MARYLEBONE JOURNAL P.44 RAJVI VORA OF KASTUR JEWELS ON INDIAN JEWELLERY CULTURE AND TIMELESS DESIGN
P.16 WHY ARGENTINIAN CHEF DIEGO JACQUET HAS TURNED HIS ATTENTION TO PIZZA P.22 THE UNCONVENTIONAL LIFE OF WILKIE COLLINS
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MARYLEBONE JOURNAL ISSUE NO.103 BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE HOWARD DE WALDEN ESTATE AND THE PORTMAN ESTATE Cover: Rajvi Vora of Kastur Jewels by Paul Imago
Marylebone Journal marylebonejournal.com Marylebone Village marylebonevillage.com Instagram: @marylebonevillage Twitter: @MaryleboneVllge Portman Marylebone portmanmarylebone.com Instagram: @portmanmarylebone Publisher LSC Publishing lscpublishing.com Editor Mark Riddaway mark@lscpublishing.com Advertising sales Donna Earrey 020 7401 2772 donna@lscpublishing.com Contributers Jean-Paul Aubin-Parvu Lauren Bravo Ellie Costigan Clare Finney Orlando Gili Andrew Lycett Viel Richardson Design and art direction Em-Project Limited mike@em-project.com Owned and supported by The Howard de Walden Estate 23 Queen Anne Street, W1G 9DL 020 7580 3163 hdwe.co.uk annette.shiel@hdwe.co.uk The Portman Estate 40 Portman Square, W1H 6LT 020 7563 1400 portmanestate.co.uk rebecca.eckles@portmanestate.co.uk
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
Events, exhibitions, film, music, shopping, talks, theatre and walks
IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
3 A CLOSER LOOK
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Q&A: 16 JENNIE ALLEN
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Food, style, home, wellbeing and healthcare
The owner of the new Florencio restaurant explains why an acclaimed Argentinian chef has turned his attention to pizza
A LIFE LESS ORDINARY
Q&A: 42 22 WILLIAM CHURCH
The unconventional life of author and Marylebone man Wilkie Collins, born 200 years ago this year
THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
Faye Jordan, a trustee of Doorstep Library
The founder of Bayley and Sage on high-quality food producers, female leadership, and her visceral dislike of pears
The co-owner of Joseph Cheaney & Sons on following in his family’s well-shod footsteps
STYLE 31 PHILOSOPHY
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ANATOMY OF A DESIGN
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Rajvi Vora of Kastur Jewels on Indian jewellery culture and timeless design
Shiro Muchiri of SoShiro, on a piece of furniture that provides a stage for the art of Kenyan beadworkers
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HOPE MONTESSORI SCHOOL 3 Cramer St (Corner of St Vincent Street) Admin@HopeMontessoriSchool.com +44 (0) 7919 84 48 53 HopeMontessoriSchool.com
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE EVENTS EXHIBITIONS FILM MUSIC SHOPPING TALKS THEATRE WALKS 3.
THEATRE 19 FEBRUARY, 7.30pm JARMAN: THE STORY OF DEREK JARMAN Marylebone Theatre Rudolf Steiner House 35 Park Road, NW1 6XT marylebonetheatre.com
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This thought-provoking solo play from Mark Farrelly tells the story of the radical filmmaker and painter Derek Jarman whose influence both as an artist and a gay-rights campaigner remains as strong as ever.
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THEATRE 22 FEBRUARY, 7pm NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: VANYA Regent Street Cinema 307 Regent Street, W1B 2HW regentstreetcinema.com
2. 1. National Theatre Live: Vanya, Regent Street Cinema 2. Steven Isserlis, Wigmore Hall 3. Jarman: The Story of Derek Jarman, Marylebone Theatre 4. Vox Luminis, Wigmore Hall
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Andrew Scott brings to life the multiple characters of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya in Simon Stephens’ radical new one-man version of the 19th century Russian masterpiece, broadcast live from the stage of its sold-out, ecstatically received West End run. MUSIC 22 FEBRUARY, 7.30pm STEVEN ISSERLIS & MISHKA RUSHDIE MOMEN Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk In a combination of lecture and recital, cellist Steven Isserlis offers his considerable insight into two major works written by Beethoven for the combination of cello and piano, before being joined by pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen to perform the pieces in full.
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MUSIC
Belgian vocal ensemble Vox Luminis offer their own distinctive take on Domenico Scarlatti’s epic Stabat Mater, a musical testament to the suffering of the Virgin Mary written in 1725. This is preceded by rarer repertory by 17th century composers Domenico Mazzocchi and Alessandro Della Ciaia. 21 FEBRUARY, 7.30pm VOX LUMINIS Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
1. Clio Duo, St Marylebone Parish Church 2. Le Nozze di Figaro, The Cockpit 3. W ide-Angle View, RIBA 4. K acper Kowalski, Atlas Gallery
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MUSIC
St Marylebone’s free lunchtime concert series provides a showcase for musicians studying at the Royal Academy of Music. February’s performance features Clio Duo, formed last year by Inis Oírr Asano (violin) and Alexia Daphne Eleftheriadou (piano). 23 FEBRUARY, 1pm LUNCHTIME CONCERT WITH CLIO DUO St Marylebone Parish Church 17 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LT stmarylebone.org DANCE 22 FEBRUARY, 7pm BOULEVARD HUMAINE The Hellenic Centre 16-18 Paddington Street, W1U 5AS helleniccentre.org
EXHIBITION UNTIL 24 FEBRUARY WIDE-ANGLE VIEW RIBA Architecture Gallery 66 Portland Place, W1B 1AD architecture.com
Inspired by Okho, a percussion piece written by French-Greek composer Iannis Xenakis to mark the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, choreographer Zoi Dimitriou’s new dance work for three female dancers comes to The Hellenic Centre for one night only.
In the 1960s, the Architectural Review magazine created a bold new approach to architectural writing and photography. This free exhibition shows off over 70 photographs from the magazine’s groundbreaking Manplan series, which explored architecture’s impact on people and society.
MUSIC 21 – 24 FEBRUARY LE NOZZE DI FIGARO The Cockpit Gateforth Street, NW8 8EH thecockpit.org.uk The acclaimed Baroque opera company Ensemble OrQuesta brings a new minimalist production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) to The Cockpit stage, accompanied by the Hastings Philharmonic Orchestra Ensemble and conducted by Predrag Gosta. 4 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
MUSIC 25 FEBRUARY, 7.30pm QUATUOR ÉBÈNE Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk French string quartet Quatuor Ébène, famed for its versatility across numerous genres, performs works by Mozart and Grieg, together with Russian composer Alfred Schnittke’s String Quartet No 3 from 1983, which directly references Beethoven, Lassus and Shostakovich. THEATRE 28 – 29 FEBRUARY, 7.45pm MOHAND & PETER The Cockpit Gateforth Street, NW8 8EH thecockpit.org.uk
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Presented by PSYCHEdelight, a theatre company that offers a creative platform for refugees and people seeking asylum, Mohand & Peter is an uproarious celebration of Mohand Hasb Alrosol Abdalrahem’s home country of Sudan and his cross-cultural friendship with Peter Pearson.
EXHIBITION
Polish photographer Kacper Kowalski produces stunning aerial imagery of his home country. Shot from high above the ground, scenes of city and country become almost abstract in their composition. This exhibition includes early works as well as his two latest projects, Arché and Event Horizon. UNTIL 2 MARCH KACPER KOWALSKI Atlas Gallery 49 Dorset Street, W1U 7NF atlasgallery.com
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
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HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
MUSIC 3 MARCH, 12pm RESOUNDING SHORES: MUSIC FOR THE THEATRE AND THE ALEHOUSE Royal Academy of Music Marylebone Road, NW1 5HT ram.ac.uk
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The Resounding Shore concert series celebrates the work and legacy of Henry Purcell and his peers. In the second instalment, baroque violinist Bjarte Eike leads a high-energy performance of music for the theatre by Matthew Locke, John Blow and Purcell. MUSIC 7 MARCH, 8pm SOFAR SOUNDS The Orchard 1 Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7AL tickettailor.com/events/xwhy
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Sofar Sounds hosts small musical performances in intimate spaces all over the world, including regular appearances at The Orchard clubspace in Marylebone. Each event consists of three different artists from a variety of genres. Tickets are free and available to all.
MUSIC 2 MARCH, 2pm IMAGINE SERIES: DONALD GRANT AND FRIENDS Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk
SPOKEN WORD 7 – 8 MARCH REVOLUTION EARTH Marylebone Theatre Rudolf Steiner House 35 Park Road, NW1 6XT marylebonetheatre.com
The Imagine Series offers relaxed and low-stimulus concerts ideal for some neurodivergent people and those who enjoy an informal environment. In this afternoon show, violinist Donald Grant presents a set of traditional and contemporary folk music from Scotland.
Poet and novelist Sir Ben Okri and dance artist Charlotte Jarvis present a dramatic collision of poetry and movement, responding to the ecological catastrophe facing humanity and exploring themes of history, the secret lives of women, and the toughness of hope.
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EXHIBITION
London-based artist Kira Phoenix K’inan presents a new collection of glass sculptures, works on paper, installations and multi-exposure photography notable for their rich colour palette, dynamic lines and intricate, painstaking creative processes. 26 FEBRUARY – 2 MARCH KIRA PHOENIX K’INAN: LIVING ROOMS 67 York Street Gallery 67 York Street, W1H 1QA 67yorkstreet.com
3. 1. Bjarte Eike, Royal Academy of Music 2. Sir Ben Okri, Marylebone Theatre 3. K ira Phoenix K’inan, 67 York Street Gallery 4. Ancient Tastes, Hellenic Centre 5. Barbara Hannigan, Royal Academy of Music
FOOD 9 MARCH, 5pm ANCIENT TASTES: TRADITION AND CHANGE IN HELLENISTIC ATHENS The Hellenic Centre 16-18 Paddington Street, W1U 5AS helleniccentre.org Experience a taste of Athens in the Hellenistic era (32332BCE). Following a lecture by food archaeologist Mariana Kavroulaki on how the city’s cuisine evolved, guests will get to enjoy some of the foods that were served at the Athenian tables.
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
MUSIC 12 – 15 MARCH, 7pm ROYAL ACADEMY OPERA: ALBERT HERRING Royal Academy of Music Marylebone Road, NW1 5HT ram.ac.uk
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Royal Academy Opera presents one of the comic masterpieces of the 20th century: Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring. Conducted by Geoffrey Paterson, the next generation of opera stars bring to life the hysteria, claustrophobia and wonder of this beloved chamber opera.
MUSIC 15 MARCH, 1pm BARBARA HANNIGAN CONDUCTS THE ACADEMY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA Royal Academy of Music Marylebone Road, NW1 5HT ram.ac.uk Renowned conductor Barbara Hannigan leads a programme opening with Haydn’s Symphony No 49, followed by two pieces by Hungarian composer György Ligeti. The concert concludes with Claude Vivier’s Bouchara, featuring soprano Caroline Blair.
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
Q&A: JENNIFER ATKINS
The sales manager at 28°-50° on the music, food and atmosphere at the restaurant group’s basement jazz venue, 28°-50° By Night Interview: Mark Riddaway
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Q: How did you come to be working here at 28°-50°? A: I’m from Sheffield but grew up in the south of Spain – my parents moved us out there when I was eight. I got my first job in a restaurant at 14 and I loved it from the start – it’s just so fast-paced and exciting. In Spain, being a waiter is quite a noble thing to do and they take the profession really seriously. When I was 18, I decided to travel to Australia, as you do. I worked on the waterfront in Sydney in a place called Barangaroo: super busy, beautiful surroundings, serving amazing food and wine. I climbed the ranks there then moved to Dublin and worked for Dylan McGrath who’s like Ireland’s answer to Gordon Ramsay. He’s a character and his passion for food rubs off on everyone. Fast forward to now – I joined the 28°50° group four years ago. February of 2020, right before it all locked down! What did you do with everything closed? My role involves a lot of business 8 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
development, and we developed several new restaurants during lockdown. We took the opportunity to grow and build, which turned out to be a great decision. Sadly, a lot of hospitality businesses couldn’t find a way to navigate through, but in the aftermath of that awful situation there were suddenly lots of cool spaces available in London. One of those was a basement space right next to the original 28°-50° on Marylebone Lane, and that’s what we’ve turned into 28°-50° By Night. What was the idea behind 28°-50° By Night? Within 28°-50°, our brand is all about amazing wine, food and service. Our aim was to emulate what we normally do but add another of our owner’s loves: live jazz music. It’s kind of a nod to the old-school New York jazz clubs: brick walls, cosy basement vibes, late license. It feels like a speakeasy, kind of secret and cool. That starts at the door: it’s not an obvious entrance; it’s like a hidden gem.
