Shop, shop, shop!

Question of the week: “The Christmas crunch is just around the corner! Where do you like to do most of your Christmas shopping?”

"London has so many markets where you can find original, often handcrafted presents. Spitalfields market one of my favourites. The Stableyard market in Camden is a great place to shop for presents, though it gets very busy on the weekend. In the last minute Christmas rush I pop down to Borough market for edibles and consumables to make hampers, Borough Market is fantastic during the festive season."- Heather

* Photo by WTL photos, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Study Space

You asked about alternative study space near Conway Hall

- Heather answers,

"Most of these are coffee shop style areas (a fair few are tried and tested by myself during my masters a few years ago!)

• Royal Festival Hall - various study friendly spots in the building, free wifi 
• Imax - Benugo coffee house - on the Lower Ground floor at the Imax
• Oasis Hub Coffee House -Kennington Road (a coffee house situated inside a church building - so there is lots of space, can get busy at lunch times but tends to be quieter in the morning or afternoons, free wifi) 
• BFI - Benugo coffee house/kitchen (big sofas and comfy seating, not a lot of table space but you can sit there a long time with one coffee without being moved on, free wifi ) 
• Waterloo Library on Lower Marsh 
• Costa - Kennington Road - A fairly quiet coffee house (by Costa's standards)" 

Miss Alice adds:

"Just around the corner from the London Centre, you’ll find the Westminster Reference Library, with three floors of study space as well as specialist collections in art, theatre, law and business.

Further afield, try the Bishopsgate Library, to study in a beautiful Victorian reference library surrounded by hundreds of books on London , or the Guildhall Library, which may be less beautiful than the 15^thCentury Guildhall it sits alongside, but offers plentiful study space, and a rich London-focussed collection.

For non-Library options, you could break out the books in the British Museum’s Great Court, or make revision a pleasure with tea and cake at YumChaa on Berwick Street, where they have a capacious basement area, or a book shop cafe - maybe the Cafe at Foyles, or closer to home, the Costa upstairs in Waterstones on Trafalgar Square."

* Photo by Auntie P, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Road Load

Question of the week: “What is your favourite road in London?”

"My favourite road is the central high street of Southall called the Broadway. It is the hub of London's 'Little India' and has incredible Indian and Pakistani food, fabric shops and so much more. It is an incredible experience visiting Southall, I recommend it to everyone!"-Heather

* Photo by gingerbeardman, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

British Sunday Roast

Question of the week: "Can you recommend a place that serves a tasty British Sunday Roast?”

"Conway Hall is very near one of London's top Sunday Roast spots! The Anchor and Hope (on the Cut) is renowned for serving up incredible food and outstanding Sunday lunches. There is only one sitting on a Sunday (at 2pm) and you will need to book. However it is fairly pricey, so for a cheaper local roast head down to the Dog House in Kennington, a great pub for a relaxed Sunday afternoon."- Heather

* Photo by tomylee, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

House or Museum?

Question of the week: Can you suggest a house-turned-museum based in London?

"18 Folgate Street in Spitalfields (near Liverpool Street) is a time capsule of Georgian life. Each room of the house has been designed to look as though its occupants have just left so there is a lot of atmosphere!"- Heather

* Photo by Mallix, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Halloween

Question of the week: How do you like to celebrate Halloween in London?

"I love exploring some of London's eerie and mysterious venues at Halloween. This year(until the 25th only) there is the Minotaur, an atmospheric 'resto-gallery' at the Old Vic Tunnels, a collaboration between artists and culinary experts themed on depictions of the mythical bull-headed creature. I also love going one of the food markets around town (Borough market or Lower Marsh) in search of the perfect pumkin for some crafty carving. Fortnum and Mason even have a pumkin carving competition on the 28th October!"- Heather

* Photo by renecunningham, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London Calling

Question of the week: When traveling outside the UK, what do you miss about London the most?

"I spend a lot of time on the Southbank and love the way that you always stumble across an unexpected street performance, fair or festival. There is always such a sense of vibrancy, creativity and movement. So, when I travel I miss being able to wonder out of my front door into such a dynamic space. Of course there are many places you can visit that are full of creative activity around the world but the Southbank has something very special. More generally, I miss the cultural diversity of London, which is often made so accesible through food, exhibitions, markets, festivals and events.

I have also found I miss the coffee - once you have tasted Monmouth Coffee in Covent Garden, it is hard to find a match elsewhere!"- Heather

* Photo by swh, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Delicious Dinner on a Budget

Question of the week: Can you suggest a place for an affordable and delicious dinner?

"There are so many - EV Deli on Isabella Street (just of The Cut) is one of my favourites and is a short walk from Conway Hall. It serves turkish salads and some delicious hot food as well. Set in a railway tunnel, off the beaten track, it has great atmosphere, is open late and is very reasonable!

Vouchercloud.co.uk is a must for anyone looking for a cheap eat as it lists all of the deals in and around your local area!"- Heather

* Photo by John Fraissinet, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Movie Time

Question of the week: In celebration of the upcoming London Film Festival, can you recommend a British-based literary adaptation film?

"Firstly, a thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome. It is great to be part of the London program and I look forward to getting to know you and doing all I can to support you during your time in this amazing city.

'The Railway Children' would seem a fitting recommendation given that it has been re-adapted for the stage and is currently playing at Waterloo Station Theatre, practically on Conway Hall's doorstep.

For those who enjoyed the History of British Football talk on Monday, 'The Damned United'(on order for the LUP Library, and available from Westminster Public Libraries) might appeal. I haven’t seen it yet so let me know what you think if you watch it!"- Heather

* Photo by markhillary, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.