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Two diamond-encrusted Cartier brooches once owned by millionaire socialite Virginia Courtauld are going on display for the first time at her former palace home in south-east London.

Eltham Palace, a former Tudor royal residence, was transformed in the 1930s with art-deco features by Ms Courtauld and her husband Stephen.

The falcon and white Tudor rose brooches have a similar design to stained glass windows in the palace and were given as “a deeply personal gift from husband to wife”, English Heritage said.

The charity’s head collections curator, Kevin Booth, said it was “wonderful” the jewellery had found its way home after they were bought at auction.

He added: “Virginia Courtauld’s beautiful, Cartier diamond and gem-set brooches epitomise the glamorous, modern spirit that Stephen and Virginia brought to Eltham Palace.

“The brooches perfectly bring together the old in the form of Edward IV’s cyphers, and the new with a 1930s palette of pink tourmaline and blue sapphire, which is exactly what Virginia and Stephen set out to do at Eltham.

“The brooches are not only significant as pieces of high-quality Cartier workmanship, but as a deeply personal gift from husband to wife.”

The Courtaulds took over the lease of the palace in 1933 and restored it.

They retained a great hall built for Edward IV in the 1470s, which has stained glass windows that are mimicked on the brooches.

The couple commissioned the great hall windows to include Edward’s cyphers.

The jewellery, which was given as a gift from Sir Stephen in 1937, depicts the cyphers of Edward IV, including the white rose of York upon the starburst, known as Rose en Soleil, and a falcon in a fetterlock shackle.

English Heritage believes the brooches were worn by Lady Courtauld when she entertained guests.

They were bought for £19,000 at auction with a grant from the Art Fund, and a contribution from the Wolfson Foundation.

Eltham Palace was the childhood home of King Henry VIII, and was used by Tudor monarchs as a royal residence.

A landlord has been ordered by a court to pay £37,000 after 18 people were found living in a terraced house in north London.

Charles Egbiremolen, 57, was operating eight bedsits without a licence in a converted three-bedroom terraced house in Fairmead Crescent, Edgware.

Egbiremolen was found guilty of nine offences at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on 25 November and sentenced at the same court on 5 February.

A spokesperson for Barnet Council said they would “not tolerate landlords who flout the rules”.

The council was called to the property following neighbour complaints about noise, antisocial behaviour and overcrowding.

Council inspectors and the police entered the property with a warrant and found extreme overcrowding, with one room being shared by six people including babies.

Another room of 83.9 sq ft (7.8 sq m) was occupied by two tenants, the council said.

The back garden was filled with building waste, mattresses and other debris and there was a kitchen in a separate structure in the garden, inspectors said.

They added there was disrepair throughout the property, it failed to meet safety standards, had an inadequate fire alarm system, and no safe means of escape in case of fire.

Egbiremolen was found guilty of a range of offences including failing to licence the property, management and safety offences, and failure to supply statutory information to the council.

He was fined £15,000, along with a £2,000 victim surcharge and £20,000 contribution to the council’s costs.

“It is the responsibility of every landlord to make sure that their properties comply with the law and their tenants are safe,” a spokesperson for the council said.

From the first episode of EastEnders on 19 February 1985, we saw the now-familiar title sequence – the zoom out from the River Thames, revolving to show the East End, London docks and Isle of Dogs.

On that map there was no City Airport, no cluster of tall commercial buildings in the City of London, and no sign of the Canary Wharf skyscrapers.

The urban geography of the East End has changed drastically in those 40 years – and with it, the people.

Migration, changes to industry and Margaret Thatcher’s policies are some of the reasons the cockney heartland is no longer what it was. But does something of that East End identity remain?

Chris Ross, who is known as the East End Poet, buys me a coffee and reminisces about growing up in Mile End: memories of the cinema they’d sneak into, the bomb sites that were their playgrounds, the people he used to know. But he doesn’t romanticise the past.

“People say, ‘Oh, I miss the old East End.’ Yeah, what do you miss? The outside toilets or the old tin bath that you used to drag in, in front of the fire every Friday night and then take turns to get in? You know, is it that that you miss? No. No, it’s not. You miss being young; we all miss that.”

He says that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s 1980 Right to Buy scheme changed East End communities.