How do you go about programming the music? We’ve got a great guy on board called Alex Wood. He’s a musician himself and runs a music agency, so we commissioned him to manage our music. I feed back to him on what we want, what the musicians are saying, what the crowd is saying, and we try to come up with the perfect formula. There’s a balance we have to strike in the identity of the place. You have your real jazz heads who want to just come in, have a Diet Coke and totally immerse themselves in listening to jazz. But also, you’ve got people who love the 28°-50° food and wine and are here for the whole experience. We need a programme that works for both. It needs to meet the mood through the week as well – the Tuesday crowd is very different to the Saturday night crowd. How does the venue balance the competing demands of listening and socialising?
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
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It’s a really hard balance to strike. In places like Ronnie Scott’s, you’ll get shushed in the crowd. We never wanted that for our venue because we have such a varied clientele. We want to be taken seriously as a jazz venue, but we also need to be giving people the experience they want from the night. Part of that is about using the space well. We’ve got two sections: close to the stage there’s a pool of tables where you’re up close to the performance and can listen to the more intricate elements of the music; at the back, there’s a step up to a different level, where people can have a chat and enjoy the music as a secondary factor. We’ve got a great host who knows the place like the back of her hand and can ask people what kind of experience they want. What’s the experience like for the musicians? The feedback has been really positive. The acoustics are good, the crowd reception is good, and they like the 9 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
concept, which is really important. We always give them a great meal, a nice table, and if they want a glass of wine that’s no problem. At a lot of clubs, they come to the back entrance and are shoved into a staff room. These things make a difference. It’s a small circuit and we need the best musicians wanting to play here rather than somewhere else, especially on a Friday and Saturday night when it’s really competitive. What is the food and drink offering? It’s the same menu as the main restaurant. The concept is modern European, mainly French focused. We’ve also got a cheese and charcuterie board for people who don’t want a full meal, and of course our whole concept at 28°-50° is wine-led. We’ve won multiple awards for our wine lists. We’ve got our cellar wines, which are really exclusive – we’ve got your 1901 Lafite Rothschild, if that’s what you want – but we also offer an extensive list of really interesting wines by the glass. At 28°-50° By Night we’re also doing cocktails and a great top-shelf selection of spirits, it being a speakeasy. Sipping a really nice whisky, a bit of jazz – what’s more classic than that, frankly? Looking back over the past two years at 28°-50° By Night, what have the highlights been for you? We’ve had Emma Smith in a couple of times. She’s a jazz superstar with this amazing husky voice, and I was kind of starstruck. She always creates such a sexy, moody atmosphere. Another highlight was our first New Year’s Eve. We had James Hudson and his band in, and it was fantastic. We had all the clients up waving their napkins around at the countdown. We got the champagne magnums out and everyone was dancing and celebrating. It was just really, really cool. Honestly, one of the best nights of my career. 28°-50° BY NIGHT 76 Jason Court, W1U 2SJ 2850bynight.co.uk
1. Jennifer Atkins, 28°-50° By Night 2. A performance at 28°-50° By Night 3. Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, Wigmore Hall
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MUSIC 18 MARCH, 1pm MASABANE CECILIA RANGWANASHA Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk South African soprano Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha, one of the BBC New Generation Artists, performs works by her compatriot Stephanus Le Roux Marais and African American composer Alma Bazel Androzzo alongside pieces by Strauss, Mahler and Wagner. DISCUSSION 19 MARCH, 6.30pm UCL: HOW TO FAST FORWARD IMPACT THROUGH VOLUNTEERING The Orchard 1 Great Cumberland Place, W1H 7AL tickettailor.com/events/xwhy Hosted by UCL, this free public event sees Selin YigitbasiDucker, founder of Goodsted, and Ali Omar Ali, founder of the NGO Lebanese Spotlight, discuss the importance and benefits of volunteering.
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
THEATRE
Broadcast live from the West End, The Motive and the Cue is a fierce, funny new play written by Jack Thorne and directed by Sam Mendes. Mark Gatiss and Johnny Flynn star as John Gielgud and Richard Burton clashing heads on the set of a troubled Broadway show. 21 MARCH, 7pm NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE: THE MOTIVE AND THE CUE Regent Street Cinema 307 Regent Street, W1B 2HW regentstreetcinema.com
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MUSIC 20 MARCH, 7.30pm ALEXANDRE KANTOROW Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk
EXHIBITION 13 – 29 MARCH ANGELA A’COURT & SIMEON STAFFORD Thompson’s Gallery 3 Seymour Place, W1H 5AZ thompsonsgallery.co.uk
Young French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, winner of the 2019 International Tchaikovsky Competition and the 2024 Gilmore Artist Award, makes his highly anticipated Wigmore Hall debut with a broad-ranging programme including works by Bach, Bartók, Brahms, Liszt and Rachmaninov.
This exhibition brings together two artists who focus on the joys of everyday life. Simeon Stafford captures the vibrancy and jocularity of his Cornwall home, while Angela A’Court uses soft pastel, painting, printing, collaging and paper making to create beautiful, simple still lifes.
MUSIC 26 MARCH, 3.30pm NASH ENSEMBLE: SIDE-BY-SIDE Wigmore Hall 36 Wigmore Street, W1U 2BP wigmore-hall.org.uk ram.ac.uk
THEATRE 21 MARCH – 20 APRIL THE DREAM OF A RIDICULOUS MAN Marylebone Theatre Rudolf Steiner House 35 Park Road, NW1 6XT marylebonetheatre.com
Academy students perform alongside members of one of Britain’s finest and most adventurous chamber groups, the Nash Ensemble, in a concert featuring works by Harrison Birtwhistle and two new pieces by composition students.
Adapted by Laurence Boswell from a short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, this new play tells the story of a deeply depressed man who dreams of a beautiful future earth and attempts to persuade a cynical world that what he’s seen is possible.
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HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
1. Alexandre Kantorow, Wigmore Hall 2. Coppelia, Marylebone Theatre 3. Hidden Dreams by Angela A’Court, Thompson’s Gallery 4. National Theatre Live: The Motive and the Cue, Regent Street Cinema 5. T he Doge’s Palace from the Ponte della Paglia by Richard Parkes Bonington, The Wallace Collection
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EXHIBITION UNTIL 21 APRIL TURNER AND BONINGTON: WATERCOLOURS FROM THE WALLACE COLLECTION The Wallace Collection Manchester Square, W1U 3BN wallacecollection.org This free, one-room exhibition brings together 10 watercolour landscapes by JMW Turner and Richard Parkes Bonington – the first time the works have been on display in 17 years – with subjects ranging from Scarborough beach to the Doge’s Palace in Venice.
DANCE 24 – 27 APRIL COPPELIA Marylebone Theatre Rudolf Steiner House 35 Park Road, NW1 6XT marylebonetheatre.com The Marylebone Theatre’s first diversion into dance sees Kevan Allen’s KVN Dance Company bring a contemporary edge to the classic French ballet Coppelia, which charts the dramatic impact on a small village of a lifesized clockwork doll created by the eccentric Dr Coppelius.
HAPPENINGS IN MARYLEBONE
1. Zurigo by Franco Fontana, Atlas Gallery 2. Autumn Leaves by David Gleeson, Thompson’s Gallery 3. Ranjit Singh: Sikh, Warrior, King, The Wallace Collection
EXHIBITION UNTIL SUMMER THE LEISURE CENTRE The Brown Collection 1 Bentinck Mews, W1U 2AF glenn-brown.co.uk
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EXHIBITION
Since the early 1960s, the pioneering Italian photographer Franco Fontana has been creating abstract landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes with a richness of colour that has seen his work compared to the paintings of Mark Rothko and Barnett Newman. This exhibition brings together some of his best-known images, as well as never-seen-before rarities. 21 MARCH – 4 MAY FRANCO FONTANA Atlas Gallery 49 Dorset Street, W1U 7NF atlasgallery.com
EXHIBITION 10 APRIL – 20 OCTOBER RANJIT SINGH: SIKH, WARRIOR, KING The Wallace Collection Manchester Square, W1U 3BN wallacecollection.org This major exhibition explores the life and personality of the great Sikh leader Ranjit Singh, who ruled the Punjab in the early 19th century. Through over 100 exquisite artworks, including jewellery and weaponry, the exhibition explores how his reign brought about a golden age.
EXHIBITION 23 FEBRUARY – 4 MAY ACCORDION FIELDS Lisson Gallery 27 Bell Street, NW1 5BY 67 Lisson Street, NW1 5DA lissongallery.com
EXHIBITION 24 APRIL – 10 MAY DAVID GLEESON & TERESA LAWLER Thompson’s Gallery 3 Seymour Place, W1H 5AZ thompsonsgallery.co.uk
Across both of its Marylebone sites, Lisson Gallery presents a wide-ranging group exhibition of paintings from crossgenerational artists, each of whom began their careers in London after attending one of the city’s renowned art schools.
Featuring new work from both artists, this show brings together Teresa Lawler’s stylised houses inserted into fictitious landscapes, alongside David Gleeson’s quiet stilllife, which meditate on the transience of time and the wonders of the ordinary.
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This exhibition combines Glenn Brown’s own works with those of artists past and present whose paintings and sculptures have become part of his personal collection. The title, he says, questions not so much what a leisure centre is but where the centre of our leisure might be found.
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IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
IN PROFILE
DIEGO JACQUET The owner of the new Florencio restaurant on why, as an acclaimed Argentinian chef, he has turned his attention to pizza Words: Clare Finney
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IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
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IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
“You can come back from serving red wine instead of white. You can come back from forgetting a side salad. But if the pizza is not what it’s supposed to be? There is no coming back from that,” Diego Jacquet proclaims. The Argentinian chef has opened and run many restaurants during his life, including Zoilo, his much-loved grill restaurant on Marylebone’s Duke Street. But opening his pizza restaurant Florencio on Seymour Place has, he says, been his greatest challenge to date. For one thing, pizza is his favourite food. “People are surprised, when you’re a chef from a Michelin star background,” he laughs. “They think you’ll say foie gras or caviar – but chefs are more normal than you realise.” Having a place where he can create and serve his Platonic ideal of a pizza is, therefore, something of a lifelong dream. “It’s not come out of the blue. My career has been in fine dining – but everywhere I have worked and travelled, I’ve always explored different pizzerias. It’s a part of who I am,” he says seriously. He’s not a pizzaiola – he wants to make that clear. After leaving Buenos Aires as a highly ambitious young chef determined to make his name in Europe, Diego worked at El Bulli in Spain under Ferran Adrià during the Catalan restaurant’s inexorable rise
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from hidden gem to world-famous era-defining culinary institution. He followed this up with stints in high-end restaurants in New York, Sweden and London before finally opening a place of his own, Zoilo, which embraced the diversity of his home country’s environment and culture and challenged British perceptions of Argentinian food as something that begins and ends with hunks of red meat. “I am coming at pizza from a chef’s perspective,” he continues. “I want to be humble, and I have a huge respect for pizzaiolas. But pizza is very linked to my memories and my childhood in Argentina, and I think a lot of chefs, after establishing their flagship restaurant, want to invest their energy in something close to them; something that connects them with who they are.” After the high stakes of haute cuisine and the fronds and frills of fine dining, they want something ‘real’ – and that, for many, means something simple and comforting. The irony and, for Diego, also the appeal, is that such food is not really simple at all – at least not if you want quality. Though the streets of any major city are paved with bad burgers, pizzas, sandwiches and fried chicken wings, good versions of the same are a curious rarity. “The simpler the food is, the riskier the
business. You might think, as a chef with a name, that opening a posh burger or pizza place means success is guaranteed,” he explains – “but that’s not the case, necessarily.” Great ones are like gold dust – because as Diego knows, it’s not just ingredients that count. Nor is it technique, experience, equipment, time or even love, that elusive essential. “It’s the whole combo. It’s the dough, tomato and cheese. It’s the ceremony of pizza and the link to childhood or university, and the feelings that come with it,” he enthuses. “There is not a moment that I don’t walk to Florencio and remember my grandfather taking me for pizza when I was six or seven years old in Buenos Aries. For me, it has to do with that.” This begs the question burning in the minds of those who, like me, haven’t been there: is pizza big in Argentina? Is there such a thing as ‘Argentinian pizza’? To most people, the cuisine is best known for its steak, Malbec and empanadas. From the language and colonial history, one assumes its primary European influences would come from Spain. All this is true, says Diego – but the country is also very Italian in character, thanks to a vast wave of immigration in the late 19th
IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
and early 20th centuries. Between 1880 and 1920, around two million migrants fled the poverty of Italy for the promise of a New World country that offered an abundance of lands and jobs. “We are very passionate about politics, football and food, and we are big traditionalists. So, although we have a lot of Spanish influence, I would say culturally, we are closer to Italy. Which is great!” Pizza is part of that. “It’s an important, everyday food in Argentina,” says Diego. In Buenos Aires, pizza is considered an icon of the city, and the capital boasts one of the highest levels of pizza consumptions of anywhere in the
world. “I lived in Buenos Aires until I was nine. Every week there was a special day when mum would say: ‘We’re not cooking; we’re going for pizza,’ and we would jump up and down with excitement,” the chef recalls fondly. It may not be as internationally renowned as the Neapolitan, Roman, New York, Detroit or Chicago versions of the dish, but Argentinian pizza does have a very distinct style. “What you need to understand is, the Italian people who came over had been used to struggling every day, unable to afford much meat or cheese,” Diego explains. “Then they came to Argentina and suddenly meat was not a luxury product; it was normal. Cheese too was common. As a result, all the recipes they brought with them became a little bit – well, more.” More meat, more cheese, “more everything, for the simple fact it was available,” he says. As certain genetic traits are compounded over time, so too are certain recipes, so by the 21st century, pizza in Argentina was smothered in toppings. “If it’s not drenched with cheese and toppings coming right to the edges, Argentinians are not happy. A large pizza, which serves two people, will have a 600g cheese, easy – so of course, it has to have a very crispy bottom.”
