The City Magazine July 2013 by Runwild Media Group

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TO BREAK THE RULES, YOU MUST FIRST MASTER THEM. THE GRANDE COMPLICATION IS THE ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF THE WATCHMAKER’S ART. NOW AUDEMARS PIGUET PLACES THIS SUPREME HOROLOGICAL

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JULY 2013 82

COVER IMAGE: Richard Rogers Partnership, Lloyd’s of London, 1978-86, Looking down into The Room, © Janet Gill Image courtesy of the Estate of Janet Gill From the Outside, Looking In, p. 11

feature

FROM THE OUTSIDE, LOOKING IN

MASTER & COMMANDER

As a new exhibition prepares to showcase the work of architect Richard Rogers, JACK WATKINS profiles a man who continues to divide public opinion RICHARD BROWN speaks to Sir Ben Ainslie about loss and resilience in the changing world of sailing

style 30

SUNSHINE STATE

As the shape of swimwear is reinvented this summer, heels are higher, accessories are brighter and the pool is the place to be seen

WORK

FINDING A FUND MANAGER FOR YOU

PLAY

GOODWOOD... IT’S GLORIOUS

UNTIL THE COWES COME HOME

MATTHEW CARTER reports how at Goodwood, the cars are only just the beginning

As Cowes Week returns, AIMEE LATIMER speaks to the event’s new Global Sailing Ambassador, Shirley Robertson, OBE

TRAVEL 96

ALL IN A NAME

EMMA JOHNSON reveals the hidden gems of Bordeaux and SaintÉmilion in a wine-lover’s essential guide

regulars

HOLLY THOMAS asks those in the know how to find the right fund manager

27 FASHION

82 MOTORING

41 WATCHES + JEWELLERY

92 FOOD & DRINK

59 BUSINESS

94 TRAVEL

70 GADGETS

105 Property

BANKING: REGAINING THE TRUST

After a year of scandals and disappointment, KALPANA FITZPATRICK asks investment consultant Robert Gardner if the reputation of banking can ever recover

the

w-list

Erica Musango highlights the key outdoor events in July as Wimbledon returns and London celebrates sport, royalty and history

RUNWILD M

Editor-in-Chief Lesley Ellwood

Managing Editor emma johnson

Deputy Editor Richard Brown

Motoring Editor Matthew Carter

Collection Editor annabel harrison

Property Editor Gabrielle Lane

Contributing Editor Josephine O’Donoghue

Editorial Assistant aimee latimer

staff Writer Erica musango

Who?

Senior Designer

The Queen

11 July marks the beginning of the Coronation Festival to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation. In 2012, thousands congregated to celebrate the monumental milestone, and this year will see a four day event that promises to be just as exciting. Held in the stunning gardens of Buckingham Palace, the Coronation Festival will host more than 200 different marquees exhibiting a range of crafts and design innovations. As an added bonus, visitors will be able to attend a special evening gala performance showcasing the best in British music and dance from the last six decades. 11 – 14 July. Tickets from £30, coronationfestival.com

Why? Storytelling

Sarah Connell

Brand Consistency Hiren Chandarana Laddawan Juhong

When? Wimbledon

Andy Murray will be returning to Wimbledon in the hope of winning the Men’s Singles trophy, having lost in last year’s final to Roger Federer. Competition will also be fierce in the Women’s Singles, as elite players such as Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka compete for the coveted Women’s Singles trophy. 24 June – 7 July, wimbledon.com

The Artizan Street Library complex is urging residents and workers in the Square Mile to take part in a new initiative which involves sharing their life experiences in a bid to help boost community spirit. The scheme also aims to help people gain a deeper insight of their local history, something which will hopefully persuade people to come together to create stronger, more cohesive communities. csv.org.uk/support-us

Fiona Fenwick

communications director loren penney

Production

Hugo Wheatley ALEX POWELL

Property Director Samantha Ratcliffe

Head of Finance Elton Hopkins

Managing Director Eren Ellwood

7 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf London, E14 4JB

What? Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games

When London hosted the Olympic Games in 2012 it shone a spotlight on the UK’s role in global athletics. To mark the anniversary of the Games, the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games will host three days of world-class athletics from 26 – 28 July at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games, 26 – 28 July, britishathletics.org.uk

T: 020 7987 4320 F: 020 7005 0045 www.rwmg.co.uk

What?

Barclaycard British Summer

Time Festival

With its venue in Hyde Park, the Barclaycard British Summer Time Festival is launching on 5 July, headlined by rock legends Bon Jovi and The Rolling Stones. Sharing the stage with them will be a star-studded list of music’s biggest names from Elton John, Lionel Richie to Jennifer Lopez and the Kaiser Chiefs. Ends 14 July; tickets from £65, bst-hydepark.com WHEN: Alison Henley / Shutterstock.com WHAT: Northfoto / Shutterstock.com

General Manager

Runwild Media Ltd. cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited submissions, manuscripts and photographs. While every care is taken, prices and details are subject to change and Runwild Media Ltd. take no responsibility for omissions or errors. We reserve the right to publish and edit any letters. All rights reserved. Subscriptions: A free online subscription service is available for Canary Wharf Magazine. Visit the subscriptions page on our website. www.rwmg.co.uk/subscribe

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editor’s letter

JULY

When we were working on our British issue in April (how long ago that seems now) we featured a story on iconic City emblems, and included in this (obviously) The Bank of England. Researching the piece, I was not surprised to find out how much the Bank’s identity is ingrained in the City’s psyche; but it was still interesting to see how much commentary on, references to, and cartoons of it has come to represent public feeling on the state of the country’s finances for centuries. Back in the day – before the instant mediums of Twitter, Facebook and blogs – newspapers and magazines, (especially humour and satire publications like Punch) were the only tools available to communicate the feeling of the common man; and The Bank of England was always a top target for ridicule, comment and opinion, especially in the form of cartoons. Ahead of a new exhibition at The Bank of England (now a parttime art gallery, who knew?) Jack Watkins looks back at some of the most iconic cartoons featuring The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, and highlights some of the works that came to represent major world or financial events in just a few brush strokes of comic genius, (p. 22). Fast-forward over a century, and another City building – Lloyd’s of London – has become equally iconic and representative of the Square Mile and its workers. Who can forget the sobering images of hundreds of Lloyds’ employees in the famous underwriting room brought to a standstill on stationary escalators as the HMS Lutine Bell strikes every Remembrance Day; and for other tragic events such as the US terror attacks and the London tube bombings? The man responsible for this beguiling building is renowned architect Sir Richard Rogers, who turns 80 this month and is being honoured with a special exhibition at the Royal Academy. We look back at his impressive body of work on p. 11. Elsewhere in the magazine, another Sir, Olympic-gold-medallist Ben Ainslie, talks poignantly about the impact that the loss of his friend and fellow sailor Andrew Simpson had on the sailing community and explains his own motivations for striving forward to win more medals and achieve new highs in his sport, (p. 18). Boats really aren’t far from our minds at all this month, with a preview of Cowes Week on p. 76, and a look at one of the most luxurious yachts ever built – live vicariously through someone else’s decadent purchase on p. 80. Finally this month, Richard Brown travels to Rome to have a private tour of the Vatican (p. 100); while I pursue less lofty aspirations with tours (and plenty of tastings) at numerous vineyards in Bordeaux, (p. 96). All this cuisine and culture is perfect preparation for our Food and Travel special in August; just the kind of escapism you might need by then, if this English summer continues the way it has started. Until then…

Emma Johnson Editor

JULY 2013 THE CITY 9

Just a couple of hours from home. And yet a world away.

w w w. a u s t r i a . i n f o

Yo u r p e r s o n a l H o l i d a y I n f o r m a t i o n L i n e : 0845 101 1818 (calls charged at local rates)

feature Main Image: Richard Rogers RA © Andrew Zuckerman Image courtesy of Andrew Zuckerman Behind: Rogers House, Wimbledon, 1968-69 Richard + Su Rogers Sketch © Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Image courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

FROM

the outside, Looking in

Renowned architect Richard Rogers, who turns 80 this year, is responsible for some of the most exciting, and perplexing, buildings of the last century. A maverick or a saint – depending on your viewpoint – his work has divided opinion worldwide. Now a new exhibition seeks to understand the genius behind the legend, writes Jack Watkins

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odern architecture has few British heroes. When HRH Prince Charles – so progressive in his understanding of the environment, so often merely reactionary about buildings – can stir up trouble with a few critical comments in the press, it’s no wonder would-be progressive exponents choose to run for cover. So Richard Rogers, the subject of a new exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts to mark his 80th birthday, deserves every accolade going for remaining defiant on the battlements. At a time when insularity and xenophobia seem to be in vogue, Lord Rogers of Riverside, to give the lifelong Labour peer his correct title, remains steadfastly cosmopolitan and internationalist. Born in Florence, of English and Italian parentage, his most famous and provocative work is the Centre Georges Pompidou in the heart of old Paris; while other commissions for his practice have come from places as far afield as Strasbourg, Barcelona, Tokyo and New York. But the City of London’s closest acquaintance with his output will have been via the towering edifice at 1 Lime Street – the headquarters of Lloyd’s of London. This exciting, somewhat unnerving structure is an example of 1980’s hi-tech in its fullest architectural flowering, and last year it became the youngest building to be allocated a Grade 1 listed designation by English Heritage. It’s ironic, of course, that this

12 THE CITY july 2013

major commission came from such a deeply conservative client such as Lloyd’s, whose origins were in two coffee houses in Tower Street, and then Lombard Street, in the late 17th century. But then Rogers, despite being a true radical and opponent of anything that could be construed as ‘old school’, has a sensitivity to context and history that has eluded many of the post-war planners and architects who have given modernism such a poor reputation. While there was a predictable chorus of voices likening the Lloyd’s building to an oil refinery as its outlandish silhouette began to take shape on the London skyline, the emphasis on high-quality materials and workmanship in the design went some way towards assuaging more cautious elements

for the new headquarters. Pevsner’s Buildings of England describes the Lloyd’s building as the most consistently innovative structure the City has seen since Sir John Soane’s Bank of England. To the distinguished architectural writer Kenneth Powell, it is the greatest building to have risen in the area, “since Sir Christopher Wren finally put the gold cross in the sky above the dome of St Paul’s.” And the St Paul’s parallels seem fitting. Most obviously, Powell has drawn attention to the cathedral-like grandeur of the interior of Lloyd’s – something, obviously, that cannot be enjoyed by most Londoners since this is a private workplace. But it also resembles St Paul’s – and many other urban cathedrals – in being a massive

The Lloyd’s Building is the most consistently innovative structure in the City since the Bank of England on the design committee. Teak wood boxes allowed the underwriters to retain their traditional workplaces on the trading floor and, in a measure of Rogers’ respect for classicism, the Adam Room, used by the Council of Lloyd’s, is an adaptation of the Great Room from Bowood House in Wiltshire, designed in 1763 by Robert Adam. Rogers even salvaged the grand entrance archway of Sir Edwin Cooper’s earlier neo-Roman Lloyd’s building on Leadenhall Street, which had to be demolished to make way

place whose presence tends be felt through snatched sightings, thanks to the narrow streets and verticality of City structures, which preclude the chance to stop and stare. The best views of St Paul’s are sudden ones from around a corner, via the approach up Ludgate Hill, for instance, the great west front gradually rising into view. And sitting on the top deck of a bus suddenly swinging round from the east is another way to experience Wren’s dome in all its cloud-encircled glory. But Rogers’ building is much more

feature Top: Richard Rogers Partnership Lloyd’s of London, 1978-86 Looking down into The Room © Janet Gill Image courtesy of the Estate of Janet Gill Bottom: Lloyd’s of London building, next to the Willis building Left: Piano + Rogers Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1971-77 Competition elevation © Piano + Rogers Image courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

july 2013 THE CITY 13

feature Left: Pompidou Centre, Paris, 1971-77 Piano + Rogers Colour-coded external services © Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Photo © David Noble Image courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners Below: Madrid Barajas airport Richard Rogers Partnership Terminal 4, Barajas Airport, Madrid 1997-2005 Coloured structural ‘trees’ in the airport terminal © Manuel Renau Image courtesy of AENA and Manuel Renau

His office conversion of the old Billingsgate Market Hall on Lower Thames Street has been cited as an example of his urbanism. The K2 building at St Katharine’s Dock attempts to revitalise the old dock as a public space, with a piazza of shops and cafes looking over the ancient wharves close to the Tower of London. Unfortunately,

elusive, glimpsed from different angles, thanks to it occupying a highly constrained site on the corner of Lime Street and Leadenhall Street. When the project began in 1978, it was the third time Lloyd’s had had to move the underwriters’ room in 50 years, because of space issues. To address this, Rogers’ plan was based on a central glazed atrium, 60m high, crisscrossed by escalators and surrounded by tiers of galleries – like

that has often led to modernist design being criticised for coldness or monotony, yet Lloyd’s has a great external presence, and is a thrilling building to walk around, even if, rather like modern jazz or art, there are subtleties that are likely to fly over the head of the average citizen. An early sketch by Rogers conceived the building as a medieval castle, an open space surrounded by towers, and that is really the impression the exterior makes. It’s massive, rather

The forward-thinking vitality of his ideas seem more seductive than ever something out of Fritz Lang’s futuristic Metropolis – and surmounted by a glazed, barrel-vaulted roof. To maximise workspace, service facilities like lifts, fire stairways, air conditioning, toilets, plumbing and drainage were placed in six huge towers clad in stainless steel. These shimmering structures were topped by blue-painted, bird-like cranes to enable easy replacement of equipment or maintenance. This was all in keeping with the modernist ethos of building design being about function, rather than stylistic dressing purely for effect. It’s a concept

Zip-Up House, 1968 Concept drawing Richard + Su Rogers © Richard and Su Rogers Image courtesy of Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

frightening, not very lovely – unless, from a distance, you catch sight of the soaring, glistening glass atrium with its echoes of the Crystal Palace – but unforgettable. All those steel tubes and lifts rapidly rising and falling create a sense of a semi-organic structure, pulsing with movement and life and drawing energy from the dynamism of the location. Of course, that’s if you visit during weekdays. At weekends, the City can be a bleak, lonely place to wander around. More than any conventional architect, Rogers has thought hard about the contribution of buildings and urban planning to the physical and social quality of cities. “Urban morphology depends for its vitality on successful public spaces,” he has said. “A welldesigned city is a catalyst for a civil society; and civility implies living in harmony with the past, the present, and the future.”

his practice’s ideas for the redesign of Paternoster Square got bogged down in the controversy with Prince Charles. While the latter is firmly traditionalist, Rogers – who wrote a stinging attack on the Prince in The Times – takes the line that, “there are important visual, technical and social lessons to be learnt from the past, but merely copying the outward form belittles the history.” Rogers’ trenchant defence of his position has meant that, since the 1980s, he has been a public figure. His vision of London as a potential metropolis of social and ecological harmony – including design concepts of, “London as it could be,” taking in the transformation of the Embankment – remains deeply appealing. In fact, in an age of cost-cutting and short-termism, the forward thinking vitality of this octogenarian’s ideas seem more seductive than ever. Richard Rogers: Inside Out is at The Royal Academy of Arts from 18 July – 13 October 2013 royalacademy.org.uk

The Secret There are more than 200 finely-tended gardens in the Square Mile. With a new exhibition revealing the Cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unsung keepers, AIMEE LATIMER takes a closer look at Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secret garden task force

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eneath the towering high-rises in the City of London and above the pounding feet of bustling office workers lie more than 200 garden spaces of all sizes and kinds. The amount of work required to maintain these pockets of beauty within the Square Mile is frequently overlooked by people trudging by, their eyes on their phones rather than the foliage. However, a new exhibition by London-based black and white photographer Niki Gorick is shining an overdue spotlight on the City’s gardens. ‘The Green Team – The Gardeners Who Transform Your City’ is open until the 26 July at the Guildhall Library, celebrating the gardeners and gardens whose efforts break up the claustrophobia of the capital and breathe life and elegance into London. Gorick was inspired to take the series of candid photographs after catching a glimpse into the hidden mechanics of the gardens. “Three years ago, I was surprised by a man in green emerging from bushes by St. Paul’s with a wheelbarrow; a chance encounter

Niki Gorick is shining an overdue spotlight on the City’s gardens that began my fascination with how an eclectic band of 30 or so men and women create natural beauty and tranquillity at the heart of a bustling metropolis.” The sheer statistics of the challenge that faces the City Gardens Team to keep London green is staggering. Annually, an average of 200,000 bedding plants are put in, 1,400 trees are tended, 550 tonnes of soil and 350 tonnes of mulching are spread, plus lorry-loads of metre-and-ahalf-wide rolls of turf are all laid on a tight budget against a barrage of heaving traffic and British weather. A book entitled Where Soil Meets City: The Gardeners Who Transform The Square Mile, has been produced to accompany the exhibition. With a foreword from the Lord Mayor of London, Roger Gifford, it features Gorick’s photos and quotes from the gardeners themselves. Furthermore, Sara Pink, head of the Guildhall Library, has brought together a host of exhibits to complement Gorick’s and arranged a series of free talks about the intriguing history of city gardens. Take a detour through one of the Square Mile’s stunning gardens today; it’s about time to stop and smell the roses. The Green Team – The Gardeners Who Transform Your City 9.30 - 5.00pm (Monday – Saturday), ends 16 July 2013 Guildhall Library, free entry cityoflondon.gov.uk/guildhalllibrary

july 2013 THE CITY 17

INTERVIEW

master Com m a nder

RICHARD BROWN meets celebrated Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben Ainslie ahead of Cowes Week to talk about memorable moments, sailing in home waters and chasing your dreams

he death, in May, of Olympic-medal winner Andrew Simpson traumatised the sailing community and shocked a public who had watched Team GB dominate in the waters of Weymouth not a year before. It was a timely reminder, ahead of the America’s Cup in September, for which Simpson had been training, of the perils of the sport and the immense power of the catamarans that will be racing.

and “generally being irresponsible.” While the Olympic legend has lost many people to sailing, the sport has never claimed the life of someone to whom he was so close. Sailing in the same San Francisco waters, Ainslie witnessed the accident that would cause his friend’s death. The weekend before, he’d visited his house for a barbecue. They’d spoken on the phone not 24 hours before the catamaran capsized. Unsurprisingly, the loss of Simpson hit Ainslie hard. “You are thinking all sorts of things; giving up the sport, trying something

“It was a very special experience to sail with a group of guys who were not just fantastic British sailors, but also very good friends” Writing in The Telegraph last month, Sir Ben Ainslie described the weeks following Simpson’s death as the, “most upsetting, the most painful and the most bewildering,” of his life. Having known each other since childhood, Ben and Andrew grew up together, rising through the ranks to become two of the biggest (in the former’s case, the biggest) names in British sailing. In their late teens and early twenties the pair had taken road trips together, driving across Europe and Australia, “breaking down”

else,” he said in The Telegraph. It was with mixed emotions, then, that he lined up at the start of Cowes’ annual Round the Island Race last month, a race he was initially against, but one he’s now happy he competed in. “It was a very special experience to sail with a group of guys who were not just fantastic British sailors, but also very good friends,” he told me in the week that followed. “It was a beautiful race, the conditions were perfect for us, the boat performed incredibly and the team sailed her really well.”

JULY 2013 THE CITY 19

Simpson must have been looking down on his friends; for the sun shone, the wind was up and Ainslie and the crew of the AC45 catamaran managed to break the race’s multihull record by 16 minutes in two hours and 52 minutes. “For us, that was a real bonus because we really wanted to do the race in Simpson’s memory. The day before the race was his memorial, which was a very difficult day, so to come out and have such a wonderful race and to do it in his memory was very special.” The record is the latest in a neverending list of achievements that litter the career of the world’s most decorated sailor. Four-time gold medal winner, one-time silver medal winner, and the first person to win medals in five different meets, Sir Ben is the most successful sailor in Olympic history. Knighted at the beginning of this year, he has won 11 World Championships, been named British Yachtsman of the Year four times and the International Sailing Federation’s World Sailor of the Year more times than anyone else. Ben tells me how the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race offered, “a fantastic opportunity to bring the AC45 boat to the UK and to show the British public how dynamic and exciting these boats are.” Breaking the record on

“Celebrating with a home crowd was my defining moment. It was the most wonderful atmosphere”

an iconic course in the memory of such a close friend was clearly a special moment, but of all his achievements, I ask, which ranks the highest? The answer is, perhaps, unsurprising. “Winning my fifth Olympic medal, this time on home turf. Just to race in the Olympics itself is fantastic, but to do so at home is really very special. Celebrating with a home crowd was my defining moment. It was the most wonderful atmosphere, something that will stay with me for the rest of my life. It felt as though sailing was getting the attention it deserves.” Raising the profile of the sport was certainly something the Olympics achieved, helped, in no small part, by the now famous speech Ben gave after emerging from the water three races before he would eventually claim gold. Accused by a Dane and Dutchman of illegally hitting a mark, Ainslie performed a penalty turn to avoid further sanctions, despite being adamant that he’d committed no offence. “They’ve made a big mistake,” said a steely-eyed Ainslie back on the shore, when interviewed by the BBC. “They’ve made me angry; you don’t want to make me angry.” They certainly didn’t. The episode served to inspire an astonishing comeback that would see the Brit claw back 70 metres on the event’s final downwind leg to overhaul

INTERVIEW

Q&A

sir ben in brief

Photography by Mark Lloyd

Q: What is your most memorable moment on the water? A: London, winning in front of the home crowd was unforgettable.

his rivals and cross the finishing line first, exploding in triumph as he did. In that outburst we see the sort of cutthroat competitiveness, and the fear of being beaten, that has catapulted the kid who learned to sail for fun with his family in Cornwall into the most famous name in that sport. Competing on the international stage by the age of 12, a World Champion by 16 and an Olympic medallist by 19, the words ‘Ben’, ‘resting’ and ‘laurels’ clearly seldom appear in the same sentence. So what next for the all-conquering world beater? “For any competitive sailor the America’s Cup, along with the Olympics, is the ultimate competition. There is so much history involved; it’s the world’s oldest sporting competition, with the first event being held in 1851. Britain hosted the first America’s Cup and since then we have never come close to winning the Auld Mug. It’s always been a real ambition of mine to try and win the Cup and bring it back to Britain.” While the four competing teams will head to San Francisco to win, a heightened emphasis on safety will likely pervade this year’s event following Simpson’s death. Ainslie, and others, have already compared the current class of AC72 catamaran racing to the state of Formula 1 in the 60s and 70s. “These are incredibly big and powerful

machines and it takes time to find the limits,” Ainslie has written. To that end, this year’s sailors will be made to wear extraprotective clothing and carry knives and small air cans. The wind strength for safe racing has also been reduced. And what of the Sir Ben Ainslie legacy? Should we expect to see Sir Ben Ainslie Sailing Schools once the physicality of the sport requires him to seek new challenges beyond the demands of the sea? “It’s something I would like to do,” he says. “The perception of sailing being elitist is such a misconception - you can join any local sailing club for around £30 a month and use their boats and instructors. You can pick up a second-hand Optimist dinghy for around £200, which is a great starter boat for youngsters. It’s a great sport to build up confidence, responsibility and give young people a sense of freedom. We need to stop concentrating on the sports that are easy for the teachers to teach and widen the view to sailing, cycling, orienteering, rowing, kayaking etc; sports that really instil freedom and responsibility.” For now, though, there’s the small matter of a shimmering silver trophy to be won, the only cup that has so far remained out of Ainslie’s reach – a cup that, with Simpson looking over him, Sir Ben Ainslie is, “almost more determined to win.”

