Christopher Fowler's Blog, page 258

London Corners – Clubland

Are there still such things as clubbable men? Indeed there are. Despite the proliferation of reinvented private clubs that chuck out the chintz in favour of pounding beats, the traditional old clubs of London do still exist. Yesterday I gave a luncheon talk at the Authors’ Club, now happily returned to the National Liberal Club […]

Death By Snobbery: The Strange Story of JBP

When I asked if my mother wanted something to read, she instantly requested JB Priestley. ‘The plays?’ I suggested. ‘No,’ she replied, ‘the novels.’ If John Boynton Priestley has undergone something of a rediscovery lately it’s because of his theatre work, but Priestley was known to the older generation for some 26 novels that contained […]

Shopped No.1

The other day a friend asked what he should bring back from London for his girlfriend. When I think of London gifts – which frankly isn’t often – I see those horrible phone box/beefeater teddy bear shops selling tat to tourists, so here’s an occasional column for when I see something unique and possibly worth […]

Buying British No. 1

The other day a friend asked what he should bring back from London for his girlfriend. When I think of London gifts – which frankly isn’t often – I see those horrible phone box/beefeater teddy bear shops selling tat to tourists, so here’s an occasional column for when I see something unique and possibly worth […]

Why Nigel Farage Is Not The Problem

Nigel Farage’s anti-EU party has successfully built on its high scoring in local elections by doubling its seats in the European Parliament, but the far-right swing has built far more violently in other EU countries, especially in France and Greece. Here the grinning ninny who employs his German wife and who can’t articulate any policies […]

London Corners – The Phoenix Garden

Where is this woodland glade where you may read a book in peace and calm away from the bustle of the city? Like so many other little parks in London it is hidden in plain sight, but this one really is in the heart of the West End. It’s not the only one, but the […]

Look Who’s Stalking

Recently I needed to learn how to make a bomb for research in a book I was writing which has a terrorist theme. I’ve done this before, but back then there was no online tracking. When I did it this time I really upset my online footprint. I’ve described how to make a bomb before […]

My Favourite Big Stores

I judge my favourite stores by the likelihood of me going in there and coming out with something I hadn’t intended to buy. From that point of view, Selfridges and London’s flagship bookstore Foyles are impossible to beat, because there’ll always be something you didn’t know you needed. As a child, Hamley’s toy store, with […]

Are Bryant & May Heading For TV?

The Bryant & May books are about to be optioned by a major production company. Although the deal is under wraps at the moment, I can reveal that, following negotiations with several companies, the old codgers will get a fresh chance to be seen by TV networks as a possible series. The process is complex; […]

London On The Cheap

To counterbalance recent pieces here about the high cost of being in London, I tried London on the cheap over the weekend with some friends, and here’s what we found: First the obvious stuff; it’s down to areas. Avoid the tourist trail if you don’t want to be charged extortionate prices, so forget Knightsbridge, Kensington, […]