People who visit Buenos Aires and go to the pizzerias Diego recommends return stunned by what they’ve experienced. “They say, how do you eat so much cheese! Particularly if they have the fugazzeta.” The fugazzeta is one of the most famous of Argentina’s pizzas – and when you find out what it is, the name feels almost onomatopoeic. “It’s a variety of the fugazza pizza, which is a pizza topped with onion and cheese. It has those toppings, but it is stuffed with them too. It’s pizza dough, cheese, more dough, then onions. A large one would have a kilo of cheese and a kilo of onions,” he laughs. Yet while he does have a fugazetta pizza on the menu at Florencio, in a nod to this Argentinian tradition, it is a far cry from the cheese-loaded carb bomb that a pizzeria in Buenos Aires would serve. “It’s a lighter dough – much lighter,” he says, “and while it’s topped with fior di latte, parmesan, provolone, onion, it’s not stuffed. We also add a drizzle of honey when it comes out of the oven.” In fact, none of the pizzas Florencio serves are like those you’ll find in Argentina – because Diego’s perfect pizza is not really that, as fond as he is of his native country’s cuisine. “Whatever I do will always have a bit of Argentinian, because that is who I
“The Italians who came over had been used to struggling every day. Then they came to Argentina and suddenly meat was not a luxury product; it was normal. Cheese too was common. As a result all the recipes they brought with them became a little bit – well, more.” > 19 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
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am – but we don’t make Argentinian pizza at Florencio,” he insists. If asked to define it, he’d say it’s a mix of the crispiness of New York pizza, the lightness of Neapolitan dough – and a slightly more generous hand when it comes to the toppings. “It’s a very personal pizza; the result of many years travelling, and perhaps my dreams of a perfect pizza,” he says. “Very light, very crispy, yet still strong enough to hold more toppings than the regular Neapolitan.” Achieving it took months of research and experimentation, and at times seemed “almost impossible. If you make it a lighter dough, it doesn’t hold. If you add more toppings, it will flop and won’t be crispy. It was a challenge – but I think we are now finally happy.” The dough consists of wheat flour, semolina, and a precise – but undisclosed – amount of extra virgin olive oil. “The amount of oil is fundamental. The oil, and the
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combination of flour and semolina means when you stretch the dough, it remains crispy,” says Diego, “provided the oven is the right temperature.” In short, his dough is the result of a mercurial combination of factors, researched to an almost obsessive degree “During lockdown I was immersed in pizza dough – because I finally had the time!” he laughs. “I looked at Neapolitan, Sicilian, New York, Roman” – and with Zoilo closed, some of his followers had the chance to try the pizza out. “We sold it by post, and it became quite successful.” It would have been easier to open another Zoilo, he concedes. “It would have been less of a headache. I would have had all the equipment. I would have known everything – but that’s not who we are here. We are challenging ourselves from the heart.” Marylebone needed a true pizzeria, Diego believes: “Independent. Properly local. That’s why we took the risk.” And at Florencio, that is precisely what he has created. It is cosy, intimate – small, relative to Zoilo, but in a way that cuts you off from the hullaballoo of Oxford Street and cossets you with hospitality. Reassuringly, the short menu consists solely of pizza, with the exception of a parmesan-
flecked side salad. The pizza itself is as Diego describes: wafer-thin, crisp, generously topped but not so overwhelmed with cheese that it flops. The toppings are simple, interesting and seasonal. “Fresh and seasonal; that’s an unbendable rule for me,” says Diego – whether it’s chateaubriand and winter truffle béarnaise at Zoilo or an El Cuartito pizza at Florencio, topped with tomatoes, fior di latte and provolone cheese, chorizo and jalapeños. At Florencio, the thrill for Diego is that there is literally nowhere to hide. “We try a pizza before every service, to make sure it’s perfect – because everything has to be perfect with pizza,” he concludes. It isn’t just a meal. It’s a particular moment, with particular memories, whoever you are. “It is pizza. You cannot mess around with those feelings.” FLORENCIO 14 Seymour Place, W1H 7NF florenciopizza.com
IN PROFILE: DIEGO JACQUET
Clockwise from opposite: a fugazzeta pizza, topped with fior di latte, parmesan, provolone, onion and a drizzle of honey; a chef feeds the Florencio pizza oven; a pizza base receives a generous topping of cheese
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A LIFE LESS ORDINARY Two hundred years ago this year, the author Wilkie Collins was born in Marylebone, and it was here that he would spend much of his highly unconventional life and write the great ‘sensation’ novels that made his name Words: Andrew Lycett Image: National Portrait Galley, London
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It is just north of Regent’s Park, on the Finchley Road leading onto Abbey Road, that one of the most memorable scenes in 19th century literature takes place. In the best-selling novel The Woman in White, published in 1859, a young artist, Walter Hartright, is returning to town from Hampstead. The weather is hot and for some reason (he mentions his need for “purer air”) he takes a round-about route which leads down Platts Lane. Hartright has reached what he describes as “that particular point of my walk where four roads met – the road to Hampstead, along which I had returned, the road to Finchley, the road to West End, and the road back to London.” And then, “in the middle of the broad bright high-road – there, as if it had that moment sprung out of the earth or dropped from the heaven – stood the figure of a solitary Woman, dressed from head to foot in white garments, her face bent in grave inquiry on mine, her hand pointing to the dark cloud over London, as I faced her.” When she asks the way to London, Hartright finds her a cab. Minutes later, as he walks down Abbey Road, a carriage drives up, inside which are two agitated men. The men accost a policeman walking on the opposite side of the road. They promise him a handsome reward if he can find 24 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
a wandering woman in white and return her to the address on a card they thrust into his hand. When the policeman asks: “Why are we to stop her, sir? What has she done?” one of the men replies: “Done! She has escaped from my Asylum. Don’t forget; a woman in white. Drive on.” This scene, which captured the imagination of the British nation, spawning plays, works of art, songs and artefacts, was the work of a Marylebone man, the very unusual Wilkie Collins. At the age of 35, with the support of his friend Charles Dickens, Collins was just beginning to make his mark as a novelist – not just any type of novelist, but one of the controversial sensation novelists whose racy cliff-hangers were exercising the wrath of critics and leader-writers across the country. This year sees the bicentenary of his birth, commemorated in exhibitions at the British Library, Dickens Museum and elsewhere. Wilkie’s father William, an artist, lived on New Cavendish Street in the heart of Marylebone, and it was here, at number 11, that Wilkie was born on 28th January 1824. William Collins, who specialised in rustic scenes, became a Fellow (and later librarian) of the prestigious Royal Academy. His friend, the Scottish artist David Wilkie, lent his name to William’s son and became the boy’s godfather.
Wilkie later wrote a dutiful biography of his father, Memoirs of the Life of William Collins, Esq, RA, published as his first book in 1848. But his real feelings about his father’s strict ways were channelled into an early novel, Hide and Seek, in 1854. In this, Zach Thorpe tries, after an abortive career as a tea broker, to escape his disciplinarian father by becoming an artist. For a short while, Wilkie lived with his parents and brother Charlie on Pond Street, Hampstead. He attended schools in Maida Vale and Highbury, from where he was wrenched, aged 12, to accompany his mother and father on a grand tour of Italy, where William wanted to study the Old Masters. Wilkie later liked to boast that it was in Rome, at this tender age, that he lost his virginity. Wilkie returned with his family to live briefly in Avenue Road, just north of Regent’s Park, a road which later featured in The Woman in White’s opening. He initially tried to forge a career as a barrister, qualifying but never practicing at Lincoln’s Inn. He then tried his hand, like Zach Thorpe, as a tea broker, but was so bored that he spent most of his time writing fiction. After his father’s death in 1847, his lively mother Harriet moved to Blandford Square and then Hanover Terrace on the park’s Outer Circle. Her houses were highly sociable – often full of writers and Pre-Raphaelite
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“Wilkie Collins lived unconventionally for his times, sharing his Marylebone home with one woman, while his other lover lived less than a mile away with his children.”
“Wilkie and Charles Dickens immediately hit it off. They toured together with plays, thus giving Wilkie an important facilitating role when Dickens abandoned his wife Catherine for the much younger actress Nelly Ternan.”
