BELGRAVIA Resident’s Journal
NOVEMBER 2014
I SSU E 028
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
,
Belgravia is blessed with an array of long-established businesses. As well as the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker, Briana Handte Lesesne raises a toast to Les Senteurs, Mayhew Newsagents and other local enterprises on pages 23 and 24. Alongside the companies that continue to form an integral part of the community, many new ventures are also choosing Belgravia as a place to start up. Henry Hopwood-Phillips meets two rising stars, Alexandre Meerson and Anthony Adebo, who are making waves in the watch and fashion industries respectively. Read their stories from page eight. Elsewhere, on page 14, Henry quizzes historian and author Andrew Roberts about his latest book, before turning his attention to one of Grosvenor Estate's key players, Craig McWilliam on page 16. Finally, Tiffany Heskia gets some pointers from Debbie Moore, founder of Pineapple Dance Studios and the first woman to take a company public on the London Stock Exchange. Turn to page 10 to find out more. 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
General Manager Fiona Fenwick
Assistant Editor Lauren Romano
Managing Director Eren Ellwood
Executive Director Sophie Roberts
Main Editorial Contributor Henry Hopwood-Phillips
Senior Designer Sophie Blain
Head of Finance Elton Hopkins
Editorial Assistant Jennifer Mason
Production Hugo Wheatley, Alex Powell Oscar Viney & Amy Roberts
Client Relationship Director Felicity Morgan-Harvey
Editorial Intern Tom Hagues
Publishing Director Giles Ellwood
Business Development Manager Nicola Bloomfield
Above / Nutcracker. Photo by Caroline Holden, courtesy of the English National Ballet. Read more on page four.
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
Photography by Caroline Holden. Courtesy of English National Ballet.
Pas de deux
From 11 December to 4 January, The Goring and the English National Ballet will synchronise their watches to offer an evening watching Nutcracker with a stay at the family-run hotel. Mulled wine by the fire or a menu of classic winter dishes should set up any theatregoers who want to enjoy the opportunity to either meet a star dancer before the show or go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the London Coliseum, before they take their seats in a private box. Suite at The Goring and ENB box for two, from £1,762. To book, contact 020 7396 9000 or reservations@thegoring.com
Belgravian invasion
If residents can simply not get enough of Belgravia from the outside of their window, do not fear, LoveMapsOn can now bring the area into your home. The firm has access to a large collection of Victorian and present-day Ordnance Survey maps which can be centred on any UK address and reproduced on many items or surfaces such as wallpaper. Founded by four friends with backgrounds in cartography, geographic information systems and marketing, the company provides customers with a low-resolution proof file to ensure no mistakes are made. (lovemapson.com)
WATCH THIS SPACE The Belgravia Winter Weekend approaches this December.
Big bucks
Tuesday 30 September saw Motcombs restaurant owner Philip Lawless formally gift the money raised during this year’s Motcomb Street party to three charitable causes: Intermission Youth Theatre (based at St Saviour’s), which has a long history of working with young people at risk of offending; Chelsea Community Hospital Schools, which work to ensure all children have their right to education preserved, and finally, the Household Cavalry Foundation, a charity set up to help wounded soldiers and their families, not only during active service but when retired too. The total raised was a stunning £52,500, an impressive sum, especially when it is taken into account that another part of Belgravia, Elizabeth Street, had already raised £40,000. Three cheers to both!
The great and good of Belgravia gathered for the cheque presentation
Anton Mosimann
Back to school
Kate Gordon’s London Art Studies continues to go from strength to strength. This winter the lecture series starts with Lucrezia Walker discussing the symbolism of blue, gold and white – often considered heavenly colours, before moving on to a discussion on ‘The Best of British,’ which has Lizzie Pink looking at a sweep of artists from the Bloomsbury group to Francis Bacon. The recurring favourite, ‘Great Tarts in Art,’ by Linda Smith returns, before Ben Street scrutinises Jackson Pollock’s legacy. Day courses: £175 (9am-2.30pm), Koffmann’s at The Berkeley, 020 7259 5634 or office@ londonartstudies.com (londonartstudies.com)
Our local orient express The Belmond British Pullman, sister train to the Venice SimplonOrient-Express, will host Mosimann’s specially created five-course menu with a selection of Lanson Champagne. Serving just 100 guests, the dinner will be as exclusive as the train, which, with its original 1920s Art Deco carriages and stewards in fine livery, evokes the golden age of travel. If the round-trip from London Victoria doesn’t tick enough boxes, Belmond also does a package that includes a night at The Ritz. Stick that in your steam engine.
Right / Details of Renaissance Paintings: One Plate, 1984 (screenprint in colours on arches aquarelle), Warhol, Andy (1928-87) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images
The Kiss, 1907-08 (oil on canvas), Klimt, Gustav (1862-1918) / Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria / Bridgeman Images
13 November, 6pm, £495 per person, 0845 0772 222 (belmond.com)
You shall go to the ball... Until Christmas comes the winter months can sometimes feel rather dreary, at least that was the case until Sue Liberman, in collaboration with the Household Cavalry, gave us an extra date to stick in the diary. Enter The Winter Ball at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower. On 13 November, guests will enjoy a Champagne reception, followed by a threecourse dinner, a show featuring the fabulous Rat Pack and a charity auction in aid of the Household Cavalry. It’s a black-tie event, so try and find your old dress watch. £200 per person or £1,800 for a table of 10 guests. 07957 420911 or sue@belgraviaresidents.org.uk
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
New York paper poaches BRJ staff Congratulations to our resident artist, Russ Tudor, who has been with us since our first issue. Russ was recently contacted by the creative director of the New York Observer after some of the artist’s work was brought to their attention. Asked for samples of his caricatures, Russ sent over his favourite Residents’ Journal creations. As a result, Russ has been commissioned to create a cover illustration of hockey superstar Henrik Lundqvist.
Up for debate
Discussion forum Intelligence Squared continues to encourage debate on the great issues of our time. This month, the chief executive of the Royal Society of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce chairs a debate (featuring writer Will Self) on whether drugs are being unscrupulously peddled by the medical profession. With labels being increasingly added to everyday conditions (sadness as depression, shyness as social phobia and naughtiness as ADHD), Big Pharma seems to be only too happy to devise new drugs to treat these ‘disorders’, argues one side. ‘Nonsense!’ says the other, these are real conditions that are perpetuated by our prejudices. Attend to have your say. 12 November, 7pm, £30, Marsham Street, SW1P 3DW, 020 7792 4830 (intelligencesquared.com)
Intelligence Squared/Tim Bowditch
005
HL_15519_LONDON_RUNWILD_FALL.indd 5-6
HERVE LEGER LONDON BOUTIQUE 29 LOWNDES STREET LONDON SW1X 9HX T +44 20 7201 2594
7/23/14 6:36:50 PM
Left / The latest timepieces from the Alexandre Meerson Altitude Première Collection Left / From the Kingdom Autumn/ Winter 2014 collection
Starting from
scratch
Henry Hopwood-Phillips talks to two local luxury brand purveyors, Alexandre Meerson and Anthony Adebo, about how they went from zero to hero in their respective fields
A
lexandre Meerson and Anthony Adebo are both new entrants in a luxury market that rarely treats fresh brands with kid gloves. The former has created an eponymous watch label that seeks to escape the cheese-paring ways of the fashion industry equivalents and yet remain profitable. He aims to do this by ultimately producing something for himself, not for the customer. He calls it ‘a union of the highest-quality materials and a discreet classical style that nods to tradition but aspires to timelessness.’ The latter has his sights set on ensuring his new company, Kingdom, can compete and eventually usurp Savile Row in the sartorial stakes. To uninformed eyes, we all look like we’re up to no good. Here in the anonymity of a hotel, Alexandre pulls out a large dark bag, the sort that usually spills
Anthony Adebo
body parts or a dodgy jewel haul. He puts on gloves and starts imploring me to try on the timepieces. Anthony is, of course, dressed to the nines, ready to take his cut of whatever we’re up to. Fortunately, the staff deliver coffees instead of our marching orders. Pleasantries over, I start at the jugular, trying to prompt Anthony to acknowledge that the suit is no longer
I want to grow organically. We’ve already seen casualties on Savile Row this year the power symbol it once was – in fact, many take pride in not having to wear the uniform of their minions. ‘I’m glad you asked that,’ he responds, unfazed by my directness. ‘I do believe we’ve seen this happening, but for Kingdom the suits are just the first step, we’re already seeing many people choose our services for a more smart-casual look.’ Both are keen to emphasise their inability to accept cost-cutting measures, often at the expense of faster growth. ‘I want to grow organically,’ Anthony assures me. ‘We’ve already seen casualties on Savile Row this year.
