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ISSUE NO.
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PARTY SEASON ESSENTIALS
DECEMBER 2016
Trends come and go, but sharp evening wear never goes out of fashion Placket super slim shirt, £99, Dilham knitted tie, £69, Thomas Pink, thomaspink.com
CONTENTS
p80
ON THE COVER London’s best concierges Meet the three most well connected men in the capital 32 the man who made chess cooL The rise of the chess wunderkind, world champion Magnus Carlsen 37 18-page watch report A bumper look at the best in watches 78-83 survive and thrive in the city It’s party season – make sure you look fresh (even if you’re not) 86 top of the yachts Our rundown of the finest yachts at the 2016 Monaco Yacht Show 91 aston martin’s first speed boat Taking the AM37 for a spin off the Côte d’Azur 112 nucLear nights A night among the wolves in Chernobyl’s nuclear dead zone
28
32
REGULARS
14 20
CITY LIFE: the edit The The commodities and consumables raising our interest rates rates this month the sociaL Ice skating, ‘boatels’, and the original Champagne Charlie Ice
COLLECTION: dancing with sharks Blancpain’s Blancpain’s passion for diving is presented in its striking publications of underwater photography publications 59 strictLy come dancing The Spanish flamenco is the inspiration for The Annoushka Ducas’s latest jewellery line 42
17 80
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
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STYLE: the cosy edit Whether Whether staying in or going out, ‘tis the season to stay snug the checkList Navigate Christmas in style Navigate OUT OF OFFICE: the grand tour A 1,500-mile adventure to some of Europe’s most A impressive destinations – all in a Rolls-Royce impressive pauL feiLer An introduction to another artist that should appear on An your agenda your on the frankincense traiL What is Frankincense, and why is it so precious? Oman What has the answers has HOMES AND PROPERTY: property news The The latest trends in the residential sales and lettings markets
s LUXURYLO ND O N.C O.UK s
ISSUE NO.
110
DECEMBER 2016
F R O M T H E E DI T O R
I
Let the Games Begin n the chess world, Magnus Carlsen is the closest you’ ll get to a rock star. The hoodie-sporting, fashion-modelling 26-year-old became a Grandmaster in 2004, at the age of just 13. Now a world champion at all chess speeds, Carlsen is the highest-ranking player of all time. He has
been named in the TIME 100, and, at the time of print, is currently locked in a what-will-be 19-day battle against adversary Sergey Karjakin, a 27-year-old Russian who’s challenging the Norwegian for the World Chess Championship in New York City. The reasons we chose to profile Carlsen on page 32 are threefold; 1) his is a story clearly worth telling; 2) Magnus, a new biopic on the brooding boywonder has just been released in cinemas; and 3) he plays chess, and it’s Christmas, and that means board games. By the end of November, midway through the Christmas-drinks merr y-goround , you might already be pining for 24 December, and , if you’re lucky, the following week’s respite with family. During your escape from the City, you will invariably find yourself bent over a board game. On page 19, we discover how table-top games can provide not just fun for the family but works of art for the house, too. Whether you’re already halfway through the Beroccas under your desk, or merely nearing the start of your own series of festive soirées, on page 83 we highlight the grooming products that might help hide the war wounds of party season. Peacockery blooms in December ; rustle your features with a statement dinner jacket. You’ ll find this year’s best on page 80. Christmas in the City : enjoy it, embrace it – you’ ll get to do it all over again in 11 months’ time. Happy holidays.
RICHARD BROWN, EDITOR
Other titles within the RWMG portfolio
COVER IMAGE (80): Image courtesy of
Thomas Pink, thomaspink.com
A WEBS IT E. A M IN DS ET. A L IF ES T Y L E.
W W W.L U XU RYLO NDO N. C O .U K
ISSUE NO.
110
DECEMBER 2016
CONTRIBUTORS
E D I TOR -IN -CH IEF LESLEY ELLWOOD
EDIT O R RICHARD BROWN
A S S I STA N T EDIT O R BETHAN REES
E D I TO R IA L A S S IS TA N T DAVID TAYLOR
S E NI O R DES IG N ER LISA WADE
B R A ND CO N S IS T ENCY LADDAWAN JUHONG
G E N ER A L M A N A GER
CHRIS ALLSOP
ROB CROSSAN
MARK HAYES-WESTALL
Chris is a Bath-based
R o b C r o ss a n a p p e a r s re g u l a rly
Mark i s editor -in-chi ef
f re e l a n c e j o u r n a l i st a n d
in the likes of GQ, Sunday
of onlin e ar t and culture
p h o t o g ra p h e r w h o m o st ly
Ti m e s , D a i l y Te l e g ra p h a n d t h e
m a gazin e FAD and our regul ar
w r i t e s a b o u t t rav e l , f i l m
D a i l y Ma i l , a n d o n B B C ra d i o .
s ourc e of inf or m ation ab out
and cheese. This month,
O n p a g e 1 1 2 , R o b t rav e l s t o
interesting artists. The month ,
Chris talks to Benjamin Ree,
Chernobyl to sleep among
Mark introduces the life’s work
d i re c t o r o f t h e f i l m Ma g n u s ,
t h e w o lv e s i n t h e a b a n d o n e d
of the perceptually engaged and
a b o u t w o rl d n u m b e r o n e a n d
t o w n’s d e a d z o n e .
engaging artist Paul Feiler.
h i g h e st ra n k e d c h e s s p l ay e r of
(p. 100).
a l l t i m e , 2 6 - y e a r - o l d Ma g n u s
FIONA FENWICK
P RO DUC T IO N HUGO WHEATLEY ALICE FORD JAMIE STEELE DANNY LESAR
P R O P E RT Y D IR ECT O R SAMANTHA RATCLIFFE
E X E CU TIV E D IR ECT O R SOPHIE ROBERTS
MA NA G IN G DIR ECT O R EREN ELLWOOD
C a rl s e n ( p . 3 2 ) .
camel jewel calf chess set, £995, Aspinal of London, aspinaloflondon.com
Geiger counter wristwatch, £726, PCE Instruments, pce-instruments.com
Janicon XCIX, 2005, paul Feiler, Redfern Gallery, redfern-gallery.com
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Saratoga sunglasses, £130, Taylor Morris, taylormorriseyewear.com
Festive frankincense & allspice single wick candle, £39, Molton Brown, moltonbrown.co.uk
Atlas passport cover, £195, Smythson, smythson.com
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Available at Harrods, Selfridges, John Lewis and caseluggage.com
City Life
deceMBER 2016
Southwark’s Sleeper Hit Weird name, terrific food: The Laughing Gravy provides the wow factor Culinary highlights of 2016? In no particular order: the rib-eye steak at Smith & Wollensky; the earthshattering discovery of 8 Hoxton Square (and the hand-written, wallet-friendly wine list within), and, most recently, almost everything about SE1’s last great secret, The Laughing Gravy. The restaurant takes its name from a Laurel and Hardy film, its original owner having been an actress. Ex-journalist, Jon Wise, reopened his local in 2010, choosing to stick with its original moniker. Since then, he’s employed Michael Facey as head chef, who has previously served at The Ivy, Skylon and Caprice. The space: a classy, cosy, artsy, soft-lift, barebricked bolthole that’s a hop, skip and jump from Southwark tube station. The food: ambitious, delicious starters, like scallop and crayfish Scotch egg (£8.75) or porter and treacle-cured trout fillet (£8.50), set the scene; main courses, such as confit Middle White pork belly (£22) and salted deer stuffed venison fillet Wellington (£24), continue in the same vein. For dessert, we had a milk jam ice cream sundae sandwich (£8) – well, why the hell wouldn’t you? Our visit may have been protein heavy, but vegetarians are exceedingly well catered for – meatfree dishes making up around a third of the menu. Independently owned, The Laughing Gravy is friendly, punchy, plucky and unpretentious. Out of more than 16,000 London-based restaurants listed on Trip Advisor, it has ranked within the top 150 for six years running. Time Out recently named it as the best restaurant in Southwark. The City Magazine agrees. RB 154 Blackfriars Road, SE1, thelaughinggravy.co.uk
THE CITY
HAMBURG
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mab onsu c d n nTh es a odiTi es This mo m m o The c eresT raT nT our i
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THE INVESTMENT 741 MOUNTAIN VILLAGE BOULEVARD If you’re looking for a place to stay while skiing the Telluride hills of Colorado, and have £6 million to spare, this uber-chalet might make perfect sense. The five-bedroom, eight-bathroom property is within walking distance of central Mountain Village, and gives easy access to the gondola. The outside design mixes American stone and wood with an influence of traditional European chalets. Once inside, you’re greeted by a custom, two-and-a-half storey circular steel and cherry staircase. Alongside the bedrooms are a family room with a bar, chef ’s kitchen and a ski room that opens directly onto the trail. Telluride, Colorado, £5.8 million, christiesrealestate.com
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has never been shy of extolling its own virtues, and with good reason: it’s the second largest city in Germany and the second biggest port in Europe. The seafaring influences are clear to see from the intricate architecture and 2,500 bridges crossing streams and rivers – more than London, Amsterdam and Venice combined. The music scene is huge, too, with more than 100 live venues – the city gave The Beatles their start in Europe, after all. At Christmas, the city is packed with revellers enjoying the multiple markets that sprawl out from the city centre. The prettiest, outside the town hall, is the archetype of a traditional market, offering hand-crafted decorations, gingerbread hearts, and, of course, some heavy duty mulled wine. Just be careful on those bridges after you’ve had a few.
Reverso Classic Medium Duetto Pink Gold, £17,700, Jaeger-LeCoultre, jaeger-lecoultre.com
THE WISH LIST Black 4-ply worsted 2-piece dinner suit, £1,500, Chester Barrie, chesterbarrie.co.uk
3 1 2 4 5 6 7 Pre-tied cotton-velvet bow tie, £155, Tom Ford, mrporter.com
Ridge moneyclip, £110, Dunhill, dunhill.com
Slim-fit double-cuff tuxedo shirt, £140, Hugo Boss, mrporter.com
Patent-leather Oxford shoes, £290, Hugo Boss, mrporter.com
18ct yellow gold skull dress stud set with diamond eyes, £10,355, Deakin & Francis, deakinandfrancis.co.uk
s LUXURYLO ND O N.C O.UK s
| NEWS |
THE AFTERSHAVE L-R His Majesty the Oud 100ml, £150, Atkinsons, houseoffraser.co.uk; Uomo eau de parfum Intense 100ml, £52.50, Valentino, johnlewis.com; Mayrit 100ml, £200, Loewe, harrods.com; Amber homme intense 100ml, £73, Prada, selfridges.com
THE HOTEL ROSEWOOD LONDON
THE RESTAURANT
SUSHI SAMABA
Cocktail expert Richard Woods has added to his cocktail menu at Sushisamba, with six new cocktails reflecting the restaurant’s cultural homes of Japan, Brazil and Peru. The ‘Miso Mule’ mixes Japanese miso with vodka, lime, ginger and coconut, while the ‘Sesame Old Fashioned’ puts salted caramel and maple with sesame washed whisky. If you’re still lacking plans for New Year’s Eve, the restaurant will once again be hosting a party inspired by the Brazilian Réveillon tradition, when Rio de Janeiro revellers dress in white and set candlelit offerings afloat to honour Yemenja, the goddess of the sea. 110 Bishopsgate, EC2, sushisamba.com
The Rosewood London has been the recent recipient of the AA 5 Red Star Rating, given to only the very best hotels in the AA Guide. The Edwardian Grade IIlisted building in High Holborn has individually styled bedrooms and suites, two high-end restaurants, and is minutes from Covent Garden. This Christmas, Rosewood will also be travelling around London in a specially designed red Mini, collecting Christmas wishes. Three lucky people will have their wishes granted in time for the big day. High Holborn, WC1, rosewoodhotels.com
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THE DRINKS 1. 32-year -old Union of the Crowns, £306, Royal Salute, available in global travel retail 2. Monkey Shoulder 70cl , £24.25, Monkey Shoulder, masterofmalt.com 3. Cr ystal Head vodka 70cl , £49.99, Cr ystal Head vodka , amazon .co.uk 4. John Walker & Sons Odyssey 70cl, £600, Johnnie Walker, thewhiskyexchange.com 5. Mozart Black pure 87 liqueur 50cl , £18.95, Mozart Distiller y, harrods.com 6. Bulldog gin 70cl , £22, Bulldog, ocado.com
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GEAR OF THE YE YEAR
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The City Magazine selects its tech highlights of 2016
2
3 1. BESTIANERA STREETFIGHTER
The world’s first hybrid mechanical/ electrical bike to weigh under 10 kilograms, The Bestianera Streetfighter can reach 30km/h in just three pedal strokes, thanks to the lithium batteries in the rear wheel. The pedal assist system can be controlled via Bluetooth thanks to an app, meaning it kicks in when you want it to. £13,389 Tred Bikes, tredbikes.com
2. NANOLEAF ONE
The Nanoleaf One might be one of the last bulbs you ever buy. Using a series of LEDs in an exquisite design, the bulb has an average lifespan of 27.5 years, saving you hundreds of pounds in energy costs. It’s also lighter than most regular bulbs. £18, Nanoleaf, nanoleaf.me
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
3. RUARK AUDIO R7
The Ruark R7 brings the spirit of the radiogram into the 21st century. It offers digital, analogue and internet tuners, and Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity without forgoing any of its Mad Men style. £2,000, Ruark Audio, ruarkaudio.com
4. SENNHEISER ORPHEUS
We’d never been so in love with an inanimate object until we were introduced to Sennheiser’s new Orpheus headphone system. The technology in this music system is second to none, reducing distortion to almost nothing, and bringing out new parts of songs that we’d heard thousands of times. A unique listening experience indeed. £40,000, Sennheiser, sennheiser.com
5. SOLARIN
This ‘military grade super smartphone’ uses technology that’s usually only available to the military and secret services to make end-toend encrypted calls, send encrypted messages and emails, and make you feel like a regular James Bond. It also updates automatically against the latest security threats. £9,500, Sirin, sirinlabs.com
6. BEOPLAY A1
An extraordinary sound from such a small speaker, the A1 weighs just 600g (1.3 lb), but delivers a bass as low as 40hz. The design is beautiful, and the double-moulded polymer base is angled at the edges to both protect the internal workings and enhance acoustics. A seriously good speaker. £199, B&O Play, beoplay.com
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S S E N T I F CITY
| NEWS |
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g fit ightin f u o py o kee icks t R t d s an the tip
ISPORT FREEDOM V2 ON-EAR HEADPHONES Tough, stylish wireless headphones from the audio impresarios at Monster. Sweat-proof and washable, they can also be used with a wire, or paired with another set for shared workouts. £199, Monster Audio, monsterproducts.eu
CHRISTMAS FITNESS
RIPARO WATERPROOF TORRENT IV JACKET
What to get the fitness guru of the family
This jacket from cycling specialist Castelli also works as a running top, with waterproof treatment, reflective detailing, and a lightweight, durable feel. £120, Castelli, mrporter.com
SUPPLEMENT CHRISTMAS BUNDLE
PURE BOOST ZG HEAT SHOES Quality support for the foot, thanks to the Adidas Boost mid-sole; the Climaheat upper seals heat in the trainer to keep your feet warm, even in the sleet and snow. £99.95, Adidas, adidas.co.uk
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Keep on the right track with MyProtein’s Christmas hamper. Includes chocolate protein, vitamin D3, nutrient tablets, oats, raspberry lemonade BCAA’s, and a protein hot chocolate as a Christmas treat. £75, MyProtein, myprotein.com
MYRUN TREADMILL This Technogym treadmill adapts to your running style, providing support depending on how you pound the revolving ‘pavement’ below. It also chooses songs from your collection that sync with your running pace, helping you maintain rhythm. £3,250, Technogym, technogym.com
THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
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IT’S A
SMALL
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WORLD
there are toy cars, then there are pocket classics – petrol and batterypowered tributes to world-renowned automobiles that provide children (and adults) the sweetest of rides
A
National Trust rust survey earlier this year revealed that children spend only half as much time outside as their parents did. Thankfully, The City Magazine has the solution to getting the family back outdoors. UK-based Pocket Classics sells small replicas of classic cars, jeeps and scooters (complete with stabilisers) of exceptional detail, painstakingly replicating front and rear badges, alloy wheels, leather interiors and chrome accents. The company produces both electric and petrol cars, the latter reaching speeds of up to 45mph. reating models suitable for adults and Creating children aged 12 years old and upward, clients can choose from between a range obras of historic cars, spanning from AC Cobras peedsters (to be driven on to Porsche 356 Speedsters private land, not on public roads). Want something a little more special? Opt for a bespoke vehicle and choose the colour of your interior and exterior, and make your toy truly unique. pocketclassics.co.uk
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
1. Roadster, £14,995, 2.5m x 1.03m x 0.75m 2. porsche 904 carrera gts, £14,995,1.76m x 0.77m x 0.59m 3. cobra, £12,995, 2.5m x 1.03m x 0.75m 4. porsche 356 speedster, £13,995, 1.76m x 0.77m x 0.59m 5. Racer, £14,995, 2.5m x 0.8m x 1.25m 6. army, from £3,995, 2m x 0.9m x 0.74m 7. cobra, £12,995, 2.5m x 1.03m x 0.75m
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| FEATURE |
1
2
3 GAME OF HOMES
for most, the festive season equals family time, which inevitably means having an argument over some form of competitive entertainment – let the games begin
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SCRABBLE
BRIDGE
The classic game for the wordsmiths among you (or for those who like to make up words and try and get away with it), this lambskin leather Scrabble set from Asprey will look as good as it is fun to play. With magentic letters, our lives just got easier. Scrabble, £8,800, Asprey, asprey.com
Crafted in walnut with veneered marquetry, this Linley box plays with the name of the game it houses within, by sporting a silhouette of Tower Bridge on its lid. Bridge just got even more sophisticated. Tower Bridge box, £650, Linley, davidlinley.com
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SNAKES & LADDERS
Release your inner child with this red-grain leather Snakes & Ladders board. With inlaid leather counters, leather shaker and spot dice it’s fun for all the family, not just the big kids. Snakes & Ladders board, £545, William & Son, williamandson.com
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BACKGAMMON
PALM TABLE
It’s said that backgammon is one of the world’s oldest games, so indulge yourself in a piece of history with this black lizard-print Italian calfleather set by Aspinal of London. Backgammon set, £750, Aspinal of London, aspinaloflondon.com
Why play one game, when you can play two? This massacar ebony games table by Alexandra LLewellyn, exclusive to Harrods, is a chess table at first, but flip it over and you have backgammon. Palm table, £16,600, Alexandra Llewellyn, harrods.com
THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
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DIRTY BONES SHOREDITCH
L A I C O S IC TY
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Drink your way out of a Sunday hangover, or see off the week by getting sloshed, courtesy of Dirty Bones Shoreditch’s Boozy Brunch Flight. For £19, enjoy four glasses of Prosecco or four ‘dirty’ cocktails. Already serving New York comfort food from premises in Kensington and Soho, Dirty Bones arrived in a Grade II-listed ex-public house in E1 in September; find it directly opposite Shoreditch High Street Overground. Exclusive to the East London outpost is Dirty Roast; served from 12pm every Sunday, guests can choose between three roast dinners: Brisket and Ox Cheek (£18), Spiced Buttermilk Fried Chicken (£17) or Beet & Portobello Melt (£14). After a Bloody Mary turned out to be a half-pint of Tabasco sauce, and a splattering of misplaced marmalade on some otherwise good short rib crumpets, The City Magazine can testify to the valuefor-money credentials of the roast dinners. Groups of four can capitalise on a meal deal that includes all three Dirty Roasts, three types of homemade gravy and a platter of sides. As somewhere to while away the last hours of a weekend, Dirty Bones doesn’t disappoint. RB. 1 Club Row, E1, dirty-bones.com
h thE aZEs rY cr Ed WIt a h IN Is l r cu ou s aNd urE N NchE E EPIc u h a t l G t tEs KEEPIN E’s la rE mIl a u q s
BROADGATE ICE RINK London’s longest running outdoor
ice rink is back. The Broadgate Rink, entering its 30th year, is bringing a little Christmas magic to Exchange Square once again. Alongside Davy’s On Ice wine bar, serving up mulled wine and craft beer, street food expert Urban Food Fest is bringing its stalls and trucks for a changing menu throughout the winter, from triple stack beef burgers to Greek pork and feta souvlaki. For something more substantial, Broadgate Circle has been turned into a Winter Terrace, complete with blankets and outdoor heaters. Of course, the main event is ice skating, and with the rink open until 10pm every night, there’s no excuse not to get your skates on. £13.50/£9.50 per adult/child, Exchange Square, EC2A, broadgate.co.uk
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GAINSBOROUGH WHARF Smack bang in between Shoreditch, Hoxton and Angel is Gainsborough Wharf, home to London’s latest boat hotels, or – you’ve guessed it – ‘boatels’. The two floating B&Bs, Osbert and The Palmer, are immaculately designed, and kitted out with all the modcons you’d expect in a ‘normal’ hotel – fully functioning toilet, shower, kitchen, central heating, electricity and water. Osbert, named after cartoonist Sir Osbert Lancaster, is a sizeable wide beam canal boat (55ft x 10ft), designed with incredible attention to detail, including copper lined lights for a warm glowing effect and quality reclaimed marble. Entertainment includes a curated music collection and film projector.
The Palmer is larger, fitting four guests instead of two, and spent most of its time cruising the South West before retiring to the Wharf in 2015. Fitted with mid-century furniture and antique tiles, this is a luxury experience that just happens to be floating. The king-size bedroom offers great views of the Wharf and its wildlife, alongside two private decks. Gainsborough Wharf is within walking distance of plenty of markets and delis (including Broadway and Columbia Road), but for or people who prefer a lie-in, breakfast hampers are prepared for each boatel. As an added extra, you can even have the boat sail to Broadway Market and back. From £180 per night, gainsboroughwharf.com
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| NEWS |
THE REVIEW: 45 JERMYN STREET
A WINTER’S TALE WORDS: KATY PARKER
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couring the streets of London for a restaurant on an icy December evening, I’m looking for the following: hearty, warming food to help with the defrosting of my extremities, a cosy, buzzy ambience and a potent selection of cocktails. Step around the side of Fortnum & Mason on Piccadilly and you will find a spot that delivers on all three. Situated on the most debonair of London addresses, 45 Jermyn St is nestled among the likes of Church’s and Turnbull & Asser and its décor echoes the old-world glamour of its neighbours, with burnt orange leather banquettes and a marble-fronted bar. The design is the work of Martin Brudnizki – the interior designer extraordinaire whose studio has made its mark on most of Mayfair, designing the terrace at Annabel’s, the recently revamped Academician’s Room at the Royal Academy of Arts and, perhaps most
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famously, Sexy Fish on Berkeley Square. I start where all good evenings should – at the bar – where I’m impressed to find a thoroughly comprehensive list of cocktails, with something for every occasion. Those nursing a sore head should flick straight through to the newly launched Bloody Mary menu, while those with a penchant for nostalgia should
Hapless gents, take note: this is a first-class date spot turn to the page dedicated to that ’50s favourite, the ice cream float. Be warned though: these are a grown-up take on the classic, and are by no means as innocent as they look. In the grip of a mild sugar high, I sit down for dinner in one of the restaurant’s romantic street-facing booths. Hapless
gents, take note: this is a first-class date spot. First up is the dressed Portland crab, which is understated but expertly balanced, and fantastically fresh. For the main I opt for a classic – Dover sole à la Meunière. With this, as with my starter, the chef has allowed the quality of the central ingredient to speak for itself and you get the sense that real care has been taken in the cooking. By now in need of a further injection of sugar, I peruse the dessert menu, and decide upon the fig cake with stout sorbet; the maltiness teamed with the fruity sweetness is the perfect marriage of flavours. Back into the cold night air, I am warmed by the knowledge that it won’t be long before I return to 45 Jermyn St, and with the new weekend menu offering lobster Benedict and indulgent roasts – not to mention a caviar trolley that I am yet to try – there is now more reason to go than ever. 45 Jermyn Street, SW1, 45jermynst.com
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DRINKS CABINET Grand Cru Champagne, £26.95, Berry Bros. & Rudd, bbr.com
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Blue Label Winter Edition 70cl, £225, Johnnie Walker Blue Label, whiskyshop.com
THE HOLY BIRDS
Mount Gay XO cask strength limited edition 70cl, £150, Mount Gay, selfridges.com
Les Petites Gold Brut, £125, Armand de Brignac, harrods.com
Ginvent gin advent calendar, £124.95, Gin Foundry, ginkiosk.com
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Just off Petticoat Lane Market, the new collaboration from the award-winning Calabrese Brothers, The Holy Birds, is laid out over two floors, with the restaurant, bar, lounge and private dining rooms all inspired by 1960s modernism. The upstairs restaurant is the first in London to specialise in all manner of locally-sourced, free-range poultry, from chicken and duck, to grouse and pheasant. Downstairs, the cocktail lounge offers a menu designed by the father of the Calabreses, who himself started working in the industry in the ’60s. 94 Middlesex Street, E1, theholybirds.com
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING Wine + subscriptions = a perfect Christmas pairing WORDS: CHRIS ALLSOP
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wine subscription makes for a wonderful present. We’ve lined up three of the best wine club operations, so that in the act of giving, you’re not condemning someone to 12 months of disappointment.
