Welcome to Wednesday Wishes. Something a little different on the blog this week, my top twelve exhibitions opening in London this autumn. It was going to be ten, but I simply couldn’t slim it down any further. Take a look, which ones do you fancy seeing?

Read Wednesday Wishes on the blog

How was your summer? Apart from eye meltingly hot. We turned off the Aga and invested in an air fryer, which made the kitchen at Cultural Wednesday Towers marginally less like a furnace. We visited Durham, Norfolk and Amsterdam, which were all slightly cooler than Surrey.

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In Amsterdam we explored the small house museums in the central UNESCO canal area. I have been visiting Amsterdam since I was 18 and had no idea that you could visit any of the houses that line the canals, apart from the Anne Frank House and Rembrandt’s House. We saw fabulous interiors, dinosaurs (yes, dinosaurs), discovered a hidden church, wafted around gardens and followed it all up with a cruise around the canals. Entry into all the museums, the canal trip and public transport were all covered by the Amsterdam City Card. Take a read of my blog post for a different way to see Amsterdam.

Read all about Amsterdam's Canal Houses

This weekend we were in Durham moving our son out of his university accommodation. Whilst he packed we headed off to visit The Light, Durham’s newest museum, which opened in August. Downstairs is a museum devoted to the history of the Durham Light Infantry. I had been fearing a dull cap badges display but was pleasantly surprised, what is told is the story of the people behind the cap badges. Really interesting and engaging. Upstairs is completely different, a space for contemporary art. Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light is the first exhibition filled with excellent light works. Joseph Swan, inventor of the light bulb, was born in County Durham, his prototype bulb kicks off the the show. Chila Burman, Olafur Eliasson and Tracey Emin are among the featured artists. https://www.thelightdurham.org.uk/

📆 Date for your diary

21 October 2027 is the date of the next release of Bayeux Tapestry tickets. Prepare to be quick on the draw, last time they sold out in a flash.

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Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help you make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ always makes me very happy. Or perhaps share it with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: the intricate fairy worlds of Richard Dadd. One hundred years of photography of American cities in Portrait of a City at Dulwich Picture Gallery. Big, bold flowers by Clare Woods at Pitzhanger Manor. Along the way I have been immersed in Restoration London reading Gentle Things by Danielle Giles.

👉 Read the full post on my blog

Lobsters have landed in Woking. Well in the galleries and gardens of the Lightbox. You are greeted by a giant lobster the second you step into the garden entrance of the Lightbox in Woking. Welcome to Philip Colbert: The Lost Gardens of Lobsteropolis. Inside, more sculptures await, standing alongside colourful lobster filled canvases. Keep an eye out for the largest painting that has ever hung in the Lightbox. Make sure not to miss the shop and cafe with lots of lobster themed treats on offer.

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Banqueting House on Whitehall has been closed for renovation for what seems like forever. There have been special members only days to get a peek at progress, but on August 1st the Banqueting House is opening to all and sundry for the summer. Once again you will be able to gaze up at the magnificent Rubens ceiling. Even better you can recline whilst gazing. Discover the last remnant of the Palace of Whitehall and the place where Charles I was executed.

👉 See inside the Banqueting House

A couple of years ago I visited Tunisia to discover their incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Whilst there we went to Sidi Bou Saïd, which is picture book pretty. Blue and white buildings line cobbled streets that tumble down to the Mediterranean and overlook the ruins at Carthage. At the time it seemed amazing that Sidi Bou Saïd was not on the UNESCO list itself. Well, now it is. It was added last week. It is just outside Tunis and very close to Carthage, if you are heading to Tunisia be sure to add it to your itinerary.

👉 Disclover Tunisian UNESCO sites

I will be taking a break from Wednesday Wishes during August. Fear not I will still be out and about exploring. Amsterdam, Suffolk and Durham are already inked in and I have plans for jaunts nearer to home too. In the meantime here are some dates for your diary.

📆 Date for your diary

Hull Maritime Museum reopens on August 8th. Hull has been an important fishing and trading port for centuries and the museum tells the city’s maritime story. Tickets are free, but it is best to book ahead.

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Another August museum opening. This time in Durham on August 22nd. The Light will be housed in the old HQ of the Durham Light Infantry and aims to be the place where art, science and creativity meet. Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light , will be the opening exhibiton featuring work by Olafur Eliasson, Tracey Emin, Chila Burman and David Shrigley among many others. We hope to visit at the end of August.

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In London over the first weekend of October the Chelsea History Festival takes place. Tickets are now on sale for an array of tempting tours, talks and concerts. Most tempting of all? The Chelsea Physic Garden will be open for free all weekend.

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A quick reminder that my selection of Summer Books 2026 is now live on the blog if you are seeking summer reading inspiration.

https://www.culturalwednesday.co.uk/best-summer-books/

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Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help you make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ always makes me very happy. Or perhaps share it with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: London has a brand new museum, Trent Park, House of Secrets. Christie’s has an exhibition of contemporary South Asian art. Head to the Crick Institute to discover what our genes can tell us about our ancestors. This week I have been reading Jamie Oliver’s Easy Air Fryer in an attempt to learn how to use my new air fryer.

