Mayfairtimes jun13 lores

mayfair times

SERVICE WITH A SMILE Monica Galetti gets behind National Waiters Day

June 13

A GOOD RUN FOR YOUR MONEY The enduring appeal of horse racing

ÂŁ3

June 13

In this issue Monica Galetti and National Waiters Day, Welcome China and horse racing

WELCOME CHINA Business group calls for visa changes

5

Mayfair Times

40

32

14

Mayfair’s house magazine for 28 years – now made in Mayfair

Contents

www.mayfairtimes.co.uk www.mayfairpa.com

25 Hospitality

40 Business

National Waiters Day pays tribute to the skill and dedication involved in front-of-house roles

Ahead of this month’s Royal Ascot, we look at the enduring appeal of horse racing for spectators and investors alike

Cover picture by Viv Yeo

28 Food Le Gavroche’s Monica Galetti on the determination is takes to succeed in a top kitchen and balancing work and family life

20 6 News Three generations of the Roux family at Taste of London and Brown’s hotel celebrates 175 years

11 News extra Grosvenor Square prepares for live entertainment and a new children’s day at Summer in the Square

12 Events A cabaret night at the Playboy Club, Simon Reeve on Australia, and a Portman Village street party

16 Theatre The award-winning songwriters behind Hairspray take on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

18 Art Fine Art Commissions founder Sara Stewart pairs artists with clients who want bespoke portraits

38

31 Food & drink Afternoon teas for tennis fans, little princesses and children visiting Willy Wonka at the theatre

32 Fashion We look at some of the hottest menswear trends, from Gatsby suits to Wimbledon sweaters

35 Health & beauty Get beach-ready with the latest treatments and products, plus treats for mums-to-be

38 Business

Editor Selma Day T 020 7259 1052 E selma@pubbiz.com Writers Nuala Calvi, Harry Edwards, Emma Haslett, Kate White Sub-editor Lucy Brown Designer Andy Lowe Publishing director Adrian Day T 020 7259 1055 E day@pubbiz.com Advertisement director Sam Bradshaw T 020 7259 1051 E sam@pubbiz.com

A group is pushing for changes to make it easier for big-spending Chinese visitors to come to London

Advertisement manager Bridget Rodricks T 020 7259 1059 E bridget@pubbiz.com

43 Property

Printed in the UK. © Publishing Business Ltd 2013

Wetherell’s tube map shows how prices change between stations – sometimes by huge sums

92 Direct lines The Connaught takes a more permanent approach to gardening, and an Allied secret agent is remembered at The Stafford

Mayfair Times is produced by Publishing Business Publishing Business 3 Princes Street London W1B 2LD T 020 7259 1050 Printed on ECF (Chlorine Free) paper using fibre sourced from well-managed forests.

All Inks vegetable based. Our Printers are certified to ISO 14001 Environmental Management.

Publishing Business is a member of the Professional Publishers’ Association and observes the PPA Code of Publishing Practice

7

news

6

Treat your tastebuds ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS of this year’s Taste of London, which takes place in Regent’s Park from June 20-23, is a series of culinary exclusives from three generations of the Roux dynasty – Albert, Michel and his daughter Emily who will be cooking together and sharing their expertise.

Forty of London’s hottest restaurants will be taking part in the event, serving up special menus of starter-sized tasting plates, including their signature dishes.

Mayfair participants at the event – now in its tenth year – include Alyn Williams at the Westbury, Benares, Le Gavroche, Maze, Tamarind and Theo Randall at the InterContinental.

The Taste Theatre, sponsored by Electrolux, will host an array of worldclass chefs, giving visitors the chance to get close to culinary legends such as Raymond Blanc and René Redzepi in an interactive cooking demonstration.

Guests will also be able to learn about fine champagne at Laurent-Perrier’s new “Grape to Glass” masterclass, from the initial grape picking to the first sip, with accompanying food pairings.

For further information, visit www.tastefestivals.com/london.

Showcasing new menswear

New role for Tyrell WESTMINSTER AND CITY Property Associations have appointed Jace Tyrell as executive director.

Tyrell joins after 15 years of property and retail experience, most recently as director of communications at New West End Company.

With combined commercial property portfolios of over £20 billion, the associations represent over 350 members, with some of the highest yielding real estate portfolios in the world. Tyrell will lead the

Summer Exhibition returns

organisations at a time of multi-billion investment and regeneration projects in the capital and is

NOW IN ITS 245th year, the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition 2013 kicks off on June 10 (until August 18). Coordinated by Royal Academicians Norman Ackroyd RA and Eva Jiricna RA, it is the world’s largest open submission contemporary art show. It provides a platform for emerging and established artists to showcase their work to an international audience, with the majority of works for sale.

This year, the exhibition will have a room dedicated to portraiture, which will include photography and works on paper, along with new works by Frank Auerbach, Tom Phillips RA, Michael Craig-Martin RA and Alex Katz. Grayson Perry RA will show his series of six tapestries, The Vanity of Small Differences, telling the story of Tim Rakewell, inspired by Hogarth’s A Rake’s Progress.

tasked with championing the views of members.

The appointment comes as Paul Houston retires after ten years running both organisations.

PICTURED: GRAYSON PERRY RA, THE UPPER CLASS AT BAY, 2012 ARTS COUNCIL COLLECTION, SOUTHBANK CENTRE LONDON AND BRITISH COUNCIL. GIFT OF THE ARTIST AND VICTORIA MIRO GALLERY WITH THE SUPPORT OF CHANNEL 4 TELEVISION, THE ART FUND AND SFUMATO FOUNDATION WITH ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM ALIXPARTNERS. / © GRAYSON PERRY

MORE THAN 60 DESIGNERS are

PHOTOGRAPHY © STEPHEN WHITE

confirmed to participate in catwalk shows, presentations and events during this month’s London Collections: Men

Polo event at Ralph Lauren

between June 16 and 18. The events will be held at various venues around London, including The Old Sorting Office, 21-23 New Oxford Street.

NIGERIAN POLO PLAYER and businessman

Burberry has moved its menswear

Helping pupils in Haiti

show to London this year after more than

Kola Karim hosted an exclusive evening at

ten years of showing in Milan. Paul Smith

Ralph Lauren’s store in New Bond Street

will be making his debut at the event,

last month to celebrate the sport of polo.

Guests, including Argentine polo player

showing his spring/summer 2014 collection, as will New York-based brand

Nacho Figueras and Nigerian ambassador

ITALIAN FASHION house Brioni, whose store is at

rag & bone. Also joining the line-up is

Greg Mbadiwe, were treated to cocktails,

32 Bruton Street, has solidified its partnership with the

Jimmy Choo – which opened a men’s

canapés, and a presentation of the

not-for-profit organisation Artists for Peace and Justice

store in Dover Street last month.

spring/summer collection and accessories.

(APJ). The seven-year collaboration will focus on

The event, which saw polo ponies

There will also be catwalk shows from

supporting the children of Haiti through the Brioni

Richard James and E.Tautz alongside a

outside the store, was held in aid of The

Scholarship Program, an ongoing initiative that will

presentation from Gieves & Hawkes.

Pure Soul Learning Foundation and Patrick

support 80 students through their entire secondary education.

Shots of a 1960s icon MICHAEL CAINE: 1960s by Graham Marsh features rare photographs capturing the actor’s on-set and off-screen life. The 128-page hardback volume contains more than 100 images, including stills taken while he worked on films such as The Italian Job – in which he wore suits created by the late Mount Street tailor Douglas Hayward.

Michael Caine: 1960s (Reel Art Press, £19.95) is out on June 30. For stockist information or to buy online, visit www.reelartpress.com.

Speech and Language Centre in Lagos.

GIEVES & HAWKES AUTUMN/WINTER 2013

MICHAEL CAINE POSES IN THE CENTRE OF A GROUP OF TAILOR’S DUMMIES IN A SHARP, HANDMADE DOUG HAYWARD SUIT

A month in

OCEAN INDEPENDENCE last month

Mayfair

London, at The Mall Galleries, which

hosted an event, Legends in brought together the world’s superyachting leaders and elite clients.

The event showcased both the oldest trophy in sport, America’s Cup, and its prestigious challenger, the Louis Vuitton Cup, together for the first time in many years.

TRAFFIC was brought to a standstill for the Morton’s in Wonderland event at the private members’ club.

Berkeley Square was filled with passers-by watching as guests were greeted by bright pink flamingoes, giant white rabbits, enormous pocket watches and other animated Alice in Wonderland characters. Inside, the party continued until the early hours.

IMAGE © THE KOBAL COLLECTION

threatening heart diseases with the

BBC ARTS EDITOR Will Gompertz opened The Royal Society of Portrait Painters’ annual exhibition at The Mall Galleries last month, which featured a number of famous Britons who have had portraits painted.

The exhibition also marked the launch of a new £20,000 Self Prize, to promote selfportraiture.

corrective surgery and treatment.

PICTURED: REGIMENTAL SERGEANT MAJOR

THE FIRST Louis XIII Rare Cask 42.6 decanter to be released in the UK was auctioned for £50,000 at Dartmouth House in Charles Street. Proceeds from the auction, presented by Lord Jeffrey Archer, will go to the charity Chain of Hope, which provides children suffering from life-

RAYMOND HUGGINS BY ANDREW FESTING

news

86 8

Ritz chef honoured JOHN WILLIAMS, executive chef at The Ritz Restaurant in Piccadilly, won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th annual Tatler Restaurant Awards 2013, presented last month at The Langham hotel in Portland Place by Tatler’s restaurant editor Jeremy Wayne.

Best Front of House went to the team at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester, with Downtown Mayfair and Hawksmoor Air Street two of the runners-up. Restaurant of the Year went to Colbert in Sloane Square.

Ziggy at the Opera Gallery OPERA GALLERY LONDON is set to unveil a collection of David Bowieinspired art for its summer exhibition. The group show will offer a contemporary vision of Bowie mania with tributes from leading contemporary and street artists, including Mr Brainwash, Joe Black, Eduardo Guelfenbein, Nick Gentry, Marco Lodola and The London Police. Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust will be immortalised in Bowie Triptych (pictured) by Mr Brainwash, who is known for depicting the faces of Jay-Z, Kate Moss and Marilyn Monroe in his signature neon spray paint creations, while installation artist Lodola uses the character as the inspiration for a mixed media and light box sculpture titled Aladdin. Guelfenbein, meanwhile, has created a large abstract painting in acrylic that reveals the hidden face of Bowie when viewed from a distance.

The Many Faces of Bowie is at Opera Gallery London, 134 New Bond Street, from June 21-August 31. Tel: 020 7491 2999.

News in brief

JOHN WILLIAMS WITH DAVID HESKETH, MANAGING DIRECTOR, LAURENT-PERRIER UK

Immaculate Conception, the Grosvenor Chapel, St George’s

THIS MONTH sees the opening of

(Hanover Square) Primary School

feature champagne, cocktails, canapés, a raffle and music.

Tickets are £25 for members and £30 for non-members. Book online at www.rsmsj.com.