BERRY BROS & RUDD WINE CLUB You know you’re in safe hands with Berry Bros & Rudd, a company that can trace its wine merchant roots back to the reign of William of Orange. Its wine club has four levels. ‘Bourne’ is the bottom end, with a mixed case (three pairs of whites and three pairs of reds) costing £120 (expect wines like a £13.95 2014 Barbera D’Asti by Laiolo Reginin), rising up to £300 per case for top level ‘Wellington’ (containing tipples such as a £23.95 2011 Toolangi Vineyards Estate Chardonnay). The wines are accompanied by elegantly produced taste and pairing notes. Membership also
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brings a 10 per cent discount on anything bought online. Berry Bros has chosen to incentivise the gifter this year with the promise of a free bottle of its Own Selection Champagne if they purchase the wine club as a gift between 1 November – 21 December. A personalised letter is provided to wrap and place beneath the tree, and the giftee will receive their first case on 23 January, thus proving – yet again – that any attempt at a ‘dry January’ is a fool’s errand. bbr.com
LE PETIT BALLON With the former head sommelier at The Ritz, Paris – Jean-Michel Deluc – selecting two delectable bottles of wine per month, it’s no wonder online wine shop Le Petit Ballon has shot up to 40,000 subscribers for its wine club – and the French company has set its sights on the UK. Access to its superbly executed wine programme has been made all the easier through a selection of three, six, and 12-month gift subscriptions. Starting from £74.70 for a three-month package, both bottles of wine come complete with respective tasting notes as well as the brand’s wine magazine, The Gazette, which features recommended food and wine pairings, recipes, travel guides, and other
wine-associated titbits. As a bonus to the standard subscription gift, this Christmas Le Petit Ballon will also deliver a present with every gift card: either a bottle of wine or a tasting kit that includes two wine glasses, a Le Petit Ballon bottle opener, and tasting notes. lepetitballon.co.uk
AVERYS CLARET CLUB For the Bordeaux obsessive, Averys of Bristol’s Claret Club is a fine port of call. Quarterly cases cost from £105 and include wines such as an intense Château Picheron 2010 Bordeaux or a fruity Château Fournas Bernadotte 2004 Haut Médoc. The wine merchant has a long history in Bordeaux and built its substantial reputation on being a specialist in the region. The club’s mission statement claims to compile a parcel of claret that offers the best combination of ‘authenticity, value and clarity’. averys.com
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| NEWS |
THE ORIGINAL CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE Charles-Camille Heidsieck was the first merchant to take Champagne Stateside. A story of war, bankruptcy, espionage, and prison, there must have been something in the bubbles… WORDS: DAVID TAYLOR
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evellers in the US bought 20.5 million bottles Orleans in the Confederate South, to claim his debts of Champagne last year, making it the second directly. Unfortunately for him, New Orleans was largest export market behind the UK for the bankrupt, save for one of Charles’s clients, who owned celebratory tipple. And all those hangovers can be a warehouse full of cotton. Charles accepted this as attributed to one Frenchman who saw that the New payment, and attempted to sneak it past the Union World needed some French flair: Mr Charles-Camille blockade that surrounded the city by using blockade Heidsieck – the original Champagne Charlie. running ships. These were sunk, along with his money. He came from good vintage. As the nephew of Out of pocket and disheartened, Charles decided Florens-Louis, the founder of what is now Piperhe’d sail to Mexico and escape to Europe. In order to Heidsieck, and the son of Charles-Henri, a man, who in help his safe travels, the French consul in the town of 1811 rode into Moscow ahead of Napoleon’s army with Mobile had Charles take a diplomatic pouch to New cases of champagne and his order book, ready to provide Orleans, from where he would sail. When he arrived, alcoholic service to whichever side won, Charles was the city had fallen into Union hands, and Charles was never destined to a quiet life among Reims’ vineyards. arrested on suspicion of spying for the French. He The real action began just before his 30th birthday. denied knowledge of any information contained in Not content with working for the family firm, Charles the pouch – actually orders for more ammunition for branched off and formed his own Champagne house, the Confederate army – but was held in Fort Jackson, eventually storing his wines in ancient Roman caves along the Mississippi, sparking what became known below the town (almost 165 years on, the same caves as the Heidsieck Incident. are still used for the maturation process). Believing It took six months, a petition from his wife and that France’s Champagne houses had successfully a letter from Napoleon III to Abraham Lincoln, to saturated Europe, Charles took a leap of faith and in secure his release, by which time he was bankrupt 1852 crossed the Atlantic to North America, touring and frail. New England and New York, partying with the great For once is his life, Charles then got lucky. The and good, and selling his Champagne on a mass brother of his American agent offered some land in scale. When he returned to the US five years later, he the US as payment for his sibling’s debts. The land arrived to banquet receptions and huge newspaper was originally part of a 300-strong village that had coverage, welcoming back ‘Champagne Charlie’. grown to 300,000 inhabitants following a flood He sold 300,000 bottles in 1857 alone. of refugees from the South. The halcyon days didn’t last long. By 1861, Charles was now the owner of a third of Jeroboam Cosmopolite, £320, Denver. He sold the land and returned his America had collapsed into civil war, and fortnumandmason Champagne house to its former glory – the with more than half of his money tied up in the US, Charles travelled back to settle serene hilltop cellars expressing nothing up. His American agent, however, used new about their owner’s remarkable story. legislation, which absolved the north from One-hundred-and-sixty-five years later, paying for cotton, to claim that his debts the nickname may have been bestowed on were wiped clean. Charles had no choice countless bon vivants, but there will only but to make a clandestine journey to New ever be one true Champagne Charlie.
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THE CITY MAGAZINE | December 2016
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| NEWS |
R U E V I V BON
IFE] [CITY L
Our man-abOut-tOwn, Innerplace’s nIck savage, gIves yOu the InsIder lOwdOwn On lOndOn’s mOst hedOnIstIc haunts
MAYFAIR’S BEST NEW RESTAURANTS
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t’s become tradition in Mayfair for a raft of top quality, international restaurants to launch just as the days grow shorter and London begins to buckle down for the Christmas season. Despite a turbulent political year, this hasn’t changed in 2016. The most anticipated restaurant to open its doors is likely StreetXO, opened by David Muñoz, a 36-year-old Spanish chef who earned three Michelin stars at his Madrid restaurant DiverXO, and is largely seen as inheriting the mantle of Ferran Adrià and the El Bulli set. Originally slated to open in 2014, StreetXO is well worth the wait and entirely sui generis. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it. Servers and chefs don whites that seem to have been inspired by Mary Shelley’s gothic novels, a heady throb of techno thumps out of the PA system, and diners crowd around narrow cerisecoloured counters and tables to attack their plates with cutlery that resembles surgical equipment. It’s like dining at L’Atelier du Joel Robuchon pumped
celebrated Icelandic sculptor Olafur Eliasson. up with steroids, and a smattering of Executive chef Emma Bengtson and head psychedelics thrown in for good measure. chef Henrik Ritzen have put together a menu The real magic is on the plate, though. If of seasonal Scandinavian-inspired dishes you’re lucky, you may experience one dish poised to take over London, a city without an at a restaurant so flavourful that it offers abundance of New Nordic restaurants. a head rush. At StreetXO it was a litany. It Finally, Shaun Rankin has put Mayfair in is continent-hopping fusion at its finest, his crosshairs to open the follow-up to his inspired by the aggressive flavours peddled Jersey-based Michelin-starred restaurant, by street hawkers across the world. And Ormer. Sharing the same name, it’s nestled frankly, it’s mind-bending. in the opulent basement level of Flemings A stone’s throw away in St James, Aquavit Hotel on Half Moon Street, which has been has opened its doors and offers an entirely given a beautiful Art Deco refit by Tony different yet equally appealing experience. Filmer, replete with geometrically patterned Brought to the UK by Philip Hamilton, it marble floors, oak wood panelling and will be the sibling restaurant to Aquavit in forest green banquettes and chairs. The food New York, a New Nordic venture that quickly evinces Rankin’s sensitivity to seasonality scooped up a pair of Michelin stars. Again, and Great British cuisine, and is executed the dining room is almost diametrically with virtuosity, particularly in dishes like his faced to SteetXO’s, offering a masterclass in Jersey lobster ravioli with crab and tomato soothing Scandinavian comfort. Put together by all-star designer Martin Brudnizki, it offers salad and shallot salad. Ormer has poached an excellent sommelier, Andreas Rosendal, a sophisticated mid-century modern previously of Restaurant Sat Bains, The look with clean light woods, Greenhouse and Brasserie Chavot. dynamic private dining Innerplace is London’s personal Great things are being rooms, and artwork from lifestyle concierge. Membership achieved in Mayfair’s provides complimentary access restaurants. Expect the to the finest nightclubs, the best antennae of Michelin restaurants and top private members’ reviewers’ to be twitching. clubs. Innerplace also offers priority bookings, VIP invitations and updates on the latest openings. Membership from £50 a month.
clockwise from top left Aquavit; Ormer; StreetXO; Aquavit; Ormer; Ormer; Aquavit
innerplace.co.uk
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The Macallan Rare Cask
A single malt produced through meticulous dedication to the woods involved, The Macallan Rare Cask is aged exclusively in sherry oak casks. This unique expression sees soft notes of opulent vanilla and raisin pique the nose, giving way to a sweet ensemble of apple, lemon and orange. ÂŁ200, available at Harrods, harrods.com
RAISE A GLASS
| PROMOTION |
Discover the story behind The Macallan and the time-honoured cask process the whisky maker still uses today
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ever has a drink caused such a sensation as the Martini in 1964, when Sean Connery’s James Bond first uttered the phrase “shaken, not stirred”. But avid fans of Ian Fleming’s novels will know that the character often favoured a whisky over a cocktail, a fact that film buffs finally cottoned on to in Skyfall, when Daniel Craig cracked open a 50-year-old bottle of The Macallan’s finest. While Bond may have been slow on the uptake, the rest of the world has been enjoying the distillery’s liquid gold for a little while longer – 192 years, in fact. Founded in 1824 in Scotland by farmer Alexander Reid, who leased eight acres of land from the Earl of Seafield, The Macallan’s distillery was one of the first in Scotland to be legally licensed and is still located on the same grounds today as it was when it was first established. Nearly two centuries later and the brand is still committed to the original founder’s dedication to high quality spirits, and many of its older single malts have become highly-coveted collectors’ items – in 2014, The Macallan M Imperiale 6-litre Lalique decanter sold at auction in Hong Kong for $628,000. Today, the barley used to create each batch is still grown on the grounds surrounding The Macallan Estate, and the spring water used is drawn from its very own springs that are located on site. The warehousing process, on the other
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hand, is decidedly more international: while still located in the Scottish distillery, the wooden casks used for maturation are made out of wood from forests located in both America and Spain. “We use two types of oak: Quercus Alba, an American white oak, and Quercus Robur, a European oak,” explains The Macallan’s Master of Wood, Stuart MacPherson. “These two varieties give us different styles, characteristics and colours, which complement a number of our products.” The American oak is sourced from forests in Ohio, Kentucky and Missouri, whereas the European oak mainly comes from the north of Spain. The production for each cask is a lengthy process and can take up to six years to mature. “After cutting the logs in the north of Spain, we leave the wood to dry naturally for a period of time to reduce the moisture before transporting it to the south, where we leave it for a further two years to dry,” says MacPherson. “You then have the cask construction and seasoning process – we season with dried sherry – and that takes an average of 18
At this moment in time, more than 250,000 casks are maturing at the distillery
months. Then we deliver the casks to the distillery in Scotland.” At this moment in time, more than 250,000 casks are maturing at the distillery. The quality and type of oak used is fundamental to the creation process, with 80 per cent of each whisky’s characteristics and 100 per cent of its colour coming from the wood itself. “The Quercus Alba cask will give you a much lighter colour and more vanilla and citrus flavours, while the Quercus Robur will create a much darker shade and a flavour of dried spices, chocolate and citrus,” says MacPherson. “The combination of these two types of casks and what it creates gives us more opportunities.” While MacPherson jokes that he wasn’t around in 1824, he affirms that the maturing process is likely to be very much the same as it was 192 years ago. “Like most industries today, machinery has taken over some of the more arduous tasks, but fundamentally a cask that has been made now would have been the same in the 17th century.” Almost two centuries down and still counting, what does the future hold for The Macallan? “I think The Macallan as a brand has grown significantly in the last 15 to 20 years. It’s probably one of the largest single malts in the Scotch industry now. “I like to think that with the popularity of the brand and the new emerging markets that there are worldwide, the brand will hopefully go from strength to strength and that consumers from all over the world will have the opportunity to sample our whisky. Things are looking very positive for the growth of The Macallan for the future.” Cheers to the next 192 years. themacallan.com
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24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE
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| FEATURE |
In the age of Siri, StubHub and various nightlife planning websites, the concept of a lifestyle concierge may seem somewhat archaic. But, following the arrival of the Night Tube and the appointment of London’s first Night Tsar, the capital’s night-time economy has received a muchneeded shot of adrenaline. With a host of high-profile openings planned for 2017, when it comes to partying like a VIP, Richard Brown discovers that it’s still all about who you know
‘M
ate, you get paid to get sloshed all the time. Where’d be good to take the boys for my birthday?’ Delete as appropriate and replace with ‘clients for lunch’ or ‘the missus for our anniversary’, and you get the gist of the email / text message / voicemail that regularly lands in my inbox. Work for a magazine like this one, and you automatically become a personal lifestyle concierge. Friends and family expect you to have at least one finger on London’s party pulse; to know which openings have slithered and which ones have shouted their way to the top of the capital’s social scene. And who to chat up in order to blag a table there. In situations like these, I turn to my good friend Tim Badham, a man who measures the palpitations of London’s heartbeat with a stethoscope. Tim, you see, is in the party business, and here it pays to keep abreast of where’s hot and where’s scorching.
“We intended to upgrade the social life of our members”
CIRCLES, FROM LEFT: Dean Street Townhouse; Chiltern Firehouse; Rosewood London top row, FROM LEFT: Toy Room; Blacks Soho; Dean Street Townhouse; Project; BOTTOM ROw, FROM LEFT: Cecconis; Project; The Wolseley
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Tim founded Innerplace in 2004. Having worked as an investment banker for Merrill Lynch, Tim believed the capital was lacking a service that provided City-types direct access to the exclusive restaurants, bars and nightclubs. His mission statement was simple: “We intended to upgrade the social life of our members.” Insider knowledge is the cornerstone of any good concierge. Firms like Innerplace trade off the fact that they are better connected and more in-the-know than you. Surely, though, in the information age, where the contact details of hosts and maître d’s are available online, and reservations can be made with a click of a button, the basic business plan of a concierge company begins to unravel? Bon Vivant was set up by Emyr Thomas in 2009. It charges £200 a month for membership and while Emyr concedes that the internet has made London’s social scene far more accessible, he says that it’s his little black book for which his clients are paying. “Sure, you could spend hours researching a night out, but getting a table at a hot new London restaurant is almost impossible unless you know someone who works there. That’s where we come in. We provide clients access through our connections.” At Innerplace, basic ‘Resident’ membership costs £50 per month, plus a £75 joining fee. Top tier ‘Red’ membership will set you back £3,000 annually, with
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LONDON’S MOST WELL–CONNECTED MEN
a £400 signing-on fee. So, what are you getting for your money? “Free entry to most London clubs,” says Tim. “Plus complimentary welcome Champagne at over 100 top restaurants. We host our own members’ parties every three months, enabling our members to meet and mingle with like-minded people in cool, usually recently-launched venues. We deal with some very exclusive places who simply wouldn’t accept people that weren’t their own members.” Cynical about forking out for anything I could conceivably have a half-decent crack at myself, I recently put Innerplace to the test. The brief was simple: 10 blokes, two milestone birthdays, and one suitably salubrious night out, please. Innerplace suggested Project, a nightclub tucked away in Fitzrovia, set up, says its website, to cater for ‘London’s Elite’ – whoever they are. True to Tim’s word, when we arrived, we bypassed the considerable queue, passed door policy, even as a large, maleonly group, and were subsequently shown to two tables directly opposite the DJ. Innerplace had even persuaded Project to waiver its usual minimum spend per table policy, softening the financial hangover considerably. The night was as a banger. Of course, the 21st-century concierge does a lot more than organise the sort of nights out where your Champagne comes served with a side of fireworks. Ben Elliot co-founded what is now London’s bestknown concierge, Quintessentially Lifestyle, in Soho in 2000. Today, his company has five global hubs and offices in more than 60 international cities. Here, representatives are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Quintessentially prides itself on ‘specialising in extreme service, from the elite to the impossible’. Ben elaborates: “We’ve organised lunch on an iceberg; We’ve closed the Sydney Harbour Bridge for a member to propose at the top of it; we secured Elton John to sing at a wedding; we’ve sourced 20 Pierrot-style artworks for one member’s wife within one week – the list goes on.”
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BEN ELLIOT, 41
Founding director of Quintessentially Lifestyle Membership: from £1,500 per year, quintessentially.com “We deal with lots of different types of people from CEO’s, royalty to students and housewives. We also work with a wide range of brands which currently include Facebook, HSBC and Aston Martin. Their requirements range from brand activations, intimate dinners and large scale launches all around the world.” “Our dedicated private events team work with non-members on their private parties and weddings throughout the year. Requests can range from a small housewarming party to a wedding abroad – all of our clients receive the same level of care.”
LONDON UNCOVERED Best Bar? The bar at The Connaught Best Restaurant? The Wolseley and The Delaunay Best Club? Annabel’s, an old-school favourite – perfect for after dinner drinks Best Hotel? The Beaumont in Mayfair What’s London’s best kept secret? 5 Hertford Street Which openings should we be most excited about in 2017? The New Annabel’s on Berkeley Square will be a big one.
EMYR THOMAS, 36
Founder of Bon Vivant Membership: £200 per month / £2,000 per year, bonvivant.co.uk “All of our clients receive their own personal concierge to contact directly via email, phone or text, for all requests.” “We take care of every aspect of their lives – booking travel with access to upgrades and complimentary benefits at over 1,300 luxury hotels globally; access to the best restaurants that others wouldn’t be able to secure; access to VIP or sold out events; and help with a multitude of other services, all designed to save our clients time and improve the quality of their lives.”
LONDON UNCOVERED Best Bar? The Coburg Bar at The Connaught, Mayfair Best Restaurant? The Wolseley, Cecconi’s and Scott’s. I also love the buzz of Dean Street Townhouse Best Club? I’m more of a restaurant, late-night bar and members’ club kind of guy! Best Hotel? The Connaught What’s London’s best kept secret? The Champagne Room. Not strictly a full bar, but a secret spot for a clandestine meeting with some seriously good Champagne with a capacity of only 25. Which openings should we be most excited about in 2017? Shoreditch is getting a Nobu hotel and restaurant; The Ned from the Soho House group will be a big draw in the City.
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| FEATURE |
TIM BADHAM, 42
Founder of Innerplace Membership: from £50 per month, innerplace.co.uk “The London scene is in a state of perpetual flux, so it’s our job to keep members in the know about what’s hot and what isn’t and, more importantly, what will suit a particular person, client or occasion.” “We arrange large events particularly for our corporate clients but can also organise events for our other members, too – parties, receptions, large dinners, Christmas parties. Last year we even organised a private Star Wars screening, the week The Force Awakens came out, at a top hotel for one of our banking clients. We had Darth Vader, Stormtroopers and the Droids in attendance. The client loved experiencing something so different.”
In terms of frequency, restaurant reservations remain Quintessentially’s number one request, accounting for around 40 per cent of enquiries – but business is changing. “In the early days, we were renowned for our nightlife and event access. While we remain as strong as ever in these areas, our membership base has grown up, and so have we. We’re now able to help with experiential travel, introductions to influential people, philanthropy and education – the important things in life as well as the fun things.” For Emyr, too, requests are moving away from traditional reservations towards other areas of members’ lifestyles, particularly travel. “Our luxury travel services are becoming increasingly popular with people realising the benefit of having their own personal travel advisor to help with holidays and business trips,” he says. “We travel the world to scope out the best – whether it’s location, room product, or service. And, yes, while you could book travel arrangements yourself, you wouldn’t be able to secure benefits such as upgrades, free breakfast and £75 to spend on food and drink or spa services – which we offer with every room we book, at over 1,300 hotels across the globe.” All well and good, but let’s face it, the truest test of a concierge is delivering on the ludicrous requests of billionaire playboys. Tim has been asked to fly someone’s favourite burger from London to LA; Emyr’s been charged with arranging afternoon tea with Prince Albert from Monaco; but Ben just about pips it: “Within the space of three weeks, we had to assist with the setting up of a home
in Tangier with all the luxury trimmings a UHNWI would want – Arabian tents, musicians, security, a personal trainer, chef, staff, hosts, everything all the way down to uniforms. It was a mammoth task, with a few hair-raising moments, but we delivered, and with time to spare.” And therein lies the true value of London’s leading Mr Fix-its.
LONDON UNCOVERED Best Bar? MNKY HSE Best Restaurant? The Ledbury Best Nightclub? Tramp Best Hotel? The London Edition What’s London’s best kept secret? Blacks in Soho Which openings should we be most excited about in 2017? The Ned… coming to the City Q1 next year.
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clockwise from top left: The Wolseley; MNKY HSE; Scarfes Bar at Rosewood London; MNKY HSE; Coburg Bar at The Connaught
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MAGNUS
OPUS By the age of two, Magnus Carlsen could finish a 50-piece puzzle in minutes. By four, he could recite all the municipalities of Norway. By eight, he was already on his way towards becoming a chess prodigy. Today, the now 26-year-old is the world number one chess player, the highest ranking player of all time, and the focus of a new documentary, Magnus WORDS: CHRIS ALLSOP
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| INTERVIEW |
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The director of Magnus, Benjamin Ree, has produced a bracing cinematic bildungsroman from 500 hours of footage
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he media scrutiny at the World Chess Championships is intense. In the new award-winning documentary, Magnus (released Nov 25), it is this pressure-cooker atmosphere that opens the film, with the so-called ‘Mozart of chess’ Magnus Carlsen at its superheated core. In the scene, we see 22-year-old, square-jawed Carlsen waiting at the chessboard for the then number one, Vishy Anand (who is evidently playing mind games with the young pretender by keeping him waiting). The table is pushed up against a glass wall, at which a crowd of paps riot. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Kim Kardashian was undressing behind him. Carlsen is writhing in his chair, unable to conceal his nerves. At the film’s climax, we return to this moment, now filled with concern that this remarkable talent might buckle under the pressure as he has done on previous occasions. Chess and film aren’t the easiest of bedfellows – the longest tournament chess game of all time lasted 20 hours (maybe one for Lars von Trier) – but the director of Magnus, Benjamin Ree, has produced a bracing cinematic bildungsroman from 500 hours of footage that follows Carlsen as he progresses from being a dreamy child lost in his immense mental capacity, to world-beating chess god. And one of the most intriguing things, especially for Ree, is how Carlsen has managed to pull off what many consider impossible. “Chess is regarded as the touchstone of intellect, the ultimate battle of the minds,” says Ree. “During the last 15 years, Magnus Carlsen has become the highest ranked player of all time. I found it immensely fascinating that no one I talked to understood how Magnus Carlsen had become so good – not even himself.”