“In the 80s, when Mrs Thatcher sold everybody their council places – and then two years later they all sold them for a huge profit and went and moved out to the country – I think that had a huge impact to the East End to be perfectly honest.

“They all went to live in Clacton or the Costa del Sol or something, with their council house money,” says Chris, laughing.

Though himself living a bit further east now, he says something of his old manor remains.

“I still walk down the Roman [Road] and see people I knew from way back when, or their kids ortheirkids and stuff. So there is something about it. There is something about that East End ‘thing’.”

At the Cannon Workshops, in the shadow of Canary Wharf’s towers, Reginald Beer shows me his collection of antique maps. The East End is there, on an 18th Century map – literally the eastern edge of the City of London. Islington is a genteel suburb some countryside away – and there isn’t much at all south of the River Thames.

The 1951 map looks more familiar. Colour-coded, the yellow areas are derelict sites – mostly bomb damage from World War Two – covering large swathes of the East End, close to the docks.

It was during the 50s that the severe overcrowding and housing shortage were addressed. The notorious slum clearances began. People moved in large numbers to new council housing in places like the Isle of Dogs.

Reg says: “This is the time when tower blocks appeared. We lived in a house overlooking a canal. From there we moved into a prefab and we were given basically one choice because – ‘it’s coming down and you’ve gotta go’ – and we moved into a tower block.”

It wasn’t a happy time for his mother, who missed her garden and easy access to neighbours.

As a local councillor for Tower Hamlets, Reg was involved in urban regeneration. “Our plan at the time, when I look back, basically created lots and lots of council housing but not many jobs to go with that development.”

London’s docks used to be one of the largest employers in the east of the city. But the final boat was offloaded at the Royal Docks in 1981, ending a way of life that had been passed down through families for generations.

Ronald Webb is the last living union officer for the National Amalgamated Stevedores and Dockers, known as the “Blue Union”. When he and some 22,000 others lost their jobs, he says the impact on the East End was profound.

“At that particular time, you’ve got to realise the East End was made up of family communities. So if you went in a certain street, you’d save your bet that about half that street was related to one another. And once the docks closed, they moved people out to other areas and it broke up that family circle that you had there.”

Big buildings and big money stand in place of ships and busy cranes now. Here, the gap between what workers and residents earn is the largest in the UK.

A London borough is making moves to ban smartphones from its schools.

From September, 103 primary schools in Barnet will not allow smartphones to be brought in and 23 secondary schools will commit to working towards removing smartphones entirely from the school day.

This is according to theSmartphone Free Childhood(SFC) charity, which says the “groundbreaking” policy was made possible by school leaders, Barnet Public Health, Dan Tomlinson MP and the SFC community.

The charity is also encouraging parents to delay smartphone purchases until their children are at least 14 and to prevent their access to social media until they are 16.

The charity has said from this year, all new Year 7 students in the north London borough will be prohibited from bringing smartphones to school up to Year 11.

According to the SFC, this is the first policy of its kind in the UK.

The SFC says that more than 63,000 state-educated children in Barnet will benefit from a seven-hour window in the day when they can “learn, socialise and grow, free from addictive algorithms”.

The charity’s regional leader for north London, Nova Eden, said: “There is a lot of evidence to show there is a direct correlation and causative link between the use of smartphones and social media in young children and the rise in cases of depression, anxiety and self-harm.

“We really want children to be free from the dangers of smartphones and social media and to enjoy a play-based childhood, which is full of healthy development – away from devices and screens.

“When parents, schools and educational leaders come together, we can create meaningful change for the next generation,” the mother of three added.

BBC London asked members of the public about the policy.

“I think it will really help students with their engagement in their learning,” a student said.

One mantold us: “I do think it is important to prioritise reframing from using phones at school and I think it’s important to have the conversation at home with them first.”

A mother said: “We use smartphones to watch our son travel here, there and everywhere, to know that he’s safe.”

The SFC also signposts parents to other types of phones such as “brick” phones, which only allow calls and texts, or other models that can access podcasts and music, but offer no internet access.

Ms Eden said: “We are not saying no phones, just one without the dangers of the internet in the child’s pocket.

“Until these platforms are safe for children, the risks far outweigh the benefits of having a smartphone.”