Swiss watchmaker Breitling’s first

and the Mayfair Library, the fair

flagship boutique in the UK – in

will be a fun-filled afternoon

New Bond Street. The 2,700 sq ft

(12 noon to 5pm) for the whole

store, set over two floors, will

family, with food and drink,

HOMELESS CHARITY StreetSmart

feature a watchmaker on site

entertainment, an auction and

raised a record-breaking total of

whose workshop will be visible to

children’s activities. Proceeds will

£805,000 from its recent campaign

customers. There will also be a

go towards computers for the

with the help of 550 restaurants

selection of limited-edition pieces

children of St George’s.

and chefs, including Gordon Ramsay and Giorgio Locatelli.

on display, which can only be found in Breitling boutiques.

IF YOU’RE HEADING to sporting or fashion events over the coming months, look out for the Boss Mobile Store. Resembling a regular truck, it unfolds to create 860 sq ft of modern retail space, selling Boss merchandise. The truck also serves as an entertainment space, complete with turntables, a bar and a rooftop terrace.

TICKETS ARE still available for the 2013 Residents’ Society of Mayfair & St James’s Summer Garden Party to be held at Mount Street Gardens on Monday June 24. The party, to be opened by Sir Michael Parkinson, will start at 6pm and finish at around 9pm and will

The top ten fundraisers included Mayfair restaurants Nobu (9) and Maze (6). The figure was announced at an event at The Cabinet Office to mark the government matching diners’ donations this year, almost doubling its profits.

PICTURED: NICK HURD, MINISTER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY, WITH WILLIAM SIEGHART, CHAIRMAN OF STREETSMART

THE MOUNT STREET Gardens Summer Fair takes place on Sunday June 30. Hosted by

NEWS: Selma Day

The Farm Street Church of the

selma@pubbiz.com

10

NORMAN LAMONT, SANDRA AND MICHAEL HOWARD

news extra

news extra

11

P

reparations are hotting up for Grosvenor’s Summer in the Square event, which takes place in Grosvenor Square from July 11-28. It has just been announced that this year there will be a children’s day on Saturday July 20.

Special children’s entertainment will be running throughout the day, with principal activities, such as face painting and glue modelling, taking place from 11am-4pm. There will also be plenty of food and drink on offer.

New build and refurbishment specialist Grangewood – primary sponsor of this event – will be laying on sports-themed entertainment, including a football challenge.

All the activities are completely free of charge and you don’t need to book – simply turn up on the day and have a go.

Another highlight of this year’s event is Showcase in the Square, which takes place on Tuesday July 16, Monday July 22 and Tuesday July 23. While most of the acts performing over the two weeks are professional or semi-professional, these nights will each be given over to two new breakthrough acts playing their own material to provide an opportunity for up and coming talent.

Art lovers will be interested to know that Grosvenor’s artist-inresidence Ben Ashton will be establishing his painting studio

Happy 175th birthday, Brown’s BROWN’S HOTEL on Albemarle Street hosted a spectacular party last month to celebrate its 175th anniversary. The hotel is steeped in history – Alexander Graham Bell made the first UK telephone call from the hotel in 1876, Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book while staying at Brown’s, and Queen Victoria visited the hotel regularly, as did crime writer Agatha Christie, who based her novel At Bertram’s Hotel on Brown’s Hotel. Throughout the years, Brown’s has welcomed numerous famous guests and its 175th birthday party was no exception. Here’s a snapshot of some of those lucky enough to be invited.

Grosvenor Square gets ready for summer

SIR DAVID FROST, SIR ROCCO FORTE AND HIS EXCELLENCY PASQUALE TERRACCIANO BROWN’S OWNER SIR ROCCO FORTE, DIRECTOR OF DESIGN OLGA POLIZZI AND GENERAL MANAGER STUART JOHNSON LAST YEAR’S SUMMER IN THE SQUARE

OLGA POLIZZI WITH ANTONY GORMLEY AND VICKEN PARSONS

OLIVER PEYTON AND MARK HIX STEPHANIE MEADOWS, OLIVER PROUDLOCK AND KAT KAPLAN

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

above Simon Oldfield Gallery at 94 Mount Street and will be holding talks about his practice throughout Summer in the Square.

At the end of the two weeks, he will donate a painting for a charity auction in support of a local art project. The residency follows Ashton’s selection for the BP Portrait Award 2012 at the National Portrait Gallery.

Ashton’s studio will be open to the public from June 12July 27, allowing visitors to meet the artist and purchase available paintings.

Simon Oldfield will also be bringing the Pin Drop programme he co-founded with author and journalist Elizabeth Day to the event. The programme presents contemporary and classic literature read by world-leading narrators in unexpected contexts, places and locations.

During the event, Pin Drop will stage a series of engaging short story narrations read by well-known actors and authors, including actor Juliet Oldfield.

For further information, visit www.simonoldfield.com.

ELIZABETH DAY READING DURING PIN DROP AT THE SIMON OLDFIELD GALLERY

12

events

LENNY BEIGE

The Gin Revival

PERFORMING AT

Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, W1.

THE LAUNCH OF

June 20, 6.30pm. Tickets £20.

CABARET AT BAROQUE AT THE PLAYBOY CLUB

Fortnum & Mason will be hosting a night dedicated to the renaissance that the distilling of gin in the UK has seen in recent years. The range of botanicals used in the process has grown significantly and Fortnum’s will guide participants through the vast array of gins now on offer.

Info: 0845 602 5694, www.fortnumandmason.com

Broadway State of Mind The Crazy Coqs, Sherwood Street, W1.

June 25-29. Tickets £25.

Baroque at The Playboy Club

Award-winning actor/singer Gregg Edelman brings his show Broadway State of Mind – a concert of famous show music combined with stories of life and off the stage – to The Crazy Coqs. Edelman has spent 30 years on Broadway and starred in shows such as Cats and Anything Goes.

Info: 020 7734 4888, www.brasseriezedel.com/crazy-coqs

14 Park Lane, W1. Every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The Playboy Club recently launched Baroque, which takes place from Thursday to Saturday each week. Baroque brings old-school cabaret back to the London night scene. The night offers a theatrical night out full of captivating entertainment alongside some of the best vintage champagne and retro cocktails. Non-members must book in advance to attend.

Info: 020 7491 8586, www.playboyclublondon.com

100 Editions of the Tour de France Snap Galleries, Piccadilly Arcade, W1.

June 28-July 27.

Cycling’s premier event, the Tour de France is the subject of an exhibition of new works by artist James Straffon to mark the 100th edition of the race. Following last year’s Le Tour exhibition, Straffon revisits the race, this time framing it within the poetic stanzas of John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost.

Info: 020 7493 1151, www.snapgalleries.com

Portman Village Wimbledon Tennis Street Party New Quebec St and Seymour Place, W1. July 3, 5pm-10pm.

Portman Village will once again be hosting its annual street party. The event brings together the boutiques, salons, restaurants and pubs in the area to celebrate summer, and this year will pay tribute to the Wimbledon tennis championships. The street will be transformed to recreate the turf of the courts with artificial grass and there will be workshops and live entertainment.

The event is open to the public, and partygoers will be able to feel the spirit of Wimbledon with strawberries and cream and plenty of Pimms.

Whether it’s eyebrow threading and beauty treatments from salons such as iBrows etc, DIY workshops from Homemade London or delicious tasters from the brasseries and hotels in the area such as The Cumberland, there will be something for everyone. www.portmanvillage.com

Simon Reeve on Australia Australia House, Strand, WC2. June 11, 6.30pm.

BBC travel presenter Simon Reeve will be discussing his latest series, Australia, at a special evening at Australia House. Guests are invited to join Kuoni staff – several from the John Lewis concession in Oxford Street – to hear the inside story of Simon’s adventures and put their own questions to him. The event will also include a champagne reception and a variety of canapés.

Info: 01306 744010, www.kuoni.co.uk/simon-reeve

events

14

Amy Winehouse Foundation at The Hippodrome The Hippodrome Casino, Cranbourn Street, WC2. June 30, 8pm. Tickets £18, £20. £25, £35.

Mitch Winehouse and friends will be hosting a new monthly fundraising gig in support of the Amy Winehouse foundation. The foundation was set up to raise awareness of alcohol and drug misuse among young people. Mitch and his band will be performing live each month to raise money for the cause.

Info: 020 7386 1600, www.hippodromecasino.com

The Discovery of Paris The Wallace Collection, Manchester Square, W1. June 20-September 15. Free.

Following the final defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, British painters flocked to Paris.

The Wallace Collection is hosting an exhibition of British artists’ watercolours of the city from the early 19th century, including includes works

by Turner, Girtin and Bonington.

Info: 020 7563 9500, www.wallacecollection.org

Socrates and his Clouds Jermyn Street Theatre, Jermyn Street, SW1. June 4-22. Tuesdays to Saturdays 7.30pm, Saturday and Sunday matinées 3.30pm. Tickets £18, concessions £15.

Ludlow Food & Drink Festival on Park Lane InterContinental London Park Lane, W1.

July 9–12.

There will be an exclusive preview of the renowned Ludlow Food & Drink Festival at InterContinental Park Lane in early July. The small town is a hotspot for gastronomy, and executive head chef Paul Bates at the hotel will be working closely with producers in Ludlow to create daily-changing lunch and dinner menus that will celebrate the upcoming festival.

Info: 020 7409 3131, www.intercontinental.com

A new play by award-winning playwright William Lyons, inspired by the comic playwright of ancient Greece Aristophanes, is being performed at the Jermyn Street Theatre. Cartoon-strip style comic philosophy and politics meets song and dance in a play brought to the stage by a group of young Greek-Cypriot and Greek theatremakers, who explore the ways in which education and morality define a society in financial crisis.

Info: 020 7287 2875, www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk

Daphne’s at The Mount Street Deli for One Night Only Mount Street, W1. June 20, 7pm10pm. £100 per person plus service.

The Mount Street Deli will be holding an exclusive dinner hosted by one of the Caprice Holdings group chefs for one night each month. Daphne’s head chef Mike Brown will host the first event, which includes a champagne reception and a four-course tasting menu with matching wines.

Info: 020 7307 5901, www.themountstreetdeli.co.uk

Handel and Mrs Cibber Handel House, Brook Street, W1. June 15, 2pm-3.30pm. Tickets £12, £6 students.

A celebration of the work and friendship of Handel and Mrs Cibber will take place on June 15 at Handel House. Susannah Maria Cibber was one of the composer’s favourite singers and he wrote works specifically to honour his friend’s talents. The music will be performed

by Sue Powell (writer), Nancy Cole (mezzo-soprano) and Julian Perkins (harpsichord).