Read Wednesday Wishes on the blog

News of two London museum membership schemes. First of all, the London Museum has launched The Flock. For £69 (£49 if you sign up via direct debit) you will be among the first to visit the brand new Smithfield site when it opens in November and gain access to the museum’s social club.

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Over at the National Portrait Gallery, they have a brand new Club NPG for people aged between 16 and 25. Free to join, membership gets you access to £5 exhibition tickets, special youth lates and a newsletter. Both Cultural Young Men have signed up, and they are also members of similar schemes at the Tate and Barbican.

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Who Do You Think You Are? is one of my favourite TV programmes. I love the way unexpected family links are unearthed. Quite often ancestors are discovered to have spent time in a workhouse. I confess that my knowledge of what life would have been like in a workhouse comes mainly from novels and TV dramas. I need to head to Ripon in North Yorkshire to find out more. The Workhouse Museum has just opened in the town’s former workhouse, revealing what life would have been like behind its walls. In addition to the Workhouse, Ripon has a fine Cathedral and I am a big fan of the pork pies from Appleton’s in the Market Place and the curd tarts from Thomas the Baker.

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A quick reminder that my selection of Summer Books 2026 is now live on the blog if you are seeking summer reading inspiration.

Best Summer Books 2026

Diary

Light shows and Cathedrals are two of my favourite things. Luxmuralis Time will be illuminating Durham Cathedral from 7 - 11 October this autumn. Perfect timing for a weekend in County Durham as the leaves begin to turn.

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Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help you make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me very happy. Or perhaps share it with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Ana Mendieta landscape art at Tate Modern, A Map of the Invisible at the Fitzrovia Chapel, a back street biennial in Whitechapel. Along the way I have been reading all about the Roman conquest of Britain in Conquest by Ferdinand Addis.

👉 Read full blog post

Earlier this summer I was lucky to see one the early shows at Kynren - The Storied Lands just outside Bishop Auckland in County Durham. This week the whole park opens to the public. Billed as a theme park, I wasn’t sure to expect. There are no roller coasters or rides, instead there are five live shows in specially built arenas. Land of the Vikings, The Trusty Steed, Victorian Imaginariums, The Legend of the Wear and The Lost Feather tell the stories of Vikings, the Lambton worm, the inventions of the Victorians, horsemanship and birds of prey. Oh, the birds. I saw the Lost Feather. It started simply enough with hawks. Soon eagles, vultures, parrots, owls and cranes filled the sky above the arena, all the while a story was narrated by human actors/bird handlers. Start making plans to visit County Durham and Kynren.

👉 Read my Guide to County Durham

St Paul’s Church in Antwerp is an art treasure house. High up on the walls of the nave hang the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary. So far, so Catholic. What makes them really special is that Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens and Anthony van Dyck are among the artists of the monumental works. They have hung there for more than 400 years, though now the church is undergoing restoration and they have made the journey to ’s-Hertogenbosch (aka Den Bosch) in the Netherlands where they can be been seen at the Noord Brabants Museum. Ordinarily you need really strong neck muscles to see the paintings as they are hung quite high up. In ’s-Hertogenbosch you will be able to see them at eye level. We had a family holiday in ’s-Hertogenbosch a few years back and loved it It would make an excellent cultural weekend away.

👉 Why you need to visit Brabant

Summer holidays beckon. Once I have decided where to go my mind turns to what to read on holiday. This summer I have Norfolk, Durham and Amsterdam lined up to visit. If you are seeking summer reading inspiration I have pulled together a list of my best summer books.

👉 Best Summer Books 2026

Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help you make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing it with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: a new Leonora Carrington painting goes on show at the Freud Museum, Drawn on the Western Front at the National Army Museum features drawings made on the Western Front, Buckingham Palace State Rooms open for the summer and the chance to experience the Sistine Chapel without the crowds. Along the way I have been reading River of Stars by Georgina Moore.

👉 Read in full on the blog

Last week I was paddling in the sea at Ostend in Belgium. It is one of our favourite seaside and art weekend destinations. We love the sandy beach, the history lurking in the sand dunes and the open air art in the form of sculpture and street art. Add to that the food is delicious and it only takes about 4½ hours by train from Cultural Wednesday Towers to get there.

👉 Read my guide to a weekend in Ostend

This week I am heading to East Anglia. I am going to Ipswich. This will be my first ever visit. This is shameful; I grew up less than 50 miles away. I’m going to see The Haywain by John Constable. This will also be the first time that The Hay Wain has been in Ipswich. Yes, even though it depicts the Suffolk countryside, The Hay Wain was painted in London. It will be on show at the Christchurch Mansion in Ipswich as part of the Constable 250 celebrations.

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Immediately after my visit to Ipswich I am heading to the Maltings at Snape, one of my happy places, that I have been to many, many times. What lures me there is a performance of King Arthur Reimagined: Voicing the Land which is part of the First Light Festival in Lowestoft.

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When I was a student in Newcastle, the Side Gallery was one of my regular haunts. It showed excellent photography. One of those photographers was Tish Murtha. Just over the river, at the Baltic, Tish Murtha & Kuba Ryniewicz: Close to Home has just opened. Photographs of Tyneside by both women are on show. Tish Murtha’s dating from the 1970s and Kuba Ryniewicz’s from this century. Free to visit.

