Latest news with #BakerStreet
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Orsett house fire treated as arson, Essex Police say
Police believe a fire that destroyed a house in Essex was started crews were called to Fieldhouse Farm in Baker Street, Orsett, shortly after 02:45 Daniel Selby of Essex Police said no-one was injured in "what can only be described as a substantial fire that destroyed a building".He asked anyone with information or relevant footage, such as from car dashcams, to get in touch. "We'll remain here today to gather evidence, but our initial inquiries lead us to believe this was started deliberately and at this stage, we are treating this as arson," he said. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Geek Dad
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Click That Brick! The LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook
LEGO has recently introduced a new line of sets: Book Nooks, which unfold to present scenes from the novels they are based on. The first of these is based on Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books, and gives us a scene from Baker Street. What Is the LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook? The LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook, set #10351, is a 1,359-piece LEGO set that includes 5 Minifigures. When opened, the set is over 8 in. high, 14.5 in. wide and 2.5 in. deep. Of course, like other book nooks it can be displayed on your bookshelf closed. The set retails for $129.99, and can be purchased at LEGO stores or off of the LEGO webstore. There are 10 bags of bricks total, as well as an additional base piece, sticker sheet, and instruction book. Given the smaller size of the set compared to what I usually build, there's a correspondingly smaller instruction book. However, it is still full of information on how the set was developed: This slideshow requires JavaScript. There are some bricks that were screen printed specifically for this set, but nevertheless, there are also some stickers that you will end up applying in the build. LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook – Minifigures There are some iconic characters, including Sherlock Holmes himself, Dr. Watson, and Moriarty. I appreciated that LEGO added a bit of diversity by making Irene Adler a black woman. As usual, the assembly of the Minifigures is spread out through the build. This slideshow requires JavaScript. In a nod to The Hound of the Baskervilles, Doctor Watson even carries a clue in his briefcase: LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook – Assembly As there's only 10 bags to put together, we'll just look at all the stages at once: This slideshow requires JavaScript. Here's the finished set, fully open: And here's what it looks like when it's closed and acting as a book nook: As you can see, you can arrange the Minifigures so that they fit with each other whether the book nook is in its opened or closed position. While these won't show if you have the nook nestled between books on your shelf, there are even book covers that you build for the outside of the nook. The back cover is fairly plain: But as you can see, the front cover for the book nook is another story: Besides a plethora of Sherlock Holmes Easter eggs throughout the build, there are also a couple of hidden features. Turning one of the chimneys raises a secret door, revealing Moriarty! Opening one of the upstairs balconies reveals Sherlock Holmes' study, complete with his Stradivarius violin. LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook – Final Thoughts As the first of their new book nooks, LEGO really hit it out of the park with Sherlock Holmes. It manages to pack in a ton of details while still roughly maintaining the same size and shape as popular craft book nook kits. And as opposed to those kits, this LEGO set can open up into a display form so that you can enjoy the interactive features! That said, like many other Icons sets, the Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook is more suited for display than for play. Of course, the 18+ rating already tends to suggest that. The build was a lot of fun, especially discovering the hidden features during the build. The engineering of the set works very well, as it's effortless to operate those features. The nook itself opens and closes with ease. And with 10 bags, this is definitely a set that you can accomplish in a long, lazy afternoon, or spread it out over a few days if you want to take your time. After building the LEGO Icons Sherlock Holmes: Book Nook, I'm definitely excited for future book nook sets. This one was so thematic and dynamic, LEGO has already set themselves a high bar. But I'm confident they can rise to the challenge. Click That Brick! Click That Brick! is a look at LEGO building sets that appeal to the geek in all of us. I'll be bringing you previews and reviews of various LEGO sets, such as the LEGO Ideas Botanical Gardens. So be sure to keep your eyeballs peeled for more great LEGO content here on GeekDad. Disclosure: LEGO sent me a set for evaluation, but had no input into this review. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
