Belgravia Residents' Journal, July 2014 by Runwild Media Group

BELGRAVIA Resident’s Journal J ULY 2014

I SSU E 02 6

The Belgravia Residents’ Journal is published independently by Runwild Media Group with regular editorial contributions from The Belgravia Residents’ Association. To become a member of the BRA, visit www.belgraviaresidents.org.uk. We would highly value any feedback you wish to email us with: belgravia@residentsjournal.co.uk; or telephone us on 020 7987 4320.

w w w. R e s i d e n t s J o u r n a l . c o . u k (020) 7987 4320

Dear Resident

We have art on the brain this month. As galleries in neighbouring Mayfair and St James’s get ready to welcome the seasoned collectors and first-time buyers flocking to London Art Week, we chat to Jonathan Green, the co-founder of the event that offers an international platform for painting, drawing and sculpture. Turn to page 7 to read more. Elsewhere, we talk to the founder and president of Arts Global, Heather de Haes, whose music foundation supports talented musicians (page 6). After a quick visit to the Pangaea: New Art from Africa and Latin America exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery (page 8), the team gets a bit peckish: cue the Belgravia Residents’ Journal Dining Special (from page 18). Henry Hopwood-Phillips revisits Italian institution Toto’s to check out its new refurbishment. Never one to do things by halves, he also swings by to Buddha-Bar before stopping off for a cookery lesson at La Portes des Indes. While he attends to his heartburn, Ozel Rowland interviews Damien Leroux, Alain Ducasse’s protégé and head chef of the recently opened Rivea London at the Bulgari Hotel. Read all about the inspiration behind the restaurant on page 21. Please do not hesitate to get in contact with all your news and updates, email belgravia@residentsjournal.co.uk. We hope you enjoy the issue.

Managing Editor Francesca Lee

Editor-in-Chief Lesley Ellwood

Publishing Director Giles Ellwood

Assistant Editor Lauren Romano

Managing Director Eren Ellwood

General Manager Fiona Fenwick

Main Editorial Contributor Henry Hopwood-Phillips

Senior Designer Sophie Blain

Executive Director Sophie Roberts

Editorial Assistant Jennifer Mason

Production Hugo Wheatley Alex Powell Oscar Viney Amy Roberts

Head of Finance Elton Hopkins

Editorial Interns Tom Hagues, Ozel Rowland

Client Relationship Director Felicity Morgan-Harvey

Above / 22ct Gold Jewel Beetle Brooch by Shaun Leane. Photograph by Nick Knight's SHOWstudio. Read more on page 10.

Proudly published & printed in the UK by

RUNWILD MEDIA GROUP

Member of the Professional Publishers Association / ppa.co.uk

The Notebook

Who and what have been moving and shaking in Belgravia recently? We bring you up to date

bloom

Hannah Kate Davies decides to eat flowers at Il Convivio

hat better way to celebrate the RHS Chelsea Flower Show than to devote an entire menu to it? Il Convivio, standing where Ebury Street meets Elizabeth Street, has done just that. Inside, the place is rather like Mary Poppins’ handbag – far larger than one would imagine, yet still it fills up. I hobble up its culinary garden path with beef tartare, a dish I’m sure is welcomed by many a man after a day with the pansies. But I’m a carnivore too, so it’s an easy choice. I feel guilty at my lack of flowers though, so next I plump for nettle risotto with goat’s cheese. Creamy and badgered by a fruity friend called raspberry balsamic, it’s a brave but perfect addition to the dish. Grappa, known to some as “mouthwash” is actually the perfect pick-meup, and far better than coffee. If you’re dreaming of an Italian summer, but instead faced with the reality of our British climate, head down to where they’re hoarding all the conviviality. Il Convivio, 143 Ebury Street, SW1W 9QN, 020 7730 4099

Charity starts at home

Cubitt House stepped into the limelight last month to collect a Westminster Community Award. Issued to recognise organisations that volunteer time and resources to help benefit the lives of others, the winners were nominated by charities within the City of Westminster. Only three out of 100 nominees were selected as ‘highly commended’ but it was Cubitt House that bagged the mantelpiece bling. Director Justin Thomas who collected the award told the audience: ‘It is always nice to be recognised but it is not about us, it’s really about trying to make a difference to others’.

Grace invades your kitchen

For those not in the know, Grace Belgravia delivers three special services to its members: Grace Deli’Very, Grace to Go and Your Grace. The first is a delivery service consisting of three meals and two snacks chosen from a range of menus that target different dietary requirements. The second trumpets Grace’s ability to do takeaways. The third and perhaps the best service is Grace’s offer to supply your dinner party with not only its own chefs but waiting staff and cleaners too. Grace Deli’Very delivers between 6pm and 7.30pm. Orders must be placed the day before. Prices range from £42.50 to £50 (gracebelgravia.com)

The director is dead, long live the director The Belgravia Residents’ Journal first encountered outgoing Duncan Lawrie managing director Matthew Parden after a shoot. Having left our dead animals at the door, his response (‘Why didn’t you bring them in?’) made us appreciate him from the off. We are therefore sad to announce his departure after 17 years at the firm. Duncan Lawrie assures us his chair will be kept warm by a worthy occupant, seasoned senior wealth management executive Byron Coombs. At the top of his game, he has spent the past two years in non-executive roles at Deutsche Bank and Coutts. We wish him and the company well. (duncanlawrie.com)

No parking on the parklet

If you have noticed a bit of greenery on the corner of Elizabeth and Ebury Street, it’s not negligence: it is Belgravia’s first parklet. The concept was dreamt up by San Franciscans in America and revolves around converting urban space into a garden area. Grosvenor Estate has agreed to roll out the first of many as part of its ‘Creating a Buzz’ initiative. Tomtom Coffee House sponsored the event, which saw the wine flowing and the bees presumably rejoicing. (grosvenorlondon.com)

Calling all local film buffs

Boutique cinema chain Curzon has just opened its latest London venue at 58 Victoria Street. The firm has a long history (its first cinema opened in neighbouring Mayfair in 1934) but the new address houses a five-screen flagship. Curzon is kindly offering B.R.A members a 10 per cent discount on presentation of their membership card. (curzoncinemas.com)

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005

revolution The quiet

James Armstrong visits the Athenaeum to talk to Heather de Haes, President of Arts Global, about how she is turning the arts world on its head

‘I

’ve always been attracted to art,’ Heather begins. The harmonious proportions and tasteful décor of the Athenaeum testify to that. ‘While at university in Australia I found I was a good flautist and decided to turn professional in London. Yes, I was good in New Zealand, but the competition in London was too great. I put my flute back in its case and turned to business.’ That bold move spawned a highly successful company in Singapore that reproduced artworks in miniature for museums across the United States. An interior design business in Belgravia followed, fashioning cushions out of 16th and 17th century tapestries, a pioneering concept. ‘Hang on – real tapestries?’ I ask, still with the word “reproduction” in mind and the word “vandalism” slowly usurping it. ‘Yes, real tapestries, but those that were beyond repair,’ Heather assures as I breathe a sigh of relief. Success in business nurtured, Heather explored an already lingering desire to pursue the arts for non-profit. A move to Switzerland in 1999 realised that dream, with the establishment of the Anglo-Suisse Artistic Foundation. This expanded into what is now known as Arts Global, a foundation set up primarily to provide a helping hand to young, talented classical musicians. Heather makes clear the foundation’s ethos: ‘This isn’t about handing over a large cheque and wishing the musician luck. Yes, money plays a part, but it’s more about mentoring a person and developing their talent.’ In an age in which money is deemed the sole deliverer of all problems, that ethos is certainly refreshing. ‘A typical Arts Global evening involves 15 of us around a large kitchen table, helping ourselves to

a big dish of pasta and a bowl of salad. We’re like an extended family,’ she tells me. The breadwinner is artsglobal.com, a separate business that Heather established that deals in exclusive off-the-market property and fine art. Although very different from the charitable .org side, the .com business is a necessary component in driving the Foundation forward. ‘I like to think of it as the Elizabethan headand-heart philosophy,’ Heather says. This further extends to the Australian Music Foundation, of which Heather is chairman of the board of Trustees. I had the privilege of attending one of the AMF’s performances, held amongst the Orthodox splendour of King’s College London’s chapel. A hint of Aussie fun laced the programme of Grainger, Britten

Yes, money plays a part, but it’s more about mentoring a person and Shostakovich, and I felt the familial warmth that Heather promotes so well in both Foundations. It is little wonder, then, that such a fine patroness of the arts will appear in the Queen’s Honours List as set to receive the Order of Australia later on this year. We rise from our seats in the smoking room after our conversation on music, philosophy and literature, and amble back through the corridor and down a set of stairs – portraiture and engravings of former members lining the walls, Dickens amongst them – and arrive back in the hall. I depart under the famous portico, feeling edified and enthused after meeting a true lover of the arts. (artsglobal.org/artsglobal.com)

A week to

remember

Evy Cauldwell-French talks to the man who brought together some of the greatest London galleries and forged London Art Week

he world is gun-metal grey outside 33 New Bond Street. Entering the Richard Green Gallery, I wander past quiet winter scenes by Lowry, up a winding staircase, and, above the hustle and bustle below, plonk myself down directly opposite Jonathan Green, CEO of the gallery and cofounder of London Art Week. ‘I’m quite good at negotiation,’ Jonathan starts. A key skill for someone who sits on the Master Paintings Week board of three that oversaw the amalgamation with Master Drawings and Sculpture Week into what is now London Art Week. The event made a Pollock-sized splash last summer when some 50 dealers from Bond Street to Cork Street opened their doors to a flurry of international art connoisseurs and dilettantes. Running alongside the major auction house sales in July, the picture dealers of London Art Week ‘brought people from the street upstairs to the first and second floor of these buildings, to find treasures,’ Jonathan explains. London, and Mayfair in particular, are the historic centres of the world for pre-20th century art. As we occupy ourselves listing changes to the Bond Street shop fronts observable from his office window, Jonathan acknowledges that, ‘there are certainly fewer art dealers than there were 40 or 50 years ago, business has changed a lot’.