Q: Most exciting race you’ve ever competed in? A: Sydney 2000. The race went right down to the wire, it was me against the Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt who took gold over me in Atlanta four years earlier. I remember sailing past Sydney Heads and hearing my parents cheering me on. Q: Your greatest achievement off the water? A: I’m trying to get my pilot’s licence, as I’ve started flying lessons. When I do get the occasional day off, it’s a great release because you have to focus so hard you forget about everything else that’s going on. Q: If you could be a superstar in any other sport, what would it be? A: An F1 driver. I’ve always been interested in cars, particularly sports cars. My favorite is an Aston Martin V12 Vantage. Q: If you could only sail one coastline for the rest of your life, where would you choose? A: I have sailed in the Caribbean many times and I have to say that it is a very special place to sail with family and friends.

JULY 2013 THE CITY 21

uncanny

likeness?

Political and social satire in the form of cartoons has been a feature of journalistic commentary for centuries. Now, a new exhibition at the Bank of England is setting out to show how cartoonists over the years have chronicled financial institutions and figures, at times with scathing, and exacting wit, writes Jack Watkins

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Clockwise from bottom left: The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street in Danger by James Gillray. Published 22 May 1797; A March to the Bank by James Gillray. Published 22 August 1787; Midas, Transmuting All into Paper by James Gillray. Published 9 March 1797

n his valedictory speech, the recently departed Bank of England governor Mervyn King pleaded with the public not to victimise bankers – a strange plea, considering he himself must have long since developed a thick hide to survive the years of jibes and unflattering caricatures by political illustrators. Cartoons and caricatures have been used as political commentary to great effect for hundreds of years, so it is perhaps strange that King now feels that much of the criticism is unfair. Especially when a new exhibition at the Bank of England Museum suggests that the money men and their similarly ridiculed counterparts, the politicians, are scarcely being subjected to anything more scathing than they were in the past. Cartoons and Caricatures is drawn from the museum’s own archive of prints and drawings, and takes the visitor back to the late 18th century, when the Bank’s nickname, “The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street” was first coined. In that period, arguments were raging about the ability of the Bank of England to pay out in gold in exchange for its notes. Concerns were voiced that the printing of more paper money would send inflation soaring, opinions polarising around two of the dominant political figures of Charles James Fox and William Pitt the Younger. Debating the subject in the House of Commons in 1797, one MP rose and described the Bank of England as, “an elderly lady in the City of great credit and long-standing who had unfortunately fallen into bad company”. The speech was seized upon by the caricaturist James Gillray and utilised for a satirical print, Political Ravishment, or The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street in Danger! It depicted Pitt, the

july 2013 THE CITY 23

prime minster, pretending to woo a wealthy old woman when – in view of her crone-like ugliness – he was really only after her gold. The title stuck, and the satirical magazine Punch (founded in 1841) continued to use it right into the 21st century. Throughout the years, cartoonists for Punch continued to epitomise financial and political figures, each bringing to the page their own unique interpretations. E H Shepard, better known perhaps for his evocative illustrations for the children’s stories Winnie the Pooh and The Wind in the Willows, worked as a Punch cartoonist for 50 years. His was a gentler touch than that of Gillray’s and the other great caricaturists of an earlier age seen here,(such as Thomas Rowlandson and George Cruikshank), but his mid-20th century sketch of the Old Lady and Old King Coal skating uncomfortably together on the frozen pond of Nationalisation remains amusing and poignant. Until the turn of the 20th century, however, individual bankers seem to have escaped being the subject of directly aimed satire. Appointments to the Bank of England’s governorship had, up to that time, been short two-year appointments, and office holders were virtually unknown beyond the Square Mile. That changed when Montagu Norman held the governorship for 24 years in the Edwardian period; though he generally seems to have been depicted quite respectfully, as a quasiregal figure. The last two governors, however, have provided much fodder for illustrators. Eddie George, King’s predecessor, was generally portrayed as a jovial figure, peeking round the door with a big grinning head, lit cigarette in hand. Steve Bell of The Guardian, the finest of contemporary cartoonists, drew him as a laughing fat cat when he became the first Bank of England governor to address to the Trades Union Congress in 1998. King, with his tiny spectacles and somewhat put-upon air, offered even riper opportunities. To Andy Davey in The Sun in 2009, he was Flash Merv, the seedy Cheltenham bookie, in a loud, orange suit and a porkpie hat, taking a wad of cash from a down-at-heel prime minister, Gordon Brown, for a bet on “Quantitative Easing.” Davey had seized upon King’s physical short-sightedness to convey a sense of inscrutability – drawing upon the perception that, in real life, the extremely thick lenses of the short-sighted banker made it difficult to see his eyes and therefore gain a sense of what he was really thinking. But that look could also be used to suggest timorousness. David

Simonds, a renowned freelance cartoonist for The Guardian, The Observer and political weeklies, took quite a different approach, drawing him as a cowardly-looking figure in a cowboy hat-riding a panting donkey along a narrow cliff path, the word “Inflation” looming on the rock face above him, while “Recession” lurked just over the precipice. A sign of the times, if ever there was one. All the best cartoonists have this quality of immediacy, a character summed up in a few dashes of the pen. And cartoonists certainly don’t hold back from their scathing honesty. Mervyn King, luckily, clearly has a sense of humour – some of the illustrations in this show have come from his very own private collection. King aside, the real star in this exhibition is the man who began it all: Gillray. He is given the most generous representation of work here, and it’s easy to see why. Gillray elevated the skills of the caricaturist to such a level that a journalist in 1806 described him as, “the foremost living artist in the whole of Europe.” His observations were so acute that Napoleon Bonaparte lamented France’s inability to produce an equivalent talent. Gillray was one of the first satirists to use what is now the stock-in-trade of the professional political cartoonist, exaggerating one of two chosen aspects of a subject’s facial features, while managing to retain a recognisable likeness. However, the most beautifully realised of Gillray’s prints here does not actually relate to a specifically public figure. A March on the Bank was produced in 1787, when, at the age of 30, he had only just taken to caricature as a full-time profession. After an attack on the Bank of England during the Gordon Street Riots in 1780, a regular overnight guard had been set up, called the Bank Picquet. These men would march two abreast from their barracks, shoving and jostling aside all who stood in their way. Complaints from the public eventually reached such a volume that they were forced to march in single file. Gillray sent the whole affair up with great skill, wickedly portraying the havoc caused by these uniformed louts – most notably the foppish vanity of a prancing young officer, flourishing his cutlass while daintily stepping on the chest of some fallen harridan – while lavishing equal attention on the indignities of the various characters felled in their wake. Gillray’s brilliance bears a resemblance to that of William Hogarth. It’s no surprise he has continued to be the fount of inspiration for all subsequent political cartoonists. Cartoons and Caricatures is at the Bank of England Museum until 9 November Admission free

feature

Left:The Governor. Coloured lithograph depicting Montagu Norman. Published in Punch, 18 Sept 1935; Top: The Hand-Writing Upon the Wall, by James Gillray. Published 24 August 1803.; Bottom: Representation of Ye Gull Trap and Ye Principal Actors in Ye New Farce Caled Ye Hoax, by George Cruikshank. Published 6 April 1814

july 2013 THE CITY 25

style

REPORT

London’s

Calling

AIMEE LATIMER takes a look at the latest designers to showcase their collections at London Collections: Men – a burgeoning yet influential fashion event that’s only three seasons old

hen the bi-annual London Collections: Men returned on 16 -18 June, the British fashion event had enticed in another rung of leading designers. Alongside the fashion heavyweights, such as Paul Smith and Jonathan Saunders, who had returned to the capital to show their Spring/Summer 2014 collections, there was a host of designers who were new to LC:M. Rag & Bone, Burberry and Jimmy Choo were all first-time converts

this year. Jimmy Choo’s decision to present in London, rather than as per usual in Milan, was particularly poignant while high street designers were also spotted on the platforms of LC:M. John Lewis took its line, John Lewis & Co, to the runway for the first time and triumphed with a collection of tradition pieces emboldened with zests of colour. M&S also debuted its Best of British collection in a threehour static show at The Hospital Club. The collection was the product of the company’s decision to hire style director Belinda Earl, who is credited with reforming the style credibility of the brand. londoncollections.co.uk

Dashingly Diesel

Diesel has historically challenged fashion rules with their provocatively punky and alluringly out-there designs. Their latest summer collection is certainly no exception, channelling the brand’s expressively anarchic spirit. The line champions a unique take on the brand’s typical androgyny with the designers basing their work on the theme ‘rockers on tour’. Interestingly, the clothes are reconfigured with the follow-up theme of ‘rodeo riders’, a style with varied colour freedoms and a more refined and formalistic dress sense. diesel.com

Smedley Socks Designed and manufactured in Derbyshire, John Smedley’s knitwear has defined quality for over 200 years. The firm’s premium merino wool comes from New Zealand, while fine Sea Island cotton has been a mainstay of the company since 1922. Luxurious in quality, eccentrically whacky in style, they’re anything but boring. johnsmedley.com

style: hIM

This season’s most wearable trends for the stylish man about town

Charmingly Classic As well as providing an impeccable fit, Chester Barrie captivate the latest trends with a unique air of sophistication no matter how contemporary the design. The latest collection features classic suits cut from autumnal fabrics including tweed and velvet, and bold patterned shirts and ties in rich jewel shades chesterbarrie.co.uk

Wax to the max Ally Capellino has been inspiring fellow bag designers for the past two decades. Her iconoclastic design style and recent rejuvenation of the backpack has set her up as a trend-setting extraordanaire. English waxed cotton and heavy bridled leather straps are used to create Capellino’s latest collection ‘Waxy’, proving that avant-garde statement bags are not the only way to accessorise. These bags are perfectly intune with this season’s colour trends and their attractive architectural designs add a dose of modish simplicity to any style. allycapellino.co.uk

news

Not Just Nautical British maritime heritage is the key inspiration for Quba & Co. Its commitment to producing casual fashion with a unique twist, without compromising quality, has established the brand as a leading name in the nautical arena. With its latest Summer 2013 collection, navy hues stay true to the brand’s roots, while intricate details complement classic pieces. Quba & Co. Summer Collection 2013, quba.com

Citrus Punch

Richard James is a tailor you have to take with a pinch of salt. His innovative fashion-forward designs challenge his Saville Row competitors to not only go back to the drawing board, but up-the-ante in risk taking. And as we’ve seen with his new SS13 collection, he’s proved that the bigger the risk the bigger the reward with his illustrious bright colours proving to be big hits. Be sure to incorporate some of his iridescent neons into your summer wardrobe. richardjames.co.uk

Coast to coast

Smythson’s palette of black and brown leather goods has been part of the accessories brand’s style for the past 125 years. Now the label has had a major style upgrade modifying its traditional colours by implementing soft summery hues to its latest menswear range. The Eliot collection has drawn its colour inspiration from the scenic Cornish coastline, a setting that has been influential for many iconic British artists. The Eliot Collection, from £195, smythson.com

tied to style Kent and Curwen has mastered the art of creating one-of-a-kind fashions, catering to its fanbase of prominent sporting stars, socialites and aristocratic elite. Ties are just one of the many areas of expertise for the fashion brand and its latest line includes some of the richest fabrics and intricately detailed patterning around. kentandcurwen.co.uk

Debonair dress shoes The style-conscious man has long favoured Church’s as the go-to-brand for that polished look. As a cherished heritage brand, Church’s has made a long commitment to making attractive footwear with uncompromised durability. Formal business shoes are often heavyweight enough for their day-to-day duties, but when it comes to wearability they can cause discomfort and stifle easy movement. Church’s latest line of shoes has been made to specifically cater for easier movement and comfort with the launch of its new flexi-sole. Looking dapper has never felt so good. church-footwear.com

july 2013 THE CITY 29

sunshine

state

Pair different textures, cut-outs and colours with chunky accessories and sky-high heels for some poolside glamour this summer fashion editor Lucie Dodds Photography Neil Marriott

XXXXXX Blue Bikini Top, £52, and Brief, £47, Princesse Tam Tam, princessetamtam.co.uk; Silver Solar Eclipse Bracelet, £420, and Apollo Ring, £250, Lara Bohinc, larabohinc.com; Sunglasses, £POA, The Row at Linda Farrow, lindafarrow.com

xxxxxxxx 2013 THE CITY 31

THIS PAGE: Blue Print Bikini, £190, Heidi Klein, heidiklein.com; Silver and Blue Sapphire Ava Cuff, £200, Monica Vinader, monicavinader.com; Silver Dione Stilettos, £415, Gina, 9 Old Bond Street W1, 020 7409 7090 OPPOSITE PAGE: Blue Print One-piece, £185, Tory Burch, 020 7493 5888, toryburch.co.ul; Silver and Labradorite Siren Cuff, £290, Monica Vinader, monicavinader.com

XXXXXX THIS PAGE: Blue and White Tie-dye Cayman Bikini Top, £99, and Brief, £99, Vix at Biondi Couture, 020 7349 1111, biondicouture.com; Light Bronze Lance Stilettos, £525, Jimmy Choo, jimmychoo.com OPPOSITE PAGE: White Cut-out One-piece, £780, Herve Leger, 29 Lowndes Street SW1, 020 7201 2590; Gilt Cuff, £170, Tory Burch, 020 7493 5888, toryburch.co.uk

xxxxxxxx 2013 THE CITY 35

THIS PAGE: Micro Purple Top, £155, and Micro Purple Bottoms, £120, Eres, eresparis. com; Silver Solar Eclipse Necklace, £610, Lara Bohinc, larabohinc.com; Silver Dione Stilettos, £415, Gina, 9 Old Bond Street W1 020 7409 7090 OPPOSITE PAGE: Blue Bagheria Bikini Top, £127, and Bagheria Brief, £127, La Perla, 020 7245 0527; Silver Large Plait Bangle, £269, and Silver Laratella Bracelet, £320, both Lara Bohinc, as before MAKE-UP: Danielle Ogilvie. Using Chanel Les Beiges and S2013 HAIR: Danielle Ogilvie, using Tommy Guns

news

Hot In Hugo Boss Whether you want to make a good impression or you just like the demure styling of a knee-length dress, Hugo Boss has exactly what you need in its latest collection. Renowned for its fashion-forward designs and classically cut workwear that can go from the office to the evening, sophisticated summer dresses from Hugo Boss are perfectly tailored to hug the figure and accentuate curves for a touch of femininity. hugoboss.com

Cut Above If you weren’t thinking of going away this summer, then feast your eyes on Melissa Odabash’s new summer collection and you’ll be sure to reconsider. Melissa Odabash’s latest collection is rich in vibrant colours inspired by her travels to Moroccan souks, while her trips to Asia inspired the edgy minimalism in the designs that encompass the city skyline of Hong Kong. 2013 Collection, swimwear from £82, odabash.com

style: her This season’s most wearable trends for the chicest woman about town

Jet setting

Travelling in style is a mantra that should never be compromised., and there is one luggage brand that’s ideal for all your travelling needs. Rimowa is famed for its beautiful steel architectural designs, crafted with precision German engineering to withstand even the most reckless of baggage handlers. The new Salsa collection introduces a tropical colour range across the brand’s multi-wheeled storage devices. Salsa collection, price on request, rimowa.dev

Take Centre Stage On the top of every woman’s wish list is an anti-ageing product that works. Espa’s news Lifestage Net8 Serum promises to do just that, working to eliminate the most visible signs of ageing by using the latest advances in cosmetology to ensure long-lasting results. Lifestage Net8 Serum, £100, for 30ml, espaonline.com

3 of the best Sunglasses

Samantha Black sunglasses, £180, AM Eyewear, ameyewear.com Haley sunglasses, £216, Oliver Peoples, oliverpeoples.com Avian Gold sunglasses, £151, Colab Eyewear, colab.com.au

38 THE CITY july 2013

INSIDE TRACK The Street Westfield Stratford City E20 1EJ 0208 534 3446 info@insidetrackshop.com @InsideTrackShop

MCLAREN & ASTON MARTIN COLLECTIONS AT WESTFIELD STRATFORD VIP SHOPPING EVENINGS

collection

REPORT

iwc races

into town

RICHARD BROWN takes a closer look at the racing-themed IWC exhibition taking up residence in Selfridges’ Wonder Room this month

fter becoming the Official Engineering Partner to Mercedes AMG Petronas earlier this year, IWC has recently announced two new ambassadors in the shape of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. To coincide with the British Grand Prix which takes place on 30 June, Swiss watch manufacturer IWC continues its commitment to the sport by hosting a threeweek-long exhibition in the Watch Gallery at Selfridges’ Wonder Room. This will celebrate the completely remodelled 2013

Ingenieur range, a collection that itself draws inspiration from the materials typically used in motorsport, including carbon-fibre, ceramic and titanium. Expect the concept store to be transformed into a virtual wind tunnel that IWC promises will take interested consumers on a behind the scenes journey into the synergies that exist between watches and automotive engineering. Complete with a Formula One simulator, we’re sure the pop-up will appeal to petrol heads and watch geeks in equal measure. The IWC exhibition runs from 24 June until 14 July

We prefer not to be measured by dimensions. Unless it’s a new dimension of accuracy.

No fewer than four exceptional mechanisms enhance the precision of the RICHARD LANGE TOURBILLON “Pour le Mérite”: the tiny fusée-and-chain transmission, the delicate tourbillon, the ultra-thin Lange balance spring, and – not least – the patented stop-seconds device for the tourbillon which makes it possible to

set the watch with one-second accuracy in the first place. Never before has an A. Lange & Söhne watch been endowed with so many complications that simultaneously enhance its rate accuracy, settability, and readability. And so, this remarkable timepiece truly deserves the honorary attribute “Pour le Mérite”.

Arije 165, Sloane Street London • George Pragnell 5 and 6, Wood Street, Stratford-upon-Avon Hamilton & Inches 87, George Street, Edinburgh • Harrods 87–135 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London Watches of Switzerland 16, New Bond Street, London • Wempe 43-44, New Bond Street, London Lange Uhren GmbH • Tel. +34 91 454 89 82 • www.lange-soehne.com

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08.02.2012 15:52:48 Uhr

collection

watches

For treasured timepieces, horological heirlooms and modern masterpieces, watch this space...

The Jewels in the Crown

It’s the world’s oldest diamond company with a history that stretches back to 1789 so it’s only fitting, then, that when Backes & Strauss stepped into the watch world in 2006, it should do so with timepieces dedicated to the world’s most valuable minerals. Drawn from the Backes & Strauss archives, a 19th century brooch with two linked hearts was the starting point for today’s Victoria Princess diamond watch. Inspired by the story of Queen Victoria, who was so smitten with Albert that she proposed the second time they met, the watch features a pink mother of pearl dial and is set with 604 ideal cut hearts and arrows diamonds. Should you find Backes & Strauss’s signature designs reminiscent of a certain other watchmaker, then there’s a reason for that: each of the brand’s watches is crafted entirely in the Geneva workshop of one Franck Muller.

Watch Week at the royal exhange Five days of presentations, demonstrations and watchmaking master-classes signified The Royal Exchange’s inaugural Watch Week at the end of May. After an opening evening hosted by City A.M.’s watch editor Timothy Barber, highlights included a daily talk on the journey of the Rolex Daytona, organised by watchfinder.co.uk’s first bricks-andmortar store WF&Co, a Montblanc pop-up and exhibitions by Bvlgari and Omega. While admiring a range of exclusive collections, the Arnold & Son watches in the windows of Theo Fennell really caught our eye. Unfortunately they were only there until the end of the week but if you ask nicely, the store will call them back for you. theroyalexchange.co.uk

Backes and Strauss watches are stocked in Theo Fennell, 4 Royal Exchange

One to Watch

Each month we select our product of the moment from the luxury industry’s most exciting innovations

When it comes to smartphones, the new Vertu Ti – with symphonic sound, tuned in collaboration with Bang & Olufsen, and musical punctuation from the London Symphony Orchestra – really is the last word in luxury

And in other news… There are no prizes for guessing which two brands set records at Antiquorum’s auction of Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces in May. Reasserting their positions at the top of the fine watch hierarchy, Patek Philippe’s Ref. 5002 Sky Moon Tourbillon in rose gold sold to an on-site bidder for an astonishing £824,000, while Rolex’s Ref. 4113 split seconds chronograph became the world’s most expensive Daytona at £770,000.

