Grace Clift

It was a challenge to enjoy the hottest summer on record in the UK – mostly, it consisted of laying on the sofa with a Fab. Autumn is approaching, and many of us haven’t even had a chance to break out the beach equipment. But don’t fret – winter doesn’t necessarily mean cold in many of Europe’s peak holiday destinations. In some spots, temperatures stay in the double digits and crowds will be thinner than ever. You can even leave the coat at home. From sunny Sicily to Costa del Sol, a holiday strolling outdoors in t-shirts and shorts is not out of the cards. Here are our top picks in Europe for a healthy dose of winter sun. What is the warmest place in Europe in winter? The undisputed champion of European heat in December and January? Unsurprisingly, Spain’s Canary Islands take the title. This archipelago of eight inhabited islands just off the coast of northwestern Africa is Europe’s winter sun champion, sitting pretty with December and January temperatures that many towns in Northern Europe would be happy with at the height of summer. The Canaries are particularly delightful at this time, and you might even spot some migrating humpback and fin whales. If it’s good enough for the world’s largest mammals, it is good enough for us. Besides, does it get much better than Christmas on the beach in the Canary Islands?  Europe’s best winter sun destinations at a glance ☀️ Best for scorching heat: The Canary Islands 🍝 Best food: Sicily, Italy 🏛️ Best for a balmy city break: Cadiz

September 2026: This list highlights some of London's latest and most intriguing afternoon sarnie sessions. Indulge at a themed tea, such as Fortnum & Mason's current Winnie The Pooh-inspired offering to celebrate a century of the beloved bear or a Monet-inspired tea at Rosewood London in Holborn. You could also channel some English country cottage energy at Petersham Nurseries over in Richmond. London’s best afternoon teas at a glance: 👛 Best value: The Wolseley, Piccadilly  💸 Best for splashing out: The Ritz, Mayfair 💃 Best for modern tea: London By Lily Vanilli at Four Seasons Tower Bridge, Tower Bridge 🧀 Best for something different: Afternoon cheese at Covent Garden Hotel 🌷 Best for tea in a greenhouse: Petersham Nurseries, Richmond  Afternoon tea is what makes a trip to London truly iconic – even if you already live here. You’ll find some of the best at London’s chicest hotels and restaurants, and even art galleries and theatres. We’ve worked out what makes an afternoon tea a truly memorable (and delicious) experience. It’s not just perfect pastries, the most elegant of teeny tiny cakes and chic little sarnies with the crusts cut off, but swish service, the option to have something boozy and bubbly and a characterful room in which to enjoy it all. From The Ritz to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, there’s truly something for every cake-munching tea-drinker in this round-up of London’s best afternoon tea spreads.  Expect to pay in the region of £30 to £100 for the pl

Following its popular Bethnal Green location, Focaccia Mia has made its west London debut with a Chelsea bakery. Tucked around the corner from King’s Road, this sandwich shop serves hearty artisan lunches. The chicken parm might be their bestseller but their parmigiana is the luxe choice; rich and comforting, it manages to deliver on deep flavour without being overly filling. This is in part down to their expertly crafted bread. Focaccia Mia makes 200 loaves a night – both for their own stores and wholesale. They’ve got the light, airy texture down to a tee, and it makes for a satisfyingly soft bite. It’s no surprise, given the shop’s origins. Born in Naples, owner Ida spent decades honing her skills as a caterer across London. Now, she and her sons have created their very own Italian bakehouse using Ida’s own focaccia recipe.  It’s not just sandwiches: the shop sells potato wedges, pizzette del bars (soft, snack-sized pizzas) and a daily dessert. The raspberry and sea salt brownie was a real treat; intensely flavourful, and perhaps the gooiest I’ve ever had.  With upbeat tunes and a couple of tables out in the sun, Focaccia Mia is great for a catch-up, lunch break, or a grab-and-go bakery run.

Five Points Taproom and Courtyard, is turning into a Bavarian party house for three days of Oktoberfest revelries. With live oompah music, smokehouse feasting and steins for your craft beer, Five Points is not too cool to put on the lederhosen. Alongside the the brewery’s own beers, there’ll be a hefty line-up of guest German beers, including Veltins, Pulleken, Tegernsee Hell and Fürstenberg, and a menu of ham hock, schnitzel and more from local BBQ experts From The Ashes. A two-pint stein of craft beer in one hand and a sharing Hackney hot dog in the other is a recipe for a rowdy evening.  