It follows a similar announcement by Ealing Council last month, in which more than 70 primary schools in the borough pledged to go smartphone-free.

The running total of schools in north London that are now implementing or working towards becoming smartphone-free is 250, said the SFC.

“This is about the tragedy of modern childhood – children don’t need smartphones, childreen need a childhood and we urgently need the government to act now,” Ms Eden added.

Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet, said: “The use of smartphones by schoolchildren is an unnecessary distraction from education and a huge risk to their mental health and wellbeing.

“I’m grateful to Smartphone Free Childhood and educators across Barnet for their work to prioritise children’s safety.”

The BBC has approached Barnet Council for comment.

Merton Council has warned the public to avoid the River Wandle after a major diesel spill polluted the “at-risk” south-west London chalk stream.

The spill had spread from Wallington to Wandsworth, causing significant damage to local wildlife and water quality,the Local Democracy Reporting Service(LDRS) reported.

About4,000 litres of diesel reportedly leaked from a bus depot storage tankin Thornton Heath, Croydon. The spillage entered the river and surface water drains and spread throughout the river.

Residents reported seeing birds coated in oil, struggling to clean themselves and survive in the contaminated water.

The LDRS said despite the efforts of emergency teams from the Environment Agency, there were growing concerns about the long-term damage to the river’s ecosystem.

Merton Council confirmed the spill had severely impacted the Watermeads Nature Reserve in Mitcham, with numerous local wildlife species already affected by the oil.

Stuart Neaverson, Labour councillor for the Colliers Wood ward, near the Wandle, said online the London Fire Brigade (LFB) had been working to contain the spill, with fire trucks and officers “trying their best to stop the flow and take the pollutants out of the river”.

Thames Water is also involved in the clean-up efforts and the public is advised to stay clear of the contaminated water.

Merton Council also urged residents to avoid allowing pets into the water and to refrain from feeding wildlife, as doing so could result in animals ingesting the harmful pollutants.

According to the LDRS, the Environment Agency said it had launched a full investigation into the cause of the spill and Merton Council said it would provide updates as more information becomes available.

Concerns remain high over the lasting effects on the river, which has been a focus of environmental efforts for many years.

Bobby Dean, the Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington, who has previously campaigned to improve the protection of the Wandle, said he was pushing the Environment Agency for answers, an immediate clean-up plan and safeguards to ensure “something like this never occurs again”.

“This should never have happened,” he added.

The River Wandle begins in the North Downs and flows nine miles (14km) through Sutton, Croydon, and Wandsworth before reaching the Thames.

One of London’s few chalk streams, it is home to brown trout, chub, barbel and roach, making it a popular spot for anglers.

However, a report by the LDRS last year found that Thames Water may not take action to protect the river from sewage until 2035.

Thames Water is conducting an ecological assessment to determine priorities, with potential works on the Wandle possibly brought forward to 2027.

A PhD student accused of raping 10 women using alcohol and drugs has denied buying a drug from China in order to carry out sexual assaults on women.

Zhenhao Zou, who denies all charges, began giving evidence during his trial at Inner London Crown Court on Monday.

Asked about his online purchase of two bottles of Butanediol that were found in his wardrobe by police, Mr Zou said he intended to take the drug in nightclubs to get high.

He said he poured it into drinks and drank them himself in order to feel “happier in parties”.

Asked if he intended to use that substance to carry out sexual assaults on women, he replied: “No.”

The 27-year-old is accused of drugging and raping three women in London and seven in China between 2019 and 2023. He denies the charges.

On Monday he told the court that he came into contact with drugs like cocaine and ketamine from parties and going to nightclubs while he was a PhD student at University College London (UCL).

In a prepared statement he gave to police in January 2024 following his arrest, which was read to jurors, Mr Zou said: “The two bottles in my room were bought in July 2023 and the substance is Butanediol which I use for moisturising my face and body.

“The bottles are sealed because I had not used it yet as I had not finished my moisturiser.”

Earlier in court he said he purchased the drug from online retailer Taobao in China and had it delivered to him in the UK.

Asked by his barrister if it was true that he used Butanediol as a moisturiser, he said no.