Ti, £6,700, Vertu vertu.com

xxxxxxxx 2013 THE CITY 43

collection

4 11 1

Mix& Match

Embrace all things bright and beautiful this summer

1 Coated backpack, £65, Fred Perry, fredperry.com 2 Tri-print suede backpack, £1,495, Pierre Hardy, selfridges.com 3 MRG watch, £6,000, CASIO Concept Store London, Covent Garden 4 Matchstick cufflinks, £89, Paul Smith Accessories, paulsmith.co.uk 5 Pop Quiz backpack, £75, Herschel, selfridges.com 6 Eagle logo scarf, £99.95, Armani Jeans, Harrods 7 Lenon stripe acetate sunglasses, £227, Tom Ford, matchesfashion.com 8 Eterno Chrono Watch, £475, Brera, breraorologi.com 9 Hartsfield leather and organic cotton-canvas holdall bag, £290, WANT les Essentiels De La Vie, mrporter.com 10 El Primero Chronomaster 1969, £6,300, Zenith, zenith-watches.com 11 Silver monkey cufflinks, £230, Deakin and Francis, deakinandfrancis.co.uk

44 THE CITY JULY 2013

Swiss movement, English heart

In 1912 Malcolm Campbell christened his car â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Birdâ&#x20AC;? and a legend was born. More than 100 years later this iconic name continues to challenge for world speed records using futuristic electric vehicles. Christopher Ward is proud to be Bluebird Speed Records Official Timing Partner and, in celebration, we have released this stunning timepiece in a limited edition of 1,912 pieces.

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06/06/2013 09:39

The Power of the Written

Word Annabel Harrison speaks to Christian Rauch, Director of Writing Culture & Leather at Montblanc, about the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global Signature for Good campaign in support of UNICEF and why we should all make time for writing

collection

here is every chance that you possess a Montblanc pen yourself, that you’d like one or that you know someone who does. The company has been producing pens, or ‘writing instruments’ (as I learnt was the preferred, and more suitably evocative, term when speaking to CEO Lutz Bethge two years ago) for 104 years and in the time since, it has become the luxury brand synonymous with writing instruments, as Hermès is to handbags, Rolex to watches or Louis Vuitton to luggage. You may have used your pen to sign a birthday card or write a note to your husband or wife. However, one thing is certain; you can read and write. These skills, which many of us take for granted every day in our privileged lives, as simple as speaking or eating, are skills that are not as commonplace in other parts of the globe. In fact, whole swathes of countries are home to millions of people who have not mastered these skills or, rather, have not been taught them. Montblanc is a company which has been inspired by its very reason for being to help those as far removed from the luxury industry, and of the worlds of owners of Montblanc products, as could be. Its Signature for Good campaign entered its tenth year at the start of 2013 and its driving force is the belief, shared by Montblanc and UNICEF, that all children should be given access to good education. The campaign has raised more than $5 million to date. This was the first project Christian Rauch worked on when he joined Montblanc and he is passionate about it, employing the scrupulous politeness, eloquence and mild humour that I have come to expect from the company’s senior management. He enquired at first if it would make more sense for Montblanc to buy medicine or build a hospital but UNICEF’s goal was clear: it is important to have medicine but as soon as you leave it with people who cannot read the instructions, then the value of the medicine is zero. “The most important value you can give to people is the ability to read and to write, because only then will they be able to lead a life which is not dependent on others. Therefore we support UNICEF in this fight by building schools together. You would not believe how difficult it is, or how long it takes, to convince parents that it is worth sending their kids to school.” The campaign this year is based around the Meisterstück, which is for Montblanc “the eponym for the ability to write your own destiny and your own thoughts”. The new version

is “very discreet but it has a nice little story. It has a ring on top which is engraved with little bricks, and one of the bricks is marked with an individual number. You will be able to go online, enter the number then see the area where your personal donation is helping to build a school in Africa. We’re also doing small leather goods and jewellery like cufflinks, all with the brick detail, but of course the main object is the writing instrument because the campaign supports the fight against illiteracy.” Rauch himself has a history with Montblanc, a brand he has always loved: “My parents gave me a Meisterstück fountain pen for my graduation and I’m still using it, even though I now have a nice selection of others, as you can

Reading and writing are skills which many of us take for granted daily in our privileged lives

july 2013 THE CITY 47

imagine, but I still love it.” Lutz Bethge also uses his oldest Montblanc pen; Rauch smiles and explains that he tries to convince his CEO to use one of the current editions. Mr Bethge tests them and he likes them “but at the end of the day he’s always travelling with his Meisterstück. He’s so much in love with this pen, which is a very typical Montblanc story.” In addition to his existing affinity with the brand, Rauch is cut from the right cloth for Montblanc; he is multilingual and enjoys music, arts and literature, fitting for a director of Writing Culture. His career trajectory is interesting; before joining Montblanc in 2009, Rauch had spent nine years working for Sony and he was “the master of making sure that the quality and standards fit to the highest expectations. That ultimate search for quality often reminds me of what I’m doing today.” Followers of fashion may have seen Burberry’s Art of the Trench website, tapping in to its consumers’ emotional attachment to its iconic coat, and Montblanc has a similar offering in its My Meisterstück platform, asking owners; “What’s your story?” It may have been inspired by Rauch’s comment that “all over the world, everybody is telling me his or her story about their Meisterstück, even if I haven’t asked for it!” To my mind, in this fast-paced technological age where iPhones and Blackberrys reign supreme, I feel drawn to a company which champions the art of writing. As a child with a vivid imagination

and a voracious appetite for reading, I wrote numerous stories in careful, curly script; as a teenager I laboured over more fountain-pen-smudged essays than I may have cared to. However, by the time I went to university, every piece was typed. Examinations of three hours which required putting pen to paper took my peers and I by painful surprise as our hands adjusted. My grandparents may be email and text savvy but I know a handwritten card means much more to them. Rauch confirms that while gadgets are in constant daily use, a pen seems to be where people turn “whenever they want to write a personal note, a thank you or a love letter.” At Montblanc, employees always write the first sentence of every letter by hand and having received one such letter, in fact entirely handwritten, I can testify to this. “People really appreciate the value of the handwritten word because the amount of impersonal messaging we get is crazy... If I receive something handwritten, I know this person did it just for me; he or she took the time to sit down and write. There is no delete; you have to think beforehand about what you write and the effect is totally different from an email.” Does this concern unite Montblanc customers? “They all care about their own character and cultured lifestyle, so people who spend money on a fountain

collection

pen all appreciate the moment when they sit down and enjoy watching their thoughts become reality on the piece of paper.” Montblanc as a luxury brand is discreet, which sits well in this post-recession climate; it is not, in Rauch’s words, a “bling bling” company and products aren’t immediately identifiable from afar. “Those who fall in love with our objects don’t purchase them to impress their peers but because they appreciate the objects for themselves. So it’s about self-indulgence, connoisseurship and knowledge, rather than just impressing somebody else by showing what you can afford.” Brand values are well established and one of the most important is the idea of the lifelong companion. “We want

“A pen seems to be where people turn when they want to write a thank you note or love letter” to create products which accompany you for your life and for the life of your kids.” This must apply as equally to a Montblanc watch as a piece of jewellery or a wallet. “There are consequences of this, of course,” Rauch concedes, “and one is that the brand does not create fashion products. We would never do a leather good in the ‘colour of the season’.” Limited editions fall on the other side of the fence; the opposite of a ubiquitous, seasonal musthave, they each appeal to a small group of people interested in longevity and history. “We try to honour people who really changed something in their field. Einstein is an easy one because he was in all matters a great human being. It’s about the heritage these people left which is still with us today.” The concept and design stages of the limited edition process particularly appeal to Rauch. “It’s really fun because we also, for a German at least!, try to be funny sometimes, like we did with the Hitchcock. We tried to simulate the Vertigo effect on the writing instrument, so if you turn it you really have the same feeling, or we have a knife as a clip, the same one which was used in Psycho.” Attention to detail is of paramount importance, as is going the extra mile. Rauch’s favourite part of his job is being with

passionate collectors; “It’s a lovely feeling. You see how happy they are and you discuss with them what they like and what they don’t; this is what brings the most happiness to me.” I have a feeling that even if I were the twelfth person to stop Rauch that day to tell him my Meisterstück story, he would listen just as graciously as if I were the first. For every Signature for Good piece sold between now and 31 March 2014, Montblanc will donate part of its proceeds to raise at least $1.5 million for UNICEF’s education programmes; unicef.org Montblanc, 10/11 Royal Exchange montblanc.com

july 2013 THE CITY 49

Drop in the Ocean Brazilian jewellery house H. Stern recently blew much of its competition out the water with its new Iris collection, which was inspired by the depths of the ocean. The study of detailed accounts of aquatic specimens discovered on the 1873 H.M.S. Challenger expedition, and then translating these shapes into 18-karat noble, yellow and rose gold pieces, has resulted in a collection which captures the rich and vibrant life found in the ocean. The sultry Katie Holmes stars as the Greek goddess of the sea and sky for the summer campaign.

Kiss from a Rose On the same day she was honoured with her royal title, a pink rose was created and named after Princess Grace to commemorate her marriage to H.S.H. Prince Rainer III in 1956. This same rose was the influence behind Montblanc’s Princesse Grace de Monaco fine jewellery collection, launched in 2011, and this year, new pieces have been added to the two lines: the Pétales de Roses and the Pétales Entrelacés. These additions are available in Montblanc stores. Montblanc, 10/11 Royal Exchange

hstern.net

jewellery Jewels, gems, pearls and diamonds; the essential components of any lady’s jewellery collection

Cutting Edge To celebrate its partnership with L.A. Dance Project and founder Benjamin Millepied, Van Cleef & Arpels recently unveiled four unique High Jewellery pieces drawn from the world of dance

Van Cleef & Arpels has had a strong association with dance ever since choreographer George Balanchine formed an artistic partnership with the house following a trip to the boutique. Three ballerina clips and a Zip necklace have been created in tribute to Reflections, a new ballet by Millepied From top: Zip Ballerina necklace in white gold and diamonds; Ballerina clip in white gold and diamonds Both POA, Van Cleef & Arpels, vancleefarpels.com

Pandora’s Box Before the arrival of the clutch bag, fashionable ladies would take out beautifully bejewelled boxes to contain their evening essentials. As much a work of art as a practical accessory, these boxes were all the rage from the 1920s until the 70s and many will soon be on display at Goldsmiths’ Hall. The Ultra Vanities exhibition will showcase more than 300 minaudières from some of the most revered jewellery houses including Chaumet, Cartier and Boucheron. Appreciate changing styles over the decades and the exceptional levels of craftsmanship involved. Ultra Vanities: Bejewelled Boxes from the Age of Glamour; 31 May – 20 July thegoldsmiths.co.uk

collection

GREEN with

envy

Pantone’s Colour of the Year has been translated into this season’s ultimate statement jewellery trend

13 7

1 White gold and emerald diamond pendant with platinum chain, £3,400, Lucie Campbell, luciecampbell.com 2 18-karat white gold, uvarovite garnet and diamond earrings, Kimberly McDonald, £4,250, net-a-porter.com 3 Double surround emerald ring, POA, Jessica McCormack, jessicamccormack.com 4 Jade Embrace brooch, POA, Michelle Ong, harryfane.com 5 Emerald ring, POA, Gemfields: Monica Vinader, harrods.com 6 Alhambra pendant in yellow gold and malachite, POA, Van Cleef & Arpels, vancleefarpels.com 7 White gold, emerald and diamond ring, £7,100, De Grisogono, degrisogono.com 8 Uvaronite garnet, black diamond triangle earrings, £6,880, Kimberly McDonald, farfetch.com 9 Fly By Night Couture bracelet set in 18-karat white gold with black diamonds and Gemfields emeralds, £52,300, Stephen Webster, stephenwebster.com 10 Hanging Gardens of Babylon necklace, POA, Nourbel & Le Cavelier, nourbel-lecavelier.com 11 New World sterling-silver large pear bloodstone earrings, £2,222, Armenta, talismangallery.co.uk 12 Oxidised silver, amazonite, quartz and diamond ring, £1,225, S&R Jewellery, talismangallery.co.uk 13 Glittering Grape fancy brooch, POA, Michelle Ong, as before 14 White wedding gold-plated Swarovski crystal necklace, £830, Erickson Beamon, net-a-porter.com 15 Platinum emerald and diamond cluster ring, POA, Lucie Campbell, as before

JULY 2013 THE CITY 51

Banana Republic

Banana Republic is an apparel and accessories brand focused on delivering contemporary and covetable style for men and women. Founded in California in 1978, the brand gathered a loyal following due to its hit safari-themed collections and eccentric catalogues. Nowadays, even its everyday pieces, such as t-shirts and jumpers, are made from luxurious fabrics including supple silks and rich cashmeres. With a design team dedicated to creating pieces that are both professional and individual, whole outfits can be instantly updated with any number of vibrant accessories, whether it be a supple leather handbag or statement jewellery to create looks that carry from desk to dinner.

jubilee place is expanding

With the Jubilee Place expansion bringing 25 new stores to Canary Wharf, these are the just-revealed shops, haunts and boutiques to start getting excited about

anary Wharf is undergoing one of the largest retail expansions currently underway in the UK. The extension of the Jubilee Place Mall introduces 25 exciting new stores to Canary Wharf ’s existing portfolio of more than 280 shops, restaurants and bars. The retail stores and dining spaces within the mall extension will open in early November. From premium fashion labels to independent designers and sought-after cosmetics, Jubilee Place will be home to Banana Republic, COS, Orlebar Brown, The White Company, Emmett London, Rituals, Oliver Bonas and bareMinerals. In addition, Le Pain Quotidien will be offering rustic French fare, from wonderful homemade spreads to sweet pastries, to be enjoyed around a communal table.

Camille Waxer, Chief Administrative Officer for Canary Wharf Group, said: “With the office population at Canary Wharf growing and the needs of our shoppers increasing we felt it was the right time to expand. Banana Republic, COS, The White Company and Orlebar Brown are all sought-after brands that will enhance what is already a thriving shopping destination. We are absolutely delighted to welcome these stores to Canary Wharf.”

COS

COS, Collection of Style, is a line for men and women who desire fashion that is both sophisticated and accessible. Designed in London by an in-house team, each collection stays true to the brand’s ethos of favouring timeless style over passing trends. The end result is collections consisting of timeless cuts featuring original detailing, for fashion that transitions seamlessly through each passing season. COS’s balance between new techniques and innovative fabrics is a running vein through all the pieces and is a factor that ensures each design feels at once classic and modern. In store, knowledgeable customer service, streamlined interiors and beautiful packaging finish the luxurious COS experience.

SHOPPING

Orlebar Brown

Orlebar Brown’s collection consists of simple but stylish men’s jackets, polos and sweats. The brand is best known for its signature swim and beach shorts. Made using French fabrics and Italian zips, all Orlebar Brown’s tailored swim shorts are made in either the UK or Portugal. Quick drying, versatile and available in a range of styles, lengths and colours, these swim shorts are ‘bridge items’, meaning they can be worn both on and off the beach but deserve to be worn on both.

Oliver Bonas

Oliver Bonas is a boutique-style line of shops that celebrate inspiring and creative designs. Style staples are available alongside a carefully selected array of quirky and original gifts from coffee books to art work. Oliver Bonas boasts a collection of exclusive womenswear and eye-catching sunglasses, bags and scarves with new must-have pieces stocked throughout each season. A range of luxury interior furnishings from statement furniture including large velvet ottomans or smaller soft furnishings like the vibrantly printed cushions, can be bought in a variety of bold colours to brighten up any city home.

Emmett London

After the success of its existing three stores, Emmett London is opening in Canary Wharf. Emmett London’s shirts embody fine British heritage tailoring with a fresh European elegance and just a hint of eccentricity. Most Emmett London collections are made in limited editions to ensure their exclusivity and originality. Once made, every shirt is meticulously handexamined before being given the seal of approval, assuring that everything that makes it into their stores is designed with style and utilises only the highest quality fabrics.

www.canarywharf.com

@yourcanarywharf

SHOPPING

eagerly anticipated bareMinerals

Rituals Founded in 2000, Rituals is the first brand in the world to pioneer a combination of luxury home and body cosmetics. Rituals’ daily indulgences from bath oils to scented candles are made with the belief that with the right products any beauty routine can be upgraded into a ritual. It is this philosophy that happiness can be found in the smallest of things that is core to the brand. They believe that by taking the time to enjoy simple things like a warm bath, a cup of tea or a relaxing massage, you can transform them into a meaningful experience. Rituals’ high quality products promise to enrich both body and soul.

bareMinerals’ believe that cosmetic products can actually be good for your skin, makeup can be fun, business can be personal, and brands can behave like communities. Now available in 30 countries, bareMinerals is a trusted source renowned for its robust yet gentle makeup and skincare products. bareMinerals’s award-winning mineralbased makeup illuminates and evens complexions while being kind on the skin. Its variety of powder foundations and rich pigment blushers are suited for all skin tones and skin types. With expert skincare products and full eye and lip assortments to browse through in store, experience the transformative power of minerals.

Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien is the perfect place to take a break from city life. The rustic interiors match its organic farm-food roots and all diners sit around a communal table. Le Pain Quotidien bake sweet pastries fresh every day, from their mouthwatering warm Belgian waffles to their exquisite range of tartines. They insist on using only the finest ingredients and if they can’t find them, they make them themselves, whether it be jam or chocolate spread.

The White Company Set to occupy one of the largest stores within the Jubilee Place Mall extension, The White Company store will house the brand’s homeware, fashion and children’s lines. Each article of clothing is carefully designed and crafted to uphold The White Company’s signature elegance. A true lifestyle brand, The White Company creates beautifully stylish pieces for your home, your wardrobe and your children. Each piece in their numerous collections is designed around a calming colour palette of pure whites, warm beiges and soft greys. The White Company is particularly celebrated for its homeware, which ranges from subtle storage to pretty pieces for entertaining.

Canary Wharf

bars & restaurants • fashion & style • arts & events canarywharf.com

3 hours

free parking

at weekends and bank holidays when you spend £10 at Canary wharf terms and Conditions apply.

@yourcanarywharf

events & art

A PACKED SCHEDULE FOR JULY SUMMER COMES TO CANARY WHARF, AND WITH IT A WEALTH OF ACTIVITIES AND SPECIAL EVENTS TO KEEP THAT SUNSHINE FEELING LASTING RIGHT THROUGH JULY INCLUDING CHILDREN’S THEATRE, OPERA SCREENINGS, SPORTING ACTION AND PICNIC PERFORMANCES

THEATRE TIME This July, Jubilee Park hosts a Children’s Theatre Festival for families and children of all ages, plus an evening Outdoor Theatre Season and all for FREE – so bring your family and friends and enjoy these al fresco performances. Don’t forget your summer picnic from Waitrose Food, Fashion & Home or Carluccio’s or dine outdoors at The Terrace at Roka or the Nyetimber Terrace at Plateau Restaurant. Monday 1 July 6.30pm The Comedy of Errors by The Principal Theatre Company Sunday 7 July 1.30pm & 4pm Rumpelstiltskin & The Wheel Of Fortune by Theatre of Widdershins Monday 8 July 6.30pm Hamlet by The Principal Theatre Company Sunday 14 July 2 – 4pm The Tales of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny by Quantum Theatre Company Monday 15 July 6.30pm Waiting for Godot by Miracle Theatre Company Sunday 21 July 2 – 3pm A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Chapterhouse Theatre Company Sunday 28 July 2 – 3pm An Olympic Dream by The London Ballet Company Monday 29 July 6.30pm Twelfth Night by Quantum Theatre Company

BP BIG SCREENS LIVE FROM THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE, COVENT GARDEN A perfect way to share world-class opera for FREE as these live screenings bring the Covent Garden atmosphere to Canada Square Park*. From 7pm watch the behind-the-scenes footage and then relax as two of Puccini’s best loved operas unfold from 7.30pm. Thursday 11 July - La Rondine Thursday 18 July - Tosca roh.org.uk/bpbigscreens

ACTION FOR KIDS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS

Over 150 tonnes of sand transforms Wood Wharf’s waterfront area into two beach volleyball courts and a sitting volleyball court where you can try the sport by either entering a team or with taster sessions. Monday 8 – Friday 19 July Various times Entry: £250 per team; FREE to visit Team Registration: 020 8347 8111 / beach@actionforkids.org actionforkids.org/beachvolleyball

TOUR DE FRANCE FAN PARK For lunch, an after-work drink or a weekend outing, experience the Tour de France Fan Park at Wood Wharf with live race footage on the big screen, interactive activities and retail stalls. Monday 15 – Sunday 21 July 11am – 10pm FREE to visit tourdefrancefanpark.co.uk

Truck Stop

From the people who brought us Street Feast, Truck Stop will feature the largest collection of food trucks ever assembled in London and it is rolling into town over six nights in the summer. This movable foodie feast will arrive at Wood Wharf on the first Thursday and Friday of July, August and September and you don’t want to miss it. Alongside London’s best food trucks, there will be a craft beer bar, a roadside diner with guest appearances from some of London’s best grill chefs, a keg party and Smoke barbecue pit, a taco shack, a secret gin bar and the Rotary cocktail bar; all packed onto the waterfront at Wood Wharf with live music and tons of seating and eating. Thursday 4 – Friday 5 July Thursday 1 – Friday 2 August Thursday 5 – Friday 6 September 5 – 11pm Wood Wharf Canary Wharf £10 (includes $10 Truck Stop to spend at the Rotary Cocktail Bar or the Craft Beer Bar) Booking: Tickets available from truckstoplondon.com

HALIMA CASSELL CATCHING THE LIGHT: SCULPTURE AND SCULPTURAL CERAMICS Until 30 August Lobby, One Canada Square Canary Wharf FREE

Halima Cassell employs a similar device to her sculptural ceramics to that found in Islamic architecture, where the play of light on recurring geometric form is used to great effect in both decorative carving and fretwork. Tuesday 30 July 1.15-2pm FREE Curator Ann Elliott tours the exhibition with Halima Cassell. Contact visualart@canarywharf.com to reserve a place.

WAHACA PRESENTS ‘MEXFEST ON SCREEN’ AT CANARY WHARF

Canary Wharf joins the London wide celebration of Mexico’s pioneering creativity, London MexFest with FREE film screenings from 7.30pm at Canada Square Park*. Friday 12 July - Mariachi Gringo (UK12A) Saturday 13 July - Nacho Libre (UK12A) mexfest.mx

* Space is unreserved and sometimes limited. Portable furniture, glass bottles and glasses are not permitted

For more information visit canarywharf.com

@yourcanarywharf

Love your heart I was concerned about my heart, especially at my age, so I went for a check up at a HCA Hospital. Now I’m back gardening and playing with the children and would recommend HCA for your heart healthcare and all heart concerns.