Fans of a tasteful fruit bowl or an artfully-placed key dish, rejoice. Ceramics in the City is back once again to inspire the masses with a range of ceramic styles, techniques, colours, and textures on display. The free-entry east London market hosts more than 40 independent artists in the impressive surroundings of the Museum of the Home. Spruce up your own gaff with some lovely objets purchased directly from the makers, or just wander through the sculptures and saucers for some creative inspiration before heading to the Creation Zone, where children and families can have a go at working with clay themselves at free drop-in sessions. 

Returning for its fourth edition in 2026, the UK’s only festival celebrating cinema from Hong Kong arrives in cinemas around London this September, with 15 titles curated around the theme of ‘Diaspora As Agency’. We like the sound of Palimpsest: The Story of a Name 隱蹟之書：重寫自我’ an essayistic narrative in which director Mary Stephen searches for the meaning behind her family’s adoption of its Western surname. This opening night screening will be paired with an in-person Q&A with Stephen herself to kick off a rich programme of UK premieres, classic restorations and workshops. Other highlights include a revisiting of My Name Ain’t Suzie (1985) by Angie Chen, an important figure in Hong Kong New Wave cinema in the 1980s, which receives its UK premiere in a 2k restoration, a strand of short films themed around migration screened in partnership with Amnesty International, and a gaming session at Hackney’s Loading Bar where researcher Aidan Page will give a talk on representations of Hong Kong in computer art.

Finding zen in the West End can be a challenge what with all the tourists, shoppers and phone thieves milling about. But bougie shopping district Marylebone Village is doing its best to bring some calm to W1 this September with its new Wellness Weekender, a free five-day health festival bringing together 15 health and wellbeing brands found across the neighbourhood.  Visitors can get their hands on a bunch of freebies, including a 7-day gym membership at AMP, yoga workshops from Third Space and nutrition and fertility consultations, with waterproof accessory makers Sealskinz and athleisure brand Lululemon leading run clubs for the event.  There’ll also be a range of wellness menus, drinks and snacks on offer across Marylebone Village’s stores, and as an extra boost to the feel-good theme, all the proceeds go towards the mental health charity Allkind.

Londoners can get a taste of the Basque this September at a one-day food and drink festival celebrating Basque culture. Us Brits love a bar crawl, but this night promises a twist on the classic British pastime, with Basque tunes and pintxos – plus a free cider on entry if you book on Eventbrite. Pop-up ‘barstops’ make it possible to complete a crawl in just one location, and guests can vote for their favourite croqueta across the mini bars to win the title of People’s Champion. Plus, try txakoli, a dry white wine which is a favourite in the Basque.

Barking Riverside will be buzzing yet again as annual free festival Emerge East brings its biggest programme yet to the east London neighbourhood, featuring everything from saunas to street food to a stacked setlist. Last year saw Emerge East launch its first ever Block Party, and the tradition is continuing in 2026. DJ AJ – viral street performer and Time Out’s 2024 Londoner of the Year – will be leading a lineup that also features DJ Mak 10, Glade Marie, RAIDAA and Donnie Sunshine. Visitors can also check out the world premiere of the Pollenarium, a new six-metre-high sculpture of a pollen grain containing more than 100 camera obscura lenses, from Luke Jerram (the artist behind popular touring Earth sculpture Gaia). Throw in a programme of riverside workshops and sports activities, live performers and an independent maker’s market, and this free festival has more than enough to fill the day, without emptying your wallet.

Gunpowder’s first restaurant opened in 2015 in Spitalfields, and was promptly awarded the Michelin Bib Gourmand. A decade on, and the Soho branch holds all the gravitas of its original location. With attention paid to the tiniest of details, this classy small plates restaurant - which takes inspiration from all across India - is well worth ditching Dishoom for. The elegance of the moody, marble-accented restaurant establishes it immediately as a cut above. If you’re not impressed by the extensive wine selection, then how about the live pianist or charming service from white-jacketed wait staff? Warning: the ultra low-lighting may have your grandad taking out his phone torch to read the menu. French bean pakora is the first of many fried, but somehow still light, starters. Paired with a selection of tangy chutneys, these frites could easily be eaten by the bucketful, alongside Indo-Chinese prawn toast, souped up with fermented Bengali Kasundi mustard. We also tried the kale and buna aubergine with goat cheese. Kale may not sound like the most obvious treat food, but this crispy salad will have you craving more. While the spicy goat cheese dressing is difficult to access underneath piles of leaves, it’s worth the mess for a creamy, crunchy bite. My lemon cardamom gimlet was the perfect reprieve from the heat of the salad, though the ginger and cucumber spritz makes for a suitable non-alcoholic alternative.  French bean pakora is the first of many fried, but somehow still light,