‘That is OK though, life is all about change,’ he says, smiling. Rather than fade out quietly, dealers plan to collaborate. ‘A lot of dealers are leaving Paris and clumping together elsewhere, in places such as Geneva and London,’ Jonathan clarifies. New York may have emerged as a centre for contemporary art, but the Old Masters, Impressionists and Modernists prosper on this side of the pond. His own optimism for the area is evident: ‘For a visitor to come to London, for somebody hungry for art, it’s quite clearly the place to be.’ London Art Week is set to sate that appetite. Launching on 4 July, for one week only, a series of carefully considered galleries across Mayfair and St James’s will be opening their doors to seasoned collectors and first time buyers alike, offering a selection of only ‘the very finest things’. Richard Green Gallery will be revealing some exclusive treasures over the week, most of which remain under wraps before the event – but if it is 20th century

The event made a Pollock-sized splash last summer art that you are after, you may find a blockbuster in Patrick Heron’s boldly expressionist Strata of Green & Scarlet Vermilion, never before revealed to the public. Across the street at the original Richard Green, an intimate 16th century portrait by Corneille, painter to Charles IX of France, will be presented to the public. I find the ambiguity of the sitter’s smile and unusual forward-leaning stance fascinating; Corneille’s brushwork is unparalleled. Painting, sculpture and drawing may be seen as traditional art disciplines, but London Art Week promises to be far from a chain of stuffy art galleries. An astute response to the ever-changing London art scene, it has been no small feat to overcome the sectarian elements that have undoubtedly bedevilled attempts at collective efforts in the past. It’s testament to Jonathan Green that he’s the man to have pulled it off. (londonartweek.co.uk)

From left: Strata of Green & Scarlet Vermillion by Patrick Heron; Family Group by Henry Moore; Portrait d’homme by Corneille de la Haye. All courtesy of Richard Green Galleries, London

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007

Tectonic I

rumbling

first met Ibrahim Mahama, the Ghanaian artist, last year when he was in London on a three month residency programme. It was the opening night of Mahama’s exhibition at Gasworks and I appeared just as he was putting the finishing touches to an installation. Mahama was so lost in his art that minutes passed before he noticed me. Not that it mattered. I had been immediately captivated by some photographs crudely tacked to the studio wall. Each image was overpowered by the presence of jute sacks. They had been imported by the Ghana Cocoa Board, re-used by charcoal sellers and liberated by Mahama. Driven by the desire for his audience to think deeply about what might otherwise be disregarded, Mahama had covered rubbish heaps, draped industrial structures and enveloped buildings with these vast, tan patchworks. The scenes were so detached from my reality, even more so by the two-dimensionality of printed ink, that when Mahama did speak of his current project, I asked only a polite question in reference to the influence of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude upon his work. The memory of Mahama’s photographs remained with me for more than six months. It was as if they had asked me a question, something I did not quite understand, and they were waiting for an answer. What a relief it was to visit Pangaea: New Art from Africa and Latin America at the Saatchi Gallery and discover that Mahama has hung the very same torn, timeworn and stained jute sacks from its high ceiling. Curated by Gabriela Salgado and open until 31 August, ‘Pangaea’ features 16 contemporary African and

Above / Casa Tomada by Rafael Gómezbarros, © Sam Drake, 2014 Image courtesy of Saatchi Gallery, London

Poppy Field pops down to the Saatchi Gallery to take a look at the art world’s reaction to pangs of political convergence

Latin American artists. The exhibits are selected from Charles Saatchi’s own collection and presented by Salgado as ‘the utopian notion of a unified Pangaea’. This is a tall order for the prehistoric landmass that first began to separate more than 200 million years ago. Yet globalisation, especially of the art market, has facilitated this. Themes of colonial rule, immigration, political instability and war recur throughout the exhibition. Consider the opening work by Columbian artist Rafael Gómezbarro. His installation, Casa Tomada, features enormous ants made from a range of materials such as resin, fiberglass, madera, screen cotton, cuerda arenas and cerrejón coal. They cover the walls and spill onto the ceiling. With bodies segmented in shapes like human skulls, the ants were conceived in tribute to the thousands fallen in the ongoing Colombian conflict and are intended to reflect the plight of asylum seekers. However, it was Mahama’s work that provoked something deep inside me. His jute sacks are secluded in a dead end room. The lighting is dimmed so that the otherwise bright, white gallery becomes dark, oppressive and claustrophobic. Waves of helplessness, insignificance, astonishment, temporality and guilt washed over me. I was surrounded. Left with the acceptance of my own fragile humanity, I had found my answer. To fully appreciate the magnitude of Mahama’s work, it must be viewed in person. Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road SW3 4RY, 020 7811 3070 (saatchigallery.com)

Identity

crisis

Henry Hopwood-Phillips talks to Laura Howard about swapping the treacherous home counties of Midsomer Murders for a traumatic time up north in Invincible, a new play showing at St James Theatre this month

lotus flower is stamped on Laura Howard’s wrist. Friends of mine have flies, sparrows or lightning, accompanied by unfathomably profound tales, the gist of which usually revolves around getting wet in a storm in Thailand. Laura has a better excuse to fulfil the nominal determinism of a Briton (“painted one”). ‘I’m a Buddhist,’ she explains, slightly apprehensively, as if I am going to spin her words into a stark confession that she eats hemp and can levitate. Laura’s willowy frame, lack of make-up and elven features mark her out as naturally handsome and her tendency to look away when explaining something indicates a deep thoughtfulness. As she begins to outline the play, my coffee cup attracts more of her eye contact than I do. She is clearly involved in the performance, not just doing it, gesticulating forcefully when she notes that, ‘there are four characters in the play. Mine is the left-leaning, well-educated and well-meaning Emily. She and her partner Oliver (Darren Strange) both make the standard noises about escaping the anonymity of the city to meet “real’’ people as they downsize to a northern

Torben Betts’ writing is deft and nuanced town. The play turns on the ideas we have about ourselves and others and how they can get shipwrecked on the jagged edges of reality.’ I quibble that these class-clash plays can sometimes make the audience feel like the moral lessons intended are less teased and implicated than foisted and clobbered on them. ‘I don’t think that’s an issue in this case,’ Laura assures me. ‘Torben [Betts]’s writing is deft and nuanced, characterised by subtlety and a lightness of touch. He doesn’t labour the point. Maybe this is part of the reason for his growing success. ‘There are no goodies and baddies, which I think is great,’ she continues. ‘I feel that Torben sees us all as roughfaced diamonds, whose sides and multiple personalities only reflect what light others people’s rough-cuts bounce on to them. Character is shown to be a rather chaotic and haphazard thing that education only tames sporadically.’ Quivering at the heights of abstraction we are surmounting, I push her to give an example. ‘Well sometimes the male characters for instance are an odd mix of flinty vulnerability. Flinty because pride sits at the heart of their perception of masculinity but it’s definitely a translucent

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

feeling because we see loneliness pervade their actions.’ Invincible showed at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond before this so I enquire what sort of reception the play has already received. ‘The reception was really good, the run was a sell-out and the reviews were gratifyingly positive. It’s a fast paced pair of one hour slots, and there’s a lot of intensity packed in there.’ Normally I’d politely leave an interview professing an inflated interest in the play, and quietly retreat into the shadows. However, today I don’t have to fib. I can’t wait to see if the show is as good as Laura claims. Invincible runs from 10 July to 9 August. Tickets from £10. 12 Palace Street, SW1E 5JA, 0844 264 2140 (stjamestheatre.co.uk)

009

The Calendar Bringing you the lowdown on local events in July

A sporting chance

For those who want to venture further than their living rooms to watch the coverage of this summer’s sporting highlights, keep up to date with the tennis and football at the Thomas Cubitt and The Orange. Both local watering holes will be screening World Cup matches for the duration of the tournament between 5pm and 8pm at the ground floor bars. The Wimbledon Championships will also be shown from 23 June to 6 July. Until 13 July, The Thomas Cubitt, 44 Elizabeth Street SW1W 9PA, 020 7730 6060 (thethomascubitt.co.uk) The Orange, 37-39 Pimlico Road, SW1W 8NE 020 7881 9844 (theorange.co.uk)

Midas touch

Jewellery house Shaun Leane is prized for its beautifully crafted, bespoke designs. This summer eight of its latest one-off adornments will be debuted at Motcomb Street’s SHOWstudio. Each piece will be accompanied by an artwork, fashion creation or natural history specimen that has served as an inspiration to the house, including original work by the likes of Damien Hirst and Philip Treacy.

Mozart’s final masterpiece

Until 29 August, SHOWstudio 19 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8LB 020 7235 7680 (shaunleane.com)

2 July, 7.30pm. Tickets from £15 to £40 ENCORE members receive £5 discount off the top three prices. 5 Sloane Terrace SW1X 9DQ. Book online at cadoganhall.com, or call 020 7730 4500

Don’t miss Mozart’s final three symphonies at Cadogan Hall this month. Symphony No. 39, Symphony No. 40 and the Jupiter Symphony will all be performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra as a dramatic conclusion to Cadogan’s Summer Music Festival.

Choral interlude

The London Concord Singers are warming up for a world premiere of Judith Bingham’s The Very Distant Days. The intriguing and meditative work manages to weave the words of Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll into its lyrics about ageing. The concert also combines pieces from the 20th century choral repertoire with a varied selection of sacred music spanning 600 years. 24 July, 7.30pm. St Michael’s Church, Chester Square, SW1W 9HH. Tickets available on the door for £12; under 25s £5 and other concessions £10 (londonconcordsingers.org.uk)

Photography: Joshua Hayes

Do you have an event that you’d like us to cover? Send us an email: belgravia@residentsjournal.co.uk

