Arts & Exhibitions

Travel literature has taken this reviewer to some wondrous parts of the world he might not otherwise have visited, from the Hindu Kush to Tierra del Fuego. Never, until now, has it taken me from Norwich to Dungeness by way of Tilbury, Pinner,  and East Grinstead and I feel all the better for it. I have also been granted the privilege, for so it was, of spending sometime inside Mr.Partridge's psyche [not literally, that would be impossible] and an interesting place it proves to be. Mr.Partridge undertakes this epic journey in order to “literally walk in the footsteps of my father” who once attended an interview at Dungeness nuclear power station and can afford, therefore, to be a little cavalier about those staples we might expect to find in other travel literatures such as description of place, mood and character. We do, however, enjoy encounters with such media stars as..

1,2,3,4 ...well how else can you start a review of Bruce Spingsteen's autobiography? For years now the man they call 'the Boss' has given listeners broad hints as to his background and his politics in songs such as 'the River' and 'Ghost of Tom Joad'. We now know that the former was written for his sister and brother-in-law. Escape, usually in cars, is a common motif in Mr.Springsteen's music so it comes as something of a surprise to learn that he couldn't really drive until his early twenties and even then was considered a danger behind the wheel. The early part of this autobiography (sadly not as long as one of his concerts) deals with his childhood in Freehold, New Jersey and then takes us chronologically more or less up to date.  Mr. Springsteen is almost brutally honest about his early relationship with his father “I learned many a rough..

A few weeks ago I had cause to be in Ampthill, a charming town, with an MK post-code but of which I realised I knew next to nothing. Time to put that right, so I recently went back to have a closer look. This month`s theme explores the creative offer of our near neighbour Ampthill. Ampthill`s Royal connections go back centuries, starting with Henry III`s charter in 1219 for a market every Thursday. The town`s 200 listed buildings are testament to the extraordinary heritage remaining today. The former castle was built using ransoms from the battle of Agincourt (1415), was favoured by Henry VIII for hunting parties, and was where Ampthill comes alive on Gala Day Katherine of Aragon lived when the king severed his ties. The castle was allowed to decay in the C17th and in 1615 was usurped by the imposing Houghton House, believed to be the model..