📆 Date for your diary

David Hockney is returning to the Lightroom. Well, not him, obviously, but his immersive work David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away). The showing was his wish and will happen on what would have been his 89th birthday, Thursday 9 July. Proceeds will go to the Royal Drawing Society. Tickets available from the Lightroom.

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Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help you make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing it with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: I discover a new, to me, artist Waldmüller at the National Gallery. Westminster Cathedral is lit up. Plus, How We Lost America at the Benjamin Franklin House, London. Along the way I have been reading The Book of Revelations by Juliet Nicholson.

Read in full on the blog

Last week I sought refuge from the searing heat at the seaside. Scheveningen is the seaside part of the Hague. Sea breezes skittered along the beach bringing some respite. I wasn’t there just to paddle, I had come to visit the Museum Beelden aan Zee which has just reopened with a brand new exhibition and revamped terraces. Beelden aan Zee is unlike any other museum I have ever visited. From the beach you could easily think that it is part of the sand dunes. Marram grass flutters on terraces on the front of the building. Inside, clever glazing fills the galleries with stark light and shade, the perfect place for sculpture. Outside wider terraces house yet more sculpture with sea views. I was there to see Rui Chafes X Alberto Giacometti. Gris, Vide, Cris III, which brings together the work of the Portuguese Rui Chafes and Giacometti.

👉 Ideas for a weekend in the Hague

Ai Weiwei is headed to Manchester. Button Up! opens at the Factory International Manchester on Thursday. Factory International is a big barn of a place, that means that there will be plenty of room of Ai Weiwei’s largest creations. His largest work to date, Wang Family Ancestral Hall, a reassembled Ming dynasty ancestral temple, will be on show, alongside work created especially for Manchester. https://factoryinternational.org/whats-on/ai-weiwei-button-up/

📆 Date for your diary

Drop everything … tickets for The Bayeux Tapestry at the British Museum go on sale at 10am TODAY.

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Planning ahead? Here are links to my regularly updated round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Frida Kahlo, Anish Kapoor and St Martin in the Fields. Along the way, on a long train journey from Cultural Wednesday Towers to Newcastle upon Tyne I read Whistler by Ann Patchett.

👉 Read in full on the blog

Last week I spent time re-aquainting myself with Newcastle upon Tyne and visiting Northumbrian coastal castles. My final stop was in Durham for the re-opening of the Museum of Archaeology. Tucked away between Durham Castle and Cathedral in the heart of the UNESCO heritage site, the museum tells the story of Durham from Anglo Saxon times to the present day. Full of fascinating finds, my favourite is a bone skate, dating back to the 11th century. I’m imagining monks whizzing along the frozen River Wear. Free to visit, be sure to pop in on your way to the Cathedral. This is a proud mum moment for me, one of the Cultural Young Men was part of the curatorial team, as part of his Museum and Artefact Studies MA at Durham University.

👉 Cultural Weekend in Country Durham

James Turrell creates incredible Skyspace works of art. Every one is similar, in that it is an enclosed space open to the sky, but different. I have seen them in the Norfolk countryside, in Bremen and the Netherlands. All make me feel incredibly calm, as I gaze up to the sky. I now have Aarhus, Denmark on my list of places to visit. His 100th Skyspace, As Seen Below has just opened at Aros Aarhus Art Museum. At 16 metres high and 40 metres in diameter, it is his biggest yet. As big as the Pantheon in Rome.

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When I was thirteen we headed through the Ruhr on our way to our school exchange visit in Koblenz. Everywhere you looked there were pipes and chimneys. We lost count of the different colours of smoke emitting from the chimneys. Spool forward 40 years and I was amazed to visit a steel works converted into a park. Now the whole area is transformed. This summer twelve churches across the region are playing host to an art festival, Manifesta Ruhr. There are concerts, exhibitions and performances. Take a look at the Manifesta Ruhr website for details and maybe plan a stop to explore.

👉 Read more about the Steel Works Park

📆 Dates for your Diary

🦕 Music and dinosaurs, the perfect museum late combination. On Friday 10 July An evening with Sofar Sounds at the Natural History Museum will start with cocktails by Fern the Diplodocus and then move into the Hintze Hall for acoustic music. Tickets available on the Natural History Museum website.

🔔 Have you ever wanted to sit and draw in the cloisters of Westminster Abbey? You can do just that in a late opening at the Abbey on Friday 14 August, tickets on sale on the Westminster Abbey website.

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For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Summer arrives with the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Project a Black Planet at the Barbican, Mirror Moon at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich and Hepworth in Colour at the Courtauld. Along the way I have been reading The Queen’s Painter by Wendy Holden.

👉 Read Wednesday Wishes on the blog

Only three people have ever really understood the Schleswig-Holstein business. The Prince Consort, who is dead. A German professor, who has gone mad and I, who have forgotten all about it. Schleswig-Holstein has been on my list ever since that famous Palmerston quote in my “O” level history text book. What I can now tell you is that, with Vikings, two seas, islands, fjords and Germany’s most northerly city, Schleswig-Holstein is well worth a visit.