A watch from the Altitude Première Collection created with expert attention to detail
These are typical business models built on hype rather than loyalty.’ It’s a very brave step for a man who, up to a year or so ago, had no experience of the industry. Indeed, whereas Anthony was burning the midnight oil poring over tailoring books and attending the Fashion Tailoring Academy in Waterloo, Alexandre had ‘a father who had a hand in turning our timepieces from utilitarian objects into fashionable pieces.’ But Alexandre was not happy in a comfortable role as a consultant in style and branding for the big fashion houses. ‘I wanted a new chapter in my life,’ he explains. ‘My passion is horology.’ I’m guessing that’s how the French pronounce chronology. ‘No, it’s the science of measuring time,’ he corrects me. Despite their different backgrounds, both highlight their unique access to the networks that matter. In fact, it seems to be more than half the battle. ‘In Switzerland they won’t just pick up the phone for anyone, you know. You have to get the access. I had to almost persuade them that they’d work with, not for me.’ Alexandre talks of the
I wanted a new chapter in my life. My passion is horology artisans as if they were some sort of cartel. He has 88 of them involved in making every component of his watches. Alexandre is very French about his business. ‘I don’t want to talk of rules but of values. I don’t want to talk of manufacturing, because we are in the business of creating. We do not want to pander to the customer, we want to build something – and if the customer buys into it, well, that’s a bonus,’ he says. In my cynical moments I close my eyes and think of David Ginola selling shampoo, or Audrey Tatou peddling perfume, but as I thumb the watches, the materials, the weight, the handcrafted crown, dial and exhibition back are truly breathtaking. Taking advantage of my silence, Anthony goes into detail about Kingdom’s unique selling points. ‘Often the Savile Row firms will put their house style over the personal needs of the client, but most people want different suits for different occasions and we provide that.’ ‘Keep your head about you when everyone is losing theirs’ is a famous Rudyard Kipling quotation, but as I leave these two gentlemen I suspect a line better adapted to their purposes might be ‘Keep your values about you when margins are squeezed.’ (meerson.com; kingdom-london.com) Seasonal staples from Kingdom’s latest collection
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
009
Dancing queen Tiffany Heskia talks to local resident Debbie Moore about how she went from modelling to building her dance empire, Pineapple Dance Studios
D
ebbie has lived just off Eaton Square for 15 years. She is fulsome in her praise for the area, listing her favourite squares, shops and restaurants (Mosimann’s and San Lorenzo are both in her top three eateries). Having found fame as a model in the 1960s and 1970s, I ask what motivated her to start a business in the first place. ‘My marriage had broken up and I was devastated. So I packed The first woman to take a company public: Debbie Moore up my things in Manchester and at the London Stock Exchange on 5 November 1982 came to London. I danced to keep in shape, especially as I had space for music videos, West End auditions an underactive thyroid which and rehearsals. It’s hard to see how it could would cause me to gain weight. expand much further. ‘We’re now a global Dancing became an important fashion brand,’ she reminds me. ‘We are part of my wellbeing. But when developing licence partners in the USA, Middle East and the studio I attended closed, I didn’t want to stop,’ China. Our TV programme, Pineapple Dance Debbie explains. Studios, has aired around the world and has I’m guessing that a normal person just hit the States. It’s a very exciting time.’ would have found another studio or I hint at her past meetings with the another hobby or left it to the hairbrushlate Margaret Thatcher as one possible and-mirror antics many of us are DID YOU KNOW? basis for her drive and enthusiasm. reduced to, but Debbie chose to found Debbie Moore was made an ‘She undoubtedly gave women a huge Pineapple Dance Studios. ‘I remember OBE in the 2010 New Year leap in credibility, which was a help being in Covent Garden thinking Honours List for services to when I was starting the business, “this is the centre of the creative business. In October 2014 but I can’t pretend to like the word world with all the theatres and the she was crowned London “feminism”.’ Debbie thinks it often opera house – it’s a travesty there’s no Lifestyle Legend. shoots itself in the foot. ‘The late Anita place to dance”.’ Roddick (founder of The Body Shop) did Making her dream a reality was not agree with no mean feat. ‘I have a strong work the concept behind ethic, which helps. The first teacher I business awards for managed to snag was the famous choreographer women, for instance, but I think Arlene Phillips. Whenever I needed to draw on a source we have a lot of of strength I always thought of my daughter Lara, who has catching up to do.’ a rare spinal disorder,’ Debbie recalls. Has Debbie done all her Pineapple has a very strong brand; it speaks to a wide catching up? ‘No. Retirement is audience, so I try to tease out of Debbie why she thinks it has secured such a reputation. ‘It’s the only place you can jump off not on the agenda. I will rock until I drop!’ a plane at Heathrow, get the Piccadilly line and show up to a dance class without booking – be it at any level,’ she answers. The studio runs 200 classes per week and offers its (pineapple.uk.com)
010
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
Here’s to Christmas at the pub. 020 7730 0070 RESERVATIONS@CUBITTHOUSE.CO.UK
Go for Goldsmith Conversative MP Zac Goldsmith explains his vision of what Britain could be to Henry Hopwood-Phillips
Z
ac’s politics aren’t of the variety made famous in the BBC’s The Thick of It which showed lofty and ego-burdened MPs getting shafted by bitter and parochial constituents. Instead, he builds his vision up from the roots of the neighbourhood. ‘We live in a big city, and cities are invariably places of alienation. The only way we can guarantee immunity to the anonymity, the anomie, of the high street, is by demonstrating that our shops here are an extension of our community.’ He sees his role as being the seal and symbol of a communal whole that wants to support the independence of each of its parts. It’s a community spirit he wishes stretched further than the boundaries of his constituency in Richmond Park. I ask if he had the power to change just one thing environmentally, what it would be. ‘The oceans,’ he replies without pausing. ‘Our fisheries have collapsed at a catastrophic rate. One per cent of the world’s fishing fleets account for more than 50 per cent of the
We live in a big city, and cities are invariably places of alienation world’s catch. We are talking nets the size of the 02 arena here.’ What seems to frustrate him most is that the solution is simple. ‘It would put very few noses out of joint, politically, just to demarcate and protect some of our giant overseas territories like the Pitcairn Islands, Ascension, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, for example – and costs would be minimal.’ Locally, he is more concerned about air quality, especially with an election manifesto looming on the horizon and the fact that his own party has not yet come off the fence on whether Heathrow should be expanded. ‘If it went ahead you would find there would be 25million extra passenger journeys to Heathrow per year.’ His eyes turn to the middle distance ruefully. ‘And that’s not to mention the pollution coming from the planes themselves.’
The recent events in Scotland have us hitting everything from the West Lothian question (‘I don’t think having English MPs voting on English issues should be controversial’) to devolution within the EU and parties such as the Five Star Movement (‘I don’t know enough about them but it sounds like a party committed to environmentalism and direct democracy, which can only be a good thing’). Goldsmith had come to me after trying to secure amendments to his Recall Bill (designed to make MPs more accountable to their constituents) which, going to press, Nick Clegg seems to have fudged, so I leave off the sensitive subject for now, but he is keen to flag the fact that ‘If you look at recent British political history, there have been four or five great increases in the franchise after a lot of prevarication and resistance. We are overdue the next movement and I believe the crisis of legitimacy in our current parliament is because we have failed to lock our politicians into the people in any meaningful manner.’ Elected in an open primary in 2010, transparency is one of his watchwords. Zac’s ideas are remarkably judicious and consistent in a political world that can most charitably be summed up as dysfunctional. His ability to shift through lenses from local to international and back again seamlessly, with a vision that works in each, is no mean feat. The Belgravia Residents’ Journal wishes him well as the General Election looms.
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
013
In conversation with Andrew Roberts
One of Britain’s greatest historians is, by good fortune, a Belgravian, as well as a New Yorker. Henry Hopwood-Phillips talks to Andrew Roberts about his latest book Napoleon: A Life, after an Intelligence Squared debate chaired by Jeremy Paxman disputed Roberts’ claim that Napoleon deserves the appellation ‘The Great’...