artists such as John Everett Millais and William Holman Hunt who were friends of Charlie Collins. Having enjoyed some success in his father’s career as a painter, Charlie aspired to be part of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but never quite made it. Instead, he married Charles Dickens’s flighty daughter Katie. Dickens came into the Collins world through Wilkie who, having begun to develop a career as a writer, was recommended by an artist friend Augustus Egg to the great novelist who wanted someone to act in Not So Bad As We Seem, a comedy by Edward Bulwer Lytton, which Dickens was staging under the auspices of his grand-sounding Guild of Literature and Art. Wilkie and Dickens immediately hit it off. They toured together with plays, thus giving Wilkie an important facilitating role when Dickens abandoned his wife Catherine for the much younger actress Nelly Ternan. The two men travelled together to Italy. Most importantly Dickens employed Wilkie on his successful weekly magazine Household Words which ran from 1850 to 1859. This allowed Wilkie to develop his writing skills, turning out cleverly crafted stories and articles. One non-fiction piece, Laid Up in Two Lodgings, published in June 1856, contrasts his experience of living in two very different places, a salubrious
apartment in Paris where he had recently stayed with Dickens, and a much dingier boarding house in what he called Smeary Street in London. This tallied with a place in Howland Street, on the edge of Marylebone, where, after moving out from his mother’s, he had recently begun living with Caroline Graves. She was a pretty, slightly older woman from the West Country who, after her husband’s death, had moved with her mother-in-law Mary Ann and daughter Harriet to London. The three of them ended up at the bottom end of the social scale in Fitzrovia, adjacent to Marylebone, where Mary Ann worked in a tobacconist’s shop on Hertford Street, and Caroline in an even lowlier marine store, or junk shop, among beggars and prostitutes on Charlton Street. The walk between these two places took Caroline past Howland Street, where she probably met Wilkie. In his biography of John Everett Millais published in 1899, the artist’s son John Guille Millais suggested that the couple’s initial encounter was reworked in The Woman in White. He reported how his father recalled walking back with the Collins brothers from their mother’s house on Hanover Terrace to his own place in Gower Street when the three of them were suddenly stopped by the screams of a woman in floating white robes that shone in the moonlight. Apparently, Wilkie
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ran after her and wasn’t seen again until the next morning when, having spent his first night with Caroline, he reported that she was someone who was being held against her will by an unscrupulous man in a villa in Regent’s Park. This story was repeated by the unreliable Katie Collins (née Dickens) who said that Wilkie had a mistress called Caroline who inspired The Woman in White. The reality is that, rather than drawing on his own life, Wilkie was doing in this novel what he did best – incorporating real mid-Victorian issues into a gripping fictional narrative. In this instance Wilkie was fictionalising aspects of the ‘lunacy panic’ of the 1850s when the newspapers were full of details of the iniquitous ways people used the Lunacy Act to incarcerate unwanted members of their families in privately run asylums in which the doctors who signed the detention papers were often profit-sharing partners. The novel records the efforts of Walter Hartright, the “drawing master” who made the nighttime journey across north London mentioned above, and the spirited Marian Halcombe to discover why her wealthy half-sister Laura Glyde has been placed in an asylum after her identity has been swapped with Anne Catherick, the book’s eponymous white-clad woman. Anne holds a damaging secret >
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about Sir Percival Glyde, the avaricious landowner who has married Laura against her will. To obtain her fortune, he has plotted with his brother-inlaw, the comically monstrous Count Fosco. The mix is the stuff of sensation fiction – involving mistaken identities, muddled wills, nefarious villains, numerous plot twists, and, a Collins speciality – strong, credible women. The story was originally published as a serial in a periodical, Household Words, so each episode needed to end with a nail-biting incident that would bring the readers back the following week. Such periodicals, which sought to attract a newly mobile and educated public, were the source of other novels that, like The Woman in White, were attacked in the press as sensation fiction, including the notorious Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Wilkie had already mapped out this ground in novels such as Basil (1852) and The Dead Secret (1857). And he continued with, among many others, Armadale (1864) and The Moonstone (1868), the gripping tale described by TS Eliot as “the first and the greatest English detective novel”. If not inspired directly by Caroline Graves, Wilkie’s mistress, The Woman in White and his other novels, drew heavily on his unorthodox lifestyle. Remaining unmarried, in 1867 he moved with Caroline and her daughter Harriet into a large house on Gloucester Place where he lived for 26 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
over 20 years. There he entertained and indulged his huge laudanum habit, which he claimed was designed to alleviate physical ailments including gout and poor eyesight. But in 1864, while researching his novel Armadale in East Anglia, he had met an uneducated barmaid called Martha Rudd, whom he brought to London and installed as a parallel mistress nearby on Bolsover Steet and later on Marylebone Road. In 1868 Caroline, tiring of this arrangement, stormed off to marry a younger man, Joseph Clow, who worked in the wine trade. But within three years she and her daughter were back in the Gloucester Place house. Meanwhile, Wilkie had started a family with Martha (they had three children). He lived unconventionally for his times, sharing a home with one woman, while his other lover lived less than a mile away with his children. This arrangement persisted until Wilkie’s health deteriorated and he died in his bed in a recently acquired house on Wimpole Street in September 1888. Since then, his literary reputation has grown. Today, in the year of his bicentenary, his novels are still enthusiastically read by the general public, while being increasingly studied in academia for their insights into Victorian society. Andrew Lycett is the author of Wilkie Collins: A Life of Sensation (Hutchinson)
LITERARY LIVES Marylebone’s other great writers and the places they called home Words: Mark Riddaway
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ELIZABETH BARRETT 50 Wimpole Street
ELIZABETH BOWEN 1-7 Clarence Terrace
Elizabeth Barrett was among the most popular poets of Victorian England, best remembered for her sonnet How Do I Love Thee? It was while living at her family home on Wimpole Street that her storied romance with her fellow poet Robert Browning began, conducted in secret out of fear of her overbearing father’s disapproval (even though she was approaching 40 at the time!). The couple married in a clandestine service at St Marylebone Parish Church before quickly eloping to Italy.
Born in Dublin into a powerful Irish-British aristocratic family, Elizabeth Bowen divided much of her working life between rural County Cork and the centre of London, where she befriended many of the influential upper-crust writers and artists known as the Bloomsbury Group. It was while living in Marylebone in the 1930s that Bowen wrote two of her most famous literary works, The House in Paris and The Death of the Heart.
ARNOLD BENNETT Chiltern Court, Baker Street Perhaps best known today for the omelette named in his honour by the chef at the Savoy Grill, where he was a regular diner, Arnold Bennett was among the most popular novelists of the early 20th century. Bennett believed in what he called the “democratisation of art”, writing highly accessible stories disdained by literary modernists but loved by his readers. The best known, including Anna of the Five Towns, are set in five fictional small towns in the Potteries region of Staffordshire.
JOHN BUCHAN 76 Portland Place Few writers have ever kept as busy as John Buchan, a Scotsman whose output ranged from poetry to novels to biographies. He was also a colonial administrator, editor of The Spectator, a wartime propagandist, a war correspondent for the Times, an MP, a soldier, a director of Reuters, and governor general of Canada. Buchan lived at 76 Portland Place at the height of his literary success. Buchan’s adventure novel The Thirty-Nine Steps, his most famous book, was written there in 1914 and partly set in the area.
FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT 63 Portland Place Frances Hodgson Burnett, who was born in Manchester and began her literary career while living in the United States, moved to Marylebone in 1893 flush from the success of her children’s book Little Lord Fauntleroy. After a fiveyear stay in a grand house on Portland Place, during which she struggled with the cost and workload of maintaining an opulent London social life, she departed for the peace and quiet of the Kent countryside, where she wrote her most famous and enduring book, The Secret Garden. ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE 2 Upper Wimpole Street The literary character most closely associated with Marylebone is, of course, Sherlock Holmes, famously resident of (the non-existant) 221b Baker Street. While Holmes’s creator, Arthur Conan Doyle, never lived in the area, he did rent a small office and consulting room on Upper Wimpole Street while trying to establish a career as an ophthalmologist. His practice proved a complete failure, but his lack of patients did give him plenty of time to begin work on his detective novels. The medical area’s loss was the literary world’s spectacular gain.
CHARLES DICKENS 18 Bentinck Street 1 Devonshire Terrace (Now 15-17 Marylebone Road) 57 Gloucester Place Charles Dickens was probably the greatest writer to ever set up home in Marylebone. He was also the only great writer to make three homes in Marylebone. Dickens celebrated his 21st birthday while living with his parents at 18 Bentinck Street. From 1839 to 1851, he lived on Devonshire Terrace, on what is now Marylebone Road, where his output included A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield. In 1864, while working on Our Mutual Friend, the author took lodgings on Gloucester just a few doors down from his close friend Wilkie Collins. GEORGE GROSSMITH 28 Dorset Square Famed in his lifetime as an actor, performer and composer, George Grossmith made a lasting impact with his sole novel, The Diary of a Nobody, the fictional diary of an anxious, snobbish suburban clerk by the name of Charles Pooter, which began as a serial in Punch magazine before being expanded into a highly successful book. Its antihero was immortalised in the term ‘Pooterish’, used to describe a very English form of middle-class pomposity.
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EDWARD LEAR 30 Seymour Street The poet and illustrator Edward Lear, whose “nonsense books” introduced the world to such immortal characters as the Owl and the Pussycat and the Dong with the Luminous Nose, lived on Seymour Street with his sister for many years while attempting to earn a living as a young artist. In contrast to the levity of the works that made his fortune, his was a life beset by illness, depression and family tragedy. ROSE MACAULAY Luxborough House, Luxborough Street Hinde House, Hinde Street Rose Macaulay’s long career as a writer – the highlight of which was her acclaimed comic novel The Towers of Trebizond – culminated in 1958 with the award of a damehood for services to literature. Macaulay arrived in Marylebone in 1922 and never really left, despite her Luxborough House flat being destroyed by a German bomb. She moved to a flat on Hinde Street, where she remained for the rest of her life. FREDERICK MARRYAT 3 Spanish Place Frederick Marryat was among the more colourful characters of Victorian London’s literary scene: a naval officer, world traveller and hero of the
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Napoleonic wars whose bloody adventures informed both his pacy, sweeping novels of derring-do and the lurking threat of violence that emanated (and sometimes exploded) from his person. His neighbour Charles Dickens was a fan of his books, which were massive hits at the time but are now mostly out of print. ARTHUR WING PINERO 115A Harley Street After retiring as an actor in 1885 to focus on writing, Arthur Wing Pinero spent two decades creating hugely popular West End plays, initially specialising in bright, funny farces before morphing into a writer of ‘problem plays’: the socially conscious dramas that captured the London stage in the wake of Ibsen’s successes. The Second Mrs Tanqueray, an exploration of bourgeois hypocrisy, was probably the finest of these. DODIE SMITH 18 Dorset Square Orphaned as a child after moving to London from Lancashire, Dodie Smith initially scraped a living as an actress before taking a job at the Heal’s furniture emporium on Tottenham Court Road while writing in her spare time. In 1931, her first play, Autumn Crocus, became a major hit, the start of a run of West End comedies that brought her
wealth and fame. Her finest novel, I Capture The Castle, was written during a stint in the USA, but her most famous work – The Hundred and One Dalmatians – was a product of her long stay in Marylebone.
1 ELIZABETH BARRETT 50 Wimpole Street
ANTHONY TROLLOPE 39 Montagu Square
4 JOHN BUCHAN 76 Portland Place
For most of his life, Antony Trollope spent his days as a civil servant in the Post Office. He was in his forties and still working as a regional official when a series of six novels set in the fictional town of Barsetshire cemented his reputation as a novelist. By the time he moved to Marylebone in 1873, at the age of 58, he had finally stood down from his job and was ready to start work on his masterpiece, The Way We Live Now. HG WELLS 47 Chiltern Court 13 Hannover Terrace HG Wells, the father of the science fiction genre, wrote his most enduring works – The Time Machine, The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Invisible Man and The War of the Worlds – during an extraordinary five-year burst of creativity in the 1890s. By the time he moved to Marylebone in 1930, his literary light had faded and his focus had moved to the fight against diabetes. It was here that he co-founded the Diabetic Association, now known as Diabetes UK.
2 ARNOLD BENNETT Chiltern Court, Baker Street 3 ELIZABETH BOWEN 1-7 Clarence Terrace
5 FRANCES HODGSON BURNETT 63 Portland Place 6 WILKIE COLLINS 11 New Cavendish Street 65 Gloucester Place 82 Wimpole Street 7 ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE 2 Upper Wimpole Street 8 CHARLES DICKENS 18 Bentinck Street 1 Devonshire Terrace (Now 15-17 Marylebone Road) 57 Gloucester Place 9 GEORGE GROSSMITH 28 Dorset Square 10 EDWARD LEAR 30 Seymour Street 11 ROSE MACAULAY Luxborough House, Luxborough Street Hinde House, Hinde Street 12 FREDERICK MARRYAT 3 Spanish Place 13 ARTHUR WING PINERO 115A Harley Street 14 DODIE SMITH 18 Dorset Square 15 ANTHONY TROLLOPE 39 Montagu Square 16 HG WELLS 47 Chiltern Court 13 Hannover Terrace
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THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS Introducing the people behind central London’s vital charities and community organisations: Faye Jordan, trustee of Doorstep Library Interview: Jean-Paul Aubin-Parvu Images: Orlando Gili
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Doorstep Library is a community-focussed literacy charity that brings the magic of books and the joy of reading directly into the homes of young people and their families. It was established in 2010 with just one project and a small group of volunteers. Led by CEO Katie Bareham, who was one of the first volunteers, the charity has since grown to support thousands of families, operating across four London boroughs as well as online. The reason we do this is simple and compelling. Studies from UNESCO and the OECD, alongside other academic research, have identified that reading for pleasure is a really important factor in determining the future success of a child. Increasing the amount they read at home helps children with their studies at school, but the benefits go beyond basic literacy. It’s about the power of exposure to different worlds, exposure to different stories and experiences, the ability to articulate yourself, communicate with others and build relationships. Research from the National Literacy Trust has also found there to be a positive link between young people’s engagement with literacy and their mental wellbeing. In under-resourced areas there is less access to literature and lower levels of book ownership within households, resulting in children having fewer opportunities to read at home. Additional challenges can come from households having English as a second language, or parents who, because they lack confidence in their own reading, finding it hard to read to and with their children. All of this combined leads to poorer long-term outcomes for those young people. The aim of our charity is to address these issues. Doorstep Library matches volunteers with households in specific areas. On a regular basis – it might be weekly or fortnightly – the volunteers arrive at the family’s home carrying a backpack of books for the child to choose from. They then sit and read those books with them. Parents and carers are very welcome to get involved with the reading sessions if they wish to, but there are always two volunteers present, so the parent or carer can either sit and listen or go and make a cup of tea and have 20 minutes to themselves. It’s entirely up to them. Sometimes it’s a rare and welcome opportunity for the parent to just relax, knowing that someone else is reading with their child. We know from our impact results that this work has made a definite difference. For example, 93 per cent
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THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
“Reading for pleasure helps determine the future success of a child. It’s about the power of exposure to different worlds, exposure to different stories and experiences.”