Mr Zou said he did not tell the police about taking the drug because he didn’t want to be considered as a drug user.

In his January 2024 statement to police, Mr Zou also said: “I am in the habit of taking pictures of my sexual activity with my sexual partners. The pictures are only taken with her consent and agreement.

“As to the allegation of rape I deny having sexual intercourse with a partner without her consent and I always believed she consented to it.”

Earlier on Monday Mr Zou told the court his “favourite” pornography involved sleeping women.

Asked by his lawyer Mark Cotter KC why that type of pornography appealed to him, Mr Zou said: “I like it because the girl appears to be still and quiet when they are having sex.”

Mr Cotter then asked Mr Zou: “What about being asleep?”

The student replied: “Yes, that’s my favourite type. But I could not find that.”

The jury has previously been shown videos the prosecution alleges show Mr Zou having sex with drunk and unconscious women.

At the trial two women have testified that he raped them as they drifted in and out of consciousness.

Mr Zou said told the court he grew up in China and then came to study at university in the UK.

He said he returned to China between March 2020 and July 2021 because of the Covid pandemic.

Prosecutors said Mr Zou appears to be “a smart and charming young man” but is in fact “a persistent sexual predator, a voyeur and a rapist”.

He denies 11 charges of raping 10 different women. The trial continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

Jackets worn by retired British Army veterans are getting a new lease of life before they go on display at the Chelsea Flower Show.

The distinctive red jackets with black cuffs and gold buttons worn by Chelsea Pensioners, who live at Royal Hospital Chelsea in south-west London, are being recycled into cushions.

Veterans are helping to dismantle the wool garments – which are being phased out for an easier to wear fabric – while the sewing is being done by prisoners through an initiative by the charity Fine Cell Work.

“It is quite therapeutic,” says Chelsea Pensioner Anne Lloyd as she unpicks a seam, pops off a button and snips away fabric from a ceremonial scarlet uniform.

Each piece is being deconstructed and sewn back together as cushions for seating in the London Square Chelsea Pensioners Garden, being exhibited at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

The show is held each May in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea.

Ms Lloyd, 79, says she is a “new girl” at the Royal Chelsea Hospital, having moved there last November.

Putting on the scarlet jacket for the first time was memorable.

“Oh it’s wonderful,” she says. “It’s such a privilege. As soon as you put it on, you’re six inches taller.”

She says she is looking forward to seeing the end result of the transformed uniforms.

After the flower show, the exhibited garden will become a private space for Chelsea Pensioners, their families and other non-resident veterans – including the seating with its scarlet upholstery.

“And the joy is also going to be the fact that we can keep it afterwards and then all the pensioners can go and enjoy the garden,” she adds.

Fine Cell Work aims to rehabilitate people who are serving time, or prison leavers, by giving them skills in embroidery and needlework.

The charity is working with the pensioners on the project.

Workshops manager Jordanne Cliffe says: “The original intention when we started Fine Cell Work 26 years ago was to allow prisoners the opportunity to learn new skills in embroidery and needlework.

“About seven years ago we created our post-release programme so that those who have stitched with us when they were in prison, can join us post-release to continue that support.”

The cushions will be taken into prisons to have the final touches applied by those taking part in workshops, before being installed at the Chelsea Flower Show.

An aspiring ballroom dancer, who was seven when he was injured by a bomb in his native Ukraine, has become the subject of an award-winning London film.

Romchyk is the true story of Roman Oleksiv, who was badly burned in a Russian missile strike in July 2022 which also killed his mother.

The movie was filmed by students at Goldsmiths, University of London, in and around their campus in New Cross.

It was shown to the Pope during the Vatican’s global summit looking into protecting children from war.

The film was the brainchild of Kostiantyn Bidnenko, who proposed making a short piece about Roman to his fellow Goldsmiths MA students.

It examines the boy’s recovery and attempts to pursue his dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

“I saw a news article about what happened to Roman,” Mr Bidnenko said.

“For me, he became a symbol of all children who suffer because of war.”

Lara Kozah, who was also part of the student production team, said: “It was a challenge to convincingly transform London into Ukraine for the filming.

“We used a nearby park for the outdoor scenes. We repurposed a classroom for the hospital scenes.

“We built a bedroom in a studio from scratch.”