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The

Belgravian PARTING WAYS

The Belgravia Residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Journal salutes the Vice President of Jumeirah Europe, Derek Picot, a hotelier who has been at the centre of Knightsbridge and Belgravia for more than a generation

r Picot sounds French. Derek? Not so much. Do I pronounce the ‘t’ at the end? I drop it at reception. In the polite response the ‘t’ is emphatically enunciated. ‘I learnt French in an odd manner. Few people get to learn it in the bowels of a Parisian restaurant, from cockney chefs,’ Derek tells me. I ask why. ‘Well it meant I often learnt gobbledegook! They made bits up as they went along. So the word they’d use for the underbelly of the lobster would be the word for lobster mixed with the word for an aeroplane’s undercarriage!’ I think Derek is being modest. He knows many languages. ‘Yes, but I did this on the ground, growing slowly, learning a few phrases in the present tense and taking it from there,’ comes his reply. I suggest that this might be quite a limitation in a business that has to promise to provide in the future. ‘Not at all,’ he protests, ‘it suggests everything will be done straight away!’ Derek cuts a fine figure. A silver fox with a pocket square, punctiliousness underlines an avuncular manner; clearly he combines charm and efficacy to great effect. I ask whether his career has been a smooth, gradual and steady ascent. ‘Not unless you count being bombed, set on fire and shot at as any of those things,’ he objects. It sounds like the trajectory of a terrorist, not an hotelier. I urge him to go into detail. ‘In the first instance, I’d been moved to take charge of a Hilton in the third world and we had a lorry pass by with 350 tonnes of TNT and a load of gas cylinders as I stood in the lobby. ‘In the second, a kitchen fire got out of hand. Thankfully as myself and the team fought the blaze all the guests remained blissfully unaware. I couldn’t help noticing a diligent room service waiter darting about dodging flames, water and firemen, madly preparing a food order. Hours later I was surrounded by a smouldering ruin and he returned. “Why?” I asked. “Ah,” he replied, “your wife ordered a pizza and the manager’s apartment is never to be denied.”’ Surely the essence of great service. ‘In the third, a policeman manning one of the checkpoints we had installed to keep exploding lorries out of the vicinity, slammed his revolver on the table, letting a bullet whistle by my cheek.’ I hadn’t realised it was such a dangerous profession. ‘That’s not the only thing you have to worry about – there’s the embarrassment of overstaying your welcome,’ Derek reminds me. He tells me how Charlie Chaplin and his family had been booking a room at the Savoy since he first left America, and that in 1977 it was his job to show them around. ‘They clearly knew the suite and just wanted me to leave as

quickly as possible, but as a young receptionist I had been trained to show all the room facilities even though they knew them backwards. Eventually I realised it was time to go but mixed the wardrobe door up with the proper way out and stayed in there assuming they hadn’t noticed. When I thought enough time had passed for them to have gone into the sitting room I slowly opened the door, only to find both the Chaplins still staring incredulously at the wardrobe waiting for my departure.’ After appointments in Hong Kong, Knightsbridge, Canada and Australia, Derek jumped ship to a young company, Jumeirah. The Carlton Tower was its first London offering, and with Derek’s experience, including a stint from 1986 to1995 at The Sheraton Park Tower, they chose him to lead from the front. ‘Under previous management there was considerably more American business but that has now been balanced. Other changes have included a refurbishment of the Rib Room, which has been in existence for 50 years and retains its focus on beef. The Italian restaurant was closed and replaced with a new function space. The lobby lounge, the Chinoiserie, has also been a terrific success and now extends into an area that had been previously unused. The hotel continues to build on its facilities too by extending its health club,’ Derek explains. He also sits on the Knightsbridge Business Group. ‘Yes, it’s not the most imaginative title in the world, is it,’ Derek laughs. Agreeing, I ask whether now that he’s at the helm, he sees any young versions of himself coming up the ladder. ‘Absolutely, mind you we also get a fair few people who are recommended to me because they “are very sociable and really like meeting new people” but much of the time although Joe Bloggs likes meeting other people, it’s pretty clear the feeling isn’t reciprocated! ‘It’s a different business to how it was when I started out. There was a preoccupation with rules and high society then. Now it’s about discretion, relaxation and relationships.’ This brings us neatly on to what both clients and staff wear. ‘I advise that we go one notch above our customers, which makes them feel comfortable enough to behave casually but formal enough to get a sense of drama.’ With a twinkle in his eye, a piece of wisdom waiting to trip off his tongue, a huge building at his disposal and a keen sense of theatre, Derek has a touch of the stage director or orchestral conductor about him. The area may be spoilt with characters like these but I fear that, with Derek’s departure, Belgravia may be losing a little bit of its magic.

Derek has a touch of the conductor about him

Words / Henry Hopwood-Phillips Illustration / Russ Tudor

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013

Second

skin

Henry Hopwood-Phillips gives Hervé Léger a retrospective, before talking to its London managing director, Patrick Couderc, about the future…

early thirty years have passed since the Hervé Léger label was founded by its French designer Hervé Peugnet in 1985. Thirteen years later, in September 1998, it was acquired by BCBG Max Azria, and its creative hub began to migrate westwards over the Atlantic. Early 2008 saw Lubov Azria, Max’s wife, take over the creative helm of the brand, reviving its signature statement with a capsule collection and remodelling the boutiques that sit on Beverly Hills’ Rodeo Drive. A few months later, the first full collection, renamed Hérve Léger by Max Azria, was running the boards of New York Fashion Week. Since then, Lubov has continued to stay true to the signature techniques of the classic bandage dress. ‘It is rather special,’ she explains, emphasising that nothing compares to the genuine article. ‘There are no patterns; the individual bandages are dabbed with pins and sewn together by hand. It is a labour of love.’ Whilst essentially working with the same material each season, Lubov and her creative team move forward by reinventing the brand’s heritage in increasingly intricate ways. Many of the prototypes boast exceptional craftsmanship and are developed behind the closed doors of the Los Angeles design hub. These rather secret innovations are then showcased during New York Fashion Week. The Runway Collection, as it is known, always involves very complex techniques. As a result, the designs are produced in very limited editions and distributed selectively. Today, Hervé Léger’s iconic bandage dresses are prominent on the red carpet and widely embraced by celebrities in all fields of endeavour. Having recently branched into swimwear, the company is also making inroads into markets beyond its ken. Since its first New York runway, the label has exploded internationally. Hervé Léger can now boast a flagship in every fashion location tick-box: Paris, Rome, Geneva, Beirut, Moscow, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as more than 15 US brand-owned boutiques. And of course London. Which brings us to Patrick Couderc, managing director of Hervé Léger, London. Few men can get away with strutting their stuff in a bow tie, but Patrick ups the fashion stakes with an impeccable French accent, pink shoe laces and a secret stash of pocket squares. ‘The London flagship opened its doors in September 2009, attracting quite a hullabaloo from the fashion community,’ he explains. I forgot to mention his unnervingly firm command of the English language. I probe him on the marketing realities of the location. His reply is attractively blunt. ‘At Lowndes street, we are a little bit “off Broadway” so to speak but this address lets us

turn the tables to our benefit: when we talk of exclusivity and style, “we are Belgravians” but when we are enhancing the global position of the brand, we are “just off Sloane Street, in the heart of Knightsbridge”.’ There are two quite clearly different atmospheres in the store. The ground floor is full of air and light in a modern art gallery manner; its front is basically one piece of glass. Downstairs is a different affair. It’s intimate and cosy, that may be the macarons and tea set talking but I’m feeling it. Tucked behind curtains that would fit a stage are changing rooms that could, in fact, double as ballrooms. ‘They’re supersized,’ Patrick mutters, for once picking a less than diplomatic word. Supersized is not a word anybody near one of these dresses wants to hear. ‘Oh don’t get in a flap!’ the MD teases. ‘Wearing Léger involves a certain amount of confidence.’ Although it’s a joke, the customer base of the brand is changing. ‘When we first opened our doors, a significant number of our customers were Londoners. However, as the brand continues to develop internationally, we are now sharing the loyalty of other Hervé Léger fans from all over the world, from many different cultures.’ Accordingly, all the in-house stylists are keeping up to date with these new markets. That’s not to say Hervé Léger is looking so far afield that it has forgotten about its own feet. Firmly planted in Belgravia, the store ‘supports its neighbourhood in as many ways as it can,’ according to Patrick. ‘Many of our marketing partnerships are chosen from our close neighbours and we are regular contributors to local charities.’ As my visit draws to an end, Patrick concludes: ‘In a nutshell, we will always strive to go the whole nine yards to satisfy our clients. We are talking about something fun enough to be recounted over dinner with friends. We don’t want to stand still, we are always thinking of ways to make any journey with us even more memorable!’

Firmly planted in Belgravia, the store supports its neighbourhood in as many ways as it can

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29 Lowndes Street SW1X 9HX 020 7201 2590 (herveleger.com)

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Ahead of the game Henry Hopwood-Phillips talks to Ed Bell and James Humphreys, investment director and head of research respectively, at Belgravia’s favourite bank, Duncan Lawrie, to discuss the impact of new legislation

Henry Hopwood-Phillips: Let’s start with some context. Can one of you give me the lowdown on what’s brought the market to this pretty pass? James Humphreys: Markets bottomed in 2003 after the tech boom. Until 2008 we enjoyed a very strong bull market with great returns. I suppose, looking back, some of those returns, especially in the banking sector, were a result of a build up of leverage rather than any fundamental improvement in economic performance. Low interest rates encouraged the accumulation of debt and this had a large impact on the behaviour of the housing market, which eventually sparked the financial crisis. Markets bottomed at the start of 2009 but we have had a good ride since. There are many economic dynamics that underpin this. Globalisation, especially the entry into the global markets of China and India with their huge work forces, has been a key driver. HHP: Are you referring to the Chinese and Indian markets’ tendency to save, and therefore sustain our spending and, in the last analysis, debt levels? JH: Yes, but demographics play a part too. The West is ageing. Having said all that, there are plenty of companies, including Duncan Lawrie , which choose to possess sizeable portions of equity in their portfolios. For us this is because we like to take the long term view and we feel equity is a decent long term performing asset class.

Ed Bell: A lot of that stems from our legacy. People are historically used to investing in individual stocks and shares and have been doing so for a number of years. Yet when you consider the industry at large our competitors seem to be moving away from it. But if you look at where the wealth is primarily situated, many are in the older age bracket and they want that consistency. HHP: What is the turnover like in your portfolio? JH: Very low. The core is targeted at the long term. Though of course if something is changing we investigate and take action. Our average holding is around three to five years. HHP: Was that quite normal once upon a time? JH: Yes, many fund managers may think they can time the market better or look for shorter term opportunities but that isn’t our cup of tea. EB: This brings us nicely on to what the new legislation, the RDR (Retail Distribution Review), wants to address. It pushes for greater transparency and a greater understanding of the investor. This was lacking in the run up to 2008. People were investing in products that they didn’t understand the downsides of. HHP: Is it annoying that your competition is being forced by the costly legislation to become what you

always were before it? EB: As a sound-bite I couldn’t put it better. HHP: You don’t sell products though do you, so you don’t have the vested interests many banks risk in getting caught up in all parts of the financial chain? JH: No we don’t. It is financially rewarding for some banks to construct products within their investment banking or large institutional fund management arm, making the retail arm a de facto distribution centre. We have never done that. EB: We are very service driven. When constructing a portfolio we look at what clients want to achieve, then at the assets versus liabilities, the income versus expenditure, and other variables. We are also confident enough to say that what we offer might not be right for them. If we are right, we take a look at what they want. Is it capital appreciation? What type of growth would they like? What sorts of risk are they willing to be exposed to? And then the important part – do we really believe the

JH: To be fair I think that is also a concern of the regulators too. But yes, I have a feeling it will be a recurring theme in the future. HHP: What is your reaction to the last budget? EB: I get the impression that pension and ISA policies were thoughts that will be more fully worked out in the future. One of the wealth management’s 101s is ‘do I contribute to my ISA or do I contribute to my pension?’ Perhaps it will be both but often it’s one or the other. This is something that goes back to the RDR; there’s no rule of thumb, it has to be monitored on an annual basis. You can’t make a plan in 2008 and expect it to still work in 2014; it needs to be regularly reviewed. 1 Hobart Place, SW1W 0HU, 020 7245 1234 (duncanlawrie.com)

competition is being forced by costly legislation to become what Duncan Lawrie always was before it client is both willing and able to accept? It’s this latter part, the ability to accept, that is perhaps the single largest change in the RDR. It effectively says, you may want to be adventurous but your finances override that. This is all for the best; markets are being forced to be wiser. Concepts such as behavioural finance were once merely academic, now they are entrenched within the industry. HHP: Are there higher barriers to entry for potential clients desiring wealth management services? EB: In general they are higher than in the past as people are being disenfranchised. Duncan Lawrie’s are lower – at £250,000 we are more accessible than most of our competitors and hopefully cater for real wealth creators and professionals. HHP: Do you think the end game of this legislation is megabanks?