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THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS
of parents and carers say that Doorstep Library has helped their children to read better, 91 per cent say that it’s encouraged them to spend more time reading with their children, and 98 per cent say that it’s had a positive impact on both their children’s overall wellbeing and their own. That to me is particularly pleasing, because the importance of young people’s wellbeing goes to the heart of the mission. The need is especially acute right now, in a cost-of-living crisis which has a disproportionate impact on low-income families. For a child living with those daily stresses and strains, being able to escape and explore different worlds through reading is, I believe, absolutely vital. I have been a trustee of Doorstep Library since July 2022. Trustees are volunteers too, and our role is to support the charity by providing oversight and strategic direction. When I was a child, we didn’t have many books at home, but we did often visit the local library. I loved disappearing into a story and going on an adventure. I have no doubt that this had a positive impact on my future outcomes, as well as being great fun. Recruiting volunteers to deliver our projects is such an important aspect of our work. Mostly, people volunteer for the same reasons that I do – because they’ve loved reading ever since they were children, and they want to pass on the magic of books to a new generation. They get to see the young people they work with build their own love of reading, and, over time, they can see a tangible difference being made in their communities. It’s a brilliant long-term volunteering opportunity, and many of our volunteers have been with the charity for years. They go out in pairs, so they form relationships with each other, often creating lasting friendships. They also build amazing relationships with the families. It’s a very community-focussed service, based around working with families to deliver what they want at that time. When it comes to sharing books with children, representation is really important. If you’re a young person reading a book and you can see a character who mirrors something of your lived experience – whether that’s your appearance, your cultural background, your family make up, a disability, even something as small as wearing glasses – you often connect with their story in a different way and empathise with them on a deeper level. It can help you feel seen and represented. Making sure our stock of books reflects the diversity of the children 33 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
we’re reading with is another important part of our work. It also chimes with one of my own hobbies. I run a children’s book review account on Instagram under the handle @kidsbookstolife. When I had my own children a few years ago I found it quite hard to find books that weren’t by the same two or three authors. You go to the shops and it’s the same few names over and over again. I thought, there has to be more to children’s books than this! I made it my mission to find some amazing books that I wanted to share with others. There are so many wonderful children’s books written and published here in the UK, but you only see a fraction of these on your high street – unless you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful independent book shop such as Daunt Books in Marylebone. My seven-year-old is really into non-fiction. We both love the Fantastically Great Women series of books, which are written and illustrated by Kate Pankhurst, a distant relative of the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst – she was Kate’s great-great-grandfather’s brother’s son’s wife. The books are wonderfully illustrated and shine a light on lesser-known figures from the past. I just love that they’re talking about things which could potentially be considered quite dry but manage to do it in an interesting and genuinely exciting way. We’re delighted that Doorstep Library is one of charities supported by The Portman Estate. They’ve supported our Marylebone project for the past two years, contributing towards the running costs. This includes the salary of the project leader who delivers and oversees the reading sessions; the rent at the local community centre where we store our books; the cost of books, stools and backpacks; and the cost of recruiting, training and retaining our volunteers. Our Marylebone project has been running for four years now. We currently support 23 children and have four volunteers on the project, with sessions taking place every Thursday during term time. The statistics are so stark around the inequalities in our society and the difference that reading for pleasure can make, and that’s why I volunteer for the charity. But what really motivates me is seeing in person the impact that Doorstep Library has had over the years. Hearing from the families is really quite something. DOORSTEP LIBRARY doorsteplibrary.org.uk
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A CLOSER LOOK FOOD » 34 STYLE » 42 HOME » 52 HEALTHCARE » 56
STYLE » 42
Q&A
William Church of Joseph Cheaney & Sons on following in his family’s well-shod footsteps STYLE »44
STYLE PHILOSOPHY
Rajvi Vora of Kastur Jewels on Indian jewellery culture and timeless design HOME »52
ANATOMY OF A DESIGN
Shiro Muchiri of SoShiro, on a piece of furniture that provides a stage for the art of Kenyan beadworkers
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Q&A: JENNIE ALLEN
The founder of Bayley and Sage on high-quality food producers, female leadership, and her visceral dislike of pears Interview: Ellie Costigan
Was a career in food always the plan? I always thought I might be a pastry chef. But then I realised I didn’t really have the patience for fine patisserie work – I liked to bake and cook, but that very rigorous, artistic side of patisserie bored me. I did a degree in hotel and catering and went to work in restaurants, but I quickly decided it was too badly paid and misogynistic and the hours were too long. I kind of fell into food retail. When my mum died, I took a bit of time off to clear her house. Around that time, I saw an advert: “Trainee managers wanted for a deli company.” That was Cullens. I started working there and became MD after about seven or eight years. What inspired you to create Bayley and Sage? Cullens was known as a yuppie convenience store. It sold food and fresh soup, which was a bit unusual in those days, but also dog food and health and beauty products. I knew I wanted to sell just food – not gourmet food, I wouldn’t describe us like that. I didn’t want a fancy store that was full of foie gras, caviar and Cristal champagne, I wanted to sell great, daily, fresh food: really good bread, really good butter, really good peaches. No mechanically separated meat, which is disgusting. I just wanted to sell food that tastes good. Tomatoes that taste of sunshine. 35 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
I imagine that nowadays it’s much easier to get hold of the sort of ‘good’ food you’re talking about than it was when you opened in Wimbledon in 1997. Is that the case? Yes. When we opened, so many suppliers wouldn’t come south of the river, it was really confined to central London. There also weren’t anywhere near as many artisan producers. The biggest change has been in British cheese – there are so many more producers and there is so much amazing British cheese now, whereas in the past we were importing it all. I think if you look at the quality of food overall, it has risen considerably. That’s perhaps thanks to the rise of the celebrity chef. First, we had Delia, which was mostly about using simple ingredients and had a British slant, now we have Ottolenghi. People also travel far more now than they did back in those times. People didn’t fly off for the weekend in the same way they do now. Even a lot of the higher end food in those days was more about the pretty packaging than the content. I never wanted that. Bayley and Sage has grown considerably since then: you now have 13 stores across London. What do they have in common? We try to go for places where there’s a village atmosphere: Northcote Road, Elizabeth Street, Marylebone – places where there are residents
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and where we can participate in the local community. People come in the morning for a croissant, then a sandwich at lunchtime, then pick up some soup on the way home. We have customers who do that most days. I like the staff to chat to them, I think it’s nice to shop somewhere you can have a little bit of human interaction. Our shop in Marylebone is phenomenally busy, but even still it has such a lovely atmosphere because of that: there are always people chatting to our team members, asking them for help curating a cheeseboard or picking out pottery downstairs as gifts for friends. It’s just a lovely environment. The Marylebone shop came along at the right time. We wouldn’t have been ready for it, even just a couple of years ago, but we feel totally embraced by Marylebone. I just love it here. Are there particular standards that you set when you look for produce or products? I’m very curious when it comes to food, but I like it unadulterated. I don’t know why anyone eats fancy biscuits with cheese, for example – it just ruins it. You only need those when you’re eating rubbish cheddar. I am a bit of a purist, and that is reflected in the buying team’s ethos, I guess. Also, if a product or a brand gets too big and starts going into supermarkets or too many other stores, we don’t like that very much. We try to seek out smaller, artisan producers and support them. But they have to have a belief in quality and in the simplicity of production. We have a milk supplier who doesn’t believe in pumping the milk out of the dairy, for example. He lets gravity do the work, because he thinks pumping destroys the raw milk. I also like long-standing relationships – we have some suppliers that have pretty much been with us since day one. For our 25th anniversary, we put together 25 products that we’d been stocking for 25 years. I want to be able to talk with enthusiasm about every product we sell, so I feel I need to have eaten most 36 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
NAROON
Reza Malekzadeh, co-founder of Naroon, on childhood memories, the diversity of Persian cuisine, and the importance of hospitality Interview: Viel Richardson
Food plays an extremely important role in the life of a Persian family. One of my earliest memories is of being with my mother at a place called Alborz in Tehran, which is famous for its chelow kabab. I have this memory of her mixing grilled tomato, saffron rice and a piece of the grilled kabab into one spoonful and feeding it to me. The tastes, the environment, being fed by my mother – it is all wrapped up into a wonderful memory. At Naroon we want to showcase the wide variety of cuisines found in Iran. Iran is an incredibly diverse place. We have a history going back millennia, and for much of that time Persia
was the epicentre of an empire. There are Turks, Arabs, Farsi, Baloch, Kurds, Uzbeks and others. They all have their own cultures and cuisines. In Iran, you have the Alborz mountains, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the deserts. Each of these creates a different type of lifestyle and cuisine. Add to this the Silk Road and the major spice trading routes passing through the region bringing ingredients from far and wide, and it adds up to a highly diverse cuisine. The biggest misconception I hear is that Persian food is spicy. It is not hot at all. We do use a
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lot of spices in our food, such as a saffron, turmeric, dried lime, Persian sumac, dried rose petals, mint, basil seeds, dill, fenugreek and many others. It’s a flavourful, highly spiced food but it does not have that chilli heat. In fact, the hottest sauce we sell was created especially for Western customers who kept asking for a spicy sauce! While we want to celebrate Persian cuisine, we don’t want our food to be stuck in the past. Naroon is a contemporary Persian restaurant, so while you will see classic dishes, we want to help the cuisine evolve without losing a deep connection to its roots. To do that, you need
the right ingredients and a deep understanding of how dishes are built. Having that depth of knowledge earns you the right to create your own interpretations of traditional dishes. If there are modern techniques that will get you closer to the aim of the dish than the old methods, you should be free to use them. We are very particular about our chefs. Your food is only as good as the chefs, especially your head chef, so we look for chefs who have spent a lot of time working in Iran so have developed a real understanding of the food. We are sponsoring some people to come over who we think could really take things to the next level
“We try to seek out smaller, artisan producers and support them. But they have to have a belief in quality and in the simplicity of production.”