For more information about HCA Hospitals’ Heartcare or to book an appointment call 0843 249 7523

HCA Hospitals – World-Class Healthcare www.heartcarelondon.co.uk

Model used for illustrative purposes only

HCA_Adverts_Female_consumer_K&C_LHP.indd 1

10/04/2013 16:17

work

REPORT

flight of

fancy

AIMEE LATIMER takes a look at a modern icon, Concorde, as it is immortalised in art

he announcement was made by the recently departed Bank of England governor Sir Mervyn King on 26 April to members of Churchill’s family at Chartwell, Churchill’s former home. Churchill may have been an obvious choice to appear on the note that is due to be issued in 2016, but he is also a poignant one. For as Sir Mervyn King declared: “Churchill was a truly great British leader, orator and writer. Above that, he remains a hero of the entire free world.” The chosen portrait of Churchill is one taken by Yousuf Karsh

in Ottawa on 30 December 1941. Behind Churchill lies a view of Westminster Bridge as it appears from the South Bank. Etched in place of the sky is an image of the Nobel Prize medal he was awarded in 1953 for literature. An award given to him for his achievements as a journalist, a prolific historical writer and a great orator. And notably, behind Churchill stands Elizabeth Tower with the hands of the Great Clock frozen at 3pm, the approximate time when, in the House of Commons on 13 May 1940, Churchill spoke the legendary words: “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” bankofengland.co.uk

Finding a Fund Manager for You

ising markets are boosting confidence in the return to equities, which regained their position as the best selling asset class during April, with net retail sales of £799 million, according to the Investment Management Association. The UK stock market has surged over the past few months with the FTSE 100 reaching a 13-month high in May. Since then the market has dipped. Such volatility is widely expected for the rest of the year, proving a challenge for fund managers. Some will rise to the challenge while others will flounder. Loyal investors to active fund management will choose where to place their money according to a number of factors – asset class, sector, past performance and fund management company. But ultimately, they want to know they are placing their money in safe hands. So how do you choose a decent fund manager to grow your wealth?

How do you successfully choose a top fund manager? Holly Thomas, deputy personal finance editor at The Sunday Times, puts the question to those in the know

Experience Experience isn’t everything, but it does illustrate if a manager can invest successfully through all types of markets. It may be that their style does better or worse than their peers in rising or falling markets. Many of the most successful managers are the most experienced ones. Tom Dobell of M&G, Nigel Thomas of AXA Framlington, Giles Hargreave of Marlborough, and Neil Woodford of Invesco Perpetual have all been chosen for consistently good performance by Chelsea Financial Services. These managers are also top-rated by FE Analytics, the fund research group, for beating their benchmarks. In fact, there are about 20 individuals with more than 20 years of experience under their belts. That’s not to say good managers have to be older, says Darius

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McDermott at Chelsea. “In the last five years, since the global financial crisis, some younger managers have had a baptism of fire facing the market meltdown and unprecedented intervention from governments and central banks. Many have come out the other side looking good.”

Courage of conviction McDermott adds: “If you are paying fees for an active manager then you should expect them to be able to follow the courage of their convictions. They should be able to articulate their investment philosophy and stick to it. A manager with a strong style bias may go through periods when they underperform. More experienced managers have the confidence not to go against their own beliefs or get caught up in a trend.” In the late 1990s, banks were the largest sector in Neil Woodford’s portfolio, but by 2003 he had sold out, avoiding the worst of the sub-prime crisis in 2007-08. Mark Dampier of Hargreaves Lansdown said: “Perhaps even more famously, Woodford avoided technology stocks during the internet boom in the 1990s. In fact, he was castigated for doing so at the time as he underperformed significantly during that period. Eventually he was proved correct. He has the courage to back his own convictions and stick with them – and more often than not he has been right.” Peter Lowman of Investment Quorum says many fund managers consider themselves to be contrarian investors, but few genuinely are. “While this is a skill few fund managers possess, there are some notable exceptions. Alastair Mundy of Investec Asset Management is an exceptional talent who has over a long-term time horizon consistently beaten the market.”

Do they invest their own money? Hollands adds: “We ask managers whether they invest in their own funds and we also see it as a positive factor if the manager has a decent stake in the business they work for, as this should make them more loyal and committed and less inclined to jump ship. Small cap veteran Gervais Williams, for example, is now managing director of publicly listed boutique Miton Group in which he has a considerable shareholding – 8.8 million shares according to the last annual report, representing 5.9 per cent of the company. That makes Gervais the biggest private shareholder in the business.”

Loyalty can pay Good performance is not just a flip of a coin scenario as some advocates of passive funds suggest. Quality managers have proved solid performance is not just good fortune by running successful funds under different companies. Richard Buxton, for example, ran Schroders’ UK Alpha Plus fund for 11 years until earlier this month, which returned 229 per cent

Good performance is not just a flip of a coin scenario

Past performance While experts have drummed into investors that past performance is no guide to the future, it’s something every saver will check before handing over their hard-earned cash. Track records can easily be distorted by freak periods of performance, so it is vital to look behind a long-term performance number – which may look great – for signs as to whether this was delivered by consistent patterns of good performance, or one or two shortlived spurts which may indicate the hand of luck is at play rather than real skill or judgment. Jason Hollands of Bestinvest says: “Look at factors such as the ratio of months when a manager beat the market as opposed to underperformed against it as an indicator of consistency and a manager’s worst losing streak. Hargreave, who manages Marlborough UK Special Situations and Richard Plackett who manages BlackRock UK Special Situations, have beaten the market in 63 per cent of the months they have managed money during their long careers.

during his reign. He was similarly successful at Barings where he ran the UK Growth fund. During his time, that fund amassed £305 million assets under his management and consistently beat its benchmark over the 11 years. Buxton has now joined Old Mutual Global Investors (OMGI) where he is running an identical mandate – called the OMGI Alpha fund. Experts expect loyal investors to follow.

Support Not all good managers work in isolation, so their support network is crucial. Indeed, Giles Hargreave puts his long standing success down to his strong team. He says: “I surround myself with very clever people to do analysis and research. We spend a lot of money on our research team.”

Help is at hand

Managers change jobs, so ideally you need to knit together records built across the different companies for which they have worked. A task that’s not as daunting as you may think. One simple way of tracking a manager and their performance is by visiting bestinvest. co.uk/managercareers. Invest some time in your own research, and you’re likely to reap the rewards.

july 2013 THE CITY 61

Banking:

Regaining the Trust Interest-only mortgages, Libor rigging, PPI, pensions and endowments mis-selling â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just some of the scandals that have torn through UK banks over the last few years and brought shame to an industry that may never be trusted again. Kalpana Fitzpatrick asks investment consultant Robert Gardner how the sector can recoup its reputation

work / interview

Cedric Weber / Shutterstock.com

ith greed overruling sense, banks have ruined lives and have almost singlehandedly destroyed the British economy, but the seriousness was only ever brought to light when the government started to step in to bail out banks using taxpayers’ money and, more recently, when the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards investigated the Libor scandal. As the shocking revelations continue to make headlines and the public realises just how deep the problems run, it is clear these institutions have a long journey before they will ever be trusted again. Along the way, there will undoubtedly be some clear winners and losers. Robert Gardner, a former City worker and most recently better known for abseiling down The Shard at London Bridge, left his role as director at one of the world’s largest banks, Merrill Lynch, just before the global financial crisis. He says banking may never be like it was a few years ago, and he argues that business models will have to change and those that put customers at the forefront will succeed. Mr Gardner, who has set up his own consultancy firm, Redington, which advises ten of the top 25 pension funds around the world about their investment strategies, says: “The main thing is that banks are delivering products that are in the best interests of their customers. Looking at the retail sector, I think Metro Bank is a great example of an organisation demonstrating ways of being a dedicated customer-focused retail business. “It is about putting the client first, and going forward, we need to think about how we can get back to that approach. Banks need to regain customer trust, and it is not easy to do this, particularly as banks are often the subject of media headlines for wrongdoings.” Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and UBS have recently hit the papers and has each had to face fines totalling millions of pounds by British and American regulators for Libor fixing. Other banks continue to be under investigation. With the hole getting deeper, it comes as no surprise that banks have one of the lowest scores when it comes to customer loyalty. “It’s time banks, whether retail or investment, went back to basics – and that is looking after the customer. Customer loyalty scores for banks is one of the lowest in industry groups, compared to that of the consumer electronic brands of Apple or Samsung, which rate very highly. “Therefore, banks need to look at other industry sectors and start thinking, once again, about building long-term customer relationships. Disney and Johnson & Johnson are great examples; they set their long-term vision and they live by these values,” Mr Gardner says. Mr Gardner adds that all banks need to get clarity on what they want to do going forward. “We are seeing new entrants coming into the banking market – Metro Bank, Sainsbury’s and Virgin,

for example, who have a clear vision and are starting to take the market share. The banks that do not have this clarity of vision and strong business models will be pushed out. “The same can be said with respect to investment banks, where we see boutiques coming in with a clear purpose of where they want to focus and not trying to be everything to everyone.” Mr Gardner says he believes banks are trying to move in the right direction, but they need a clear vision of the future. “The best thing investment banks can do is focus on what they are really good at – whether it is currencies, M&A, equities and so on, rather than trying to be best at everything.” When asked about sentiment in the City, he says: “Banks have gone through a massive paradigm change in the last few years, but I think on the whole, people are positive. However, there are still a few people who just want banking to be like the good old days. “But the fact is that things have changed; there are new business models coming into play and banks are having to deal with heavier regulation, clients are more demanding and do not easily trust banks.” He adds: “I am personally very positive, but I do think that in ten years’ time there will be new banking brands and ones today that simply will not exist; it will be those banks that manage to crack the customer focus – clear vision and the right business model will win out over the next decade.”

july 2013 THE CITY 63

business opinion

car park crazy

For an insight into the people behind the business personas, look no further than the office car park, says THE ANONYMOUS BANKER

very morning I cycle to work. The basement doubles as a parking lot for senior management, as well as cycle parking for us, the plebs. Funnily enough, that is where I learn the most about my leaders, from the cars they drive. Our esteemed leader, a towering woman with a nasty smoking habit drives a very smart Mercedes SLK. On the odd occasion when it is seen at the office (an extremely rare occurrence which doesn’t necessarily mean she is in the office) the stench of cigarettes as I pass the car is overbearing. Health and safety should make her wear a bumper sticker with some sort of health warning. Another member of senior management drives a flashy sports car. It looks super-expensive and makes a loud noise when he hits the accelerator. I can never register the make or model because every time I see the car (and especially when he is in it) it screams to me that he is compensating for something. Could it be his lack of height, his pot belly or something else...? The two Chelsea Tractors are far too big for the basement. You’d think that their owners would learn that these vehicles are impractical from the very fact they take one-and-a-quarter parking spaces each and it takes half an hour and a ten-point parking manoeuvre just to get these cars in and out of the spaces. If I asked you to guess the nationality of their owners you’d probably guess American, and you’d be correct. Bigger is ALWAYS better – including when it comes to the size of your shirt collar. And finally we come to the sensible choice, the Mini Cooper S. Fast, nippy, small and convenient, it can even squeeze into the half space left by the tractors. What amazes me about this car is the size of its boot. I’ve managed to take a sneaky peek as its owner takes out her gym bag – and the number of high-heels you can fit into that boot is nothing short of extraordinary.

man of the moment: racing driver ben collins, AKA THE STIG

Mark Bonington presents a series looking at people at the top of their industry

always felt something of a regression when the identity of The Stig was revealed in 2010. I, like I’m sure many fans of Top Gear, secretly enjoyed the anonymity of the man in the white suit. Finding out that he was just another mortal of flesh and blood was a little like finding out Santa isn’t real again. Flesh and blood he certainly was, however – that of racing car driver Ben Collins. Collins, despite being an A-lister in the racing world for many years, became a household name in 2010 when the BBC and HarperCollins went head to head in a legal battle to prevent the racer’s autobiography being published; apparently it contained, in his own words, the confession to his being the masked Top Gear driver. A media frenzy ensued, despite The Times insisting that the identity of The Stig had been something of an open secret in the world of motoring for some time. Born in Bristol, Collins’ incredible drive, dedication and ambition led him to become an Olympic-standard swimmer by the age of nine. After reading law at university, he served in the British Army as a Special Forces driving instructor, with his racing career taking off in 1994 when he was placed second in the Formula Opel Winter Series. A string of successes followed, including prominent placings in the 2000 Masters of Formula 3 race and the FIA Sportscar Championship for Team Ascari. He joined Top Gear in 2003, racing on numerous programmes as The Stig for seven years. Collins has also taken time away from the track to take

64 THE CITY juLY 2013

a back seat in the making of some of Hollywood’s biggest flicks. He was a precision-driver for the 2008 film Quantum of Solace, serving as stunt double for Bond himself, Daniel Craig. Naturally, this meant Collins got to drive Bond’s iconic Aston Martin DBS. As if that wasn’t enough, he has also appeared on Xtreme Teen Drivers, which aimed to teach reckless boy-racer types to drive more safely (and let’s face it, if Ben Collins tells you that you’re driving wrong, you’re driving wrong). In what may be his proudest achievement to date, Collins also holds the World Record for length of time driving a car on two wheels. In addition to his prowess behind the steering wheel, Collins enjoys a blossoming writing career, submitting columns for Autosport Magazine and The Sunday Times. Despite the BBC’s best efforts, his autobiography was published in September 2010. The Top Gear presenters may have indulged in drive-by shootings of his image during a Christmas Special, but considering the book has sold in its thousands (and Collins enjoyed a £250,000 advance to pen the work) the former Stig was laughing all the way to the bank – possibly while he drove there in his £40,000 VW people carrier. Yet perhaps Ben Collins’ most inspiring quality is his seeming immunity to his own hype. A devoted husband and family man, he was so dismayed to see photographers standing in the pouring rain outside his Bristol home three years ago that he brought them coffee and umbrellas. Just another mortal indeed.

event promotion

Exclusive City Event 18th July

erkeley Homes and RunWild Media have joined forces to bring you an exclusive evening at London’s finest new development, Roman House, in

conjunction with quintessential British tailor, Crombie, and an internally renowned whisky brand.

Arguably the City of London’s finest development, Berkeley’s Roman House features 90 luxurious apartments surrounded by some of the capital’s premium restaurants, bars and internationally recognised luxury brands. overlooking the largest surviving section of the old roman Wall, each apartment features stylish yet timeless interiors reflecting the areas’s classical history.

more information This exclusive event is strictly RSVP only. Register your interest at: communications@runwildgroup.co.uk Roman House Sales & Marketing Suite, Wood Street London EC2Y 5BA www.roman-house.co.uk

JULY 2013 THE CITY 65

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precisionriskintelligence.com If you need to investigate, call now 020 7590 3044

PLAY

REPORT

flight of

fancy

AIMEE LATIMER takes a look at a modern icon, Concorde, as it is immortalised in art

t takes conviction to strip down the nose of one of the only 20 Concordes ever made and to then bash and weld it into a sculpture during a six-year labour of love. British designer Sebastian Conran did just that when he designed the dramatic sculpture ICON out of a Concorde nose and visor that was sold in 2006 to raise funds for the Brooklands Museum, home of Concorde. Working to a theme of ‘sound’, skilled craftsmen dramatically angled the slanting nose to capture the way the aircraft propelled through the sound barrier. Next, they mounted it on a wave-like curve to suspend it

as if it were back in the air, poised on a figurative sound wave. Concorde flew commercially for 27 years from its first flight in 1969 to its retirement in 2003. The world’s wonder at Concorde’s legendary speed was ringed in controversy in July 2000 when the aircraft suffered its only fatal accident when Air France flight 4590 crashed during take-off, killing everyone on board. Now retired, Concorde remains an icon both in art and aviation history. Developing details of future public displays of the ICON can be followed at thestoryoficon.com

POWER BOAt Heesen Yachts’ revolutionary 65-metre, all-aluminium motor yacht has successfully completed trials in the North Sea, where it exceeded its expected top speed by almost two knots. The Galactica Star, which is stabilised by five Sea Keeper gyros, can accommodate twelve guests and boasts a beach club and a swimming platform. Galactica Star, heesenyachts.nl

IN THE KNOW Be well-informed on the course, the track, the pitch and the street, with our essential guide

BIG WHEELERS Sign up now for the first Lord Mayor’s Summer Cycle Challenge from London to Oxford on 29 September. Hundreds of people from around the City are set to take part in the 100km route in aid of The Lord Mayor’s Appeal 2013, a philanthropic appeal that works through the arts to provide the next generation with a better future. thelordmayorssummercycle.com

A NIGHT TO REMEMBER Iconic cognac house Rémy Martin has launched a ‘One Night In’ campaign to share the secrets of the world’s best bars and cocktails. Festivities began this May with the One Night In London event, that saw guests taken around the capital in a classic Routemaster while stopping off at London’s six best cocktails bars. Following its success, Rémy Martin will be hosting similar events in major cities across the globe.

A One Night In app has been released for iPad, iOS and Android. The app, which is added to with each new event, offers users the opportunity to test out incredible cocktails, book tables, share recommendations via social media, order taxis and even access recipes for cocktails that include the covetable ingredient, Rémy Martin’s superb VSOP Mature Cask Finish. Download the app at itunes.apple.com, remymartin.com

news

The Speedster look As of last month, owners of Porsche Cabriolet models 996, 997 and 991 have been given the chance to give their cars the Speedster look with the help of Delavilla’s double hump accessory: the ‘HardBack’. Comprising a central beam mounted to the existing wind deflector brackets and two matching coloured humps, the kit ensures no modifications need to be made to the car itself. Yours for a starting price of £3,000, the ‘humps’ store away behind the front seats. Visit Delavilla at the Goodwood Festival of Speed to see the company’s new Panamera kit unveiled. delavillagb.com

High Definition

They take care of the nutritional needs of the likes of Amir Khan, Chris Robshaw and Stuart Broad, but what can Maximuscle do for desk-dwelling mortals like you and I? Well, if the results from the brand’s ‘Protein Project’ are anything to go by, a lot. Three months ago, Maximuscle took three average Joes and by providing them with gym tips, training programmes and nutritional support aimed to drastically transform their bodies. 12 weeks later and, for City worker James Goddard (centre), the result was a physique of cover-model condition. “At the start I wanted to get in better shape, be fitter, stronger and healthier but I didn’t expect my body shape to change the way it did,” James told us. “The before and after photos really bring it home, as during the project you tend to notice the change more in your clothing rather than visually. It was a big surprise, and I hope it shows that in a short space of time anyone can change their body if they have the right diet, training and mindset.” We asked James for his top workout tips. “Intensity, getting up early, getting a mate to go to the gym with you and sticking to your training days are all crucial,” he told us. “Getting your rest is also important. It’s easier said than done, but when you can get to bed by 10.30pm, do it.” maximuscle.com

Performance Boost They’re billed as the biggest revolution to hit the running world for the last 15 years, set to transform the trainer-scape in the same way the brand’s Predator football boots did so to that industry. To put the hype surrounding the Adidas Boosts to the test, The City Magazine’s resident runner took a pair to the street. The verdict? After several 10km runs, the aptly-named Boosts seemed to be offering just that, reducing muscle strain and adding an industry-leading spring to our guinea pig’s step. Whether they become as popular as the boots Becks laces to his feet remains to be seen. adidas.com

Olympic Standard Opened in April, Embody Fitness is already making waves in the competitive world of personal training. No surprise, perhaps, when you consider that this is a gym run and operated by former-Olympic athletes and ex-sporting professionals. And believe us, when you’re being coached by someone who’s performed on the world’s biggest stage, it’s not hard to get motivated. For employees of the Square Mile, Embody’s City Challenge was designed specifically for desk-bound men and women looking to transform their body. And if proof were needed of the calibre of training being offered, the fact that Embody Fitness has just started offering training for personal trainers themselves should act as evidence enough. 1 Bartholomew Lane, EC2N, embodyfitness.co.uk

july 2013 THE CITY 69

The Thin Red Line Identification fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion per year and is the UK’s fastest growing crime. The latest disturbing development in e-pickpocketing involves the use of a RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip to transfer personal information, such as account details, when brushed against a victim’s wallet, putting cramped commuters particularly at risk from fraud. Luxury travel accessories brand Tumi has found a solution with its new TICON collection. The TICON range is lined with ID Lock, a unique material comprising metal threads that block RFID hacking. The ID Lock is identified by subtle red detailing found on zipper pulls of internal pockets. The collection features styles from Tumi’s best-selling travel, business and lifestyle lines, ensuring you look professional and are protected at all times. Tumi TICON collection, from £165, uk.tumi.com

i-candy

A complete guide to the best in techno wizardry and glorious gadgets

Shoot, Scan, Share

The Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner offers users a quick and portable way to scan 35mm film taken on an analogue camera and upload it onto a Smartphone. The scanner works with the LomoScanner App for iPhone, downloadable from iTunes, which enables you to edit, share and archive your photos. Lomography Smartphone FilmScanner, £49 shop.lomography.com

School Suspension McLaren Automotive has launched a new website called cars.mclaren.com that provides users with an unprecedented digital experience of never-beforeseen images, videos and technology from McLaren. Users can interact with McLaren’s high-performance vehicles, from the 12C Spider to the McLaren P1. A new feature will offer customers and fans alike the chance to create their own bespoke 12C or 12C Spider using a 360-degree customiser tool. The website also delves into the technology of its most innovative new designs including the Proactive Chassis Control. As one of the most radical rethinks of sports car suspension in half a century, this pioneering chassis is switch-operated to enable road and track cars to corner flatter and faster than ever before. cars.mclaren.com

Battery Farm Click & Grow is a battery-powered Smartpot that cultivates plants by measuring and distributing the exact amount of water and fertiliser they require in order to grow. With new seed cartridges available to buy to replace any dying plants, Click & Grow suits people who love plants, but don’t have the time or inclination to care for them. Starter Kit from £49.99, clickandgrow.com

gadgets

Keg Peg

Some companies come up with all the great names – and Corkcicle, with its latest product the beer-cooling Chillsner, is a fine example. Released in June, you pre-chill the icicle-shaped wand packed with thermal gel and place it in your beer bottle to keep it cool for up to 45 minutes on warm summer days. Chillsner, £20, corkcicle.com

Neat Pleats

Molami’s luxurious Pleat headphones complement the bone structure of the female face to twin excellent sound with innovative aesthetics. It’s the perfect gift for a tech-savvy woman in search of a daily style statement. Molami Pleat Headphones, £250, harveynichols.com

Helmet Hair The iGrow® Hair Growth System uses low-level laser therapy to target thinning hair and hair loss by stimulating hair cells. Simple to use, just turn up the integrated headphones and wear it, in private, every other day for 20 minutes to tackle fickle follicles. With the number of men opting for invasive hair transplants soaring, this could be the preventative fix the market’s been searching for. iGrow Hair Growth System, £485, igrowlaser.co.uk

Project Yourself Save yourself the hassle of fiddling with bulky, alien projectors during presentations with the lightweight personal Pico Genie A100 projector for iPhone 4 and 4S. The multifaceted device projects video and pictures straight from your phone by up to 1.524 metres and has enhanced sound from an in-built loudspeaker. Conveniently, it can also be attached to boost your phone’s battery life by an hour-and-a-half. Pico Genie A100 4-in-1 extended battery + projector + case + speaker, £149.99, personalprojector.co.uk

Pure Allure

The Jongo S3 is Pure’s first multi-room music system that works in conjunction with the Pure Connect app, an app which enables you to integrate speakers throughout your home. Additionally, by downloading the app, available for iPhone and iPad, users also get a 30-day free trial of Pure Music before they register for a subscription costing £4.99 a month. Pure Music is Pure’s on-demand music service that streams the world’s best radio and music straight to your speakers. Jongo S3 Wireless Speaker, from, £169.99, pure.com

july 2013 THE CITY 71

GOODWOOD... Even if you don’t really like cars, Goodwood’s Festival of Speed and Revival events are not to be missed, says Matthew Carter.

