Fiona McDonald

Proposals have been put forward for a statue of World War II codebreaker Alan Turing on Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth. Outgoing Defence Secretary Ben Wallace made the proposal last week, following the outcome of an independent review into the treatment of LGBTQ+ veterans in the armed forces pre-2000. Wallace described Dr Turing as ‘probably the greatest war hero’, adding that the statue would be the ‘greatest tribute’ to the codebreaker. Fighting with Pride, an LGBTQ+ armed forces charity has shared their support for the proposals, referring to the ‘debt’ Turing is owed for the treatment he faced. Turing was a mathematician, computer scientist, philosopher and pioneer in the field of computer science. He’s known today as one of the most influential code-breakers of his time. Despite having such a significant impact on so many fields, Turing was convicted of homosexuality in 1952 and forced to endure chemical castration, later dying in 1954. Britain didn’t start to decriminalise homosexuality until 1967 and it wasn’t until 2013 that Turing received a royal pardon for his conviction. Other politicians have shared their support for Wallace’s proposal, including fellow Conservative Anthony Mangall MP, who told the Evening Standard that he ‘absolutely support[s] the Defence Secretary’s campaign to put up a statue of Dr Turing in Trafalgar Square’. The Plinth currently holds a statue by Samson Kambalu, a Malawi-born artist whose sculpture ‘Antelope’ represents a 1914 photograph

Rolling Stones fan? We might just have your dream pad. The former London home of Rolling Stones guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Ronnie Wood is now on the market. And, as you’d expect, it’s very fancy indeed.  Wood, for those not in-the-know, is rock ‘n’ roll royalty and one of Britain’s most famous musicians. He’s been a member of the Stones since all the way back in 1975, though is also known for his time with Faces and the Jeff Beck Group.  The artist’s estate borders on Richmond Park in west London and stretches over two acres. The main house alone spans 12,295 square feet, within which is a grand reception room, luxurious dining space, bar and even a billiards room.  But that’s not all. The estate also includes other buildings and complexes, too. As well as a lodge and cottage within the grounds, there’s also a swimming pool compound with a jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms. Here are some pictures of the place, in all its glory.  Photograph: DDRE Photograph: DDRE Photograph: DDRE Dreamy as it is, Wood’s old place is predictably expensive. Estate agents DDRE have listed an eye-wideningly spenny guide price of £17,950,000... so maybe this one is better to stare at pics of online. You can do more of that on the official listing here.  Listen to ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, Time Out’s brilliant new podcast. Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.

Amongst many, many other things, Devon is famed for its vast number of beautiful beaches. And now after years of closure, one of its most treasured, popular and gorgeous stretches of sand has finally reopened to the public  Watcombe Beach was closed by the local council back in 2020 after storms and heavy rain rendered the steep route down to the beach too dangerous. Since shutting, work has been done to restore access to the beach, including the building of new steps made of logs from the local area. The repairs were made possible by funding from both Torbay Council and the national government.  Despite being shut for three years, the beach has retained its reputation as an ideally-hidden, naturally-spectacular cove. Located on the edge of Torquay, visitors typically park up nearby before embarking down a path surrounded by towering woodland. Considering a trip down to Devon this summer? Well, you can now add this hidden cove with stunning views and striking cliffs to your bucket list.  Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.

Looking for somewhere a little bit different for your next city break? Well, it doesn’t get much more different than this. This Airbnb rental in Oxfordshire comes with a serious twist: called The Shark House, it’s a Victorian cottage with a huge shark on the roof.  The shark is, obviously, a sculpture (rather than a real shark, dur). Designed to look like it has crashed through the roof of the house, it’s 25 feet long and made of fibreglass and steel. Named ‘Untitled 1986’, the sculpture was created in secret by the Airbnb host’s late father along with sculptor John Buckley. It was originally put on the roof without the council’s planning permission though, after a six-year fight to keep the statue there, it’s now permanent.  The house itself is huge. Featuring four double bedrooms (three of which are en suite), it can accommodate up to ten guests. It’s located in picturesque Headington, just 1.5 miles from Oxford’s city centre. There’s even a local farmers market down the road on Saturday mornings. What more could you want? Here are some more pictures of the place. Photograph: Airbnb Photograph: Airbnb Photograph: Airbnb All this is just a 90 minutes’ drive from London. So, if you are looking to escape to the country, but somewhere a bit different, why not try The Shark House? There really is some-fin special about this one. You can find out the house’s availability and book here.  Did you see that these are officially the UK’s prettiest country pubs? Stay in the loop:

Recent days in London may have seemed gloomy, but let’s not forget just how beautiful this city really is. And that’s especially the case in golden hour – with so many sunset-gazing spots on offer, there’s nowhere quite as special to watch the sun go down as London.  It comes as no surprise then that London has just been crowned one of the best destinations in the world for sunsets. The scoop comes from Titan Travel, a travel company that looked at data from posts on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok to find the winners. London came in sixth, with Bali coming in first, followed by Santorini, Ibiza, Maui and San Diego. That means that London beat hit summer locations like Paris, Venice and the Maldives. The capital also ranked fourth for the most-viewed sunset spots, getting a total of 11.4 million views on TikTok. So where should you visit next for the best views of a London sunset? Well, you could head to Primrose Hill for a picturesque display of the centre of town. Or you could go to the Sky Garden to see panoramic scenes from within the city. Alternatively, of course, you could visit The Shard for striking views of our skyline from up high.  We’re pretty proud that London got such a top spot. What better way to celebrate than to go and visit your favourite destination, bask in the sun and fall back in love with summer in the capital? And cross our fingers that it stays balmy out... Listen to ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’, Time Out’s brilliant new podcast. Stay in th