in pioneering the future of Persian cooking in London. It is a very exciting journey. Hospitality is a key part of our culture and that is something we strive to reflect at Naroon. We try to make the restaurant as approachable and welcoming as possible. Our presentation, our service, how we lay everything out, our waiting staff, all act together to create the feeling that you are being welcomed into our home. When my Western friends came to dinner at my house when I was growing up, they always felt that they had been made a fuss of, that their visit felt like an occasion. This is the feeling I would like our
of them. There was a time when there wasn’t anything in the store I hadn’t tried myself – except for pears, which I don’t like, so won’t eat. I also don’t ‘get’ chocolate. The buying team tried to list a chocolate and pear cake in the store once and I said, why would you do that, that’s devil’s food! I love lemons – they can list as many lemon drizzle cakes as they want to – and I love pasta, so we’re heavy on that. You also have a homeware range, Abode, which you sell from the basement of the Marylebone shop. What was the thinking there? Do you think there’s a link between the enjoyment of food,
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customers to have after a meal at Naroon. Persian cuisine can be like a culinary time machine. There are dishes we take for granted that people have cooked for a thousand years and more. When you eat these dishes, it gives you a wonderful connection with people from millennia ago. You are smelling the same aromas, tasting the same tastes, feeling the same textures and getting the same experience. There are very few things that can do that. Naroon 17 New Cavendish Street, W1G 9UA naroon.co.uk
the environment it’s served in and what it’s served on? Exactly, there is, so it made sense. We’d had complementary items in the store for a while – bowls, bottle pourers, aprons, napkins, glasses, tea towels, some pottery, so we always sold bits and pieces. Then it just so happened there was a space two doors down the road from our shop in Parson’s Green that came on the market, so we snapped that up. It started off by being anything to do with cooking and eating and it’s broadened out slightly. I love pottery, for example, so we also have a range of that. We have pieces from an amazing > potter called Tom, who is third or
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fourth generation. His ancestors had always made big garden pots; he makes more domestic things. I really love the idea that we’ve taken that ethos of supporting artisan producers and translated it into our homeware at Abode. Abode is my other baby. When we opened Marylebone, we were asked if we’d put the shop in, because we have a basement here. You have a small core team and it sounds like you’re still very much at the heart of the business. Will that always be the case? I pretend I work part-time now, but I love what I do. How could I not? I have got two dogs, one’s called Bailey, who I got nearly eight years ago – I adopted her because her name is Bailey, though spelled slightly differently – and Margaux, who is named after the wine. They insist on having many walks a day and that does allow me to spend a bit of time away from the office. But we’re a seven-days-a-week operation, from 7am to 9 o’clock at night, so you don’t have to work regular hours to work full time here. I think work is an expression of who we are. It gives us a sense of achievement, of being creative, so who you work with is important. Oddly, pretty much everyone who reports to me is a woman. There’s a lot of female leadership within the company. The values of the company completely reflect my own values 38 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
and thinking about it, they are quite feminine: we talk about trust and growth, whereas I think men might talk more about performance. There’s a different emphasis: I think we perhaps concentrate more on relationships than men do. Do you think that’s reflected in the stores themselves? Interestingly, I met three young women in the store the other day and they said: “You can tell Bayley and Sage is owned by a woman when you walk in.” I think that’s possibly true. It’s not anything I particularly think about, but you can probably tell. When we were redoing Belgravia,
which was an old bank site, I said it had to have a more masculine feel – it needed to reflect the building, so brass and stone and square! The building lends itself to that. But I’m sitting here now looking at the rounded chairs and round table, so ordinarily I think our aesthetic is a bit softer. Although I get annoyed if displays are overly fussy and there are too many flowers on them, I think it’s generally a bit more feminine. Men build walls of food and products; I tell my team to build waterfalls. BAYLEY AND SAGE 33–34 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QD bayley-sage.co.uk
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ANATOMY OF A DISH
A GLASS APART
CONFIT DUCK LEG, SALT-BAKED CELERIAC, BLACK CABBAGE
Sophie Bratt, bar manager at Nobu Bar, on a hibiscus mezcal made by a boundary-pushing, female-led team
Ben Tish, chef director of Cubitt House, on a retro classic from The Grazing Goat
Interview: Viel Richardson
Hibiscus mezcal is made by Ojo de Dios, a really innovative company with a passion for mezcal. When I first heard about this drink, I thought the hibiscus might take away from the agave flavours that I love, but that isn’t the case. It’s not a sweet or syrupy drink. There are notes of hibiscus, orange peel, rose and a hint of spice, but agave remains the predominant flavour. It still has those smoky notes and green freshness but combines them with the lovely florality that hibiscus flowers bring. Based just outside Oaxaca in Mexico, they make their mezcal using traditional methods. The agave plants are left in the sun to ripen for a few days before being cooked in underground ovens for 10 days, using local oak. The smoked plants are crushed using a millstone which is pulled along by the estate donkey, Chicharito. After that, they’re placed in wooden barrels to ferment before the juice is extracted and double distilled to create the mezcal. It takes a lot of time, effort and expertise but this process creates a wonderfully flavoured spirit. Some of this is then blended with locally produced dried hibiscus petals to create the hibiscus mezcal. The master blender, Cynthia, leads a mainly female team who are always pushing the boundaries and creating really interesting drinks. This is a very versatile spirit. One of my favourite ways to use it is in a variation of the classic paloma. Combining the florality of this mezcal with the citrus notes of the paloma is a 40 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
match made in heaven. For a bar takeover in Berlin last year, I created a drink called Flor De Jamaica, which combined hibiscus mezcal, strawberry soda, a plum liqueur, some plum bitters and a couple of drops of tartaric to create a light, refreshing high ball. It absolutely flew across the bar – customers loved it. People often shy away from mezcal because they see it as an overpoweringly strong, smoky spirit. But a good mezcal can have such delicate flavours. My job is to help lift them up and show people what a wonderful drink this can be. NOBU BAR 22 Portman Square, W1H 7BG nobuportmansquare.com
In a nutshell It’s a simple dish, consisting of confit duck leg with crispy skin and melting meat, celeriac baked in salt crust – which intensifies the flavour – served with nice Italian winter greens and a duck and red wine gravy. The inspiration It’s a bit of a retro dish, as duck legs are not as popular as they once were, but we wanted to bring them back to pub gastronomy. If you cook a duck leg right, so you get that crispy skin, there is nothing like it for pub food. The purpose It’s a lovely wintery dish, at a decent price point, which really typifies the sort of pub food we like to serve here: accessible, familiar, made with proper methods and techniques to the best possible standard. The technique It’s a simple dish – but the process is actually quite laborious. There are lots of different elements, and a lot of time goes into making it. We get our ducks from Walter Rose & Son, based in the Cotswolds. The birds are the Gressingham breed so they are a bit smaller and much tastier than most. They have a very active lifestyle, so they’re not tough; they’re more gamey in flavour and are beautiful to cook with. We use the breast in a salad, then the legs for this dish are marinaded overnight with herbs and spices, before being cooked for six hours in the duck fat until the meat is falling apart. The carcass is used to make a rich duck gravy, with red wine and herbs. The secret The method of cooking the celeriac is quite unusual: the salt crust draws out the moisture to create a sweet, intensely celeriac-y flavour, like celeriac on drugs. The quality of the duck and how we treat the legs is also key to this dish: the process of salting and spicing the duck overnight. We have a thing called duck spice, which is a mix of coriander seeds and juniper, as well as salt, which draws out moisture as well as adding flavour. THE GRAZING GOAT 6 New Quebec Street, W1H 7RQ cubitthouse.co.uk
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Q&A: WILLIAM CHURCH
The co-owner of Joseph Cheaney & Sons on following in his family’s well-shod footsteps, and why the sneaker no longer reigns supreme. Interview: Lauren Bravo
From one family business to another… you’re a fifth generation member of the Church’s footwear dynasty – so how did you come to own Joseph Cheaney & Sons ? Joseph Cheaney was a typical Victorian gentleman, an entrepreneur who set up his own shoemaking workshop in 1886 and was joined soon after by his two sons. The business was independently owned right up to the 1960s, when Joseph’s grandson made it his mission to secure the company’s future. He sold the business to Church’s, who ran it as its own brand until 1999, when Prada came along and took over the whole Church’s group. Then after a few years Prada decided to put Cheaney up for sale. My cousin and I had worked for a decade under Prada, and we thought: there’s a big opportunity here, to buy a heritage brand with a factory and – the real asset – 120 skilled craftspeople. So we left and in essence bought a factory in Northamptonshire that wasn’t making any money! It was scary for all of us, but we have been able to grow the brand bit by bit, and now we have 10 stores across the UK. Is Northamptonshire really the capital of fine shoemaking, or is that just a load of cobblers? It really is a centre of excellence for the best footwear the world has to offer. There are only eight or nine 43 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
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Northamptonshire manufacturers left in the county, all founded in the 1800s, and most of us still carry out the whole process from start to finish, all within our factories. We have photos that were taken in our factory in the year 1900. We’re really lucky to have such a rich shoemaking heritage behind us, because you can’t fabricate that – it comes with the business! And by the way, cobbling means repairing shoes; shoemaking is crafting them from scratch! Noted! Did footwear always hold a fascination for you, growing up? The family career advice was always: footwear is an option, but not an obligation. I actually trained as a chartered surveyor, and did that for a few years before the time felt right to move out of London. I thought, okay, there’s a job going in Northamptonshire for good behaviour… and I’ll be honest with you, for a year, it was the mother of all culture shocks. But then shoemaking gets under your skin and you’re in, you’re hooked. So do you know your way around a piece of leather and a needle? I certainly couldn’t make a pair from start to finish! But part of the whole Cheaney induction process involves walking around with your own pair, doing what you can – in my case, not particularly well – and then a professional machinist will take over and stitch the welt in with a big, heavy sewing machine. They make it look easy, but my god, it’s not. People have no idea what it’s like to make a pair of shoes. It takes around eight weeks and 200 different handtooled operations to make a pair of Cheaneys. When you take someone around the factory, there’s a wow factor and suddenly cost isn’t an issue for them anymore – they start to think: all that, for that price? It’s amazing value. But the challenge for us is that we can’t have every single shopper come and tour the factory, so we have to find other ways to tell that story, to convey that feeling of 44 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
Left: The Jaxson II R Derby boot in dark leaf calf leather Right: A pattern maker at work in Cheaney’s Northamptonshire factory
STYLE PHILOSOPHY
KASTUR JEWELS Rajvi Vora, founder
of Kastur Jewels, on timeless design, Indian jewellery culture, and the importance of giving back Interview: Ellie Costigan Portrait: Paul Imago
My ancestors come from the ancient town of Osian, in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan, close to where the most incredible Jain temples of Ranakpur stand proud. The history of the area has always intrigued me, and there is a sense of immense pride in knowing that the age-old methods of craftsmanship and design that we draw heavy inspiration from hail from this part of the world. As Indians, jewellery is a big part of our culture – it plays a role in many of our traditions. As a child, I was fascinated by the jewellery collections of my mother, grandmothers and aunts. Most of their pieces are still around and have been kept within the family. Some have been passed down over the course of 150 years.
I think a lot of traditional Indian designs are very timeless. They don’t go out of style. I thought it would be amazing to sell this kind of jewellery in the heart of London, as there’s not much of it around – but with a contemporary take. That was my vision. Kastur was the name of my late grandmother, a staunch Jain. It means ‘gift of God’, which felt fitting. There is a familiarity with this kind of jewellery that I think is in the back of people’s minds when they’re purchasing it, even if they don’t realise it. It’s because Britain and India have 300 years of joint history, so there has been a lot of overlap in terms of design, be it jewellery or architecture. There are influences that have been embraced by British people for centuries. I try to be in the store as much as I can, but the other girls who work here are also very involved in the business. They’re not just here to sell a piece of jewellery, they have a real understanding of what we are about. Our jewellery is made in Jaipur, which is a traditional centre of jewellery making. I work with three very small workshops, each of which uses a very specific technique. Two do enamel work, but different kinds. These are dying artforms – a lot of the time,
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craft. The shoes are not cheap, but they cost what they cost for a reason.
decent pair of shoes, they will last you a long, long time.
Why is the ‘Goodyear welt’ such a magic ingredient? What it means is that the sole is stitched to the bottom of the shoe – unlike 99.9 per cent of all footwear made in the world, where they just glue the sole on, and you can’t repair it later. But with Goodyear welted shoes, when you eventually wear through the sole, we can cut through the stitching, put the shoe back on the original wooden ‘last’ [mould] and rebuild it to the original specification. So if you invest in a
You offer a refurbishment service, and complimentary polishing instore. In the age of fast fashion, have we all got lazy when it comes to making sure our shoes go the distance? There are different types of customers. Some cherish their shoes and will polish them more than they need to, because it’s all about looking after their treasure. Then you have a few who have heard ‘these shoes last forever’, so they go out and batter them to death every day, through hell
and high water, and after six months they come back to the store and say: “I’m not happy with these shoes.” There’s a balance to be struck! They are robust, but you’ve got to treat them with respect. It’s a bit like washing the car, I suppose. Some people will never do it, others are out there with a sponge every Sunday. Let’s talk style. Is there any shoe more enduring than a classic brogue? A brogue is a very typically British thing. Originally, so the legend goes, the signature holes in the broguing were open to the foot, so when you
was rampant. Through my own business, I can direct aid to initiatives in a way that I can manage and monitor. I mainly support individual cases – people living in dire poverty – in a very hands-on way. Currently the projects are in Kenya, where I was born and raised, through a small charity called Help Change Lives. I contribute as much as I can.