Carlsen, Ree continues, has studied the game in an entirely different way to history’s other great chess players. He has been driven by playfulness and curiosity, rather than discipline and structure. “I wanted to understand how Magnus’ brain works,” the director adds, “and discover who he really is on a deeper human level.” With Carlsen naturally taciturn when it comes to expounding on his interior workings (as he says in the documentary: “I keep a lot of my demons to myself – not sharing is always easier than sharing”), Ree – and the viewer – are somewhat frustrated in the goal of deep Carlsen understanding. The Norwegian appears to be a one-off. But through watching him closely, as the documentary does, we feel as if we get to know him on some level. Maybe. Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen was born in 1990 in the town of Tønsberg, on Norway’s southern coast. Chess entered his life at the age of five, after his parents noted his aptitude with numbers. A few years on, he was hooked. “That brought some confidence,” Carlsen’s father, Henrik, narrates in his gentle, throaty voice. But what was it during this developmental period that allowed Henrik to ultimately achieve in ways that his fellow chess prodigies could not? “It was no accident that it was me rather than my peers in Norway that made it,” he told The Guardian earlier this year. “They may have had chess training once a week and then a tournament on the weekend, like a normal hobby. But it was something I wanted to do every day, so it was only natural that I surpassed them. How I managed to take the next steps rather than others, I cannot tell you.” The footage of his childhood and teen years demonstrates how those touched by greatness are often isolated. “It’s hard to be cool when you play chess,” Carlsen admits at one point, as the film touches
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on his detachment at school, only exacerbated by regular bullying for his lack of physical prowess. This treatment only served to deepen a natural introversion, but – fortunately for this genius – his parents and three sisters have been a continuously positive presence; indeed, his father is perpetually at his side helping him to relax and relate as the pair travel the world during Carlsen’s pre-teen nudge into the upper echelons of the chess hierarchy. In 2004, aged just 14, he manages to draw with chess titan (and world number one at the time) Garry Kasparov, celebrating with a McDonald’s after the game. But it’s during this same extraordinary year that he snaps, playing in the World Championships for the first time in his hoodie, biting his lip, surrounded by a crowd of serious, bearded men in suits. He describes how he feels during a mental meltdown: “When your intuition doesn’t work, you don’t speak the language any more. You used to be fluent and then you cannot speak.” His father’s voiceover suggests that Carlsen was “too young” for the challenge, that afterwards he was “angry” at himself. But in the aftermath are images of Carlsen’s face half-illuminated by the television, mouth hanging open, any anger locked up somewhere inside. Introverts with extraordinary mathematical skills are, today, usually viewed as being somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Indeed, for Carlsen, it’s perhaps telling that his Wikipedia page eschews the usual ‘Personal Life’ chapter for something titled ‘Beyond Chess’. Watching scenes in the film such as a 22-year-old Carlsen playing blindfold at Harvard against “ten of the best chess-playing lawyers in the world” does make you wonder; during that challenge, he had to remember the position of 320 pieces and their movements while also calculating moves and counter moves on each board. In interviews, Carlsen has denied any issues with autism or social awareness, and, in fact, as the documentary progresses, we watch Carlsen grow into himself, become easier in his own skin. In fact, it’s clear that Ree believes that Magnus is the opposite of autistic, and that it’s the well-adjusted individual that he’s become that helps to make him so good. His solid upbringing and devoted parental attention has imparted a fluidity – perhaps due to a heightened emotional intelligence – that helps to set Magnus apart from players entombed by years of inflexible, joyless training practices. The climax of the film is the showdown in November 2013 with the immaculately coiffed Anand, held in the defending champion’s hometown of Chennai, India. The tone of the build-up echoes the
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Introverts with extraordinary maths skills are usually viewed as being somewhere on the autistic spectrum... Ree believes Magnus is the opposite of autistic
Image © Frans Peeters
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famous montage from Rocky 4, when Dolph Lundgren’s Ivan Drago is fine-tuned for the fight in a state-of-the-art, homoerotic lab, while Rocky simply galumphs around the snowy Russian countryside in his bomber jacket. Five-times world champion Anand is built up as the Lundgren cyborg, whose preparation with computer analysis means that he often doesn’t have to think for himself during a match, as all the best moves are already programmed into his vast memory. Best of all, Anand has a team of grandmasters pouring over Carlsen’s games ahead of the final, searching for weaknesses. And then the camera cuts to Carlsen in preparation, in jeans, by himself with a laptop, looking distracted. After defeating Anand, the new world champion demonstrated the depth of his ability the following year, when he became world champion of chess at all speeds with victory at the World Rapid Championship and then at the even faster World Blitz Championship. Carlsen even defended his title successfully against Anand. And, possibly even more impressive, while it might be hard to be cool while playing chess, the maturing Carlsen has proven that it’s not impossible. Having already made the TIME 100 list, he became perhaps the smartest fashion model that’s ever lived when G-Star Raw signed him up on a modelling contract. Carlsen has been wearing the Dutch label’s clothes at tournaments, probably causing quite a stir among the other grandmasters as they realise sartorial options exist beyond oversized grey suit jackets and striped polos. There was even a G-Star TV ad with Lily Cole, where the pair run, fall about a bit, and stare at a chessboard. Now he’s the one to beat. This month, the media circus has turned its lens on the chess world once again. Sergey Karjakin is the challenger at the World Chess Championship match in New York City, a Russian who is only a year older than Carlsen, who also learned to play chess when the rest of us were drooling on our Duplo, and is the record holder for being the world’s youngest Grandmaster at the age of 12 years and seven months. For all of that, the odds are in Carlsen’s favour; Karjakin has only scored one win to the Norwegian’s four over their past meetings. But perhaps the pressure will once again disrupt Carlsen’s inner machine, maybe the fact that the match is bring broadcast in virtual reality for the first time will rattle his mojo? You wouldn’t bet on it. The 12-game World Chess Championship 2016 between Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin takes place between 11–30 November in New York City; Magnus is released in cinemas 25 November.
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LEARN WITH THE MASTERS Take your love of chess to Morocco with the Chess Masterclass Weekend from 4 to 8 May 2017. Following on from its first event in October 2016 (hosted by British Grandmasters Nigel Short and Stuart Conquest), guests on the second weekend will be joined by five-times world champion Vishy Anand and 2008 British Champion Stuart Conquest. Guests on the chess retreat will stay at Ezzahra, a private estate of three luxury villas in Marrakech, on an all-inclusive basis including spa and beauty treatments, chess classes, meals, airport transfers and local wines.
Over the four-night stay, experienced players, who are members of clubs and play tournaments, can benefit from top flight instruction and beginners can have tuition sessions geared to their level of experience. All guests will have real game analysis and the opportunity to play against some of the best players in the world. Outside of the villas, visits to the grand souk, shopping trips and a tour of the Majorelle Garden can be arranged, too. £2,400 per person, £500 for nonchess playing partners, ezzahra-morocco.com
Skull silver chess set, £95,000, Theo Fennell, theofennell.com
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Celebrating 100 years of
D E AR BO EI N G , HAPPY 1 0 0 T H AN N IVER SARY. DO E SN ’ T TIM E FLY. The Boeing 100 mechanical watch, limited to only 300 timepieces, recognises Boeing’s leading position as a defense and commercial aircraft manufacturer. The watch is manufactured from Boeing aviation-grade Ti 6-4 titanium, a special metal that is significantly stronger than commercial titanium. It also features carbon fibre composite from the historically significant and technologically advanced Boeing Dreamliner flying testbed aircraft, ZA004, which can be found integrated into the crown of each timepiece.
Mayfair Boutique · 29 South Audley St, London, W1K 2PE · Tel: +44 (0)207 493 5150 City Of London Boutique · 12 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange, London EC3V 3LQ · Tel: +44 (0) 207 220 7134
Bremont Boeing100_City Mag 210x297.indd 1
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WATCHES & JEWELLERY CeleBratiNg the delightful aNd the diviNe froM the world of fiNe jewellery aNd haute horology Genève Tempus Terrae 25th Anniversary Edition, Andersen
Orbis Terrarum Special Edition Great Britain, Montblanc
Meister Driver Chronoscope, Junghans
The C1 Great Malvern Power Reserve, Christopher Ward
Sarpaneva / Black Badger Northern Lights collection
SALONQP 2016
Sarpaneva / Black Badger Northern Lights collection
Overseas World Time, Vacheron Constantin
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Montblanc and Chopard celebrated SalonQP with the launch of new timepieces in November. Montblanc used the UK’s largest premium watch show to unveil the Orbis Terrarum Special Edition Great Britain, a world-time wristwatch with a dial adorned with a Union Jack; Chopard debuted an 18-karat rose gold version of its L.U.C GMT One. Elsewhere, Girard-Perregaux marked its 225th year by exhibiting a collection of 225 unique timepieces, which are usually housed in its La Chaux-de-Fonds-based HQ. Curated shows educated guests on the history of the diving watch, the emergence of ‘travel time’ pieces, and a range of rare skills that the watch industry is almost singlehandedly responsible for keeping alive. Established in 2009, SalonQP has been hosted in the Saatchi Gallery for the last six years. The event has operated as part of the Telegraph Media Group since 2014. salonqp.com L.U.C GMT One in 18-karat rose gold, Chopard
Petite Heure Minute Thousand Year Lights, Jaquet Droz
Sarpaneva / Black Badger Northern Lights collection
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LANGE’S HONEY TRAP
S E H C T A W
] CTION E L L O [C
RD BROWN
HA WORDS: RIC
There’s a reason that all A. Lange & Söhne datedisplaying timepieces are photographed with 25 in their date window. On 24 October 1994, Walter Lange held a press conference announcing the restoration of the company his greatgrandfather had established in 1845. Knowing that daily newspapers would be reporting the announcement the following day, Lange set the date on his new flagship Lange 1 wristwatch to 25, and, alas, a tradition was born. To mark that watch’s 22nd birthday, the brand has unveiled a ‘Dresden’ edition of the Lange 1 Time Zone. Differentiating the special issue from its standard version are subtle colour changes; the dots between city names and GMT are blue instead of red, as is the previously black peripheral ring of the second time zone. Not so subtle is the replacing of ‘Berlin’ with ‘Dresden’ to represent Central European Time. The watch arrives in 18-karat ‘honey’ gold and has a diameter of 41.9mm. Only 100 will be produced. Lange 1 Time Zone Dresden Edition, £46,400, A. Lange & Söhne, alange-soehne.com
Not so subtle is the replacing of ‘Berlin’ with ‘Dresden’ to represent Central European Time RED HANDED
Junghans’ Retro Racing Lines In a watch year characterised by nostalgic reinterpretations of a great swathe of halo timepieces – five of the most significant being Patek Philippe’s Nautilus, Audemars Piguet’s Royal Oak, Vacheron Constantin’s Overseas, Girard-Perregaux’s Laureato and Piaget’s Polo – Junghans presented this vintage-inspired showstopper of a stopwatch. According to the brand, inspiration for the Meister Driver Chronoscope came from the dashboard instruments of 1930s Maybachs and Mercedes models from the ’50s. With colour-contrast sub-dials and large minute markers, which take precedence over smaller hour numerals, the Chronoscope is a tool watch that’s been designed with time measurement in mind. The self-winding, stainless steel, 40.8mm chronograph comes in at a consumer-friendly £1,790. The mid-century German automobile you need to complete the look might cost you a little more. junghans.co.uk
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Maurice Lacroix has made a limitededition version of its Masterpiece Skeleton Chronograph for Harrods. The 45mm timepiece was unveiled at SalonQP and incorporates a new automatic chronograph movement, produced exclusively for Maurice Lacroix by calibre creators Concepto. The hour and minute hands are diamond-cut and lined with luminescent coating. The Harrods edition comes with a red seconds hand and a red 30-minute chronograph disk at 3 o’clock. Masterpiece Skeleton Chronograph Harrods Edition, £5,350, mauricelacroix.com
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PAR EXCELLENCE
MB&F’S MAD MAD WORLD
If you’re familiar with MB&F, you’ll know that the brand’s creations seldom sit within one product category. While they do indeed tell the time, MB&F watches display the hours, minutes and seconds of the day in such inventive and intricate ways that to categorise them merely as timepieces would be to do a disservice to company founder, Max Büsser. Büsser doesn’t create watches; he conceives machines. The latest of which, the Horological Machine N°8 (HM8), is inspired by a Can-Am race car. It inverts a Girard-Perregaux base movement so that a battle-axe-shaped winding rotor faces upward, positioned between two ‘roll bars’ and visible through anti-reflective sapphire-crystal glass. Dual optical prisms vertically display bi-directional jumping hours and trailing minutes. As you can see, it’s not your typical piece of wrist wear. Then again, there’s rarely anything conventional about Büsser’s works of art, watch-wise or other. Having worked previously with high-end clockmaker, L’Epée 1839, to co-create a table clock, and with music box specialist, Reuge, to launch a mechanical, music-playing mini-space-ship, Büsser recently branched even further away from traditional watchmaking. His latest partnership, with coveted pen and crayon maker Caran d’Ache, is the Astrograph, a fountain pen designed to resemble a space rocket. Available in high-gloss rhodium, sandblasted matt rhodium or anthracite ruthenium, an ‘entry door’ to the rocket, concealed in the ring of the pen, activates the lowering of three stabiliser legs, on which the Astrograph can stand. The pen, comprising 99 components, comes with a miniature, magnetic astronaut figurine and a presentation box in the form of a launch pad. What to get the man who already has everything this Christmas? Max Büsser has just provided the answer. Horological Machine N°8, £66,900, Astrograph pen, £19,995, mbandf.com
Your closest Glashütte Original boutique is now just a two-hour Eurostar journey away. October saw the German watchmaker open a new flagship store on Paris’s Rue de la Paix. Glashütte Original now operates 21 boutiques across the world, though, sadly, London still remains lacking. To mark the occasion, the brand bolstered its Senator Excellence line with the launch of the Panorama Date (£7,100 in steel; £14,100 in red gold) and the Panorama Date Moon Phase (£7,900 in steel, £14,900 in red gold). Both models are equipped with Glashütte’s Calibre 36, which provides a 100-hour power reserve from a single spring barrel. The impressive feat – typically power reserves of more than 48 hours require the use of more than one spring barrel – was achieved through compacting the case in which the movement’s silicon balance spring sits. The Panorama Date mounts two concentric display discs on the same level, eradicating the need for a separation bar in its date window; once properly set, the Panorama Date Moon Phase will need correcting just one day in every 122 years. Glashütte Original was founded in 1994, following the privatisation of Germany’s Glashütter Uhrenbetriebe (GUB), a collection of watch, clock and instrument companies that had been nationalised in 1951. Unlike Lange (above left) the brand says it presents watches with 25 in the date window purely for aesthetic reasons. glashuette-original.com
Büsser doesn’t create watches; he conceives machines
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S E H C T A W NOMOS CREATES A CLASSIC Nomos Glashütte’s Minimatik is becoming something of a cult timepiece. The watch was recently awarded the German Design Award by the German Design Council. It is the fifth prize the Minimatik has won, having already scooped Red Dot, Good Design, iF Gold, and ‘Watch of the Year’ awards. Housed within the watch’s 35.5mm stainless case is Nomos’ 10th in-house calibre, the DUW 3001, which was first presented at Baselworld 2016. The fact that Nomos has managed to manufacture 10 of its own movements since it made the decision to eschew third-party calibres in 2005 is deserving of recognition in itself. Nomos is now available in Harrods. Minimatik, £2,850, nomos-store.com
MADE IN ENGLAND Big news from British brand Loomes: it has managed to manufacture a movement comprising components made entirely in England. Achieving the holy grail of homegrown watchmaking, company founder Robert Loomes, talking during SalonQP, explained that every element of the Stamford Original – plates, cocks, bridges, screws and jewels included – have been sourced through around 20 English engineering companies, before being assembled at Loomes’ Stamford-based HQ. The 39mm watch, also called Stamford, is being produced in a run of 12 white gold cases and 12 yellow gold cases. The price for a slice of British horological history? £28,500. robertloomes.com
CAPE COD’S LANDMARK YEAR
When Apple was looking for a way of elevating its first smartwatch from geeky gadget to executive accessory, it was telling that the tech giant chose to talk to fashion types through a collaboration with Hermès. Not for nothing is the (almost-entirely) familyowned French fashion house one of the most coveted luxury goods specialists on the planet. The Apple Watch Series 2 dropped in September, and with it the news that Hermès would continue making leather straps for a special edition of the timepiece, into which Apple would incorporate watch faces based on the Hermès Clipper, Espace and Cape Cod – the last of which is currently celebrating its 25th birthday. Launched in 1991, the Cape Cod was designed by Henri d’Origny, who had previously created the Hermès Arceau and Clipper, and took its inspiration from the chain of an anchor. In 1998, the Cape Cod appeared on the catwalk with a double wrap-around strap, thanks to the vision of women’s ready-to-wear art director, Martin Margiela. Several new iterations of the Cape Cod have been launched during 2016. A men’s model is now available with a cuff-style wristband, while dial options have expanded to include motherof-pearl, white lacquer, onyx and lapis lazuli. New gem-set editions have also been added. uk.hermes.com
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astron. the world’s first gps solar watch. As Novak Djokovic travels the world, his Astron GPS Solar keeps him on time, adjusting automatically to his time zone at the touch of a button and using just the power of light. With dual-time display, Astron is simply the world’s finest GPS Solar watch.
*If there are changes in the region / time zone, manual time zone selection may be required.
For stockists call: 01628 770988 | www.seiko-astron.com
to illustr ate its pa ssion for preserva diving an tion, from d underw 2008 to 2 ater producin 020 Blan g 12 Editio cpain is n Fifty Fa limited-e thoms, an dition pu annual blication by four d s h owcasing ifferent u 12 pictur nderwate on the la es r photog unch of th r a p h e r e s . b rand’s late timepiec e, The Cit st charity y Magazin -driven presiden e s p e aks to vic t alain de e lamuraz, of the m and pres ost strikin ents som g shots c e aptured so far WORDS: RICHARD BROWN
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W
hen does a watch become an icon? After shifting a particular number of units? Once it has celebrated a certain birthday? Perhaps it’s as it begins to achieve six-figure sums at auction. Whichever way you cut it, the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms has acquired legendary status. The watch may not be what the Royal Oak is to Audemars Piguet, or what the Nautilus is to Patek Philippe – indeed, the Fifty Fathoms still gets outsold by dressier sister collection, the Villeret – but the diver’s watches has, almost by proxy, become Blancpain’s most emblematic timepiece. Commissioned by the French Navy in 1953, the Fifty Fathoms beat both the Rolex Submariner and the Omega Seamaster to become the world’s first bona fide, modernday dive watch. More than six decades later, the timepiece continues to set the tone for almost all underwater tool watches. In 2014, following years of ocean conservation commitments, Blancpain reorganised its underwater initiatives under the Blancpain Ocean Commitment. Since then, the brand has co-financed 10 major scientific expeditions, helping to add three-million square kilometres to the total area of marine habitats protected across the world. In October, at the Royal Institute of Great Britain, Blancpain unveiled the Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II. It is the second line of limited-edition timepieces created as part of Blancpain’s commitment to the underwater world. Funds from the first watch were awarded to the Gombessa Project, a new study that is currently documenting the pack hunting behaviour of gray reef sharks along the Fakarava atoll, French Polynesia.
Post press conference, The City Magazine had the pleasure of speaking to Blancpain vice president, Alain Delamuraz, a man who has served the brand since 2001... “Five or six years ago, during Baselworld, the CEO of Tissot came to me and said ‘I’ve just met a guy who you need to meet’. I said, ‘no I can’t, I’m too busy’. He said, ‘no, trust me, you must meet this guy, you are the diving company.’ The guy’s name was Laurent Ballesta. He showed me two pictures and immediately I knew I was in trouble – they were beyond beautiful. I knew I had to talk to Mr Marc Hayek [Blancpain CEO and Brand President], it became my moral mission to show him these two images. When I did, he
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“The CEO of Tissot came to me and said ‘I’ve just met a guy who you need to meet’... He showed me two pictures – they were beyond beautiful”
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| COLLECTION | Opening spread Larger Than Life, William Winram, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2011 this image Glowfish, Keri Wilk, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012 right Sir Pepefish, Imran Ahmad, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012 BelOW Sleeping Beauty, Masa Ushioda, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012
Blancpain Ocean cOmmitment Bathyscaphe chrOnOgraph limited editiOn ii diameter 43.6mm case All-blue ceramic mOvement m Blancpain Calibre F385 prOductiOn run 250 pieces cOst c £14,000 (€1,000 of which will go to supporting the Blancpain Ocean Commitment)
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decided to meet Laurent immediately. They spent hours together looking at hundreds of his pictures. He knew straight away that we must work together. Laurent was honoured to become a Friend of the Brand. Marc Hayek is an experienced diver and also very passionate about what he does so this was natural for them. Laurent’s work was published in Edition Fifty Fathoms that year [2012].” “We are a real manufacture; we never buy movements from other watch companies. We sell half of our products to other brands when we exchange movements. In our manufacture you have the raw material arriving and we produce the tools that we need to make the pieces. From A-Z, we do everything in-house.” “We invented the first divers watch in 1953, so we wanted to make an impact in that field; we wanted to help fund expeditions that would leave our oceans in a better condition for our children. We trust institutions like National Geographic to choose how to use our money to achieve concrete results. We have doubled the size of the oceans being protected.” “The Bathyscaphe Flyback Chronograph Ocean Commitment II is the first time that someone has managed to make a watch case in blue ceramic. We’re not talking about covering the ceramic with a blue finish; we actually added blue pigment into the ceramic to cause a chemical reaction. The collection is limited to 250 pieces. For each timepiece sold, €1,000 will be donated to scientific expeditions.” “From January to April 2015, we had the best four months we’ve ever had. During the same months this year, we were 25 per cent down. But if you compare these four months with the same months in 2001, we were still making eight times the income. Who can say you’re in trouble when you’re doing eight times your income in 14 years? We’ve been experiencing double digit growth every year, except during the 2008-09 crisis. It’s a difficult period of time, yes, but I can tell you, it’s not the end of watchmaking.” “At the start of the year [January-April], we are around 15 per cent up in China. Globally, we are down around 20 per cent, more or less, that’s because of [a downturn in] France, Europe, the US and Hong Kong. But Hong Kong is on the increase. We must be careful about where we are spending money but I am not anxious; we never fire anybody. This was our philosophy even during 2008 and 2009. For months we were losing money, but we kept hold of our most important capital; our human capital.”