👉 Read more about Schleswig-Holstein

Café’s and churches. Two of my favourite things. So when an invitation popped in for a tour of Westminster Abbey followed by afternoon tea in their Cellarium café I was there in a flash. The Abbey itself never fails to amaze. My favourite is the Lady Chapel, but make sure not to miss the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries high above the nave. Afternoon tea is eaten in a glazed room overlooking the towers of the Abbey, the passion fruit tart is one of the nicest things I have ever tasted. If you just fancy a cup of tea, you can pop into the Cellarium any time without visiting the Abbey too, but for Afternoon Tea you need to book.

👉 Guide to London Church Cafés

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Staying on a royal theme. This summer you can stroll through the gardens of East Terrace of Windsor Castle. Previously these have been out of bounds for ordinary mortals. Now the Venus Garden, created for George IV and tracing the route of the sun across the sky, has been newly planted and is open to visitors over the summer.

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Staying on the royal theme. Tangentially this time. Harewood House, between Harrogate and Leeds, was home to the Princess Royal back in the last century. It is one of my favourite stately homes. Still a home, and whilst grand, you do get the feeling that these are rooms where people sit and laugh. This summer Cecil Beaton: Staging Icons will be on display across Harewood House. With Es Devlin on show at Castle Howard, maybe this is the summer for a Yorkshire country house tour.

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For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans for your next cultural outing.

🏛️

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

🏛️

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Mind bending M C Escher at Somerset House, The Sun and the Moon at the Saatchi Gallery and a glorious Suffolk garden at the Garden Museum. Along the way I have been reading This Immortal Heart by Jennifer Saint.

👉 Read the full blog post here

As I was walking past the Hof den Busleyden in Mechelen, suitcase trundling behind me in search of my hotel I was stopped in my tracks by the sound of bells. What I was hearing was music from a Carillon. It turned out that Mechelen is the capital of Carillons, with no fewer than eight across the city. Summer carillon concerts have just begun in Mechelen. Every Monday at 8.30pm, bells ring out across the city. Did you know that the Carillon is a keyboard instrument? Yes, someone sits at a keyboard, pressing keys that cause the bells to be struck. Take a look of my guide to Mechelen and make plans to visit over the summer.

👉 Read more about Mechelen

My wallet bulges with membership cards, the most used is my Art Pass. It gets me into hundreds of galleries around the country for free plus gives me discounts of up to 50% on special exhibitions. During June, you can buy three months of Art Pass membership for only £20. If you don’t have a card already, this is a great way to try it out.

👉 Guide to London Museum Memberships

Staying with museum membership … the National Portrait Gallery have launched a new scheme aimed at young people. Club NPG is free to join for 16-25 year olds. Once members, they can book tickets for special exhibitions for £5. The Tate has a similar scheme called Tate Collective. The Cultural Young Men are signed up to both schemes.

Summer nights in the city just got even more alluring. The National Gallery has announced that it will stay open until 7pm every evening from 3 July-31 August, except on Fridays when they will be open until 9pm. It will not only be possible to wander around the gallery but there will also be special life drawing classes that you can join.

📆 Dates for your Diary

International art buyers are arriving in London for a month of art starting with the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. Classic Art London celebrates the special exhibitions and auctions that will be taking place across Mayfair and St James in the coming month. Take a look at the programme on the Classic Art London website to sign up for tours, you know you fancy going on an art tour of Fortnums or hearing Philip Mould talk about Tudor paintings. Make sure to set a date aside to see what Christie’s and Sotheby’s have coming for sale.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans for your next cultural outing.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery, the Serpentine Pavilion, the brand new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, SLG Forever at Christie’s and London Gallery Weekend. ALong the way I have been reading Along the Borders by Richard Collett.

👉 Click to read the full blog post

Over recent weeks I have watched preparations being made for the Derby festival up on the Epsom Downs. Temporary stands started appearing some time ago, this week the Fun Fair is taking shape. On Friday and Saturday, racegoers, including the King and Queen, will begin to arrive. You can get dressed up in a hat and heels and buy tickets for the grandstands or you can dress less formally and attend for free on the Downs. Over the years I have done both and love them both. Take a read of my guide to attending the Epsom Derby and make plans for a day at the races.

👉 Attending the Epsom Derby

My drive to the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester from Cultural Wednesday Towers involves driving through stunning landscapes along the Roman Stane Street from the North Downs to the South Downs. So it seems especially apt that the latest exhibition at Pallant House is British Landscapes: A Sense of Place featuring depictions of British landscape. Can’t wait to drive down to Chichester soon.

Having a woman at the head of the Church of England is a very new thing but women played an important role in the history of Canterbury Cathedral. A new exhibition Makers, Rulers, Leaders at Canterbury Cathedral takes a look at three women who have helped shape the Cathedral. Queen Bertha of Kent came to Kent in the 6th century after her marriage. She brought her Christian faith with her, creating a friendly environment for the mission of Saint Augustine when he arrived seventeen years later. Queen Elizabeth I was the monarch who ensured that the Church of England continued after the upheavals of the Reformation. Archbishop Dame Sarah Mullally is the final woman of the trio.

📆 Dates for your Diary

Set your alarms. 1st of July is when tickets go on sale for the British Museum’s Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. You can register for an account via the British Museum website, which will make booking easier on the day.