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Belgravia dining

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with a sunshine yellow living room and small windows that never exploited the courtyard to its west. The new place does. And gone are the spherical trees that blocked the light too. Thankfully, the imposing 16th-century Belgian fireplace is still there, still staring down at the rest of the room, an odd mixture of derision and despondency saturating its glare. The menu remains unrepentantly Italian with London veteran Stefano Stecca at the helm. And behind him, one of the biggest names of the restaurant world, Silvano Giraldin (of Le Gavroche among others) has orchestrated the whole affair as a consultant. Just before a tsunami of locals break across the floor, we gobble our root vegetables with garlic butter. These are well shaved; the pantry chef has earned his spurs. Bacon flotsam does its best to wiggle its porcine bottom all over the viscous pea sea. And it does so very well. I plump for one of the specials as a main. And it’s not just special in the sense that it’s not on the menu. Of course the language that gave us al fresco, alla caprese and al mattone, also gave us al dente pasta, but let’s be honest – none of us gets it right. Here, a small maze of firm, slippery home-made starch cossets a bitter bundle of olive

It might sound as though it is the sort of joint where clowns go to die

Not clowning about Henry Hopwood-Phillips revisits an Italian institution, named after the country’s most famous clown, to see if it has chucked the baby out with the bathwater after its two-year revamp

oto’s might sound as though it is the sort of joint where clowns go to die, but it is, in fact, a solid block of black and gold hewn into the rough shape of a restaurant. The cruel would dub this the “Saudi-aesthetic”, a caricature of Vatican exuberance chopped up into immobile Bauhaus shapes but, in fact, it’s a huge improvement on the old gaff. Formerly an artist’s studio and quaint in its own way, the Chelsea local was stuck

oil, capers, anchovies, lemon juice and herbs. I would gladly return entirely on the strength of this dish. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the case. I’m goaded by a cheeky waiter into basil panna cotta. I don’t like this dessert at the best of times – the thought of milk, cream and sugar simmering conjures images of a sickly primordial gloop – but basil makes it sound even worse. Who on earth eats panna cotta and thinks ‘I know what is missing: leaves.’ Madness. But letting prejudices guide you through menus will only confirm them. The pale moon sprouting vegetation before me resembles good, healthy yoghurt, but it’s lying. It’s an oleaginous equivocator, a sweet, fatty slodge that tastes so good you will demand servings by the bucket, not the feeble glass pot. The service is, admittedly, an acquired taste. You get the impression the Italians have imbibed hard-learnt lessons in the 60s that “proper restaurants” were French and codified to within an inch of their lives. But I’m also sure that a more relaxed approach will ensure Toto’s is loved as much as it is currently admired. Walton House, off Walton Street, SW3 2JH 020 7589 2062 (totosrestaurant.com)

Fat Buddha Henry Hopwood-Phillips discovers why the eastern sage was so chubby

huge holographic Buddha hovers, immobile, before me. In the background, 90s mix tapes evoke a misspent childhood. Oriental paraphernalia conjures frivolous university adventures, and everything is illuminated by acidic fluorescence that summons Danny Boyle’s rendering of Irvine Welsh’s book, Trainspotting. Originally established in Paris, the brainchild of Raymond and Tarja Visan at the end of the 90s (when the pan-Asian restaurant-cum-club was a kerazy concept), the Buddha Bar swiftly became a victim of its own success with the likes of Hakkasan and Yauatcha copying its model, and sometimes outdoing it. An off-shoot of the bar was behatted by Waterloo Bridge. But this Buddha-Bar has taken a clean slate, going from the vale of commuters to the epicentre of foodie-cool, acquiring a hyphen in its title somewhere along the way. It’s a tough patch, strong competition bedevils the SW1 spotlight. The local area has been the graveyard of many a big and trendy restaurant (the last being the Chicago Rib Shack). At Buddha-Bar, the mezzanine underworld is comprised of shady alcoves and private rooms. Low ceilings and wall lighting mix the seedy Shanghai den with Hong Kong penthouse effortlessly. Upstairs a high ceiling and huge windows overlooking the street side give a more capacious impression. Talking of capacity, I’ve plenty of it as I settle down to a spicy mango maki, twinned with a chicken salad. Sushi may no longer stand at the forefront of food research and development but quantity has, in many cases, treacherously stabbed quality in the jugular. Oversweetened, dry rice, mushy avocado and leathery marinelife plagues even the pricier joints. The maki served here is none of those things; my only complaint is there is not enough of the lip-tinglingly piquant sauce to dip the roly-polyed dead crustacean in. The chicken salad, only ordered at the behest of our polite but persistent waiter, is clearly the regulars’ favourite for a reason. It’s got it all going on and it sits in a sauce that plays a sweet, bouncy riff out on an eggyolk bass line. The result is a music your tongue wants to marinate in. Talking of marination, the English beef fillet has clearly been hanging around the salubrious parts of the menu for a good while. I feel a bit guilty for taking the pan-Asian cuisine into John Bull territory, however, so I scoff most of my friend’s block of Chilean sea bass with my chopsticks too, its wobbly flesh slowly dissolves beneath a saggy lagoon of sauce, like a droopy atlas.

A smorgasbord of desserts arrives in dainty portions. The chocolate sesame tart stands knife and fork above the rest, striking me as a Kit Kat-sized oriental take on our tiffin cake. The worst is probably a lime-green pandan cake that has clearly never gone to the gym, and could blame nobody but itself for its loose shape, congealed texture and eggy breath. Last but not least, Lucian Serban, our waiter, is so good he almost single-handedly justifies the bill. If others are like him, I don’t suppose service will have played a small part in establishing Buddha-Bar as the “best restaurant bar” at the London Club and Bar Awards this year.

Low ceilings and wall lighting mix the seedy Shanghai den with Hong Kong penthouse effortlessly

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

145 Knightsbridge, SW1X 7PA, 020 3667 5222 (buddhabarlondon.com)

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Unwrap Unwrap the the secrets secrets of of personal personal banking banking

Bespoke Bespoke private private banking banking is is still still available available on on your your doorstep doorstep Duncan Lawrie is a small private bank based in Hobart Place, Belgravia. We have Duncan Lawrie is a30small bank in Hobart Belgravia. have been here for over yearsprivate and offer all based the services you’dPlace, expect, includingWe counter been here over book, 30 years and offer the services expect, including counter service, a for cheque a Visa card,allonline banking,you’d flexible loans, and first-class service, a cheque book, a Visa card, online banking, fl exible loans, and fi rst-class service from a personal Bank Manager. service from a personal Bank Manager. In a recent survey, 65% of our banking clients gave their Bank Manager 10/10, and In recent survey, 65% of our banking clients gave their Bank Manager 10/10, oura Relationship Managers scored 81% for client satisfaction – 20% higher than and our our Managers scored 81% for client satisfaction – 20% higher than our peerRelationship group*. peer group*. To find out more: To find out more: • Call 0207 201 3010 Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. • Call 0207 201hours 3010you Monday to Friday between and 5pm. Outside these can contact John Hilson 9am on 07590 452440. Outside these hours you can contact John Hilson on 07590 452440. • Email jhilson@duncanlawrie.com • Email jhilson@duncanlawrie.com • Visit www.duncanlawrie.com/Belgravia • Visit www.duncanlawrie.com/Belgravia *Survey by Ledbury Research of 252 Duncan Lawrie clients. *Survey by Ledbury Research of 252 Duncan Lawrie clients. Duncan Lawrie Private Banking is a trading name of Duncan Lawrie Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries, represented in the UK by Duncan Lawrie Limited, authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Authority and Duncan Lawrie Asset Limited, authorised and regulated by the FinancialRegulation Conduct Duncan Lawrie Private Banking is a trading name of Duncan Lawrie HoldingsRegulation Limited and its subsidiaries, represented in theManagement UK by Duncan Lawrie Limited, authorised by the Prudential Authority. Their registered is 1 Hobart Place,Authority London SW1W 0HU. Registered in England under 998511 Asset and 1160766 respectively. Authority and regulated by offi theceFinancial Conduct and Prudential Regulation Authority and numbers Duncan Lawrie Management Limited, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct DL0714BRJ Authority. Their registered office is 1 Hobart Place, London SW1W 0HU. Registered in England under numbers 998511 and 1160766 respectively. DL0714BRJ DL0714BRJ_aw.indd 1 DL0714BRJ_aw.indd 1

26/02/2014 12:39 26/02/2014 12:39

Belgravia dining

Special

Ozel Rowland catches up with Damien Leroux, Alain Ducasse’s trumpeted protégé and head chef of Rivea

On the

Rivea

Catherine Lux eats and drinks, and has opinions too. Here she shares some...

ntering via the very chic and shadowy bar, spiralling down the large curved staircase draped in beads from the ceiling into the belly of the Bulgari hotel, Rivea begins with a sense of theatre. This is amusing because Rivea touts itself as an informal alternative to neighbourhood jaunts. My first doubts are punctured, however, by the easy-going manners of the staff and their light-hearted Converse trainers (all the same, these can run the risk of looking a little like clown shoes in the dark). First up, a delicate dish of sea bass carpaccio sits beneath a scattering of pine nuts. Paired with a 2013 Domaine de Lauriers Rolle – an interesting wine that goes fat and creamy before landing with a slightly acidic finish – the dish is accompanied by in-season asparagus and parmesan. Then gnocchi approaches, starch bombs of potato in a rich, buttery, sage sauce. Pan-seared lamb chops are dotted with a Provençal herb pesto of rosemary and thyme, a nice twist on the traditional naked herbs that usually accompany the meat. A gianduja palette follows; it’s a thick chocolate mousse, rich and powerful in flavour but soft and light in texture. An informal Mediterranean bolthole Rivea is not. But perhaps it’s shooting at the wrong labels. Rivea should just sit back and bask in the glory of having nailed the two pillars every brilliant restaurant must have: first-class food and even better service. Set lunch menu from £35. 171 Knightsbridge SW7 1DW, 020 7151 1025 (rivealondon.com)

