November 2014 Celebrated Living - page 80

SIMONHADLEY/ALAMY
THEHOLIDAYSEASON inandaroundLondonhas
comea longwaysincethedestitutedaysof
CharlesDickens’poorCratchitclan,andtoday,
theBritishcapital’sChristmasPresentprovesa
decadentYuletidedestination.Theholidayspirit ises-
peciallyevident inthehistoricneighborhoodssouthof
theThames,whereonefindssomeofLondon’soldest
districts—and, increasingly, someexcitinghotels.
The just-opened MONDRIAN, located inthehistoric
SeaContainersbuildingandcreatedbycontemporary-
designguruTomDixon,willo€eraChristmasEve
Anglo-American feast fromNewYorkstarchefSeamus
Mullen,whooverseesthehotel’srestaurant.And
the SHANGRI-LAHOTEL ,whicharrivedthisspringon
the34thto52ndfloorsof theRenzoPiano-designed,
72-storyShard(WesternEurope’stallestbuilding),
willdebutthreeultra-luxesignaturesuitesonDec.22.
Bothstayssitnear BOROUGHMARKET,analfresco
foodiemeccaofspecialty foodstalls, shops, restau-
rantsandproducevendors. Itbecomesparticularly
vibrantduringtheholidays,withbeautifuldecorations,
rovingsingers,guest-chefdemonstrationsandcold-
weathercomforts likemulledwine,hotspicedcider,
mincepiesandChristmaspudding.Onthemarket’s
edge,you’llfindthesoaringbell towerof the ANGLICAN
SOUTHWARKCATHEDRAL, theoldestGothicbuilding in
London,wheremusicwillfill thevaultednaveduring
carolconcertsonDec. 19andDec.22,andduringser-
vicesonChristmasEveandChristmasDay.
Extendingtheholidayspirit, theo€eringsof the
WinterFestivalatthe SOUTHBANKCENTRE performing-
artscomplex includeastar-studded,one-night-only
settingof AChristmasCarol onthe14th,plusthe
CirqueduSoleil-styleclowningspectacle Slava’sSnow-
show.VisitorscanalsoenjoyaChristmasmarketthat
stretchesalongthebanksof theThamestoward THE
LONDONEYE Ferriswheel,wherethepop-up icerink
EyeskatereturnsNov.27toJan.5,2015, for itssixth
annualouting.
Beyondthecity limits, thereareeasyday-tripand
overnightoptions inthesurroundingcountryside.
Much-anticipatedholidaymarkets,withchalet-style
stallssellingartisanal itemsandsweet-and-savory
seasonaldelights,fill thesquaresandstreetsof BATH
and BIRMINGHAM —bothabout90minutesbytrain
fromcentralLondon.AndoverChristmas itself, some
ofEngland’sbestcountry-househotelsstagemultiday,
house-partystaysperfect for friendsand families look-
ingtocelebrate inahomelikesettingnomatterhow far
fromhometheymightbe.
Attherecentlyestablished WILDRABBIT —aposh
pub, restaurantand12-room inn launched inthe
verdantCotswoldsbyorganic-livingaristocratLady
CaroleBamford—athree-nighta€airkickso€with
ChristmasEvetea,caroling,cocktailsanddinner,
plusmidnightmassatthe localparishchurch.The
followingdayssee increasedactivity,withmoremeals
ofdecadentseasonaldelights,atreasurehunt inthe
village, jauntstoholidaypantomimesandan in-house
magicshow.Similar festive fetesfill theclassichalls
ofred-brick CHEWTONGLEN, intheNewForestonthe
coastalborderofDorsetandHampshire,and CLIVEDEN,
thegrand19th-centuryBerkshireestateoncebelong-
ingtoWilliamWaldorfAstor,aswellasthemore
newlyopenedbutequallytimeless BARNSLEYHOUSE in
Gloustershire; THEMASTERBUILDER’S inHampshire;
and LIMEWOOD,also intheNewForest.
LONDON Overthe
RiverandThrough
theWoods
BY ANDREWSESSA
AnglicanSouthwark
Cathedral
www.southwark
.anglican.org
BarnsleyHouse
www.barnsley
house.com
BoroughMarket
www.borough
market.org.uk
ChewtonGlen
www.chewton
glen.com
Cliveden
www.cliveden
house.co.uk
LimeWood
www.limewood
hotel.co.uk
TheLondonEye
www.london
eye.com
TheMasterBuilder’s
www.themaster
builders.co.uk
MondrianLondonat
SeaContainers
From$340
www.mondrian
london.com
Shangri-LaHotel,At
TheShard, London
From$718
www.shangri-la
.com/london/
shangrila
SouthbankCentre
www.southbank
centre.co.uk
TheWildRabbit
www.thewild
rabbit.co.uk
ANDREWSESSA isa formereditorof Town&Country and Departures.He
continues tocontribute to thosemagazinesaswellas to Afar, Architectural
Digest and CondéNastTraveler.
Birmingham’sFrankfurtChristmasMarket
IF
YOU
GO
WINTER AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
78