http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34509 I bought a lovely Tower of London mug from there. I was with my friends who were visiting from abroad and it was so refreshing to find good quality locally made souvenirs and it was a bonus to meet the designer too.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/34509 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33778 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33778 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33151 Upon entering you will be greeted by a party of giant taxidermied antelope heads and African voodoo masks. Tomes of mythology and the occult line the bookshelves while armies of butterflies and beatles roam any left over spaces on the walls.
The resulting experience is a bit like falling down Alice's rabbit hole and re-emerging in a world that is part 17th century curiosity cabinet, part 70s sci-fi movie gone wrong.
As well as being toted as a museum of the weird and wonderful, the shop also holds regular art exhibitions. Framed works by the likes of Mervyn Peake and the Mexican surrealist Leonora Carrington have recently been displayed. There are also regular lectures (on subjects you never knew existed), workshops, puppet shows and films.
The shop is part of the wider 'Last Tuesday Society', who are also known for holding some of the most decadent masked balls and afternoon tea dances in London.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33151 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33140 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33140 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33134 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33134 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33119 If you want to learn about tea, have a tea tasting session.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33119 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33117 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/33117 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/32455 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31648 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31648 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31556 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31556 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31328 The aroma from the cheesemonger’s section reminded me of old fashioned speciality shops last smelt in my early childhood. So evocative. I was offered a tasting nugget of Coolea cheese made by a Dutch couple who moved to Cork, Ireland, it is a bit like a hard, tangy Gouda, and very moreish!
Fresh meat is delivered from the Ginger pig farm in North Yorkshire, while bread, pastries and cakes come from the superb Old Post Office organic bakery in Clapham’s Landor Road.
The Waterloo wine merchant provides the bevies, and the Solstice fruit and veg department looks like something out of Harrods food hall, with every aubergine polished to within an inch of its life and every grape gleaming in the sunlight.
The café is located upstairs and outside on the pavement. My friend enjoyed the all-day veggie breakfast and I wolfed down a roast beef and horseradish ciabatta sandwich, refreshed with specialist coffees and other brews from Caffe Antica.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31328 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31327 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31327 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31298 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31298 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31297 Haggle Records is one of a kind, a visit to this record shop is essential to any vinyl enthusiast or music afficionado passing through London.
The owner, Lyn, is a truly captivating man. Always with a story to tell, always offering advice when it is requested. A quintessential English gent - with a wealth of knowledge of all genres, in particular, jazz.
I have spent hours in Haggle, on my hands and knees, (trying) to trawl through as many of the 40,000 plus titles as possible. Everything from Rock to Soul, Jazz to Dance, Classical to Punk - and everything in between!
If you're looking for a second hand record shop experience, you will not do wrong by checking out Haggle records.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31297 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30950 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30950 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30706 I like these gigs because they are small and I can always manage to get to right to the front, just a few centimetres from my favourite band, while being able to see them properly - something I rarely experience at other gigs. After their performance we can meet the artist and get a signed album/single.
Each an every gig is like a once in a life time opportunity and you never forget them!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30706 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30633 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30633 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30630 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30630 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29753 A stroll down Atlantic Road and Electric Avenue in the centre of Brixton will take you past well established British fishmongers and more recently arrived Portuguese grocers. Further into the market are the stalls and shops stocking Caribbean staples, salt fish, plantains, green bananas and cassava. Butchers shops cater to many different communities, some are halal some sell pig's trotters and tails. Others sell Brazilian sausages or Columbian delicacies. In the last 12 months the Brixton Village project has seen the development of previously empty market units so that there are now new shops and stalls in the Granville Arcade, sitting alongside those selling dried fish from West Africa and a bewildering variety of yams. These ventures include small independent coffee shops and pizza restaurants, bakeries and an old fashioned sweet shop. Best of all there is always something new and especially on a Saturday you never know what you may find.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29753 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29214 Every item in this shop is so lovely!
You should go and have a look in this piece of France based in the animated area of Crouch End. You will go back home with something, for sure!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/29214