exhibitors were all very keen to share their knowledge and to show some exquisite pieces of art. We met our friend Shanshan who this year decided to display some of her unique antique ceramics with works by two contemporary artists. This combination highlights the beauty and the uniqueness of the potteries. We had time to admire jewelry, beautiful watches, and exquisite paintings. The Fair is not only about Antiques with one artist exhibiting his creative work made from pewter.
The visit was followed by a dinner at the RAC, in the very elegant Art Deco Brooklands Room. An excellent and friendly way to end a cold day in London.
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