How many philosophy and music festivals do you know? Well, this is the world’s largest, and it’s serving up an all-you-can-eat buffet of debates, music and comedy. If you’re missing your uni years – not the clubbing, but the classes – then HowTheLightGetsIn is for you. Promising two days of debate and discussion, this Hampstead Heath festival is the thinking man’s Reading Fest. Hear from physicist Roger Penrose, astrophysicist Priya Natarajan, cosmologist Neil Turok, broadcaster Louis Theroux, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales, former First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, former US National Security Adviser John Bolton, and more at over 300 debates, screenings, musical performances and comedy sets. For when you've done enough pondering Plato, Foucault and Sartre, comedy will be provided by Harriet Kemsley (Last One Laughing) and Fathiya Saleh, while tunes will be supplied by Patrick Wolf, The Turbans and Prima Queen. As the world's largest philosophy and music festival, it's sure to keep your brain buzzing long after it ends.

Cada día en Roma, 30.000 personas van a ver la Fontana di Trevi. Es un volumen de gente suficiente para llenar el Palau Sant Jordi más de dos veces. Sobra decir que este nivel de turismo se ha vuelto insostenible, tanto para los turistas como para los vecinos. París, Barcelona y Ámsterdam se enfrentan al mismo problema. Parece que todo el mundo va a los mismos sitios y cuesta acertar a la hora de buscar espacios emblemáticos para visitar. Es aquí donde entra en juego la 'Not Hot List'. Cada año, Intrepid Travel elabora una lista con algunos de los destinos más infravalorados, que prometen un encanto único y sin aglomeraciones. Cada lugar debe cumplir tres criterios: bajo nivel de turismo, preparación para recibir viajeros y novedad (es decir, nuevas iniciativas, infraestructuras o eventos que mejoren el atractivo del destino). Entonces, ¿qué hay en la lista de este año? En primer lugar, la Reserva Nacional de Samburu, en Kenia, una extensión verde de fauna de África oriental que solo recibe entre 30.000 y 40.000 visitantes al año. La idea es redistribuir el turismo de otros puntos de Kenia como la Reserva Nacional de Maasai Mara, que actualmente recibe unos 300.000 visitantes anuales. Al otro lado del país, los elefantes, guepardos y leopardos de Samburu pasan prácticamente desapercibidos. De hecho, Samburu tiene sus propios cinco especiales de Samburu, una fauna autóctona de lo más particular: la jirafa reticulada, la cebra de Grevy, el avestruz somalí, el órice de África or

Cada dia a Roma, 30.000 persones van a veure la Fontana di Trevi. És un volum de gent suficient per omplir el Palau Sant Jordi més de dues vegades. No cal dir que aquest nivell de turisme s'ha tornat insostenible, tant per als turistes com per als veïns. París, Barcelona i Amsterdam s'enfronten al mateix problema. Sembla que tothom va als mateixos llocs i, costa encertar a l'hora de buscar espais emblemàtics per visitar. És aquí on entra en joc la 'Not Hot List'. Cada any, Intrepid Travel elabora una llista amb algunes de les destinacions més infravalorades, que prometen un encant únic i sense aglomeracions. Cada indret ha de complir tres criteris: baix nivell de turisme, preparació per rebre viatgers i novetat (és a dir, noves iniciatives, infraestructures o esdeveniments que millorin l'atractiu del destí). Així doncs, què hi ha a la llista d'enguany? En primer lloc, la Reserva Nacional de Samburu, a Kènia, una extensió verda de fauna de l'Àfrica oriental que només rep entre 30.000 i 40.000 visitants a l'any. La idea és redistribuir el turisme d'altres punts de Kènia com la Reserva Nacional de Maasai Mara, que actualment rep uns 300.000 visitants anuals. A l'altra banda del país, els elefants, lleopards i guepards de Samburu passen pràcticament desapercebuts. De fet, Samburu té els seus propis cinc especials de Samburu, una fauna autòctona d'allò més particular: la girafa reticulada, la zebra de Grevy, l'estruç de Somàlia, l'òrix d'Àfrica oriental i l'antílop de coll llarg.