Museum Square in Leicester will be transformed on Saturday 20 June into a joyous space celebrating the Caribbean community and culture. Steel bands will play and a Caribbean High Tea will be served. If you want to partake in the tea you need to book tickets.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans for your next cultural outing.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: Winston Churchill the painter at the Wallace Collection, Jack White the visual artist at the Newport Street Gallery and Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep at the Natural History Museum. Along the way I have been reading The Artist by Lucy Steeds.

👉 Read the blog post here

Looking for a short jaunt out of London to a gallery surrounded by shady woodland? Look no further than the Watts Gallery, just outside Guildford. The Art of Wallpaper: Morris and Co has just opened taking a look at all things William Morris and wallpaper.

👉 Read my Guide to the Watts Gallery

Norwich is my beloved home city. Leuven is a newer discovery but also rich in history and a great place to visit. Imagine my joy when I discovered that the two cities have got together to craft a beer together. Strangers Blonde launches this week at the Cambridge Beer festival, you can also sample it at the Plough in Norwich or take a look Moon Gazer Brewery or Tindall Brewery for more stockists.

👉 Make plans to visit Leuven

👉 and plans to visit Norwich

📆 Dates for your Diary

Sleuthing hats on. Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery is to open at the British Library at the end of October. Tickets are on sale via the British Library website.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog this week: James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain, Holy Pop! at Somerset House and Christo: Air at Gagosian. Along the way I have been reading Old Girls Off the Rails by Maddie Please.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

I have just returned from a weekend in Berlin. Twenty three years after we met with our new babies in tow, seven friends head off every spring to discover somewhere new. We saw the wall, visited the Reichstag, explored the new Humboldt and generally walked our socks off. Above is the view that greeted us as we walked back after dinner one evening.

When people ask me for cultural weekend-break recommendations, Antwerp is always near the top of my list. Even though I have visited many times there is still one place that I haven’t visited. The Middelheim Museum is a short (30 minute) tram ride away from the centre. When I do finally visit, 24 hectares of sculpture filled gardens await me. This summer the main collection is joined by works by Monster Chetwynd and Antony Gormley. Keeping my fingers crossed that 2027 is the summer that I visit. Have you been?

👉 Read more about a weekend in Antwerp

Edvard Munch and Chocolate are not things that I have thought of together ever before. Turns out that Edvard Munch created works especially for the Freia chocolate company. They were the first ever works of art created to hang in a factory and they graced the walls of the women’s dining room. Head to Munch Museum in Oslo to see Edvard Munch and the Chocolate Factory which opens this weekend and is on until October.

📆 Dates for your Diary

Details of British Museum of Bayeux Tapestry exhibition have been released. It will be on from 10 September 2026 until 11 July 2027. Tickets will cost between £25 and £33, under 16s will go free provided they have an adult with them. Booking opens on 1 July 2026 and more tickets will be released monthly until January. You can sign up for updates via the British Museum website.

The Conversation series at St Martin in the Fields is in full swing. On selected Tuesday evenings authors and thinkers give a talk and then answer questions. I’m booked to see Armistead Maupin next week. Take a look at the programme and see who you fancy hearing in conversation, if you can’t get to London, livestreams are available.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help make plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog the week: London Craft Week, portraits of Queen Elizabeth I and her court, Henry Moore at Kew Gardens, Photo London and the chance to have your portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. Along the way I have been reading My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein by Deborah Levy.

👉 Read the full blog post here

At the end of last week I headed off to the far north of Germany as a guest of the German National Tourism Board. Schleswig Holstein where Germany meets Denmark. I paddled in two seas, the Baltic and North Sea. Followed in the footsteps of Vikings by sailing along the Schlei fjord to the Baltic Sea. Rode in an open tram across mudflats to a haling, that’s a place that is an island at high tide but connected to the mainland at low tide. Saw an eleventh century cathedral. Ate lots and lots of fish. There will be a full blog post soon, but in the meantime enjoy the photo of Flensburg harbour glittering in the morning sun.

Bruges has got a brand new museum. BRUSK is in the heart of medieval city, built on the site of an old school ensuring that it doesn’t jar with its historic setting. Initially it will be home to the incredible collection of the neighbouring Groeninge Museum, which will close for renovations. I’m heading off to check BRUSK out at the end of June, so I’ll let you know more then. In the meantime how about reading my blog post about Bruges and making plans to visit?

The Sainsbury Centre in Norwich is one of my favourite buildings and art collections. Living by the Rule: Contemporary Meets Medieval is the perfect exhibition for the venue. Norwich is the most complete medieval city in the UK and the Sainsbury Centre is a modern building on the edge of the brutalist campus of the University of East Anglia. Medieval manuscripts and paintings will be on show side by side with contemporary works inspired by them.

👉 Read more about the Sainsbury Centre

📆 Diary dates

Harry Styles is curating the Meltdown festival at the Southbank Centre this year. Tickets are on sale for the festival which runs from June 11-21 on the Southbank Centre website

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog the week; discover Brazilian folklore at the South London Gallery, find out what Genuine Fake Premium Economy is at the ICA and meet Gilbert and George’s friend George at the Gilbert + George Centre. Along the way I have been reading The House of Boleyn by Tracy Borman, because reading historical fiction about the Tudors is always a good idea!