Andrew Roberts: Before you start your questioning I’d like to say how pleased my wife and I are to be featured in the Belgravia Residents’ Journal. I’ve been a resident here for a while but my wife, Susan Gilchrist, has lived here far longer; it must be at least 25 years. Henry Hopwood-Phillips: I think we are more chuffed to have you in it. Now, though, let’s get down to business. There seems to be a theme to your history books: you are fond of the ‘Great Man’ theory where men use their powers to great effect. You’re a fan of those who stick their feet in the sands of humanity against tides of impersonal determinism. AR: And isn’t Napoleon the personification of that? You cannot imagine the era without him. He wasn’t the plaything of forces, instead he dominated them. You have to go back to Frederick the Great or forward to Churchill before you see such massive game-changers. HHP: How long did it take you to research the book? AR: I signed the contract in 2007. I recently gauged that I’ve been working on it longer than Napoleon’s spells in exile on St Helena and Elba put together. I’m now at the age Napoleon was when he died. Incidentally, I’ve been to the room where he passed away on the island of St Helena, which is by no means an easy place to get to – in fact, it takes six days by boat from Cape Town. HHP: Is it inhabited? AR: Yes, it has a population of approximately 4,000 people; 1,000 of whom never seem to have left the island. HHP: I am not surprised if that’s the transport link. AR: That’s true. At 10 by eight miles, it is a tiny speck.
Ekaterina Bykova / Shutterstock.com
I was out there to do a three-part documentary on Napoleon which will air next June on BBC Two. HHP: Was your grasp of French strong enough to grapple with sources? AR: Funnily enough, written French has not changed as much as English has since the 18th and 19th centuries. It’s an infinitely malleable language. I also had a brilliant team of research assistants and translators who helped to translate some of the 33,000 letters Napoleon produced over his lifetime at a rate of 15 per day. HHP: There seem to be many parallels between the Roman general Sulla and Napoleon – he also solved civil strife and became a dictator to do so. AR: It’s a good aperçu. Actually Napoleon did hold Sulla up as a role model; he didn’t celebrate him as much as say Alexander the Great or Caesar though, because Sulla had a worse reputation. HHP: Some people think that Napoleon was not a hero in the way the heroes of antiquity were, because he was too conscious of having to strive to imitate his forebears; he had a level of self-consciousness that made him too modern to be heroic. Do you agree? AR: No, I don’t think that is true. Nobody is born charismatic. Nobody says, ‘Oh, isn’t that a charismatic baby.’ He was both a man of action and letters, a man who fully backed civilisation; it’s why he turned against the Ancien Régime. HHP: Adam Zamoyski insinuated that Napoleon couldn’t uphold proper friendships. Was this the case? AR: His problem wasn’t making friends, it was keeping them. They kept getting cannonballs in the chest. But then he was a soldier, and he admired men
who went through the fire with him. As a result these men ended up getting killed, but that’s a totally different phenomenon to being ‘incapable’ of friendship. HHP: Jeremy Paxman quoted Brecht at the start of the recent debate... AR: [interjects] Upon leaving the green room, Jeremy said – remember he was meant to be the moderator – ‘Right, let’s bury this maniac [about Napoleon]!’ And, in his own book he called Napoleon a ‘despot’, so I rather felt it was two against one. HHP: The quote from Brecht was ‘happy is the land that has no need for heroes’ – is this true? AR: No, that’s completely absurd. The post-heroic age has been declared often but has never actually arrived. Our history is replete with gods and heroes, subsequently we’ve found that gods don’t exist but heroes do. They are the punctuation marks of history.
Napoleon: A Life, by Andrew Roberts, is out now published by Allen Lane, £30 hardback; ebook also available.
FACT BOX Andrew Roberts is an internationally renowned biographer and historian whose books include Salisbury: Victorian Titan (winner of the Wolfson History Prize), Masters and Commanders and The Storm of War, which reached No. 2 on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Roberts is a Fellow of the Royal Societies of Literature and Arts. He appears regularly on British television and radio and writes for The Sunday Telegraph, The Spectator, Literary Review, Mail on Sunday and The Daily Telegraph.
HHP: What of the old accusation that Napoleon won against old armies, old tactics and old generals and he never improved when those armies did? AR: Such nonsense. I pointed out in the debate that in 1814 he won four battles in five days. He was still capable of delivering very tough, hard blows. But what he couldn’t do was change the numbers; 70,000 men was the largest army he controlled, and he was regularly pitted against forces that totalled 350,000. HHP: Some critics have accused you of giving short shrift to French internal affairs in your book. AR: I have chapters on him as a law-giver, chapters on him as a consul and other similar ones. I give at least 100 pages to these; you’d be testing the reader’s attention in the era of the Kindle and all the rest of it, to write much more than that. HHP: Give two reasons why the Russian campaign failed. AR: Typhus and Russia’s scorched-earth policy. HHP: Mein Kampf had Hitler toying with the idea that Germany could be the world’s land power and Britain could remain as its sea power – did Napoleon ever think along such lines? AR: Napoleon didn’t believe that. He wanted to take Britain on; he was a landlubber though. He wasted time, effort and money rebuilding the fleet after the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. HHP: Finally, why do you think the strength of the French Navy declined so rapidly after its successes in the late 18th century? AR: That’s a very good question. I have no idea. Perhaps I ought to write a book about it...
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
015
The
Belgravian GUIDING LIGHT
Henry Hopwood-Phillips charts the trajectory of one of Grosvenor Estate’s rising stars, Craig McWilliam
‘I
was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, in what is now the Celtic Manor Hotel,’ Craig McWilliam begins. ‘You know the one,’ he assures me. ‘It was used for a UN convention this year.’ Fortunately, he doesn’t seem to clock my confused look, which looks remarkably similar to gurning. His navy eyes zoom in and out, trying to focus on me as I glisten into view, sweaty from fresh victories on the Tube. I try and tease out of him any possible reason why he might have chosen a Land Economy degree at Cambridge, a qualification so strange that it is still only available at one university in the land in spite of its obvious currency. ‘My late father always denied this, but I am sure I told him at an early age that I wanted to be an architect and he answered that it was a seven-year slog with no money at the end,’ Craig recalls. His father was a surveyor and did well on the lecture circuit (responsible among other things for moving the University of Greenwich to its current location, the Old Royal Naval College). ‘He was a big believer in the ability of beauty to resonate, to uplift and to improve the bearing and happiness of those who dwell in a building,’ Craig explains. ‘I think it must have rubbed off on me because that’s very much part of my own philosophy too.’ He initially explored this set of values in Newcastle. ‘It was the perfect place to do it, what with the city having one of the largest proportions of listed buildings in the country,’ Craig notes. After his spell at what was then called Chesterton he felt the need to move into real estate as investment. And big investments in property in the mid-90s meant one thing: PFI – Private Finance Initiative. After a stint at what has become UBS bank, Craig was poached by a young US firm, Fortress Investment Group. ‘It was 1999 and they lacked a man with local knowledge, so I guess that’s where I fitted in,’ Craig smiles. But he’s being modest; he excelled at the firm. The figures speak for themselves. When he joined, Fortress was worth $400m and had 40 staff; by the time he left the figures had hit $40bn and 4,000 staff. ‘The financial crisis made a big dent in our revenues, however, and there was definitely a glass ceiling what with being British and all,’ Craig explains. Still, the ceiling must have been pretty high; he left as a managing director. Grosvenor then offered him the part of its UK portfolio that didn’t cover the London Estate. ‘Around 150 people look after our operations on the London Estate, but we also have a team of 30 that manages development projects elsewhere in London and the UK, including from a smaller office in
Edinburgh’, Craig clarifies. ‘These are primarily to sell. We use all the skills to do with town planning to design, and then apply them to everything from public squares to shopping centres.’ In the last quarter of 2013, Craig was made executive director of the London Estate. ‘Here it’s a different ball game. It’s about custodianship and it covers two very different areas: Belgravia and Mayfair. Whenever an issue pops up, it’s more complex because it’s only very rarely that you are beginning a conversation, usually you are entering into one that has been going on for decades. ‘We are always asking: “What are we trying to do here?” And the answer usually is that, as places change, as they inevitably alter, we must make sure that this is managed for the better. Take Mayfair, although you’d think it still is as time immemorial had reared it, there are actually only a handful of original buildings left. ‘Consider Sloane Street too; we need to be just as dynamic if we are not to fall behind. And that’s not just a turn of phrase; we will not be able to rent places out if they don’t meet certain environmental criteria in the future.’ Grosvenor will make an example at 119 Ebury Street, kitting it out with all the latest environmental technology. ‘The good news is this isn’t all about higher costs, because the new gadgets should allow people to control everything from energy consumption to thermal efficiency in their homes,’ Craig reminds me. ‘I remember when, in the 1970s, London’s population dipped to seven million and everybody thought the future of cities was going to be as centralised workplaces with the suburbs for living in. How wrong we were! This is an exciting time for the inner city. It comes with its own challenges though. How can we encourage families and young people to come and live in Belgravia when house prices are rising so considerably?’ Craig is keen to emphasise that Grosvenor isn’t a venal landlord, building for a quick buck and moving on. He insists the estate and its residents are more like fellow travellers. Everything done, from hosting films to setting up ‘parklets’, is meant to encourage a shared sense of ownership and community. Before Craig goes, I ask if there’s anything exciting in the pipeline. ‘We’ve secured planning permission for the Pantechnicon building; we can’t wait to make that into a real hub. There’s also a hotel scheme, in collaboration with Peninsula Hotels at 1-5 Grosvenor Place, which will have a very public-friendly lobby.’ Watch this space.
