Shopping Advice

Five markets under three owners, one of them now Transport for London's. The buildings are the railway's rather than Pickfords', the lock is properly Hampstead Road Lock and is a pair rather than a triple, the Electric Ballroom's demolition threat died in 2005, the Highline was cancelled in May 2026, and no reliable visitor count exists at all.

Parliament abolished the old market in the 1750s and the parishioners of St Saviour's opened a new one on new ground in 1756, which is the gap under the thousand-year claim. The only listed structure here came from Covent Garden, the Victorian ironwork is not listed at all, and the trustees are not what the statutes suggest.

One licensed market of 290 pitches, not a thousand stalls, trading a different part of the street on every day of the week and shut on bank holidays. The name, the Westway, the landmarks that are on neighbouring streets, the barriers, and the superlatives nobody official will make.

Covent Garden was nearly demolished: the Greater London Council's redevelopment plan of 1968 was defeated by a forty-two-day public inquiry and the emergency listing of more than two hundred and fifty buildings in January 1973. The wholesale market left in 1974 and Charles Fowler's Georgian market building reopened as shops in 1980.

There was a time not too many years ago when baby strollers were much like the Model-T Ford. You could have any style you wanted, so far as it was just the single type offered. With flaky rubber tires on rickety tin wheels and covered with cheap plastic, it was a thing to behold. Today, the ancestors of those old strollers are a technological wonder.

What's old is new again. For thousands of years, mothers have carried their babies in slings on the back or near the heart. Though out of fashion in many Western countries for a while, they've come back into style with a vengeance. But this ancient idea has been adapted to modern times where it's sometimes known as 'babywearing', with greatly enhanced benefits.

Think a baby hamper is just a functional item? Think again. Sure, a good hamper needs to do the job. But it can (and should) add safety, convenience and style to the list of attributes.

Every parent knows that babies can go through more clothing in a week than the average teenager getting ready for a date. The pile just keeps growing until there's time to do something about it. Which, for nannies and parents alike, is always in very short supply!

Shop for baby carriers today and you'll find a large range of slings, backpack-style and similar fabric-based devices that are great for taking the baby anywhere. They have all kinds of benefits. But they're all designed to ease carrying the child on the body. Still, the more traditional shell design retains its value as it improves technologically.

Many things about watching babies hasn't changed for thousands of years. But, happily, technology has improved one aspect dramatically. Baby monitors allow for remote viewing and listening that provides security and safety for the child and peace of mind for parents.

All About Baby Monitors

Not surprisingly, since consumer electronics has developed to such an extent over the past 10-20 years, baby monitors are now equally sophisticated. Many have become a combination of TV/Security camera, microphone and speaker, and computer all rolled into one.

When you're out in public and need a place to change the baby's diaper, you take what you can get, unless you carry a portable. But at home it's possible to get a changing table that is fully functional, ultra-safe and even supremely stylish.

What To Expect About Diaper Changing Tables

The classic changing table is a three-level affair made of hardwood supported by brackets. Because it is a classic it still performs excellent service. But contemporary designs have added extra function and style.

In generations past, choosing a baby bed was a simple affair. Most people simply made do with whatever was available. That might be one from a previous child, a generous gift from a neighbor or even a hastily improvised affair from a dresser drawer.

How To Choose Your Baby's Crib

Fortunately, today, the choices are as diverse as the babies themselves. But that introduces another challenge - selecting a good crib from all the options. That's not a bad problem to have!

Thread count is the easiest figure in the category to inflate, bamboo has to be labelled viscose, and eucalyptus silk contains no silk. What the words on the packet mean, which fibre suits what, and why an adult duvet is three times too warm for a child.