Info: 020 7399 1953, www.handelhouse.org EVENTS: Harry Edwards research@pubbiz.com

16

17

theatre

AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITING DUO MARC SHAIMAN AND SCOTT WITTMAN TELL NUALA CALVI ABOUT WORKING ON SAM MENDES’ MUCH-ANTICIPATED STAGE VERSION OF CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY AT DRURY LANE

M

“There’s so much more music in a musical on stage – every single character is represented by songs that show where they’re from and what they’re like” Marc Shaiman

arc Shaiman and Scott Wittman are the songwriting partnership behind the musical Hairspray, which won Tony and Olivier awards for best musical. Marc is a five-time Oscar nominee for his film music, including Sleepless in Seattle and The First Wives Club, and with lyricist Scott was nominated for an Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe award for original songs on NBC’s musical drama Smash. Now the pair are turning their talents to a new musical production of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, directed by Sam Mendes.

The classic 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory featured songs – why the need to write new ones for the stage version?

SCOTT WITTMAN: Well we went back to the original book and sort of started from there. Our songs might be different, but we felt that it would be fun to start from scratch with this.

MARC SHAIMAN: And ours is a real stage musical, in that it has 18-19 songs, and the film musical had probably six, maybe seven.

Some of those songs, like Pure Imagination, are quite

songwriting with a real director’s eye, and so he can kind of see in his head how it will be on stage or on screen. He won’t start writing until he has that very clear picture, and hopefully a title, or at least a bunch of phrases that would be in the lyrics. Then we start word-associating and then we just take all those phrases to the piano.

SW: And a theme starts to break through.

MS: And then suddenly all these disparate phrases just start moving on the page and suddenly taking form.

SW: Like Scrabble!

iconic. How do you make new songs that can compete with the ones people already know and love?

MS: You do your best!

SW: For some people that movie is like The Wizard of Oz, but I’m not of that generation, so I didn’t feel intimidated by trying to top it or compete with it.

What about musically – do you have to fit in with the style those songs have already set, or do you have quite a lot of freedom?

MS: We really just started from scratch, and wrote songs that were how we felt the characters would sound, and how all these kids would sound. There’s so much more music in a

MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY IN REHEARSAL FOR CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY

When you’re writing the lyrics, do you need to know what

PHOTO: HELEN MAYBANKS

kind of musical style the song has to be?

musical on stage – every single character is represented by songs that show where they’re from and what they’re like, so it’s a lot more far reaching just by its nature.

SW: Well you need to start from the vocabulary of the characters. The character of Willy Wonka has many words that necessarily aren’t in the everyday lexicon, so you would put all those words together and then they start to tell you what the musical style is.

MS: And with the musical, one thing that we added is to make everyone a bit more musical. For instance, with Veruca Salt, we turned her into a little prima ballerina, a little girl who’s always got a tutu on, and is always wanting to be a perfect little ballerina. So the song that we wrote for Veruca and her father, when we’re introducing them in the first act, we knew we wanted to have a ballet bar feel. The music then informs the lyric, and it just goes back and forth.

Is that what you had to do with Hairspray as well?

Do you spend all your working time together, or do you

SW: Well there’s a difference between putting a movie on stage and creating a musical, and in essence, Hairspray, the original movie, was really a dance movie. No one stood up and sang in it.

MS: It was almost as if they were just waiting to be turned into singing characters. So I guess what we did was we just gave them voice.

work on some things individually?

The golden ticket

How does your songwriting partnership work in practical terms? Do you write the music first, and then the lyrics, or the other way round?

FROM LEFT: MARC SHAIMAN AND SCOTT WITTMAN

SW: We do the lyrics together.

MS: Luckily Scott is a director also, so he comes to

SW: Well, we do projects separately. I’ve just been directing shows, and I go off, and I did a play this year off Broadway, and Marc did a movie, so we come together for the big things like this and Hairspray.

MS: And even when we write songs together, the very first moment is usually Scott reading books and magazines by himself. And then at the end, after a song is written, I go off and really form it musically and record a demo and figure out what the accompaniment is, every single note of it.

SW: I do a lot of research. For this I read almost every word that Roald Dahl wrote before we started, so his vocabulary and his style starts to seep into your head.

ABOVE: SAM MENDES IN REHEARSAL FOR CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE

Do you want to make it as if Roald Dahl could have written

FACTORY

the lyrics?

SW: That would be the greatest compliment that anyone could ever pay us. Because it is his baby, the same as it was with John Waters on Hairspray. These men created these worlds, and we’re just trying to put the bows on them.

TOP: NIGEL PLANER AND RONI PAGE IN REHEARSAL FOR CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY PHOTOS: HELEN MAYBANKS

You must have quite an intense working relationship.

SW: Well yes – we finish each other’s sentences! Luckily 99 per cent of the time we have the same vision of what the number should be.

MS: Usually I can go off and have dinner with friends, but here on this project it’s just the two of us in a hotel room.

So the fact that we haven’t actually killed each other is a miracle!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, from June 25. Tel: 0844 858 8877.

THEATRE: Nuala Calvi nuala@pubbiz.com

18

art

19

I

f the words “portrait painting” conjure up images of the lord of the manor leaning on his mantelpiece, his hunting dogs at his feet, then you’ll find Fine Art Commissions something of an eye-opener. In the window of the Duke Street gallery is a portrait of Matt Smith, aka Doctor Who, rendered in an impressionistic, colour-block style by Sam Wadsworth. “Sam is a rising star,” says Fine Art Commissions founder Sara Stewart. “He’s young, exciting and he has a very vibrant, imaginative style. It’s right for the city – you can imagine it in an apartment with white walls and high ceilings.”

Inside, the portraits on show – more examples of recent commissions arranged by the gallery – are strikingly diverse. Portraits by Paul Benney– who has painted the likes of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall – look more like a mixture of Rembrandt and Sargent. “Paul had a massive exhibition at Somerset House in December that was a sell-out, and he’s a very cool but very established artist. He captures the depth of the sitter like very few artists,” says Stewart.

His subjects are painted against black backgrounds, dramatically illuminating the sitter and focusing attention on the face. “He’s untrained, so he just literally paints what he sees – it’s all about the effect of the light,” says Stewart. “He doesn’t grid his paintings and take measurements like other artists.”

Then, if you’re looking for something more precise, there are the photorealists – such as Raoul Martinez. On the back wall hangs his strikingly life-like painting of the actor Alan Rickman, leaning on a table, his head on his arm. “Photorealism is a very popular style at the moment,” says Stewart. “And it’s largely because the National Portrait Gallery are fans of the style. At the annual BP Portrait Award, you see more and more photorealist pictures. That’s why the Duchess of Cambridge’s recent portrait was very photorealist.”

The latter, by Paul Emsley, was far from universally admired when it was unveiled earlier this year at the National Portrait Gallery. “They chose him, and he painted how he painted,” argues Stewart. “They knew what they were getting.”

Knowing what you’re getting is exactly what Fine Art Commissions is all about. Since a portrait can be a significant investment (a full-length oil costs anything between £4,000 and £55,000), the gallery exists to match people to artists, and has around 40 portrait painters on its books. Clients flick through the gallery’s back catalogue, or look at the rolling collection on its walls, while Stewart helps tease out what exactly it is about different portraits that they like. A leading expert on portraiture, her approach is practical rather than academic. And because she knows the artists personally, and knows where they trained and how different schools affect their style, her advice is invaluable.

“Often people come in saying, ‘Oh, I don’t know anything about art, I don’t have an opinion,’” she says. “But actually everybody has their own

SARA STEWART MATCHES CLIENTS WHO WANT TO COMMISSION PORTRAITS WITH ARTISTS WHO WILL SUIT THEM. SHE TELLS NUALA CALVI ABOUT HER BUSINESS AND WHY BESPOKE PORTRAIT PAINTING IS BECOMING POPULAR WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE

Putting clients in the picture

opinion. If someone’s stumbling a bit, I’ll say, ‘Do you like the colour of this carpet?’ and they’ll say yes or no, and I’ll say, ‘Fine, then you have an opinion, you know your own taste.’ There’s nothing technical about it, and there’s nothing frightening about it.”

Stewart had the idea for Fine Art Commissions while working at the Malcolm Innes Gallery in Chelsea. She found people often came in asking where they should get their partner or child painted, and more often than not would ask the question while staring at a landscape painting they liked.

She realised there was a gap in the market, and in 1996 Fine Art Commissions was born. Since then, it has grown into one of the leading commissioning bodies of contemporary portraiture in Britain and overseas.

Fine Art Commission’s stable of artists has produced some of the most iconic portraits of well-known personalities in politics, film, media, art and royalty. One of its artists is Nicola Philipps, whose painting of Prince William and Prince Harry now hangs in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery. Yet visiting the gallery on Duke Street St James’s – where it moved earlier this year – is a very intimate, personal experience.

And these days, it’s as likely to commission portraits for doctors, lawyers and businesses as the rich and famous. “Portraiture has become less about the stately home thing,” says Stewart. “It’s became more about

people from all walks of life realising they want something tangible to pass down to the next generation – something more meaningful than a photograph, which is just a static moment. A portrait really captures the character of the person much more than a photo. It’s a collaboration between the artist and the sitter.”

A portrait of the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland by Philipps is a perfect example. A nod to a traditional country house portrait, the couple’s personality comes through in the details: she is wearing jeans not a ball gown, their dog takes pride of place on the chair, and a plant references her famous garden at Alnwick.

“When it comes to poses, always take the artist’s advice, because the artist has the training and the experience,” Stewart says, “but don’t be afraid to say, ‘One, I am very uncomfortable standing like this, and I will not be able to keep it going, and two, I just don’t feel right the way I’m posing,’ – and then the artist will come up with something else.”

Of course, there will always be those who come with very specific ideas about what they want. “We had someone who wanted to be painted nude on a horse. But often people get cold feet about those sorts of ideas.”

Fine Art Commissions is at 34 Duke Street. Tel: 020 7839 2792.

art

20

A bright summer for Caulfield FANS OF BRITISH PAINTER Patrick Caulfield will have a bumper summer this year, as Tate Britain’s survey exhibition of the artist coincides with a wide-ranging show at Mayfair’s Waddington Custot Galleries.

Caulfield first gained attention in the 1960s, having studied at the Royal College of Art with the likes of David Hockney. After being included in the Whitechapel Art Gallery’s exhibition The New Generation in 1964, he was associated with pop art, but it was a label the artist resisted. His early paintings, such as Perfume Jar (1964) and View of the Rooftops (1965), show a commitment to realist subjects but use the bright colours, thick outlines and the geometric look of formalism.

Caulfield injected a sense of theatre into traditional genres such as the still life, and in the 1970s he began experimenting with trompe-l’oeil to add different layers of reality to his paintings. The 1975 work After Lunch, for example, includes a photorealist landscape image in the window of a cartoonish room.

The Mayfair exhibition also includes preparatory drawings and studies for prints by Caulfield that offer an insight into the unusual process behind his works.

Patrick Caulfield is at Waddington Custot Galleries, 11 Cork Street, from June 5-29. Tel: 020 7851 2200.