CNA
11-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
From Grafunkt to Nathan Home: Meet the prolific designer who helped shape Singapore's design scene
Just off Seletar Aerospace Drive, past colonial-era black-and-white edifices, in the shadow of Seletar Airport, sits a building that marks a new phase in Singaporean industrial designer Nathan Yong's career. The two-storey, 3,000 sq ft property at 8 Baker Street – once designed for British military servicemen – has been reimagined as Nathan Home, a retail brand and experiential gallery that has an online and offline presence. The showroom feels at once removed from the buzz of popular joints in the vicinity (family-friendly F&B destination Wheeler's Estate; wedding venue Wildseed Cafe at The Summerhouse), yet also connected to them in spirit. Yong, 55, is no newcomer to the design world. With over two decades of experience, a President's Design Award under his belt, and past collaborations with international marques like Ligne Roset and Living Divani, he is one of Singapore's most respected and prolific designers. After launching furniture retail stores like Air Division in 1999 and Grafunkt in 2009, Nathan Home marks his most personal venture yet. It's a return to independent expression, rooted in Yong's long-held beliefs about materials, emotion, and the human experience. This, said Yong, is what he has been building towards his entire life. 'I wanted to control the narrative, not just over what I design, but how it's made, how it's shared, and what it stands for.' Teaming up with an investor (Yong declined to reveal their identity, but says they sank a 'high six-figure' sum), he spent six weeks converting the building into a space that emanates a relaxed, lived-in feel. Equal parts gallery, design studio and concept store, Yong was mindful of keeping renovations to a minimum. 'It was mostly surface treatment. I wanted this place precisely for its aged patina,' he shared. FROM BOATYARDS TO BEYOND Yong's own narrative arc is deeply Singaporean, yet wholly singular. Growing up in Tanjong Rhu in the 1970s – long before the forest of condominiums and sporting/recreational playgrounds of Kallang sprang up – his early years were gritty but evocative. Back then, the area was a maritime village, the air thick with sea salt and the scent of engine oil. 'The boatyards were loud, raw, and beautiful in their own way,' Yong recalled. 'That environment taught me to appreciate materials for what they are – not what they pretend to be. I saw how things were built, fixed, repurposed. It instilled a kind of honesty in my approach to design, one that values simplicity, utility, and soul.' There was no language for design then. No Pinterest or Instagram, no curated mood boards. But there was instinct. Yong spent hours sketching mythical creatures and religious figures, or tinkering with found objects. He didn't see it as talent; it was simply how he processed life – through shape, emotion and form. Singapore's design landscape, too, was in its infancy. Industrial design wasn't seen as a viable profession. But every time he fixed something, repurposed an object, or made something from scratch, it felt to him like second nature. Over time, it dawned on him that his instincts had value and that he could carve a life path from it. Years later, at design school, it was a British lecturer, Frank Drake, who gave Yong's gift a name – and a compass. Drake taught Yong that design wasn't just about problem-solving; it was deeply human. 'Good design starts with empathy,' Yong reflected. 'It's about how something works, how it feels, and who it's for.' His pieces have been produced by global names like Design Within Reach (DWR) and Herman Miller, yet he has remained rooted in Singapore. Even as others chased creative cachet abroad, Yong stayed put, helping to shape the local design scene from the ground up. 'I never relocated, never gave up when others did,' he recounted. 'These choices allowed design to blossom here, and allowed me to grow with it.' If he could talk to his younger self, he would tell that wide-eyed boy to keep doing what he was doing, stay curious and fearless, but also remain humble and authentic. 'DESIGNING WITH EMPATHY, NOT EGO' Yong's career began with Air Division, a furniture store and design label that introduced contemporary, minimalist designs to a new generation of Singaporeans. In 2006, he sold the business and went on to start Nathan Yong Design, creating collections that were picked up by global brands while continuing to consult for local clients. He also co-founded multi-label furniture store Grafunkt with business partner Jefery Kurniadidjaja. The store, which blended global and local design, quickly gained a cult following. His experiences as a buyer and a retailer taught him that designers cannot operate in silos; they are inevitably part of a larger ecosystem comprising design clients, craftsmen, manufacturers, logistics personnel, and end-users. 