This Week in London – Downton Abbey in London; new evening street market for Rupert Street; and, ‘Virtual Beauty’ at Somerset House…

Highclere Castle in Hampshire which doubles as Downton Abbey in the TV series and movies. PICTURE: Tim Alex/Unsplash

Downton Abbey has popped up in London. With the final Downton Abbey movie, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale next month, Bonhams auction house are auctioning off some iconic props, costumes and set pieces from across the series and is accompanying it with a preview exhibition which is open to the public. Among the items up for sale in Downton Abbey: The Auction are everything from a 1925 Sunbeam saloon car and various dresses and costumes including Lady Mary Crawley’s wedding dress (as worn by Michelle Dockery) to a George III oak dresser (seen in the Servant’s Hall in season 1), a silver pocket watch worn by Mr Carson (played by Jim Carter) and an autographed script from episode one, season one. The display can be seen at Bonham’s salesroom at 101 New Bond Street until 16th September. Admission is free but bookings are essential. For more head to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/downton-abbey-the-auction-tickets-1555891024939

• A new evening market opens in Rupert Street, Soho, tomorrow night. The market – said to be the city’s first evening market – will be open from Mondays to Saturdays between 3pm and 10pm and will feature different themes on different days including artisan food on Wednesdays, world street food on Thursdays, vintage clothing on Fridays, and arts, crafts and jewellery on Saturday. Monday and Tuesday will be a general market. For more, see https://www.westminster.gov.uk/licensing/markets-and-street-trading/markets-westminster/rupert-street-w1.

On Now: Virtual Beauty. This exhibition at Somerset House explores the impact of digital culture and technologies on the traditional definitions of beauty today. It features the work of more than 20 artists with highlights including ORLAN’s Omniprésence (1993), a groundbreaking performance in which the artist live-streamed her own facial aesthetic surgery, and Amalia Ulman’s Excellences & Perfections, a powerful commentary on the authenticity of social media personas. There are also AI-generated portraits by Minnie Atairu, Ben Cullen Williams, and Isamaya Ffrench, and Harriet Davey, Frederik Heyman, and Andrew Thomas Huang explore digital self-expression and the creation of avatars beyond human boundaries. Not suitable for under 15s. Admission is pay what you can. Runs until 28th September. For more, see https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/whats-on/virtual-beauty.

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