LONDON

THE WALLACE COLLECTION TOP IMAGE © BRITISH TOURIST AUTHORITY/VISIT LONDON; OVAL DRAWING ROOM COURTESY OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION; KEW GARDENS © RBG, KEW
GO TO A GALLERY
Instead of wandering around aimlessly at one of
London’s galleries, visit The Wallace Collection,
which is located in a beautiful building and is home
to Frank Hals’ famous The Laughing Cavalier,
as well as many other Rococo paintings. The Swing,
created by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, shocked the
French in 1767 as it depicted a love triangle; Jean-
Baptiste Pater’s Fête Galante with a Dancing
Couple shows the courting world of 18th-century
France, while Gerard ter Borch’s A Lady Reading
a Letter sees a young girl reading a love letter in
hopeful anticipation. After you’ve let your loved
one know they are as pretty as a picture, visit The
Wallace Restaurant, which is set in a quadrangle
in the middle of the gallery. Flooded with natural
light, trees and sculptures, the restaurant offers
French-style dishes for breakfast, lunch and
afternoon tea, which includes sandwiches, scones
and cakes. On Friday and Saturday evenings,
there is also an à la carte menu for dinner.
Admission free. Afternoon tea from £18.50.
Hertford House, Manchester Square, W1U 3BN.
020 7563 9500. wallacecollection.org
BUDGET
GIVE YOUR LOVED ONES A BOUQUET
Red roses may be the top choice for flowers
on Valentine’s Day, but if your partner loves
beautiful blooms, how about impressing them
with a visit to Kew Gardens, home to thousands
of species of plants? Visit the gardens for a special
Valentine’s Day event (13 Feb; left), which is
part of the venue’s Late series. The Princess of
Wales Conservatory will be transformed, with
cocktails that you can make yourself, Brazilian
music to match the theme of this year’s Orchid
Festival and hand and face painting. Every
Sunday morning, meanwhile, Columbia Road
Flower Market sees this east London street
turn into an oasis of foliage. Many of the flower
sellers grow their own plants or import flowers
from around the world. Some of the stalls have
been running for decades, such as George’s,
who has been working on the market since
1949. Dennis from Saffron Flowers specialises
in roses, and his range includes Grand Prix,
Avalanche and Protea roses.
Tickets £25. 6pm-9.30pm. Kew Gardens,
Richmond, TW9 3AB. 020 8332 5655. kew.org.
Columbia Road Flower Market, Columbia Rd,
E2 7RG. columbiaroad.info
FEBRUARY 2016 | 15