A local Ukrainian society helped them cast the actors.

They met the Pope to show him the film during the Vatican’s International Summit on Children’s Rights in early February.

Ms Kozah said it was a “surreal experience” and an honour.

“The Holy Father really engaged with the film,” she said.

“We want to show this story worldwide to show people what the real consequences of war are for children.”

Romchyk won an award at the Cambria Film Festival in California, and is being entered into other international short film festivals.

Mr Bidnenko said: “The biggest award for me is that Roman and his father really liked this film and the careful way we handled his story.”

Additional reporting by Clifford Thompson

A declining birth rate in London is responsible for a continued drop in demand for school places in the capital, according to anew report.

London Councils, a local government collective, has reported a predicted decrease of 3.6% in the capital’s reception pupil numbers over the next four years.

It attributed this to a 20% decrease in the birth rate in London between 2012 and 2022.

Ian Edwards, from London Councils, said boroughs were supporting schools as the demand for places declined.

The cross-party organisation has also predicted a 2.9% decrease in demand for pupils beginning secondary school, roughly equivalent to 100 year 7 classes.

Lower pupil numbers impact the amount of funding a school receives, which can lead to schools making difficult decisions to balance their budgets.

This could include a reduction in staff numbers, which may impact a school’s ability to support children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), London Councils said.

Other decisions includemerging or closing schools.

While the large majority of London boroughs are forecasting ongoing drops in pupil numbers, some boroughs are predicting growth.

According to the report, seven outer London boroughs are predicting an increase in reception pupil admissions and four outer London boroughs are anticipating a rise in Year 7 admissions over the next four years.

These London boroughs have not been named in the report.

London Councils said the declining birth rate in the capital was the main reason for the decrease in demand for school places.

Between 2012 and 2022 there was a reduction of 27,490 live births across the capital.

London Councils attributed this decline to a shortage of affordable family housing in the capital.

Mr Edwards, London Councils executive member for children and young people, said it was a “difficult climate” but councils were determined to ensure there were sufficient high quality school places in each local area.

“Boroughs will continue to work closely with key education partners in London to mitigate the impact of this drop in demand for school places on school budgets and children’s achievements,” he said.

New images have been released of an unidentified woman who was killed 50 years ago when she was struck by a car while walking along a main road.

Locate International, a charity which investigates cold cases of missing and unidentified people, said the woman was struck by one or more vehicles on the A1 near Baldock, Hertfordshire, in the early hours of 18 February 1975.

Despite numerous appeals, her identity has still not been confirmed, but in 2010 police discovered she may have been French and had lived in Paris.

Hertfordshire Police said: “We never completely close unsolved murder or unexplained death cases and any information we receive will be treated with the upmost importance by the Cold Case team.”

When the woman was found on the southbound carriageway of the A1 near the A507 slipway, she was not wearing shoes and her feet were not dirty.

After an appeal in June 2010, which contained a facial reconstruction of the woman, a couple came forward to say they recognised her as a young French woman who had stayed with them in the early 1970s.

David Liversedge had met her in 1972 when she was hitch-hiking on London’s North Circular road during a thunderstorm.

She then went on to stay with David and his wife, Barbara, at their home near Baldock and gave her name as Odile.

She worked making souvenirs at Plug International on an industrial estate in Henlow, Bedfordshire, and would regularly visit Stotfold Social Club. She also had friends in Newquay, Cornwall.

She then went to Cambridge to study at a language school.

Locate International said it had uncovered an article from the Cambridge Evening News on 25 November 1972 which mentions an Odile Ledoux, a 20-year-old French woman studying English in Cambridge, who was not injured in a house fire.

“Since this latest breakthrough we are now actively investigating the name Odile Ledoux in the UK and in France,” a spokesman for Locate International said.

Locate International said a statement from a milkman who had picked up her up shortly before her death said she had appeared scared or worried.

The charity said it also believed she may have come into physical harm at some point in the months building up to her death.

Witness statements also suggest she may have used the name Anne, Anna, or a variation thereof, as well as Odile.

Mark Greenhalgh, Locate International’s CEO, said: ” If she was alive today, she would be in her late 60s to mid-70s, so we are eager for people to come forward before it is too late.”