👉 Read the full blog post here

At the end of last month I explored Lake Constance using the network of boats, buses and trains that criss cross the lake region. Four countries, one lake and no driving. We saw UNESCO heritage sites, puppets performing opera, went up a mountain and sat watching the sunset with a glass of wine in hand. Take a read of my latest blog post to discover what we saw. https://www.culturalwednesday.co.uk/car-free-guide-lake-constance/

👉 Read the full guide here

Lynn Chadwick is one of my favourite sculptors. I love the way his figures seem to be about to move. Head to Houghton Hall in Norfolk this summer to see a selection of his works seemingly about to stride off into the Norfolk countryside.

👉 Read more here

Head to the Outernet (just behind Tottenham Court Road tube station) this Friday 8 May to see a special tribute to David Attenborough on his 100th birthday. Free to visit. https://www.outernet.com/news/our-story-with-david-attenborough-comes-to-outernet

📆 Diary dates

Would you like to see Oliver Dickens, the great great grandson of Charles Dickens perform extracts from his great great grandfather’s novels? He will be performing Sikes and Nancy from Oliver Twist and “The Trial of Pickwick” from The Pickwick Papers at the Charles Dickens Museum later in May. You can book tickets via the museum website.

I love Expressionist Art, so imagine my excitement at news of German Expressionism: Modern Painting 1900-18 at the National Gallery pinged into my inbox. It opens next March… I know that’s a long way away. Time to plan a visit to Chemnitz that has two excellent collections of German Expressionism.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

On the blog the week discover Zurbarán at the National Gallery, see NIGO’s fashion at the Design Museum and encounter colour with Katharina Grosse at White Cube, Bermondsey. Along the way I have been immersed in the world of Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley with The Hyena’s Daughter by Jupiter Jones.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

Upon a White Horse by Peter Ross, one of my favourite books of the last year, has just come out in paperback. If you missed this canter around the prehistoric sites of the UK this is the sign to add it to your To Be Read pile. (Affiliate link)

Yesterday I glided along the Thames from the Tower of London to Westminster and back on the Silver Raven. Not just any old boat trip but an Historic Royal Palaces boat trip on the first all electric, emission free tour boat on the Thames. My journey took 40 minutes and was accompanied by witty and informative observations about the places the passed on the way. Tours cost £18.50 for adults and can be booked on the Tower of London River Tour website.

Goodwood Sculpture Park opens for the summer this weekend. Works by Rachel Whiteread and Rose Wylie will be joined by work by Yayoi Kusuma and the first ever outdoor installation from Hélio Oiticica. All set in beautiful woodland on the Goodwood estate in Sussex.

Just a bit further east but still in Sussex, Walter Sickert: Working Notes opens in Charleston Farmhouse in Lewes on Saturday. Focusing mainly on his drawings and prints it takes a look at how Sickert used repetition in his work.

Staying in Sussex … Brighton Open Houses is happening this weekend. Across Brighton and Ditchling artists are opening up their studios to visitors. Mr CW and I visited last year and came back with a pair of sequinned, knitted sardines on a dish by Kate Jenkins, that now hang on our kitchen wall. Her studio is open again this year. Take a look at the Artists Open House website to plan a route.

Whilst you’re in Sussex, take a look at my Seven Modernist Museums in Sussex for other places to visit whilst you are in the County.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

📆 Diary dates

A new allocation of tickets for David Hockney: A Year in Normandie and some other thoughts about painting at the Serpentine has just dropped. Tickets are free and booking is essential.

Shakespeare in Surrey. Is summer even summer without an outdoor theatre production? The Guildford Shakespeare Company are performing Love’s Labours Lost and Much Ado About Nothing in the grounds of Braboeuf just south of Guildford this summer. Book tickets now and start planning the picnic.

Free Talks! Extra/Ordinary Women at the Charles Dickens Museum shines a light on the women in the great authors life. Now there is a free series of talks, you can either attend in person at the museum or tune in online. Take a look and see if there is anything that you fancy.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

Two houses reopen this week: Turner’s House in Twickenham and the Cosmic House in Notting Hill both with new exhibitions. A free exhibition of Early Netherlandish drawings opens at the British Museum. This week I have been reading Working in Art by Alexandra Steinacker-Clark.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

Over the past few days I have been exploring Lake Constance, Europe’s third largest lake. Among many highlights… we saw a UNESCO listed library, discovered a modern art museum where every room drew a gasp of wonder, viewed the sunset from a jetty once used to board seaplanes, watched an opera performed by puppets, meandered around half-timbered villages and saw the best display of tulips I have ever seen. All discovered using ferries, buses and trains. A full blog post will follow, in the meantime, take a look at the glorious tulips in the gardens at Mainau at the top of this newsletter. In the meantime here is Twin 2’s account of our last visit to Lake Constance.

Cycling Round Lake Constance

The Art Fund has revealed the shortlist for its Museum of the Year award. Norwich Castle Museum, the National Gallery, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the V&A Storehouse and The Box in Plymouth are all in the running. All are excellent but I am especially excited to see, my first ever museum, Norwich Castle Museum in the running. Which museum would you like to see win?

On Friday I am heading up to Cambridge and hope to pop into the Fitzwilliam. What is luring me to there is Kettle’s Yard to see Handpicked: Painting Flowers from 1900 to Today. Kettles Yard is always alive with plants and flowers, I can’t think of a more perfect place for an exhibition like this. Work by Vanessa Bell, Henri Rousseau, Winifred Nicholson, Lubaina Himid and Chris Ofili will be on show.