Images courtesy of Goodwood

EVENT

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s glorious july 2013 THE CITY 73

event

wenty years ago, Lord March decided to hold a motoring gathering in his front garden at Goodwood in Sussex. He called it the Festival of Speed and hoped a few fans might turn up to watch. “I wasn’t too certain if anyone would be interested in coming along to our very first event back in 1993. We expected around 5,000 people, but more than 25,000 turned up,” he says. “Today the Festival attracts over 185,000 enthusiastic spectators which I just couldn’t have imagined back in 1993. I think it is safe to say that the event now looks like it is here to stay!” That’s an understatement if ever there was one. The Festival of Speed has been one of the biggest events on the social calendar for some years now, and is sufficiently important that virtually all the Grand Prix teams and top drivers make sure they are there. It has also become a must-do event for the mainstream manufacturers who all spend a small fortune ensuring they have a massive presence at Goodwood; it’s now the closest thing the UK has to a motor show. To get those crowds into the grounds of Goodwood House, the Earl of March and Kinrara has turned what started out as a small garden party into arguably the world’s biggest motor sporting festival. The FoS now regularly attracts not just the most important cars and bikes that ever raced, but many of the top drivers past and present, too. But don’t assume it’s a weekend just for petrol-heads. The really clever thing about Lord March and his team is that they create events with broad appeal, with something for everyone, young and old. The Festival is centred around the tricky 1.16-mile hill-climb course that snakes through the grounds of Goodwood House, and throughout the weekend competition cars of all shapes and sizes – Grand Prix single-seaters through the ages, American NASCAR and Indycar racers, Grand Prix bikes, rally cars, road-going supercars, Le Mans cars, you name it – race up the hill against the clock. Best of all, when not being driven in anger, these rare, historic and, in many cases, extraordinarily valuable pieces of motor-racing history are corralled together in various paddocks around the grounds, so close that they are within touching distance. But there’s much more. The lawns in front of the house become a garden party with jazz bands, Champagne stalls and picnic areas, while the field on the far side of the track turns into a huge automotive fairground with manufacturer stands, shops and stalls and some of the most breathtaking displays you are ever likely to see in the Goodwood Action Sports (GAS) arena.

74 THE CITY july 2013

Each Festival has a theme, and this year, it’s a celebration of the past two decades. “The biggest, best, fastest, loudest and most outrageous vehicles of all time will be invited back to West Sussex for a weekend in July not to be missed.” That’s how Goodwood puts it. But the Festival of Speed is not the only motor-racing event put on at Goodwood. Five years after the Festival began, Lord March started the Goodwood Revival race meeting. Based at the nearby Goodwood Circuit – the track where, in 1962, a huge accident effectively ended Stirling Moss’s career – the Revival recreates the atmosphere of the circuit as it would have been in its heyday before racing stopped there in 1966. Like the Festival, the Revival attracts the best historic racing cars and drivers in the world – the grid for the feature TT Celebration race will be full of Ferraris, Astons, ACs and Jaguars driven by former Grand Prix stars and endurance racing legends, for example. But this time they are racing against each other rather than the clock; the grid for the celebration race might be worth more than £150 million, but that doesn’t stop everyone having a real go. And the same applies for the myriad other races for single-seaters, touring cars and sports cars. Special parades this year will include a tribute to Jim Clark, remembering his first world championship 50 years ago, and a cavalcade of cycles and support vehicles marking the 110th anniversary of the Tour de France. The skies, meanwhile, will be full of Spitfires and Hurricanes with the occasional Lancaster bomber thrown in for good measure: Goodwood was a bomber airfield during the Second World War and is still a working airfield. Like the Festival, however, the racing is only part of the show. At the Revival you’ll find car parks full of classic cars and everyone – yes, everyone – comes dressed in period costume. The crowds are full of teddy boys, hippies, RAF pilots and glamour models. Gentlemen wear ties or cravats and hats, while the ladies get out the pearls, stockings and furs. Even the pit lane mechanics wear white overalls as they would have done in period races, while the track course cars are classic 60s’ sports cars; no modern cars are allowed closer than the outer car parks. As a piece of theatre it is unsurpassed, and you’d be mad to miss either the Revival or the Festival. And while you’re there, say a big thank you to Lord March for his foresight 20 years ago. Festival of Speed (12-14 June); Goodwood Revival (13-15 September) goodwood.com/motorsport.

James Purdey & Sons Ltd. 57 - 58 South Audley Street, London W1K 2ED +44 (0)20 7499 1801 www.purdey.com

Mayfair_Oct_2012.indd 1

15/10/2012 12:52

Until

the cowes come

As Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week returns to the Isle of Wight, AIMEE LATIMER speaks to sailing legend Shirley Robertson, OBE, and anticipates the races and rivalries of the world’s largest sailing regatta

ach year, the British sporting calendar revolves around polo, Wimbledon, Goodwood and Cowes Week. Or to be precise, Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, as it has been known since Aberdeen Asset Management came on board as title sponsor in 2011. After being marginally disrupted last year by the London Olympics, Cowes Week is back, running from 3 until 10 August in its usual calendar slot. Launched in 1826, Cowes Week is not only one of the UK’s longest-running and most successful sporting events, it is also the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world, staging an incredible 40 races daily for around 1,000 boats. This year, an expected 100,000 spectators will visit the Isle of Wight to watch 8,500 competitors, ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to hobbyists, racing across the complex tides of the Solent waters that separate the Isle of Wight from the English mainland. Spectators in-the-know will head to the area under the battlements of the Royal Yacht Squadron for shoreside views of the sailing and the best spot to see the starting line-up. Later in the day, a stroll towards the Green near Egypt Point takes people to the

home

finish line and the revelry of the winning fleets. For those in search of an adrenaline rush there is also a number of spaces on spectator boats where non-participants can chase the races up-close on the water. Beyond the sailing, Cowes Week will once again feature a riot of entertainment, from live music to special pop-up restaurants and an annual spectacular firework display on 9 August, funded by the local community. Just for families, on 4 August a ‘Family Day’ at the regatta will see a host of activities dedicated to parents and children. If you have a boat and a crew, there is still the opportunity to take part in this year’s event with late online registration available past 28 July for both small open day-boats, registered in the White Group, or large cabin boats, categorized in the Black Group. As excitement mounts for what will be one of the most dynamic Cowes Weeks in its incredible history, The City Magazine talks to global sailing ambassador for Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week, Shirley Robertson, OBE, about women’s role in sailing and we reveal how our readers can win an exclusive corporate package at Cowes Week worth more than £2,500. 3 – 10 August, aamcowesweek.co.uk

sport

Q&A

shirley robertson Shirley Robertson, OBE, made history when she became the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games, namely Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Currently working as both a public speaker and the presenter and producer of CNN’s monthly sailing television programme, Mainsail, she talks medals, men and CNN. What does the role of Global Sailing Ambassador at Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week mean to you personally? Cowes Week holds very special memories for me, as does the town of Cowes itself. The Isle of Wight has a huge history and legacy of sailing, so it was a logical choice for me to set up home in Cowes. Each Cowes Week is crazy, different and unique. How important is it that sailing is promoted as an accessible sport? Very. The good thing about sailing is that there is a role for everyone, even if you are not the strongest person on board. I think London 2012 was good for Cowes Week in that it put a focus on sailing, as well as sport everywhere. You entered the history books as the first British woman to win two Olympic gold medals at consecutive games, what did that mean to you? Everything. As an Olympic athlete you never really know if you are going to walk away with anything, so winning that first gold in Sydney was pretty special. It was definitely my proudest career moment to date. What is it like being a female in a mostly male-dominated sport? When I first started sailing there were few women sailing at all – that came later. You do get used to being a female in a male-dominated sport and sailing is still predominately male. My Olympic career really started when the lottery funding came in because I had always had to raise my own money. Now that lots more women are involved in sailing the demographic is changing and the mind-set of females is changing. Was being an athlete your only career option? It has been such a long time I couldn’t imagine not sailing. I have always loved sport and the outdoors and I am now a journalist for CNN for the sailing show Mainsail. The hardest and best part of my journalism career has been the Olympics, it is my world. I had to try not to cry before the athletes did. I could empathise as I know that it means the world to them. Are the Solent waters your favourite place to sail? I have sailed all over the world but yes, I really enjoy sailing on the Solent. The Solent is a tricky, busy place with so many boats but it’s also a very unique place. It’s definitely a challenge. At Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week you have amateur sailors competing against Olympic and world champions, do you think this is what differentiates Cowes Week from other regattas? Definitely. The great thing about Cowes Week is that everybody can be a part of it regardless of age and experience. And yet its success is not just because of the sailing but also down to the appeal of the entire event. To be a spectator, sitting on the green and enjoying the hospitality, is to have a really great day out. Aberdeen Asset Management came on board as a headline sponsor in 2011, how has this changed the event itself? The great thing about Aberdeen Asset Management is that they have a five year contract with Cowes Week. They love the history and legacy of the event and are looking to maintain that. They fit in very nicely with the ethos of Cowes Week.

july 2013 THE CITY 77

promotion

win:

Your day will start and finish in the Cowes Yacht Haven Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week Race Village where you will be introduced to your skipper and receive a full safety briefing. Then you’ll head out on the water and experience the thrill of racing with your fellow crew mates as part of the Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week fleet. Lunch will be served on board as part of your day, and after the racing is finished you’ll head back to Cowes to enjoy the après-sail atmosphere in the Cowes Yacht Haven. If that wasn’t enough, you’ll also be kitted out like a true pro with two pairs of deck shoes from official footwear partner, Chatham Marine and two waterproof jackets from official technical clothing partner, Gill. Chatham marine footwear combines very British styling and traditional

A day’s racing for two people on-board a superb Beneteau 40.7 yacht with the regatta’s Official Charter Partners, Britannia Corporate Events and Solent Events craftsmanship with innovative design to create great looking deck shoes. The ultimate in comfort, your Chatham deck shoes will fit like a glove from day one. Gill’s waterproof and breathable jackets (worth £220) offer versatile protection in changing weather conditions perfect for use both on-the-water and shore-side. Charter information Britannia Corporate Events and Solent Events are the Official Charter Suppliers to Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week 2013, offering racing opportunities by the day or week on-board our fleet of Beneteau 40.7s and Beneteau First 40s and spectating

timings 0830: Guest registration in bar 0900: Britannia, Cowes Yacht Haven, Isle of Wight. 0930: Safety briefing onboard from professional skipper. 1230: Guests depart for practice time. 11am. (Approximate class start time, times TBC) 1500: Lunch on board during racing. (Approximate race finish time, times may vary) 1600: Team return to Cowes Yacht Haven to enjoy après-sail.

options on-board yachts, powerboats and RIBS. Britannia and Solent Events also offer an exclusive VIP hospitality facility for its clients in the heart of Cowes Yacht Haven for post sailing hospitality.

To win: Email your name and telephone number to competitions@runwildgroup.co.uk with COWES in the subject line. The closing date for entries is Friday 26 July 2013. Entries received after 23.59 on this date will be discarded. Terms and Conditions Runwild Media Group The promoter reserves the right to withdraw or amend this promotion. Employees and directors of Runwild Media Group and their subsidiaries and affiliates, agents, dealers and their immediate family or household members are not eligible to enter. By entering this competition you agree to your details being used by Runwild Media Group for promotional purposes. Please see www.rwmg.co.uk for full terms and conditions. Britannia Corporate Events and Solent Events The prize is for a day’s sailing on-board a Beneteau 40.7 for two adults on Monday 5th August or Tuesday 6th August 2013, dependant on availability, as part of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week. Lunch and soft drinks on-board are included, along with wet weather gear and all safety equipment. No other catering, accommodation, travel or other elements are included in the prize. Participants must be a minimum of 16 years of age and must be fit and able to participate in a competitive and active sporting activity. Those who are pregnant, obese, epileptic, suffering from serious neck or back injuries or any other medical condition that would inhibit the participant from safely sailing and moving around a sailing yacht are not eligible to sail. There is no cash alternative and the prize cannot be taken on any day other than those stated above. Chatham Marine Competition is open to UK residents only. Competition is not open to employees of Chatham and Run Wild Media Group. Judges decision is final. No correspondence will be entered into. Winner will receive a voucher to collect 1 Pair of Men’s and 1 Pair of Ladies shoes from the Chatham stand on the Cowes Parade. Subject to availability. No cash alternative. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Prize to be redeemed by 30 Sept 2013. For more information on Britannia Corporate Events: britanniaevents.co.uk/package/cowes-week-charter For more information on Solent Events: solent-events.co.uk/hospitality-events/cowes-week Gill Marine apparel is designed for multi-purpose: from sailing, cruising to yachting we have ultra technical waterproof clothing to suit your sporting needs: gillmarine.com Choose Chatham Marine for stylish marine-inspired footwear that looks great on ship and on shore: chatham-marine.co.uk

78 THE CITY july 2013

New Zinc showroom now open 1 Chelsea Wharf, 15 Lots Road, London SW10 0QJ

0679_Zinc Kensington & Chelsea Ad_Apr12_AW.indd 1

09/03/2012 16:51

The ITALIAN JOB A ship that launched a thousand sighs, the 80-metre superyacht Chopi Chopi set a milestone for the CRN shipyard and Italian nautical history. Rowena Marella- Daw stows away to find out why

oes size really matter? It does if you aspire to the superyacht league. To qualify, the minimum vessel length hovers around the 40 to 50-metre mark. For the owners of Chopi Chopi, the largest yacht ever built by the CRN (Costruzioni e Riparazioni Navali) shipyard in Ancona, commissioning an 80-metre superyacht costing more than 80 million was not an issue. This big baby is the 129th pleasure vessel built by the shipyard, and one of the biggest ever produced in Italy. CRN belongs to the Ferretti Group’s family of prestigious brands – including Itama, Bertram, Riva and Pershing – an impressive portfolio that helped to establish Ferretti as an industry leader in the construction, design and marketing of luxury motor yachts. Ranging from flybridges to megayachts, the vessels are crafted by highly skilled technicians and engineers at the Advanced Yacht Technology (AYT) research and design centre, working closely with architects and designers at Centro Stile Ferrettigroup. Back at the shipyard, an area covering 80,000 square metres is dedicated to building CRN’s fully customised fleet and some of the Ferretti custom line yachts. Inside eight buildings referred to as ‘sheds’ but resembling giant hangars, yachts spanning 40 to 90 metres in length take shape. Staring at bare hulls of steel,

aluminium and fibreglass, it’s difficult to visualise the finished product. For the owners, it can feel like a long wait until they finally set sail in their floating palace. Building Chopi Chopi involved an 80-strong workforce clocking in close to 660,000 hours. Designing the external and internal layout allowed Italian architectural firm Studio Zuccon International Project to create a light and airy setting with generous views of the sea. Two lifts service six levels, the owner’s deck and a private sun deck. A total of 12 guests can be hosted in six suites, with accommodation for 23 crew and 10 staff members. Chopi Chopi has a cruising capacity of 15 knots and a maximum speed of 16. At 12 knots, it can cover a range of 6,000 nautical miles. The most desirable feature has to be the beach club, whereby a collapsible door can be converted into a 100-square-metre swimming platform. Elsewhere in the yacht, there is ample space for a spa, sauna, Turkish bath and massage area. More importantly, the owners have access to a helicopter pad from their private deck. Working on the décor is the most creative and enjoyable stage, allowing the owners to work very closely with an interior designer of their choice. The furniture and fixtures were designed by Laura Sessa Romboli and built by Zago, a Ferretti Group company specialising in woodwork for megayachts. Another example of excellence in functionality and design

LIFESTYLE

is the 60-metre M/Y CRN 130 Darlings Danama. At last year’s National Design Awards held in Milan and organised by Yacht & Sail magazine and the Industrial Design Association (ADI), this beauty garnered CRN the prestigious “Nautical Design Award” in the “Interior Design – Motor Yachts” category. Interior designers Alexandre and Cristina Negoescu and Studio Zuccon International Project impressed the jury for their use of innovative spacial solutions and synergy between design and structure. Darlings Danama is a head turner with jaw-dropping aesthetics. From bow to stern, its curves are sexy and elegant. Inside, wide open spaces and areas extending to the sea represent Studio Zuccon’s signature style. Clean lines and a white and neutral colour scheme dominate. Materials such as oak grey sanded wood, Sicis mosaic and Portor marble have all been carefully chosen. Suffice to say, each superyacht is a reflection of the owner’s personality, as individual as their whims. The technology fitted on these superyachts is pretty impressive. Entertainment and all manner of gadgets can be integrated through “myOlos”, a domotic system developed in partnership between CRN, Videoworks and Intel. In short, functions such as audio, video-on-demand, air conditioning, video surveillance and lighting can be managed and controlled using an iPad and/or iPod. Another clever solution is an “active” noise abatement system developed for Darlings Danama, using microphones and opposing frequencies to cancel acoustic interference. In the world of superyacht building, competition is fierce, leaving room only for the best in the industry. In the words of CRN chairman and CEO Lamberto Tacoli, “The building of a truly unique piece like Chopi Chopi is a tangible example of how creativity, design, technology and craftsmanship can harmoniously achieve absolute excellence. It is products like these that will preserve Italy’s position as the world leader in this sector.” As CRN celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, it is busy preparing for the launch of two more superyachts and the Monaco Yacht Show. Seeing Chopi Chopi standing proud with its elegant lines and curves, it’s plain to see the skills and craftsmanship that went into building this magnificent ship, the culmination of which was a momentous christening held late last year. In the presence of 3,000 guests, the Champagne swung and struck the bow and Chopi Chopi glided gently into the waters of the Adriatic. It is indeed a dream come true.