the skills have been passed down from generation to generation. Their ancestors made jewellery for royal households, the maharajahs and maharanis. Kastur Jewels is a small brand: I am not mass market or commercial, so using small, select workshops and keeping track of where everything comes from happens almost by default. Behind every design and every sale is a fundamental goal: to try and help people living in truly desperate conditions. I used to work in humanitarian aid in the most vulnerable and volatile parts of the world. I left that world because I was beginning to feel quite despondent: I was aware that funding was not always directed to beneficiaries and corruption 45 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
People love the aura and energy of the shop – it’s hard to explain in words! It’s small, it’s cosy, and a lot of my customers have become friends. We hang out and have coffee and chai together. It’s a real place of calm and the shopping experience is very personal. My customer base is broad – the shop attracts people from all of the world, from Costa Rica to Mongolia. Every day, people tell us how refreshing it is to see jewellery that is slightly different, yet pretty and wearable. There is no better feedback than that! My heart and soul go into every piece. I am particularly fond of the enamel pieces, the sliced diamond pieces and those that emulate my mother’s trousseau jewels. Many of the designs are inspired by her jewellery. KASTUR JEWELS 14 Bulstrode Street, W1U 2JG 07512907522 kasturjewels.com
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In-channel stitching of a sole Left: The Keeley patent leather penny loafer
were clomping along the Scottish peat moors and your feet got wet, the water seeped in and drained out again. Now it’s just purely decoration, and you can do fun things with the design. A few years ago, we did something called the Buckshot Brogue, which looked as though a shotgun had been randomly shot at the leather. That fired the imagination. But there are infinite designs of shoe, and they all come and go in the cycles of fashion. When the big fashion houses turn their catwalks to classic, it disseminates through the whole fashion chain and there’s a pendulum swing back to formal. Actually, the top-selling style among all the Northampton shoe manufacturers is a plain capped Oxford; that’s the shoe we all make the most of. It’s pretty classic stuff. The pandemic made comfort king. Are you still fighting the legacy of sweatpants and Birkenstocks, or are we seeing a renaissance for formal footwear? I think what’s actually happening now is that you’re seeing older and older people wearing sneakers with a suit, and it doesn’t quite look right. They probably think ‘I’m cool’, but their 18-year-old child is saying: “God, if my dad’s wearing that, I am not.” So, then they’ll go formal, and the cycle keeps rolling. Sometimes fashion goes in our favour and we’ll 46 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
ride that wave, but even during the other times, the sneaker times, we’ve still got this amazingly stable foundation to our customer base. If you’re selling something that’s really well made, which stands for quality, there will always be a market for it. What steps are you taking to tread a little more lightly on the planet? We source our raw materials from as near to home as possible. We predominantly use calf leather, and unfortunately there’s nobody left in the UK tanning calf leather, so it comes from France, Italy, Germany and Spain, and we have to be sure that we’re buying from responsible sources. Thankfully the EU has very stringent regulations for tanning leather, in particular the effluence created in the process – you can’t just dump it in a river. Meanwhile in our Eco-Aware collections, the leather is sourced from Charles F Stead in Leeds, a tannery at the very forefront of sustainable leathers. The box is made from recycled cardboard and even the shoe bag is made from sustainable cotton in a natural finish. It’s all those little considerations, plus we’re making something that will last a long time. It’s all about buying less and buying better. What about vegan alternatives? Would we ever see a pair of Cheaneys made from pineapple
leather or mycelium fibre? We’ve tried it! But we’re used to working with top-grade fine calf leather, which gives the perfect finish and has the perfect qualities; it’s soft, it’s durable. At the moment, our observation – and I’m sure this will change as they evolve – is that when you use some of these other materials, the finish doesn’t look as premium. Then there are people out there making vegan footwear that’s just plastic, and now suddenly people are realising the implication. They’re substituting a natural material which in the end rots down to nothing quite quickly, for a synthetic that actually doesn’t degrade for maybe thousands of years. What makes Marylebone a perfect fit for a Joseph Cheaney & Sons store? It’s a proper village within London. We can get to know the locals, they get to know us, we love building that relationship. Personally, I think our neighbourhood around Marylebone Lane has a really nice feel to it. The curation of the tenants has been really well thought through and you have a great mix of businesses who all complement each other. I often meet people for lunch up the road at The Marylebone Hotel – it’s so nice to sit outside and watch the world go by. And when you’re watching the world go by, are you looking at people’s shoes? Always! You might find you’ve got someone who looks a bit scruffy but they’re wearing a really nice pair of shoes, and the shoes dress up the whole look – and sometimes you see people wearing the most amazing tailoring with a not-so-nice pair of shoes, and you think: come on, there’s a bit missing here! They always say, people judge you from the ground up. Your shoes are the opening point of the story. JOSEPH CHEANEY & SONS 1A Marylebone High Street, W1U 4NA cheaney.co.uk
A CLOSER LOOK STYLE
THE EDIT BELLEVILLE SUNGLASSES MONC, £260 monclondon.com
SHORT PRINTED DRESS THE KOOPLES, £375 thekooples.com
MARCH AQUAMARINE BIRTHSTONE PENDANT DINNY HALL, £215 dinnyhall.com
MAGRITTE MALBEC LEATHER BOOT TRACEY NEULS, £410 traceyneuls.com
ISAAC REINA CROSS BAG MOUKI MOU, £550 moukimou.com
LINEAR ARCHIVE PRINT SILK SCARF SUNSPEL, £135 sunspel.com
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HIGH NECK RÊVE JUMPER AGNÈS B, £295 agnesb.co.uk
A CLOSER LOOK STYLE
THE LOOK
NEW ARRIVAL
Varley Founded in 2015 by married couple Lara and Ben Mead, Varley is a contemporary fashion brand for the modern woman. Varley’s stylish year-round collections of knitwear, outerwear and everyday staples, complemented by active pieces, emphasise comfort and functionality, elevated by high-quality fabrics and considered design. Inspiration comes from the contrasting landscapes and lifestyles of Los Angeles and London, the two global cities between which Lara and Ben split their time. The brand’s new store – the second in the UK – is set to open on Marylebone High Street. VARLEY 104 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RR varley.com
NEW
48 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
A CLOSER LOOK STYLE
FATHER FIGURE
Stacey Wood, founder of King & Tuckfield, on a look inspired by an old photograph of her father
My grandmother Joan King was a ballerina, and my father – Graham Tuckfield – worked down the mines until he was 16. He loved dancing, though, from a young age; he was like Billy Elliot. During the war he swapped identities with his cousin so he could become a paratrooper – and after that, he became a tailor, during which time he took up dancing again and met my mum. Everything we do at King and Tuckfield links back to these stories. Our spring-summer 2024 collection was influenced by a picture we have of my dad from the 1950s, walking down the beach wearing high-rise wide-legged trousers and a long-sleeved shirt with his cuffs rolled back. The photo was on my desk during the entire design process. We wanted to encapsulate the fabrics and colours in that image: blue and white stripes, yellow and beige stripes, fabrics that are a mix of lightweight and elegant, durable and hard. In this look, the shirt is soft and slightly sheer, with a very thin stripe, while the trousers – which have a shape you’d normally see in a much lighter fabric – are a very washed, hard denim. All of it ties into the roots of King and Tuckfield: that blend of wartime Britain, mining and dance. Normally we shoot in a studio, but we shot this collection on the beach in Margate, which was really nice. It was one of those very hot days last summer and being in that slightly old-fashioned seaside town meant it felt a lot like that old picture. KING & TUCKFIELD 40-42 Chiltern Street, W1U 7QN kingandtuckfield.com
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A CLOSER LOOK STYLE
THREE OF THE BEST
GLOVES
April is the cruellest month, wrote TS Eliot. He could have gone with March instead, were it not for scansion. For where January and February make no pretence about how cold and nasty the weather will be, the following months have a way of luring you in with the promise of spring, then spitting you out again in a random snowstorm. Don’t let early spring fool you with a sunny day; you could well need gloves right up until May. Here are our favourites.
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A CLOSER LOOK STYLE
1.
2.
1. LEATHER GLOVES BY NERI FIRENZE MOUKI MOU, £290 moukimou.com
2. CASHMERE FOLK FAIR ISLE WRIST WARMERS BRORA, £85 broraonline.com
Don’t be fooled by their hardwearing appearance; these gloves, cut from Nappa leather, are as smooth on the outside as they are on the inside. Natural cashmere lining keeps the hands cosseted and cosy and extends the favour to the wrists in the form of a ribbed cuff.
Woven at one of Scotland’s oldest mills and stitched together in a classically comforting Fair Isle design, these typically soft and luxurious wrist warmers from Brora will keep your hands warm while freeing your fingers for texting and typing. 3. CASHMERE GLOVES CAROLINE GARDNER, £56 carolinegardner.com With their pretty sky-blue hue and striking nutmeg trim, both the colour palette and the pure, breathable cashmere of these lovely gloves will enable your hands to span the tail end of winter while being equally happy through the bright, frosty mornings of spring.
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3.
A CLOSER LOOK HOME
ANATOMY OF A DESIGN
POK BUTLER
Shiro Muchiri, founder of SoShiro, on a versatile piece of furniture that provides a stage for the artistic expression of Kenyan beadworkers Interview: Viel Richardson
Requirement I think of this butler as a ‘lifestyle-adaptable unit’ – something that the end user can integrate into the way they live their life, however that might be. I designed the piece so that it would fit into many different environments. I needed it to work in an Art Deco interior, in a more traditional space or in an ultra-modern home. I designed its delicately carved corners so that it works in the centre of the room but doesn’t look awkward against a wall. I also really wanted the focus to be on the artistry of the beading. That’s why I created those very linear, very subdued proportions throughout the structure, in contrast to the colourful vertical beadwork. Critically, I wanted it to be a useful piece of furniture, one that the end user would enjoy interacting with every day. For example, behind the beaded artwork you will find removable leather folders. Inspiration I was born and raised in Kenya where beading is a craft with real cultural significance. On my travels I have also seen how important it can be to communities all over the world. But when looking at artefacts or souvenirs, there is something reductive about the way something so beautiful is often commoditised and stripped of much of its cultural meaning. I had come across a beading community in Kenya made up of women from different tribes and had wanted to work with them because their levels of craftsmanship were just extraordinary. The designs they create remain connected to their cultural meaning and 52 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
belong to the whole community. Their involvement in this piece felt like a way of harnessing their artistic expression and showcasing their workmanship in the evaluated manner that it deserves. That is why the vertical drawers really stand out while everything else, even the marble top, recedes into the background and creates a kind of framework for their artistry. Process There were a lot of moving parts because I chose to work with several different producers. Having left school in Kenya, I moved to Milan and studied interior architecture, and then stayed on to begin my design career. Through this, I developed a network of wonderful Italian craftsmen and women and I wanted to work with them on this piece. Apart from the beadwork, every other component was created in Italy by people who had spent years, sometimes generations, honing their skills in a particular craft. The level of craftsmanship throughout the piece was seen when I gave the Kenyan women samples of the leather that their beadwork would be displayed on. Their response was to say they only worked in real leather. Because the samples were of such a high quality, they didn’t think it was real leather! When it came to the beadwork, I took the panels and the leather over to the community and having decided on the final designs and some of the technical aspects regarding the curve I needed, I left them to create the pieces. Materials The main body is a high-density engineered wood covered with
a high-grade oak veneer. Using this gives you an opportunity to be very specific about the properties of the structural material and it is also a sustainable resource, which is very important to me. The beads were very interesting. They are made of glass and during my research I discovered they had been imported from Ukraine for many, many years which gives them a significance other glass beads would not have. The leather is a very finely tooled nubuck from an independent leather workshop and the top is pietra marble made by one of the wonderful marble workshops you can still find in Italy. There is a real issue with places like these struggling in the face of cheap products from abroad and I feel it is our duty to support these independent workshops whenever we can. Philosophy The world is full of so many cultures, aesthetics and colours of humanity that do not make their way into high-end design, and I believe we should be bringing all of them into the conversation. We need to make contemporary high-end design work much harder. It can be a source of inspiration, it can carry cultural narratives. People love to be surrounded by items that speak to them, that reflect who they are. High-end fashion allows you to express yourself. Why is it people can dress so differently but their design options when creating a very contemporary space are so similar? We are not serving the more curious, explorative consumer well in offering them such a limited palette of options.