We’ve secured planning permission for the Pantechnicon building; we can’t wait to make that into a real hub
(grosvenorestate.com)
Illustration / Russ Tudor
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
017
A sound for
all ages
Anthony James Armstrong discerns the golden thread holding together a bewildering array of music, delivered by the Oxford Camerata at the latest Eaton Square Concerts
B
eing spoken to by a stranger on the Tube is considered awkward. And it is. But I should wager that listening to the first two minutes of a music recital is just as awkward. We, as Englishmen, need a couple of minutes to settle in, to become accustomed to feeling deep emotion en masse. It’s just one of those things. But settle in we did, to the harmonies of Oxford Camerata in St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, though not without a surprise. After a short introduction by Carl Anton Muller, managing director of Eaton Square Concerts, our eyes turned to the stage – but there was no choir to be seen. Then, from the east end, the ethereal harmony of the 12th-century composer Hildegard von Bingen resounded through the church, answered from the west by another selection of voices. Each detachment, secreted at either ends of the church, then walked solemnly to the altar and united as one. As the singers joined in formation, so their voices did in song. Two pieces by John Sheppard and a Spanish villancico song formed a 16th-century sandwich. The harmony was crisp and measured, and the music restorative. The conductor, Jeremy Summerly, and two of his singers then split from the choir and gave a powerful performance of William Cornysh’s song Ah, Robin. The trio transcended five centuries and brought the driving verse ‘Ah, Robin, gentle, Robin, tell me how thy leman doth, and thou shalt know of mine’ arrestingly to life – a fine illustration of the human condition’s emotional consistency. Early music is as relevant now as it ever was, and will be. Palestrina and a final piece by Sheppard brought the
018
16th century performance to a close – a shame, as Tallis, Byrd or Dowland, though obvious, would have been welcome substitutes for the dominating Sheppard. After a brief interval, the second half commenced. Halfway through, Mr Summerly exclaimed, ‘I think you get the picture now – these are pieces I like,’ and what eclectic taste. The programme jumped from a traditional Northumbrian folk song to Britten to a modern Magnificat by Giles Swayne, whose composition was influenced by the West African bush. ‘It shouldn’t work but it does,’ said Mr Summerly, who then launched his choir into a multi-layered chant, which was strange but enjoyable. The highlight, however, at the risk of sounding populist, was Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium: a Classic FM favourite and sung with all the delicacy and vigour expected of such an experienced choir as Oxford Camerata. Indeed, the performance seemed to visibly move the conductor, who afterwards took to wiping his brow with a handkerchief. Led by such an evidently learned and passionate conductor as Mr Summerly, Oxford Camerata was a pleasure to hear. Measured and interesting, the programme played to the strengths of the choir’s early-music expertise, with the inclusion of the modern compositions, though less enjoyable, a sharp blow on the dusty catalogue of the first half. Not many evenings take the listener on a musical tour spanning 800 years; and not many do so with such aplomb. The November timetable includes Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Saint-Saëns and Schumann (eatonsquareconcerts.org.uk)
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
£20
off B
your first order at ACHICA.com* Use code CHELSEA
Make Christmas magical, with hundreds of unique gift ideas
SAVE UP TO 70% OFF RRP ON LEADING BRANDS Great brands, amazing prices, every day
*Excludes travel offers, minimum spend £50. See ACHICA.com for full T&Cs
Great British Escape
Country
retreat
The hills of the Cotswolds are alive with the sound of Henry Hopwood-Phillips withdrawing from London
W
e are Wellington-boot deep in sheep country. It’s quite easy to get lost here because you don’t have to be drunk to think all the villages and towns look the same – they are all the same, truly. This is where wolds scoop and fold into the oolite limestone cottages; where pubs are so rooted in the land that they are named things like ‘The Plough’, ‘The Maytime’ and ‘The Oak’. If Westminster is how England likes to portray itself in its dinner jacket, the Cotswolds is definitely its gilet. The hotel we’re approaching is unassuming on the outside. Perched on the edge of an escarpment overlooking the Vale of Evesham, it looks like a little farmhouse: this is probably because it is a farmhouse on the outside – a 17th-century one to be precise – a conker’s throw from the village of Broadway. It’s called Dormy House, which makes me think of sleepiness, evoking dramatic frescoes in my head of the Dormition of the Mother of God – but then I’m odd. It’s actually a technical golfing term for ‘hey, you’re so good you can just relax’, or similar. This is relevant because the houses that constitute the ‘house’ are separated from their 400-acre estate by
a golf course called Broadway. It’s the inside that has the bigger impact, however. To my immediate left is a fireplace that could probably go through the entire Amazon rainforest in just under a fortnight, while the hall, with its Jacobean panelling, pushes all my buttons, balancing historical character with the slick and cool of London in a surprisingly mature manner. It’s all the work of Emily Todhunter who was given free license with the place (including its 44 bedrooms) in a multimillion-pound renovation that was completed in August last year. The bedroom classifications come in the vernacular: intimate, comfy, splendid and top notch, and the six suites have similar cutesy names – ours was ‘the Hideaway’, for example. True to form, the suite was hidden away at the end of the building, its large window giving us the chance to sink into a sofa to admire the Cotswolds’ contours over a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. The attention to detail, both in the interior sense (the lamp which formed a silvery Sylvan scene was a highlight) and in the facilities (we had a WiFi-connected iPad, notifying us of developments
both inside the hotel and around us) compete with the best boutique equivalents in the capital. The building may be a show-stopping fanfare of flagstone flooring, exposed stone, rustic materials, earthy tones and a bewildering array of fabrics, but what really makes it stand out is its sense of proportion. The rooms that should feel large and airy do so, while those which deserve a more sensitive rendering of their history, boast such an ambience. A good example of the former is the Garden Room. It’s the more serious offering when it comes to food here; it’s the Potting Shed that people talk of as if it were the
If Westminster is how England likes to portray itself in its dinner jacket, the Cotswolds is definitely its gilet insouciant younger brother. With its slick horizontals and minimalist furnishings, at night it’s the perfect scene for a Danish crime drama. Most rational people, as well as a lot of metropolitan sorts who have over-invested in their sense of self-worth, acknowledge that historically absolutely no culinary excellence has ever got past the M25. So I sit down for dinner with my best patronising face on. A face I confirm as appropriate when I see the prices are not calibrated at ‘stratospherically stupid’; four courses can cost as little as £40. Tuna carpaccio first. ‘Oh, yes but come on, they’re just shaving tuna. They won’t keep this up when the actual cooking comes around,’ I protest as my partner’s eyebrow arches. Next, octopus risotto – it trounces the risotto con polpo we’d had in Italy the week before. This has me dashing back to the bedroom to use its iPad to Google the chef. Chef Ingram is his name, we can call him Jon, though, as we don’t work in his kitchen. At 37, he’s already worked at Cliveden House (Berkshire), The Grove (London) and Burj al Arab (Dubai). It all falls into place in my head, slowly. Breakfast in the morning doesn’t let standards slide. It’s a full English affair while meats, cheeses (not the usual pre-cut nonsense either), muesli, juices and yoghurt
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
orbit my ever-increasing mass. I’m not allowed to vegetate at the table today, however; I must be horizontal and smothered in oil. Passing the Veuve Clicquot nail bar (a creature that’s a little garish and out of kilter with the rest of the building), I sink into the bowels of Dormy. Pleasantly surprised when they ask me to choose a type of music rather than impose the usual dying whales on me, I sink into a stupor, rising only to slide into the ‘infinity’ pool – which puts infinity at a cool 16 metres. With a thermal suite that includes two saunas, a shower and ice chute, a salt infusion steam room and a hydro pool, it’s not surprising that it’s been rated as one of the top five spas in the country. The word on the vine of grapes and rumours in general is that Dormy is trying to get four stars. This is underselling the experience. And if anything, I’m Dormy’s worst customer: I hate shabby-chic – I think it’s a hollow rendering of a yearning for the authentic, yet it goes right in too many places. Put simply, it feels like the home you either can’t afford or can’t be bothered to design; it’s perfect. Willersey Hill, Broadway, Worchester, WR12 7LF, 01386 852711 (dormyhouse.co.uk)
021
Beauty &Grooming Beauty from the outside in and TLC on our doorstep
New muse
A close shave Picture a men’s beauty salon: dark panelled walls, music that does not sound like crashing waves – a sanctuary for the XY chromosome. Enter Murdock Barbers London at Hackett men’s store on Sloane Street. Inspired by the traditional barber shop and aptly situated within Hackett’s signature British collections, Murdock offers gentlemen’s services tailored just for them, from a wet shave to beard and moustache trims. For the ultimate experience, we recommend the Murdock London Luxury Full Service that offers a shampoo and haircut, luxury wet shave, signature facial, manicure or shoe shine.