Each superyacht is a reflection of the owner’s personality, as individual as their whims

crn-yacht.com

JULY 2013 THE CITY 81

F-SHARP Matthew Carter gets in tune with the newest Jaguar, the two-seater successor to the iconic E-type

“O

ff to drive the new Jaguar today,” I said breezily. “Make sure you take a trilby, then,” came the reply. A little puzzled, I explained that I was going to drive the new F-type sports car – a thoroughly modern open two-seater that aims to best the Porsche 911. Why would I need a trilby? “Oh, a Jag sports car,” came the reply. “Well, make sure you’ve got your string-backed driving gloves with you, then.” Funny how an image, no matter how out-of-date, can stick. Jaguars are still seen by some as an old man’s car… a problem not helped by the company itself, with recent retro-styled dullards like the X-type and S-type. However, a new broom has been sweeping through the company and the XF and XJ, for instance, are fine modern cars. But if there’s one car that’s going to update the company image for good, it’s the F-type. It’s been a long time coming, the F-type, given that it’s billed as the natural successor to the legendary E-type (1961-1974). Oh, there were Jaguar sports cars in the interim 40 years – XJS and various iterations of XK – but none matched the sheer brilliance, style and desirability of the original E-type. So, can the F-type do it? The answer is a guarded yes. Guarded, because when the original appeared there was nothing else

quite like it on the road. Today’s new Jaguar has some pretty stiff opposition – notably from Stuttgart – to battle with. First things first: the car. Following the E-type tradition, this is a traditional Brit sports car. There’s a long bonnet with suitably aggressive air intakes, and a short stubby tail book-ended by slim tail-lights that pay homage to those on the original E-type. It is a pure two-seater and the driver and passenger sit well back in the chassis. The F-type is only available as a roadster at present, but there are three engine options. At the sensible end there are two supercharged 3-litre V6 models, delivering 340 hp and 380 hp respectively. Both are quick, though the more powerful V6 S is more urgent and more fun. There’s also a 5.0-litre V8 with almost 500 hp. It’s hugely fast, hugely thirsty and quite mad. If you lived in Dubai where petrol is cheaper than water, go for it. Over here, the V6 S is the engine of choice which, thanks to some clever engineering, sounds just wonderful: the exhaust snarls and spits and does so at the top of its voice. If ever there was a car for a tunnel run, this is it. The V8 might be quicker, but this supercharged V6 – a brand new engine by the way – is no slouch. It’s got enough of a kick to sprint to 60 mph from rest in under five seconds and the top speed is

motoring

The driving position, low down and almost over the rear wheels, means driver and car are always in tune with one another

Car: Jaguar F-type V6 S Price: £67,520 Engine: 2,995cc, supercharged V6-cylinder Power: 380 hp Performance: 171 mph max, 0-60 mph in 4.8 secs Drive: Rear-wheel drive, eight-speed automatic

171 mph. It’s all aided by a remarkably super-smooth eight-speed automatic which ensures the engine is always in the right area of the rev band, primed for action. Quick, but not especially economical, mind you. Forget the official fuel figures that suggest you’ll get an average 30 mpg: this is a low 20s sort of car. Even less if you use it hard. And you will. As with all modern cars, the Jag allows the driver to change settings electronically to suit the mood and the driving route. The Jag’s Dynamic Drive system stiffens the chassis, adds weight to the steering and sharpens the throttle. It also fine-tunes that exhaust note for maximum effect. The result is a fine driver’s car. The driving position, low down and almost over the rear wheels, means driver and car are always in tune with one another. And that’s the mark of a great sports car. So the F-type is an all-round winner, then? Not quite. Yes, it does so many things admirably. It looks great, performs exceptionally well and drives like a proper sports car rather than a grand tourer. Its ride is firm, but not unacceptably so, and the steering is first-class. The cockpit feels special and the whole car looks the business, better in the flesh than in pictures. But there are flaws, notably in the packaging. The cockpit verges on cramped and there’s precious little in the way of stowage space. And that’s an issue, because the boot is tiny, absolutely miniscule. Take someone away for the weekend and you’ll need to send the luggage on ahead. Don’t even consider using it for a fortnight’s break in the South of France. Perhaps this wouldn’t matter if the F-type had the market to itself. But it doesn’t. During the design and marketing process, Jaguar clearly looked at two significant cars from Porsche, the Boxster S and the 911. One sells for £48,000 and the other starts at £73,000. Jaguar, in its wisdom, has gone straight for the gap. The V6 costs £58,500 and the V6 S is a hefty £67,520 before options. The V8 will give you £15 change from £80k. So, is it a cheap 911 or an expensive Boxster, or has it carved out its own niche? To my mind, it’s an expensive Boxster. The baby Porsche is lighter, more nimble and just as quick in the real world but it’s far more practical with two boots, one in the front and one in the rear. It’s also going to be cheaper to run, thanks to the far better fuel economy (think 30 mpg average rather than 22 mpg). Actually, and this is a personal thing as I prefer coupés to roadsters, I’d go not for the Boxster but the Cayman S, the hardtop version of the Porsche. That has a £50,700 starting price which will give you plenty of scope to spec a few options and still come in cheaper than the Jag. But that’s not to belittle the Jaguar in any way, as the F-type is as exciting to drive as it is awesome to look at. The wait has been worth it and it will do wonders for Jaguar’s image. Time to chuck the driving gloves in the bin.

july 2013 THE CITY 83

motoring

FUTURE PROOF Aston’s new look previewed in a concept, by Mat thew Carter

o celebrate its centenary, Aston Martin has produced a stunning open two-seater speedster that not only pays homage to the Le Mans-winning Aston DBR1 of 1959, but which also shows design cues for future Aston road cars. Unlike most catwalk concepts, the CC100 (Concept Car 100) is a properly engineered working model, and was debuted on track at the Nürburgring in Germany a couple of weeks ago. Fittingly it was driven around the track by retiring Aston boss Dr Ulrich Bez and circulated in the company of an original DBR1 (internally, the concept has been nicknamed DBR100) driven by none other than Sir Stirling Moss. It is powered by a 6.0-litre V12 and uses a carbonfibre body

bonded onto Aston’s versatile ‘Vertical Horizontal’ chassis, as used on all its current road cars. But while celebrating Aston’s rich and varied history was uppermost in the company’s mind when work began on the concept just six months ago, it does show some design details – notably the revised grille, rear-end treatment and side profile – which will feature on future Aston Martins. “CC100 is the epitome of everything that is great about Aston Martin. It represents our fantastic sporting heritage, our exceptional design capability, our superb engineering know-how and, above all, our adventurous spirit,” says Dr Bez. “But this car is more than a simple birthday present to ourselves: it shows that the soul of Aston Martin – the thing that differentiates us from all other car makers out there – is as powerful as ever.”

july 2013 THE CITY 85

THE BEST In aBundancE

Nestled neatly between Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, The Royal Exchange boasts some of the world’s premier brands and restaurants. Here, we give a sneak peak at some of the highlights

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Jewels in the crown →

Bulgari has long been famous for its exquisite fine-jewellery collections, and now the luxury house’s accessories line looks set to follow suit, with an ever-growing global clientele and recognition from the international fashion press. Just launched is its Autumn/Winter 2013 collection, characterised by bold colours and the most exclusive materials, including the softest calfskin, nappa and exotic leathers. Bulgari’s jewellery credentials are evident, too: Serpenti evening bags with enamel clasps, decorated with African jade and amethyst, are statement pieces akin to a spectacular necklace or brooch; while the haute-couture Aida bag glitters with pearls, beads and crystals. Particularly special is the Lipstick clutch – a seductive cylindrical bag in leather, lizard, calfskin and, as a smaller night-time version, gold python. Whether you are treating yourself or someone else, a beautifully bejewelled bag from Bulgari’s new collection is an investment worth its weight in gold. Bulgari’s Autumn/Winter 2013 collection is available from The Royal Exchange

For the third year in a row, British jewellery icon Theo Fennell will be exhibiting at Masterpiece, London’s leading art and antique fair. The fair, which began in 2010, brings together collectors, exhibitors and curators from around the world for an illustrious celebration of art and design. The event offers the chance for people to collect the best pieces from multiple styles and disciplines. Once again, it takes up residence in the opulent surroundings of a purpose-built pavilion set against the historic walls of the Royal Hospital Chelsea. Theo Fennell’s level of craftsmanship and innovation makes the brand perfect for Masterpiece 2013. We don’t want to spoil the surprise and tell you what the jeweller has in store, but we can say that he’ll be exhibiting never before seen masterworks and silverware. If you’re a fan of Theo Fennell works such as the Tropical Paradise or Kissing Frogs rings, be sure to book tickets for Masterpiece 2013 – you won’t be disappointed. Masterpiece 2013, 27 June – 3 July, The Royal Hospital Chelsea; masterpiecefair.com www.theroyalexchange.co.uk

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promotion

SIX OF THE BEST

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Tateossian is renowned for pushing the boundaries of jewellery design. This Diamond Dust ring in rose-gold-plated sterling silver features genuine white diamond dust, captured beneath a glass window. The quirky range includes necklaces and even cufflinks (which substitute the rose-gold with rhodium). Perfect for those with classic, yet eclectic, tastes. Diamond Dust ring, £249

Harrys of London is famous for using only the best materials, so it’s no surprise that its signature driving shoe is made in South African kudu suede. Known as the cashmere of the leather world, it is strikingly soft to the touch, yet remarkably strong. The shoe is unlined, allowing for a truer fit and greater comfort, making it perfect for those embarking on long road trips. Kudu-suede driving shoes, £295

Available from the Theo Fennell boutique, Backes & Strauss timepieces represent British fine watchmakers and have done since the early 1800s. The Berkeley 40 watch, from the Berkeley Collection, comes with sword-shaped hands, an alligator strap, a 38-hour power reserve and a stainless-steel case set with 124 ideal-cut diamonds. Berkeley 40 watch, £25,800

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Handstitched from fine calf leather by Sage Brown’s master craftsmen, this jotter wallet is the ultimate in luxury and organisation. Ultra-slim and able to fit in any front jacket pocket, the wallet opens to reveal eight horizontal card slots on one side and tall, easily replaced notepaper on the other. As with all Sage Brown products, personalisation is available. Wallet with jotter, £65

Paul A Young, the celebrated chocolatier, has been awarded yet another illustrious accolade, this time in the form of a semi-final win at the International Chocolate Awards. Paul’s famous Sea Salted Caramel maintained its gold medal status, as did his raw Ecuadorian 85 per cent dark chocolate truffle. Paul A Young’s book Adventures with chocolate is out now

After more than 130 years, Crockett & Jones still maintains the acclaim for the superior quality, durability, fit and attention to detail that it first established in Northampton back in 1879. The above Teign shoe – an unlined version of the Sydney Penny loafer in soft suede – is typical of its wares, which all go through eight separate hand-making processes. Teign shoe, £290

Agent ProvocAteur • ArtisAn Fine Art gAllery • BAchet • Boodles • BvlgAri • church’s • crockett & Jones • grAnd cAFÉ • gucci • hArrys oF london hermÈs • imPeriAl city • Jo mAlone london • Jones lAng lAsAlle • kiehl’s since 1851 • koJis • links oF london • loro PiAnA • l’occitAne • lulu guinness mezzAnine lounge • molton Brown • montBlAnc • omegA • PAul A. young Fine chocolAtes • PAul smith • PenhAligon’s • Pretty BAllerinAs royAl exchAnge Jewellers • sAge Brown Fine leAther • sAuterelle restAurAnt • seArle & co Jewellers • smoker’s PArAdise • smythson • tAteossiAn theo Fennell • tiFFAny & co. vileBrequin • wAtches oF switzerlAnd • wAtchFinder & co.

the royAl exchAnge, BAnk, city oF london, ec3v 3lr. store trAding hours 10Am – 6Pm. restAurAnts & BArs 8Am – 11Pm

11/06/2013 12:04

LET THE SUN SHINE

The new terrace at The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant in Knightsbridge is the ideal destination for summer. A secluded and sophisticated venue for morning coffee or light meals, the terrace becomes a cigaristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paradise in the evening with an extensive choice of whisky, cocktails and wine complementing a new cigar menu. For more information visit theribroom.co.uk or call 020 7858 7250 Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Cadogan Place, Knightsbridge, London SW1X 9PY

12-06-15, City magazine - RR bar ad v3.indd 1

18/06/2012 17:04:52

food & drink

REPORT

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ROYAL REGATTA

Chinawhite is no stranger to hosting glamorous encampments at star-studded events, but this year’s inaugural enclosure at Henley Royal Regatta is set to beat them all, writes Stella saunders

t’s been the go-to place for party-loving starlets for years; various princes and princesses have often been pictured leaving it in the early morning, while the enclosure at Cartier International Polo is legendary, boasting aerial circus displays, burlesque performances, rock and roll violin concertos, snow machines and fireworks. Now Chinawhite is bringing this winning formula to Henley Royal Regatta. The iconic event, a veritable touchstone of summer and one of the key social gatherings of the season, sees the most glamorous men and women descend on the bank of the Thames for

five days of fierce competition and, more importantly, socialising. The Chinawhite enclosure will be situated just yards from the Regatta start line and promises panoramic views of the sporting action. Guests will be kept fed and watered with a Champagne and cocktail reception and a lavish lunch and afternoon tea; while a spectacular evening party will keep guests busy way past dusk. Tickets from £445 on 5 July and £395 on 6 July. Tickets for both days include: Champagne and cocktail reception, lunch and open bar (excluding Champagne) until 6pm, followed by an evening party until late. chinawhite.com

DRINK

FOOD

The best fine dining has to offer, right on your doorstep

Day Out...24 hours in the City Breakfast: Master and Servant New favourite Master and Servant in Hoxton Square launched its brunch menu in June, served weekends from 9:30am – 1pm. The British and Manhattan-inspired menu has healthy options, such as Bircher muesli with apple and grapes; or start as you mean to go on, with a ramped-up Bloody Mary with homemade clam juice and smoky spice, accompanied by smoked tomatoes on toast and Doddington cheese, or house sausage, fried duck egg and watercress. The restaurant’s brick-exposed interior features mirrored tiles, distressed oak floors and teak block wood tables and bar. Outside seating is also available on the terrace, leading onto Hoxton Square. masterandservant.co.uk

Lunch: Lincoln’s Bar and Kitchen Take a walk through Lincoln’s Inn Fields and then stop somewhere scenic for lunch. Lincoln’s Bar and Kitchen at the John Soane Museum opens this month and offers expansive park, riverside or roof terrace dining. Its wonderful flatbreads and pizzas, cooked on an on-site wood-fired oven, are particular highlights. Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2

Party: SkyLounge With fab views over Tower Bridge, The Gherkin and The Shard and its location at the top of the Hilton giving it a distinctly members’ club feel, SkyLounge is a cool place to carry on the evening until the early hours. The cocktail offering also happens to be the perfect mix of classic and contemporary. Try the Avant-Garde Sour or Smoking Jacket concoctions to kick-start your evening. doubletree3.hilton.com

Drinks: Copa de Cava Hidden below Camino in St Paul’s, this new Cava bar will get you major insider brownie points, as you descend the secret staircase to the brick-arched depths below. With eight cavas served by the glass, a further 28 available by the bottle, and a divine selection of meat, fish and vegetarian tapas pairing dishes, it’s the perfect place to start an evening out. cava.co.uk

Dinner: Hush This lovely spot, which opened in June and comes from the team behind Hush and Cabana, sits opposite St Paul’s Cathedral and continues the all-day dining brasserie feel of the first two venues. European classics such as lobster roll with frites and taglierini pasta with lobster and chilli are our particular favourites, while the Mars Bar cheesecake is a revelation. hushbrasseries.com

food & drink

EAT Independence Day Soul Against a backdrop of live American ‘rock n’ soul’ music, The Blues Kitchen in Camden will be hosting a three-day event to celebrate Independence Day. Following a hot dog eating competition to kick-start proceedings, diners will be invited to explore a menu of pulled pork, buffalo wings, New Orleans gumbo and fried alligator tail. Dessert lovers will be catered for via a selection of ‘hard shakes’ and cheesecakes, while Bourbon devotees can sample a series of celebratory house cocktails. And, if you happen to be American, you’ll receive a free drink when you show your US passport or driving licence. Celebrate Independence Day at The Blues Kitchen from 4 – 6 July theblueskitchen.com

Heading North Stella Saunders enjoys a very leisurely lunch at City favourite Northbank, by St Paul’s Wandering over the Millenium Bridge after a pleasant morning at the Lichtenstein exhibition at Tate Modern, we spot our lunchtime restaurant of choice, Northbank, in the shadow of St Paul’s. Nestled to the right of the bridge, its terrace is a welcoming spot in some rare seasonal sunshine. We grab a table overlooking the river and start with Mead cocktails – a Cornish summertime speciality sourced from the Gosnells Meadery in Stoke Newington – which arrive, expertly

DRINK Fifty guests were invited to Mayfair’s Dartmouth House at the end of May for the auction of the uber-exclusive LOUIS XIII Rare Cask 42,6. Judging by the speed at which invitees were bidding against each other, they were certainly the right 50 guests. With proceeds donated to children’s charity Chain of Hope, and the ever-charismatic Lord Archer acting as auctioneer, the limited-edition cognac eventually sold for £50,000. Recession? What recession? The LOUIS XIII Rare Cask 42,6 is now available exclusively at Harrods and Hedonism Wines, RRP £20,000. It is available by the glass at The Arts Club, Claridge’s and the Dorchester Bar.

blended with berries and Champagne, a perfect refresher before lunch. Heading inside to the stylish interior, it is recommended we try one of the raised booth spots, which provide lovely views across the river. The menu is British in style – with seasonal, local specialities taking precedence – head chef Jason Marchant works hard to promote independent British suppliers. So to start, we sample fillet of Devon red beef carpaccio, with spicy watercress and pungent Cornish Yarg proving perfect partners for the tasty, rare meat. While whole dressed Cornish crab seems wildly indulgent, its freshness and subtle flavour leaves us perfectly satisfied and ready for our main courses, which take the form of steamed Cornish sea bass, served with a wonderfully well-seasoned tomato consommé and a broad bean and truffle risotto – the truffle used with a light, expert touch. The helpful staff suggest delicious wines to accompany our various courses, and surprise us with further mead cocktails to match our sweet treats of gingerbread and whiskey iced parfait and a West Country cheeseboard. As we sip our drinks, we ponder over the rare beast that is Northbank – both a smart, uptown restaurant and something akin to a country gastro pub, perfectly poised at the edge of the Thames. A City classic. northbankrestaurant.com

July 2013 THE CITY 91

food & drink

Hound Dog New restaurant Beagle in Hoxton might be in the hippest part of London, but it still offers good, honest food without a hint of pretension, says Emma Johnson It took me a while to face the reality that I am simply not cool enough for Hoxton; but time is a great healer, and over the years I have made my peace with this unassailable truth. Which is good, really, because as you potter along the road towards Beagle, sidling past the most en vogue of hipsters, those not versed in the way of ‘cool’ can still feel a little out of place. Not so at Beagle – a new venture under the railway arches serving Hoxton Overground Station. A vast, cavernous space, with a curving brick roof and huge windows which open out onto the kind of terrace that people will make a beeline for when the sun shines (if it ever shines), Beagle is all about good food, served simply. A very zeitgeist approach if ever there was one. We grab a table near the windows, which, being as it’s May in the UK, are obviously closed tight against the driving rain and howling wind. Soup seems to be in order to start with – and the bright, green bowl of courgette and wild garlic broth that turns up is just what the weatherman ordered. My date has the wonderful cuttlefish and fennel, which she declares to be, “bloody amazing.” I hope so. She wasn’t sharing it. Main courses of onglet and rabbit loin are washed down with a rather wonderful bottle of something red and Lebanese – testament to the adventurous and surprising wine list, which offers some really unusual tipples amidst the more mainstream options. My rabbit is served expertly cooked, with butter beans and beetroot making for a sweet, warming accompaniment, while the onglet and duck fat chips are a lesson in good ingredients being all you need. As the evening continues, Beagle fills up and stays busy – tables are re-laid and re-sat in quick succession, keeping the vibe relaxed and convivial, and it’s good to see that, while the hipsters have made it through the door, there’s a generous helping of everyone else too. beaglelondon.co.uk

92 THE CITY july 2013

Night In? Bringing together some of the best providers throughout London – including renowned butchers Allens of Mayfair, celebrated patisserie Belle Epoque and street-food specialist The Rib Man of Brick Lane – Tilia brings a high-end luxury approach to online grocery shopping. Founded by Londoner Rob Ford, a former City worker turned food entrepreneur, the site’s genius lies in giving you access to London’s finest artisans, delivered to your door. The £90 barbecue package, which includes burgers, chicken, fish and sausages, is the perfect solution for a weekend shindig. tilia.co.uk

Something different… Art at the Playboy Club – running until 30 July – is an exclusive collection of artworks by artist Alf Löhr and sculptor Elliott Brotherton, taking place at the iconic members’ club on Old Park Lane. Members and visitors to the club have the opportunity to view and purchase the works on display. Elliott Brotherton’s two impressive hand-carved sculptures from a single block of Portland limestone will feature alongside Löhr’s large-scale works including a variety of mediums such as video collage and photography. playboyclublondon.com

drink

Going,

going…

hy buy Bordeaux wines at auction when London is bursting with reputable merchants? The main reason is choice: you’ll find scores of older wines that most retailers probably won’t stock, and auction prices are generally lower than retail prices. Plus, with fine wine still proving a good long-term and dependable equity investment, the opportunity to make a high return is clear. The key thing for you to consider during the auction process is whether you are buying for pleasure or an investment. Purchasing wines destined for the dinner table gives you more options and freedom. For starters, you don’t have to limit yourself to the most famous names – Ausone, Angelus, Cheval Blanc, Haut-Brion, Lafite, Latour, Le Pin, Margaux, Mouton Rothschild, Palmer and Pétrus – and you can explore equally memorable but cheaper Bordeaux wines. In addition, professional wine dealers and restaurateurs typically ignore bottles with torn or stained labels, as they are difficult to re-sell. But for the buyer who simply

James Lawrence explains the key strategies to help you navigate wine auctions with confidence, whether buying for pleasure or investment

wants to enjoy their purchases, some real bargains can be obtained as the bidding will often be lacklustre. Also, investors want to buy bottles of the same wine from one vintage; mixed lots containing different vintages or wines are always less attractive to investors and therefore better value. However, if your sole motivation is to make a return on your investment, you’ll need to limit yourself to the wines listed above. Most Bordeaux wine investments are made in a very narrow spectrum, about 10-15 Bordeaux properties that are (almost) certain for an increase in value due to their global renown and consistently high Robert Parker scores. If planning on re-selling them to Asia or to wine merchants, you must purchase wines with Parker’s critical approval to ensure a good return. Of course, certain vintages attract far higher prices than others. The following are the most celebrated older Bordeaux wines of the last 55 years: 2005, 2000, 1998, 1990, 1989, 1982, 1961 and 1959. When bidding for older vintages, it is advisable to try and stick to single-cellar collections that have been properly stored and cared for. These will always command a premium from future buyers, and it’s a good idea to research a wine collection’s provenance. In addition, always cross-reference the wine’s retail

value prior to bidding – several online wine search engines will calculate a wine’s value for you. Lastly, always factor in the hidden costs of purchasing wine at auction. Sotheby’s and Christie’s always charge a buyer’s premium ranging from 19-22 per cent, plus consider the insurance, tax and transport costs. So, a £1,000 bottle may actually cost £1,250. But most importantly, always exercise caution when buying older wines. Faking old vintages, especially of Bordeaux wines, is becoming increasingly common, and at auction you are buying ‘as-is’ so read the fine print in the catalogue regarding warranties and your rights. The alarm bells should ring if it looks like all aspects of the bottle – cork, capsule, label and glass – were not aged together. After, say 25 years, there should be some oxidation of the label and capsule, and the cork will not look youthful after spending more than two decades in a dusty cellar. Also, give particular attention to the ullage levels – the air space between the cork and the liquid – as older bottles should have a bigger space between the cork and wine. Finally, always keep a cool head, set a ceiling for your maximum bid and stick to it! Few wines qualify as one-of-a-kind and, moreover, the wines you are after will undoubtedly reappear at future auctions.

july 2013 THE CITY 93

Elephant Experience

Come Fly With Me The Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa has become the first and only five-star resort in the Maldives to have its own private terminal. Guests can arrive at the terminal, which boasts two large lounges and a VIP room, by private jet or by incoming flights from Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. The terminal is only a five-minute speedboat ride from ShangriLa Villingili, a beautiful resort comprising 132 villas dotted across a tropical paradise of white sand, infinity pools and over-water bungalows.