The London dates on Harry Styles’ mammoth Together, Together tour were one of the top cultural moments of summer 2026. But if you missed out this time (or fancy seeing it again), here’s just the thing: the popstar has just announced three more dates for next summer at Wembley.  The Together, Together tour follows the release of Styles’ latest album Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, which came out earlier this year and topped the Billboard charts. Harry‘s 12-date run at Wembley this past summer set a record for the most shows at the venue by a single artist in a calendar year. He’s currently in the middle of a 30-night run at New York’s Madison Square Garden. This new announcement promises 25 shows across 12 cities in 2027, kicking off in Arizona next April. Here’s what you need to know about the London dates. When is Harry Styles playing in London in summer 2027?  The ‘American Girls’ singer will be performing at Wembley Stadium on the following dates: Wednesday 25 August 2027 Friday 27 August 2027 Saturday 28 August 2027 Looking for tickets to the rest of Europe? Here’s how to get Together, Together Tour tickets for EU tour stops. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @harrystyles When do Harry Styles Wembley tickets go on sale? General sale for the Together, Together Tour will kick off at 11am on Thursday September 17 over on Ticketmaster here.  Presale details There will be a couple of opportunities to get your hands on tickets ahead o

All hail the £2 bus fare cap, which makes it cheap as chips (or in 2026, cheaper than chips) to explore the likes of Manchester, the Scottish Highlands, and now, West Scotland and Glasgow. The new rollout of a £2 bus fare cap across the west of Scotland – including Glasgow – means zipping across the cityscapes and mountain peaks of one of Britain’s most beautiful regions is even cheaper.  Included in the bus fare cap is Glasgow and the region of Strathclyde, an area covering much of west Scotland. Of course, there’s lots to do in Glasgow – from Kelvingrove Art Gallery to Pollok Park – but the wider area has some underrated highlights which are now all the more accessible. Let’s break it down.  Ayrshire’s rolling hills and stunning landscapes make it a hiker’s dream, with a 100-mile coastal path. Walkers can gawp at the mountains of Arran jutting from the sea while snacking on ice cream made from Arran cows’ milk. It’s also the home of Robert Burns – one hour by bus from Glasgow is all it takes to reach a museum celebrating his life and poetry in Alloway.  Photograph: Rodney Hutchinson / Shutterstock.comRobert Burns monument and memorial gardens in Alloway Another hour-long bus from Glasgow will bring you to Inverclyde’s Greenock, a fishing town on the coast of the Firth of Clyde. It has everything you’d expect from a coastal town – hillside views of the sea, sandy beaches, trinket shops – but with some key additions. The 16th-century Newark Castle stands, still in great con

Vibrant, punchy and (often) political, London’s street art scene turns a rainy city into a bright one. In fact, the city was named the World Street Art Capital last year for its massive range of free art. Whether it’s dinky doodles or large-scale murals, there’s plenty to see across the city – and a new list by property company Barratt London has narrowed down the best boroughs for a street art stroll. With a whopping 197 pieces, Tower Hamlets was revealed as having the most street art in London. As the canvas for some of Banksy’s earliest works, the East End borough (which also contains Shoreditch’s artist spots) is a hub of internationally celebrated street works. There are still some Banksy pieces remaining – like the weathered pink car in the Truman Brewery complex and the Designated Graffiti Area on Rivington Street – but many have been removed over time.  Still, there’s a lot of art to admire in TH, much of which is in the Truman Brewery. There’s a three-storey-tall crane painting by Belgian street artist ROA, a leftover sculpture from the 2018 Festival Iminente exhibition by Portuguese artist Vhils, and Crunchy the Credit Crunch Monster – a sculpted pink creature – which has been staring down at visitors from the roof since 2011.  RECOMMENDED: The 10 London art exhibitions we’re most excited about in autumn 2026 Hackney has the second most street art. With 106 artworks, the east London borough is the city’s creative hub and boasts outdoor art to match – like the 40-yea

