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Now open
The Charterhouse revealed
Get thee to a former monastery, dating back to the fourteenth century, now an almshouse for 40 lay brothers: the Charterhouse has just opened its new museum and is offering daily tours for the first time (you can also do a tour with one of the Brothers – usually a hoot). Café and garden on Charterhouse Square due in the Spring. See my recent feature in Telegraph Travel.
The Charterhouse, EC1. Tuesday to Sunday. Free.
Nearest Tube: Barbican
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February 7th
Christie’s Lates: Colour & Form
Love these monthly glimpses into the highly specialised world of the St James’s auction house, which is celebrating its 150th birthday this year. This is an evening to cheer you through winter, with bright sparks including designer Kassia St Clair discussing her book The Secret Life of Colour, a pop-up ceramics show and a personal stylist on wearing colour.
Christie’s, SW1. Tuesday 6-8.30pm. Free but register www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/christies-lates-colour-form-tickets-31150284339
Nearest Tube: Green Park
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From February 9th
A brush with David Hockney
www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/david-hockney
You could never accuse the octogenarian Yorkshire artist of resting on his laurels: this show includes line drawings, Californian pool paintings, photography, huge Yorkshire Wolds landscapes shown recently at the Royal Academy and work with Polaroid and iPad.
Tate Britain, SW1. Until May 29. Adults from £17.70.
Nearest Tube: Pimlico
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February 22
An Evening with Queen James
www.hrp.org.uk/banqueting-house/whats-on/long-live-queen-james/#gs.Qhrlguo
A genius idea from one of London’s most underrated sites: playwright Mark Ravenhill and performance artist Scottee explore the gender-fluid Stuart court in the era of King James I, with drama, cross-dressing and make-up workshops and a rollicking bar in the undercroft.
Banqueting House, SW1. Wednesday 7-11pm. Over 16s, £10.
Nearest Tube: Westminster
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Last Chance
Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear
www.vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/undressed-a-brief-history-of-underwear
Whalebone, satin, tapes, ribbons and elastane…this dizzying whirl through fashion’s nether regions shows how body control and emphasis has changed over the centuries, and how the strength and shapes of undergarments, from bras to dance supports, influences clothes.
V&A, SW7. Closes March 12. Tickets £12
Nearest Tube: South Kensington