TOP: PATRICK CAULFIELD, FRUIT DISPLAY 1996 © THE ESTATE OF PATRICK CAULFIELD/DACS 2013 COURTESY OF WADDINGTON CUSTOT GALLERIES, LONDON

LEFT: PATRICK CAULFIELD, PERFUME JAR 1964, © THE ESTATE OF PATRICK CAULFIELD/DACS 2013 COURTESY OF WADDINGTON CUSTOT GALLERIES, LONDON

BELOW: RENÉ MAGRITTE, LA BONNE ADVENTURE © SOTHEBY’S

A collector with a nose for art SOTHEBY’S HOTLY ANTICIPATED Impressionist and Modern art evening sale in London is to be preceded by a stand-alone auction on June 19 of the Branco Weiss Collection. The collection of works, largely by key Abstract artists, was assembled by the Swiss entrepreneur between 1975 and 2000, and is expected to fetch around £12 million in total.

Thirty works will be offered in the evening sale, and further works will be included in Sotheby’s Impressionist and Modern art day sale and its Contemporary art day sale, as well as a Swiss art sale in Zurich.

Highlights from the collection include Belgian surrealist René Magritte’s La Bonne Aventure (1937), which is estimated at £1-£1.5 million, and four works by Alexander Calder, including a rare, early mobile, Untitled (Tuning Forks), estimated at £1.2-£1.8 million.

The sale also includes fives pieces by Wassily Kandinsky, one painting

by Joan Miró, and works by Naum Gabo, Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson.

Sotheby’s Branco Weiss Collection sale and its Impressionist and Modern art evening sale is on June 19. The Impressionist and Modern art day sale is on June 20 at 34-35 New Bond Street. Tel: 020 7293 5000.

ART: Nuala Calvi nuala@pubbiz.com

art

22

Landy celebrates 20-year milestone IT’S BEEN ALMOST 20 YEARS since Michael Landy covered the walls of City Racing Gallery with small signs, symbols and figures drawn in marker pen. To celebrate the anniversary, the artist is enjoying two exhibitions this month – at Mayfair’s Thomas Dane Gallery and at the National Gallery.

The Mayfair exhibition includes more

During his two-year residency at the

ABOVE: MICHAEL LANDY, SAINT CATHERINE WHEELS FOUND

than 60 sketches, drawings and etchings by

National Gallery, Landy relied on his

DUMPED OUTSIDE THE NATIONAL GALLERY

the London-based artist – one work from

sketches and collages to rework Early

© COURTESY MICHAEL LANDY AND THOMAS DANE GALLERY

every single series or project Landy has

Renaissance paintings from the gallery into

realised over the past two decades.

seven large, moving sculptures. The three-

episodes of the saint’s life. Landy’s sketch

dimensional pieces are formed from

Saint Catherine Wheels found dumped

Landy’s works on paper form an important part of his artistic practice and

reimagined fragments of National Gallery

outside the National Gallery (2013), created

are made from an unlikely range of

paintings, with the addition of metal cogs,

during the residency, will be the newest

materials, including glue, oil stick, crayon,

wheels, fan belts and motors.

work on show at the Thomas Dane Gallery,

correction fluid, bleach, ink and charcoal.

The show includes an interactive wheel

linking the two shows.

The drawings are stand-alone artworks and

installation, which is a response to a work

biographical records in their own right, as

by Pintoricchio, Saint Catherine of

Hard: Drawings of 1993-2013, is at Thomas

much as preparatory and concluding

Alexandria with a Donor (1480–1500).

Dane Gallery, 11 Duke Street, from June 5-

sketches for his large-scale installations.

Visitors can spin the wheel to reveal

July 27. Tel: 020 7925 2505.

Michael Landy, 20 Years of Pressing

Galleries unite for art week THIS YEAR, Master Drawings & Sculpture Week and Master Paintings Week have joined forces as London Art Week, with more than 50 specialist fine art dealers and auction houses hosting coordinated exhibitions in Mayfair and St James’s in June.

Master Paintings Week features a number of newly rediscovered works for 2013, including The Expulsion of the Moneychangers from the Temple, an important painting by Giovanni Francesco Barbieri (1591-1666) that sheds new light on Italian painting of the period. It will be shown by Coll & Cortés Fine Art on Albemarle Street.

For Master Drawings and Sculpture Week, Duke Street gallery Bowman Sculpture will be exhibiting small bronze casts of Auguste Rodin’s Eternal Spring and The Kiss, while Sladmore Gallery on Jermyn Street is holding an exhibition entitled Degas to Bugatti: Bronzes from the Hebrard Foundry.

London Art Week takes place from June 28-July 5 in locations around Mayfair and St James’s. Tel: 020 7439 2822. www.masterdrawingsandsculptureweek.co.uk

LEFT: GIOVANNI FRANCESCO BARBIERI, THE EXPULSION OF THE MONEY-

art events

CHANGERS FROM THE TEMPLE,

JUNE 7-JULY 6 Ruth Claxton First solo exhibition, featuring a new installation, Specular Spectacular, a complex maze that occupies the centre of the gallery.

Pippy Houldsworth Gallery, 6 Heddon Street.

Tel: 020 7734 7760.

JUNE 11-JULY 20 Jiro Takamatsu First UK solo exhibition of the Japanese artist, including painting, sculpture, photography and installation.

Stephen Friedman Gallery, 25-28 Old Burlington Street.

Tel: 020 7494 1434.

JUNE 27-JULY 3 Masterpiece London Leading art, antiques and design fair featuring Mayfair galleries such as Blain Southern, which will be premiering a new work by renowned video artist Bill Viola.

South Grounds, The Royal Hospital, Chelsea.

Tel: 020 7499 7470.

© MCOLL & CORTÉS FINE ART

UNTIL JUNE 15 Christopher Williams: For Example: Dix-Huit Leçons Sur La Société Industrielle (Revision 18) Solo exhibition of the American conceptual artist and fine art photographer.

David Zwirner, 24 Grafton Street.

Tel: 020 3538 3165.

UNTIL JUNE 29 Sam Durant: Proposal for Public Fountain The artist’s third exhibition at the gallery features a fountain sculpted from black marble – a prototype for a larger installation in a public setting – together with a series of related graphite drawings.

Sadie Coles, 69 South Audley Street. Tel: 020 7493 8611.

24

hospitality

restaurant directory

25

NATIONAL WAITERS DAY PAYS TRIBUTE TO THE SKILL OF FRONT-OF-HOUSE STAFF AND AIMS TO REDEFINE HOW THEIR ROLES ARE SEEN. THERE WILL BE EVENTS ON THE DAY ITSELF AND THE WEEKS AROUND IT, FROM A RACE WITH A LADEN TRAY TO TOP CHEFS SERVING AT A ‘BACK TO FRONT’ DINNER

T

he first ever National Waiters Day – an initiative

designed to celebrate front-of-house staff and inspire people about careers in the hospitality industry – takes place on June 23.

The event, which will see a range of activities taking place all around the country, is the brainchild of Fred Sirieix, general manager of Galvin at Windows at the Hilton in Park Lane, and is supported by industry charity Springboard, which helps young, disadvantaged people into work.

“Waiting or waitressing has had a dreadful reputation in the UK – the belief is that it is a job for the unskilled, with long hours, a lot of verbal abuse and low pay,” says Fred.

“We really need to change the image to show that it can be fun, that it is a skilled profession and that it can lead to a proper career progression with decent rewards.”

To appear in the restaurant directory call 020 7259 1050

Fred came up with the idea of a day of celebration to highlight the excellence, dedication, hard work and discipline of the 2.5 million people working in the hospitality industry in the UK. “There has never been a more exciting time to join the hospitality industry,” he says. “There are opportunities everywhere for those who want them.”

One of the highlights of National Waiters Day is the National Waiters Race on June 23, with races all over the country. The London race takes place at Brunswick Square,

PAULO DE TARSO, MAITRE D’ AT BAR BOULUD, AND

starting at 11am.

Waiters’ races have been run throughout the world for

FRED SIRIEIX, GENERAL MANAGER AT GALVIN AT WINDOWS

V

Celebrating service

hospitality

26

“Waiting or waitressing has had a dreadful reputation in the UK… We really need to change the image to show that it can be fun, that it is a skilled profession and that it can lead to a proper career progression with decent rewards” Fred Sirieix

over a century. While the earliest race on record appears to be one held in London in 1901, the most famous is the French “Course des garcons de café” in Paris. The race invites waiters from all sectors of the hospitality industry to take part and show off their professional skills by racing while carrying a tray, bottle and glasses and keeping them in place for the whole race. The winner is the waiter who crosses the finishing line first with their tray still intact.

Although the official National Waiters Day is June 23, there will be a series of activities spread over several weeks. Galvin at Windows will be hosting talks by Fred

staff and take on the role of front of house for the evening.

(June 25) and restaurant manager Andrew Sicklin (June 27)

Some chefs will be bartenders and bar waiters, others will

about the work that is done at the restaurant and the

be head waiters and sommeliers.

opportunities for careers in the industry. There will be a

Fred will be cooking in the kitchen on the day, along with

lunch service with a team of regular customers embedded

Silvano Giraldin, who was the public face of Le Gavroche for

in the front-of-house team on June 26, while the following

more than 30 years and remains a director. Paulo de Tarso,

day will see a team of celebrities serving customers.

Maitre D’ at Bar Boulud will also be joining in the fun.

The Ritz Restaurant in Piccadilly will be running masterclasses including how to carve salmon, cook crépes

“It’s truly important that we are helping the young and mentoring any possible way we can,” says Paulo. “Now,

Suzette, carve a chicken or grouse, and prepare a Caesar

more than ever, we need to make sure this generation is

salad, while the Rib Room Bar & Restaurant over in Chelsea

ready and trained for the future.

will be showing how to prepare steak tartare, which will be

“The London restaurant scene is extremely special now

complimentary with purchase of a main dish (valid lunch

and if you are just starting your career, it’s perfect timing.

and dinner on June 21 and 22 and dinner on June 23).

The best chefs in the world are here or coming here. The

Meanwhile, on July 17, the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at

industry is vibrant and we are just warming up.”

Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly will be hosting a Back to Front, Front to Back event, which will see top chefs

For further details about National Waiters Day or how to

including Michel Roux Jr and Monica Galetti from Le

book a place at one of these events, visit

Gavroche hand over control of the kitchen to front-of-house

www.nationalwaitersday.com

food & drink

28

29

MONICA GALETTI, SENIOR SOUS CHEF AT LE GAVROCHE, WILL SWAP THE KITCHEN FOR FRONT OF HOUSE FOR THE BACK TO FRONT EVENT AT FORTNUM & MASON NEXT MONTH. SHE TELLS SELMA DAY ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE AND THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN A TWO MICHELIN-STARRED RESTAURANT

M

onica Galetti was born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, where she completed her training as a chef at a catering college in Wellington. She has worked at Le Gavroche for more than ten years, working her way up through the ranks to her current role of senior sous chef.

Monica also acts as one of the judges, alongside Le Gavroche owner Michel Roux Jr, in MasterChef: The Professionals. Next month, she will be taking part at the Back to Front, Front to Back event at Fortnum & Mason, which will see top chefs swap roles with front of house staff as part of National Waiters Day. She explains why she is supporting the initiative, what good service means to her and how she manages to juggle her two passions in life – being a chef and a mum.

