British Museum boss Nicholas Cullinan’s guide to London: karaoke, and the River Café

Bloomsbury with my husband Mattias. We have friends in the area like Tracey Emin, Erdem Moralıoğlu and Philip Joseph, which is lovely. We moved there this summer, and right around the corner from the halls of residence where I lived when I first moved to London 25 years ago to study — so I’ve come full circle!

I haven’t stayed in many hotels in London, but I did stay at The Londoner hotel in June 2023, around the reopening of the National Portrait Gallery, where I was director until this year. I was there all hours of the day, and that made it a lot more civilised — especially their pool and the views across the London skyline.

In Borough with university friends in 2001 — it began my love affair with south London.

Boots Opticians on Kensington High Street every Saturday and Sunday while I studied at the Courtauld (and seven days a week during holidays). It paid for my degrees and was one of several part-time jobs while I studied, working front of house at the National Portrait Gallery, which was a great way to start.

The British Museum of course; where else can you can go around the world on your first date?

Lina Stores on Brewer Street for ravioli (and apparently negronis downstairs, although I have yet to try this), Kipper & Chalk and Dunhill for tailoring, Jack Corbett for floral arrangements and garden design, and the beautiful Cornelissen shop for artists supplies.

The River Café is always very special but a particularly memorable meal is one I had there with friends this March after being awarded the OBE at Windsor Castle (and just after I got the phone call from George Osborne to say I’d got the British Museum job). It was a big day.