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ClOCkWiSE frOM tOp lEft Open Mouth, Reinhard Dirscherl, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2010; Pyschedelic, Imran Ahmad, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012; Crossing Flight Paths, Fred Buyle, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2011; Blue Monster, Keri Wilk, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012
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“Electronic products live and die. The first TVs, the first quartz watches, you can’t use these products anymore... Our product is a type of art”
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“India does not work for us. We tried it, it failed, we had to close. Sometimes you have to take a risk. We are strong enough to lose money for a while if it means that we are creating something – that’s what we did in China. Now, Chinese people remember that we were there before it was trendy. China was a good risk; India was a bad risk. One day the appetite will arrive.” “In gastronomy, you have the traditional style of cooking, and then you have the molecular approach, where you destroy and reconstruct. Some of the traditional chefs say ‘this is a catastrophe, we must react.’ I say, ‘you should study what the new chefs are doing; don’t do the same, but watch the way they are cooking the egg.’ It’s the same with the connected watch or the Apple Watch. It’s great, it’s new. It means that watches are moving forward.” “Electronic products live and die. The first TVs, the first quartz watches, you can’t use these anymore. The art of watchmaking will never die. As long as you have a brain and two hands and a heart you will be able to repair and redo a mechanical watch. Our product is a type of art – more expensive [than other watches], less accurate, but it will always remain an art form.” clockwise from top left Last View of Daylight, Amos Nachoum, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2009; Orange Balloon, Chris Newbert, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2010; Harmony, Doug Perrine, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2009; Dance of Life, Imran Ahmad, Edition Fifty Fathoms 2012
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IN THE DRIVING SEAT thiS image DRIVE de Cartier, 18k pink gold, £15,500 abOve DRIVE de Cartier, Large Date, Retrograde Second Time Zone and Day/Night Indicator, 18k pink gold, £18,200
Laurent Feniou, managing director of Cartier UK, looks back on this year’s brand highlights and speaks to Olivia Sharpe about Cartier’s exciting plans for 2017
T
he last 12 months have certainly constituted a busy year for Cartier. Kicking off in January at SIHH, the prestigious annual watch fair in Geneva, the French brand launched the men’s DRIVE de Cartier collection. Next came Magicien – a collection of one-off jewels first glimpsed this summer in the French Riviera and which have since been making their tour around the globe. This was followed by Cactus, Cartier’s cooler, more contemporary jewellery offering. And as the year closes, the jeweller plans to extend its signature Love range with new pieces in time for Christmas. The man behind the wheel of Cartier’s
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UK operations is Laurent Feniou. Formerly at Rothschild, he took over from executive chairman Arnaud Bamberger when he stepped down after 23 years at the helm. Moving from the corporate world to the luxury world of fine jewellery, watches and accessories might not seem the most obvious career step, but sitting opposite him in his office in London, I couldn’t imagine a man more suitable for the job. Feniou evidently hasn’t forgotten his former banking roots, smartly suited up in formal business attire for our meeting, but one flash of the Frenchman’s own DRIVE watch tells me that he is Cartier through and through. Indeed, the French
brand couldn’t have hoped for a better ambassador for its latest and most masculine model to date. Despite the sporty connotations, DRIVE hasn’t been designed for the action man, but rather for the modern-day gentleman in need of a watch for all occasions. “I believed from day one that DRIVE de Cartier would be a success in the UK market and it was,” he comments. “It’s very elegant, timeless and English. Men are becoming more educated about watches and they like to have a collection with different models depending on how they dress and what they do.” While not exactly a departure from Cartier’s collections to date, it is true that DRIVE is a new direction for the brand, having steered away from its traditionally unisex timepieces. As the managing director notes, the clean, crisp aesthetic of the Cartier Tank or the elegant curves of the Ballon Bleu sit well on both male and female wrists, but the DRIVE, with its strong lines, defined proportions and masculine guilloche dial, could only really work on a man. Cartier’s fresh take on its watch offering is hardly surprising given the house’s long-standing tradition of innovation. This summer saw the launch of Cactus de Cartier, a collection that immediately spiked the interest of press and clients alike because of its daring aesthetic. Drawing on one of the hottest trends of the season (cacti have been cropping up everywhere, from Paul Smith & Gufram’s psychedelic coat stand to Prada’s plant-based A/W16 collection), the range is a far cry from Cartier’s more traditional blooms. Pieces are bold and sculptural, featuring spiky and curved shapes in vivid shades of green chrysoprase, emerald and warm yellow gold, capturing the arid desert landscape. “Cactus de Cartier is the great novelty
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“In the past, we’ve worked with fossilised stones for instance, which aren’t as precious as diamonds, but are extremely rare”
fROM TOP DRIVE de Cartier Fyling Tourbillon, 18k pink gold, £72,000; DRIVE de Cartier, steel, £5,000; DRIVE de Cartier, 18k pink gold, £15,500; DRIVE de Cartier, 18k pink gold, £15,500; DRIVE de Cartier, Large Date, Retrograde Second Time Zone and Day/Night Indicator, steel, £7,000
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of 2016,” confirms Feniou. Unlike classic collections such as the Paris Nouvelle Vague or the Juste un Clou – “the key pillars of Cartier”, according to Feniou – Cactus is not immediately identifiable as Cartier, presenting an edgier, more contemporary side to the jeweller with chunky cocktail rings, well-proportioned cuffs and statement earrings. The collection experiments with different and more unusual gemstones, mixing emeralds with chrysoprase, lapis lazuli and carnelian beads. Cartier has never been afraid to explore new ground when it comes to unusual stones. “In the past, we’ve worked with fossilised stones for instance, which aren’t as precious as diamonds, but are extremely rare,” argues Feniou. “So what we’re looking at is the rarity and the interest from a design perspective.” And if you know anything about Cartier’s history, you’ll know this isn’t the first time the jeweller has been avant-garde – the now iconic panther design caused quite a stir when it was first unleashed in 1914. “When you think about Cartier over the years and the many collections we’ve launched, you can see how we’re constantly trying to create something that’s daring and different,” he adds. Every year, Cartier unveils a new high jewellery offering and this year’s Magicien is arguably its most spellbinding to date. The collection aims to highlight the magic of transforming a precious stone into a priceless piece of jewellery, an act performed by the dedicated team of craftsmen. Feniou explains how the design process always begins with the stone and in reverence to its skilled artisans – many of whom have been with the maison for years – they were each given the choice of which stone they’d like to work with. The next stage of the process involves the finished creations being presented in front of a committee to ensure that they reflect Cartier’s DNA. The managing director’s favourite piece is the Illumination bracelet, featuring brilliant-cut diamonds, carved rock crystal and one central 31.16-carat D IF emeraldcut diamond, which can be removed and transformed into a ring. “There are some pieces that one can imagine ending up in the Cartier Collection one day and this is it,” he says. “It’s a true masterpiece and requires the know-how of people who have been working as craftsmen for generations to create.” Feniou is well-placed to give advice on the best gifts for Christmas. For the Frenchman, who unsurprisingly has a taste for the finer things in life, you cannot go wrong with a bottle of Château Lafite or a holiday abroad. He has already gifted his two sons, aged 11 and 13, two Cartier watches each in the hope that they will continue to build their
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collections for years to come, and for his wife, a beautiful Ballon Bleu. While Feniou cannot predict which will be the most popular products for customers this Christmas, he notes that the internet is increasingly becoming an essential source of sales and is something the company is investing in for the future. “It is an extremely important element in the luxury world and it’s not just buying – it’s the whole experience. Before entering our boutique, clients spend lots of time on the website, educating themselves on products, style and price so that they come
to the store fully prepared.” Plans for 2017 don’t suggest that Cartier is slowing down, as the director reveals that the team is currently in the midst of planning an exciting exhibition in London for mid next year. And while he refuses to go into too much detail, he hints that it will be of international weight. “London is an extremely interesting, international hub. People from all over the world visit and live here so it will always remain a very important place for Cartier.” 020 7312 6930, cartier.co.uk
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IT’S SNOW TIME
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Oro Rosso gold watch, £17,800, Luminor Panerai, panerai.com; Oyster Perpetual Datejust 41 steel and yellow gold watch, £9,350, Rolex, rolex.com; Historiques Cornes de vache 1955 watch with brown strap, £45,000, Vacheron Constantin, vacheron-constantin.com; Timeless silver watch with blue dial, £660, Gucci, gucci.com; Constellation Calendar Watch with tan strap, £5,925, Omega, omegawatches.com; DRIVE De Cartier 18-karat pink gold watch, £15,500, Cartier, cartier.co.uk; Mechanical Perpetual Calendar Watch, £119,350, Patek Philippe, patek.com
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FEATHER CHRISTMAS PHOTOGRAPHER: EMMA TODD STYLIST: NATALIE READ
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Hortensia white gold, sapphire and diamond “Voie Lactée” earrings, £24,770, Chaumet, chaumet.com; Swallow emerald and diamond earrings, POA, Jessica McCormack, jessicamccormack.com; 18-karat white gold and diamond Serpent Bohème Necklace, POA, Boucheron, boucheron.com; Marquis diamond necklace, £90,000, Yeprem, yepremjewellery.com; Rose cocktail ring, £7,800, Piaget, piaget.com; Double finger amethyst, emerald and black diamond cocktail ring, £28,524, Ara Vartanian, aravartanian.com; 18-karat white gold Thorn bracelet, £20,950, Stephen Webster, stephenwebster.com; 18-karat white gold and diamond Angel hand bangle, £22,000, Messika, messika.com; 18-carat white gold and emerald drop earrings, £39,000, James Ganh, jamesganh.com; Secret Combination platinum and diamond hoop earrings, POA, Harry Winston, harrywinston.com; White gold and diamond Flower Chain, £23,000, Chanel, chanel.com; Oceana 18-karat white gold, diamond and sapphire cuff, POA, Vanleles Diamonds, vanleles.com
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| COLLECTION |
BE BOODLES Boodles invites us all to be more like the jeweller with its latest collection, launching just in time for Christmas. Available from 1 December, its new ‘icon collection’ for 2017 sees Boodles’ signature letter ‘B’ woven into a delicate lace openwork motif, which has then been set into feminine jewellery pieces, including a bracelet, pendant, earrings and two rings. Each piece is set in 18-karat rose gold and platinum, featuring diamond pavé and round brilliant-cut diamonds. From £6,850, 1 Sloane Street, SW1X, boodles.com
Y R E L L E JEW
] CTION E L L O [C
IA SHARPE
WORDS: OLIV
Connect Four Boucheron has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to mixing metals in fine jewellery, as illustrated by the Quatre collection. The bold yet strikingly simple four-stacked ring design has become a Boucheron signature and since its launch in 2004, has been reinterpreted around the four iconic motifs: the Double Godron, Ligne Diamants, Grosgrain and Clou de Paris. This year, the jeweller has deconstructed Quatre into the Grosgrain and Clou de Paris motifs, which can now be worn alone or together. The former’s ribbed, vertical lines reference Frederic Boucheron’s family of drapers, while the latter’s 3D design traces the cobblestones of the Place Vendôme – where Boucheron famously set up shop in 1893. Quatre collection, from £5,100, boucheron.com
Written in Stone
STRICTLY COME DANCING
The sizzling Spanish flamenco was the inspiration for Annoushka Ducas’ latest collection. The undulating folds of a fan – a traditional prop used by dancers to send coded messages to their suitors – have been captured in smoothly carved pink mother-of-pearl, as well as referencing the soft, feminine ruffles of their dresses. The recognisable fan motif gives Flamenco a distinctly Art Deco feel, as the mother-of-pearl has been cleverly offset with black rhodium and baguette diamonds for true vintage glamour. The limited-edition range was recently extended to include pale green jade pieces. Flamenco 18-karat white gold with diamond and mother-of-pearl cuff, £39,000, and jade & diamond earrings, £16,500, Annoushka, 41 Cadogan Gardens, SW3, annoushka.com
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While diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, they are often our bank balance’s worst enemy. And that is why Steven Stone – a family-owned jewellery company founded in 1937 – prides itself on offering its clients only the highest quality, GIA-certified diamonds and fine jewellery at competitive prices. Its showroom in London’s Marylebone houses a stunning selection of diamond and gem-set jewellery, as well as samples of its wedding and diamond ring collections available for you to try before you buy. Visit the store now for expert advice on the best gifts or if you’re looking to propose to that special someone this Christmas. 24 St Christopher’s Place, W1U, stevenstone.co.uk
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Christmas at
CANARY WHARF Spend your weekends with the kids in Canary Wharf this Christmas and keep them entertained with the exciting festive activities and delicious dining
canarywharf.com
@yourcanarywharf
HEAD HEAD LUMINOCITY Head down to LUMINOCITY for a whirl on the new LED ice rink which features over 16 million colours in an hour-long skating session. There’s a heated viewing terrace, plus a bar serving tasty street food by Pulled and Waffle On as well as mulled wine, seasonal cocktails, champagnes, wines, beers and soft drinks. The venue can host birthday parties, children’s parties and other private events. Worried about wintry showers? Fear not, the rink features a clear roof so you can enjoy a skate whatever the weather. Ice Rink Canary Wharf, Canada Square Park; icerinkcanarywharf.co.uk
LE PAIN QUOTIDIEN HEAD HEAD Le Pain Quotidien offers salads, sandwiches and various hot options as well as a mean breakfast or brunch to get your day started. Le Pain Quotidien, Jubilee Place; lepainquotidien.co.uk
CAROLS AND CANDLES
JAMIE’S ITALIAN HEAD HEAD Jamie’s Italian is usually a hive
Canary Wharf will come together
of activity – pop along for pizza,
on 14 December for two carol
pasta and a range of meat
concerts at the East Wintergarden.
options: it’s all fresh, seasonal
Featuring choirs from leading
and delicious.
Canary Wharf based businesses,
Jamie’s Italian, Churchill Place;
two services will be held at 5.30pm
jamiesitalian.com
and 7.30pm, with around 900 people expected to attend. It’s a great chance to get into the festive mood by belting out carols surrounded by your family and hundreds of glowing candles The event is free, but make sure you register beforehand. East Wintergarden
ARTS & CRAFTS HEAD HEAD Festive arts and crafts workshops are running every weekend of December, with activities including the chance to decorate a Christmas countdown clock, design a stocking, craft a bauble for the tree and make (and then eat) a gingerbread man. Children can also have their faces painted with a selection of festive designs. Throughout the malls
canarywharf.com
@yourcanarywharf
© 2016 TUMI, INC.
211 REGENT STREET • WESTFIELD SHEPHERDS BUSH • LONDON CITY AIRPORT CASE • HARRODS • SELFRIDGES • TUMI.COM/19DEGREE
TS__20161019_Gentleman_Journal_220x290_Right_Left_Page-19DEGREE.indd 1
19/10/2016 15:03
STYLE DECEmber 2016
earn your stripes with the united states dominating the news, Moncler and Thom Browne reveal a timely collaboration An instantly recognisable motif, the flag of the United States of America has found its way on to an exclusive capsule collection by French brand Moncler, best known for its down jackets. In collaboration with New York-based menswear designer, Thom Browne, the unisex ready-to-wear range of puffer duvet jackets, cashmere jumpers and accessories was created in honour of the Big Apple’s new Moncler shop on Madison Avenue – the brand’s first American flagship. The American flag mosaic (pictured) was mounted inside the boutique at its opening in November 2016, and the collection (including these pictured) is available to buy online. But don’t wait too long – we’ve got a distinct feeling these pieces are going to fly off the shelves. All proceeds will be donated to Robin Hood, New York’s biggest poverty fighting organisation. moncler.com
HIGHLAND FLING Since 1797, Johnstons of Elgin has been creating cashmere and fine woollen cloth, knitwear and accessories in Scotland. It even uses the same mill today as it did back then, in Elgin. The A/W16 collection is the perfect accompaniment to the colder climes and includes wardrobe essentials such as jumpers and leggings but also a cashmere eye mask. New this season is the introduction of its first womens’ loungewear range, in which we can imagine ourselves cosied up under in front of a fire, perhaps a thimble of Highland whisky to hand. johnstonscashmere.com
THE COSY EDIT whether you’re staying in or going out, ’tis the season to be snug
WORDS: BETHAN REES
Cashmere windowpane tunic, £299, Johnstons of Elgin, johnstonscashmere.com
Cashmere luxe hat, £89, Johnstons of Elgin, johnstonscashmere.com
ON THE RIGHT TRACK I can still remember a time when tracksuits were the reserve of mums dropping their children off at school, rollers in hair, trying not to be seen, or worn exclusively for exercise. Thankfully, comfort is key nowadays, and luxury pyjama designer Olivia von Halle has created the Missy tracksuit – a collection of understated, modern sweatshirts and tracksuit bottoms in a pure silk cashmere blend, so they feel as good as they look. Perfect for cosy (and stylish) nights in and long-haul flights, I’d be very tempted to wear the tracksuit in public, proudly. Missy tracksuits, £950, Olivia von Halle, oliviavonhalle.com
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Photography by James wright, So It Goes Magazine
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SLIP ’N SLIDE
AN ITALIAN JOB
Brunello Cucinelli is a household name in Italy. Its A/W16 women’s collection hits the sweet spot between masculinity and femininity. The range borrows fabrics and patterns from classic menswear, including trousers with pleats at the waist, which are tapered at the leg. We love this double-breasted, wool coat in dove grey, which has charming features such as dropped-shoulder seams that encourage a relaxed silhouette on the body. Paired with the cashmere cream jumper in a houndstooth pattern, it’s a modern take on a very classic look. Grey wool coat, £2,640, cashmere cream houndstooth jumper, £1,820, grey wool and cotton wrap trousers, £620, Brunello Cucinelli, brunellocucinelli.com
CHECK MATE
you simply can’t go wrong with a classic cashmere burberry scarf as a present for a loved one, or yourself. the sartorial stalwart was first created in the 1960s and is an instantly recognisable symbol of british fashion. these three scarves are a modern take on the camel check – and don’t forget, you can also get them monogrammed for the ultimate personal touch. burberry.com
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Gon e are th e days of wearing an old and scruf fy T-S hirt to bed . Th ese cosy yet elegant pieces from th e Secret Stor y collection by Italian lingerie brand L a Perla are th e per fect option for th e fashion conscious relaxers. laperla .com
Secret Story pyjama, £1,050, La Perla, laperla.com
Secret Story night robe, £1,180, La Perla, laperla.com
from top Cashmere pom pom ballet slippers, £70, The White Company, thewhitecompany.com; Massaging slippers, £75, Holistic Silk, holisticsilk.com; Sheepskin slippers, £90, Lucy Choi for Liberty, libertylondon.com; Wild cat nap slippers, £395, Charlotte Olympia, charlotteolympia.com; Lynx faux fur slipper boots, £60, Helen Moore, helenmoore.com
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FEE-FI-FAUX-FUN usually wE’rE tolD to ‘KEEP it rEal’, but this wintEr, DEsignErs arE forEgoing ProPEr PElt in favour of faux fur Bo cap, £240, Eugenia Kim, eugeniakim.com
Faux fur gloves, £160, Paloma Barceló, farfetch.com
Yellow fur tribale slides, £190, Avec Moderation, avenue32.com
McGruff mascot, £75, Shrimps, shrimps.co.uk
FAKING IT
Cashmere beanie, £72, Helen Moore, helenmoore.com
Fur i s th e fashion industr y ’s most divi sive subject. Fashion-for ward animal lovers will be pleased to learn that th e huge array of furs on th e catwalks and rail s thi s season are mostly fake. Design ers h eld faux mast erpieces in high regard at th e A/W16 shows; from Dries Van Not en’s leopard print capes, to Chloé’s forest green f luf fy green coat – thi s season faux fur i s king. From small accessories such as key rings to fullon colour ful coats, keep it real by keeping it fake.
Outlaw jacket, £378, Bandits, bandits.london
Chloé A/W16
Faux fur sleeved coat, £165, & Other Stories, stories.com
Whistles A/W16 Madison coat, £395, J.Crew, net-a-porter.com
Faux fur scarf, £185, McQ Alexander McQueen, harveynichols.com
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Marco de Vincenzo A/W16
Grey faux fur trainers, £293, Joshua Sanders, joshua-sanders.com
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SAVING FACE it’s Party sEason, it’s ColD, wE’rE tirED – sKin is oftEn thE first givEaway sign of a hECtiC lifEstylE. looK aftEr yoursElf with onE of lonDon’s morE unusual faCials
The Midas touch What could be more indulgent than having 24-carat gold applied to your face in a bid to get your glow back? Not a lot, really. And the perfect place to do such a thing? The Dorchester, of course. Spa brand Carol Joy has just launched the pure gold and collagen facial at the hotel’s spa and its the ultimate skin brightening treatment. The 60-minute process uses gold for its regenerative properties and it’s applied to the delicate eye area for 10 minutes while receiving a soothing acupressure massage. The treatment ends with a spritz of Pure Collagen Spray, leaving the face with a youthful glow. Also, after the treatment, go and chill out with a chamomile tea in the Relaxation Room. Pure Gold and Collagen Facial, £220, Carol Joy London, dorchestercollection.com
PE N T HOU SE PAMPE RI NG Relaxing in an air y rooftop penthouse apartment in May fair while sipping on Champagne following an hour -long facial , sounds pretty ideal , no? Well , it is. And it’s exactly what happens at the House of Elemis. After a BIOTEC facial – using a five-in-one machine that includes ultrasonic and oxygen therapy, you’ ll return to your own private lounge area to strawberries and a chilled glass of bubbly – absolute bliss. Stop th e Clock package, £300 for two hours plus a bottle of Champagn e, House of Elemis, 2 Lancashire Ct, W1S elemis.com
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COPPER FEEL Copper is being heralded as the beauty industry’s newest wonder ingredient. With its anti-ageing, anti-bacterial collagen and elastin-boosting effects, it’s not hard to see why. One spa which has jumped on the shiny bandwagon is London’s Pfeffer Sal. Starting with a cleanse followed by a pomegranate enzyme steam to get rid of dead skin, the face is prepped with numbing cream ahead of the micro-needling – which helps full absorption. If the thought of needles makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t let this put you off – it’s completely pain free. Copper Ultra Revive, £235 for a one hour and 15-minute facial, Pfeffer Sal, pfeffersal.com
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| PROMOTION |
FRAME OF MIND the winter sun look isn’t hard to achieve with tom Davies’ new range of sunglasses
J
ust because the sun isn’t high in the sky in London, doesn’t mean it’s time to put our sunglasses away. Even when it’s zero degrees outside, shades are still a fundamental part of any outfit. Plus, if you’re escaping the UK to seek that winter sun, whether it’s Dubai or Florida, Cuba or Cape Verde, you’ll need to protect your eyes. With five different ranges, there’s something to suit every style and personality at Tom Davies, who began working in eyewear in 1996. Twenty
something to match your disposition. “The concept for this collection with its titanium detailing was born out of a recent bespoke design consultation I did for a movie coming out in 2017. They were so well received; I felt it had to become a limitededition range of sunglasses,” Davies says of the London range. The Rockstar collection was the result of a frame originally designed for a member
The Rockstar collection was born out of a frame originally designed for a member of the band Muse years later, he’s creating glasses for both fashion and function. The limited-edition London collection is a modern take on the classic aviator shape that we all know and love. Using pure titanium with cotton acetate, these frames have high-quality solar lenses and come in a huge variety of colours. From a timeless matt black with redwood tips to a more eccentric pair in matt electric green with green mirrored lenses, you’ll be sure to find
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of the band Muse – hence the name. It’s a 12-piece collection in bold colours. “Experimenting with Natural Horn has become a hobby of mine,” says Davies, of a material which forms the basis of the nine pieces in the new Richmond range. “My previous horn collections were all about impact, especially the more masculine shapes – this collection features a 7mm rounded temple arm and rounded rims.” A sophisticated take on this frame, the
glasses are hand polished, too. “This collection is perfect for those who want to wear a really elegant frame but whose personality and lifestyle suits something modern.” Davies’ favourite range is Silver 925: “It’s one of the best collection of sunglasses I have designed,” he says. Handmade sterling silver frames with platinum 950 mirrored lenses, 18 carat gold coated mirrored lenses or other coloured mirrors – this nine-piece collection is the show-stopper on the shelves. For something bold, feminine and a whole lot of fun, there’s the Love collection – quirky, heart-shaped glasses, which were born out of a frame designed for a wellknown make-up artist. As always, Tom Davies offers customers a bespoke service for all his designs, sunglasses and prescription glasses. Starting with a consultation, which asks clients about their occupation and lifestyle, Tom Davies is able to create the perfect pair of glasses for any personality. All collections available in ready-to-wear or bespoke from Tom Davies Bespoke Optician stores in Canary Wharf, Sloane Square and Knightsbridge and through a global network of opticians, tdtomdavies.com
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CHILDREN’S FESTIVE ACTIVITIES
3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 22-24 DECEMBER 11AM–5PM SANTA’S GROTTO* • FREE ART + CRAFT WORKSHOPS • FREE FACE PAINTING *£2 DONATION, ALL PROCEEDS WILL BE DONATED TO CHARITY
@yourcanarywharf
canarywharf.com
canarywharflondon
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| STYLE |
JOYEUX NOËL Deck the halls with boughs of holly, and yourself in this season’s most decadent garments PHOTOGRAPHER: PHILLIP WATERMAN STYLIST: DEBORAH LATOUCHE
SHE WEARS: Cape, £4,150, Andrew Gn, andrewgn.com; Dress, £POA, DSquared2, dsquared2.com; Gloves, £79, Karl Lagerfeld, karl.com; Bag, £100, Edie Parker, edie-parker.com HE WEARS: Waistcoat, £1,700, Julien MacDonald, julienmacdonald.com; Shirt, £160; Trousers, £195; both Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com
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Jumpsuit, £10,200, Julien MacDonald, as before; Bag, £1,815, Roberto Cavalli, robertocavalli.com; Shoes, £895, Christian Louboutin, eu.christianlouboutin.com; Ring, £88, Kate Spade, katespade.co.uk
| STYLE |
Jacket, £740, Wooyoungmi, matchesfashion.com; Shirt, £160, Brooks Brothers, as before; Glasses, £295, Alexander McQueen, alexandermcqueen.com
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| STYLE |
TOP LEFT: Jacket, £1,180; Trousers, £445, both Dsquared2, as before; Shirt, £POA, Osman, osmanlondon.com; Bag, £125, Karl Lagerfeld, as before; Pocket Square, £55, Richard James, as before; Bracelet, £398, Maya Magal, mayamagal.co.uk BOTTOM LEFT: Jacket, £885, Trousers, £395, Casely Hayford, casely-hayford.com; Shirt, £160, Brooks Brothers, as before; Shoes, £505, J.M. Weston, jmweston.com; Pocket Square, £55, Richard James, richardjames.co.uk; Bow Tie, £45, Gieves & Hawkes, gievesandhawkes.com RIGHT: HE WEARS: Suit, £POA; both DSquared2, as before; Shirt, £145, Gieves & Hawkes, as before; Shoes, £505, J.M. Weston, as before SHE WEARS: Dress, £POA, Simone Rocha, simonerocha.com; Bag, £POA, MCM, mcmworldwide.com; Ring, £88, Kate Spade, as before; Shoes, £1.895, Paul Andrew, net-a-porter.com MODELS: Sally Jonsson @ Milk Agency and Seb @ Models 1 MAKE-UP: Neusa Neves @ Terri Manduca using NARS Cosmetics and Zelens NAILS: Amy Atkins @ Terri Manduca using Nails Inc HAIR: Renda Attia using Bumble and Bumble STYLIST’S ASSISTANT: Julie Lee HAIR ASSISTANT: Selasie Ackuaku MAKE-UP ASSISTANT: Faith Eastwood Shot on location at Quaglino’s quaglinos-restaurant.co.uk. With special thanks to The Macallan, themacallan.com
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Q. What do snowmen wear on their heads? A. Ice caps (sorry!)
