Gustav Temple meets the legendary explorer whose adventures have taken him across all seven continents, as well as into the heartlands of Britain to help the nation’s underprivileged. You had a special travel suit adapted by Norton & Sons. Could you explain the details?It was to suit all seasons, for use in the tropics, the… … Keep Reading
CHAP Summer 23 delves into the heart of British folklore. This Summer sees the Chap taking its first look at the folklore of Britain, delving into the heart of ancient Albion via Green Men, pagan priests and folk horror films. Our starting point is of course The Wicker Man, which celebrates 50 years since its… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple lunches at a reopened City dining institution and descends into the ancient network of tunnels and cellars at its core. According to folklore, whatever the weather on St Swithin’s day (15th July) will determine the same weather for the next 40 days. While we did not visit the Don, a reopened restaurant in… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple samples the flaming fare at Brighton’s hottest new restaurant. It was opening night at Embers, a discreet bistro tucked away in one of the Venice-like passageways of the Brighton Lanes that are so easy to get lost in. I believe, though may be mistaken, that the previous incumbent was one of those out-of-date… … Keep Reading
Another successful saunter sans purpose through the sunny streets of Old London Town. On Sunday 14th May, just one week after the coronation of Charles III, a very different kind of event, yet one steeped in as much ritual, tradition and protocol, took place. The Grand Flaneur Walk was not placing a crown of gold… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple meets The Chap’s new timepiece collaborators, Jerome Robert and Anneke Short, founders of the Camden Watch Company. We first encountered the Camden Watch Company in 2017, when they had recently launched their ambitious company into a crowded market. The original aim of the brand was to use the founders’ extensive knowledge of design… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple and Alexander Larman take an early Christmas lunch at the Lanesborough Grill on Hyde Park Corner. Larman is usually a punctual chap, but on this occasion he was late for our appointment with victuals at Hyde Park Corner. He had relayed some vaguely literary excuse, something about watching and writing about a documentary… … Keep Reading
Chris Sullivan visits the Mediterranean island under British rule from 1800-1964, but finds the local culture far more illuminating. Ever since I started running Soho nightclubs in 1980 I’ve wanted to visit Malta. At that time, Soho was virtually controlled by such larger-than-life Maltese characters such as Big Frank Mifsud, and they intrigued me. I… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple bespeaks a two-piece suit from bespoke tailors Pratt & Prasad, and finds that having a suit made reveals a lot more about the man underneath it than his sartorial preferences. As I meander along the fully gentrified upper regions of St John’s Hill, Clapham, it occurs to me that seeing a tailor is… … Keep Reading
Paul Stafford on keeping his mettle as the most flamboyant dresser in Belfast for the last thirty years. Photos by Lee Mitchell. Are you Belfast born and bred? I was born and bred in Belfast, growing up on the Falls Road in the west of the city. Carnaby Street it was not, but in spite… … Keep Reading
Chris Sullivan follows in the footsteps of James Brooke to discover the lost secrets of Sarawak on a truly incredible journey to Borneo. M first sight of Borneo was in a David Attenborough retrospective special. He visited the world’s third largest island in 1956, met tribes who seemed from another century and rescued a baby… … Keep Reading
Gustav Temple braves vintage petrol fumes, spiky juniper bushes and an uphill country walk to sample the new Levin Down Gin from the Goodwood Estate. Scanning the Chichester railway car park for the promised ‘classic vehicle’ that would take us to Goodwood House, I didn’t spy any vintage Daimlers, Alvises or Bentleys. There was a… … Keep Reading