A follow-up to Modern Muse, this new fragrance is bolder and more daring. A vivid, woody floral, the scent balances the delicate aroma of stargazer lilies with deep, sultry agar wood, suede musk and Madagascar vanilla. £88 for 100ml, available at Estée Lauder counters nationwide (esteelauder.co.uk)
Beat the
The Murdock London Luxury Full Service, £120 (1 hour 45 minutes). Murdock at Hackett, 137-138 Sloane Street, SW1X 9AY, 020 3393 7946 (murdocklondon.com)
blues
Perk up your winter regime with some indulgent new additions
Bright like a diamond The rare black diamond truffle makes its way into the new Estée Lauder Ultimate Diamond Sculpting/Refinishing infusion. Combining nature with science, two elixirs deliver skincare perfection. The Golden Vial helps to restore suppleness, while the Platinum Vial’s high-potency blend re-surfaces skin. £255, exclusively available at Harrods from October and selected Estée Lauder counters nationwide from January 2015
Compact chic
Something for the weekend
Ormonde Jayne’s classic scents are reimagined in an elegant, eight-sided gold compact this month. Available in the Ormonde Woman, Osmanthus, Ta’if, and Tolu scents, the new solid formula has an ‘opalescent sparkle’ which, when applied to the décolletage, shoulders and wrists, adds allure and subtle decadence. It can slip into your handbag and contains a mirror for make-up touch-ups.
Sheer pigmentation and subtle radiance combine to achieve an effortless look seven days a week. The Aerin Weekday Palette promises a polished finish with smoky eyes in versatile graphite tones that are suitable for the office. The softer Weekend Palette reflects natural beauty with neutral, delicate colours.
£115, 192 Pavilion Road, SW3 2BF, 020 7730 1381 (ormondejayne.com)
£48, available at Selfridges and esteelauder.co.uk/Aerinbeauty
Base
notes
Briana Handte Lesesne gets a lesson in scents at long-standing Belgravia boutique Les Senteurs
L
es Senteurs, the specialist perfumery on Elizabeth Street, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. It was founded by the father of director Claire Hawksley and, since its early days, the concept behind the shop has been attuned to the customer experience. Les Senteurs wants people walking through the door to fully appreciate the fragrances, to take their time in selecting a perfume from the 350 varieties on offer and to escape the crowds and pushy salespeople found at many department stores. What’s more, its strength lies in discovering under-the-radar fine fragrances before they gain widespread popularity. This esteemed reputation has meant that over the years Les Senteurs has held the exclusive launch and UK distribution of fragrances by Frederic Malle, Annick Goutal and Diptyque at one time. As I sit down with the shop’s ‘perfume archivist’ James Craven on a plush couch in the Elizabeth Street store surrounded by glass bottles in mirrored cabinets, I am as giddy as a schoolgirl. What woman does not appreciate perfume and all the dizzying memories and moments associated with it? With scent strips in hand, we spritz fragrances and let the ‘perfumed’ moments begin. Over the course of our chat, James recommends 10 of his favourite fragrances to celebrate all manner of Christmas occasions…
1. A smart Christmas dinner party Lumière Noire by Maison Francis Kurkdjian: ‘Picture a beautiful, polished dining room, with a hostess who is wearing this captivating scent. Inspired by French actress Catherine Deneuve, it is for a strong-minded yet demure woman who is elegant and très Parisian in her style.’
2. Under the mistletoe Carnal Flower by Frederic Malle: ‘Imagine Tommie Connor’s classic I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus playing on the radio and enjoy the wafts of eroticism coming from the natural tuberose, amaryllis and eucalyptus oil. This is a very addictive scent.’
3. Church services Cardinal by James Heeley: ‘Swathes of incense patchouli freshened by vetiver and bitter myrrh is atmospheric and perfect for carol services by candlelight.’
4. Christmas shopping Grand Néroli by Atelier Cologne: ‘As a polar opposite to the mad rush of last-minute Christmas shopping, spritz on this time-honoured classic, an 18th-century recipe of fruits, herbs and orange blossom combined with amber and vanilla for a faint, powdery scent that will soothe away tiredness and restore the magic of the season.’
5. Christmas tea VSOP by Tom Daxon: ‘Luxurious, self-indulgent yet relaxed, the opulent base of this fragrance is rich in warm musks – perfect for afternoon tea. It conjures up visions of a roaring fire, lush velvet drapes and sips of Champagne.’
6. Night at the opera Sotto La Luna Gardenia by Andy Tauer: ‘Think black-tie, a mink stole, long gloves and an elegant dinner followed by a Christmas classic such as La Bohème. Spritz on this fragrance to indulge in the freshness of gardenia and jasmine on a bed of sandalwood and vanilla.’
7. A walk in the park Monsieur by Huitième Art: ‘This masculine scent evokes crisp, frosty mornings spent strolling hand-in-hand. Inspired by the fragrance of moss, bark and earth, it blends eight woody notes, mixed with a stylish blend of poplar, cedar and sandalwood.’
8. Carol singing Castaña by Cloon Keen Atelier: ‘This always makes me think of roasted chestnuts and carollers revelling on Eaton and Chester Squares. Masculine notes of Haitian vetiver are combined with luxuriously feminine jasmine blended with red pepper and burnt chestnuts.’
9. Wrapping gifts on Christmas Eve Angelique by Papillon: ‘This is the fragrance I would choose for this most intimate and loving of family occasions. It’s warm and combines iris, chypre, champaca, osmanthus and mimosa. I love its relaxed connotations and the fact that it’s perfect for both sexes.’