This summer, do something extraordinary and study elephant behaviour at Thailand’s Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa. Over a minimum stay of four days, throw yourself into a packed itinerary that includes learning elephant commands from an active mahout (elephant rider), performing hands-on research studies with a team of experts, and elephant-trekking through Thailand’s tropical landscape. Experience this oncein-a-lifetime opportunity while you stay in all-inclusive luxury accommodation, with sumptuous meals and fine wine frequently finding their way onto the schedule. The package is available until the end of the year and the next available dates to book are 27 –31 July and 14 – 18 August. Golden Triangle Elephant Researcher Experience, £920 per night, goldentriangle.anantara.com

Beach Villa from £880 per night, shangri-la.com

ESCAPE

From long-haul retreats and weekend breaks, to chic city stopovers and tropical hideaways, these are some of the world’s top haunts

The great escape If you’re searching for a corner of the world where you can unwind and recharge after a busy start to the year, treat yourself to a stay at one of the 25 pool villas at the Viceroy Bali in Indonesia. Viceroy Bali is nestled in Bali’s “Valley of the Kings”, so-called after the generations of Balinese royalty who reside nearby. We ensure you, a stay here will leave you feeling equally majestic. From £348 per night, viceroybali.com

Glitz & Glamour Step into Miami’s King & Grove Tides hotel and go back in time to a Gatsby-esque era of opulence and glamour where everything seems dipped in gold. The boutique hotel’s decadent and stylised interiors are a pleasant contrast to Miami’s breezy atmosphere. The diverse city is a haven where holiday-makers can expect fun, frivolity and no shortage of tanning opportunities. Be sure to stretch out with a poolside massage, or catch the shade in one of the beach cabanas, to revive your energy levels before heading out into Miami’s exuberant nightlife. Rooms from £155 per night, kingandgrove.com

escape

Destination...

ibiza AIMEE LATIMER heads to Ibiza where the legendary nightlife and tranquil beaches exist side by side WHERE TO STAY… Atzaró Nestled within its own orange grove, the beautiful Atzaró hotel is frequently used as a location for fashion shoots. Atzaró may be a large hotel but with each room individually decorated and many boasting spacious balconies, the accommodation retains a personal, intimate feel. After a day relaxing beside any one of Atzaró’s four pools, take a seat within the red awnings and soft amber lighting of the hotel’s music-and-sushi lounge for an evening of live DJ sets and cocktails. atzaro.com

WHERE TO EAT… Las Dos Lunas For the past 30 years, the legendary Las Dos Lunas restaurant in Ibiza has been frequented by celebrities, supermodels, designers and even royals. Like most restaurants on the island, Los Dos Lunas does not get busy until around 9pm when the glamorous clientele sit down in the venue’s flower-strewn stone terrace to dine on a menu of fresh Italian food. This summer, Las Dos Lunas has opened a new cocktail bar, New Moons, that serves a selection of tapas-style small dishes. lasdoslunas.com

WHAT TO DO… Horse riding Rent a car and head to the north of the island to spend the day horse riding in the alpine, romantic scenery of Ibiza. North Ride Ibiza run a small stable in the mountains between San Joan and Portinatx where it hosts full-day riding tours at a price of €150 per person. You will need to book at least three days in advance to ensure a place, but any forward-planning will pay off once you see those views. north-ride-ibiza.com

DON’T MISS…The famous night life If you want to experience the island’s legendary clubbing scene then spend an unforgettable day and night at the Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Hotel. From around 3pm each day, hundreds of revellers slowly descend upon the hotel and club to dance around the hotel’s lagoon pool in front of a stage hosting performances from a series of world-famous DJs. The outside setting is cooler and less cramped than rival clubs, and also allows you the memorable opportunity to watch the sunset as you listen to live music. ushuaiabeachhotel.com

From top to bottom: Ushuaia party; Ibiza beach; Las Dos Lunas; Ibiza coastline; Ushuaia party box.

British Airways operates up to 30 flights per week to Ibiza, including 18 flights from London City Airport. British Airways is also the only airline to offer year-round services to the White Isle with up to five flights per week from London City. Flights can be booked via ba.com.

july 2013 THE CITY 95

Grand Hotel & Spa, Bordeaux

Grand Hotel & Spa, Bordeaux La Tupina, Bordeaux

Saint-Émilion

Wine barrels in Chateau du Tertre cellars

Saint-Émilion Grand Hotel & Spa, Bordeaux

Saint-Émilion

Pavillon Villemaurine

Meadows at Chateau Soutard

travel

All

in a name The vine-covered hills and limestone towns of Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion are essential destinations for wine lovers; but don’t let the pull of the big names and complex classification systems mean you miss out on some of the hidden gems to be found there too, writes Emma Johnson

e have the best climate for wine….well, normally anyway,” says the pretty French girl showing us around Château du Tertre in the Médoc, as the rain patters heavily on our branded umbrellas and my ballet pumps sink ever further into the sodden ground. Renowned for its world-famous vineyards, the Appellation Controlée area of Bordeaux, which encompasses the kind of hyperbole-inducing terroir responsible for Médoc, Margaux, Saint-Émilion, Pommerol and Pauillac, is one of the most ancient and sought-after areas of land in the world. One hectare in Saint-Émilion can sell for more than €2 million. This is the land that gave rise to the names of wines that now trip off the tongue of even the most amateur of wine drinkers – Pétrus, Lafite-Rothschild, Margaux, Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Latour, MoutonRothschild, Pichon-Longueville, Angelus, Château-Figeac. The area of Bordeaux centres around the city of Bordeaux, built almost entirely out of beautiful yellow limestone, hewn centuries ago from the hillside underneath Saint-Émilion, about 45km west of Bordeaux. The wide Bordeaux river cuts through the city and the countryside beyond, flowing out to sea further north. With the area divided by the river, two clear wine regions have emerged – known as the left and right banks – the left bank, with its harsher conditions, is favoured by the powerful Cabernet Sauvignon grape, while the right bank, with its excellent drainage and undulating slopes, grows Merlot incredibly well. In addition, small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot are also grown and added to Bordeaux at the blending stage, adding peppery robustness and tannin and colour respectively. While there are numerous regions within the larger area of Bordeaux, the left bank is typified by its most famous area, the Médoc, just north of Bordeaux, which incorporates the small towns and villages of Margaux, Saint-Julien, Saint-Estéphe, Haut-Médoc and Pauillac. The right bank boasts Saint-Émilion and Pommerol as its best-known growing areas. One of the reasons certain wines in the Médoc area have become so renowned is due to a now centuries-old classification system,

created by Napoleon in 1855, which, to help traders and wine merchants distinguish between quality of wines, sorted the best of the Bordeaux wines into five categories – known as first, second, third, fourth and fifth-growth wines (the first being the exclusive domain of Château Lafite, Château Latour, Château Margaux, HautBrion and Mouton Rothschild). Bizarrely – and increasingly controversially – this pecking order has never been reclassified, meaning, that even if these wine giants have a series of bad years, their wine still commands some of the highest prices paid for wine, either old vintages or even at En Primeur, a method of purchasing wines early while a vintage is still very young, in barrel, offering buyers the opportunity to invest in a particular wine before it is bottled. Wines for En Primeur are tasted and rated by wine traders and experts, including the renowned wine critic Robert Parker whose out-of-a-hundred points marking system has come to stand as the key indicator to the quality of a new wine; it is used throughout the industry and can dramatically affect the price of a wine. Interestingly, Parker himself has named a fifth-growth wine, Château Pontet-Canet, as his best wine a few times in recent years, and yet, despite its growing reputation, it still cannot compete pricewise with the likes of Lafite and Pétrus whose names consistently command staggering sums. In China, the focus on status and name means even empty Pétrus bottles sell for hundreds of dollars. And so, as if to learn our first lesson in this most complex world of wine classification, we come to Château du Tertre – a fifth-growth wine that you might not have heard of – but you should have. Standing in the rather unseasonal rain, the tour takes us through the history of this Château, one of the only in the Médoc to have natural cellars (the low-lying lands mean most cellars for ageing are man-made). Using a combination of old and new techniques to make their wine, the Château is a typical Bordeaux blend of the classic modernity that you are increasingly seeing in the area. Our guide finishes the tour by explaining (with a wry smile at the still plummeting heavens) that irrigation is illegal in France, meaning winemakers are at the mercy of mother nature each year – rain and sunshine have a marked effect on how grapes grow and how

july 2013 THE CITY 97

XXXXXX Saint-Émilion

Grounds at Chateau du Tertre

Saint-Émilion

they’ll eventually taste – which is why so much attention is paid to different vintages. As if to prove her point, we are invited to taste two vintages, about five years apart – tannic, rich and earthy, the effects of the different weather in each year, and the ageing process, is obvious. After this we take a drive through the rest of the Médoc area – marvelling at the pristine châteaux, sweeping tree-lined driveways and sprawling lawns that dot the area. Inheritance, or succession tax, here is crippling, and nearly all châteaux in the area reinvest as much profit as they can back into the buildings, resulting in grand, over-the-top estates, styled within an inch of their lives and achingly chic – think Country Living meets hotel cool. It can be disconcerting at first – visitors to an area that boasts some of the oldest châteaux in the world are probably expecting rustic, crumbling mansions and cobwebbed cellars – but these are businesses, pure and simple. Something that becomes more and more apparent as we tour the area. The afternoon sees us visiting two châteaux with completely different approaches to wine-making. Another fifth-growth château, Lynch-Bages, has a long history and has worked hard to preserve many of the more traditional and often time-consuming processes for making, ageing and tasting wine; to the point that a tour of their estate includes a fascinating visit to the old fermenting room, complete with ancient ageing barrels, dated wooden machinery and traditional tools. At the other end of the scale, the secondgrowth Château Lascombes, which boasts the most impressive main

Pavillon Villemaurine

building and grounds we’ve seen so far, has poured their energy (and money) into utilising cutting-edge technology, including macerating grapes with dry ice before fermentation. Back in the Bordeaux that evening you’ll see the results of this dynamic and wide-ranging approach to wine is everywhere – restaurants are recommended for their wine lists before their food, and wine bars, tasting schools and wine shops are everywhere. Everything from simple Bordeaux blends to hard-to-find classics are here, and it’s easy to while away an afternoon tasting your way around the town. We stayed at the impressive and majestic Grand Hotel & Spa, arguably the best-located hotel in the city, situated in the centre of town, with views across the Place de la Comédie and an award-winning spa on the top floor. Many of the rooms and suites are large – make sure you request one at the front of the building – while the brasserie on the ground floor spills out onto the square and affords ample people-watching opportunities. We dine at La Tupina that night, a Bordeaux classic, a pleasant ten minute promenade along the bustling, lamp-lit waterfront. There’s a change of pace next day when we head to SaintÉmilion. While the region boasts a number of renowned châteaux, everything here is on a smaller, more intimate scale. Our favourite tour is at Château Guadet, whose main blending and ageing of their wonderful biodynamic wine is done at their headquarters in the centre of this historic World Heritage town. Tours are conducted by owner and winemaker Vincent, a charismatic Frenchman with an infectious laugh and a passion for his subject. At last, something

travel

Through the vineyards to Pavillon Villemaurine

Grand Hotel & Spa Bordeaux

Chateau Pichon-Longueville

Chateau Lafite-Rothschild

slightly less polished, slightly more ramshackle emerges amongst all the glamour. A modest courtyard houses three slightly dilapidated buildings which house space for fermenting, sorting and ageing, as well as access to their amazing cellars. Unlike the Médoc, Saint-Émilion cellars are vast, sprawling and endless. The result of hundreds of years of mining the limestone to build Bordeaux, Libourne and Saint-Émilion has left the town with vast acres of cellars, and nearly every château in Saint-Émilion has made use of these naturally cool, dark spaces to age their wines. At Guadet, we meander through twists and turns as dusty bottles emerge from the gloom, before coming up into a convivial room for a tasting; but the best place to enjoy the endless, cavernous space below the city is through the tour of Château Villemaurine, just a few minutes walk from the centre. The tour of the château might be on the generic side, but their extensive cellar network is quite extraordinary and well worth a visit. It’s also worth hiring bikes or cars to explore the quiet lanes around Saint-Émilion – a gentle tour of the major châteaux takes about an hour-and-a-half and is fairly flat all the way. Stop for lunch or a drink at the renowned Château Troplong Mondot, and sit on their gorgeous terrace with far-reaching views across the region. Their wine is some of the best in the area, and the modest wine list allows you to try a good variety of their different vintages. The food was excellent too unique flavours and an interesting menu - while the service was some of the friendliest I’ve ever experienced in France. Just down the road from Château Troplong Mondot is the

enchanting Pavillon Villemaurine, a striking boutique hotel situated amongst the vineyards of the aforementioned Château Villemaurine, at the edge of Saint-Émilion. English owners Nikki and Julian Garofano have lovingly turned this into a wonderful place to stay, offering large rooms, views over the vineyards, a welcoming breakfast every morning, a gorgeous terrace with complimentary wine from their own vineyard every afternoon and expert knowledge to boot. The beds are as huge and comfy as you’d expect, the bathrooms large and airy and the décor is understated elegance with just the right amount of rustic chic. Beautiful Saint-Émilion is an intoxicating place. Ancient and charming, its steep cobbled streets and vine-covered hills seem to make time stop. And believe me, you’ll want it to.

Bordeaux: The Grand Hotel and Spa: ghbordeaux.com Château Du Tertre: chateaudutertre.fr Château Lynch-Bages : lynchbages.com Chateau Lascombes: chateau-lascombes.com La Tupina: latupina.com

Saint-Émilion Pavillon Villemaurine: pavillon-villemaurine.com Château Guadet: chateau-guadet-saintemilion.fr Château Troplong–Mondot: chateau-troplong-mondot.com Château Villemaurine: villemaurine.com

JULY 2013 THE CITY 99

THE

ETERNAL CITY

If all roads lead there, yours, by proxy, will too. How, then, to make the most of Italy’s capital city? Richard Brown embarks on a pilgrimage to find out

OME: the threshold of the Apostles, the capital of the world, the city of the soul. Also home to the Altare della Patria: an eruption of white marble and Corinthian columns that stretches for 135 metres along the ground and up 80 metres into the air. Gleaming in an early morning sun, against a cloudless blue sky, the statue-adorned, fountainornamented megalith was enough to stop this first-time visitor in his tracks. The scale, the splendour, the story. This is what I had come to see; this was what Rome was all about. Except, apparently, it wasn’t. “Only completed in 1925, this monument is considered an absolute failure,” explained our guide. “Nicknamed ‘the wedding cake’ or ‘typewriter’, it is highly-conspicuous and overly-elaborate, monstrous and vulgar, an affront to the aesthetics of Rome.” Ah. I see. Best put my camera away then. So, where was the good stuff? Well, everywhere else you looked apparently.

It seems you can’t walk around Rome for more than a minute without stumbling across something that makes Canterbury Cathedral look relatively current. 1,800-year-old mosaic floors here, obelisks that pre-date Christ there. Such is the extent of this city-sized museum that I didn’t realise the significance of half the things I wandered past on my first afternoon, until I was reading a touristfriendly map a few hours later. Rule Number One: when in Rome, it pays to employ a tour guide. Having enlightened us on the failings of the least favourite memorial in Rome, ours was more than happy to act as history teacher; even arriving equipped with a pocket-sized handbook that helpfully (for the unimaginatively-minded) laid reconstructed images of how ancient Rome once looked, over pictures of the ruins that remain today. It was a book that came into its own once we had moved from the 20th-century typewriter to the sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations that make up the Roman

travel The Altare della Patria, or ‘typewriter’

St. Peter’s Square

Left and Below: Regina Hotel Baglioni

Forum, the oldest part of the city and a great place to introduce yourself to one of the birthplaces of Western civilisation. After viewing what remained of the Basilica Maxentius (the last and largest of the Roman basilicas) and an education into the plight of the Vestal Virgins, we moved from one cluster of mind-boggling remains to another: the Coliseum, where, we were pleased to learn, our guide acted as a one-way ticket to the front of the queue (infuriating, no doubt, for the lesser mortals who had been standing in a line that in high-season can snake on for hours). You’ve seen the arena brought to life most vividly in Gladiator, but until you set foot in the world’s largest amphitheatre – the survivor of fire, earthquakes and stone-robbers – you don’t realise just how easy it is to imagine how life would have been there two millennia ago. Rule Number Two: when in Rome, choose your hotel carefully. Depending on your reasons for visiting, this will mean different things to different people. Let’s just say, to get me where I’m going with this, that you’ve come to experience the

opulence of Rome at the turn of the 19th century in surroundings that befit the glamour of that period. You have? Then good. The Regina Hotel Baglioni has a room waiting for you. Found on the famous Via Veneto, the backdrop of Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, the onetime home of Queen Margherita of Savoy now boasts a period-feature façade and an Art-Deco interior straight out of Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Esteemed as one of the most important historical buildings in Rome – which, in a city whose centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is saying something – the Baglioni is a lesson in refined luxury, a mash up of marble, chandeliers and statues, with rooms that mix dark woods and homely colours with heavy curtains and rich fabrics. If it wasn’t for the architectural wonders waiting beyond the hotel’s windows, you could easily spend a weekend between the Baglioni’s spa and wellness area and its Brunello lounge and restaurant (where the food is superb, by the way). With numerous landmarks just minutes away, however, chances are that the likes of the

Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Barberini will be enough to encourage you to leave your room. Rule Number Three: when in Rome, the early bird catches the worm. In the EU’s third most-visited city, it pays to find ways of avoiding the crowds. Rising early to embark on a ‘breakfast banquet and museum tour’ of the Vatican (available through darkrome.com) is one way of doing so. Arrive at 6.50am and in groups of no more than 10, you’ll enjoy an extravagant spread (maple syrup pancakes included) before exploring the city’s limits (your personal tour guide in tow) ahead of anyone else. Whether you are religious or not, the Vatican truly is a sublime, otherworldly place, and your experience of its treasures will only be enhanced by watching the city come to life in an ethereal, early-morning light. So, Rome: the city of echoes; the city of illusions; the city of yearning (to borrow the words of a better writer than I). Yearning seems the appropriate term. I’ve been aching to get back from the moment I left. Not to see that monstrous ‘typewriter’, mind. Nope, who’d be impressed by that? Double rooms at Regina Hotel Baglioni are available through Citalia (0843 770 4443, www.citalia.com). The leading Italian specialist is offering a saving of up to £480 per couple on a three night five-star break to Rome. The holiday starts from £679 per person and includes a free night, return flights from London Gatwick with Easyjet and three nights B&B accommodation at the five-star Hotel Regina Baglioni in a Deluxe Double Room. Price based on departures after 22 July 2013.

july 2013 THE CITY 101

THE Directory Whether you want to dine or to drink, to purchase gorgeous gifts and stylish outfits, to keep fit or to be pampered, the City is home to a wealth of services and amenities

Collection

Health & Beauty

Bachet

Ajala Spa

12 The Courtyard

10 Godliman Street

020 3405 1437

020 7074 1010

bachet.fr

www.ajalaspa.com

Virgin Active 5 Old Broad Street, 0845 270 4080 virginactive.co.uk Barber Express Ltd

artisangalleries.com

14 Devonshire Row Chequers Beauty

2 & 3 The Courtyard

020 7377 5485

Salon

Royal Exchange

barberexpress.co.uk

53-54 Leadenhall Market

020 7283 7284

020 7283 3047

City Health & Fitness

boodles.com

chequersbeauty.co.uk

Club London

Bulgari Royal Exchange 020 7283 4580 bulgari.com Ernest Jones Unit 3, Plantation Place 020 7929 4491 ernestjones.co.uk Goldsmiths 186-190 Bishopsgate 020 7283 6622 goldsmiths.co.uk

Grange City Hotel, Elysium Spa

8-10 Cooper’s Row

21 Old Broad Street

cityhealthclub.co.uk

020 7256 8624 elysiumfortytwo.co.uk

Kiehls Unit 14/15, Royal Exchange 020 7283 6661 kiehls.co.uk Jo Malone 24 Royal Exchange 08701 925131 jomalone.co.uk Ligne rosset

144 Fetter Lane Essential Therapy

7-39 Commercial Road

020 7702 3553

39 Whitefriars Street

020 7426 9670

fetterbarbers.com

ligne-roset-city.co.uk

F Flit tner

Paul A Young Fine

020 7353 1895 essential-therapie.co.uk

86 Moorgate

Chocolates

Optix

020 7606 4750

20 Royal Exchange

175 Bishopsgate

fflittner.com

020 7929 7007

020 7628 0330 optixuk.com

paulayoung.co.uk London City Runner 10 Ludgate Broadway

Smilepod bank studio

9 Royal Exchange

Leadenhall Market

020 7623 3626

off Fenchurch Street

gucci.com

18-20 Cullum Street

Nicholson & Griffin

020 7836 6866

74 Cannon Street, EC4N 6AE

smilepod.co.uk

020 7489 8551

Hermes

020 7929 5656

Fet ter Barbers Ltd

Gucci

12-13 Royal Exchange

Artisan Fine Art 35 Royal Exchange

Boodles

15 The Courtyard

Retail

020 7329 1955 londoncityrunner.com

nicholsonandgriffin.com

Penhaligon’s 4 Royal Exchange 020 7623 3131 penhaligons.com Smoker’s Paradise 33 Royal Exchange 020 7626 6078 smokersparadise.8m.com

