Letter to The Independent: I applaud Lord Bragg's comments about London and culture
Vivienne Littlechild, chairman of the City's Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee, agrees that London leads the cultural world
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/melvyn-bragg-why-i-think-london-is-back-as-a-global-centre-of-culture-a6668496.html
Sir –
Lord Bragg’s comments about London and its cultural activity are music to my ears (‘How the arts changed Britain… with a hug’, The Independent on Sunday, 27 September).
He is entirely right to mention the City of London which, as well as being a leading global financial centre, is home to a vibrant and developing cultural hub based around the Barbican Centre, where Benedict Cumberbatch’s acclaimed Hamlet is enthralling audiences every night, and the Museum of London, which attracts around one million visitors every year. The City’s Guildhall School of Music & Drama has, arguably, trained many of the UK’s first-class actors to which Lord Bragg refers, and Damien Hirst, Anthony Gormley, Lynn Chadwick and Ai Weiwei are among the leading artists lending their work to the annual Sculpture in the City public art exhibition based around the iconic Gherkin. Long may we continue to celebrate the city’s – and the City’s – love of the arts and their ability to enrich people’s lives.
Yours faithfully
VIVIENNE LITTLECHILD
Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Culture, Heritage and Libraries Committee.