http://www.centrepointblog.com Centre Point Blog http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/street-of-song As Centre Point was being built in the early 1960s, a neighbouring side street, only a few hundred yards long, was gaining legendary status as the musical heartbeat of swinging London.

]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/street-of-song http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/focal-point Visible from as far away as the South Bank and Primrose Hill in the north, Centre Point is a reassuring navigational aid on the London skyline: the still point at the heart of a fast-moving city.

]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/focal-point http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/centre-stage Step outside Centre Point and ask the way to the theatre and you are likely to receive puzzled looks. There are around 40 theatres within a short radius of this building, dotted throughout an area that has justifiably become known as Theatreland. 

]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/centre-stage http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/sexism-n-gender-based-prejudice It seems surprising in retrospect that the term ‘sexism’ didn’t enter the language until the late 1960s, long after the suffragette movement gained worldwide attention, and over a half a century after the first International Women’s Day, which is observed for the 102^nd time today.

]]> Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/sexism-n-gender-based-prejudice http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/the-collection As part of our long-term plan to rediscover and reinvent the original spirit of Centre Point, we’re proud to announce a creative collaboration with leading print designers, Eley Kishimoto. The world-renowned fashion and design company has graced catwalks with the likes of Louis Vitton and Alexander McQueen, but now they are putting their creative flair towards capturing the spirit of Centre Point and bringing it to life in new ways.

]]> Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/the-collection http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/many-happy-returns Today marks the 150^th anniversary of arguably London’s greatest and most economically vital institution: the London Underground. It’s exactly one and a half centuries since the first underground journey took place between Paddington and Farringdon on the Metropolitan Railway, although some test rides had taken place before that. Nearly 40,000 people turned up to experience the three-mile journey, which curiously took place on a steam train. London Underground is marking the occasion with a series of events and activities throughout 2013, exploring the role that the Tube has played in the life of London.

]]> Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/many-happy-returns http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/last-chance-to-see If you’re in London this January, there are three exhibitions worth catching before they close later this month. Each one will strike a chord with anyone interested in Centre Point and the visual culture of the 1960s.

]]> Fri, 04 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/last-chance-to-see http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/past-presents While millions flood onto Oxford Street to grab their last-minute gifts, it’s interesting to reflect on how tastes have changed over the years.

 

]]> Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/past-presents http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/winter-wonderland While Oxford Street and Regent Street draw the majority of the crowds for Christmas shopping in London, there are plenty of alternatives not far away. Just a short walk south from Centre Point is Covent Garden, which transforms itself into a magical wonderland over the festive period.

]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/winter-wonderland http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/grey-matter Concrete has a history extending back at least 2,000 years. Rome has been called the Eternal City, but it wouldn’t have lasted long without concrete. It’s the reason why the Coliseum and the Pantheon are still largely intact, not to mention thousands of miles of Roman roads.

]]> Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/grey-matter http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/happening-adj-current-cool-exciting The use of ‘happening’ as an adjective came about through a meeting of two contrasting cultures: conceptual art and street talk.

]]> Fri, 23 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/happening-adj-current-cool-exciting http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/listed-locals When Centre Point was Grade II listed in 1995, it joined a family of remarkable buildings and structures – from telephone boxes to tube stations – that tell the story of how central London has developed. Here is a quick guided tour.

]]> Fri, 16 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/listed-locals http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/merry-and-bright Today sees the return of a great festive tradition on our doorstep: the switching-on of the Oxford Street Christmas lights.

]]> Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/merry-and-bright http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/sleep-out- We are proud to share our name with Centrepoint, the UK's leading charity for homeless young people. This Thursday 8 November sees the return of their annual Sleep Out event, aiming to raise more than £250,000 to support homeless people aged 16-25 with accommodation, learning and health.

]]> Fri, 02 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/sleep-out- http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/window-shopping From Centre Point in the east to Marble Arch in the west, Oxford Street is a mile and a half of pure, unadulterated shopping. This is where you’ll find two of the biggest department stores in the UK: John Lewis and Selfridges. Marks and Spencer has had two stores here since the 1930s. And Debenhams has been here since 1919, when the store was known as Marshall & Snelgrove, making it the original M&S.

]]> Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/window-shopping http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/fact-and-fiction To the north-east of Centre Point lies the great district of Bloomsbury, home to the Bloomsbury Festival which starts this weekend. The area is dominated by the British Museum, founded in 1753 when physician, naturalist and collector Sir Hans Sloane died and left his lifetime’s collection of 71,000 objects to the nation. An Act of Parliament established the British Museum and it has been based here ever since. Among its treasures is the Rosetta Stone, whose discovery in 1799 allowed historians to piece together parts of the Ancient Egyptian story that would otherwise have been lost forever.

]]> Fri, 19 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/fact-and-fiction http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/utopia Centre Point is the product of a fascinating period in British architecture: a time of confident experimentation and optimism about the future. It has been cited as part of the Brutalist movement, but the story is more complex than that. 

]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/utopia http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/op-to-pop The Frieze Art Fair commences in London today and runs until the 14^th of October. It is one of the best places to get a sense of what’s happening in contemporary art. To coincide with the opening, we’re taking a look back at the art that defined the 1960s.

]]> Thu, 11 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/op-to-pop http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/the-cult-of-the-consumer With the London Design Festival under way – a celebration of commercially-minded creativity across the capital – it seems a good time to look back at the visual culture of the 1960s. This was a time when sophisticated branding was suddenly everywhere: posters, packaging, glossy new magazines, and on the colour televisions that became a fixture in people’s living rooms.

]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/the-cult-of-the-consumer http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/patterns-and-parallels As London Fashion Week gets under way, it’s a good time to look back at one of the key trends that influenced London in 1966 – one which you could argue has parallels with Centre Point itself. 

]]> Mon, 17 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT http://centrepointblog.com:8080/blog/patterns-and-parallels