10. Boxing Day Liaisons Dangereuses by Kilian: ‘With notes of plum reminiscent of the golden fruit preserved in a glass of liqueur, this fragrance is a velvety melting pot, with a hint of old-fashioned luxury.’ All of the above fragrances are available at Les Senteurs, 71 Elizabeth Street, SW1W 9PJ, 020 7730 2322 (lessenteurs.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
023
Residents’ Culture Exploring the minutiae of residents’ concerns and encounters
Belgravian
Moments Briana Handte Lesesne considers Belgravia’s businesses
I
t’s no easy feat running your own business. Whether it’s a family venture that has been passed down from generation to generation or a start up in the initial growth phase, the sacrifices, the constant challenges and the demands to meet and exceed market expectations are counterbalanced with the rewards of loyal clients and a sense of both personal and professional fulfilment. I have been fortunate enough in my career to work for multi-national companies, so I never had to worry about payroll, office supplies, or employee bonuses. That was all taken care of by the accounting department, human resources or the office manager. I think it takes a certain strength of character to start your own business, and I applaud those who do. Some will fail and others succeed, but to quote Walt Disney: ‘All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.’ When I compare where I live in the US to Belgravia, there is a stark contrast between the number of superstores and family run businesses in our neighbourhood. In Connecticut, I shop on Greenwich Avenue, which locals refer to as ‘the Avenue’. I run into my local pharmacy – CVS drugstore, which boasts 7,600 stores across the States (imagine a Boots and then supersize it). I then cross ‘the Avenue’ and enter the huge J. Crew store, which has more than 300 retail outlets nationwide. You get the picture. I don’t know the name of the pharmacist or the shop manager, let alone the person behind the till. When I return to Belgravia I bump into local shop owners walking their dogs along Ebury Street, or running errands at Peter Jones. They know me on a first-name basis and ask after my family. I always look forward to a trip to A. Moore & Co. Chemists on Lowndes Street for that old feel of a European
apothecary stocked full of niche beauty products, complete with a very knowledgeable pharmacist. They even deliver. Who doesn’t know or love the team at Mayhew Newsagents on Motcomb Street? Family owned and run since 1979, one of the Shah brothers – Nainesh, Hitesh, or Sanjay – always greets you with a smile, even if they’ve been there since 5am. Their customer service is beyond compare. If you need an obscure magazine or newspaper, they’ll source it for you. It should come as no surprise then that a Certificate of Excellence awarded by the Belgravia Residents’ Association is proudly displayed. They are grateful for this award and are always complimentary of their neighbours and the support they receive from the community. I also feel very fortunate to live near The Grosvenor Stationery Company on Elizabeth Street. Founded 25 years ago this summer by Henrietta McCausland, the store creates beautifully engraved stationery, invitations and cards for clients across Europe and the United States. When asked what advice she would give to someone who wanted to start their own business, Henrietta is quick to subscribe to the notion, ‘Keep the faith, watch your cash flow, and run your business with integrity, common sense, and good manners.’ She reminds me that with today’s mass media and internetdriven marketing, excellent customer service and the personal touch is not to be underestimated. ‘You should know your products and services and value your clients,’ she says. I couldn’t agree more, and I take my hat off to the many wonderful small businesses in Belgravia.
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.
The Residents’ Association’s
November roundup
November roundup by Head of Social & Communications Sue Liberman
T
he Belgravia Residents’ Association AGM will take place on Tuesday 11 November, from 6.30pm-8pm. The chairman and committee members invite residents to attend, bringing their questions and concerns to Francis Holland School, 39 Graham Terrace, SW1W 8JF. The meeting agenda will cover: • Chairman’s report • Treasurer’s report • B.R.A. committee reports/updates • Grosvenor update from Nigel Hughes • Mark Field MP address/update • Belgravia Ward councillors’ report (Tony Devenish and Rachel Robathan) • Churchill Ward councillors’ report (Murad Gassanly, Jason Williams and Shamim Talukder) • Belgravia police report • Election of B.R.A. committee Representatives from Westminster City Council, Grosvenor, The Metropolitan Police and elected public officials have been invited to contribute. Time will be allowed for members to ask questions and raise issues or general concerns at the end of the meeting. Members who are unable to attend the AGM but who have problems or questions that they would like addressed should contact the chairman, James Wright on 07973 700 525 or email: james@jameswright.org.uk. Refreshments will be served after the meeting. This will provide an excellent opportunity for members to personally meet the invited representatives.
December diary dates… Sunday 7 December – Belgravia Christmas Sunday Elizabeth Street: 12pm-5pm (timing to be confirmed), market stalls and entertainment Pimlico Road: 11am-4pm, entertainment Tuesday 2 December – St Paul’s Foundation Carol Service, Wilton Crescent, Knightsbridge (timing and details to follow next month) Thursday 4 December – Christmas Shopping Evening 6pm-8.30pm Special shopping offers and treats will be available on Motcomb Street, West Halkin Street, Lowndes Street and Kinnerton Street. There will be performances from the Holland Park Opera Singers and Santa will be making an appearance too. Thursday 4 December – A Festive Treat in Harrods Food Halls and Wine & Spirit Rooms, 8.30pm-10pm In the Food Halls you’ll have the chance to enjoy Champagne while perusing selections of festive fare as Harrods’ suppliers share tantalising tasters and discuss the provenance of their products. In the Wine & Spirits Rooms you’ll find a wide range of tipples to ensure this year’s celebrations are suitably merry. The event takes place at Food Halls, Ground Floor and the Wine & Spirits Rooms, Lower Ground Floor (Entrance via door 5). Harrods Rewards Members will receive 10 per cent off all purchases on the night. RSVP by emailing foodhallschristmas@harrods.com
Until next month...
belgraviaresidents.org.uk
The Belgravia & Knightsbridge Winter Ball Add Thursday 13 November to your diaries for the Winter Ball which takes place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower from 7pm-midnight, in collaboration with the Household Cavalry, who will be there in all their glory. Don’t miss out on a first-class evening of music and dancing. A Champagne reception will be followed by a delicious three-course dinner and a show featuring top West End performers, with The Rat Pack (expect classics like Fly Me To the Moon) and Paul Metcalf’s renowned Rob Stewart Tribute Band providing the entertainment. £200 per person or £1,800 for table of 10 guests. For tickets or more information please contact Sue Liberman on 07957 420 911 or email sue@belgraviaresidents.org.uk
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
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
025
Meals on wheels
Channelling your inner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall in the kitchen can be time-consuming to say the least. Henry Hopwood-Phillips trials a local service that will make the fuss of mealtimes a thing of the past
I
n a bid to become a lean, mean protein machine for a week, I have enlisted the help of Total Diet Food. The home-delivery service offers a fresh and balanced food plan tailored to the needs of each customer. Its carefully planned dishes contain no processed ingredients and are freshly made each day; read all about my Popeye-style transformation below. Step aside, Hugh. Plans start from £29.99-£36.99 per day, with an introductory offer price of £27 per day for five days. For more information, contact 020 8626 9360 or visit totaldietfood.com
026
DAY
MEAL
DIARY ENTRY
Monday
Breakfast: Rye bread with red pepper and feta spread Lunch: Honey mustard chicken with bulgur wheat Dinner: Massaman vegetable curry
OK, I forgot that there were more options to breakfast than cereal, yoghurt or a fry-up. The rye bread and red pepper and feta spread is my new standard start to the day. The chicken lunch is delicious – my only complaint is that there’s not enough of the honey mustard.
Tuesday
Breakfast: Yoghurt with seeds and berries Lunch: Butternut squash and goat’s cheese salad with cranberries and walnuts Dinner: Tilapia in lemon cream sauce with sweet potato, green beans and Savoy cabbage
A special mention has to go to the tilapia – I get two fish spread across a jungle of leaves made palatable by a lemon cream carousel of sauce: delicious. This is real restaurant-quality food without the wait, or the bill.
Wednesday
Breakfast: Yoghurt with granola and apple and plum compote Lunch: Superfood salad with feta Dinner: Tomato pesto chicken with vegetables
I clearly don’t know what superfoods are because there is some crazy stuff in my salad. I’ve Googled just one of them: quinoa. The vegetables have that real fresh bite to them. I’m feeling very healthy.
Thursday
Breakfast: Vegetable frittata Lunch: King prawns and rice Dinner: Lamb tagine
I’m not a massive fan of frittata – egg and potato? It tastes like sadness. The tagine is expertly assembled with proper chunks of lamb (not the cat food supermarket substitute) that melt in a sea of apricots and tomato sauce – it’s one of my favourite dishes.
Friday
Breakfast: Pear and blackberry oatmeal Lunch: Pearl barley with mixed vegetables Dinner: Turkey and vegetable casserole
The fibre has well and truly kicked in (read into that what you will). I’ve also noticed that I’m eating more food but not getting fatter and instead feel more energised. Might throw in the coffee – besides it doesn’t give me a kick any more.
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
The Reimagined Zaika Now Ready To Throw Open Its Doors.
Brought to you by Mayfair's Tamarind Collection.
ZAIKA OF KENSINGTON Kensington’s much loved Indian eatery is back with a new look, but the same commitment to authentic Indian flavours that they've always been renowned for. And with Mayfair's Tamarind Collection taking the reins, you are assured the same level of service and gourmet experience that have established them as pioneers of fine Indian dining.
For reservations call +44 207 795 6533 or visit tamarindcollection.com 1 Kensington High Street, London, W8 5NP
Must-haves
Don’t miss out on the most sought-after products and services from around the area
On the biggest screen
Home technology specialist Finite Solutions has won a major international award for an £80,000 high-tech home cinema installation at a property in Chelsea. The project won the top accolade from the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA), a worldwide governing body for the design and installation of electronic systems for the home. ‘This award backs up our position as London’s leading specialist in the market,’ Phil Cotton, the company’s director, commented. To date, the firm has picked up 15 industry awards.