'That awareness humbles you,' he said. 'You start designing with empathy, not ego. Retail also showed me that if I have the power to determine how things are made, I also have the responsibility to respect the people, the process, and the planet.' What's remained consistent throughout the years is his design philosophy: Simplicity, emotional resonance, and respect for materials. His pieces are often characterised by clean lines, natural finishes, and subtle detailing – elements that reflect his preference for timelessness over trendiness. 'I believe in making things that improve with age,' he asserted. 'When something is used and loved over time, that's the truest form of sustainability because we allow the resources time to generate.' This approach stands in contrast to the fast consumption model that plagues the global furniture industry – and other sectors, for that matter. Yong remains critical of design that's more about visual impact than user experience. A HUMANISTIC APPROACH IN THE AGE OF AI As the world moves towards automation and AI-generated creativity, Yong's concerns increasingly revolve around truth and authenticity. 'With emerging AI and robotics, the question becomes: How do we design with emotions in mind?' he asked rhetorically. To be clear, Yong doesn't see technology as the enemy. He does, however, believe that the future of design lies in being more human, not less. This means designing not just beautiful objects, but meaningful ones. Pieces that are made to age, endure and evolve with their owners. His design process begins with intention, thinking about how end-users live, feel and grow. 'If you approach each project with sincerity and really think about how it's used, you naturally find that emotional thread. The hand wants comfort, the eye wants balance, the heart wants resonance.' At the same time, he is drawn to irregularities, like the knot in a piece of wood or the uneven patina of brass. 'These are signs of life, of time, of being touched. Imperfection gives a piece character. Again it is part of being humanistic,' he declared. That ethos is quietly present in every aspect of Nathan Home; the space is a distillation of everything Yong stands for. The name may be simple, but the philosophy runs deep. 'It's a quiet rebellion against a world of fast, disposable things. It's a proposal to slow down. To fill our homes with things that carry meaning, not just in style, but in story. A house should reflect who you are: your contradictions, your quirks, your soul.' Seletar, with its laid-back atmosphere and black-and-white bungalows, gave him a space to show that one can love many things deeply, and hold them together with grace. Every item in the space is selected for how it feels, functions and fits into daily life. There's a strong emphasis on tactility – woods with grain, textiles with weight, finishes that develop patina over time. When asked which piece in the collection holds the most meaning, Yong shrugged. 'Too many to mention!' BUILDING A COMMUNITY One of Yong's broader goals with Nathan Home is to create a platform to collaborate with other like-minded creators, whether it's a potter, a candlemaker, or a textile designer. These collaborations reflect his belief that good design grows in community. 'I'd like to build a quiet community,' he said. 'One that believes in this way of living – and shares that with the world.' It's telling that his most personal project wasn't a commercial venture, but a public design-art installation that the National Gallery commissioned just after the COVID-19 pandemic. 'There in the Middleness' featured 124 concrete benches debossed with words submitted by the public during the pandemic – phrases of resilience, kindness, and hope. Together they formed a 40m ring at the Padang, where strangers sat facing each other. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ksy (@artistksy) 'It was about stillness, community, and collective healing. That project will always stay with me because it was a collective moment where we felt the fragility of life and the importance of relationships.' Asked what legacy he hopes to leave, Yong's answer is clear: To restore meaning in how we live, shop, and feather our nest. 'That design isn't just about form, strategy or solution. It's about beauty distilled from love and intelligence. It's about creating with care, and living with meaning. And that Nathan Home becomes an institution for this message – a quiet force that inspires people to live more truthfully, more thoughtfully, and more beautifully.'