1
GLOVES Accessories maketh the man and gloves are one accessory you can only wear in the winter. Invest in a quality, smartphonefriendly leather pair. Handsewn cashmere leather touchscreen gloves, £89, Dents, dents.co.uk
THE CHECKLIST It’s the most wonderful tIme me of the year – so make sure to navIgate It In style
WORDS: DAVID TAYLOR
2
SHIRT Get a shirt with a
comfortable fit – the more layers you wear, the stuffier you can feel. The shirt should be the most comfortable layer of them all. Fitted shirt, £165, Richard James, richardjames.co.uk
4
3
SMART SHOES These Italian handcrafted shoes boast a Tuscan calfskin leather upper and full leather lining and sole. Double monk strap shoes, £180, Sons of London, sonsoflondon.com
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OVERCO AT Ta i l o r e d o v e r c o a t s are another reason t o l o v e w i n t e r. T h i s Raf Simons option keeps its shape when paired with multiple layers. Striped wool-blend Bouclé overcoat, £1,630, R af Simons, mrporter.com
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| STYLE |
KNITTED TIE
Part of the capsule collection that Drake’s has created with Condé Nast Traveller editor David Coggins, this tie goes with almost anything. David Coggins knitted cashmere tie, £105, Drake’s, drakes.com
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JUMPER
A cream jumper goes with anything, including jeans, chinos and suit trousers. Make sure yours has enough room to wear a shirt underneath. Skin tight is not a good look. M310 Roehl cotton sweatshirt, £175, Simon Miller, matchesfashion.com
BAG
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Your bag has to be big enough to carry all the extra layers you take off and put on during the day. A duffel bag is just the trick, big enough to fit all you need, but not too much to carry. Howell duffel bag, £2,015, TUMI, uk.tumi.com
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8 UMBRE L L A A bit of brightn ess uplifts any outfit. Keep it subtle with a splash of colour on th e inside of your umbrella . Navy polka dot/orange, £75, London Undercover, londonundercover.co.uk
TROUSER S Th e thicker th e bett er, but b eware th e t emp erature change w h en moving from outside to in , esp ecially if you sn eak a pair of th ermal s undern eath . Pleat ed wool trousers, £89, C OS , mrporter.com
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| STYLE |
EVENING, GENTS trEnDs ComE anD go, but whErE blaCK tiE is ConCErnED, it Pays to stiCK with traDition
KILGOUR
THOMAS PINK
JOHN LEWIS
HARDY AMIES
CASELY-HAYFORD
For Kilgour’s Carlo Brandelli, styling is as important as cut. The impression shawl jacket is a big move away from the traditional, but retains the rigours of Savile Row tailoring. ‘Hollywood black tie’ for the discerning gentleman. kilgour.com
Sartorially, there’s little that can beat the classic tuxedo. Thomas Pink’s offering is about as classic as it gets, while managing to provide a slimfit silhouette. Traditional and contemporary in equal measure. thomaspink.com
The high street is holding its own in the evening wear stakes. John Lewis has released a bright sapphire velvet tuxedo jacket, that looks great with a bow tie, but can also be paired with jeans and a T-shirt for a more relaxed look. johnlewis.com
As evening formalities get even less formal, Hardy Amies has created a cocktail suit to replace the tuxedo, with mother of pearl buttons and ceremonial pattern detail. A sharp alternative to stuffier suits. hardyamies.com
Mayfair private members’ club Annabel’s has collaborated with father and son duo Casely-Hayford to create the Annabel’s Smoking Jacket. Inspired by the club’s history, but with a modern cut and camouflage lining. casely-hayford.com
Black wool pinhead cocktail jacket, £450, wool roll neck from £295
Dickens suit, £725, Carra bow tie, £59
Wool mohair stand collar shawl jacket, from £1,000
Shawl lapel velvet jacket, £175, black velvet bow tie, £25 Annabel’s smoking jacket, £675
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LUXURY BATH & BODY AND HOME FRAGRANCE COLLECTIONS
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| STYLE |
PARTY SEASON SURVIVAL GUIDE ’tis thE sEason to bE mErry, so maKE surE your boDy is rEaDy to taKE thE strain – or at lEast hiDE thE war wounDs
1
1
2 3 4 PREVENTION
5
1. Special for gentlemen 100ml, £125, Le Galion, roullierwhite.com 2. Dylan blue eau de toilette deodorant stick 75ml, £21, Versace, houseoffraser.co.uk 3. The Million Dollar beard oil 50ml, £36, Captain Fawcett, harveynichols.com 4. All-in-one face treatment 100ml, £34, Lab Series, labseries.co.uk 5. Facial fuel moisturising lip balm, £9, Kiehl’s, kiehls.co.uk
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2 3
4 5
CURE 1. Mr Burberry body wash 250ml, £26, Burberry, harrods.com 2. Anti-fatigue nti-fatigue eye serum 20ml, £29.50, Clarins Men, clarins.co.uk 3. Sandalwood & clove cooling shave gel 100ml, £22, Pall Mall Barbers, pallmallbarbers.com 4. Oral rinse 500ml, £8.15, Ultradex, ultradex.co.uk 5. Concealer for men, £32, Tom Ford, houseoffraser.co.uk
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Coffee pleasure –
freshly ground, not capsuled.
Roger Federer Inspirational role model, world record holder of Grand Slam wins, greatest tennis player of all time – and coffee lover.
The perfect espresso thanks to P.E.P.®. The Z6 from JURA wows even the most discerning coffee lovers like Roger Federer. The Pulse Extraction Process (P.E.P.®) guarantees espresso and ristretto of outstanding barista quality. By automatically switching between milk and milk foam, it’s incredibly easy to prepare trend specialities at the touch of a button. Front operation and the Intelligent Water System (I.W.S.®), that automatically detects the filter, ensure perfect functionality. JURA – If you love coffee. Price: £1895.00. Available from JURA Store London, 148 Marylebone Road, Harrods Jura Concession, Selfridges, johnlewis.com and www.uk.jura.com
out of office december 2016
Life in the dead zone Thirty years after the chernobyl disaster, nature has reclaimed the uninhabitable zone. now, humans are returning too This year marks the 30th anniversary of the worst nuclear power plant disaster in human history. When reactor four of the V.I. Lenin Nuclear Power Station near Chernobyl exploded, the town and surrounding area was evacuated, with four hundred times more radiation being released into the air than by the atom bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. Residents were told that this move was temporary, but save for a few hundred pensioners, the measure has lasted for three decades. Not all life has left, though, with nature finding a way of reclaiming the land that humans had abandoned. On page 112, Rob Crossan journeys into the exclusion zone, and, with the help of a new UK tour operator, spends a night in Chernobyl’s dead zone. The ruins of Chernobyl nuclear power plant’s reactor four. Photo by Roberts Vicups
TOP OF THE
YACHTS
HEESEN’S GALACTICA SUPER NOVA AND 10 OTHER SUPERSTARS FROM THE 2016 MONACO YACHT SHOW Each year, more than 30,000 superyacht owners, brokers, architects and engineers descend on the French Riviera to celebrate the latest incarnations of life’s ultimate accessory. The City Magazine slipped on a pair of boat shoes and jumped on board the ocean vessels set to rule the waves WORDS: DAVID TAYLOR
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| FEATURE |
GALACTICA SUPER NOVA Shipyard: Heesen Yachts year built: 2016 length: 70m type: Motor yacht berth: 12 guests, 16 crew I deserve this, I say to myself as we leave Port Hercule and Monaco behind, a cacophony of superyacht horns signalling the end of this year’s Yacht Show. There’s a flotilla following shipbuilder Heesen’s Galactica Super Nova, the yacht I’m aboard, and with good reason: it’s just been crowned Finest New Superyacht, fighting off competition from the best designers and shipyards this surreal and exclusive world has to offer. I pad barefoot along the top deck, beautifully designed by Andrea Bonini of Monaco-based Espen Øino International. For such a big boat – a 70m pleasure centre – it really can motor (with a top speed of 30 knots/ 35 mph thanks to the souped-up Rolls-Royce jet engine supporting the two main engines in its belly), and the captain
is visibly pleased by the performance when I sneak onto the bridge to see the crew in action. Only by standing at the bow, or by watching the smaller boats looking on in envy as you speed past, do you get an idea of how quick the yacht can move with no compromise to comfort. Do I really deserve this? I start asking as I step into the high-tech on-board elevator to explore the lower deck. There’s a huge living area here, both inside and out, and a six-metre freshwater infinity pool complete with waterfall, glass bottom and jet – a swimming treadmill. They’ve thought of everything. Both the exterior and interior are flawless: the exterior won Best in Show, and the interior is the pinnacle of yacht design. A case in point: I walk past a table leading to an outside deck, and Andrea informs me that they developed a way of bending teak without it snapping, to make sure the grains in the wood flow without being disturbed. On the sun deck, all handrails are faintly elliptical, instead of circular, for ease of grip and aesthetic value. The flagpoles, made of stainless steel, took hours to polish to their highest potential. Attention to detail seems too flippant a phrase. I don’t deserve this, I admit, as we glide along at 18 knots, hardly hearing the three heavy duty engines propelling us towards Nice. The lack of engine noise is remarkable, especially inside, where the sound is more akin to a library than a superyacht. The entire experience is one of refined relaxation. The Super Nova’s predecessor, the Galactica Star, is a 65m beauty that was lauded on its completion in 2013. The Super Nova is another step up in every aspect. You can see why they chose the name. heesenyachts.com
The exterior won Best in Show, and the interior is the pinnacle of yacht design
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AMORE MIO Shipyard: Heesen Yachts year built: 2015 length: 45m type: Motor yacht berth: 10 guests, 7 crew
Another boat from Heesen, the Amore Mio caters to the active side of the superyacht lifestyle, packed to the brim with luxury toys for the waves, and a beautiful tender almost as enjoyable as the yacht itself. heesenyachts.com
BEST OF THE REST
Winner of the award for most eco-friendly super yacht
CROSSBOW
ALEJANDRA
SARASTAR
GENESI
Shipyard: Southern Wind year built: 2016 length: 32m type: Sailing yacht berth: 8 guests, 4 crew
Shipyard: Mefasa year built: 1993 length: 41m type: Sailing yacht berth: 8 guests, 6 crew
Shipyard: Mondomarine year built: 2016 length: 60m type: Motor yacht berth: 12 guests, 15 crew
Shipyard: Wider year built: 2015 length: 46m type: Motor yacht berth: 10 guests, 9 crew
Built in Cape Town by Southern Wind, Crossbow is the first sail yacht on the list, but also contains a 305 horsepower diesel engine for a top speed of 11 knots. Interior and exterior designs are by Nauta Design, a byword for elegance. sws-yachts.com
The oldest yacht on the list, Alejandra has multiple Maxi and Classic regatta wins under her belt, and can cruise across the Atlantic with help from a diesel engine. Smart sail design means she travels even with a slight breeze. mefasa.com
With exterior and interior designed by Luca Dini, Sarastar includes as its centrepiece a huge glass sculpture by Lorenzo Malfatti, which surrounds the superyacht staircase – an important consideration for any owner. mondomarine.mc
Wider’s Genesi provides the most economic way of producing energy for a superyacht. It won the MYS eco-friendly award, and also has a tender garage that converts into a beach deck with swimming pool. wider-yachts.com
AB100
The hull and superstructure are made of lightweight materials, and the three engines are super powered to give the AB100 a top speed of 54 knots while retaining the comfort of a traditional sports yacht. abyachts.com
Shipyard: AB Yachts year built: 2016 length: 30m type: Motor yacht berth: 8 guests, 4 crew
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| FEATURE |
Winner of the 2016 MYS Best Interior Design Award
SKYFALL
ELIXIR
SYBARIS
Shipyard: Trinity Yachts year built: 2010 length: 58m type: Motor yacht berth: 17 guests, 14 people
Shipyard: Amels year built: 2016 length: 55m type: Motor yacht berth: 12 guests, 13 crew
Shipyard: Perini Navi year built: 2016 length: 70m type: Sailing yacht berth: 12 guests, 11 crew
A slightly older yacht than most on the list, Skyfall still packs a punch. An added extra is the shallow draft, meaning it can reach much shallower waters than other yachts of the same size. trinityyachts.com
Alongside the usual great entertainment facilities on board a superyacht, Elixir also comes with at-anchor stabilisers, which keep the yacht even steadier when standing still. mels-holland.com
Built by Perini Navi at the Viareggio shipyard, Sybaris certainly made a statement with supreme engineering and outstanding inside styling. No surprise that it won the MYS 2016 award for best interior design. perininavi.it
FLYING DRAGON Shipyard: Admiral Yachts year built: 2014 length: 45m type: Motor yacht berth: 10 guests, 8 crew Another exterior design from Luca Dini in collaboration with Admiral Yachts and Dobroserdov design. Flying Dragon combines typical Italian design with eastern influences, the highlight being the contrast of the metallic blue hull with the subtler interior of onyx and marble. admiralyachts.it
HIGH-TECH ON THE HIGH SEAS SEABOB
A high-end electric scooter that’s a mix of a jet ski and body board, it can be used to explore both the surface of the water and below. Incredible handling means effortless piloting and complete control. F5 S, £9,900, princessyachts.com
SEABREACHER
Who doesn’t want to swim like a dolphin? Hand built to your specifications, a Seabreacher can reach 50mph on the surface and 25mph underwater, and newer iterations can leap out of the water and perform barrel rolls. from £65,000, seabreacher.com
KAELO
The Champagne bucket redesigned for the 21st century. No ice equals no annoying drips, with a high-tech dry cooling system that keeps your wine at the perfect serving temperature. £1,890, kaelo.co.uk
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| MOTORING |
G N I IR D
S E V A W E TH
Harnessing its reputation for speed and style, Aston Martin hits the water with its first powerboat. Paul Joseph takes it for a spin around the Côte d’Azur
The 37-foot, wooden-decked speedboat is the result of two years of research and development
G
athered on the docks of Port Hercules in the lavish environs of the Yacht Club de Monaco during September’s Monaco Yacht Show, Katia Bassi, managing director of Aston Martin Brands, provides the lowdown on the AM37. The 37-foot, wooden-decked speedboat is the result of two years of research and development between Aston Martin, Dutch naval architects Mulder Design and British yacht builders Quintessence Yachts. It is available in two versions, she explains, the
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standard AM37 has an estimated top speed of 45 knots (52 mph) while the AM37S version is capable of reaching 50 knots (58 mph). I’ve been onboard some seriously fast boats before, but the promise of this sort of speed was new territory entirely. In the water, the AM37’s glistening exterior stands out among the myriad other floating masterpieces. You can’t help but be impressed by the quality of the craftsmanship, from the wraparound windscreen created from a single piece of sculpted glass, to the three lightweight carbon-fibre panels that fold under the aft deck when the cockpit is uncovered. Other speedboat makers may have their own distinct talents, but they simply can’t match the inherent design qualities of a time-honoured brand like Aston Martin. Once on board, things get even better. A day cruiser that can be transformed into an overnight boat by turning the central table into a bed, there’s air-conditioning, a refrigerator, microwave oven, coffee machine, bathroom and even mood lighting. Elegantly laid out rear seating – crafted
from the fanciest of leathers, naturally – is available for up to eight people. At the helm, the carbon-fibre dashboard echoes classic Aston Martin styling elements, including more fine leathers, along with pristine polished metals on the steering wheel, throttle handles and joystick. Meanwhile, the boat’s navigation, control monitor and entertainment systems are all integrated, with advanced multimedia functions. Other notable features include an electrohydraulic carbon-fibre bimini top, stowed under the engine hatch when not in use, and, extending from the aft deck, a swim platform allowing for easy access to the water. If that’s not enough, underwater lights and a cocktail bar are among the customisation options. The AM37 certainly packs a punch, thrusting you across the water at a speed that might ordinarily have you praying for your life. That is, of course, if your transport wasn’t provided by Aston Martin. From £1,260,720 for the AM37 with 2x430 hp; the AM37S Platinum starts from £1,621,489, astonmartin.com/am37
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THE
GRAND TOUR Want to sparkle like a Kardashian diamond? Drive a Rolls-Royce through central Paris… WORDS: JEREMY TAYLOR
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| MOTORING |
P
arisians aren’t easily impressed by celebrity status but there’s no denying the Rolls-Royce Wraith’s A-list presence. A grand tourer of mammoth proportions, it tells the world one thing: that you’ve made it. Hugely expensive, fantastically fast and suitably imposing from any angle, the Wraith is a throwback to an era of bespoke luxury. Back then, the only sound in the leather-clad cabin of a Rolls was the tick of a dashboard clock. There’s still plenty of glamour inside the latest Wraith too. It’s been harvested from 12 free-range Simmental cows, raised in a moist region of England to keep their skin especially subtle. It’s that sort of attention to detail that puts a Rolls in a league of its own. It seems almost vulgar to talk about engines and performance in a car this gorgeous but somewhere under that bonnet is a 6.6-litre V12. With such a powerful beating heart, the Wraith will gently stretch its legs to 60mph in 4.4 seconds, then on to 155mph without pausing for breath. How does it drive? Well, to put RollsRoyce’s ultimate coupé to the test, I’ve set up a 1,500-mile adventure across some of the most diverse roads on the Continent. My grand tour of Europe will include fine cities, a few of the fastest roads – and rather too many potholes. The start point four days earlier is the Peninsula Hotel – a stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. George Gershwin composed An American In Paris while in residence here and Germany used it as their French HQ during the Second World War. The Vietnam peace accord of 1973 was supposedly signed on the bar. Steeped in history, it underwent a £600 million refit two years ago and now boasts an eclectic collection of vehicles, all waiting to be discovered in the underground car park. They range from a restored 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, to a classic Citroen 2CV. It’s not difficult to spot the Wraith in the line-up. The Salamanca Blue bodywork sparkles like a Raoul Dufy painting
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Even cool Parisians can’t resist a peek at £242,000 of automotive exotica
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of the sun-scorched Mediterranean. Inside, the cream leather is stitched in navy blue. Tuscan ash veneer dominates the dashboard and chrome detailing is the icing on the cake. The plan is to leave Paris and follow one of the great touring routes of Europe. The journey will cross France to Strasbourg, then on, via Vienna and Budapest, to the Romanian capital, Bucharest. Rolls-Royce wince at the term ‘sports car’ but the Wraith is as close as it gets. A dynamic fastback, it’s the fastest and most powerful car the company has ever produced. It was built for this kind of trip – cossetting passengers in unbelievable levels of luxury. And that means even cool Parisians can’t resist a peek at £242,000 of automotive exotica. Finding my way out of the city centre and onto the Peripherique involves countless pedestrian ‘selfies’ and a paparazzi-style entourage on scooters. The A4 to Strasbourg then is a welcome relief. It’s a chance for the Wraith to do what it does best – cruise in a straight line for mile after mile. I’m averaging just over 17mpg, not bad for 2.3 tons of handcrafted metal and ash that barely makes a whisper. You know when a hotel concierge is good at their job because they understand the workings of every car. Matteo, at the Regent Petite France in Strasbourg, is half Italian, loves engines and therefore has a distinct advantage. He passed the basic Wraith test by knowing how to open the doors – unusually they are hinged at the front. It’s raining, so Matteo pops out one of the two Tefloncoated umbrellas hidden discreetly in the door-frame like swords in a sheaf. Brilliant. There’s not much time to explore the half-timbered buildings that line the streets of central Strasbourg before sunset. However, the Gothic grandeur of the Notre Dame Cathedral is a must, topped off by leering gargoyles and a 142-metre spire. The next morning, Matteo draws me a route map out of the cobbled central district and pops up the Spirit of Ecstasy (it can be hidden inside the grille to prevent theft). He thought it best to retract the bonnet mascot the night before, ‘just in case’. Day two is a 500-mile, east-to-west slog across Germany. I’m not looking forward to it but the autobahns have unrestricted
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stretches and what better place to power on in a Rolls-Royce? Perhaps it’s obvious but what’s interesting about the Wraith is that unlike supercars sporting harsh suspension and noisy tailpipes, there is absolutely no impression of speed. You can be crawling at 20mph through Baden Baden, or racing past Munich at 150mph completely unflustered. The same cannot be said about the drivers waiting in a five-mile tailback, coming in the opposite direction on the German-Austrian border. The migrant crisis has tightened national security for those heading west – but not if you are motoring east like me. It’s late when I reach the Palais Coburg Hotel in Vienna. The interior of the Wraith is now illuminated with thousands of tiny lights in the roof lining. The Starlight Headliner is a pretty frivolous extra but somehow makes you feel good – even after eight hours behind the wheel.
The Austrian capital straddles the Danube and is known as ‘The City of Music’. Graced with winding cobbled streets and imposing palaces, Vienna feels steeped in opulent history. A visit to the Kunsthistorisches Museum is an absolute must. It’s brimming with works by the best painters and sculptors in Europe, including the Old Masters and art collected by the Habsburgs. The nearby Belvedere is also worth the walk – if only to see the works of Gustav Klimt. The next day it’s only a short drive to Budapest. Judging by my welcome, I’m not sure there are many Rolls-Royces in Hungary. Even so, the Gresham Palace Hotel must be one of the world’s finest art nouveau buildings. It only just survived a German siege in 1944 and is now flanked by wrought iron peacock gates. Budapest turns out to be lively and welcoming. It’s a warm summer evening and there are still crowds around the Royal
Rolls-Royce wince at the term ‘sports car’ but the Wraith is as close as it gets
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| MOTORING |
Palace – destroyed and rebuilt seven times since the 13th century. It looks down on the Szechenyi Chain Bridge, constructed in 1849 to provide the first permanent link between Buda and Pest. The next morning I rise early to visit the Szechenyi Baths at the northern end of the city park. Here you find Hungarian locals enjoying 15 indoor pools – and the unusual sight of men and women playing chess on floating boards for hours on end. It’s the perfect rest place before the final, ten-hour journey across Romania. And from here on in the roads are far more demanding. The Rolls has to negotiate horse-drawn carts and countless construction lorries, all vying for space on well-worn tarmac. The Wraith corners better than you might expect, it’s almost nimble. Then the steering tightens up at speed and the suspension irons out any rough stuff. Transylvania passes in a flash, I power on down the steep wooded valleys and make it to Bucharest by nightfall. The high-rise tower blocks of Communism are still crammed into the city centre, drab, soulless buildings only topped by the bizarre Palace of Parliament. Officially the world’s second largest administrative building (after the Pentagon), it was built in 1984 by former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. It’s been an exhilarating journey, sat in the most luxurious car on the road – well, Romanian roads for certain. Perhaps it’s no wonder that the average age of a Rolls-Royce owner has nosedived to 43 in recent years. There’s nothing old-fashioned about the appeal or performance of the Wraith.