Why did you decide to take part in the Back to Front, Front

Do you think front of house is seen as an attractive career?

I think so – now that they have started to show on television more the skills it takes, for example, the awareness of service, of what people are eating, of running a room that’s completely chaotic in the back but smooth in the front. There is an art to achieve that. People come into an establishment and think it looks so calm but there is this one person orchestrating the whole scene – you are literally acting out a scene to please and entertain people.

How important is service to you?

I would never go back to a place if I didn’t appreciate the service – it’s a huge part of dining. The food could be absolutely amazing but if you’re not getting a pleasant service – if people don’t smile, are unfriendly or don’t take time to explain the menu – it’s not a place I would like to return to.

to Back event for National Waiters Day?

It’s to get the awareness out there and to understand the other side of the business. It’s a fun way to swap roles and realise it is going to be different wearing the other person’s shoes.

What’s been your best personal experience?

I love going to a restaurant I know very well, for example, The Waterside Inn or Tom Kerridge (The Hand & Flowers in Marlow). It’s personal, it’s familiar – you’re looking forward to it because you know it’s going to be good food but it’s also seeing old friends. I love going somewhere as a family and taking our daughter, Anais. We were at Brasserie Chavot last weekend (in Conduit Street) and Eric Chavot brought her food out and then invited her to come into the kitchen – that made it a very relaxing and really lovely experience.

And the worst?

A horrible experience for me would all come down to cold service. I have had that very recently – it was a restaurant we were looking forward to trying and the food was great but there was no explanation whatsoever to what we were having. The chef might have worked all day and all night to create a dish but if the customer doesn’t understand why you’ve got a couple of things on the side that’s meant to accompany something – that, for me, ruins an experience.

How would you define good service?

For me, good service is a restaurant manager who is there, yet is not there. Someone who is very smooth, friendly when you need them to be, yet understands when it’s time to stand back – nobody likes people hovering over the table.

Good service is having a team that is aware of what they are

serving, when to clear a table and just when to leave the table be. If you’re in a fine dining restaurant, you’ve got to understand that some people want quick service, some people want to be left to enjoy the moment, so it’s about being able to read customers as they come in.

How tough has it been being a woman in a male-dominated industry?

Being a chef is no mean feat – it’s long hours, it’s hard work, it requires dedication – but if you’re passionate about it, it doesn’t matter what sex you are. You either just get on with the lads or you don’t. I’ve got four brothers so I’ve always got on working with guys – it means nothing to me to tackle them and put them on the ground if they do step out of line.

How do you juggle work and family life?

It has been the most difficult transition for me as a mother.

My dream was to take my career as far as I could and then all of a sudden I’m pregnant and you realise this dream is going to have to take a back seat. I am very passionate about raising my child – it would be easier if I could just give her up to someone to look after, but I can’t. I want to be there for her in the evenings. I want to be the one who holds her when she goes to sleep, or when she’s got a fever. So to cut back from the kitchen and put my daughter first was the easiest and the hardest thing to do – these are my two loves, my child and my career. I would never regret the time I’ve had with her, but it has been really hard to miss out on things going on at work.

What’s it been like working with the Roux family?

I’ve just been very blessed with a man (Michel) who I call a friend, a mentor, a boss, and with this family – they are not the easiest family to please because their standards are so high, but if you give them your all, they will support you through thick and thin. I’ve had conversations with Michel when I’ve been in tears saying I can’t balance the two and he’s just said, ‘listen, when you can be here, you be here, and when you can’t, you can’t’.

What’s the best part of your job?

This has been my life for over 20 years – you spend so much time with everyone that they are like a second family. When I’m away filming, I miss coming in and seeing the boys, just V

Backstage in the kitchen

31

food & drink

30

“For me, good service is a restaurant manager who is there, yet is not there.

Someone who is very smooth, friendly when you need them to be, yet understands when it’s time to stand back” Monica Galetti

having a laugh with them and doing the buzz of a service.

That’s the best part of it – the lighthearted side of the kitchen, and I think you need that. They know when it’s time to be serious and they don’t mess with me when it’s time to switch on. I also enjoy it when I get shown something new by a young chef – I love learning from the different cultures we have here. It’s just another way to look at what’s going on.

You are pretty scary on the telly – are you like that in the

THERE’S A STACK OF DIFFERENT AFTERNOON TEAS ON OFFER THIS SUMMER. FROM CAKES WITH A ROYAL THEME TO A MENU INSPIRED BY WIMBLEDON’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS, THERE’S SOMETHING TO SATISFY EVERYONE

Tasty teas and trendy treats

kitchen?

No, I’m not scary in the kitchen. There is a time and place for it and the television I guess captures that side because I know nothing of these lads who come in and think they are the dog’s bollocks – they think they’ve got something to prove and I want to see it. The other thing is you work so long to get to where you are and to see a young chef who comes in so confident ready to put themselves up on national television and then mess it up, you think, how dare you have the audacity? It’s a really bad example. Yet when they walk in and are amazingly talented, I’m so happy because that’s what I want the world to see. There’s nothing wrong with having an ego – chefs have the biggest egos – they want to be perfect, but show us then what you’re made of. I just find that I’m more attracted or impressed by someone who is more humble and just wows you by the smallest flair or technique. So if I come across harsh, it’s because of that.

THE GROSVENOR HOUSE in Park Lane has launched a special afternoon tea (£34.50 per person) to coincide with the Wimbledon tennis championships.

Available in the Park Room from June 17 until July 12, it will include a selection of finger sandwiches, pastries and homebaked scones, all featuring elements of traditional Wimbledon treats such as champagne, Pimms and strawberries and cream. To book, call 020 7399 8452 – and if you are attending Wimbledon, present your ticket at the tea for a complimentary glass of champagne.

How has the food evolved at Le Gavroche?

There are always going to be those key signature dishes that are an ode to Michel’s father Albert (who opened Le Gavroche in 1967 with his younger brother Michel) and dishes that are an ode to when Michel (Jr) took over. But, as the years have gone on, it has become lighter. Also, Michel is very into Asian flavours as well so there is always scope for us to have fun with the food. It’s great to be able to knock up a dish and have a play with something. We are constantly learning and I think when you stop learning and evolving as a chef, it’s time to hang up your apron.

OVER AT DUKES ST JAMES’S, chef Nigel Mendham has been busy creating some chocolate sensations for his new one-night package, Nigel Mendham’s Chocolate Kitsch-en, based on the new musical Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (see Theatre, page 16).

On arrival, children will find a chocolate brown envelope under their pillow with a prize (a copy of Roald Dahl’s book). They will then go on to enjoy a chocolate-themed afternoon tea featuring chocolate bon bons, special fudge, mini chocolate milkshakes, chocolate-filled cookies and brownies and Nigel’s signature milk chocolate egg. Guests will then make their way to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see the show.

Priced at £945 (based on two adults and two children sharing), the package is available from July 1. To book, call 020 7491 4840.

What projects are you currently working on?

I’m filming the next MasterChef: The Professionals series. I’m also doing a lot of work with Organic UK. Since the horsemeat scandal, people are becoming more aware of what goes into their food and I’m quite passionate about that – not just as a chef but as a parent. I do choose carefully what I associate with – if I don’t believe it or I don’t use it I wouldn’t do it. I’m also currently working on another cookbook for next year.

TO CELEBRATE the arrival of the Royal baby in July, Vincent Menager, head chef at The Balcon (8 Pall Mall) has created an afternoon tea “fit for a prince or a princess”. Two specially designed

What are your long-term plans?

caramel crown cakes will be centre stage,

The dream for my husband and I was always a small restaurant of our own. I put that on the back-burner because of having a child, but that is the long-term plan. I’d also love to climb Mount Kilimanjaro – that’s something I’d like to achieve. There’s talk of other things with television but, again, I’m very careful in what I choose – it was never my goal to be a television chef. I find the term “celebrity chef” very offensive – I’m not a celebrity chef. I am first and foremost a chef and the celebrity came with being on TV. And, I guess, keep cooking great food, eat lots, laugh lots and raise a really good child who isn’t going to go out rampaging on the streets, because there will be one hell of a wallop for her when she gets home – I don’t care how old she is.

decorated in blue icing for a prince, or pink icing for a princess, both embellished with sugared almonds and silver sugar balls.

The tea (£24.50 or £29.50 with a glass of champagne) feaures cakes, finger sandwiches and scones served with Devonshire clotted cream, rose-scented raspberry jam or lemon curd, as well as a selection of Parisian pastries.

To book, call 020 7968 2900.

PHOTO: © YUKI SUGIURA FROM MONICA’S KITCHEN (QUADRILLE PUBLISHING)

FOOD & DRINK: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com

THE GLADE at Sketch in Conduit Street is serving a new afternoon tea.

The “indoor garden” will be serving a selection of seasonal flavours including cucumber, ricotta and asparagus sandwiches and mozzarella and pesto croque monsieur.

A traditional serving of sultana scones with clotted cream and a choice or strawberry jam or bitter orange marmalade is then served, followed by an assortment of Sketch pastries.

To book, call 020 7659 4500.

33

fashion

32

WITH THE LONDON COLLECTIONS: MEN SHOWS COMING UP THIS MONTH, WE LOOK AT WHAT’S HOT IN MEN’S FASHION NOW IN MAYFAIR

SHIRT MAKER Eton celebrated the opening of its first flagship store on South Molton Street last month. Model and DJ Jack Guinness kept guests entertained with a live music set as they browsed the spring/summer collection. Guests including Otis Ferry, actor Finn Jones, TV presenter Will Best and singer songwriter Alex Vargas wore a selection of shirts from Eton’s trademark red and green label shirt lines. Also present was Eton president and grandson of the founder, Hans Davidson.

Suits to be seen in BROOKS BROTHERS has released a limited-edition menswear collection inspired by the costumes in Baz Luhrmann’s film The Great Gatsby – many of which were based on 1920s items in the Brooks Brothers archive. It consists of formal wear and daywear, including tuxedos, tailored suits, suit separates (sport coats, waistcoats and trousers), shirts, ties, shoes and accessories.

Brooks Brothers, which was the official menswear clothing partner for the film, working with Oscar-winning costume designer

BOSS SELECTION Made to Measure offers the opportunity to create a suit that is

Catherine Martin, has adapted the theatrical costumes from the film

tailored to your taste and style. You can choose from more than 60 Italian fabrics

into sharp, modern menswear pieces.

You’ll find the collection at Brooks Brothers, 150 Regent Street.

as well as various inner linings, buttons in horn and mother of pearl, then have your personal signature inside the jacket and trousers. Prices start at £1,499 and the service is available by appointment only at the Boss store at 122 New Bond Street (email madetomeasure-uk@hugoboss.com).

MADE IN CHELSEA star and Serge DeNimes designer and owner Oliver Proudlock has collaborated with Oliver

JIMMY CHOO has opened its men’s flagship store at 35a Dover Street. Set in a historic building, the 1,200 sq ft store is spread across two floors and houses a complete range of Jimmy Choo men’s accessories.