Telegraph
04-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Pret is for arrivistes, Greggs is for the everyman: What your high-street work lunch says about you
Which queue will you join on your lunch break this week? If you work anywhere near Baker Street in London then you have two choices: line up at Greggs in Marylebone Station and order a sausage roll for the princely sum of £1.45, or walk down the road and part with £29 at Madame Tussauds to view a waxwork replica of the midday staple that the museum's studio manager, Jo Kinsey, says 'is synonymous with British culture'. The Greggs sausage roll is no longer a tubular eccentricity that only makes sense to Britons; the pastry's debut at Madame Tussauds (from June 5 for a limited period) suggests that it is as much a part of our global reputation as William Shakespeare, David Attenborough and, aptly, a predilection for queuing. Would a Pret baguette ever be given the same platform? Those of us who eat one every weekday might argue it should. For most British high streets now resemble pedestrianised carb crawls, with hungry office workers forced to prowl pavements lined with Gail's, Subways, Prets and Costas, with nothing but a vape shop and a bookies to break the chain. It was Brillat-Savarin who once said, 'tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are' – and what we pluck from the chiller cabinet or gesture at through the sneeze guard is undoubtedly part of our identity. So, what does your work lunch say about you…? Gail's chicken, tarragon and ham seasonal hand pie Dirty food for clean people The Gail's customer is not just clutching their purse or messenger bag when they stroll into store; they're carrying so much more baggage besides. This inner baggage contains a compartment of 'things I can't say I like out loud', including Bond films, cheap prosecco, Jack Vettriano paintings and Love Island. The Gail's customer yearns for starch, carbs and a sugary coffee the size of a funeral urn, but the PR agency they work for doesn't look kindly upon hot-desking with a McDonald's bag. Gail's, however, is dirty food for clean people: the epicurean equivalent of dressing Stella McCartney in Dot Cotton's laundrette attire. The chicken, tarragon and ham 'hand' pie (whose hand? Have they removed the fingernails before mincing it?) looks like something the Spanish would use as a wheel clamp. And the Gail's eater knows it. They know they're being untrue to themselves. They don't really want to work in the comms industry. They don't really want to spend three quarters of their salary on shoes. And they certainly don't want this 'seasonal' pie – a poltroon's pastry for people too self-conscious to embrace the golden arches and a fistful of McNuggets. Pret a Manger crayfish and rocket sandwich For those who dream of Boden catalogues and National Trust membership The middle-class arriviste of sandwiches. 'Look at me,' the eater wants to cry before removing the packaging, 'I'm the kind of person who knows first-hand what posh seafood is all about. I'm more than au fait with the real crayfish thing from my holiday in Cape Town last year.' Crayfish and rocket are grudging bedfellows. Yet, like the Gallagher brothers, they insist on joining forces for the benefit of nobody. The rocket tastes of boiled wet wipes and the crayfish like a rubber band that's been left in a storm drain. But you will insist on eating this sarnie, chewing frantically, in order to stay fuelled until evening. After which, you'll dream about the Boden's catalogue, National Trust membership renewal and online stamp duty calculators. Leon herby falafel wrap Boring in a way that only someone with a Media Studies degree and a Pashley can be boring The Leon eater knows that taking lunch here isn't just about sustenance, it's a manifesto for their ordered lives. A life awash with copies of Monocle magazine, obscure independent tour operator holidays to Suriname, and music tastes which exclude anything that has had more than 200 listens worldwide on Spotify. The question is why the Leon eater, axiomatically opposed to chain stores of any kind, is here when there's that hip-looking Szechuan place across the street? They may extol the virtues of cuisines found in the lesser visited parts of the world to their friends ('of course the fare in Peshawar is infinitely superior to what you find outside of the North West Frontier…') but they're infinitely more comfortable with the pseudo-international buffet grub that Leon excels at. Which brings us to the falafel itself: the taste closer to Bromley than Beirut, with timid tahini, humdrum hummus and herbs that the Lebanese would clump together and use as draught excluder. Boring in a way that only someone with a Media Studies degree and a Pashley can be boring. And that's dull indeed. Costa Wiltshire ham & mature cheddar toastie You call a spade a flaming shovel, don't you? No, you probably just call it a massive tool with a concomitant cheeky wink. The Costa toastie consumer knows what they like and they haven't got time for neologisms such as 'panini', 'woke' and 'Rachel Reeves'. Never mind that the ham and cheese toastie tastes like hot glue mixed with essence of beach towel. Here stands a lunchtime snacker who knows their own mind. Jeremy Clarkson is God, the congestion charge is disgusting and nothing on telly will ever be funnier than Only Fools and Horses. Who could argue with that? Itsu super salmon light The Itsu customer