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| MOTORING |
Drive of your Life Nine months and eight circuits after acquiring their motor racing licenses in order to compete in the 2016 Caterham Academy, The City Magazine’s amateur racing drivers, Richard Brown and Jen Mason, reflect on the season that was
Richard Brown
Over the page, in our ‘Meet the Drivers’ section, Academy co-competitor, Steve Tozer, says that taking part in Caterham’s noviceonly racing series will change your life. OK, Steve might have ended up at top of the Green Group leaderboard (the Academy is split into two leagues, White and Green), but even from the back of the pack, where I spent the season, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from. As an introduction to motorsport, the trials and tribulation of the Academy – the nerves, the frustration, the terror, the adulation, the euphoria – have you counting down the days before the next race meet. Jen and I shared racing responsibilities, which meant one sprint trial and two/three proper races, each. Unlike many of the guys (and girl) who had signed up to compete, we didn’t build our own car – heaven forbid; the most we did was wrap ours in vinyl, and even that was a disaster. Props to those who spent countless hours honing their machines in their garages prior to April’s first race.
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So, what of my time behind the wheel? I’ll never have the bollocks to jump out of a plane, but, to be perfectly honest, I can’t imagine doing so would provide more of a buzz than that first corner at Rockingham. Waiting on the grid for the start lights to fade, I genuinely thought I might have a heart attack. Fifteen minutes later, having finished in last place, I was high-fiving anyone in arm’s reach, delirious with adrenaline, like everyone else who had just officially become a racing driver. Modern cars are so sanitised, so safe, so easy to drive, that it takes something like the Caterham to recall the joy of driving. Yes, there’s plenty that’s not right with the car. Why Caterham can’t come up with a less terrifying indicator ‘beep’, or make the standard bucket seats that little bit wider, is anyone’s guess. Nor was it particularly ideal to discover that the fuel gauge didn’t work during rush hour on a cold Friday night in February
in Bermondsey, with the roof down. Thank the Lord I splattered to a stop just before the Rotherhithe Tunnel, rather than once inside it. As a raw, man-vs-machine driving experience, the Caterham takes some beating. Even away from the track, I can’t imagine having as much fun between 0-70mph, even in a supercar. (Indeed, after one race, Jen chose to return to London in the Caterham, rather than an Audi R8 she had on loan). Hopefully the sincerity of the guys we interview over the page will come across. Personally, I’m gutted the Academy is over. I’m sure everyone else is, too. Oh well, there’s always the next rung up the Caterham motorsport ladder – anyone for the Roadsport Championship series?
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Jen Mason
At the beginning of the season, everything was stressful. Getting in and out of the racing harness and the accompanying faff was exhausting, driving the car on the road was a pain in the proverbial, learning the ropes on race day was confusing – and that’s before you’ve factored in the sheer terror/exhilaration of throwing the car round a racetrack at speed surrounded by a hoard of other over-excited ‘amateurs’. But as the season progressed, so did we. (Well the ones that practiced, anyway). Wrestling the car through the corners became an elemental battle between man/woman and machine; something to be eagerly anticipated rather than feared. Race by race we not only learned the strengths and weaknesses of our compatriots, but competitors became
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My skills vastly improved when I had someone directly ahead to try and beat great friends – off the track, at least. It’s fair to say that I didn’t make an impact – in terms of points gathering, at least. Pathetically little practice meant I was a sure thing at the back of the grid – at least until the lights went out. I’d say the main thing I learned during the season (aside from the practicalities) was that my skills vastly improved when I had someone directly ahead to try and beat. Qualifying, pah! Just me against the clock, where’s the fun in that?
But out there on race day, the inevitable full grid of cars stretching out in front of me, that’s when the adrenaline kicked in. That’s when friends became obstacles to be nipped past, one by one. And I would’ve managed to hold on to a few places, too, if it weren’t for the combined dangers of inexperience and overexcitement. What an incredible experience this has been. The bug has well and truly bitten. If you’re a racing enthusiast I couldn’t recommend the Caterham Academy highly enough; get yourself on the list and prepare for some of the most fun it’s possible to have on four wheels.
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MEET THE DRIVERS Name: Steven Tozer age: 33 OccupatiON: PMO Manager SeaSON fiNiSh: 1st (Green Group) Why did you first sign up to the Caterham Academy? My girlfriend bought me a six lap Ariel Atom experience back in 2014 at Elvington and I asked the instructor how he got started in motorsport. His answer was, you guessed it, the Caterham Academy. What was the extent of your Caterham experience prior to the Academy? Absolutely nothing! I test drove an Academy car on the day I signed up and my next experience was it being delivered in multiple boxes ready for assembly. In which ways was your experience different from what you expected? Well, winning really wasn’t expected. Having never done a track day before, I went in with a couple of what I thought were ambitious targets: get on the podium and finish in the top 10. I also massively underestimated the time it would take up as I did a lot of the work on the car myself. Describe the Caterham Academy in three words… One big family. What would you say to anyone considering signing up for the next Academy? Simple – do it. It will change your life. Does the Academy represent good value for money? Motor racing isn’t cheap, there’s no escaping that, but the Academy not only provides you with the excitement of racing and a
Name: Geoff Price age: 45 OccupatiON: IT Director SeaSON fiNiSh: 11th (Green Group) whole paddock of great friends, it also leaves you with an awesome road legal car you can enjoy all year round. How would you improve the Academy? Honestly, I don’t know. The sprints were a lot of effort for very little time on track so maybe reducing down to one sprint and increasing to six races. Will you be continuing to the next rung on Caterham’s motorsport ladder, the Roadsport Championship? I would love to continue up the ladder, especially given my success this year but unfortunately I simply can’t finance it. Sponsorship is an option but it’s extremely difficult to find, if anyone out there is interested please get in touch!
THE SEASON JUST GONE…
Highlight? My first ever win at Snetterton was special. I made sure I got a good exit out of the last corner of the last lap in second gear and used that with the tow to cruise past to win by 0.07 seconds. Hairiest moment? Watching Matt Gray make a lunge up the inside at Rockingham Turn 1 and knowing he wasn’t going to stop. Luckily the cloud of smoke from his tyres alerted me and I watched him sail past my inside and off the track. Biggest mistake? Again at Rockingham, on the last corner I was clear in third and threw it away when I couldn’t find second gear.
Why did you first sign up to the Caterham Academy? I have been wanting to own a Caterham for about 16 years and race one for at least the last 12, but never had the opportunity. I wanted to get into a house renovation project which my wife wasn’t too confident about, and she said she would prefer if I bought a Caterham in a kind of tongue in cheek way. I signed up to the academy pretty much the following day. What was the extent of your Caterham experience prior to the Academy? I sit behind somebody at work who owns one, and I had seen them in a show room – that’s as close to a Caterham as I had been before. In which ways was your experience different from what you expected? Almost everybody took it really seriously, and for the first two sprints it was a massive eye opener. Describe the Caterham Academy in three words… Rollercoaster, addictive, unpredictable. What would you say to anyone considering signing up for the next Academy? If you want to race it’s a perfect start, and one thing I would say is don’t worry about what everybody else is doing, concentrate on what you need to do. Does the Academy represent good value for money? It’s difficult to compare it to
anything else because I haven’t done any type of racing before; but what I can say is that Caterham supports you all the way through the year and takes a lot of the pain out of all the things you need to learn and remember. How would you improve the Academy? Everybody still makes a big issue about weight, so maybe take the national average and use that plus the weight of the car to set the limit. I would also like to see the Friday test session included, or at least an option to book all the test sessions when you sign up initially. Will you be continuing to the next rung on Caterham’s motorsport ladder, the Roadsport Championship? Yes and double yes.
THE SEASON JUST GONE…
Highlight? Every overtake I made. What an amazing feeling. Hairiest moment? Heading down the start/finish straight flat out at Croft and seeing another car join the track right in front of me from the gravel. Biggest mistake? Only doing one track day in my car before the session started. Advice you wish you’d been given at the start of the season? Book all the test sessions before the races as it makes a real difference. Especially if you haven’t driven the track before.
THE CATERHAM ACADEMY 2017 The Caterham Academy was devised as an introduction to motorsport. Exclusively for drivers who have had no previous race experience, the Academy is an all-inclusive package containing every element required to start and compete in motorsport. Team support is not allowed in this series, so technical support is provided as part of the Academy package
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at every event by Caterham. In this way, those with little or no mechanical experience are not at any disadvantage and you can’t buy your way to the front of the grid. The Caterham Academy is now in its 20th year. All years have sold out. Entry to the 2017 series starts from £23,995. caterhamcars.com/motorsport/academy
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RESTRICT TO REFINE
Mark and Hannah Hayes-Westall have been working in the contemporary art world for close to 20 years. Each month, they introduce an artist who should appear on your agenda
THIS MONTH: PAUL FEILER
Feiler only felt that he came close to achieving the kind of perceptual expressionism he was seeking once he installed a series of rigorous restrictions on himself clockWise froM above Square Relief XIII, 2009, gold and silver leaf, gouache, perspex on perspex, 41 x 41 cm; Janicon XCV, 2005, silver and gold leaf, gessoed board on canvas, 66 x 66 cm; Zenicon XV, 2006, gold and silver leaf, gessoed board on canvas, 122 x 122 cm; Square Relief LXI, 2012, silver and gold leaf, gouache, perspex on perspex, 36 x 36 cm
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hat’s so interesting? On the morning of Sunday 3 May 1953, at 11am exactly, the novelist and philosopher Aldous Huxley took precisely four-tenths of a gram of the psychoactive drug mescaline. Writing about the way his experience of the world around him changed over the course of the afternoon that followed and theorising as to what and how these experiences changed him in the long term, Huxley inadvertently created one of the most influential books of the countercultural movement, The Doors of Perception. His view of the effect of the drug on his conscious mind was that it had somehow enabled him to achieve a state of spiritual transcendence; an understanding of the reality at the heart of existence that he took back
with him to everyday life. It is this type of memory, the memory of perceiving a transcendental experience that, without the inclusion of psychoactive substances, lies at the heart of the work of Germanborn painter Paul Feiler. The critic John Steer described Feiler’s work as “rooted in the detailed analysis of his perceptual experience”, but more than that, there is a warmth in the artist’s work, and particularly in his later works, that comes from his desire to share this experience with the viewer. Speaking with an art critic in 2002 Feiler, who died in 2013 aged 95, explained that what was important to him was that by looking at his work – the translation of his own visual experience – each individual should make new connections with the world around, and that in this way, “the looking would be associated with feeling, and the artist’s connection with the onlooker would be complete”. The rigorous adherence to a set of combinations of straight lines and circles in much of Feiler’s work might at first seem to place it within the abstract art movement – indeed he became friendly with Abstract Expressionist Mark Rothko when the New Yorker visited St Ives where he then lived – but there is a very British sort of ‘associative abstraction’ at play. Obsessed with architecture and music, one critic described looking at his work as “an experience of someone within the space of a Gothic cathedral or classical temple, or listening to the progression of sound in a symphony” and it may not come as a surprise to learn that he named many of his works after temenos (the secret, closed off areas found in ancient Greek temples). In what seems unlikely to be a coincidence, the concept of the temenos was also employed by the early psychologist Carl Jung to describe the place where the conscious mind can safely meet its unconscious counterpart. Feiler only felt that he came close to achieving the kind of perceptual expressionism he was seeking once he installed a series of rigorous restrictions
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|ART & INTERIORS |
on himself. Although he had begun his career as an Abstract Expressionist, from 1969, until the end his career, all of Feiler’s paintings were created on square canvasses and used only straight lines or circles, reminiscent of an ancient shrine or inner temple. It was a set of conditions that his widow, the artist Catharine Armitage, says made him very happy. “He gave himself this amazing restriction and within this he was incredibly free… it was what he wanted and this was his life.” Painting entirely freehand, Feiler used golds, silvers and daring colour combinations to create pieces that constantly draw the eye from one place to another, altering the sense of time and pace and creating a lingering meditative state in the viewer. Later works featured layered Perspex and painted, gilded layers to create works that capture the attention like a painted icon. Feiler often referred to himself as a landscape painter, and his quiet, powerful works take much of their inspiration from the colours of the German mountains of his youth and the harsh Cornish coastline found around the village that was his home for more than 50 years. Interviewed in 1990, he said: Jessica Carlisle Gallery “The emptiness had a great 4 Mandeville Place effect on me and has been London, W1U 2BF with me ever since. It was jessicacarlisle.com the visual experience that gave me the sense of reality The Paul Feiler Estate is represented that is so remote in terms of by The Redfern Gallery, one’s existence.” redfern-gallery.com Throughout his career, Feiler’s works were shown by prestigious galleries such as the Redfern, and he was featured in shows at the Tate alongside St Ives friends including Patrick Heron and Bryan Wynter. Today, his works are found in collections including the Tate collection, Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge and the Jerwood Collection. A recent retrospective at the Jessica Carlisle Gallery brought this most perceptually engaged and engaging artist to a new audience. A 2018 centenary is also planned.
FIND THE WORK
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“Visual experience gave me the sense of reality that is so remote in terms of one’s existence”
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WALL MURAL A feature wall in any room can add a sense of drama and acts as a great focal point. These wallpapers from Murals Wallpaper are both cosy and theatrical and can transform a cold space into a Danish dream. Wallpapers, £25 per square metre, Murals Wallpaper, muralswallpaper.co.uk
E M O H R U O Y E G HYG HE oss T To cR d osy n E c and lE TR y m T s R E a iF w TEsT l inG a THE la Eans cREaT is ) a G m olly, iT Ed Ho sEnTia ounc ... s n E w o . o R k E (P maR RE’s H n E E H d . HyGG E m R Hom Rs FRo waTE in you E R E H sP aTmo
HAN REES
WORDS: BET
WALL HANGING A striking piece, this delicate 100 per cent pure merino wall hanging from Ferm Living, a Danish design brand, is an interesting addition to a living room and fits in perfectly with the hygge trend. Elkeland wall hanging, £99. Ferm Living, amara.com
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CHUNKY KNIT FLOOR CUSHION Oh so cosy, we love this floor cushion as it provides the perfect spot to kick back with a hot chocolate and a good book. The ice blue colour is instantly calming. chunky knit floor cushion in ice blue, £179, Nordic House, nordichouse.co.uk
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FINISHING TOUCHES When closed , these Lumio book lamps look like hardcovered tomes – open them and they turn into high-performing LED lamps. They ’re portable too, so you can move them from room to room . Book lamp, £200, Mini book lamp £145, Lumio, conranshop.co.uk
Winter lambswool throw A great accessory for the sofa, this lambswool throw can also be customised with embroidered initials. Whether you’re buying it for yourself, or as a gift for a loved one, its neutral palette will suit any colour scheme. Pure lambswool herringbone wide check throw, £90 (without personalisation), Rae Feather, raefeather.com
Feu de Bois scented candle Candlelight is essential to invoking the feeling of hygge – a scented one is even better. This Feu de Bois (woodfire) scent is reminiscent of the smell of a roaring fire and instantly sets the mood for the room. In a grey tone, it’s aesthetically pleasing and in-keeping with the big colour trend of the year. Feu de Bois scented candle, £42 for 190g, Diptyque, diptyqueparis.co.uk
SHEEPSKIN RUG The ultimate must-have to inspire the hygge feeling in a home. This sheepskin rug could also be thrown over the back of a chair to make a design statement. Large sheepskin rug, £395, The White Company, thewhitecompany.com
LONDON DIFFUSER This bronze diffuser not only looks elegant but smells incredible too. The ‘London’ scent captures the smell of the parks, the red bricks and the saltiness of the Thames, so even when you’re snuggled indoors, you can be reminded of the aroma of the capital. London scented diffuser, £65, Tom Dixon, tomdixon.net
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Founders of Scandinavian-inspired British lifestyle brand, Lilou et LoĂŻc, Aldis Firman and Malin Wright, discuss their love of home, design and fragrance WORDS: Olivia Sharpe
Home
sweet home
Image by Sarel Jansen
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have serious home envy. It’s 10am and I’ve just arrived at the house of Aldis Firman, one of the founders of lifestyle brand Lilou et Loïc, located minutes from Barons Court station. The open-plan kitchen and dining area is as attractive and welcoming as its owner. The dark wooden dining table, sourced from Milan, and accompanying Ralph Lauren chairs perfectly complement the white Statuario marble kitchen countertops. I take mental notes of the Art Deco-inspired chandelier and the floor-to-ceiling mirror. If it hadn’t been for the high chair placed discreetly round the breakfast nook, I would never have guessed this meticulous residence was a family home. Firman lives here with her husband, racing car driver Ralph Firman, and their two small children. The pair did up the property completely from scratch, although she tells me, smiling, that her husband had very little involvement in the design. The Icelandic businesswoman has had several homes in London, which have all been minimalistic in style up until recently. “My first home used to be completely Scandi. You’d walk in and you knew a Nordic person lived there.” However, her style has evolved over the years and her latest home has traces of her brief sojourn in the States when she was a child and her travels to Japan. “Essentially, it’s a Scandinavian home, but with contemporary and classic touches.” And this is the perfect way to sum up her lifestyle brand Lilou et Loïc, which specialises in fragrance, as well as bath and body products, which she founded together with close friend, Malin Wright, in 2011. The former Swedish model – who arrives
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impeccably dressed in a cream polo neck and leather trousers – lives in the countryside with her husband and three children. The pair first met 10 years ago in London where they worked for the same company. “I think it’s our Nordic mentality, but we had an instant connection,” says Firman. They then reconvened in France, where Wright had been spending the majority of her time, and bonded over their love of fragrance. “We spend summers in our house in Grasse and it is amazing the scents you discover there,” explains Wright. “The jasmine, rose, violet and orange blossom, all of which can be found in our bestselling White Cashmere fragrance, originate from here.” Without further ado, the two set about creating their first product line, which developed organically thanks to a strong shared vision. Drawing on their personal tastes, the simple, monochrome packaging (designed by Wright) and the luxurious handmade, reusable glass bottles, very much reflect their Scandinavian sensibility,
“The name came from my daughter’s nickname, Lilou, and her imaginary friend, Loïc” while the products themselves have all been made in England, marking Lilou et Loïc out as a British brand. So engrossed were the pair in creating the products that it wasn’t until much later that they realised they needed a name for their concept. However, like everything else, this proved to come naturally. “Funnily enough, the name is just perfect and once we identified it we knew it couldn’t be anything else,” says Wright, smiling. “It came from my daughter’s nickname, Lilou, and her imaginary friend, Loïc, who used to accompany us when we were in France. We then decided to add wings to illustrate her guardian angel.” All of the brand’s heavenly fragrances are inspired by Firman’s and Wright’s travels. One fragrance that particularly resonates with Firman is the Oriental Sandalwood & Black Pepper, which takes her back to her time in Japan. “I’ve been all over and one thing that travelled with me throughout, whether it was Nagasaki in the south or Sapporo in the north, is sandalwood. It retains its scent in he wood for centuries and it’s one of the most common incenses used for religious ceremonies.” While Firman tends to lean towards the
slightly sweeter scents, Wright prefers the traditionally more masculine fragrances. “I love Black Amber & Saffron,” she says. “It’s very sophisticated and I like the fact that it goes through all of our collections.” All of the fragrances in the Lilou et Loïc range are unisex as the founders are keen to break down gender barriers. This once again highlights their Scandinavian roots, a region famed for being one of the most gender equal in the world. “Many women don’t want a typically feminine scent,” explains Wright. “We believe people should be able to express their personality and fragrance choices freely.” Firman confirms that their male to female client ratio is 50/50. The pair also hopes to roll out their bespoke offering to companies next year, having recently been commissioned by a member of the royal family. One thing that unifies the brand is the two founders’ love of design and the home. As Firman puts it, “Home is where you can really be creative and express yourself.” As we enter one of the most family-orientated times of the year, I ask the two women how they will each be spending Christmas. While Firman is taking her whole family to Iceland for a Nordic affair, Wright is staying in the UK, where they will celebrate in both Scandi and British style. Well, you’d hardly expect anything less. lilouetloic.com
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ON THE FRANKINCENSE TRAIL
Silhouettes at a entrance of a cave in Taiq sinkhole in Dhofar mountains, Salalah, Oman
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It was a favourite of King Solomon, Emperor Nero and Tutankhamun. It was Oman’s first oil. It made the country rich and famous and earned the Wadi Dawqah valley a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. But what exactly is frankincense, and why does it remain precious today? WORDS: KEVIN PILLEY
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“P
lease buy my tears.” Dark eyes smiled through the veil. Her hands held out a small pile of semi-opaque, multi-purpose pebbles. An incense burner and a cup of aromatic, spicy ‘khawa’ smoked beside her. The air was impregnated with the sweet smell of an ancient past. Laila’s job is supplying luxury incenses
Yemen border, receives the Khareef south-west monsoon winds from June to September. The mists blanket the region in an impenetrable pea-souper creating perfect conditions for growing frankincense trees. Winds freeze gum into teardrops. For four months, Dhofar becomes the coldest place in the Arabic world, before becoming the greenest. “You will be amazed at the difference in landscape within a matter of miles,” explained our guide Naser as we drove past roadside stalls selling papayas, bananas and other fresh tropical fruit. Leaving the outside lane to Chryslers and Chevrolets, camels formed a contraflow on the ring road before the tarmac petered out into a dirt track and we were suddenly in the parched foothills, bumping and coughing our way to one of the oldest frankincense fields in the world. Wadi Dawqah was an important stop in the caravan routes and as far back as the fourth century BC was the first place in Oman to produce frankincense for a global market. It was exchanged for spices and has been central to many religious practises for many centuries. Such history has earned the
Such history has earned the frankincense valley of Wadi Dawqah a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List and perfumes as well as essential oils. Wearing her black ‘abaya’ gown, she works every day at Abu Mohd (Shop No.2) in the Al-Husu market in the Al Hafa district of Salalah on the southernmost tip of the Sultanate of Oman. The ancient market in the narrow sandy alleys is full of ‘well-priced’ gold and silver, turbans , kummah caps, naal sandals, copper coffee pots, ceremonial khanjar daggers and tailors’ shops offering fittings for gentlemen’s robes, ladies’ thobs and traditional velvet Dhofari dishdasha dresses. As well as oblong tears. In Oman, frankincense tears are on everyone’s shopping list, whether you’re a local or a tourist. Two thousand years ago, Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar did a pretty high-profile PR job for the frankincense industry. As far as celebrity endorsements go, the Three Wise Men delivered a very impactful, multi-platform global marketing campaign. The Dhofar region, 90 minutes’ flying time and a 1000km 12-hour drive from the capital Muscat, is the ‘Land of Frankincense’. Its Frankincense Trail is as famous and as ancient as the Silk Route. The 30kms long, 20km wide coastal belt and mountain range, close to the
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frankincense valley of Wadi Dawqah a place on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. As we jolted and juddered through the dust and spindly, stunted trees, Naser explained that it takes 14 months for a five foot frankincense tree – genus, Boswellia – to become mature. A good tree can produce up to 10 kilograms of frankincense over 30 years. The Arabs call African frankincense ‘asli’ and their own, ‘luban’. Hebrews refer to incense as ‘lebonah’ or ‘ketoreth’. The Three Wise Men brought frankincense along with myrrh, another tree resin. The Romans used frankincense, too, calling it ‘mascula thura’. There are various types of frankincense. From ‘Hougari’ or ‘Hojary Superior’ to ‘Nejdi’ or ‘Nagdi’. The purest is colourless or with a slight green tinge. The best is whitesilver and brittle. The cheapest is brownishyellow. They all have a balsamic odour and a bitter aromatic taste. Once crystallized, frankincense burns easily and slowly with a bright white flame. The most sought-after is breast-shaped like the union of two tears. Prices range from £2 to £70 per kilo. Frankincense, or Olibanum trees are also found in central India as well as in Ethiopia. But the ‘Boswellia carterii’ or
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‘sacra’ only grows in Somalia, east Africa, Hadramaut in Yemen and in Dhofar. It is considered to produce the best frankincense and is bought mainly to fumigate houses and clothes. Anyone can tap a tree, it is a public resource. The habit of perfuming your house with ‘Bukhoor’ is a way of Arabic life. Passing around a incense burner or ‘Mabkhara’ is considered a mark of respect and hospitality. The type of frankincense you use can be seen as a status symbol or at least symbol of sophistication rather than wealth. In Oman, frankincense is also chewed to relieve indigestion and freshen the mouth. Public places have huge frankincense censers – essentially a giant incense burner. The Al Baleed Architectural Park’s Museum of the Frankincense Land, by the 12th-century port of Zafar, chronicles frankincense’s cultural importance. But Oman, of course, is not all about frankincense. The country is modernizing itself. Oman is going large. In Muscat the Ibadi Islam muezzins compete through megaphones from their minarets with charter jets and construction work. Paintings of the Sultan stand alongside corporate logos. The souks of the present dynasty, expelled the are competing with spas and wellness Persians in 1741. After 1861, close ties were centres. Date cultivation has given way to established with Great Britain and Oman investment cultivation. and Muscat became the most powerful The second largest country in the state in Arabia. In 1970, HM Sultan Middle East, Oman is thought to be the Quaboos bin Said claimed the throne and ancient civilization of Majan. The history Salalah stopped being its capital. of the Sultanate can be traced Salalah is only two hours back to 12,000BC. In the 3rd over the mountains from century Oman had the Audley Travel the Empty Quarter, the biggest and most powerful offer a two-week trip Rub al Khali (or desert). naval fleet in the world. to Oman from £4,950 The explorer Sir Wilfred The Portuguese left in per person. Further details Thesiger set out from 1650. Imam Ahmed from Audley Travel on Salalah to discover bin Said, the founder 01993 838 000, audleytravel.com; salalah.anantara.com
The explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger set out from Salalah to discover the Lost City of Ubar, ‘the Atlantis of the Sands’
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the Lost City of Ubar, ‘the Atlantis of the Sands’. The city museum has a permanent exhibition of his photographs. The Queen of Sheba’s palace was in Khor Ruri near Samhuram which was famous as a frankincense port. The current Sultan was born in Salalah and he has his summer residence there at the Al Husn Palace. The Dhofar region is also the final resting place of Nabi Imran, the father of the Virgin Mary as well as Emran, the father of Moses. The land of Uz also claims Job’s tomb. After you’ve walked down Mughsyal and the Al Haf Corniche and around Sumhuram old city, there are many other things to see in south Oman. Visit the world’s second largest blowhole at Tawi Attir, the ninthcentury ancient capital of Mirbat and the botanical gardens at Ayn Razat which are watered by underground springs. Enthusiastic naturalists take the day drive to the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary on the Jiddat Al-Harasis plateau near Haima. This huge protected desert area is not only the home to one of only two herds of wild free-ranging oryx but also Nubian ibex, Arabian wolves, honey badgers and Arabian gazelle. “Southern Oman is natural Oman. Old Oman. Real Oman,” were Naser’s parting words. Muscat may be changing itself. But in the souks of Salalah you can see the present and the future. Once Omani ladies like Laila kohled their eyes using burnt frankincense. Now they use Chanel eyeliner.