Staying with the East Anglian theme. How about spending a weekend exploring Constable country in his anniversary year? Gainsborough, Turner & Constable: Inventing Landscape opens at Gainsborough’s House in Sudbury this week. Just down the road in Dedham the Munnings museum has an exhibition devoted to Constable’s influence on Munnings. Whilst you are there you could see Flatford Mill, just a short walk along the Stour, painted by Constable.

Just over the North Sea from Suffolk is Rotterdam where Pixel Pioneers opens at the Museum Boijman Van Beuningen Depot. As the title implies the exhibition is devoted to digital art and includes interactive installations, as well as more static works. All housed in the extraordinary Depot building.

Read about Rotterdam's modern buildings

📆 Diary dates

Tickets have gone on sale for the BBC Proms that will run from July to September this summer. Concerts will feature the music of Beethoven, Marvin Gaye and Miles Davis, among many others. Every concert is broadcast on Radio 3 and many shown on BBC One or Two. You can book tickets in advance or turn up and queue for promming tickets on the day. Take a look at the programme and start making plans.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

This week: London’s newest museum opens with an exhibition dedicated to Black British music. What the Wallace Collection did during World War II. Victoria Miro’s drawings and on my train journeys this week I have been reading Old Girls Go Off the Rails by Maddie Please.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

Mr CW heads off to Dublin for work on a reasonably regular basis. Next time, I’m going to push hard to be taken along too. That way I can go and see William Blake: The Age of Romantic Fantasy that opens at the National Gallery of Ireland this weekend. William Blake is one of my all-time favourite artists, I especially obsessed by him while studying for my A levels!

Het Loo, the home of the Dutch royal family has long been on my wish list to visit. This week it gets even more tempting. State of Wonder will see the work of ten artists installed across the palace and gardens. All the works will look at the space where royal heritage intersects with multi-species coexistence, colonial trade, governance and environmental decline.

Now is also a good time to visit the Whitworth Gallery in Manchester. Michaela Yearwood-Dan: The Practice of Liberation opens this weekend, featuring her ceramics, painting and sound works. Also on at the Whitworth is Delaine Le Bas: Un-Fair-Ground.

On Thursday I’m heading off to explore Lake Constance or the Bodensee. We will visit UNESCO heritage sites in three countries, in three days. This will be a grown up, culture focused trip, unlike the last time I visited which was for a family cycling holiday. One of the Cultural Young Men decided he wanted to write a blog post about our journey - take read of it. More on grown up cultural delights later.

👉 Read the full blog post guide here

📆 Diary dates

Head to the Museum of the Home this Sunday 19 April, for a yard sale. All manner of things created by local makers and small businesses.

Celebrate the tercentenary of architect John Vanbrugh by attending one of the free lectures about him and his work this summer. Venues include Blenheim Palace, Castle Howard and Stowe House. Take a look at the Vanbrugh 300 website for dates and booking.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes

This week on the blog: head to Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, see a profusion of tulips at Hampton Court Palace, enjoy nature inspired paintings by Cecily Brown at the Serpentine and ponder getting older at the Wellcome Collection. Along the way, I have been reflecting on the beautiful stained glass that I have seen, with a guide to the stained glass of England’s Cathedrals.

👉 Read the full blog post

Bluebells are the latest flowers to bloom in the garden at Cultural Wednesday Towers. That is always a sign to me to head off to the ancient woodlands at the back of Epsom Downs. The bluebells there have been flowering for centuries and fill the air with an intoxicating scent. Take a look at my post about the Langley Vale Centenary Wood for details of how to find them. No tiptoeing through the bluebells, mind - admire from the edge. Every step taken amongst the flowers can damage these delicate plants..

👉 Where to find bluebells

Three exhibitions have just opened in Paris that make a spring visit even more alluring than usual. Renoir and Love at the Musée d’Orsay, Matisse 1941 - 54 at the Grand Palais and Henri Rousseau at the Musée de l’Orangerie are all extremely tempting. All three are on until mid July, time to start looking at Eurostar tickets!

Mr CW and I went to the theatre last night. We saw Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of the Dubliners at Wimbledon Theatre, just the kind of feel good, music packed evening that we needed. Seven Drunken Nights is now on tour around the country, take a look at the website to see if it is coming to a theatre near you.

📆 Diary dates

Love’s Labour’s Lost is to be Shakespeare in Squares production this year. Alfresco performances will take place across London’s squares this summer. Take a look at their website for dates, venues and tickets.

Is life too short to stuff a mushroom? This and other essential topics will be explored by Prue Leith and many more at the Idler Festival 10-12 June. For the full line-up and tickets take a look at The Idler website.

Do you fancy sipping cocktails in the gardens of the Natural History Museum and then heading inside for an evening of music from Sofar Sounds. Then you are in luck, because that is exactly what is happening on 10 July, tickets available from the Natural History Museum website.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Subscribe now

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

This week: joyful textiles at the Fashion and Textile Museum, a forgotten superstar at the Royal Academy, fairy tales at the British Library and Veronica Ryan at the Whitechapel Gallery. Plus, a real-life spy story that reads like fiction.
https://www.culturalwednesday.co.uk/wednesday-wishes/

👉 Read the full guide here:

Cultural membership cards fill my wallet. Two of my most-used are my Art Fund card and English Heritage. With the bank holiday on the horizon, both will be earning their keep.