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What is the concept behind Rivea? Rivea is an informal restaurant by Alain Ducasse – it’s inspired by the many years he spent visiting the food markets in Italy and Provence. We wanted the restaurant to feel relaxed and convivial, but still have the high level and impeccable service expected. Tell us a bit about La Cuisine du Soleil La Cuisine du Soleil perfectly sums up the flavours and traditional foods of Provence. It’s fresh and colourful with naturally intense flavours from the amazing produce. It is exactly what I am trying to create in the kitchen at Rivea, offering our guests a myriad of flavours through simple recipes. What inspired your drive for cooking? My parents ran their own restaurant so I grew up in kitchens; my father was the chef and my mother ran front of house – cooking is in my blood. You’ve been working alongside Alain Ducasse for more than 10 years, what have you learnt? I worked in all the Alain Ducasse restaurants in the Riviera as well as at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. I mostly learnt to respect the produce and the suppliers and artisans who make our job possible every day. We cook each product to preserve its original taste and nutritional values. What is your favourite ingredient? Perhaps the courgette, as it is so versatile and comes in such a range of colours, shapes, sizes and flavours: violin courgette, trumpet courgette, the round courgette from Nice and the grisette from Provence. What’s your favourite dish on the menu? I think my signature dish is the cookpot of vegetables – it sums up Alain Ducasse’s cuisine. Each vegetable is cooked separately and the jus is an intensely-flavoured reduction of vegetable compote (white onion, celery and fennel) de-glazed with white vinegar, white wine and chicken stock.

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Belgravia dining

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Feeling Mughal Henry Hopwood-Phillips plunges through a portal linking England to India – La Portes des Indes – for a cookery lesson with Mr Mody, a chef from Bombay who is admired in both kingdoms…

a Porte des Indes may look a little modest on the outside – the sort of Indian a professional might pop into on a lunch break or order a takeaway from when it’s a late one in the office. But step inside and, as in Matthew 27:51, the veil is torn. Instead of the polite but unassuming aesthetic that your typical Indian sits in, La Porte des Indes, a ballroom in another life, has kitted out its Edwardian frame of fireplaces and cornices in Mughal splendour. It’s not a kitsch affair either. Pinkish banisters turn out to be genuine sandstone from Jaipur, not dyed concrete from Barnsley; the huge antiques (the wooden horse is a highlight) and portraits from Babur to Aurangzeb hanging on the walls are also originals, fished out of India by the restaurant’s owner, a man whose previous life as an antiquarian is now reaping dividends. Diners congregate around the restaurant’s natural centre of gravity, a 40-ft waterfall that sits beneath a glass dome surrounded by palms. But before I’m allowed to recline and gobble the fruits of another’s labour, the head chef, Mehernosh Mody, a man with quite a few gongs to his name (winner of the British Curry Awards among others) whisks us to his kitchen. On entering, the highlight

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is definitely his tandoor, a large, charcoal-powered clay pot that has naan dough thrown on its sides at a rate of knots and picked off in quick succession at peak times. Upstairs, we help make chicken samosas as Mehernosh shares tips about how Kashmiri chillies are the best, how most curries are combinations of yoghurt and spices, and how marinating for too long can result in the reduction of your food to nothing, before insulting his audience by informing us that the tikka masala is not British at all – it just means a cut of meat with spices! As he cooks up water chestnut masala, wines cruise by. It is always hard to decide which wines accompany Indian food well. Is it the one that packs a punch, or is it the one that soaks and castrates the flavours, coaxing them into something fresh and floral? I wasn’t fond of the Australian Riesling (2009), its strategy was clearly the former; the overpowering lime had clumsy shoes on the Indian dance floor. The Vermentino di Sardegna (2013) was a different story, however; an incredibly clean combination of thyme and greengage, it complemented every mouthful. We retire to tables for our final courses and I marvel at the uniforms of the waiters gliding about – some resembling Aladdin, others more like corsairs with moustaches that would make a cavalry officer jealous. The cherry on the Indian milk-based dessert, however, has to be the rosemary and olive gin and tonic, two ingredients which shall henceforth live in every G&T I pour. 32 Bryanston Street, W1H 7EG 020 7224 0055 (laportedesindes.com)

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Great British Escape

Horse and hound

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Henry Hopwood-Phillips goes to see what local Belgravian, Joel Cadbury has been building in the Surrey Hills...

very year the news gets a little worse for the middle. It reminds me of the famous poem by the mid-20th century German pastor Martin Niemöller, the one that starts ‘first they came for’ before stringing together a list of victims who might have been saved had it not been for the cowardice of its author. First I read a Slavoj Zizek essay about it ‘but I did not speak out because I was’ not a communist. Then I watched news about a squeezed middle ‘but I did not speak out because I was’ a student. Then the banking crisis came, and then an artificially-inflated asset price boom etc. You get the point.

So the news that Longshot Country Inns have moved to Churt, a village in deepest, darkest Surrey (actually, it’s on the Hampshire border), comes as gospel to an increasingly beleaguered section of society. This is the company responsible for the proliferation of Bel & The Dragon pubs – pretty much the only thing popping up faster than house prices in the region. The name may sound and look a little strange (shouldn’t it be The Knight and Dragon, The Railway Bell or something?), however, its business plan is anything but. Joel Cadbury of the chocolate clan is a local Belgravian and notable for being a co-founder of St Paul’s Knightsbridge

Foundation. Here in Churt he is better known for throwing £700,000 at an old boozer in its death throes and converting it into a gastropub with 14 rooms to boot. The aim of the aesthetic, best described as industrial chic, is to look very untidy in a disturbingly tidy manner. It’s like watching the most perfectly choreographed ballet, with all the ballerinas in builder’s dungarees, on purpose. Therefore, chapel chairs stand on parquet flooring; primary colour light fittings shine on squat jam pots, books, pottery and all the other paraphernalia that surround any honest Englishman’s home – or at least any that might own Enid Blyton. Blyton is not the author trumpeted here, however. That honour lands on Jane Austen who lived nearby. As I’m led to my room, “Darcy”, we pass crystal decanters of whisky and coffee machines, the sort of thing a hotel would charge you a small fortune to even inhale. ‘That is all free,’ we are reassured. It doesn’t end in our room either where a bottle of sloe gin taunts our sobriety. In spite of a charming rusticity, I’m not sure whether we should touch anything in the room. It looks like a Farrow & Ball advertisement. The White Company duvet cover is so soft my partner promptly bullies me into agreeing to buy one; it’s all so National Trust cottage it leaves you wondering why the furniture would look so traumatised. Not that the Bel & The Dragon has been pushed into polite sterility, a museum of gentrification. A comforting burble of locals taking advantage of the weather comes from the garden. Downstairs at dinner the whole place is brim-full of both natives and travellers. Even better than the social nexus is this pub’s cellar, out

of which emerges a 2011 Bordeaux by Berry Bros. & Rudd, a bold number that assures us it is an “extraordinary claret”. Spicy oak, leather and smoke certainly make it the only liquid that could possibly contend with the steak. A chateaubriand for two, split mainly because it’s a cut that’s sold in heavier weights. It’s also one that packs the flavour of a rib eye with the texture of a filet mignon. Sitting on a chopping board as thick as a loaf, it’s not got a hard customer. I love fat, meat and salt. It comes with metal pails of chips you will only eat if you treat their entry into your peripheral as an assault on your masculine powers of appetite. I did, and therefore had to skip dessert for an espresso martini. A house speciality, they hold back on the kahlua that usually reduces the crown jewel of digestifs to a saccharine syrup, it’s a top-notch restorative. Usually a newfangled inn such as the B&D would have me reaching for awkward adjectives such as ‘self-conscious’ or falling back on insults such as ‘it’s got about as much kick to it as I do on my sofa at home’, but both would be unfair in this case. Bel & The Dragon has a personality, what’s more it’s a well-furnished one, and it’s comfortable in its own skin. That’s an extraordinary feat in under a year.

The aim of the aesthetic is to look very untidy in a disturbingly tidy manner

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Bel & The Dragon, Jumps Road, Churt, Surrey GU10 2LD (belandthedragon.co.uk)

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Beauty &Grooming Beauty from the outside in and TLC on our doorstep

Aromatherapy

alchemy

Katie Randall travels to Montpelier Street to meet some skincare wizards

t is bizarre, I admit, to begin a review at the end of the story. This tale, however, ends with my entrapment in the Aromatherapy Associates Boutique & Treatment Rooms – a fate that I entreat people to try. As I swan up golden stairs from the treatment rooms into the boutique, floating in a post-Ultimate Aroma Radiance Lift Facial trance, I am greeted by the scents of the brand’s host of natural, aromatherapy oilbased products. I peruse the vials and bottles of amberhued lotions, before ambling towards the door, which I find is locked. Odd. Still, there are worse places to be confined for the night, and you would be certain to leave the next morning with squeaky-clean, soft skin. I am the last appointment of the day and, very swiftly, the smiling receptionist comes to my aid apologetically unlocking the door – however, I don’t want to leave. It just smells too good and I would happily slumber for most of the ensuing week on a raised treatment bed in the secluded room underneath the store in a harmonious haze. Rewind 90 minutes and I am horizontal, snuggled under a fleecy blanket as a therapist cleanses my skin in preparation for the first stage of this indulgent facial. The Renewing Rose Cleanser’s delicate scent, coupled with wafting music, helps my mind to step away from reality and unwind. The therapist and I have discussed the different stages of this treatment so I know what to expect, yet I am still intrigued enough to sneak a peek at the next instrument. Little rollerballs are rubbed over my skin; these implements are attached to a machine, which generates gentle micro-currents to draw all manner of impurities to the surface. Next, the Rose Hydrating Face Mask is applied,

before my facialist uses probes, which she dances across the face, to lift and tighten the muscles under my skin. I admit, I cannot detect the tingling sensation that some clients notice. Instead, the rhythmic pattern of the cool, metallic probes send me further into sleep mode. A third set of rollerballs (and a new current setting) this time pushes nutrients and moisture back into my deeply cleansed skin. The facial can also include extraction and/or an enzyme peel, dependent on each individual’s skin requirements. The final stage for me is the touch of what sounds like a buzzing wizard’s wand. Another quick peek and I realise that this noise signals the use of a glass diode, which hovers over my skin above a fine gauze mask and eliminates any bacteria left on the epidermis – not the entrance of Gandalf the Grey. It sounds terrifying but does not hurt one bit as it makes contact with my skin. Several light lotions are applied, including the Instant Skin Soothing Serum, which I am tempted to buy a bottle of there and then, before I am left to slowly arise and dress. This brings us right up to the present and why I am so pleased at the prospect of living out my days in the Aromatherapy Associates Boutique & Treatment Rooms. Skin therapy and alchemy combined into the perfect facial, and I leave with refined pores and a healthy glow – long may the spa lock-in continue. Aromatherapy Associates Boutique & Treatment Rooms, 5 Montpelier Street, SW7 1EX, 020 7838 1117 (aromatherapyassociates.com)