My aim is always to bring as many different cultural stories and aesthetics into the high-end design conversation, because who knows what that might bring about. People are curious, interested, always looking for something that engages them. We should give them a much wider variety of things to discover. SOSHIRO 23 Welbeck Street, W1G 8DZ 020 7618 9890 soshiro.co
A CLOSER LOOK HOME
53 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
A CLOSER LOOK HOME
THE EDIT COOKWARE LARGE MIXING BOWL MUD AUSTRALIA, £122 mudaustralia.com/uk
CRAFT BASTING BRUSH LE CREUSET, £12 lecreuset.co.uk
BLAZEN WA SANTOKU KNIFE JAPANESE KNIFE COMPANY, £399 japaneseknifecompany.com
TERRAILLON TRADITIONAL SPRING SCALES DAVID MELLOR, £39 davidmellordesign.com
WOODEN WHISK LABOUR AND WAIT, £9.50 labourandwait.co.uk
FRYING PAN BY ALEX POLE IRONWORK ANOTHER COUNTRY, £85 anothercountry.com
LEACH POTTERY PESTLE AND MORTAR TOAST, £68 toa.st
HINOKI CHOPPING BOARD NIWAKI, £89 niwaki.com
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NEW ARRIVAL
A CLOSER LOOK HOME
NEW Sabre Paris Founded in 1993 by designer Francis Gelb and run in close collaboration with his wife Pascale, Sabre Paris is a French tableware brand with a healthy disregard for convention. Playful, colourful and designed to be mixed and matched, the company’s French-made cutlery pairs high-grade stainless steel blades with a wide variety of handles. Its first UK store opens this spring on Chiltern Street. SABRE PARIS 52 Chiltern Street, W1U 7QU sabre-paris.co.uk
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A CLOSER LOOK HEALTHCARE
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A CLOSER LOOK HEALTHCARE
CUTTING EDGE
Prof Christian Mehl of Wimpole Street Dental Clinic on the broad and rapidly changing field of oral surgery Interview: Viel Richardson
When does general dentistry become oral surgery? The term ‘general dentistry’ initially covered anything that occurred in the mouth that dentists needed to treat. This encompassed things like checkups, fillings, cleaning and teeth straightening. But over the years, as dentistry has become more specialised, the number of procedures covered under general dentistry has become narrower. Procedures like implantology, root canal treatments, prosthodontics and orthodontics have all become specialised. Oral surgery simply means you need to make a cut in order to carry out the procedure. As soon as you do this you are in the world of oral surgery. So, what kinds of condition might require surgery? It really depends on each situation. It could be a single extraction where you sometimes need to cut into the gum to complete it. You may be carrying out an apicoectomy, where inflamed or infected gum tissue around the tip of the root of a tooth is removed. I would also include implantology as a subtopic of oral surgery. There are other minor issues, like when you bite your lip and end up with a small cyst which needs to be removed. Then there are more serious situations such as where a patient has damaged their jaw, perhaps in an accident, and you are having to repair damage 57 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
to the teeth or jaw. There are many situations where you may need to make a cut during treatment. How is oral surgery covered in your general training? In the general training, you rotate through every area of dentistry, ranging from cleaning, fillings, extractions and root canal treatments to crowns, bridges and dentures. Then you might assist on larger, more complex dental procedures which have a surgical component. So, when you finish your general training, you have covered all the areas including oral surgery. At this point you know how to handle the instruments, but you haven’t had much practical experience. If you decide to focus on a specific treatment, is more training needed? Yes. If you want to concentrate on implantology, for example, you usually undergo further training in dental surgical procedures and then specialise further in implantology. If you want to be a prosthodontist, you’ll learn more about crowns and bridges and dentures, and so on. However, there are many other specialisations. The dental exam you pass after five years is really just the basics. It is over the next several years that you really start to learn your craft. Most dentists find an area they really like and want to investigate further, whether that’s children’s dentistry, orthodontics, root canal treatment, or other areas. What was that area for you? Everything. I always wanted to be able to solve every case myself. At the very least I wanted to understand how each area worked, because only then can you solve the very complex problems. If you focus on just one tile in a mosaic you don’t see the whole picture and I want to see the whole picture. The mouth is not disconnected from the rest of the body and it is increasingly important to understand more about general medicine. For example, if a child has oligodontia, which means they have six or more teeth missing, this seems to be associated with a
higher risk of colon cancer. This is good to know early so the appropriate actions can be put in place. My biggest area of personal research has been immediate implants. This means extracting the tooth, placing the implants, augmenting the bone and/or soft tissue and placing a new tooth, all in the same day. What are some of the challenges you face when you’re performing oral surgery? The idea is to make any procedure as predictable as possible, so in my view there should be no ‘challenges’ during a procedure. This means gathering all the necessary data, which could be 2D scans, 3D scans, digital scans – whatever you need to completely understand the situation. Then you make a plan for every step. I have a saying: “Before you say hello you have to know how you will say goodbye.” It means you should have a plan for every step, and this includes any possible surprises. Of course, we are dealing with the complexities of the human body, so the unexpected can happen. But I find that the better prepared you are, the fewer challenges you face. For me, facing a challenge means I probably haven’t prepared enough. Nervousness in patients is an issue that seemingly affects dentists more than some other medical professionals. How do you help people through surgical procedures? The first thing is to be kind to them. Reassure them that the problem is not as big as they think. Speak their language. By this I don’t mean German or Arabic, but talking to them in a way they will understand. We should never hide behind medical terms and Latin names. Also, be calm yourself – that’s very important. If the doctor shows anxiety, you can’t expect the patient to be relaxed. Create a calming atmosphere, tell them that you have performed the procedure many times. Through talking to them, >
A CLOSER LOOK HEALTHCARE
“It is unbelievable what has happened in dentistry over the past 20 years. We have seen more progress than in the previous century.”
you differentiate between those who will find the situation too traumatic to cope with and will need sedation and nervous patients who will be fine with good guidance. A good point to remember is that the patient’s imagination of the procedure and its effects is always much worse than the reality. What I find very helpful is to really explain to them exactly what you’re planning to do. Sometimes pictures, even if they’re not pretty, have been helpful as they allow the patient to really understand what will happen. Is oral surgery a rapidly advancing field? It is unbelievable what has happened in the past 20 years. We have seen more progress than in the previous century. When I started training, some of the publications we read were from the 1890s. The industry has been transformed. Thirty years ago, tooth implants were uncommon; now they are routine. Improved technology has changed everything. We have specifically created materials in almost every department, from fillings, crowns, bridges and implants to root canal treatments and orthodontics. We have incredibly sophisticated computer technology and a whole array of scans we can call on, which enable detailed planning of the most complex procedures. There are new lighting and magnification 58 — MARYLEBONE JOURNAL / ISSUE NO. 103
tools. These technological advances have changed dentistry enormously. It is making treatments more predictable. We are not relying on our hands and instincts as much anymore. It is still extremely important to develop those skills, but allied with technology we can now do so much more than we could before. Has this made it harder in any way? I would say it has made things more complex. Thirty years ago, a dental nurse would need to know how to fill in the appropriate charts, how to mix amalgams for fillings and how to take a suction if you want to prepare for a crown. Now they need to understand complex filling materials, aesthetic treatments, implant treatments. The set-up for a root canal used to take around five minutes, now it can take 20 minutes or longer depending on the case. However, that increased complexity has allowed us to make procedures much more predictable, which is much better for the patient. Is oral surgery ever contraindicated? The interest of the patient must always be at the centre of what you do. If the risk outweighs the benefits, you do not proceed. Sometimes a patient is too frail for a procedure, so if you can mitigate the symptoms instead, that is what you do. I once performed an implant procedure on a 96-year-old lady. Some would say that she was
too old, but when I visited her two years later she said the implants had been wonderful. She could finally eat with her friends – play cards and eat cookies without the ever-present fear of her dentures falling out, which had caused her real anxiety before. So, it really depends on the individual situation. There are no general contraindications for a dental operation – you have to decide on each individual case. Generalisations make life easier but are not always accurate. If you had a silver bullet, what one issue would you solve? We have fantastic pain medications already but there can still be discomfort sometimes, particularly afterwards, during recovery. Developing medications which eliminate the pain, eliminate the swelling and increase the healing speed would be fantastic. If you remove several teeth surgically, the following week can be uncomfortable for the patient. There can be significant swelling, and even with pain medication you can still feel something. It can take around two weeks to get back to normal. Something that was more effective at reducing inflammation and reducing the healing time would be fantastic. What do you enjoy most about what you do? It is endlessly fascinating. You learn about physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, zoology, psychology and much more. You understand the reasons the body reacts in certain ways and the best ways to work with those reactions. It is a lifelong study. Then there are the technical and mechanical sides of things, which you need to work on constantly. It is this combination of the mental and the physical that really appeals to me. When you combine this with the positive difference we make to patients’ lives, I think this is a wonderful profession. WIMPOLE STREET DENTAL CLINIC 38 Queen Anne Street, W1G 8HZ wimpolestreetdental.clinic
Meet your personal joint healthcare team At King Edward VII’s Hospital, we know there’s more to healthcare than just the treatment. From the first time you call us, to your discharge back home and beyond, our aim is to make every patient feel like the only patient. This year, free yourself from the limitations of joint pain and get back to living the life you want. Our expert orthopaedic team are here to help you get back on your feet quickly and give you the support you need as you heal.
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Marylebone London
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42 Upper Berkeley Street London W1H 5QL
Fifteen Portman Square, Marylebone, W1H FOR SALE
OIEO £2,000,000 | 4 Bed | 3 Bath Long Term Lease
£950,000 | 1 Bed | 1 Bath Mid Term Lease
£425,000 | 2 Bed | 2 Bath Short Term Lease
Sold August 2023 £2,850,000 | 3 Bed | 3 Bath
Sold December 2023 £1,395,000 | 2 Bed | 2 Bath
SOLD
Sold July 2023 £1,950,000 | 2 Bed | 2 Bath
“We sold five properties in Portman Square in 2023, reinforcing Jaffray Estates as market leaders for this address.” If you are looking to buy or sell and would like advice on the current market or a free market appraisal contact: Nicholas Jaffray 07515 777 634 Nicholas@Jaffray-Estates.co.uk www.Jaffray-Estates.co.uk
42 Upper Berkeley Street London W1H 5QL
Fifteen Portman Square, Marylebone, W1H To Let: £1,750 per week We are proud to let this contemporary four bedroom apartment, ideally located in a quiet corner of this sought-after building, facing a private garden. The property consists of four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two of which are en-suite. The apartment is offered in very good order throughout, and offers a spacious living area with dining room and a separate kitchen. Available Immediately: Long Let
To Let: £900 per week We are delighted to present this bright two bedroom apartment on an upper floor in Fifteen Portman Square. This well-designed property offers a reception room with dining area, and separate fully equipped kitchen. There are two bedrooms and two shower rooms, the master is en-suite, plus both rooms offer plenty of storage. Available Immediately: Long Let
If you are looking to buy or sell and would like advice on the current market or a free market appraisal contact: Nicholas Jaffray 07515 777 634 Nicholas@Jaffray-Estates.co.uk www.Jaffray-Estates.co.uk
020 7486 6711
A unique personal service in interior design The largest stockists of Flamant furniture in the UK Bespoke rental packages for staging homes for sale or rental We offer free local home visits by our design team Visit our showroom at 108-111 Crawford Street, Marylebone, W1H 2JA Monday to Saturday 10am-6pm www.mcglashansinteriors.co.uk follow us on Instagram @mcglashansinteriors 108 Crawford Street, London W1H 2JA
www.mcglashansinteriors.co.uk
EXECUTIVE PROPERTY SPECIALISTS
020 7486 6711 sales@mcglashans.co.uk lettings@mcglashans.co.uk
YORK STREET, MARYLEBONE W1
£545PW / £2,362PCM
A beautiful one bedroom apartment on the first floor of a converted period house with stunning double height ceilings and floor to ceiling windows. EPC- C, Council Tax - (Westminster) Band D, Security Deposit £2,725. Living room with open plan kitchen, bedroom, bathroom.
CRAWFORD STREET, MARYLEBONE W1
£675PW / £2,925PCM
A fabulous one bed apartment that has its own private roof terrace, 24hr porterage, a lift, residents’ gym and a communal paved garden area. EPC - D, Council Tax Westminster - Band F, Security deposit £3,375. Living/dining room, kitchen, bedroom, en-suite bathroom, guest cloakroom. 107 CRAWFORD STREET, LONDON W1H 2JA For tenancy Info please refer to the website
WWW.MCGLASHANS.CO.UK
MARYLEBONE PROPERTY AGENCY
E S TA B L I S H E D 1 9 8 1
MARYLEBONE PROPERTY AGENCY
E S TA B L I S H E D 1 9 8 1
SO
SO
LD
TOWN HOUSE
LD
MEWS HOUSE
Asking Price: £2,950,000
Asking Price: Confidential
LE
LE
T
MEWS HOUSE
T
APARTMENT
Asking Rent: £2,350 per week
Asking Rent: £3,000 per week
jeremyjames@jeremy-james.co.uk
020 7486 4111
www.jeremy-james.co.uk
jeremyjames@jeremy-james.co.uk
020 7486 4111
www.jeremy-james.co.uk
Lancashire Court Mayfair W1S
Guide price: £2,250,000
A bright two bedroom duplex apartment overlooking New Bond Street. 2 bedroom apartment • 2 bathrooms • Roof terrace • Loft space for storage • Duplex • Leasehold
Mayfair & St James’s 020 7493 0676 mayfair@carterjonas.co.uk
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