Explore the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition

Billed as the largest open contemporary art exhibition in the world, The Royal Academy's annual Summer Exhibition is always an interesting insight into the world of new art, and is now in full swing at Burlington House, on Piccadilly.


The exhibition has been running since 1769, when it began in a warehouse on Pall Mall, and the modern exhibition draws together a huge range of new works by various artists, curated by an rotating committee of Royal Academicians, with different people curating rooms.

It really is a great insight into what's going on in art, and when your author visited on Thursday, he was impressed by the sheer range of works covering every wall. Although, his inner London-knowledge-seeker was a bit too mesmerised by the models of future crossrail stations in the architecture room to be healthy.

This year's exhibition runs until 15th August. For more information, see http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/summerexhibition

Drink at the Nag's Head, Knightsbridge

The Nags Head, on quiet and easily-missed Kinnerton Street in Knightsbridge, is a fiercely independent little pub overflowing with character.


Brimful of locally relevant curios and pub tat, with a small front bar and an even smaller back bar, what it lacks in size - as so often in pubs - it makes up for in character.

When your author has visited, he has never encountered the infamous landlord, Kevin Moran, who is known to tell customers off for using their mobile phones (which are banned) and not hanging up their coats properly, but it is evident that the man knows how to run a decent pub, so he is to be commended.

For more, why not see fancyapint.com, who have awarded it five pints out of five.