will absolutely, always, be typing furiously on their phones while they queue The British Itsu eater has missed the point of sushi and sashimi. In Japan, it's a daily pleasure, a testament to the staggering freshness of the fish. Here, sushi has been reduced to something medicinal; a dish we pretend to adore but actually consider to be the gastro equivalent of buying a tub of multi-vitamins from the Superdrug across the street. The Itsu customer shuffles to the counter with their super salmon light – a tray containing salmon that actually tastes pleasantly silken rather than of a dyed-pink slug – worrying about things too much: the ageing process, the situation in Chad, prospective schedule changes on Radio Four. And they will, absolutely always, be typing furiously on their phones while they queue. The conversation is not making them happier. Perhaps because they think that badinage is something that you put on a paper cut. Or perhaps it's the continued smothering of their desires with sachets of wasabi. The Itsu eater would secretly like a holiday in the Maldives. But, for the fourth year running, they're in abeyance to their partner's caravan lease near Lake Windermere and its compost loo. Bring on the violins. And, for God's sake, more wasabi. Subway meatball sandwich It's the weight of an obese guinea pig and tastes only slightly better Last night was a rough one, wasn't it? How did 'a quick one after work' turn into 2am in a DJ bar necking Jägerbombs like it's 2003 all over again? You're too old for all this now, and your lungs and liver are telling you so. But your office nickname of 'one man party machine' (and you will be a man) must be maintained. You need a lunch so big it can be seen from space. The Subway meatball sandwich is the weight of an obese guinea pig and tastes only slightly better. Yet eating one of these delivers the recipe for success: an afternoon asleep on the sofa in the conference room and another night out with the boys. 'Did someone say 'indoor crazy golf'...?' Greggs sausage roll Tastes like something your Gran would have baked with love, if not any great degree of skill Whether dressed for an evening at the Barbican or an afternoon on a building site, the consumer of a Greggs sausage roll is the chameleon of the high-street lunch scene. They eat it ironically. They eat it lustfully. They eat it while running for a bus. The Greggs sausage roll eater is you and me and everyone in between. The only differential is how guilty we feel about eating one. Do we feel we've plummeted several social classes, or are we more concerned about the fact that we've double-parked the Transit while picking up this cylinder of baked pleasure? Sure, the sausage meat looks like Tony Hart could have used it to create Morph, and the pastry has a relationship with real butter that's as close as we are to Mao Zedong's mausoleum. But the sausage roll eater couldn't care less. Wrapped in its humble little paper bag, the item is almost votive. It tastes like something your Gran would have baked with love, if not any great degree of skill. Nobody has ever returned to the office after a Greggs sausage roll feeling worse than they did an hour previously. Truly, this is porky benediction.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Princess of Wales waxwork unveiled at Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds has unveiled a new waxwork of the Princess of Wales in an outfit styled after one she wore in 2023. The Prince and Princess of Wales flank the King and Queen in a replica throne room at the Baker Street attraction. The Princess's latest figure has been dressed in a replica Jenny Packham gown, silver Gianvito Rossi 'Rania 105' pumps and the signature Lover's Knot tiara she wore to the annual Diplomatic Reception in December 2023. The replica tiara is from the Madame Tussauds London archives and was worn by the figure of Princess Diana in the 1980s. The look is completed with a replica Royal Victorian Order blue sash, Royal Family Order of QEII and Greville Diamond Chandelier earrings. Steve Blackburn of Madame Tussauds London said: 'We are delighted that a new figure of the much-loved Catherine, Princess of Wales, has officially landed in the Royal Palace Experience at our attraction in the heart of London, continuing our centuries-long work with the Royal Family.' The Prince of Wales waxwork also had an outfit change, and is dressed in a black tuxedo by Ede and Ravenscroft, a tailor with a long history of providing attire for the Royal Family, with a white bow-tie to match the reception gown draped on the effigy of the Princess. The suit is completed with replicas of the Prince's sash and star of the Order of the Garter, along with copies of his army medals. The Princess was first immortalised in wax in April 2012, a year after her wedding. Mr Blackburn added: 'Kate, majestically crafted by our talented studio team, has been sculpted to ensure her resemblance is fit for a future queen, alongside her dashing husband.' The Sussexes Waxwork versions of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were displayed with models of working members of the Royal family in the replica throne room at Madame Tussauds for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Prince Harry remained in the room for the King's Coronation the following year, while Meghan was relegated to the Hollywood area, but the pair are both noticeably absent from the newest installation.