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HOTEL OF THE MONTH:
FOUR SEASONS HOTEL DES BERGUES
Geneva is a sleek and cosmopolitan city, which is why it makes perfect sense that Four seasons chose this lake-side spot for its only swiss resort WORDS: BETHAN REES
F
or me, the thought of Switzerland invokes the image of glistening diamonds and world-class watches. Baselworld, the international trade show for the horology and jewellery industry, for example, attracts 94,000 visitors each year. Switzerland’s association with jewels doesn’t stop there – in Bern, pedestrian crossings are lined with Swarovski ‘diamond dust’. The second thing that comes to my mind when thinking about Switzerland is chocolate. Geneva is Switzerland’s second largest city, behind Zurich. The Hotel des Bergues, the city’s first bona fide hotel, became a Four Seasons property in 2005. The landmark building was constructed on the banks of Lake Geneva in 1834 and has since played host to royalty, movie stars and celebrity businessmen. The Neo-classical palace hotel, which offers unrivalled views of the lake below, is reminiscent of Four Seasons Georges V in Paris, with its lavish, grand interior styling (also created by esteemed designer Pierre-Yves Rochon).
The hotel’s 115 opulent guest rooms and suites are decorated in Wedgewood blue and almond green, with endearing Toile de Jouy motifs dotted all around. Although the hotel is filled with Louis Phillipe-style furniture fit for a king, Four Seasons Geneva is the epitome of old world charm meeting new, contemporary functionality. From an in-mirror television in the bathroom, to iPod docks in the bedroom, this hotel hasn’t let time pass it by. Each suite comes with a dedicated personal assistant – essentially a superconcierge-cum-butler that’s there to cater to your every whim. Suites can be individually personalised to your tastes, from your favourite flowers to the music being played in the room. So if you want to be surrounded by dusky pink peonies while listening to Frank Sinatra, your wish is Four Seasons’ command. If you’re feeling groggy after travelling, or need a pre-dinner pamper, a trip to the rooftop spa is essential. Offering views across the city, the Spa Mont Blanc takes inspiration from the surrounding
lake and mountains, with treatments such as the Alpine Aroma Reviver and the Swiss Detox Ritual. Following your treatment, head to the relaxation room where you can indulge in chocolate covered strawberries. For those wanting to relax with a partner in total seclusion, there is also a luxurious double suite with private hammam (a Turkish bath). You (arguably) can’t survive solely on Swiss chocolate, and thankfully the hotel offers some top-rate dining options. For a fine dining, Michelin-starred experience head to Il Lago, a northern Italian-style restaurant, which prides itself on seasonality. For something a little more modern, Izumi is a rooftop restaurant with a Japanese-Peruvian inspired menu. After dinner, relocate yourself to Le Bar Des Bergues, the cosy wood-panelled lounge, for a nightcap. If Switzerland is the gem of central Europe, then Four Seasons Geneva is the jewel in the country’s crown. Rates start from £577 per night for a standard room, fourseasons.com
Images courtesy of Will Pryce, Richard Waite and Peter Vitale for Four Seasons
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NUCLEAR NIGHTS
When Chernobyl’s reactor number four exploded in 1986, the world didn’t know how to respond. Thirty years after the most catastrophic nuclear disaster in human history, The City Magazine sleeps among the wolves in the abandoned town’s dead zone WORDS: ROB CROSSAN
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A F T E R
D A R K
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C H E R N O B Y L
The ghost town of Pripyat, near Chernobyl
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THis iMage Ruins in the Chernobyl exclusion zone in Pripyat beloW lefT An abandoned carousel and ferris wheel at an amusement park in the centre of the city beloW rigHT Bumper cars at an abandoned amusement park
T
he Geiger counter sounds like it might be about to explode. Emitting a gentle, bleeping pulse rate as we walk through the abandoned supermarket, suddenly, the counter dial on the mobile phone-sized radiation monitor I’m carrying slams over into the red zone of the scale and the bleeping quickens to a ‘DEFCON 1’ rate of frantic, panicked noise. “I think I know what this is,” explains our guide Sergei. Clad in sleeveless vest and running shorts, he looks like he’s just jogged into the Chernobyl exclusion zone from a sun lounger over on the Black Sea coast. Gingerly picking up the remains of a cloth cap, he holds it up to us, a group of eight visitors hailing from London, Stockholm and Chicago, for closer inspection. “This cap was probably worn by somebody who was part of the clean-up operation back in 1986”, he explains. “You never know when you’re going to come across something that is so radioactive. That’s why nobody can ever live here again.” It was exactly 30 years ago that reactor number four exploded in the thenunknown all but unknown company town of Chernobyl, buried deep in the hinterlands of the old USSR but now on the Ukrainian side of the border with Belarus. As a radioactive cloud dispersed across Europe in April 1986, Soviet apparatchiks in Moscow bickered and dithered over what to do.
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Eventually evacuating the small town of Chernobyl and the much larger nearby town of Pripyat, the local population was told that it was merely temporary and that they would soon be allowed to return home to their apartments. This, of course, turned out to be one of a series of colossal lies which, in the eyes of some experts, played a part in the downfall of the Soviet Union just five years later. Over the last decade, the 30km exclusion zone around the ruined reactor has been occasionally opened up to outsiders curious to see the ravaged remains of what was once a bustling industry town with one of the highest
‘disaster voyeurism’. “You would have definitely been exposed to more radiation on the plane journey over here,” he tells our group as our mini-van goes past a military checkpoint and rolls down baked, cracked and deserted asphalt roads to the town of Pripyat. “The levels of radiation in most of the exclusion zone are now safe enough for people to live here. The problem is that there are still very small pockets – sometimes it’s a cluster of trees and sometimes it’s just a piece of material – that is still very radioactive. If you stand even a foot away from it then the levels go back down to normal but these pockets mean that, in reality, there’s no way the authorities could ever allow people to return.” Pripyat itself, just a couple of kilometres away from the four reactors (all of which are now closed and being slowly decommissioned – a 30-year process) exudes an atmosphere redolent of the most harrowing dystopian movies. There’s a hint of Children of Men in the abandoned schools and hospitals, the endless corridors leading into rooms filled with beds, colouring books, clothes and even children’s toys. In the municipal theatre, supermarket and swimming pool there’s a sense of A Clockwork Orange amid the dereliction, broken glass and rotting floorboards. And, in the rusting remnants of a cooling tower nearby, under construction in 1986 but never completed, the echoes and the endless cracked concrete bring to mind the infamous torture scene with Michael Palin and Jonathan Pryce in Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Come nightfall, the natural elements of the exclusion zone come into force. Staying in a Soviet era hotel, which during the week is home to the dozens of people responsible for decommissioning the
The local population was told the evacuation was merely temporary and that they would soon be allowed to return home to their apartments standards of living in the former USSR. As of this year, however, as radiation levels in most of the zone slowly reduce, one intrepid UK-based tour operator is offering up the chance to stay overnight in what many call the ‘dead zone’. As far as macabre tourism goes, it’s hard to think of a more unlikely destination for a weekend mini-break. Yet, according to Sergei, who has been taking visitors to the zone for the last three years, this is a trip that is not only safe, but also hugely beneficial in a way that goes far beyond
reactors, I’m surprised to find a retro but rather cosy place with a bar and canteen serving up atavistic fare such as borscht, chicken Kiev and gargantuan salads, the ingredients of which, I am reassured, are all bussed in from outside the zone. There’s an 8pm curfew in the zone and, after the bar closes at nine, there’s little to do except retire. During the daytime I’d seen hundreds of dogs marauding around the zone. Friendly as they were, it didn’t seem a good idea to pet them. Night time is different again, however. As I attempt
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| TRAVEL |
THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER: WHAT WENT WRONG?
this image A rusty bus in a field in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone right The Chernobyl reactor below An abandoned house in Pripyat
to sleep the soundtrack is one of wolves, howling outside the hotel, their plaintive hollering casting an eerie echo through this deserted space. “The nature here is incredible isn’t it?” says Sergei the next morning as we journey towards the outer limits of the zone. “Nature has totally reclaimed the area. You can spot moose, elk, bison and even bears. If you look in the river you’ll see catfish about two metres long. The animals own the zone now – it’s proof that nature can recover very quickly.” And yet people have returned, too. On the outskirts of the towns of Chernobyl and Pripyat, amid thick birch forests, lie the old wooden homesteads that once belonged to families who lived in the area long before the reactors were built in the late 1960s. At the end of the ’80s, two or three years after the disaster, some families decided to return, ignoring the government ban on habitation in the zone.
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Josef is one of just a few dozen who now remain. I meet him as he feeds the pig he keeps in a barn next to his ‘dacha’ style house which, although leaning at a worrying angle, still just about stands erect. Dressed in a checked shirt and tracksuit bottoms, at 87, he appears to be in rude health. “This is my home,” he tells me as we stroll around his garden, a menagerie of cats and chickens following him Pied Piper-style around his vegetable patch. “If I left my children would put me in an old people’s home; I couldn’t live my own life anymore. Being here now, 30 years on, is proof that life can return. I may be old, but this isn’t the end for Chernobyl.” Rob was a guest of UK-based Lupine Travel (lupinetravel.co.uk, 01942 704525) which offers overnight stays in Chernobyl plus two nights in the four-star Hotel Ukraine in Kiev from £409pp based on two sharing. Wizz Air (wizzair.com) flies from London Luton to Kiev with returns from £83.
The biggest nuclear disaster in history started out as an experiment to prevent just that. Engineers on the evening shift of the 25 April 1986 decided to perform a last-minute stress test on reactor number four. To understand whether the reactor would continue to work at lower power levels, engineers reduced energy input to 20 per cent of normal levels, switching off automatic safety systems, which would have otherwise shut down the reactor, in order to do so. Unbeknownst to the engineers, in the early hours of the next day, the reactor began to overheat, causing a water coolant to turn to steam and explode through the top of the reactor, destroying the facility’s roof in the process. As wind rushed into the reactor, it ignited the carbon monoxide inside, resulting in a fire that shot radioactive isotopes into the atmosphere above the USSR and western Europe for nine days. While there are only 31 deaths attributed directly to the disaster (two from the explosion; 29 from acute radiation poisoning in the months thereafter), estimates of its effects vary. The UN Chernobyl Forum expects an extra 9,000 cancer deaths, whereas Greenpeace estimates are as high as 93,000. Thyroid cancer cases in surrounding areas have spiked, with 4,000 cases in adults who were children at the time.
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PROPERTY NEWS
kEEP TaBs on THE maRkET, wHETHER you aRE livinG oR invEsTinG in THE caPiTal
SALES lee o’neill, head of sales at knight Frank wapping, comments on the trends in the residential sales market As 2016 draws to a close, I look back at the year and think to myself ‘’well that was a year of two halves.” During the winter and early spring months we saw the continuation of poor supply versus strong, investor led demand, (with investor eyes clearly fixed on the April 2016 stamp duty increase) which in turn led to record sale prices across most levels. As we entered the summer months we all took a breath and waited to see the impact that Brexit would have on our local market. Now, at the end of the year, we have witnessed a correction in the market place and discovered those people that have a genuine desire to buy and sell. Many people seem to think that Brexit has halted the sales market. That is not the case. Since the summer we have agreed sales across all price levels and noticeably the sales of several prime penthouses in the area for £3,500,000 and £5,200,000, respectively. Activity is not just at the higher levels. This week we have received three separate offers on a £485,000 one-bed apartment in Wapping – dare I say ‘sealed bid’ in the current market. In terms of values, I feel that, on the whole, we are at the same price levels now that we were at during the same spell last year. While new buyer registrations have dropped it is worth noting that traffic to the web portals is on par with last year and it is clear that a lot of buyers are studying the market and waiting for the right time to re-enter. Moving into 2017, I think we’ll see the return of willing domestic buyers with the possibility of overseas buyers, seeing value in the pound, once again looking at London property as a good long-term hold. The best thing to do in readiness for this demand is to make sure your property is priced at the correct level and you are instructing the agent with the best exposure and most local knowledge. Knight Frank Wapping 020 3813 3751 knightfrank.co.uk
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Brexit negotiations are expected to be concluded by early 2019, bringing to an end the two-year period of greatest uncertainty. As buyer confidence returns, low mortgage rates should mean there is capacity for a small bounce-back in house prices. - Chris Buckle, associate director in Savills Residential Research
FEEL THE HEAT Radiators no longer have to be hidden or thought of as an interior design burden. The latest design from Bisque, the Lissett radiator, is formed from recycled scrap aluminium – because this metal is an efficient heat conductor, it uses less energy to heat up. Its graceful curves and slim profile make it an aesthetically pleasing addition to a room, and it comes in a huge range of colours; from volcanic grey to rose, Prussian blue to sunshine yellow. From £526.80, bisque.co.uk
FULL OF BEANS Coffee is an essential part of many lives, whether it’s a matter of morning functionality or an afternoon pick-me-up. Jura, a Swiss-made bean-to-cup coffee technology manufacturer, has just released the Z6, which delivers baristastyle coffee every time. You can even have your speciality coffee programmed into the machine. Are you a short, strong ristretto kind of person or more of a flat white fan? £1,185, uk.jura.com
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| PROPERTY |
LETTINGS gary Hall, regional partner at knight
Frank wapping, comments on the trends in the residential lettings market
B ABY, I T ’ S C O L D OU T SI D E Just because it i s wint er, we don’t have to hibernat e indoors. Stay warm outside with award-winning Canadian fire pit brand Solus Decor – th e robust concret e designs not only give of f a good h eat, th ey act as an elegant focal point for a garden too. Th e company prides itself on its eco-credential s and uses certified lumb er and recycled mat erial s. Th e hand-cast concret e fire pits are a modern take on a traditional w ood burning fire, w hich use convenient and clean burning fu el s. solusdecor.com
KITCHEN COLLABORATION Luxury Italian appliance brand Steel has again teamed up with the classic French crockery and ovenware brand Le Creuset on a second limited edition collection of range cookers. Adding to its Genesi collection, the cookers are available in four classic Le Creuset colourways: amethyst, mineral blue, sisal and cotton. Prices from £2,386, bradshaw.co.uk
THE ROYAL TREATMENT
Formed in 1996, Victoria + Albert Baths is a British brand creating freestanding baths and basins for bathrooms all over the world. There are two main collections, Traditional and Modern. Each bath is crafted from a material called QUARRYCAST® that offers good heat insulation and scratch resistant properties. vandabaths.com
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It’s fair to say that 2016 has been an interesting year. Taking everything in to account, I have been reasonably pleased with the performance of the rental market in the east London area over the past 12 months. Saying this, while we have seen high levels of activity in the lower and mid-section of the rental market, there has been a noticeable slowdown in the upper bracket since Brexit. The City and Docklands areas are heavily affected by recruitment and as the large corporates sit on their hands and limit the number of senior executives being relocated to London, prices in the upper bracket have started to soften with landlords looking to minimise their voids. Over the past 18 months, we have seen a number of new luxury lifestyle residential schemes complete in the area, these include One Tower Bridge and Goodman’s Fields, with London Dock in Wapping starting to come available shortly. Encouragingly, these units have been less effected by the change in conditions. With high-spec finishes, amazing residents’ facilities and outstanding concierge services, they are achieving above average rents and letting reasonably quickly. So what’s next for 2017? Well, I’m writing this on the morning of the 9 November and Donald Trump has just been elected President of the United States, so your guess is as good as mine. A longer period of uncertainty (especially around Article 50) could prolong the conditions we are experiencing but I do believe the majority of the rental market will continue to trade well. With any period of uncertainty and change, being flexible and realistic regarding market conditions is key to ensuring that you are on the front foot and getting what you want. Knight Frank Wapping 020 3813 3751 knightfrank.co.uk
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MOVE FASTER SELL WITH KNIGHT FRANK
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NEO Bankside, SE1 A superbly renovated riverside apartment in this extremely popular development with views of St Pauls Cathedral and the Tate Modern art gallery. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Kitchen/reception room, Winter garden, Porter/concierge, Leisure facilities. Approximately 104 sq m (1,119 sq ft) Riverside@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3597 7670
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £5,500,000
The Icon Penthouse, SW1V Situated on the 5th and 6th floor of an exclusive riverside building with stunning views and large rooms, giving a wonderful feeling of space and light. 4 bedrooms,4 bathrooms, Reception room, Kitchen, Study, Terrace, Porter, Parking. Approximately 371 sq m (4,004 sq ft) Riverside@knightfrank.com Office: 020 3597 7670
City Mag December Issue Sales
21/11/2016 16:51:32
Cit
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MOVE Faster. Sell with Knight Frank
Our understanding of the everchanging market enables us to price your property accurately, so you can rely on Knight Frank to get you moving. Call us today on +44 20 8166 5375 to arrange your free market appraisal. KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com
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Hermitage Court, Wapping E1W 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment. Reception room, kitchen, porterage and parking. On the first floor of a popular development in West Wapping. EPC: B. Approximatley 75 sq m (1023 sq ft). Share of Freehold. Office: 020 8166 5375
@KnightFrank KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £565,000
Cinnabar Wharf, Wapping E1W Bright 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment in West Wapping. Reception room with open plan kitchen, porterage and parking. EPC: B. Approximatley 39 sq m (1,845 sq ft). Leasehold: 982 yeard remaining. Office: 020 8166 5375
City Mag December 2016
22/11/2016 10:52:23
Computer generated images for indicative purposes only *Correct at time of print and subject to availability
W E ST E R N E U R O P E’ S TA L L E ST R E S I D E N T I A L TOW E R PRI CES FROM £695,0 0 0*
N O W AVA I L A B L E Luxurious Suites, One, Two and Three bedroom apartments and Penthouses. Just 3 minutes’ walk from Canary Wharf Crossrail, connecting to the West End in 11 minutes. 35th floor five-star spa, cinema, club bar, pool and gym. W W W. S P I R E LO N D O N .C O M 020 3504 7132
A development by
Sent by Sectorlight:
Job Number: 1606296
Residential selling agents
1 2
savills.co.uk
EXCHANGE BUILDING, e1
CHINA COURT, e1w
Penthouse ø 2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø roof terrace ø 24hr concierge ø allocated underground parking ø 121.61 sq m (1,309 st ft) ø EPC=C
Reception room ø kitchen ø 2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø porter ø private terrace ø parking space ø 100.4 sq m (1,081 sq ft) ø EPC=C
Guide £1.295 million Leasehold
Guide £875,000 Share of Freehold
Savills Shoreditch efensom@savills.com 020 7578 6200
Savills Wapping rcashley@savills.com 0207 456 6800
GREAT EASTERN STREET, ec2a
TOWER VIEW, e1w
Open plan kitchen and reception ø 2 bedrooms ø bathroom ø direct lift access ø lateral space ø warehouse conversion ø 158.2 sq m (1,703 sq ft) ø EPC=D
Reception room ø dining area ø kitchen ø 2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø direct lift access ø stunning views ø 164.2 sq m (1,767 sq ft) ø EPC=B
Offers in excess of £1.75 million Share of Freehold
Guide £3.5 million Leasehold
Savills Shoreditch nefthymiou@savills.com 020 7578 6200
Savills Wapping llaws@savills.com 020 7456 6800
3 4
| PROPERTY |
INSIDER KNOWLEDGE
UK HOUSE PRICES WILL INCREASE BY 0.5 PER CENT NEXT YEAR Diana alaM, head of residential development sales, JLL
Images for illustrative purposes only, courtesy of JLL
J
LL’s Residential Forecasts for the year ahead predict that Brexit will dominate UK housing markets over the short to medium term but that the market will remain reasonably strong and active despite the greater uncertainty resulting from Brexit. JLL is forecasting that UK house prices will increase by 0.5 per cent next year, with a further one per cent growth in 2018. House price growth is predicted to rise to five per cent per annum by 2021 as greater certainty returns to the nation following Brexit. Transaction levels are forecast to decline from around 1.22 million this year to 1.08 million next year, an 11 per cent fall, as uncertainty causes some households to defer house purchase decisions. However, JLL predicts that the softer market conditions will encourage more first-time buyers to get onto the housing ladder, especially as interest rates will be so enticing. Diana Alam comments: “We are expecting UK housing markets to slow from current levels both in terms of transactions and price growth next year. This will be driven by Brexit uncertainty and a slightly softer economy. The outlook, however, is particularly unpredictable presently. Over the next couple of years we expect periods of volatility in terms of household and business sentiment as the Brexit roadmap unfolds, but the underlying shortage in supply will provide support in value terms.” JLL is concerned about the impact that Brexit will have on housing supply and believes it will be difficult to even maintain current levels of house building given underlying conditions. Housebuilders will inevitably exercise greater caution when times are more uncertain. JLL is
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forecasting UK housing starts will slip from around 140,000 homes in 2016 to 134,000 next year and in 2018. In London, we expect housing starts to fall from around 18,000 homes in 2016 to 16,000 next year, having reached 23,700 starts in 2015. Diana continues: “Both Theresa May and Sadiq Khan have expressed their concern about a lack of housing supply and affordability, and both have been vocal about addressing this fundamental and vital issue. We know they are actively seeking answers and it will be interesting to see whether policy initiatives target short-term supply improvements or look beyond the immediate horizon to create long-term solutions. Given the likely uncertainty over the next few years, we believe that policymakers will be wisest to look long-term.”
Housing supply and delivery remain high on the political agenda and the next 12 months should see fresh ideas and new policies, starting with the imminent housing white paper. Adam Challis, head of residential research at JLL, concludes: “The housing agenda has broadened to include a wider range of tenures that will impact the market going forward. This has been a positive shift from Government as we need to address current housing needs and not just ambition. Focusing on the supply story rather than demand will be vital. “To double construction rates, the Government will need to look long-term. Industry capacity will decline rapidly over the next decade, creating critical challenges of labour availability and skills. A focus on unrealistic targets during this parliament could derail policy from these bigger fixes.”