Don’t put away your feather boas too soon – Harry Styles is bringing his Together Together tour back to Europe in 2027.  After partying across the world in a suit and tie for most of 2026, the ‘American Girls’ singer is taking on the stadiums for another round. He finally left America to tour Kiss All The Time. Disco Occasionally, and he’s going to do it yet again – maybe for the last time.  You read that right. There are rumours that Harry Styles might be retiring, after a cryptic Instagram post said about the new dates: ‘After that, I don’t know what comes next for me’. After 27 years of touring on and off, the singer might finally lay the mic to rest.  Tickets go on sale next week, so get ready to grab your (potentially last) Harry Styles tour tickets. Here’s everything you need to know about the Together Together 2027 European tour.  What are the dates for Harry Styles’ European tour in 2027? The Harry Styles 2026 world tour will include 13 nights in Europe, with three nights in the UK. You can find out more about getting UK tickets here. Fri, Jul 2 – Berlin, Germany Sat, Jul 3 – Berlin, Germany Fri, Jul 16 – Paris, France Sat, Jul 17 – Paris, France Fri, Jul 30 – Madrid, Spain Sat, Jul 31 – Madrid, Spain Sat, Aug 7 – Rome, Italy Sun, Aug 8 – Rome, Italy Wed, Aug 18 – Dublin, Ireland  Fri, Aug 20 – Dublin, Ireland Wed, Aug 25 – London, UK  Fri, Aug 27 – London, UK  Sat, Aug 28 – London, UK When do tickets go on sale? General sale times will vary based on location, and l

Ewe won’t believe what can be spotted on Hampstead Heath this month: five rare sheep, grazing on one of London’s most popular green spaces.  So what exactly makes a sheep rare? Well, the Norfolk Horn and Oxford Down are particularly uncommon breeds, and will be making a wool-y short appearance on the Heath for 13 days only. No more puns – we don’t want to bleat around the bush (okay, last one). The introduction of five rare sheep to Hampstead Heath brings back a historic tradition. The grazing animals used to be a familiar sight at the Heath, munching their way through its pastures from the 18th century right through to the 1950s.  The five sheep heading to Hampstead Heath this September are on loan from east London’s Mudchute City Farm as part of a conservation grazing project. The City of London Corporation hopes the sheep will have a positive impact on the land. Not only do sheep selectively eat dominant plants, which means more plant diversity in the area, but they also provide an alternative to land machinery, managing the grass without impacting the underground wildlife.  Photograph: ShutterstockHampstead Heath A previously successful 2023 project had more than 60 volunteers keeping an eye out for the wooly creatures, as they chowed down on grass near particularly uneven ground. This meant sections of the Heath that are unreachable by machinery were able get the care they needed from the natural stomping and chewing of the sheep. Commenting on the new grazing project,

Todos os dias, em Roma, 30 mil pessoas inundam as imediações da Fonte de Trevi. São pessoas suficientes para encher a O2 Arena de Londres até à sua capacidade máxima – e ocupar metade de outra. Não é preciso dizer que este nível de excesso de turismo se tornou insustentável, quer para turistas quer para os locais. As cidades de Paris, Barcelona e Amesterdão enfrentam todas o mesmo problema. Toda a gente parece estar a dirigir-se aos mesmos locais, e simplesmente não há espaço suficiente. A Not Hot List pode dar ajuda. Todos os anos, a Intrepid Travel compila uma lista de alguns dos destinos de viagem mais subestimados, prometendo um charme único com o mínimo de multidões. Cada local precisa de cumprir três critérios: baixo turismo, preparação para receber viajantes e novidades (o que significa novas iniciativas, infra-estruturas ou eventos que realcem o apelo do destino). Então, o que está na lista este ano? Em primeiro lugar, a Reserva Nacional de Samburu, no Quénia, uma vasta área verde de vida selvagem da África Oriental que atrai apenas 30 mil a 40 mil visitantes por ano. A ideia é dispersar o turismo de outros locais quenianos, como a Reserva Nacional de Maasai Mara, que recebe actualmente cerca de 300 mil visitantes por ano. No outro lado do país, os elefantes, leopardos e chitas de Samburu passam largamente despercebidos. De facto, Samburu tem os seus próprios “cinco especiais” no que toca a vida selvagem, que por ali é singularmente populosa: a girafa-reticulada, a ze

