Fabulous lines and angles and light and shadow make the museum quite beautiful.

As part of my ongoing love affair with museums, I recently lost myself for a few hours in the fabulous Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar.

The building is a work of art in itself – a beautiful collection of lines and shapes and angles on the outside and modern bright spaces on the inside.

I love the British Museum and its is eclectic collection of bits from all over the world. This was very different. This museum is devoted to a single culture, giving a much greater insight into its diversity and depth. Continue reading →

The Southbank buildings are iconic – but I never thought beautiful was the right word.

Architecture can be brutal.

A couple of weeks ago, I had a remarkable opportunity to deep into the bowels of two fabulous buildings – the Haywood Galley and the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre.

I’ve been to both many times before, for concerts and exhibitions. Both are now closed for refurbishment – and we had an opportunity to join a tour, with two National Trust experts to tell us all about these iconic buildings.

I was in for quite a surprise. Continue reading →

Alexander – certainly a great warrior – or perhaps the leader of a great army

I’ve have been wondering… How do you get to be called ‘the great’?

Presumably, someone else has to give you the title because taking it for yourself would be a bit vain (although I’ll bet there were a few who did).

I understand Alexander the Great – after all, he conquered most of the known world.

The Great Khan – otherwise known as Genghis Khan let a bloody rampage across most of the known world and murdered millions.

I’m starting to see a pattern here. Continue reading →

An industrial icon

I like holes in the ground. The bigger the better! Whether it’s a cave or a mine, I like going underground, even more so when there’s a sense of history attached.

My most recent underground adventure was at the National Mining Museum in Wales – otherwise known as Big Pit – where I was guilty of an ‘ooops’ that was just a little bit dangerous… sorry folks. Continue reading →

The iconic balance tower at Blaenavon – when it was built, the owner was chided for wasting money on attractive design rather than pure functionality.

I recently travelled back in time about 200 years – into the heart of the industrial revolution.

I explored the coal pits and the iron works and the factories that were part of that amazing period of history.

I found it fascinating, inspiring and in many ways very moving. It was a story of great innovation and invention – but more than that it was the story of a people of steadfast determination and also of their great suffering.

My journey started in 1787 – with the building of the great ironworks at Blaenavon in South Wales. Continue reading →

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the brilliant and tragic Alan Turing

Accolades are pouring in for the movie The Imitation Game – featuring an amazing performance by Benedict Cumberbatch as the Enigma code-breaker Alan Turing.

The movie has served to focus attention on Turing and his work at the secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park. It’s also served to highlight the injustice of the treatment he received when he was convicted for what was then a crime – being homosexual.

Recently I visited Bletchley Park – that was before the movie publicity began, and my knowledge of what happened there was pretty sketchy.

The old saying is right – truth is sometimes much stranger – much better – than fiction. Continue reading →