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EV E RY H OM E H A S I T S OWN SKY GARDEN 2.7M (8.85FT) INTERNAL FLOOR TO CEILING HEIGHT 25M OUTD OOR LAP SWIMMING P OOL SET IN LUSH GARDENS RE SIDENTS’ LOUNGE, BAR & PRIVATE DINING ON 55TH-FLOOR
COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGES. PRICES CORRECT AS AT TIME OF PRINT.
WA R D I A N L O N D O N O F F E R S A N O A S I S O F N AT U R E , C O M P R I S I N G T W O I C O N I C A PA RT M E N T T OW E R S W I T H A N A R R AY O F FA C I L I T I E S A N D S E RV I C E L I K E N O N E O T H E R ; A H AV E N O F P E A C E A N D B E AU T Y I N T H E H E A RT O F L O N D O N .
P R I C E S F R O M £ 5 7 7, 5 0 0 VISIT THE SHOW SUITE MOMENTS FROM CANARY WHARF
0203 733 7122
WA R D I A N .C O M
LETTINGS
Southampton Street, Covent Garden WC2 £1,400 per week*
We are CBRE Residential, your sales and lettings team.
This spectacular two bedroom apartment to rent in Covent Garden is one of seven luxuriously appointed apartments within one of the newest residential developments in WC2.
• • • • •
Unique and contemporary living space First floor with lift access Concierge service with unrivalled privileges Available to rent on a fully furnished basis Situated just south of London’s only Piazza
020 7205 4611 cbreresidential.com *Potential tenants should be advised that as well as rent, an administration fee of £270 including VAT and referencing fee of £50.40 including VAT per person will apply when renting a property. Please visit cbreresidential.com/uk/en-GB/rent/tenant-fees for more information about other fees that may apply. Prices correct at time of going to print.
SALES
East Central, Clerkenwell EC1 Prices from £775,000*
We are CBRE Residential, your sales and lettings team.
020 7205 4553 cbreresidential.com *Prices correct at the time of going to print.
East Central lies at the heart of modern London offering five duplex apartments and one penthouse. East Central is the combination of bohemian tradition and the booming technological hub of Shoreditch.
• Spectacular south facing views from the penthouse balcony • Desirable zone 1 location • High gloss kitchens from Urban Myth • Integrated Smeg/Bosch kitchen appliances • Hotel-style bathrooms with Laufen fitting
Beckenham BR3
£1,295,000 F/H
Occupying a third of an acre plot is this stunning four double bedroom detached family home. This attractive property has recently undergone a refurbishment programme including extensive landscaping works to the 220ft rear garden. The home will be offered with full vacant possession and has potential to extend STPP.
Contact Beckenham 020 8663 4433
Bromley BR2
£1,200,000 F/H
A five double bedroom Victorian home in Shortlands, located within just 0.25 miles of the village shops, train station and Queensmead Recreation Ground. • •
Five Double Bedrooms Three Bathrooms
Contact Bromley 020 8315 5544
• •
Off-street Parking Energy Efficiency Rating D
• • • •
Four Double Bedrooms Two Large Reception Rooms No Onward Chain Energy Efficiency Rating E
Chislehurst BR7
£995,000 F/H
Set in an idyllic location by Chislehurst Ponds is this semi-detached charming four bedroom period home with original features. • •
Four Bedrooms Three Reception Rooms
• •
Semi-detached Period Home Energy Efficiency Rating D
Contact Chislehurst 020 8295 4900 A member of
The Acorn Group, incorporating:
Beckenham 020 8663 4433 Bromley 020 8315 5544
A member of
Keston BR2
£1,695,000 F/H
A modern family home featuring a 32ft kitchen/breakfast room and a further three reception rooms. The upstairs accommodation offers three double bedrooms and a fantastic master suite with dressing room, modern contemporary en-suite and secluded balcony.
Contact Locksbottom 01689 882 988
Shirley Hills CR0
£1,375,000 F/H
Stunning, extended seven bedroom, four reception room detached family home, offering 3,344 sq ft of well-presented living accommodation. • •
Seven Bedrooms Large Patio Area
• •
Double Length Garage Energy Efficiency Rating E
Contact West Wickham 020 8432 7373
• • • •
Chislehurst 020 8295 4900 Locksbottom 01689 882 988
Orpington 01689 661 400 West Wickham 020 8432 7373
Five Bedrooms Three Reception Rooms Secluded Landscaped Rear Garden Energy Efficiency Rating E
Orpington BR6
£1,500,000 F/H
Unique Edwardian house, renovated throughout to create a contemporary home with an eclectic feel, whilst still incorporating many original features. • •
Six Bedrooms Renovated Throughout
• •
Original Features Energy Efficiency Rating E
Contact Orpington 01689 661 400 A member of
langfordrussell.co.uk
A PA RT M EN T LI V I NG ON A WHOLE NEW LEVEL Überhaus is a collection of fabulous homes where space and light flow freely to give a sense of relaxed contemporary living. We have seven glorious Überhaus sitting on top of the ninth and tenth floors of Millennium Terrace, at London’s favourite village.
Split level accommodation // 3 bedrooms // High quality internal specification // Superb fitted kitchen with integrated appliances // Each Überhaus has at least three balconies // Acres of open space to enjoy, including the famous Ecology Park // Great transport connections – 1 stop from Canary Wharf // New Jubilee line night service now operating
PRICES FROM £774,995 TO £994,995 Accommodation from 1,181 to 1,708 sq ft
020 8305 2712 WWW.GMV.LONDON The Village Square, West Parkside, London SE10 0BD Marketing Suite & Show Apartments open daily 10am-5pm
*London Help to Buy subject to terms and conditions, please ask a Sales Consultant for more details. Prices and information corrrect at time of going to print. November 2016.
6431 CPUK GMV ad 297x210.indd 1
17/11/2016 18:18
PROPERTY SHOWCASE EXCITING COLLECTION OF HOMES AVAILABLE IN ECLECTIC EAST LONDON East London is one of the most desirable places to live in the capital. From the historic docks to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the financial hub of Canary Wharf, the area has seen extensive regeneration and improved transport links. Award-winning home builder Countryside has an exciting portfolio of developments currently available in the heart of this vibrant region
GREENWICH MILLENNIUM VILLAGE, GREENWICH, SE10 Ideal for professionals, couples and families looking to enjoy city living with a village ambience, Greenwich Millennium Village is an inspirational joint development by Countryside and Taylor Wimpey, in association with the Mayor of London. Described as one of the most exciting and innovative residential neighbourhoods in Europe, this development enjoys a fantastic riverside location and excellent transport connections. Situated on the Greenwich Peninsula, minutes from the River Thames, Greenwich Millennium Village’s much-anticipated new phase of homes has launched. Iverna Quay offers a stylish collection of contemporary apartments, maisonettes and überhauses situated overlooking the Greenwich Yacht Club, with some apartments boasting views of the rivers. Iverna Quay is a modern ten-storey building with a striking exterior that complements its waterside setting and the surrounding architecture of the rest of the development. All homes at Iverna Quay have their own private outdoor space in the form of a balcony, while the ground-floor maisonettes have an enclosed front garden. Interiors offer flexible, light-filled and spacious accommodation with open-plan living spaces and fullheight glazing. The high-quality specification includes individually designed contemporary-style kitchens with stone grey gloss base
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and wall units, and a full range of quality integrated appliances. The upper floor überhauses are split over two floors and enjoy sweeping river views. With new weekend night tube services on the Jubilee Line, residents at Greenwich Millennium Village will benefit from 24-hour services to Canary Wharf, the City and across London, making living here even more convenient. The cable car line provides frequent connections to the Royal Docks, and for travel further afield, London City Airport is a ten-minute journey via public transport. Guide prices at Iverna Quay start from £425,000. For further information about Greenwich Millennium Village, call 020 8305 2712 visit or gmv.london
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ST PAUL’S SQUARE, BOW, E3 Known for its community spirit and buzzing atmosphere, St Paul’s Square is popular with young professionals and families alike. The Le Mare Terrace and Annesley Apartments comprise stylish one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments. These homes have been intelligently designed in order to maximise light and space, and each home features a balcony or terrace. In addition to its close proximity to the Olympic Village, St Paul’s Square residents can take full advantage of a vast range of facilities, including great restaurants and bars, local markets and excellent shopping at Westfield Stratford City.
Liverpool Street is a five-minute tube journey away, while Oxford Circus can be reached in less than 15 minutes
EAST CITY POINT, CANNING TOWN, E16 A sum of £3.7bn is currently being spent on the regeneration of Canning Town and Custom House, including a £600m town centre expected to be completed in 2024, better quality streets, open spaces and new schools. Countryside’s East City Point development in Canning Town is perfect for savvy buyers keen to invest in this regeneration hotspot before house prices soar. The Atrium Building is the second phase at East City Point, comprising a selection of 153 contemporary one- and two- bedroom apartments, with open-plan living spaces and environmentally friendly features. Each apartment offers a strikingly modern design, with extensive use of glazing that
Situated within Zone 2, St Paul’s Square offers purchasers some excellent amenities, including great transport links. Mile End underground station is less than a mile away, located on the Central, Hammersmith & City and District lines. Liverpool Street is a five-minute tube journey away, while Oxford Circus can be reached in less than 15 minutes. The surrounding area also boasts a remarkable amount of green space, near to Mile End Park and Bartlett Park. Landscaped gardens and children’s play areas are also dotted around the development, ensuring that residents can enjoy the great outdoors. Prices start from £420,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, £470,000 for a two-bedroom and £599,950 for a three-bedroom home at St Paul’s Square. Apartments are also available to purchase through the Help to Buy scheme. The marketing suite and show homes are open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm. For more information and to register your interest, please call 020 7538 8264, email stpaulssquare@cpplc.com or visit countryside-properties.com
Each apartment offers a strikingly modern design, with extensive use of glazing that maximises natural light maximises natural light to the flexible and spacious interiors, and with a balcony providing private outdoor space. Lexicon Terrace is the latest and final phase, offering a collection of contemporary one-, two- and three-bedroom houses and apartments, boasting an excellent specification, private outside space and easy reach of local amenities. Canning Town already has excellent transport links, including the Jubilee Line and the DLR, and later this year residents will also benefit from the night tube, which promises to give the capital a 24-hour underground service. The area also boasts other good transport links, including the nearby A13 offering access to the M25, M11 and national motorway network. Prices at East City Point start at £320,000 for a one-bedroom apartment. London Help to Buy is available on selected properties. For further information, call 020 7473 1198 or visit eastcitypoint.com
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New Crane Wharf, New Crane Place, Wapping, E1W 3
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£1,500 pw | £6,500pcm • 2,400 sq ft
• Furnished throughout
• Warehouse conversion
• High end appliances
• Cinema room
• Close to Wapping and Shadwell stations
• Bedrooms with en-suites
If you’re looking for a quirky, spacious and jawdropping apartment, stop the search. This 3 bedroom apartment comes with its very own cinema room, perfect for a movie night with friends or a mid-week Netflix marathon. The huge open-plan kitchen makes whipping up some Christmas cookies a treat, and you can keep your bottles merry all year long in your industrial sized wine cooler. The in-built coffee machine makes those early morning alarms a little bit more bearable, topped off with the fact that you’ve had a good night’s sleep in one of the many comfortable bedrooms. Wapping has great transport links and an abundance of bars and restaurants that overlook the river Thames to keep you entertained. Contact our Tower Bridge team today to see it for yourself! For more information call our Tower Bridge branch on: 020 7234 0666
liferesidential.co.uk 18/11/2016 11:09:28
LETTINGS
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£520 pw | £2,253pcm
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The Heron, 5 Moor Lane, EC2Y • 15th floor • 24 hour concierge • Residents’ garden terrace
• Residents’ only bar, cinema room, library and gym • Furnished throughout
• Close proximity to Barbican, Liverpool Street and Moorgate stations
LETTINGS | SALES | MANAGEMENT | SERVICED APARTMENTS
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For more information call our Tower Bridge branch on: 020 7234 0666
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£860,000
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Embassy Works, Lawn Lane, SW8 • 3rd floor • Warehouse conversion • Open plan kitchen/reception room
• Built in wine cooler and coffee machine • Exposed brickwork
• 0.1 miles from Vauxhall station
For more information call our Nine Elms branch on: 020 7582 7989
liferesidential.co.uk
18/11/2016 11:09:39
A collection of 77 new luxury apartments & houses Situated in Zone 1, directly opposite Borough Underground Station for superb access across London 1 beds from £714,995, 2 beds from £949,995, 3 beds from £1,295,000
1/3rd already sold Book your appointment to view today brandonhouse@crestnicholson.com, 0800 088 6436 www.brandonhouseSE1.com London Bridge
Bank
Waterloo
King’s Cross
Canary Wharf
Oxford Circus
1 min
3 mins
6 mins
12 mins
13 mins
13 mins
Borough
Train times taken from National Rail. Digital illustration is indicative only. Show Home photography. Pricing correct on 18.11.16.
WATE R SI DE H O MES FAS HI O N E D FO R C I T Y LI F E CA N A L S I D E CO L L E CTI O N N OW L AU N C H E D Become neighbours with Central Saint Martins, Louis Vuitton, Everyman Cinema and the new Thomas Heatherwick designed shopping destination, Coal Drops Yard. Be part of London’s best connected neighbourhood. Studio apartments from £810,000.*
* Price correc t at time of going to press .
Brilliant exteriors, breathtaking interiors.
Register your interest at g asholderslondon .co.uk or book an appointment +4 4 (0)20 7205 4246 to v i ew o u r s a l e s g a l l e r y a n d s h ow a p a r tm e n t o n G o o d s Way, K i n g ’s C ro s s N 1 C 4 U R
Gasholders_Canalside Collection_CityMag_210x297_1811.indd 1
18/11/2016 12:03
PROPERTY SHOWCASE Buy a Waterfront property and get connected don’t miss out on the opportunity to live in an exciting new development in the heart of london, offering excellent views, amenities and luxury living
F
inding somewhere to live can involve many considerations when it comes to its locality and amenities available in the area. After finding their Waterfront II property at Berkeley Homes Royal Arsenal Riverside, Kevin and Ann Ruck were amazed to find it was a perfect fit, especially when it came to getting around London. “Crossrail was the real decider when we were looking at where to buy our new home. Along with the DLR, the on-site Thames Clipper service and the proximity to London City Airport, we feel it is set to be one of the best connected parts of the city,” said Ann. “We are planning to relocate our business, PR Academy, into the capital. We are now probably one of the largest PR education providers in the UK with up to 1,000 people studying with us each year and feel the time is right to relocate. We already run our classes in London and many of our students and business contacts are based there, so being able to travel quickly across the capital is important to us.”
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The difference between where they live now could not be more different from where they are set to live in 2018, which is to testament to how, in London, you can live in the city but still experience the community feel of rural neighbourhoods. “We had been looking for our next move for some time. We had been living in a converted oast house in the Kent countryside for about 18 years, but we wanted to do something completely different which we have found at our new Waterfront II home that also offers stunning views of the River Thames. “You really do get a sense of community at Royal Arsenal Riverside. It is a great place to explore with an array of restaurants, bars and cafés, as well as the Greenwich Heritage Centre which celebrates the rich history of the borough and the military past of the development.” During the course of the year, Royal Arsenal Riverside hosts a number of music events along with the popular Tall Ships festival, while a regular farmers’ market takes place on the second and last Saturday of the month, bringing the whole
community together with a range of food and drink stalls. Kevin also admitted that their location will allow them to embrace their passions outside of their busy working lives: “Ann loves the theatre and for me it will make getting to my favourite football team’s ground a lot quicker, which again was a massive draw.” It is worth remembering that residents who buy at Waterfront will also get exclusive access to The Waterside Club, in the Pavilion Square phase of the development and will offer five-star relaxation facilities in the form of a luxury gym, a 20-metre swimming pool, sauna and steam room along with a whole host of facilities designed to ease away the stresses of daily life. In a funny twist of fate, the decision to buy off-plan will see Ann move back to a place with a strong family connection. Ann said: “My mother’s family arrived in Woolwich in the late 1800s from Ireland and many of my relatives actually worked in the Arsenal. It has changed so much since then and I can only wonder what they would make of it now. Many of the
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“You really do get a sense of community at Royal Arsenal Riverside. It is a great place to explore with an array of restaurants, bars and cafés”
listed historical buildings are still in place and complement the new ones so well, which is a rarity for property developers to consider these days.” For more information Waterfront properties available to buy at Royal Arsenal Riverside,
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please contact 0208 331 7130 or visit royalarsenalriverside.co.uk. Royal Arsenal Riverside, SE18 020 8331 7130, royalarsenalriverside.co.uk
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WATERFRONT III AN OUTSTANDING RIVERSIDE LOCATION ROYAL ARSENAL WOOLWICH
CANARY WHARF 8 MINUTES*
LIVERPOOL STREET 14 MINUTES*
BOND STREET 22 MINUTES*
HEATHROW 50 MINUTES*
Royal Arsenal Riverside is an outstanding riverside location, with an ever expanding range of residents’ amenities. It is ideally situated for the forthcoming on-site Crossrail station and London City Airport, which is just 7 minutes away.
Manhattan, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments - Prices from £417,500 Call 020 3504 4095 to register your interest
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www.royalarsenalriverside.co.uk
Computer generated image is indicative only. Prices and information correct at time of going to press. *Approximate travel times for Crossrail taken from Royal Arsenal Woolwich. Source: www.crossrail.co.uk
Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies
Galliard_Wap_CityMag_FPC_28.11.16 18/11/2016 09:25 Page 1
T GE AND EST IVER R PA AN R 1 BETDHE FINTHE R H O O OF S ON C I EX TUD ONE ENT
Buy into London’s last great undervalued riverside location
M S R P TO RT U A YO VE U AP O ED M 2B W NE
W APPING R IVERSIDE INVEST NOW AND MAXIMISE ON A TIDAL WAVE OF GROWTH
W APPING R IVERSIDE
AVERAGE PRICE
£1688 PSF
AVERAGE PRICE
£1473 PSF
EXCLUSIVE APARTMENTS AVERAGING
£1100 PSF
AVERAGE PRICE
£1951 PSF
AVERAGE PRICE
£1821 PSF
Wapping AVERAGE PRICE
£3023 PSF
AVERAGE PRICE
£1519 PSF Currently there are numerous new developments on the edge of the river. ONLY ONE HAS THE EDGE THAT MATTERS MOST. PART EXCHANGED APARTMENTS ON WAPPING HIGH STREET AVAILABLE NOW
Exceptional apartments & penthouses within Wapping Wall Conservation Area and adjacent overground connections - minutes from Canary Wharf & The City.
AT
£575,000 MARKETING SUITE OPEN FOR VIEWING • 020 3770 2104 • wappingriverside.com/cm Averages quoted are calculated from price list availability obtained from selected developments. Correct at time of going to press.
IN JOINT VENTURE
INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO LIFE IN LONDON Find a new home you hadn’t believed possible, with our selection of exclusive properties offering good transport links, green spaces, luxury amenities and more
BRANDON HOUSE, SE1 Discover your dream home in a prime central London location at Brandon House. This sophisticated development comprises one-, twoand three-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom duplexes and two- and three-bedroom townhouses, all serviced by a 24-hour concierge. Each home has been carefully designed to meet the needs of modern city living, all the while maximising style and space. Homes provide flexible internal living, with large, open-plan living rooms and kitchens that boast fashionable yet functional islands and breakfast bars. All homes will have access to at least one area of private outdoor space. Some of the apartments offer far-reaching views over London’s iconic landscape, with views of The Shard and the City. The site itself possesses a unique history, dating as far back as 1518, when it was home to a Tudor Palace belonging to Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. Brandon House is the perfect base for city commuters, situated
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directly opposite Borough underground station and providing fantastic links to the rest of the capital. The development is also a short walk from Bermondsey’s exciting offering of eclectic bars, Michelin-star restaurants and gastropubs. Furthermore, the cultural delights of London’s Southbank are within easy reach, with a wealth of galleries, attractions and popular landmarks on offer. This stunning new development is the third and final release of Crest Nicholson’s luxury SE1 portfolio. This exciting collection of sophisticated developments brings a sense of luxury to this everpopular part of the capital, which has become a coveted place to live. As an area in which the financial and media industries of London meet, SE1 appeals to both creatives and professionals. Visit crestnicholson.com/brandonhouse or call Crest Nicholson’s Sales and Marketing Team on 0203 437 1107 crestnicholson.com/brandonhouse
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CITY NORTH, N4 Telford Homes Plc, in partnership with the Business Design Centre Group, has launched City North, a landmark development and destination for Finsbury Park, which will provide 307 new homes and a much-needed revamp of Finsbury Park station, including the addition of step-free access. Comprising a collection of spacious suites, one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartments, duplexes and penthouses, City North is situated directly adjacent to Finsbury Park station and opposite the 110-acre park itself, offering residents the perfect combination of accessibility and a green setting. Kitchens will feature fully integrated Bosch appliances and handle-less fitted European cabinets. City North will also create a new leisure destination for the area. All residents will have access to on-site amenities, including a 24-hour concierge service and a beautiful roof garden. The vibrant, cosmopolitan development offers additional amenities to both residents and members of the public, including a new fitness centre, cinema, supermarket and a central piazza, which will display a piece of public art. In total, the development will include 16,082 sq m of new commercial space. Finsbury Park is in close proximity to the fashionable areas of Crouch End, Highgate and Hampstead, and is extremely well connected, with services on the Victoria line to King’s Cross in just four minutes, Oxford Circus and Bank taking nine and 16 minutes, respectively. Services on the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden and Piccadilly Circus also only take 13 and 15 minutes, respectively. Regular National Rail services run north from Finsbury Park – Cambridge can be reached in 56 minutes, while services to Peterborough take approximately an hour. Prices start from £450,000. For more information please visit telfordhomes.london or call 020 538 3394
MERCHANTS WALK, E3 The New Collection at Merchants Walk comprises of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments, situated in thriving Bow and within walking distance or a seven-minute rail journey of Canary Wharf. The DLR from nearby Devons Road station also connects to Stratford in six minutes and Bank in 17 minutes. The apartments benefit from an open-plan design with balconies, terraces and a landscaped outdoor area. They are also equipped with high-quality appliances and fittings from Bosch, Grohe and Villeroy & Boch. Increased convenience goes well beyond the physical aspects of the building and its design, offering the option of secure private parking and underground cycle storage. Set within the Olympic regeneration zone, the surrounding area has seen huge investment and the birth of a vibrant and creative community. Cornerstones of the area such as The Widow’s Son pub, are joined by exciting new bars and restaurants, including the Galvanisers Union and Modern Wing Chi Chef to create a vast range of cuisine all within five minutes walk. Westfield Stratford City shopping centre, and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park offer contrasting days out without the long journey. Buyers can enjoy a lively urban lifestyle in close proximity to the peaceful surroundings of Limehouse Cut and Lea Valley. Prices at Merchants Walk start from £375,000 for a one bedroom apartment. Buyers can register their interest by calling 020 3369 8670 or visiting merchantswalk.co.uk
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NOW LAUNCHED CONTACT US TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SALES TEAM
An e xclus ive colle ct ion of su it es, one, two, three & fou r bedroom ap artm ents, d uple xe s and luxur y p enthou ses with ou tst andi ng sp eci f i cati on.
Prices from £450,000 Set to become a landmark destination for north London with cinema, fitness centre, supermarket, eateries and shops*
Set across four sleek and stylish buildings including two spectacular towers
1 minute walk to the new western entrance of Finsbury Park station for Victoria and Piccadilly tube links and National Rail connections
Panoramic views overlooking the beautiful 110 acre Finsbury Park and across the capital
Connections to King’s Cross (4 mins), the West End (9 mins), Holborn (11 mins) and Moorgate (13 mins)
Access to The Pavilion, a communal roof garden featuring exclusive residents’ Wi-Fi Lounge
24 hour concierge service & further private gardens
Completions from Summer 2019 - Spring 2020
Finsbury Park station 1 minute walk
King’s Cross 4 mins
Oxford Circus 9 minutes
Holborn 11 minutes
Moorgate 13 minutes
Victoria 13 minutes
Piccadilly Circus 15 minutes
The City 16 minutes
Joint Selling Agents:
Computer generated images of City North. *Subject to lease. Prices correct at time of going to press. Times from Finsbury Park station courtesy of www.tfl.gov.uk.
CALL NOW TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT:
020 3538 2199 www.citynorthlondon.com
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