Vintage furnishings provide a 1960s retro edge to the modern interior – a masculine colour scheme of black, charcoal and silver, with highlights of red, and slick finishes of black marble and leather complemented by textures of felt, velvet and tweed.

The store replaces the Jimmy Choo men’s store in Burlington Arcade, giving more space to showcase the growing collections for men across shoes, bags, belts, scarves and small leather goods.

Pierre Denis, CEO of Jimmy Choo, said: “We are thrilled to have opened a new men’s flagship store in Mayfair – the spiritual home of the Jimmy Choo man. Dover Street is fast becoming a shopping destination for luxury fashion and cutting-edge designers.”

Sweeney to launch a collection of chukka boots and hi-top trainers.

RALPH LAUREN continues to be the official outfitter of the Wimbledon tennis

The hi-top Nox Pardus trainers (£225) come in black and

championships (June 24-July 7), dressing all

leopard print, while the chukka

on-court officials including chair umpires, line

boots, Tijuca (£195) are available

umpires and ball persons.

in black and blue suede.

Classic cabled tennis sweaters are reworked

The collection is available

with stylish tank tops and cable-knit vests. The

at the Oliver Sweeney store at

Wimbledon blazer appears in navy jersey with

5 Conduit Street.

cream ribbon piping and the classic tennis dress as a cream chiffon A-line dress.

A selection of polo shirts and fleece sweaters featuring a new and sporty linear logo complete the collection. The Ralph Lauren Wimbledon Collection is available at the Ralph Lauren store at

FASHION: Selma Day

1 New Bond Street and at www.ralphlauren.com.

selma@pubbiz.com

LUXURY MENSWEAR BRAND Otto recently opened its first concept store at 66 Grosvenor Street.

Founded by Tony Giallonardo, the brand is based on Italian craftsmanship and style, with fabrics individually sourced in Italy.

Otto specialises in made-to-measure coats and jackets, suits, cashmere knits, handmade jeans, hand-stitched shoes, casual and outerwear and accessories. It also carries an extensive ready-to-wear collection – all handmade in Italy.

You won’t find black in the range – the darkest colours are navy blue and dark grey, which Giallonadro believes helps clients “embrace the rich colours available in Italian fabrics and not retreat to the safety of black”.

The new boutique features a VIP space as well as a garden terrace where clients can enjoy a cigar or a drink. Customers have complimentary use of the private bar and access to the store’s private gym with personal trainer Linn Hansen.

health & beauty

35

A treat for hair in the heat NICKY CLARKE Weightless Treatment with Argan Oil is the perfect product for warmer weather – for long hair in particular.

The oil gives the hair a natural shine and the nourishment it needs. Argan oil acts as a heat defence against the sun while still allowing the hair a small amount of UV rays to naturally lift the colours, giving a sunkissed look. It can also be used in place of your usual styling wax while on holiday.

Available from the Nicky Clarke salon at 11 Carlos Place.

Get ready for summer THE “INSIDE-OUT” programme at Como’s Shambhala Urban Escape at the Metropolitan hotel in Old Park Lane is designed to give you a healthy glow as the weather finally warms up.

A selection of treatments includes the Como Shambhala Skin Detoxifying Treatment and the Como Shambhala Bath, as well as manicures and pedicures to bring your body to beach-ready condition.

To book, call 020 7447 5750.

Check in for a pre-holiday boost DESTINATIONSKIN at 28 Maddox Street has a range of pre-holiday treatments from quick skin boosters to courses to help prepare your body for the summer holiday countdown.

They include the DermaQuest Signature Stem Cell Facial (£50), an exclusive treatment to DestinationSkin, which uses the latest stem cell technology to repair, restore and rejuvenate the skin.

Pre-holiday courses are also available for hair removal, vein removal and to reduce cellulite and stretch marks.

For further details, visit www.destinationskin.com.

Protect yourself in the sun SISLEY HAS EXPANDED its suncare range with a new water-resistant sun protection stick created exclusively for the sensitive areas of the face.

Designed to protect against solar erythema, dryness and the visible effects of photo-ageing, the Super Stick Solaire SPF 30 is colourless or tinted and comes in a pocket-sized version. Available at Selfridges, John Lewis, House of Fraser, Fenwick and Fortnum & Mason, Claridge’s and Liberty, it is priced at £67.50.

HEALTH & BEAUTY: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com

health & beauty

36

Make-up for beach babes INSPIRED BY THE BEACH, Aerin has introduced Shell Color for a fresh take on summer essentials. The collection includes everything from an all-in-one palette to an on-the-go bronzer in two shades. Also available are a lip gloss and lipstick. Try Aerin’s multi-purpose Beach cream for skin and hair dried from the sun, wind and surf.

Priced from £22, you’ll find the collection at John Lewis and Selfridges in Oxford Street.

Pampering for mums-to-be THE JO HANSFORD SALON at 48 South Audley Street has launched a pre-baby pamper package.

Following a consultation, a natural vegetable gloss treatment is applied to the hair. While the colour takes effect, you’ll be treated to a Triple Yoghurt Bliss smoothie and a signature pedicure.

This is followed by a hair wash, an intensive masque treatment and a head massage.

The package costs from £200 and includes a mini Jo Hansford Illuminoil to take

A session to smooth out problem areas

away to pack into your hospital bag.

To book, call 020 7495 7774.

IF YOU’RE ABOUT to hit the beach, try the Lymphatic Drainage and Toning Body Treatment at the Chantecaille Healing Spa at Fenwick in New Bond Street (£130 for an hour and a half).

The treatment is designed to help eliminate water retention and toxins, reducing the

TO COINCIDE with Royal baby fever,

appearance of cellulite. The therapist works on

John Lewis Oxford Street has rolled

cleansing the lymphatic system, stimulating

out a Yummy Mummy prep service to

circulation and concentrating on lifting and

cater for the ensuing rush to get mums

contouring problem areas.

ready, feeling great and looking fabulous.

To book, call 020 7409 9870.

Tailored to the needs and stages of pregnancy, Elemis is offering the Yummy Mummy Foot Treatment, which has been devised to relieve swollen feet. The session is followed by oneon-one nursery advice and baby gift-list creation.

Priced at £20, the service

Instant results to make skin glow

is available until the end of June. To book, email events_oxford_street@ johnlewis.co.uk To complete the

FOR A RADIANT glow this summer, try the new Intraceuticals oxygen infusion, courtesy of Dr Rabia Malik, cosmetic doctor at Skin W1 in Devonshire Place.

The treatment (£250 for one hour) begins with a detoxifying mask followed by an oxygen infusion to deliver serums containing active ingredients to the skin. It ends with a stimulating and lifting facial massage to aid lymphatic drainage. The skin is said to look brighter, firmer and more flawless immediately following the treatment.

To book, call 020 3086 7715.

pampering service, mums-to-be can also take home a luxury mother and baby hamper (£119), containing a variety of goodies for mum and baby.

39

business

38

T

he UK China Visa Alliance (UKCVA), the business group representing over 950 British retail and tourism businesses, held its first Welcome China event last month at the InterContinental London Westminster, attended by immigration minister Mark Harper MP. Chinese shoppers have become the world’s most important global spenders and London has become a powerhouse in the retail sector, often acting as a bridgehead for non-European brands seeking to expand across the continent. This has also been shown in the arrival of Chinese retailers hoping to succeed in Europe, notably Bosideng, which opened a flagship store in South Molton Street last year.

Twenty per cent of retail sales in London are to the Chinese and the average spend is around £730 per transaction – ahead of other major markets such as the Middle East and Russia. Selfridges in Oxford Street has seen an 800 per cent spend uplift in weekly sales from Chinese visitors since 2008. It reports that its average Chinese visitor spend during Golden Week (Chinese national holiday) is £10,000 per customer.

At John Lewis in Oxford Street, tax-free sales provider Global Blue reports that sales from Chinese shoppers over the last two years have grown by 113 per cent. “Chinese shoppers were one of our most important international customer segmentations in John Lewis Oxford Street throughout 2012,” says Simon Fowler, managing director of the department store.

“During the first quarter of 2013, this pattern of growth has continued: our in-store celebrations for Chinese New Year and Golden Week in February helped increase sales from Chinese visitors by 83 per cent.”

While the figures are impressive, the UK still only attracts 200,000 or seven per cent of the estimated Chinese visitors to Europe, and London is losing out to other European cities such as Paris.

A significant barrier to attracting more Chinese visitors is the complicated visa system. Most Chinese visitors to Europe travel on a multi-country tour. One application process for a Schengen Visa allows them to visit all 26 member countries, but to include the UK on their European tour, they must obtain an additional visa.

The UKCVA – spearheaded by founding members New West End

CHINESE VISITORS ARE BIG SPENDERS, BUT THEY ARE BEING PUT OFF TRAVELLING TO LONDON

BY THE COMPLICATED UK VISA PROCESS. THE UK CHINA VISA ALLIANCE, WHICH REPRESENTS MORE THAN 950 BUSINESSES, IS PUSHING FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT REFORMS SO THE WEST END DOESN’T MISS OUT. SELMA DAY REPORTS

Making Chinese spenders welcome

BUSINESS: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com

Company, London First, Walpole British Luxury, McArthurGlen Group and Global Blue – stressed the need for Chinese visa processing reforms to be at the heart of the government’s tourism growth strategy at last month’s event.

Richard Dickinson, chief executive of New West End Company, welcomed the immigration minister’s pledge to continue working closely with the alliance to improve the service offered to Chinese visitors. “It’s good that the government has recognised that action is needed and hopefully is going to do something about it,” he said.

“We have members who have stores here and in Paris and they can see a huge difference in the amount of Chinese shoppers there versus the amount in Mayfair and the London Luxury Quarter.

“There are about 66 million outbound Chinese people and we’re getting a tiny share of them – we had about 150,000 Chinese shoppers in the UK in 2011. We’re losing about £1.2 billion a year of spending at the moment.”

The alliance strongly believes that the key is to find ways that would allow Chinese visitors to provide the necessary information to apply for both visas at the same time. Obtaining the two visas would be far less cumbersome for Chinese visitors, it says, and Britain’s boarder security would be maintained.

It also proposes a linked data collection process and a closer working relationship between the UK and selected European partners, meaning applicants would need to provide their information only once.

At the Welcome China event, the immigration minister confirmed that the Home Office was reviewing options for biometric data capture including implementing “touring” biometric data collections. This would

provide an additional service of taking the technology directly to the traveller and group tour operators.

Other ideas discussed included partnering with some of China’s hugely influential tour operators by providing them with a visa service package.

InterContinental Hotels Group says that growth in Chinese visitors and spend in the UK could stimulate job creation – today, a third of all new jobs in the private sector are created in tourism and hospitality (source: Office for National Statistics).

Mark Henderson, director of Walpole, who chaired the Welcome China event, welcomed the government’s recognition of the importance of the Chinese market to Britain’s economy. He said: “The very fact that the minister came to talk to businesses today demonstrates the importance the government is placing on finding practical solutions on issues surrounding UK Chinese visas. What is needed now is for the government to make significant strides, as marginal improvements will have only marginal impact.”