First-class service
It’s the season for holiday bookings, reservations at the finest restaurants and nights out at the theatre; a time when we begin to think about the perfect gifts for our loved ones. Concierge company Golden Ivory prides itself on offering a personal and highly efficient service. Charming and elegant, yet professional and thorough, every detail counts and every client matters, because ‘life is for living’. Let Golden Ivory help you live it...
25 North Row, W1K 6DJ, 020 7030 3813, enquiries@goldenivory.com (goldenivory.com)
(finitesolutions.co.uk)
Champagne competition
Crowning glory
It’s the time of year for snuggling up and going into winter hibernation under a blanket, in front of the television or with a good book. Thoughts of enjoying the garden have long since passed – except for clients of Crown Pavilions, who, even during the frosty November weather, are still making the most of the great outdoors from the comfort of their toasty garden rooms. The arrival of winter doesn’t mean saying goodbye to a space you’ve enjoyed all summer, if you have a hideaway for all seasons.
The Champagne house Cattier has been experimenting with the British cheeseboard to give Christmas a twist. And it wants to give Belgravians a chance to do some matching of their own. To take part, answer the following question: Q. Where are the Cattier Champagne vineyards? Email the answer to belgravia@ residentsjournal.co.uk. We will pick a winner at random to receive three free bottles of Champagne, delivered by Cattier to your home.
£POA, 6B Lys Mill Farm, Watlington, Oxfordshire, OX49 5EP, 01491 612 820, enquiries@crownpavilions.com (crownpavilions.com) 028
B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S ’ J O U R N A L
The Belgravia
Directory
A compendium of the area’s key establishments
Estate Agents Ayrton Wylie 16 Lower Belgrave Street 020 7730 4628
Harrods Estates 82 Brompton Road 020 7225 6506
Knight Frank Sales 47 Lower Belgrave Street 020 7881 7722
Strutt & Parker 66 Sloane Street 020 7235 9959
Best Gapp & Cassells 81 Elizabeth Street 020 7730 9253
Henry & James 1 Motcomb Street 020 7235 8861
Marler & Marler 6 Sloane Street 020 7235 9641
W A Ellis 174 Brompton Road 020 7306 1600
Cluttons 84 Bourne Street 020 7730 0303
John D Wood 48 Elizabeth Street 020 7824 7900
Rokstone 5 Dorset Street 020 7580 2030
Wellbelove Quested 160 Ebury Street
Douglas Lyons & Lyons 33 Kinnerton Street 020 7235 7933
Knight Frank Lettings 82-83 Chester Square 020 7881 7730
Savills 139 Sloane Street 020 7730 0822
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
Dr Kalina 109 Ebury Street 020 7730 4805
GYM/ FITNESS
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 Daniel Galvin Jr. Salon 4a West Halkin Street 020 3416 3116
The Light Centre Belgravia 9 Eccleston Street 020 7881 0728
Motcomb Green 61 Ebury Street 020 7235 2228
CLEANING
FURNITURE
SPA Grace Belgravia 11c West Halkin Street 020 7235 8900 gracebelgravia.com
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
Promemoria UK 99 Pimlico Road 020 7730 2514 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
031
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
033
Move on, Move in, Move up. Whether you’re buying, selling, renting or letting, there are so many exciting opportunities out there right now. So it’s time to talk to Savills. Our personable and proactive team will help you make that move. Call us now or visit savills.co.uk
WE HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE YOU. Savills Sloane Street 139 Sloane Street SW1X 9AY 020 7730 0822 sloanestreet@savills.com
savills.co.uk
Savills Knightsbridge 188 Brompton Road SW3 1HQ 020 7581 5234 knightsbridge@savills.com
savills.co.uk
1 GRADE II LISTED TOWNHOUSE WITH INTEGRATED MEWS eaton terrace, sw1 4 reception rooms ø dining room ø kitchen ø 6 bedrooms (5 en suite) ø shower room ø study ø utility room ø 2 cloakrooms ø roof terrace ø integrated mews house with garage ø 494 sq m (5,326 sq ft) ø EPC=E Guide £12.5 million Freehold
Savills Knightsbridge
Savills Sloane Street
Barbara Allen baallen@savills.com
Richard Gutteridge rgutteridge@savills.com
020 7581 5234
020 7730 0822
savills.co.uk
1
BEAUTIFULLY APPOINTED PENTHOUSE eaton square, sw1 Reception room ø dining room ø kitchen ø 2 bedroom suites ø further bedroom ø guest cloakroom ø terrace ø lift ø air conditioning ø Crestron audio visual and lighting system ø Grade II* listed ø 151 sq m (1,622 sq ft)
Guide £7.5 million Leasehold
Savills Sloane Street Richard Dalton rdalton@savills.com
020 7730 0822
2
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
Savills Sloane Street Richard Dalton rdalton@savills.com
020 7730 0822
L MA
savills.co.uk
A SELECTION OF TEN NEWLY DESIGNED APARTMENTS sloane street, sw1 3 bedrooms 3 bathrooms double reception room kitchen lift porter comfort cooling Council Tax=H EPC=C pictures representative of a mixture of flats in the building
Savills Sloane Street Stevie Walmesley swalmesley@savills.com
020 7824 9005 Unfurnished £2,650 - £2,950 per week* *£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.
L MAG_Belgravia Residents Journal.indd 1
09/10/2014 11:29
KnightFrank.co.uk
Eaton Square, Belgravia SW1 Refurbished one bedroom garden flat
A contemporary designed and refurbished one bedroom apartment opening on to a superb garden. Bedroom with en suite shower room and dressing room, reception room, kitchen with dining area, cloakroom, garden, porter. EPC rating C. Approximately 89 sq m ﴾964 sq ft﴿ Leasehold: approximately 89 years remaining
Guide price: £3,000,000 ﴾BGV090032﴿
KnightFrank.co.uk/belgravia belgravia@knightfrank.com 020 3641 5910
BRJ Nov 36a Eaton Square-crops
08/10/2014 16:09:57
KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk
57
Eaton Eaton Place, Place, Belgravia Belgravia SW1 SW1 Eaton Place, Belgravia SW1 Eaton Place, Belgravia SW1
Elegant Elegant duplex duplex apartment apartment with with garden garden Elegant duplex apartment withpatio patiopatio garden Elegant duplex apartment with patio garden
A stunning A stunning three bedroom three bedroom apartment apartment with an an impressive with an impressive double reception double reception room. Master room. Master A stunning three bedroom apartment with impressive double reception room. Master A stunning three bedroom with an2 impressive double reception room. Master bedroom bedroom with en suite with bathroom enbathroom suite bathroom andapartment dressing and room, dressing double room, 2bedrooms double bedrooms both with both en en bedroom with en suite and dressing room, 2 double bedrooms both with enwith bedroom witharea), en suite bathroom and dressing room, 2 double bedrooms both with en suites (1 with suites dressing (1dressing with dressing reception area), reception room, dining room, room, dining family room, room, family kitchen, room,guest kitchen, guest suites (1 with area), reception room, dining room, family room, kitchen, guest suites (1 with dressing area), reception room, dining room, family room, kitchen, guest cloakroom, cloakroom, balcony, patio balcony, garden. patio EPC garden. rating EPC D. Approximately rating D. Approximately 2,297 sq ft 2,297 ﴾213 sq sq ft m﴿ ﴾213 sq m﴿ cloakroom, balcony, patio garden. EPC rating Approximately 2,297 sq ft ﴾213 m﴿ sq m﴿ cloakroom, balcony, patio garden. EPC D. rating D. Approximately 2,297 sq sq ft ﴾213 Available Available furnished furnished Available furnished Available furnished Guide price: Guide £3,750 price: per £3,750 week per week Guide price: £3,750 per week Guide price: £3,750 per week ﴾BEQ206154﴿ ﴾BEQ206154﴿ ﴾BEQ206154﴿ ﴾BEQ206154﴿ All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent, an administration fee of £276 will apply when renting a property. All potential All tenants potential should bemore advised should that, be that, advised as about well as that, rent, an wellthat administration as administration rent,apply an administration fee of KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges £276 will feewill apply of apply £276 when will renting apply when a property. renting a property. All potential tenants should be advised as well asasfees rent, an fee of £276 when renting a property. Please ask ustenants for information other may or visit All potential be advised that, as fees well as rent, administration fee of £276 will apply when renting a property. Please ask us Please forus more askmore information ustenants for moreshould about information other fees about that other may apply that or may visit apply KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges Please ask for information about other fees that may apply oran visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges Please ask us for more information about other fees that may apply or visit KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