Fresh-faced

Clarins Skin Spa at Peter Jones offers six highly personalised facial treatments known as Tri-Active Facials. Powered by a potent line of CLARINSPRO formulas, each treatment is tailored towards the client’s needs following a consultation and skin analysis with a beauty therapist. I was fortunate enough to experience the Moisture Replenisher Facial that intensively restores depleted moisture levels in the skin. The key product is the Double Serum, which is combined with HydraQuench Intensive Serum and Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil. Applied using the Clarins Touch wave massage movements, my skin was drenched in moisture and positively glowed. Tri-Active Facial, £67 for 85 minutes Peter Jones, Sloane Square SW1W 8EL, 020 7259 9546

Eau de summer

As the summer weather heats up, delicately perfumed shower gels and body creams offer an alternative way to wear fragrance. Cue Annick Goutal’s Bath and Beauty Collection: four scents that can be used on their own as an alternative to heavy fragrances. The latest aroma, Fleurs Blanches, epitomises summer, bursting with fresh notes of magnolia, jasmine, honeysuckle and gardenia that together create a harmonious bouquet. The shower gel offers an idyllically scented bathtime and the body cream’s velvety texture is rich but nongreasy. The light formulations and delicate floral scents accentuate summer afternoons spent by the pool, relaxing in a warm breeze.

Burning brightly

Mitchell and Peach has collaborated with ceramicist Polly George to create a collection of bone china candleholders adorned with delicate butterflies and filled with scented candles from Mitchell and Peach’s Flora No. 1 fragrance. Notes of rose, ylang-ylang, peony and lavender erupt with touches of larkspur and sweet fennel to evoke the romance of the English countryside. The Butterfly Candle coincides with the creation of a new wild flower meadow at the company’s base at Foxbury Farm, providing nectar plants for visiting butterflies. Flora No. 1 Scented Butterfly Candle, £38.50 (burn time of up to 40 hours) available from July at mitchellandpeach.com

Annick Goutal Fleurs Blanches Body Cream, £39 Shower Gel, £26. 20 Motcomb Street, SW1X 8LB 020 7823 2176 (annickgoutal.com)

Beauty exclusive

Natura Bissé’s Maxi-Firm Body Citric treatment will be available exclusively at Grace Belgravia this summer. Don your white sundress, bikini or shorts with confidence thanks to the brand’s vitamin-enriched nourishing line of C+C products that deliver active ingredients to target saggy, dimpled skin and stretch marks. Natura Bissé’s C+C Ascorbic Acid Body Lift treatment is delivered in a firming concentrate with citrus notes that increase collagen and elasticity in the skin. This cleansing ritual is performed with an innovative system of neuromuscular strips, delivering instantly visible results. As part of the pampering package, firming tape is applied to the skin, which provides a draining effect on the circulatory system while increasing oxygenation to the skin.

Travel light

Maintaining a beauty regime while crisscrossing the globe can be a problem. Thankfully, for the well-appointed traveller, Aesop has devised the London Travel Kit. The handy kit’s contents meets international restrictions for inflight liquids and the sleek carrying travel case is compact enough for hand-held luggage. For dull and dehydrated post-flight skin, the Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Hydrator delivers intensive antioxidant hydration and its lightweight formula is perfect for summer’s heavy heat. The parsley seed formulation also shields the skin from daily exposure to the sun’s rays. In addition, the travel kit includes products for the hair, body and face, and a mouthwash for after your in-flight meal. Aesop London Travel Kit, £50, available at Harrods (harrods.com)

£150 for 60 minutes or £180 for 90 minutes for Grace members; a non-members’ package is available from £840 for six 60-minute treatments. 11c West Halkin Street, SWIX 8JL 020 7235 8900 (gracebelgravia.com) Words / Briana Handte Lesesne B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

027

Residents’ Culture Exploring the minutiae of residents’ concerns and encounters

The Residents’ Association’s

July round-up by the head of social and communications – Sue Liberman

fter an extremely busy June with so many fabulous events in our diaries we’re now entering the slightly quieter July/August holiday period when it’s finally time to recharge our batteries. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank residents, businesses and traders for your tremendous support of our Garden Party on 4 June. The turn out was fantastic with double the attendance of last year’s event. There was a great ambiance and sense of community spirit. We couldn’t have done it without the amazing support of our Garden Party sponsors. A huge thank you to: • Grosvenor • Wilton Crescent Gardens Chairman Dr Richard Wolman • Berkeley Homes • Duncan Lawrie • Grace Belgravia • Duke of Wellington • Jeroboams • Waitrose • The White Room • Eaton Square Concerts • Rachel Vosper A very special thank you also goes to Opera Holland Park who generously donated its time to give us an absolutely fantastic performance. Making a welcome return by popular demand, The Dixie Ticklers delivered a lively, fun and foot tapping performance. If you would like to help protect and/or shape the future of Belgravia, please join us by becoming a member. Simply go online and click on the appropriate membership box. In addition, if there’s anything you would like to let us know about, I can be contacted on sue@belgraviaresidents.org.uk

Until next month... belgraviaresidents.org.uk

The views expressed on this page are not held by the Residents’ Journal. The page offers a platform for the voices of our local residents to discuss topics they feel relevant and important.

Celebrations

on the crescent Some highlights from the Belgravia Residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association Garden Party in Wilton Crescent Garden

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; J O U R N A L

029

Planning &Development Keeping you in the know about important street plans affecting Belgravia

PLANNING APPLICATIONS DATE RECEIVED

ADDRESS

PROPOSAL

3 June

Eaton Terrace

Replacement of existing timber balusters and handrail with new cast iron ones

3 June

Chester Square

Infill of rear lightwell with new walk-on rooflight at first floor level

4 June

Chester Row

Formation of a single-storey basement extension

4 June

Chester Square

Alteration to rear façade first floor

6 June

Wilton Place

Erection of roof extension to existing mews building

planned road works

STREET

PLANNED WORK

DATES

WORKS OWNER

Studio Place

Dig to connect new gas service in carriageway

1-7 July

Fulcrum Pipelines (0845 641 3010)

Eaton Place

Lay a new gas main

1-4 July

Fulcrum Pipelines

Chester Row

Abandon existing LP service and replace

1-7 July

National Grid Gas (0845 605 6677)

Lower Grosvenor Place

Footway resurfacing

1-7 July

Transport For London (0845 304 1234)

Hobart Place

Junction modernisation requires lane closure

1-8 July

Transport For London

030

Investing in bricks

The specialist property fund and asset managers London Central Portfolio (LCP) has taken a snapshot of the long term trends in the prime central London market. In the statistics of the moment, LCP has ranked SW1X in Belgravia as the most expensive postcode, logging W1 in Soho down as the area with the highest long term growth history and W1 in Fitzrovia as the area that has performed best as an investment. In the longer term, prices have increased on average 10.64 per cent per annum in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster over the last two decades. The research hit a market in which the 200,000 properties of the area averaged £1,552,400 in the first quarter of 2014.

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

Saturno Dining Table and Vesta Chairs

Discover the Natuzzi Italia dining collection. natuzzi.co.uk

02031 314 001

London_Titles_Saturno_ad_297x210_Proof2.indd 1

06/06/2014 10:49

The Belgravia

Directory

A compendium of the area’s key establishments

Estate Agents Andrew Reeves 77-79 Ebury Street 020 7881 1366

Douglas Lyons & Lyons 33 Kinnerton Street 020 7235 7933

Knight Frank 82-83 Chester Square 020 7881 7722

W A Ellis 174 Brompton Road 020 7306 1600

Ayrton Wylie 16 Lower Belgrave Street 020 7730 4628

Harrods Estates 82 Brompton Road 020 7225 6506

Marler & Marler 6 Sloane Street 020 7235 9641

Wellbelove Quested 160 Ebury Street

Best Gapp & Cassells 81 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 9253

Henry & James 1 Motcomb Street 020 7235 8861

Savills 139 Sloane Street 020 7730 0822

Cluttons 84 Bourne Street 020 7730 0303

John D Wood 48 Elizabeth Street 020 7824 7900

Strutt & Parker 66 Sloane Street 020 7235 9959

020 7881 0880

Food & Drink BARS Amaya Halkin Arcade, Motcomb Street 020 7823 1166 The Garden Room (cigar) The Lanesborough Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599 The Library Bar (wine) The Lanesborough Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599 Tiles Restaurant and Wine Bar 36 Buckingham Palace Road 020 7834 7761

CAFÉS Bella Maria 4 Lower Grosvenor Place 020 7976 6280 Caffe Reale 23 Grosvenor Gardens 020 7592 9322

The Green Café 16 Eccleston Street 020 7730 5304 ll Corriere 6 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 2087 The Old English Coffee House 1 Montrose Place 020 7235 3643 Patisserie Valerie 17 Motcomb Street 020 7245 6161 Tomtom Coffee House 114 Ebury Street 020 7730 1771 Valerie Victoria 38 Buckingham Palace Road 020 7630 9781

PUBLIC HOUSES/ DINING ROOMS The Antelope 22-24 Eaton Terrace 020 7824 8512

The Orange 37 Pimlico Road 020 7881 9844 theorange.co.uk

The Pantechnicon 10 Motcomb Street 020 7730 6074 thepantechnicon.com

The Thomas Cubitt 44 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 6060 thethomascubitt.co.uk

RESTAURANTS Como Lario 18-22 Holbein Place 020 7730 9046 Il Convivio 143 Ebury Street 020 7730 4099

Olivo (Italian & Sardinian) 21 Eccleston Street 020 7730 2505 Zafferano (Italian) 15 Lowndes Street 020 7235 5800