Dickinson added: “The Government has done quite a lot to improve the current process but it needs to look more imaginatively and innovatively at the options going forward, otherwise we won’t get this fantastic uplift in Chinese tourists that we want in Mayfair and the West End. “There is increased interest in property in London from high net worth and Chinese businessmen – we should also make it easier for them to get visas. A ten-year visa would make a lot of difference to people who are buying properties here. So it’s important that we treat high net worth visitors with a good deal of care if we are going to generate the income that we need in London.”

41

business

40

Why racing’s a favourite

S

ummer is (allegedly) upon us, and with it come two of horse racing’s biggest events: the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot. And whether this year’s meetings deliver My Fair Lady-esque elegance and sophistication or – more likely – mottled thighs and damp fascinators, both events will nevertheless set pulses racing.

While British racing’s roots lie at yards around the UK and Ireland, Mayfair has played its own part in racing history. Not least the Turf Club, the members’ club in Carlton House Terrace, which was founded in the 19th century for gentlemen with a passion for card games, parlour games and sports. These days the club counts Princes William and Harry among its members.

“It is the mother ship, if you like,” explains Balthazar Fabricius, the founder of high-end turf accountant Fitzdares. “The Turf Club is the spiritual home of horse racing in Mayfair. A lot of owners have wined and dined there.”

Well-known high street bookies also have their roots in the area: Ladbrokes, for instance, relocated to London from Worcestershire in the early 20th century, moving its operations to Six Old Burlington Street in 1913. At the time, Ladbrokes’ clientele was mainly drawn from racing enthusiasts in the British upper classes – but in 1961 when the government legalised betting shops, the company’s business model changed radically, and it became easier for anyone to bet on horse racing.

However, the sport is still regarded as the preserve of the elite.

This is partly down to its origins. Every thoroughbred race horse is said to be able to trace its lineage back to three horses: the Darley Arabian, the Godolphin Arabian, and the Byerley Turk, which were brought to the UK around the turn of the 18th century and selectively bred into the horses we see gracing the turf today.

Héloïse Agelou, founder and managing director of Mayfair-based race horse management firm Agelou Horse Racing, says it is the prestige of the business that attracts her clients.

“It is truly the sport of kings: if you look at its history, it’s a very closed world for a very elite clientele. And it is a very royal affair as well – the Qatari royal family, for instance, has just sponsored the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, one of Europe’s two most prestigious races.

That gives you an idea of just how much prestige is involved.”

Indeed, the Queen might give her seal to Royal Ascot but QIPCO, the Qatari royal family’s investment arm, the UK headquarters of which are on Grosvenor Street, is becoming an increasingly strong influence in British horse racing.

In 2011 the firm signed a £5 million deal to back the British Champions Series, becoming the headline sponsor of British Champions Day at Ascot in October, as well as Newmarket’s 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas races and Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes. Qatar Bloodstock also owns Makfi, the stallion that won the 2010 2,000 Guineas race at Newmarket at odds of 33/1.

The Qataris rode to the rescue of the series as it faced financial pressure during the economic downturn – and Agelou says the sport regularly brings out the philanthropic sides of its elite fans. In midJune, Agelou Horse Racing is due to hold its annual charity event at Sandown Racecourse in Surrey in aid of Not on our Watch, the humanitarian organisation founded by Hollywood figures including Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon. Agelou says the event will attract guests such as legendary producer Jerry Weintraub.

But although the sport still retains its exclusive side, Harvey Cyzer, head of Mayfair and St James’s at Knight Frank, says it is becoming increasingly egalitarian.

“It will always be a gentleman’s sport, but nowadays more and more people have disposable income and they want to spend it on

WITH THE FLAT RACING SEASON IN FULL SWING, EMMA HASLETT LOOKS AT THE HISTORY OF HORSE RACING, WHY IT HAS SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS REPUTATION, MAYFAIR’S ROLE AND WHAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE TO INVEST IN THE SPORT

horses,” says Cyzer, whose father was a race horse trainer in West Sussex and who even held a licence to train horses himself for “a couple of years”.

“It is not just for the rich and famous any more – it has now become a sport for all people, in terms of both spectatorship and ownership.”

He points out that the fact that events such as the Grand National bring the nation together is illustrative of its appeal.

“There are not many sports where everyone knows the big events.

If you asked me what the most important golf tournament was, I wouldn’t know. It is a sport where the nation watches.”

Unfortunately, horse racing has taken a knock since the beginning of the recession – the total number of registered owners dropped from 17,999 in 2007 to 16,062 in 2011, according to the British Horseracing Authority’s official racing statistics. However, 1,659 new owners registered in 2011, with 3,889 joint ownerships – showing the report is still growing, albeit at a depleted rate.

Cyzer confirms that horse racing is by no means a lucrative sport.

“I don’t think people buy horses and race them and expect anything to happen other than the fact that they will lose considerable sums of money,” he says. “Most horses are worth considerably less once they have been bought. Their value diminishes.”

Instead, he says, potential owners should focus their attentions on the joys of having a stake in a racehorse.

“I would say write off everything – all the money you spend – and focus instead on the pleasure, the fun, the enjoyment of watching the horse run. Going racing – that is really where your mind should be.”

However, Fabricius adds that even in straitened times, the allure of horse racing is strong.

“The sport is very seductive,” he says. “The racing calendar is wave after wave of really interesting, different, competitive sport. It just draws people in.”

RACING AT GOODWOOD

Change here for better value

M

ayfair estate agent Wetherell has created a fascinating alternative

However the Victoria line, which serves the currently undervalued

tube map, which shows how property prices in Zone 1 differ hugely

locations of Victoria, Pimlico and Vauxhall, commands an average

from one tube stop to the next.

price of £760,861 – while the Northern line is the cheapest tube line in

It reveals London’s priciest tube stations and underground lines,

Zone 1, with an average price of £613,890.

which are ranked by the average value of a two-bedroom flat in the

The Charing Cross branch of the Northern line between Waterloo

surrounding area. It also shows the pockets of prime central London

and Warren Street also forms a “price cliff”, with property values to the

that can still offer buyers relatively good value.

west of the line far outstripping those to the east, where prices can be

Property prices and rental values are shown to rise and fall dramatically as tube travellers pass between stations, with enormous

more than 50 per cent lower.

Even in the City, residential values remain as low as £396,455 at

price swings often occurring during a short journey on the

Mansion House, suggesting City workers still prefer to live further west

underground.

and commute to work. The area also has less available residential stock

Commuters travelling three stops on the Jubilee line from Southwark to Green Park can expect prices to rise by 150 per cent

than west London.

Wetherell managing director and founder Peter Wetherell said:

during the five-minute journey, from £511,800 to £1.275 million. As the

“People talk about ‘postcode power’, but our new Wetherell tube map

tube whizzes towards Mayfair, average prices are rising at a rate of

gives Londoners an easy way to view dramatic property price and

£152,640 per minute – or £2,544 per second.

rental rises and falls between tube stations.

Knightsbridge is the most expensive station on the Wetherell map,

“It’s staggering to see that just a few stops along the same tube line

with an average two-bedroom apartment costing £2.67 million to buy, or

can mean rises and falls in property values worth hundreds of

£1,252 per week to rent. Mayfair’s Green Park ranks third on the list, and

thousands and even millions of pounds.”

others in the top ten include Sloane Square and High Street Kensington.

The Piccadilly line is the priciest to live by in Zone 1, with an average

“The map shows the value of property in London’s West End and west London,” he adds. “It also gives Londoners the ability to question

two-bed flat on the line costing £1.36 million. The second most

property developers, estate agents and landlords about whether they

expensive is the District line, followed by the Circle and Central lines.

are living close to a good value or poor return tube station.”

Mayfair Times is now available as an app Now you can enjoy Mayfair Times on your iPad, tablet or smartphone wherever you are.

The app is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play right now.

Just search for Mayfair Times.

Mayfair Times is now available as an app

Now you can enjoy Mayfair Times on your iPad, tablet or smartphone wherever you are Whether you are in Mayfair or

Anyone with an interest can catch

There aren’t any catches – the app

The app is available from the

Manhattan, St James’s or St Kitts,

up on what’s happening in Mayfair

is free to download and each

Apple App Store and Google

each issue will be available to you

and St James’s, and advertisers

subsequent issue is also free.

Play right now. Just search for

for free even before it is published

will reach more readers at no extra

in magazine form.

cost.

Mayfair Times.

86

87

property

THE MANOR ON DAVIES STREET

H

Modern life in a period setting

e’s one of Britain’s most renowned – and most controversial – architects. And now a major new exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in Mayfair is set to celebrate the life and work of Richard Rogers.

Coinciding with his 80th birthday, Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out will examine the architect’s social, political and cultural influences, and how they have shaped his award-winning designs.

The three-month exhibition will introduce visitors to his architectural principles through presentations of major projects and collaborations which will reveal his pioneering ideas about building design. It will draw on key stages in his life, from the influence of his Italian family to growing up in wartime and post-war Britain. It will also look at his education at the Architectural Association and Yale, and the impact new American architecture and technology had on his work.

Rogers’ innovative buildings have ranged from law courts to libraries, from factories to modern art galleries. His projects include

ALDFORD HOUSE ON PARK LANE

Reflecting on Rogers’ bold ideas

FROM TOP:

PIANO + ROGERS

RICHARD ROGERS

RICHARD ROGERS

POMPIDOU CENTRE,

PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP

PARIS, 1971-77

NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

TERMINAL 4,

COLOUR-CODED

FOR WALES,

BARAJAS AIRPORT,

EXTERNAL SERVICES

CARDIFF, 2006

MADRID 1997-2005

© ROGERS STIRK HARBOUR +

© KATSUHISA KIDA / FOTOTECA

PARTNERS

IMAGE COURTESY OF

PHOTO © DAVID NOBLE

KATSUHISA KIDA / FOTOTECA

© DUCCIO MALAGAMBA IMAGE COURTESY OF DUCCIO MALAGAMBA

IMAGE COURTESY OF ROGERS STIRK HARBOUR + PARTNERS

the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Millennium Dome, the Heathrow air traffic control tower and the European Court of Human Rights.

His firm, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, has made many contributions to the London landscape. He refurbished the Old Billingsgate Market, which was threatened with the wrecking ball when the fish market relocated from the City to the Isle of Dogs in the 1980s. The Grade II-listed building is now used as an events space.

He also designed One Hyde Park, the ultra-luxurious apartment complex in Knightsbridge.

However, he is probably best known for the iconic Lloyd’s building on Lime Street, which houses the headquarters of Britain’s insurance market. Described by English Heritage as one of the “key buildings of the modern epoch”, it is a prime example of the Bowellism style of architecture pioneered by Rogers and Renzo Piano.

Sometimes referred to as the “inside-out” building, the staircases, power ducts, water pipes, lifts and even the lavatories are all located on the outside of the building, to create a less cluttered space within.