Belgravia Belgravia Lettings Belgravia LettingsLettings Belgravia Lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/lettings belgravialettings@knightfrank.com belgravialettings@knightfrank.com belgravialettings@knightfrank.com belgravialettings@knightfrank.com 020 020 6006 3641 6006 0203641 3641 0206006 3641 6006
CHELSEA EMBANKMENT, CHELSEA, SW3
£3,250,000 SHARE OF FREEHOLD • STUNNING FIRST FLOOR APARTMENT • TWO BEDROOMS • THIRD BEDROOM/STUDY • OPEN PLAN KITCHEN/DINING AREA • FRONT AND REAR TERRACE • VIEWS OVER THE THAMES • EPC C •
BELGRAVIA OFFICE 1 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JX +44 (0)20 7235 8861 belgraviaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk
henryandjames.co.uk
WILLIAM MEWS, KNIGHTSBRIDGE, SW1X
£3,950,000 LEASEHOLD • LARGE RECEPTION ROOM • THREE BEDROOMS • KITCHEN/DINING ROOM • • TWO BATHROOMS • CLOAKROOM • ROOF TERRACE • EPC D •
BELGRAVIA OFFICE 1 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JX +44 (0)20 7235 8861 belgraviaoffice@henryandjames.co.uk
henryandjames.co.uk
33 Kinnerton Street, London, SW1X 8ED
Montpelier Mews
£9,500,000
Freehold
A rare and unique mews house in the heart of Knightsbridge, completely rebuilt recently to the highest specification throughout. Redesigned by top architects with a vision to create a flow of natural light throughout the house, with innovative use of textures and materials. The finished product is a magnificent dwelling which offers to the new owner over 4,300 square feet of the highest standard of Central London living. This grand low-build house with its tranquil end-of-mews setting also has the benefit of private parking. 4 Bedrooms - 2 Dressing rooms - 3 Bathrooms with rainshowers - 3 Reception rooms - Entrance hall - Poggenpohl Kitchen - Bang and Olufsen sound system throughout - Spa/Steam room - Lutron lighting throughout - Air conditioning throughout - Cctv security system Cinema room - Gas fireplace - Roof terrace - Off street parking (2 spaces) - Underfloor heating
28 Pier house
Flat A, 2 Pont Street
£925 per week Furnished*
Long Let
A recently refurbished and well-presented duplex apartment situated on the ground and lower ground floors of a classic stucco fronted building. This particular apartment has the advantage of high level security and extremely well presented common parts and hallways within the building. Conveniently located within walking distance of Kings Road, Harrods, and Knightsbridge
£1,000 per week Furnished*
Long Let
This bright and spacious two bedroom apartment, which has been refurbished to a high standard throughout, enjoys far reaching views over the River Thames and beyond. Accommodation consists of a large reception room, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a fully integrated modern kitchen, with parking available by separate negotiation and access is available to the communal garden. Also with twenty four hour porter service. Sloane Square tube station and all the amenities of Kings Road are a short walk away.
*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
GRAHAM TERRACE, SW1 A charming period house close to Sloane Square, with a discreetly situated patio garden. Energy Rating: D. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms (1 en suite), drawing room, dining room, study/bedroom 4, kitchen/breakfast room, utility, patio garden. Freehold Guide Price £3,295,000
EATON SQUARE, SW1 An elegant Grade II Listed raised ground floor apartment on London’s premier garden square. Bedroom, bathroom, reception room, resident caretaker, use of square gardens and tennis court (subject to annual fee). Lease to 2029 Guide Price £650,000 SOLD
Chesterfield House, SW1
SOLD
Guide £1,795,000 Boscobel Place, SW1
SOLD
Guide £3,850,000 Cliveden Place, SW1
BELGRAVIA 020 3151 6214 belgravia@johndwood.co.uk
Belgravia Residents Journal Nov142.indd 1
SOLD
Guide £1,895,000 St. Barnabas Street, SW1
Guide £2,795,000
johndwood.co.uk
15/10/2014 14:14
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
EBURY STREET, SW1 A beautifully presented and recently modernised one bedroom flat on the third floor of a refurbished mansion block. This property would make an ideal pied-à-terre, located in the heart of Belgravia, close to Victoria Station and Elizabeth Street.
Leasehold 140 Years
£995,000
* * * *
Reception Room Kitchen Bedroom Shower Room
BASiL STREET SW3 b immaculately a s i l presented m a nthree s ibedroom o nflats in SthisW 3 maintained mansion building in the heart of Knightsbridge. An beautifully The buildingpresented is ideallylateral located forapartment Harrods set andwithin the shops and restaurants of building the area, andtomoments A beautifully family this popular period mansion close Harrods. from Knightsbridge underground station. ThreeDouble Bedrooms • Three Bedrooms TwoBathrooms Bathrooms (One En Suite)
■
■• Two ■ ■
• Two Reception Rooms • Study
Reception Room Kitchen/Breakfast Room
Share of Freehold, £6,550,000 STC £3,300,000 Subject to Contract
Entrance Hall/Dining Area • Kitchen / Breakfast Room Loft Storage • Porter Area ■ Porter ■ Lift ■ ■
■ 1397 sq ft • Lift • Air Conditioning■ EE rating E
• 1,997 sq ft • EER - C
Share of Freehold
www.ayrtonwylie.com +44 (0) 20 7730 4628
EATON GATE, BELGRAVIA, SW1
An impressive townhouse built circa 1905 (6,022 sq ft / 560 sq m) with grand and elegant rooms. It now requires complete refurbishment but has the benefit of a lift to all floors.
LEASEHOLD 125 YEARS (no rights to extend)
ÂŁ10,250,000
JSA Savills 020 7730 0822
16 Lower Belgrave Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 0LN
sales@ayrtonwylie.com
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Drawing of St Dunstan-in-the-West by SPAB Scholar Ptolomy Dean
Founded by William Morris, the SPAB protects the historic environment from decay, damage and demolition. It responds to threats to old buildings, trains building professionals, craftspeople, homeowners and volunteers and gives advice about maintenance and repairs. Since 1877 countless buildings have been saved for future generations.
Information about maintaining your home is available through events, courses, lectures, publications and telephone advice. To support our work why not join the SPAB? Members receive a quarterly magazine, our list of historic properties for sale and access to our regional activities.
www.spab.org.uk 020 7377 1644 A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales. Company no: 5743962 Charity no: 1113753 37 Spital Square, London E1 6DY
facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker
struttandparker.com
West Eaton Place, Belgravia SW1
Arranged across two buildings on the third floor of a handsome, white stuccofronted building, this is an exemplary light and bright flat.
ÂŁ3,950,000 Share of Freehold
1,319 sq ft (122.54 sq m) Entrance hall | Double reception room | Kitchen | Two double bedroom suites | Roof terrace | Lift
Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959 Bertie.hare@struttandparker.com
Penthouse, Cadogan Place, SW1
Within an impressive white stucco terrace, 59-60 Cadogan Place is an immaculate building with a newly restored façade and communal entrance hall.
£14,750,000 Share of Freehold
4,185 sq ft (388.8 sq m) Drawing room | Sitting room | Chef’s kitchen | Winter garden | Four bedroom suites | Family kitchen/breakfast and TV room | Staff bedroom with en suite shower room | Laundry | Basement storage
Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959
James.gilbert-green@struttandparker.com
facebook.com/struttandparker twitter.com/struttandparker
struttandparker.com
Belgrave Place, Belgravia, SW1
A magnificent first floor lateral apartment converted across two period buildings in prime Belgravia.
2,605 sq ft (242 sq m) Entrance hall | Drawing room | Dining room | Kitchen | Master bedroom with en suite | Two further bedroom suites | Guest cloakroom | Balcony | Lift | EPC rating C
Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959 James.forbes@struttandparker.com JSA Knight Frank 0207 881 7722
ÂŁ9,950,000 Leasehold
T109 Abu Dhabi Door Ad Belgravia RJ:SP_Abu Dhabi_Belgravia RJ_FP 08/08/2014 18:02 Page 1
ABU DH
Where will we find your perfect buyer or tenant? As the exclusive UK affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate network, we can reach quality buyers and tenants in 45 countries via 950 offices and a website visited 130,000 times a month. There’s no better way to open your door to the world. 66 Sloane Street London SW1X 9SH Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7235 9959 knightsbridge@struttandparker.com struttandparker.com/christies
I
BELGRAVIA Resident’s Journal 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
may 2014 • Issue 24