Every day in Rome, 30,000 people flood to see the Trevi Fountain. That’s enough people to pack out London’s O2 Arena to its max capacity – and fill half of another.  It goes without saying that this level of overtourism has become unsustainable, both for tourists and for locals. Paris, Barcelona and Amsterdam all face the same problem. Everyone seems to be heading to the same places, and there’s just not enough room.  RECOMMENDED: How to be a better tourist in Europe’s most visited cities Enter: the ‘Not Hot List’. Each year, Intrepid Travel puts together a list of some of the most underrated travel destinations, promising unique charm with minimal crowds. Each spot needs to meet three criteria: low tourism, readiness for travellers, and newness (meaning new initiatives, infrastructure or events that enhance the destination’s appeal). So, what’s on the list this year? First, there’s Samburu National Reserve in Kenya, a green expanse of East African wildlife attracting only 30-40k visitors a year. The idea is to spread tourism from other Kenyan spots like Maasai Mara National Reserve, which currently recieves around 300,000 visitors a year. On the other side of the country, the elephants, leopards and cheetahs of Samburu go largely unseen.  In fact, Samburu has its own ‘Samburu Special Five’ of uniquely populous wildlife: the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, East African oryx and long-necked antelope known as gerenuk.  Photograph: Osman Temizel / Shuttersto

Following in Kensington & Chelsea and Westminster’s footsteps, Greenwich is the latest London local authority to propose a blanket speed limit of 20mph across almost all of its roads. If approved, the rule would come into effect later this year. With 72 percent of Greenwich roads already having 20mph speed limits, the council is aiming to simplify its road network for drivers, while also reducing risk. More than three-quarters of serious injuries and deaths on Greenwich’s roads over the last 10 years were on roads of more than 20mph, according to Transport for London (TfL) data. There will be some exceptions across Greenwich – namely the A2, A206 and A102, as they’re managed by TfL and not Greenwich Council. The approach is similar to Haringey Council’s, where only main roads run above a 20mph limit.  Greenwich’s cabinet member Calum O’Byrne Mulligan said the move would ‘save lives and create safer, more welcoming streets’ while ‘mak[ing] it easier for drivers to understand and follow’ road rules.  A 20mph limit is just one of many factors working towards achieving Vision Zero, which is the Mayor of London’s aim to have no deaths or serious injuries on London’s roads by 2041. TfL’s aim is for all of Central and Inner London to have a default speed limit of 20mph by 2035, making driving in London safer and more cohesive.  No final decisions have been made, and Greenwich residents can still make their voices heard by emailing the council’s Traffic Team.  ICYMI: 14 years after t

The twenty-first century version of Elizabeth Bennett snooping around Pemberley has come to London, as modern masterpiece 22 Parkside will be open to public visits for the first time.  World-renowned architect Richard Rogers and designer Su Rogers’ Wimbledon home –  featuring bright yellow and green walls, floor-to-ceiling glass windows and minimal furniture – has been given to the National Trust, and soon, anyone will be able to wander through its lime green interior.  The Grade-II modernist house (also known as Wimbledon House or Rogers House) will open up to the public for the first time on Saturday September 12 as part of London’s Open House festival. The National Trust plans to host guided visits, educational partnerships and interactive digital content at the site in the future.  Photograph: Megan Taylor/ National TrustHome office at 22 Parkside After designing 22 Parkside in 1967, Richard Rogers went on to design major landmarks like Paris’ Centre Pompidou, Lloyds of London (both of which were inspired by the house) and the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. The trust has described the abode as a ‘landmark example of twentieth century design’ and ‘one of the most significant homes in British architectural history’.  Rogers is known for creating a number of other iconic London builds, from the Channel 4 building to Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport, but this is perhaps his wackiest. The single-story house embraces modernism and minimalism throughout its design, and certainly

China’s planned ‘mega-embassy’ in London has faced heavy opposition for years, but it harbours one big secret. A medieval ruin, right under the footsteps of the diplomats.  The remains of St Mary Grace Abbey, a fourteenth century abbey founded by King Edward III in 1350, were uncovered way back in the 1980s, and will soon be publicly available to view in a cultural centre at the embassy.  The Heritage Interpretation Centre will tell the story of the abbey, which was once a Royal Navy victualling yard, and later a tobacco warehouse. It stands on the site of a Black Death cemetery, and was once the third richest Cistercian Abbey in Britain – so there’s more than enough history to fill a museum with.  The centre will sit opposite one of the most controversial embassies in London, which politicians and public figures alike have called a security threat. It was approved earlier this year after being bought for £225m by Beijing. At 20,000 square metres, it’ll be the biggest embassy of its kind in Europe – now complete with its own history exhibit.  Located right by the Tower of London, the museum will let visitors escape the chaos of the city centre and explore British medieval history up-close. In just a few years, the public will be able to discover the Chinese embassy’s underground mysteries. ICYMI: The Courtauld Gallery just announced its 2027 exhibition programme, and it features some huge names.  Plus: The Monument could get a visitor centre for the first time.  Get the late