The Time Out London blog team

Back in June 2025 the government revealed which architects had been chosen to design the incoming Queen Elizabeth II memorial, commemorating the late monarch who died in 2022. Celebrated architects Foster + Partners, the people behind the Gherkin and the Reichstag in Berlin, were selected to build the monument in St James’s Park, working alongside heritage specialists Purcell, French landscaper Michel Desvigne and post-colonial artist Yinka Shonibare. Now, detailed plans for the project, which will cost £46 million, have been approved by Westminster City Council. A statue of the late Queen will be placed at the Marlborough Gate, the entrance to the park, alongside a separate statue of Prince Phillip, who died in 2021. The Blue Bridge, which crosses the park’s central lake, is set to be replaced by a translucent glass crossing, inspired by the tiara worn by the late Queen on her wedding day. Plus, at the Birdcage Entrance to the park a bust of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Karen Newman will be installed. Image: Foster + Partners A memorial path and bronze wind sculpture have also been given the green light. Designed by Yinka Shonibare, they have been commissioned in honour of the Commonwealth, and will be decorated with flowers and plants sourced from each of the 56 member countries. Local authorities have also approved plans for a memorial path through UK and Commonwealth Gardens designed by Michel Desvigne, featuring a children's ‘discovery trail’ and ‘storytelling...

From James Bond, to Slow Horses, Brits famously love a good spy story. Soon a new museum will open in the capital unveiling some of Old Blighty’s wartime secrets: think espionage, deception and histories that have been hidden for 70 years. Trent Park House, in north London’s Enfield, has announced it will open the ‘House of Secrets’, a museum dedicated to Second World War spycraft inside a historic stately home.  During WWII Trent Park House became an key location for British espionage, and has been compared with Bletchley Park in its importance. Between 1939 and the end of the war senior German officers, including 59 generals, were held captive in the luxurious surroundings. They were treated with unusual privileges, but were unaware that their conversations were being recorded through a complex network of miniature bugging devices, hidden places such as plant pots, billiard tables and light fittings. Beneath the state rooms a team of ‘secret listeners’, many of whom were German-speaking Jewish refugees, listened in on the Germans from concealed basement rooms. These recordings produced intelligence that gave the Allies a crucial advantage against Germany. Visitors will be able to uncover this fascinating story inside Trent Park’s newly restored rooms.  Photograph: Courtesy of Trent Park House The mansion inside 413-acre Trent Country Park is also the erstwhile home of aristocrat and politician Sir Philip Sassoon, who was named ‘the greatest host in Britain’. Sassoon...

It was a sad day for south London when, in March 2024, we had to wave a temporary goodbye to the Horniman Museum’s overstuffed walrus. The marine mammal, which lacks its characteristic wrinkles as a result of being accidentally overfilled by Victorian taxidermists, has been a consistent fan favourite since it was first displayed in 1901. But a revamp of the museum’s Natural History Gallery has left a walrus-shaped hole in the Horniman’s offering for the past two years. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to face yet another walrus-less year in 2026, as the museum has said the renovations won’t be completed until early 2027. In the meantime, the Horniman has announced a glut of new garden attractions which will keep us entertained until we can be reacquainted with the beloved brute. Marking the museum’s 125th birthday, from May 21 it will introduce a new nature-themed play area, family-friendly café, an interactive trail and community garden to its 16-acre grounds. Photograph: Feilden Fowles Architects What can we expect from the new Horniman garden features? Well, to start with, there is a brand new Kusuma Nature Play area designed for kids. It features a wooden jetty and slide, climbing webs and lookout points, plus log steps, timber balance beams and a den building frame. The museum has created elements specifically for tots, too, with a collecting table, leaf stools and a finger maze. The design of the new play area centres around local wildlife, including a...