The object of much controversy when it opened in 1986, the futuristic building has become one of the best-known office blocks in the Square Mile. In 2011, just 25 years after construction finished, it became the youngest building in Britain to be Grade I listed.

Rogers’ other projects in London include the recently-completed NEO Bankside development – a residential scheme of 217 flats next to the Tate Modern – and a £135 million extension to the British Museum, set to open to visitors early next year.

Richard Rogers RA: Inside Out takes place from July 18-October 13, 10am-6pm daily and Fridays until 10pm at the Royal Academy, Piccadilly. Last admission is half an hour before closing time. Tickets £8, under-12s free. To book, visit www.royalacademy.org.uk or call 020 7300 8027.

T

wo perfectly-formed flats designed by prestigious Mayfair-based developer Fenton Whelan have come onto the market.

One of the properties, a three-bedroom flat in The Manor on Davies Street, was among the earliest projects taken on by Fenton Whelan after it was founded by Sanjay Sharma and James Van den Heule in 2010.

“When they sold it, they had two buyers who were prepared to pay what was a record price at the time,” says head of Knight Frank’s Mayfair office Harvey Cyzer, who is marketing both properties.

“It’s a very cleverly designed flat because with the independent bathroom, the study can easily be converted into a fourth bedroom.”

The Manor is consistently popular with buyers, adds Cyzer, who has sold three flats in the block in recent times. “The location is excellent, because you’re just off Berkeley Square,” he says.

“The entrance hall has a real old-Mayfair feel about it, it’s portered, and there are only two flats on every floor.”

PROPERTY: Kate White kate@pubbiz.com

The other flat also has three bedrooms and is located on the third floor of Aldford House, a modernist apartment block on Park Lane. The building is enjoying a new lease of life after scaffolding that completely shielded it from view for the last decade was finally taken down last year.

“The scaffolding obviously made the building look unsightly, and it blocked out a huge amount of natural light,” says Cyzer. “Now it has gone, Aldford House is going to be a very popular Park Lane building.”

The flat boasts three bedrooms, a 38’ reception room with panoramic views across Hyde Park, and an outdoor terrace that spans the entire length of the apartment. There’s also a 24-hour porter.

“The flat has terrific views over the park, and you can also see Grosvenor Chapel from the master bedroom,” says Cyzer. “It is an exceptionally wellfinished apartment. The materials are wonderful and the quality of the soft furnishings is second to none. The colour schemes also work beautifully. It’s really rather special.”

Fenton Whelan’s Van den Heule, who is currently working on a large mews house in Mayfair, says: “The two flats are similar in a way.

They’re both in portered blocks in Mayfair, and they’re both historic buildings.

“We always try to bring something from the surroundings into the apartment, and try to be sympathetic to what’s there but, at the same time, everything we do is completely turnkey and completely new.

“Clients in prime central London are wealthy but relatively time-poor, and they’re looking for something that is turnkey and renovated from scratch. People like to have the sense of history, but with the modern amenities and latest technology.”

Redeveloping a building that hasn’t been touched for 40 or 50 years is an “incredible” feeling, says Van den Heule. “You’re returning a property back to its former glory. Buildings in Mayfair have so much history. It’s like bringing them back to life.”

The flats in The Manor, £10 million, and Aldford House, £8 million, are both for sale through Knight Frank (020 7499 1012). Aldford House is also available through Wetherell (020 7529 5566).

property

88

Romance and history A FLAT IN A FORMER REGISTRY OFFICE where Elizabeth Taylor got married is available to rent.

The two-bedroom property is located in Caxton Hall in St James’s, which was originally built as Westminster Town Hall. It was used as a meeting venue by groups ranging from the Suffragettes to the occultist Aleister Crowley.

Winston Churchill held press conferences there during the Second World War, and it then became a registry office where stars including Elizabeth Taylor, Peter Sellers, Roger Moore and Ringo Starr tied the knot.

When the registry office closed in 1979, the Grade II listed property stood empty for years, and was entered onto English Heritage’s register of buildings at risk. It was redeveloped as apartments and offices in 2006.

The flat at Caxton Hall is available to rent for £699 per week with Fine & Country Mayfair (020 7079 1523).

A Mayfair mansion to call home AN UNMODERNISED MAYFAIR MANSION, with magnificent historical features and the option to extend it to an enormous 22,000 sq ft, is up for sale.

Located on Charles Street, the listed Georgian house features a grand entrance hall, where a sweeping staircase leads to impressive formal rooms on the first floor. There is also a south-facing garden and a linked mews house to the rear.

The freehold property already measures nearly 15,000 sq ft, but comes with planning permission to add on another 7,000 sq ft, with a basement-level spa area, a wine room, cinema, gym, swimming pool and garage parking for three cars.

Peter Wetherell, one of the agents who is marketing the house, said: “This property is probably one of the finest examples in Mayfair of a Georgian wide-fronted house, with five windows across.

“With the planning permission for the sub-basement already in place, you’ve probably got in under the wire, because the tide has since turned against these so-called iceberg houses.”

The property is also renowned for its famous Chinese Room, which was once adorned with spectacular 18th century, handpainted Chinese wallpaper.

Miraculously left completely unscathed when the building was occupied by squatters several years ago, the wallpaper is now safely tucked away in storage and will be reinstated when the new owner moves in.

The Charles Street mansion is on the market for a guide price of £50 million with Wetherell (020 7493 6935) and Beauchamp Estates (020 7499 7722).

The toast of town AS WE KNOW, Mayfair is a unique and heady cocktail of world-class retail, culture, leisure and residential facilities. And now local agent Peter Wetherell is asking, if Mayfair was a cocktail, what would it be?

“Personally I think it has to be the Mayfair Martini,” says Wetherell.

“It’s got good alliteration, and there’s a Berkeley Square gin that is sold at Hedonism Wines, which is the wine shop to die for in Mayfair.”

Send your cocktail name – with an explanation of why it epitomises Mayfair – to parw@wetherell.co.uk or ring 020 7493 6935. The winner will be invited to early evening drinks at The Connaught with the Wetherell team.

property

90

A secret retreat in ‘hidden gem’ yard A MAISONETTE with an address so discreet that it doesn’t show on Google Maps is up for sale with Savills.

Located between two other roads in a hidden enclave that is described as “one of Mayfair’s hidden gems”, Saddle Yard is a charming cobbled courtyard that houses a number of pretty mews properties.

The courtyard is reached through the door of a portered Georgian mansion block at 33 Hill Street, meaning it is hidden from the road.

It can also be accessed through a nondescript wrought-iron gate in Hays Mews.

“It’s uber-discreet”, said head of Savills Mayfair Charles Lloyd.

“You can either come in and out past the porter, who will take in any packages and deliveries for you, or just slip in and out through the gates at the back.

“It’s an ideal pied-à-terre because it’s got a very nice sized garage with it,” he added.

“You could drive up to London on the Monday morning, park your car for the week, and away you go.”

The maisonette, which requires modernisation, features a 31-foot double reception room with six windows, an interconnecting kitchen and two bedrooms. It is on the market for £3.5 million with Savills Mayfair (020 7578 5100).

A contemporary building fit for Batman IT LOOKS MORE LIKE something out of Gotham City than Mayfair and St James’s, but this striking new townhouse is set to be built on Park Place after Westminster council gave plans the green light.

The spectacular seven-storey property is a 21stcentury interpretation of a traditional Mayfair home according to architects SHH, while the black-fronted design is inspired by number ten Downing Street.

The double-storey windows and crafted metalwork are a design feature of the building, which planning chiefs praised for its interesting contemporary design.

The four-bedroom house, which will replace an unremarkable 1960s office block, will feature a triple basement with a swimming pool, spa, steam and sauna rooms, and a media room with a popcorn machine.

It is set to be completed late 2015.

Rare apartment for sale ONE OF THE LARGEST APARTMENTS on Mount Street that is described as “incredibly rare” has come onto the market.

Laid out as two flats many years ago and since knocked into one grand residence, it now offers almost 4,000 sq ft of accommodation, making it comfortably larger than most houses.

Boasting four reception rooms, four double bedrooms and three bathrooms, the duplex apartment has just been completely refurbished by award-winning luxury designer Hill House Interiors.

“It’s one of the largest apartments ever available on Mount Street in recent times,” said Mohamed Nurmohamed, director of Chesterton Humberts, the agent marketing the property.

“On Mount Street you get a lot of apartments between 900 and 2,200 sq ft, so this one is nearly double the average size. These come up once every ten, 20 years, if that. It’s an incredibly rare opportunity.

“It has a long lease, it’s fully refurbished and interior designed, the furniture’s all included, and it’s got more technology than Star Trek,” he added. “It’s a very special apartment.”

The Mount Street apartment is priced at £9.75 million with Chesterton Humberts (020 7629 4513).

direct lines selma day

92

Raise a glass to Nancy Wake

Get on board WESTMINSTER'S MP Mark Field has backed the campaign to get Mayfair back on the

A PLAQUE has been unveiled at the American Bar at The Stafford in honour of Nancy Wake, who died in 2011, aged 98.

Nancy, whose story inspired the novel (and film) Charlotte Gray, was one of the most highly decorated Allied secret agents of the Second World War and topped the Gestapo’s most wanted list.

The resistance heroine spent a few of her final years at the hotel in St James's Place. A plaque reading “Nancy’s Corner” already marks her favourite spot in the bar, where she would lay waste to five or six gin and tonics each day.

Now that’s a woman worth remembering.

Monopoly board. As, as he points out, about three quarters of the properties on the original Monopoly board are in his constituency.

"The point is, any young person coming to London could get around the areas on the original board in a couple of hours, and get a sense of the best of London," he said at the last Monopoly Monday at Flemings in Half Moon Street. "Taking the tube to Brixton Hill and points beyond is a different undertaking."

FLEMINGS’ COLIN EXTON (LEFT) AND MP MARK FIELD

A tree to treasure THE CONNAUGHT HOTEL has unveiled a fantastic little bar in the area that used to be occupied by its Grill restaurant. There’s also an inner garden, where a succession of unfortunate trees failed to cling on to life in the past year or two.

To avoid future arboreal aggro, the hotel’s elegant general manager, Nathalie

You look familiar...

Seiler-Hayez, came up with an elegant solution with designer Tom Stuart-Smith and Factum Arte of Barcelona. It's The Moon Tree – a real tree covered down to its minutest detail in metal. I suggest that you take a look next time you are in the Connaught –

AT THE TATLER Restaurant Awards, I was chatting to two delightful guests who told me they were actors. “That’s nice – anything I know?”

I asked (remember that scene in Notting Hill?).

A stream of famous names followed, including Heat and Dust. “That’s one of my favourite films... ah, you’re Greta Scacchi and Nickolas Grace aren’t you?” Greta has even graced our front cover. Sometimes there is just no excuse.

even if you can’t get into THE MOON TREE ABOVE AND NATHALIE

what is going to be a very

SEILER-HAYEZ WITH TOM STUART-SMITH

popular “secret” bar.

Twitter: @MayfairTimes