There are some excellent Easter offers around at the moment. For example, at Dulwich Picture Gallery, all Easter activities are free to Art Fund members. Both cards will also get you into Kenwood House. If you’re tempted to join English Heritage, I have a discount code — EASTER26 will get you 25% off annual membership. (Affiliate link: I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Valid until 8 April 2026.)

David Hockney has transformed the Sunley Window at Turner Contemporary in Margate. The window is 10 metres wide and floor-to-ceiling in the entrance hall of the gallery. Created on an iPad, Hockney’s artwork will feel like a modern-day stained glass window. This is firmly on my Bank Holiday wish list. Free to visit.

Virginia Woolf didn’t just write books, she was also published them. The Hogarth Press published essays and novellas by some of best known thinkers of time. The books were as beautiful as they were interesting. You can find out more at Virginia Woolf and the Hogarth Press which opens at Charleston Farmhouse today.

👉 Read my Guide to Sussex Museums

One of my favourite places to see Henry Moore sculpture is in his own back garden. The Henry Moore Studios and Gardens in Perry Green, Hertfordshire, reopens for the summer today - with an exciting new addition. The Sheep Field Barn has been transformed into a light filled art gallery, ideal for when the weather makes wandering in the actual sheep field less appealing.

On my list for a visit later this summer is Castle Howard in North Yorkshire. This was the first building that John Vanbrugh designed, not bad for first attempt! This year marks Vanbrugh 300 with a series of events around the country. Staging the Baroque: Vanbrugh at Castle Howard explore the creation of Castle Howard with models, plans and film. For more details of events to mark the tercentenary take a look at the Vanbrugh 300 website.

📆 Diary dates

🎭 Before Mr CW and the Cultural Young Men, I lived in Islington and frequented the Old Red Lion pub. I’m trying to tempt Mr CW back with news that Alan Bennett’s The History Boys will be performed there 14 - 25 April, tickets are available via the pub website.

📚 One of my favourite book series in the 90s was Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin. It is now 50 years since the first book was published. You can hear him talk about the books in The Conversation: Armistead Maupin at St Martin in the Fields on 26 May, tickets available via the church website.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy. Or how about sharing with a friend who loves a good exhibition tip.

If you really, really like it … why not subscribe?

Subscribe now

Happy Culturing

Welcome to Wednesday Wishes.

This week the Last Punjab Princesses at Kensington Palace, Schiaparelli at the V&A, discover Konrad Mägi at the Dulwich Picture Gallery and Hurvin Anderson at Tate Britain. Along the way I have been basking on Cap d’Antibes with The Riviera Secret by Sarah Steele.

Read Wednesday Wishes on the blog

When the Cultural Young Men were boys, one of their favourite things to do was to recline on bean bags in the Banqueting Hall in Whitehall. It has been closed for the past couple of years for a bit of TLC and the installation of a lift. There are still a few bits and pieces to do but the Banqueting Hall is now open again on selected dates. Last Friday was one such date and I popped along with my friend Neil. No bean bags, but fingers crossed there might be some on order. You can visit on 3 April, 1 May, 29 May and 26 June, plus Thursday - Monday from 3 August to 20 September. Booking is essential via the Historic Royal Palaces website.

Read about visiting Banqueting House

Norwich is my home city and the finest of cities. Last week, the Sunday Times, cottoned on the the delights of Norwich and dubbed it the best place to live in the UK. It has the most complete medieval centre in the UK, a beautiful Norman Cathedral and Castle and startlingly modern Sainsbury Centre. Take a read of my locals’ guide and start planning a weekend visit soon.

Read my guide to Norwich

Ipswich is the nearest town to the fine city of Norwich. Less than 50 miles from where I grew up. Shamefully, I have never ventured further into Ipswich than the train station or the bypass. This year, will be the year that I finally visit. Ipswich museums are putting on a series of exhibitions celebrating local boy John Constable in his 250th year. Constable: A Cast of Characters opens the season this weekend at Ipswich Museum.

Forty years ago, six designers graduated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. Dirk Bikkembergs, Ann Demeulemeester, Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene and Marina Yee changed the face of fashion. The Antwerp Six opens this weekend at MoMu celebrating their work. My mother wore the most beautiful Dries Van Noten shawl to my wedding. After you’ve seen the exhibition you can head out to his boutique just outside the museum.

Plan a weekend in Antwerp

📆 Diary dates

175 years ago, the Great Exhibition took place in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park. On 6 to 7 June, the Great Exhibition Road Festival will take place among all the museum and universities that sprang up in the wake of the original exhibition. The Crystal Palace will be outlined in sand across the park, there will be puppets, experiments and food the length of Exhibition Road. Take a look at the festival website and start making plans.

For longer-range plans, here are handy links to round-ups of the best exhibitions in London, beyond London and across Europe to help with making plans.

As ever, if you liked this newsletter, a quick click on the ❤️ makes me happy (this is for people reading in the Substack app) or sharing the link with your friends. If you really, really like this newsletter, how about taking out a subscription?

Happy Culturing