Motcombs 26 Motcomb Street 020 7235 6382 motcombs.co.uk

Mango Tree 46 Grosvenor Place 020 7823 1888 Pétrus 1 Kinnerton Street 020 7592 1609

Uni 18a Ebury Street 020 7730 9267 restaurantuni.com

Health & Beauty BARBER

DOCTORS

Giuseppe D’Amico 20 Eccleston Street 020 7730 2968

The Belgrave Medical Centre 13 Pimlico Road 020 7730 5171

DENTISTS

The Belgravia Surgery 26 Eccleston Street 020 7590 8000

The Beresford Clinic 2 Lower Grosvenor Place 020 7821 9411 Motcomb Street Dentist 3 Motcomb Street 020 7235 6531 The Wilton Place Practice 31 Wilton Place 020 7235 3824

Michael Garry Personal Training 54b Ebury Street 020 7730 6255

Motcomb Green 61 Ebury Street 020 7235 2228

Yogoji (Yoga) 54a Ebury Street 020 7730 7473

Stephen Casali 161 Ebury Street 020 7730 2196

HAIR SALONS

MEDISPA

Colin & Karen Hair Design 39 Lower Belgrave Street 020 7730 7440

Bijoux Medi-Spa 149 Ebury Street 020 7730 0765

The Light Centre Belgravia 9 Eccleston Street 020 7881 0728

The Daniel Galvin Jr. Salon 4a West Halkin Street 020 3416 3116

earthspa 4 Eccleston Street 020 7823 6226

CLEANING

FURNITURE

Promemoria UK 99 Pimlico Road 020 7730 2514

Dr Kalina 109 Ebury Street 020 7730 4805

GYM/ FITNESS

SPA

Home ANTIQUES Bennison 16 Holbein Place 020 7730 8076 Turkmen Gallery 8 Eccleston Street 020 7730 8848 Patrick Jefferson 69 Pimlico Road 020 7730 6161

ARCHITECTS/ DESIGN Marston & Langinger 194 Ebury Street 020 7881 5700 Paul Davis + Partners 178 Ebury Street 020 7730 1178

Weldon Walshe 20 Grosvenor Place 020 7235 4100

ARTEFACTS Odyssey Fine Arts 24 Holbein Place 020 7730 9942

Kudu Services Discreet, confidential cleaning services for offices and homes of distinction 27 Mortimer Street 020 8704 5988 kuduservices.co.uk

FINISHING TOUCHES Paint Services Company 19 Eccleston Street 020 7730 6408 Rachel Vosper (candles) 69 Kinnerton Street 020 7235 9666 Ramsay (prints) 69 Pimlico Road 020 7730 6776 Sebastian D’Orsai (framer) 77 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 8366 Zuber 42 Pimlico Road 020 7824 8265

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

Ciancimino 85 Pimlico Place 020 7730 9959 The Dining Chair Company 4 St Barnabas Street 020 7259 0422 Hemisphere 97 Lower Sloane Street 020 7730 9810 Humphrey-Carrasco 43 Pimlico Road 020 7730 9911 Jamb 107a Pimlico Road 020 7730 2122 Lamberty 46 Pimlico Road 020 7823 5115 Linley 60 Pimlico Road 020 7730 7300 Mark Wilkinson Kitchens 10 West Halkin Street 020 7235 1845 Ossowski 83 Pimlico Road 020 7730 3256

Soane 50-52 Pimlico Road 020 7730 6400 Talisman 190-192 Ebury Street 020 7730 7800 Westenholz 80-82 Pimlico Road 020 7824 8090

GALLERIES 88 Gallery 86-88 Pimlico Road 020 7730 2728 Ahuan Gallery 17 Eccleston Street 020 7730 9382 Gallery 25 26 Pimlico Road 020 7730 7516 Gauntlett Gallery 90-92 Pimlico Road 020 7730 7516 Gordon Watson 28 Pimlico Road 020 7259 0555

033

The Belgravia

Directory Fashion BOUTIQUES Philip Treacy 69 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 3992

Christian Louboutin 23 Motcomb Street 020 7245 6510

Herve Leger 29 Lowndes Street 020 7201 2590

Patricia Roberts 60 Kinnerton Street 020 7235 474

Nevena Couture (clients by appointment only)

Lowndes Street 020 3539 8738 nevena.co.uk

Hotels B&Bs B+B Belgravia & Studios@82 64-66 Ebury Street 020 7259 8570 Belgravia Hotel 118 Ebury Street 020 7259 0050 Cartref House 129 Ebury Street 020 7730 6176 Lord Milner Hotel 111 Ebury Street 020 7881 9880

Lynton Hotel 113 Ebury Street 020 7730 4032

The Belgravia Mews Hotel 50 Ebury Street 020 7730 5434

The Sloane Club 52 Lower Sloane Street 020 7730 9131

Morgan Guest House 120 Ebury Street 020 7730 2384

The Diplomat Hotel 2 Chesham Street 020 7235 1544

Tophams Hotel 24-32 Ebury Street 020 7730 3313

Westminster House Hotel 96 Ebury Street 020 7730 4302

Lime Tree Hotel 135-137 Ebury Street 020 7730 8191

LUXURY

BOUTIQUE Astors Hotel 110-112 Ebury Street 020 7730 0158

The Rubens at the Palace 39 Buckingham Palace Road 020 7834 6600

BOOKMAKERS

SOLICITORS

The Berkeley Wilton Place 020 7235 6000 The Goring 15 Beeston Place 020 7396 9000

Services BANKS Duncan Lawrie Private Banking 1 Hobart Place 020 7245 1234 duncanlawrie.com Royal Bank of Scotland 24 Grosvenor Place 020 7235 1882

Coral Racing 67 Pimlico Road 020 7730 6516 William Hill 12 Buckingham Palace Road 08705 181 715

Child & Child 14 Grosvenor Crescent 020 7235 8000 childandchild.co.uk

Eaton Square School 79 Eccleston Square 020 7931 9469 Francis Holland School 39 Graham Terrace 020 7730 2971

CHARITIES

EDUCATION

British Red Cross 85 Ebury Street 020 7730 2235

Cameron House School 4 The Vale 020 7352 4040

Garden House School Turks Row 020 7730 1652

Eaton House School 3-5 Eaton Gate 020 7924 6000

GEMS Hampshire School 15 Manresa Road 020 7352 7077

Glendower Preparatory School 86-87 Queen’s Gate 020 7370 1927

Sussex House School 68 Cadogan Square 020 7584 1741

Hill House International Junior School Hans Place 020 7584 1331

Thomas’s Kindergarten 14 Ranelagh Grove 020 7730 3596

Knightsbridge School 67 Pont Street 020 7590 9000 Miss Daisy’s Nursery Ebury Square 020 7730 5797 More House School 22-24 Pont Street 020 7235 2855 Queen’s Gate School 133 Queen’s Gate 020 7589 3587

EXCLUSIVE The Caledonian Club 9 Halkin Street 020 7235 5162 caledonianclub.com

FLORISTS Catherine Muller 53 Elizabeth Street 020 7259 0196 catherinemuller.com

Neill Strain Floral Couture 11 West Halkin Street 020 7235 6469 Judith Blacklock Flower School 4-5 Kinnerton Place South 020 7235 6235

IT SUPPORT Dashwood Solutions Contact Jonny Hyam for all your IT needs 07787 507 407

POST OFFICE

Psychotherapy Suzanne Thomas DHC MRes, Hypnotherapist / Psychotherapist 07770 378791 suzannethomas@ suzannethomas.co.uk suzannethomas.co.uk

TRAVEL Passepartout Homes Ltd 020 7513 2876 passepartout-homes.com info@passepartout-homes.com

Post Office 6 Eccleston Street 0845 722 3344

Speciality Shops BAKERIES Baker & Spice 54-56 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 3033

Rococo Chocolates 5 Motcomb Street 020 7245 0993

DELI

Elizabeth Gage 5 West Halkin Street 020 7823 0100 eg@elizabeth-gage.com elizabeth-gage.com

Ottolenghi 13 Motcomb Street 020 7823 2707

La Bottega 25 Eccleston Street 020 7730 2730

CIGAR SPECIALIST

GREENGROCERS

Polisher

Charles of Belgravia 27 Lower Belgrave Street 020 7730 5210

F Bennett and Son 9 Chester Square Mews 020 7730 6546

JEWELLERS

NEWSAGENT

Carolina Bucci 4 Motcomb Street 020 7838 9977

Mayhew Newsagents 15 Motcomb Street 020 7235 5770

Tomtom Cigars 63 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 1790

BOOKS Belgravia Books 59 Ebury Street 020 7259 9336 belgraviabooks.com

CONFECTIONERS Peggy Porschen 116 Ebury Street 020 7730 1316 Pierre Hermé Paris 13 Lowndes Street 020 7245 0317

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L

David Thomas Master Goldsmith 65 Pimlico Road 020 7730 7710 De Vroomen 59 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 1901

Floris 147 Ebury Street 020 7730 0304 florislondon.com

Pet accessories Mungo & Maud 79 Elizabeth Street 020 7022 1207

PERFUMERIES Annick Goutal 20 Motcomb Street 020 7245 0248 Les Senteurs 71 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 2322

VICKISARGE 38 Elizabeth Street 020 7259 0202

035

savills.co.uk

1 IMMACULATELY REFURBISHED 1ST AND 2ND FLOOR DUPLEX APARTMENT eaton square, sw1 Entrance hall ø reception room ø dining room ø study ø kitchen/breakfast room ø 2 bedroom suites ø utility room ø guest cloakroom ø balcony ø Grade II* listed ø 266 sq m (2,864 sq ft) Guide £14.5 million Leasehold, approximately 69 years remaining

Ayrton Wylie

Savills Sloane Street

Simon Ayrton sayrton@ayrtonwylie.com

Richard Dalton rdalton@savills.com

020 7730 4628

020 7730 0822

savills.co.uk

1 A WELL PROPORTIONED APARTMENT WITH IMPRESSIVE CEILING HEIGHTS eaton place, sw1 Reception room ø dining room ø kitchen/breakfast room ø master bedroom suite ø 2 further bedrooms ø bathroom ø guest cloakroom ø roof terrace ø Grade II listed ø 224 sq m (2,407 sq ft) Guide £7.95 million Leasehold, approximately 998 years remaining plus Share of Freehold

Savills Sloane Street Richard Dalton rdalton@savills.com

020 7730 0822

savills.co.uk

1 A VERY DESIRABLE AND DISCRETE BELGRAVIA MEWS HOUSE west eaton place mews, sw1 2/3 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms ø kitchen ø dining room ø drawing room ø study and sitting room ø garage and private mews parking ø 264 sq m (2,742 sq ft) ø EPC=D Guide £5.5 million Leasehold, approximately 145 years remaining

Savills Sloane Street

Savills Knightsbridge

Charles Holbrook cholbrook@savills.com

Matthew Morton-Smith mmsmith@savills.com

020 7730 0822

020 7581 5234

savills.co.uk

LETTINGS LAYOUT ONLY

A BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED APARTMENT IN A STUCCO-FRONTED BUILDING eaton place, sw1 3 double bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms (1 en suite) ø double reception room ø kitchen ø study area ø 176 sq m (1,901 sq ft) ø Council Tax=H ø EPC=C

Savills Sloane Street Stevie Walmesley swalmesley@savills.com

020 7824 9005 Unfurnished £2,250 per week + £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and other charges may apply* *£36 inc VAT for each additional tenant/occupant/guarantor reference where required. Inventory check out fee – charged at the end of or early termination of the tenancy and the amount is dependent on the property size and whether furnished/unfurnished. For more details, visit www.savills.co.uk/fees.

KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk

Eaton Eaton Place, Place, Belgravia Belgravia SW1SW1

A one bedroom A one bedroom Belgravia Belgravia flat with flatgrand with proportions grand proportions

KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings

belgravialettings@knightfrank.com belgravialettings@knightfrank.com An exceptional An exceptional one bedroom oneflat bedroom to rentflat in Belgravia, to rent in located Belgravia, at the located desirable at theend desirable of Eaton end of Eaton 60063641 6006 Place. The Place. property Thebenefits property from benefits beingfrom beautifully being beautifully furnished with furnished Louis with XVI antique Louis XVfurniture. I antique furniture. 020 3641 020 The property Thecomprises property comprises of bedroom ofwith bedroom en suite with bathroom, en suite bathroom, reception room, reception kitchen, room, kitchen, entrance hall, entrance cloakroom. hall, cloakroom. EPC rating EPC D. Approximately rating D. Approximately 89 sq m ﴾960 89 sq ft﴿. m ﴾960 sq ft﴿. Available furnished Available furnished Guide price: Guide £995price: per week £995 per week ﴾BEQ194254﴿

﴾BEQ194254﴿

KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk

Eaton Terrace, Belgravia SW1 Newly refurbished five bedroom townhouse

Master bedroom suite, 4 further bedrooms with 2 en suite bathrooms ﴾one of which can be used as a self‐contained apartment﴿, bathroom, drawing room, dining room, kitchen/family room, study, gym, steam room, wine cellar, 2 cloakrooms, laundry room, terrace, garden. Grade II listed. Approximately 308 sq m ﴾3,316 sq ft﴿ Freehold

Guide price: £7,950,000 ﴾BGV140024﴿

KnightFrank.co.uk/belgravia belgravia@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5910

Belgravia Residents Journal July - crops

09/06/2014 16:15:20

LINCOLN HOUSE, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, SW3

£2,350,000 LEASEHOLD • TWO BEDROOMS • FOURTH FLOOR • QUIET LOCATION • TWO BATHROOMS • LIFT

• ACCESS TO PRIVATE GARDENS • LEASE EXTENSION AGREED • EPC D • BELGRAVIA OFFICE 1 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JX +44 (0)20 7235 8861 belgraviaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk

CHAPEL STREET, BELGRAVIA, SW1X

£3,950 PER WEEK • FIVE BEDROOMS • THREE RECEPTION ROOMS • IDEAL FAMILY HOUSE •

• PATIO GARDEN • ACCESS TO COMMUNAL GARDENS • VAULT STORAGE • EPC D • BELGRAVIA OFFICE 1 Motcomb St, London, SW1X 8JX +44 (0)20 7235 8861 belgraviaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk henryandjames.co.uk

HOMES TO VIEW WHITEHALL COURT SW1A – LEASEHOLD A beautiful, spacious and recently refurbished one bedroom apartment situated on the top floor of this prestigious Victorian mansion block. Whitehall Court is located moments from Embankment, Charing Cross and Westminster stations offering convenient links to Paddington for Heathrow, Waterloo, St Pancras and Kings Cross for the Eurostar and the Jubilee Line for London Bridge, Canary Wharf, The 02 and Stratford. ¡ River views ¡ Concierge ¡ Lift

WHITEHALL COURT SW1A – LEASEHOLD £1,400,000 - 1 bedroom EPC rating: E | Ref: BEL140005

cluttons.com

BELGRAVIA

Sales – 020 7768 7288 Lettings – 020 7768 7226 belgravia@cluttons.com

BOURNE STREET SW1W – UNFURNISHED £1,750 per week - 3 bedrooms EPC rating E | Ref: 78138

EBURY STREET SW1W – FURNISHED / UNFURNISHED £2,250 per week - 4 bedrooms EPC rating D | Ref: 63461

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14:21

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estate agents, surveyors and property consultants 81 Elizabeth Street, Eaton Square, London SW1W 9PG tel: 020 7730 9253 Fax: 020 7730 8212 email: reception@bestgapp.co.uk

www.bestgapp.co.uk Over 100 years experience in Belgravia

ECCLESTON eaton mewsSQUARE, south,SW1 sw1e Rebuilt to exacting standards yearsflat ago, this isinan exceptional facing mews A beautifully modernised lateralthree third floor located one of Pimlico’ssouth most sought-after house over four floors, with spacious and well laidwith outitsaccommodation, roof garden arranged squares. Elizabeth Street is located 5 minutes’ walk away boutique shops and terrace garage off street parking. restaurants as isand Victoria mainline and underground stations.

Leasehold Freehold 125 Years

£2,350,000 £5,950,000

* Reception Hall * Reception Room with Balcony ** 3Kitchen/Breakfast Bedroom Suites Room ** 1Master Reception Bedroom Suite ** Two Kitchen/Breakfast RoomSuites Further Bedroom ** Cloakroom Integral Garage ** Access to Communal Gardens Roof Terrace (by separate arrangement)

BOSCOBEL PLACE, SW1 A low-built, double fronted house arranged over three floors, situated in the heart of Belgravia close to Sloane Square. Energy Rating: D. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (1 en suite), drawing room, sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room, study, garage, mews parking for 2 cars. Freehold Guide Price £3,850,000 SOLD

Cliveden Place, SW1

SOLD

Guide £1,895,000 Eaton Place, SW1

SOLD

Guide £1,495,000 Burton Mews, SW1

BELGRAVIA 020 3151 6214 belgravia@johndwood.co.uk

Belgravia Residents Journal Feb14.indd 1

SOLD

Guide £3,695,000 Bourne Street, SW1

Guide £2,795,000

johndwood.co.uk

12/06/2014 16:29

BASiL STREET SW3 Cimmaculately adog a nthreeS bedroom t r eflat e intthisSbeautifully W 3 maintained mansion building in the heart of Knightsbridge. An presented The building is ideally located and the shops and of theThe area, and offers moments from Knightsbridge An immaculate terraced houseforonHarrods this popular street close to restaurants Sloane Square. house an excellent balance of underground station. living and entertaining space and is finished to a high standard throughout. Bedrooms ■ Entrance Hall/Dining Area • Three Master Bedroom with Bedrooms Family Room Two Bathrooms ■ Loft Storage AreaRoom Dressing Room and en • Bathroom and Two further • Reception Bathroom Shower Rooms • Media Room ■suite Reception Room ■ Porter • Three further Double • Double-height Kitchen■and ■ Kitchen/Breakfast Room Lift • Study ■ ■

£5,200,000 Subject to Contract. £3,300,000 Subject to Contract Freehold

• Utility Room■ 1397 sq ft • Plant Room■ EE rating E • Store • Garden

• EE Rating D • 2321 sq ft

Share of Freehold

33 Kinnerton Street, London, SW1X 8ED

Kinnerton Yard, Belgravia SW1X A first floor mews apartment with its own front door, located in a peaceful and secure mews in the heart of Belgravia. Comprising master bedroom, south facing reception room, bathroom, additional bedroom, kitchen and hallway. An ideal pied-a-terre benefitting from ample natural light from 3 skylights. 2 Bedrooms – Bathroom – Kitchen – Reception Room – 546 sq ft (50 sq m) – EPC Rating D

£765,000 Leasehold; approx. 26 years remaining

Cadogan Gardens, London SW3

Ebury Street, London SW1

Newly refurbished apartment that retains many original features such as wooden floors, high ceilings throughout and large bay windows, which open to allow plenty of natural light in to the south-facing reception room.

A contemporary apartment in Belgravia very close to Victoria Station. The property is positioned on the third floor of this sought after block with lift and 24 hour porterage in an elegant entrance lobby.

2 Bedrooms – Bathroom – Shower Room – Reception Room – Kitchen – Communal Gardens – 1,302 sq ft (121 sq m) – EPC Rating D

2 Bedrooms – Bathroom – Shower Room – Reception Room – Kitchen – Communal Gardens – 998 sq ft (92 sq m) – EPC Rating D

£1,500 per week Unfurnished* - Long Term

£1,750 per week Fnfurnished* - Short Term

*We will make an initial one-off tenancy agreement charge of £250 inc Vat per tenancy plus £35 inc Vat reference charger per tenant. Inventory check out fee charged dependant on size of the property.

Tel 020 7235 7933 Email enquiries@dll.uk.com Web www.dll.uk.com

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Pont Street, Knightsbridge, SW1

An excellent and rarely seen lateral apartment in the heart of Knightsbridge. Situated on the 2nd and 3rd floors of a wellmaintained period building, the apartment is now in need of modernisation.

Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959 casper.tham@struttandparker.com

ÂŁ11,500,000 Leasehold

South Eaton Place, Belgravia SW1

A sensational freehold stucco fronted six bedroom house with a garage and off street parking on one of the best streets in Belgravia.

Knightsbridge 0207 235 9959 charlie.willis@struttandparker.com

ÂŁ16,000,000, Freehold

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St. Michaels Mews, Graham Terrace, SW1

An immaculately presented low-built townhouse with four bedrooms, parking and a resident estate manager, superbly located within the prestigious Belgravia Place development.

ÂŁ5,500,000 Share of Freehold

Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959

james.gilbert-green@struttandparker.com JSA W A Ellis 020 7306 1600

BELGRAVIA Resident’s Journal J U N E 201 4

I S S U E 02 5

w w w. R e s i d e n t s J o u r n a l . c o . u k (020) 7987 4320