020 7626 7794

The Harley

hermes.com

Medical Group

Ted’s Grooming Room

Links of London

Marc House

120 Cheapside

27 Royal Exchange

Great Street

020 7367 9932

020 7621 0021

0800 022 3385

tedsgroomingroom.com

moltonbrown.com

27 Broadgate Circle 020 7628 9668

Molton Brown

linksoflondon.com

harleymedical.co.uk

Tower Bridge Health &

Paul Smith

Montblanc

The Private Clinic

Fitness Club

Unit 7, The Courtyard

10-11 Royal Exchange

107 Cheapside

47 Prescot Street

Royal Exchange

020 7929 4200

0800 599 9911

020 7959 5050

020 7626 4778

montblanc.com

theprivateclinic.co.uk

grangehealthclubs.com

paulsmith.co.uk

Boodles

SushiSamba

High Timber Restaurant

Madison Restaurant

Fashion

Bars and Pubs

Restaurants

Agent Provocateur

1 Lombard Street

1901 at andaz hotel

5 Royal Exchange

1 Lombard Street

40 Liverpool Street

020 7623 0229

020 7929 6611

020 7618 7000

agentprovocateur.com

1lombardstreet.com

andazdining.com

Grand Café

Grappolo 1 Plough Place 020 7842 0510 grappololondon.com

Bulgari

Anise Bar

Anohka Indian

The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

15 The Courtyard, Royal Exchange

9 Devonshire Square

Restaurant St. Pauls

020 7618 2480

020 7283 4580

020 3642 8679

4 Burgon Street

royalexchange-grandcafe.co.uk

bulgari.com

Anthologist

020 7236 3999 anokha-indian.com

Haz Restaurant Plantation Place

Church’s

58 Gresham Street

28 Royal Exchange

0845 468 0101

Brasserie Blanc

6 Mincing Lane

020 7929 7015

theanthologistbar.co.uk

60 Threadneedle Street

020 7929 3173

020 7710 9440

hazrestaurant.co.uk

church-footwear.com

Balls Brothers

Crockett & Jones

11 Blomfield Street

25 Royal Exchange

020 7588 4643

0207 929 2111 crockettandjones.com Harrys of London 18 Royal Exchange 020 7283 4643

brasserieblanc.com

High Timber Restaurant

Caffé Concerto

8 High Timber Street

One New Change

020 7248 1777

Bar Bat tu

020 7494 6857

hightimber.com

48 Gresham Street

caffeconcerto.co.uk

020 7036 6100 barbattu.com

Madison Restaurant

Chamberlain’s

2 New Change

Restaurants

020 8305 3088

Prism

23-25 Leadenhall Market

madisonlondon.net

147 Leadenhall Street

020 7648 8690

020 7256 3888

chamberlains.org

Vertigo 42

Chez Gerard

020 7600 0992

Tower 42, Old Broad Street

14 Trinity Square

mintleaflounge.com

Hugo Boss

020 7877 7842

020 7213 0540

One New Change

vertigo42.co.uk

chezgerard.co.uk

020 7332 0573

Hawksmoor Guildhall

Cinnamon Kitchen

020 7375 2568

10-12 Basinghall Street

9 Devonshire Square

individualrestaurantcompanyplc.co.uk

020 7397 8120

020 7626 5000

thehawksmoor.com

cinnamon-kitchen.com

020 7236 3635

Counting House

Fora Restaurant

Royal Exchange

1-2 Royal Exchange Buildings

50 Cornhill

34-36 Houndsditch

020 7618 2483

020 7626 2782

020 7283 7123

020 7626 2222

sauterelle-restaurant.co.uk

karenmillen.com

fullers.co.uk

forarestaurants.co.uk

harrysoflondon.com Loro Piana 2-3 Royal Exchange 020 7398 0000 loropiana.com

hugoboss.com Karen Millen One New Change

Mint Leaf Lounge 12 Angel Court

Piccolino Restaurant 11 Exchange Square

Restaurant Sauterelle The Courtyard

Sushisamba

L.K. Bennett

Searcys Champagne Bar

Gat tis Restaurant

Floors 38 and 39

One New Change

1 Finsbury Avenue

Heron Tower

020 7236 4711

020 7871 1213

020 7247 1051

020 3640 7330

searcyschampagnebars.co.uk

gattisrestaurant.co.uk

sushisamba.com

lkbennett.com

juLY 2013 THE CITY 103

www.vgnewtrend.it

ph. Andrea Pancino C

VG Studio at

inspirations vision

style

design

www.idesign-int.com info@inspirationsoftickhill.co.uk Tel: 01302 760040

LONDON Homes&

PROPERTY Showcasing the finest homes in your area

C o v e r i n g Wa p p i n g , S h a d T h a m e s , S h o r e d i t c h , Is l i n g t o n & T h e C i t y

First Time Love Advice for first-time home buyers

Total Luxury Premium New Homes

Image courtesy of Andrew Martin www.andrewmartin.co.uk

homes & property

expert comment LETTINGS:

SALES:

Strong demand across the market

The sun shines on the sales market

RAHNA STROUD, ASSOCIATE AT KNIGHT FRANK

JOANNA BEALE, ASSOCIATE AT KNIGHT FRANK

IN WAPPING, COMMENTS ON THE TRENDS IN THE

RESIDENTIAL LETTINGS MARKET

RESIDENTIAL SALES MARKET

We noticed a slightly unusual pattern during the first quarter of this year, with far more demand for high-end property than for core market property (such as one and two bedroom properties ranging from £350pw to £500pw). However this has now changed. In the last few weeks there has been very strong demand across the board for property in all price ranges. However, landlords should still be somewhat cautious, particularly with regards to marketing prices. Despite the average number of new tenancies in the prime sector increasing by 30 per cent in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period last year, average rents in the prime sector went down by 0.1 per cent in April, and are 3.2 per cent down year-on-year. This reflects how close the prime rental market is aligned with the City jobs market, which has not yet recovered since the financial crisis. This is of particular note to us in the Wapping office, as the majority of our applicants work in the financial services industry. We have however recently noticed more applicants coming from different industries and backgrounds. So with no Jubilee or Olympics this year and many positive signs, I think we are going to have a very busy summer this year. n

Late spring and early summer is always the busiest time of year for us and keeping true to form, we have been incredibly busy. The upper end of the market which was frustratingly slow for the first part of the year suddenly improved in May and some exciting sales have taken place. We have just completed a re-sale on the river at well over £1400 per sqft and achieved a record price in St Katharine Docks on a flat with an asking price of £4.95m. Both of the properties had fabulous views. In a more accessible world, we still see an overriding desire for family homes; a freehold house we have for sale in west Wapping has received several best bids all in excess of the asking price at £795,000, all from excellent buyers. This leaves our clients in the enviable position of being able to choose which well-qualified buyer to go with. French buyers are as prevalent as ever for us and are very active in their search to buy both investment flats and family homes in the area, South Kensington must be quieter these days as The City and Wapping steal the show! We also meet more and more new applicants every day coming from north and west London who now have The City, Docklands and Spitalfields firmly on their list of locations to get to know and potentially buy in. n

Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 www.knightfrank.co.uk/wapping

106

KnightFrank.co.uk Fournier Street, Spitalfields E1

Stylish office conversion This thoughtfully designed 20th century town house is a rare offering in Spitalfields, an area generally known for terraces of early 18th century houses. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, kitchen, 2 Reception rooms with a good sized terrace off the main reception room, as well as a roof terrace. EPC rating C. Approximately 250 sq m ﴾2693 sq ft﴿ Freehold Guide price: £2,000,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848 ﴾WAP120179﴿

Pierhead Wapping, E1W Elegant Georgian home

Double fronted with a charming bow front on the garden side, the house has been sensitively refurbished to a high standard. Currently arranged with 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 3 reception rooms and a kitchen, this superb house has the use of the square gardens. Approximately 209 sq m ﴾2260 sq ft﴿ Freehold Guide price: £2,250,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848 ﴾WAP120148﴿

City Magazine July 13 Pierhead Fournier - 14 June 2013 - 38304

19/06/2013 10:52:54

KnightFrank.co.uk NEO Bankside Southbank, SE1 Luxury apartment

Stylish 4th floor apartment to rent in the award‐ winning architects Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners NEO Bankside development on the Southbank. 2 bedrooms, 1 en suite bathroom and 1 shower room, and a reception room with an open plan kitchen, complete with designer furniture, wooden floors, under floor heating and comfort cooling. 24 hour concierge and a range of facilities are available to the residents, including a residents' gym. EPC rating C. Approximately 76 sq m ﴾818 sq ft﴿ Available furnished Guide price: £680 per week

Wapping Lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848 ﴾WAQ171523﴿

Maidstone Mews, Borough SE1 Warehouse conversion

An immaculate top floor warehouse conversion set within a gated mews in the heart of London Bridge. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a large open plan modern kitchen and reception room. Located in a very popular area of SE1, Borough has a large selection of lovely restaurants, bars, shops and the famous Borough market. This property has multiple underground and overground stations close by as well as a short walk across the river in to the City. EPC rating F. Approximately 97 sq m ﴾1039 sq ft﴿ Available furnished Guide price: £775 per week

Wapping Lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848 ﴾WAQ180882﴿

City Magazine July 13 NEO Sussex House - 17 June 2013 - 38344

20/06/2013 17:03:30

KnightFrank.co.uk Towerbridge Wharf Wapping, E1W Riverside apartment

Beautifully presented apartment located on the River Thames with 2 spacious terraces. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, spacious reception room, large kitchen, with 24 hour porter, and underground parking. This beautiful apartment is located in west Wapping, moments from St Katharine Docks and the large Waitrose supermarket. Tower Hill underground station is a short distance away. EPC rating C. Approximately 139 sq m ﴾1500 sq ft﴿ Available furnished Guide price: £800 per week

Wapping Lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848

Bezier Apartments City, EC1 Stylish City apartment

Large 7th floor front‐facing apartment to rent in the outstanding Bezier development moments from Old Street underground station and a short walk in to the City. 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom suite, open plan kitchen and reception room, stone flooring, under floor heating, floor to ceiling windows, air conditioning, 24 hour concierge, communal gym and 13th floor south facing terrace. EPC rating B. Approximately 73 sq m ﴾750 sq ft﴿ Available furnished Guide price: £635 per week

Wapping Lettings KnightFrank.co.uk/wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848 ﴾WAQ172188﴿

City Magazine Towerbridge Bezier - 17 June 2013 - 38379

20/06/2013 17:18:58

KnightFrank.co.uk Chelsea Bridge Wharf, Battersea Park SW11 Riverside one bedroom

This bright one bedroom, second floor apartment offers open plan reception space, leading onto a balcony overlooking the communal gardens. 1 Bedroom, 1 Reception Room, 1 Bathroom, EPC rating B. Approximately 47 sq m (506 sq ft) Leasehold Guide price: £515,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/riverside riverside@knightfrank.co.uk 020 3597 7670 (RVR130119)

St. James’s Drive, Wandsworth SW17 Huge garden

A beautifully presented double fronted house of substantial proportions with a 110 x 60 ft. south west facing garden. 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms (2 en suite), 2 reception rooms, playroom/media room, kitchen/dining room, utility/kitchen, south west facing garden, off street parking for 2 cars. Approximately 347 sq m (3,735 sq ft) Freehold Asking price: £4,500,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/wandsworth wandsworth@knightfrank.com 020 7768 0993 (WND070288)

KnightFrank.co.uk KnightFrank.co.uk

West India Quay, Hertsmere Road E14 Two bedroom duplex apartment

A wonderfully spacious two bedroom duplex apartment located on the 17th and 18th floors of a sought after portered development. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 reception rooms, open plan kitchen, concierge, parking, lift. EPC rating C. Approximately 202 sq m ﴾2,172 sq ft﴿ Leasehold: 990 years approximately Guide price: £1,425,000

KnightFrank.co.uk/Canary‐Wharf cwharf@knightfrank.com 020 7512 9966

﴾CWQ120169﴿

The City mag-sales-July 2013 - 07 June 2013 - 38030

07/06/2013 10:51:33

homes & property

INSIDER KNOWLEDGE july 2013 Richard Pine-Coffin, DIRECTOR OF RESIDENTIAL AT JONES LANG LASALLE, SHARES HIS KNOWLEDGE OF THE RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY MARKET

The Jones Lang LaSalle central London residential office opened in the Royal Exchange at the beginning of 2013. The team, headed up by Richard Pine-Coffin advise on some of the capital’s greatest development projects and provide unquestionable market knowledge with significant experience in residential real estate. The decision to open the office was taken as the City of London moves into prime central London: it is quickly becoming more recognised as a residential location with increased appetite from both British and international investors and owneroccupiers looking for residential property in the City. What are your top tips for someone buying/selling in the current property market? In the current climate, purchasers need to be realistic and must not take too long to make a decision. They should understand large discounts are very few and far between due to the demand for property, especially in London. Notwithstanding this bullish market, sellers should also appreciate that even though there is a large demand for property, the supply is growing so it is vital they market their property at a sensible price to achieve a sale. What is the area to watch at the moment? There is currently a huge amount of investment within the City, particularly for residential development. At the moment there are

Jones Lang LaSalle 020 7087 5282 www.joneslanglasalle.co.uk

112

approximately 17 new residential developments under construction, offering over 2,000 new homes in and around the area. These include the next phase of Goodman Fields (Berkeley Homes), St Dunstan’s (Taylor Wimpy) and Canaletto (Groveworld and Orion) due to complete from Q4 2014 to 2016. In addition to this, there are close to 20 new residential developments in the planning pipeline, offering a further 3,400 new homes in the City and City fringe. Combined with various large scale commercial units nearing completion such as 122 Leadenhall Street (the ‘cheesegrater’) and 20 Fenchurch Street (‘walkie-talkie’), the outlook for the mediumterm looks very optimistic. What advice would you give first-time buyers? Speak to your bank and a mortgage broker first as you may be surprised with your finance options and the amount you can borrow. There are a number of products out there and initially you should seek free advice from a reputable broker. Also, make sure you look into the government’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme if you do not have a sizeable deposit. Lastly, if you are buying an off-plan property, be aware of who you are buying from. Buying from the developer is the most straightforward option, however, in many cases buyers looking to sell off-plan will come into the market near completion to sell their property (which are often desirable units). Although this is also a fairly simple and common process (assigning the contract), lending can be very difficult, so before you decide to offer on this type of property please make sure you are able to fund this type of purchase. n

savills.co.uk

1 A FABULOUS HOUSE IN A CENTRAL LOCATION, WITH OFF-STREET PARKING canonbury road, n1 Grade II listed ø double reception room ø open plan living room and kitchen ø master bedroom with en suite bathroom ø 2 further bedrooms ø family bathroom ø w.c. ø 74' garden with study/summer house ø gated off-street parking into Alwyne Villas ø 159 sq m (1,720 sq ft) Guide £1.6 million Freehold

Savills Islington Adam Smith arsmith@savills.com

020 7226 1313

savills.co.uk

A BEAUTIFUL MAISONETTE OCCUPYING THE UPPER FLOORS OF A GEORGIAN TERRACED HOUSE cloudesley square, n1 2 double bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø 1 reception room ø private entrance ø 93 sq m (1,001 sq ft) ø administration charges apply ø Council Tax=E ø EPC=D £685 per week Unfurnished

Savills Islington

Fitore Vula fvula@savills.com

020 7226 1313

CONTEMPORARY, STYLISH APARTMENT IN A PRESTIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT IN THE HEART OF BARNSBURY barnsbury place, n1 2 double bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø 1 reception room ø communal gardens ø 24hr porter ø 72 m sq (775 sq ft) ø administration charges apply ø Council Tax=D ø EPC rating=D £625 per week Furnished

Savills Islington Emily Asquith easquith@savills.com

020 7226 1313

1 2

savills.co.uk

HEPWORTH COURT, sw1

NEO BANKSIDE, se1

Reception room ø kitchen/breakfast room ø 3 bedrooms ø 3 bathrooms ø roof terrace ø 2 parking spaces ø concierge ø 200 sq m (2,149 sq ft) ø EPC=B

Open plan kitchen/reception room ø 3 bedrooms ø 3 bathrooms ø parking space ø concierge ø residents' gym & spa ø 185 sq m (1,995 sq ft) ø EPC=B

Guide £3.25 million Leasehold

Guide £2.45 million Leasehold

3 4

Savills Sloane Street cgwarman@savills.com 020 7730 0822

Savills Docklands nefthymiou@savills.com 020 7456 6800

MILLINERS HOUSE, sw18

GLOBE WHARF, se16

Open plan kitchen/reception room ø 2 bedrooms ø 3 bathrooms ø study/ dressing room ø 2 balconies ø 2 parking spaces ø 150 sq m (1,615 sq ft) ø EPC=B

Reception room ø kitchen/breakfast room ø 2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø study ø 2 roof terraces ø 2 parking spaces ø 163 sq m (1,746 sq ft) ø EPC=C

Guide £1.5 million Leasehold

Guide £1.15 million Share of Freehold

Savills Putney mheard@savills.com 020 8780 9900

Savills Canary Wharf wdickenson@savills.com 020 7531 2500

1 2

savills.co.uk

HALCYON WHARF, e1w

GULLIVER'S WHARF, e1w

2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø reception room ø porterage ø partial water views ø administrative charges apply ø Council Tax=F ø EPC=E

Bedroom ø further study/bedroom ø bathroom ø allocated parking ø administration charges apply ø Council Tax=D ø EPC=B

£550 per week Furnished

£525 per week Furnished

3 4

Savills Docklands brodgers@savills.com 020 7456 6800

CANARY RIVERSIDE, e14

ZENITH BUILDING, e14

Bedroom ø bathroom and separate w.c ø balcony ø allocated parking ø 24hr porterage ø leisure facilities ø administration charges apply ø Council Tax=F ø EPC=C

2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø balcony ø allocated parking ø administration charges apply ø Council Tax=F ø EPC=C

£400 per week Furnished

£375 per week Furnished

Savills Canary Wharf ssaul@savills.com 020 7531 2500

1 2

savills.co.uk

MAZE HILL, se10

PRUSOMS ISLAND, e1w

2 reception rooms ø kitchen ø 6 bedrooms ø 3 bathrooms ø private garden ø double garage ø private front drive ø 338 sq m (3,641 sq ft) ø EPC=E

2 reception rooms ø open plan kitchen ø 2 bedrooms ø 3 bathrooms ø roof terrace ø protected parking ø 179 sq m (1,933 sq ft) ø EPC=C

Guide £2.499 million Freehold

Guide £1.2 million Leasehold

3 4

Savills Docklands nefthymiou@savills.com 020 7456 6800

Savills Docklands zjames@savills.com 020 7456 6800

OSPREY COURT, e1w

NEW GLOBE WALK, se1

Reception room ø kitchen ø 2 double bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø terrace ø off-street parking ø concierge ø 100 sq m (1,086 sq ft) ø EPC=D

Reception room ø 2 bedrooms ø 2 bathrooms ø underground parking ø 99 sq m (1,070 sq ft) ø EPC=B

Guide £1.15 million Share of Freehold

Guide £999,000 Share of Freehold

Savills Docklands zjames@savills.com 020 7456 6800

Savills Docklands nefthymiou@savills.com 020 7456 6800

Sales

London Square, 24 Leonard Street, EC2 - POA We are delighted to present a beautiful, spacious one bedroom apartment with a separate study in the very popular Old Street area. Offering 723 sq. ft. of living space, this fourth floor apartment comprises a very high standard of finish throughout. London Square is a new development recently completed and designed by the award-winning architects Alfred Hall Monaghan Morris. This boutique development is very conveniently located only 0.1 miles from Old Street station and walking distance to the City. Price on application.

The Heron, EC2 - From ÂŁ575,000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; completing soon The Heron will provide a collection of sensational apartments in the City of London. The 36 floor tower will boast some outstanding skyline views alongside an exceptional specification. This is a genuinely rare opportunity to own a living space in the Square Mile. Apartments are available throughout the building including the Panoramic Collection on the upper floors which were created with a singular intention; to be the finest residences in the City of London.

16-17 Royal Exchange, London, EC3V 3LL

royalsales@eu.jll.com

Lettings

020 7087 5412 joneslanglasalle.co.uk

The Heron, EC2 - Coming soon Coming soon to the market are a selection of stunning suites, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments. With an outstanding specification & sensational views over London, this landmark tower offers a unique opportunity to rent in what is arguably one of the most exclusive residential addresses in in the City of London. Register your interest now.

royallettings@eu.jll.com

Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Exide House, WC2H £1,499,500 Leasehold This stunning three bedroom penthouse with a balcony is located for easy access to the West End. EPC: B

Gough House, EC4A £2,200,000 Leasehold This spectacular three bedroom luxurious apartment is on the top floor of a listed building. EPC: D

Fenchurch House, EC3N £650,000 Leasehold This spacious two bedroom apartment is ideally located for access to the City and makes an ideal pied a terre. EPC: C

Mears Close, E1 £620,000 Freehold Set over 3 floors, a private gated development just off Settles Street, it comes with a patio garden and terrace. EPC: E

Roman House , EC2Y from £605,000 Leasehold A stunning selection of studios, 1, 2, 3 bedroom apartments and penthouses in Berkley Homes’ Brand New Luxury development.

Clerkenwell Road, EC1M £775,000 Leasehold A contemporary two bedroom two bathroom apartment Set on the first floor of an extremely popular lift-serviced building. EPC: B

Hamptons City Office Sales. 020 7717 5435 | Lettings. 020 7717 5437

Wheat Wharf Apartments, SE1 £2,250,000 Share of Freehold A rare opportunity to acquire a two bedroom penthouse apartment in the heart of Shad Thames. EPC: D

La Gare Apartments, SE1 £750,000 Leasehold A two bedroom 1475 sq ft, live/work loft apartment with parking and gym.

Cinnamon Wharf, SE1 £1,250,000 Leasehold A three bedroom, two bathroom 1464 sq ft sixth floor apartment benefiting from secure underground. EPC: C

Cinnamon Wharf, SE1 £1,395,000 A three bedroom 1405 sq ft sixth floor apartment in this popular portered building in Shad Thames. EPC: B

Park Street, SE1 £1,395,000 Leasehold A high specification, two bedroom penthouse apartment in the heart of Borough Market, benefiting from two terraces. EPC: C

Maltby Street, SE1 £725,000 Leasehold A top floor 878 sq ft two bedroom, two bathroom apartment benefiting from a balcony and roof terrace. EPC: D

Hamptons Tower Bridge Office Sales. 020 7717 5489 | Lettings. 020 7717 5491

EPC: D

Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

Deal Street, E1 £450 per week A well presented two bedroom duplex apartment in this former warehouse development located near Brick Lane and Shoreditch. EPC: B

Ludgate Square, EC4 £390 per week A one bedroom apartment in the west of the City, moments to St Pauls and the Thames. EPC: E

St. Katherine Docks, E1W £725 per week A well presented two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in this popular dockside development. EPC: B

Leyden Street, E1 £435 per week A large one bedroom apartment in this development on the edge of the City moments from the vibrant Spitalfields market. EPC: E

Plumbers Row, E1 £520 per week A large two double bedroom, two bathroom apartment with spacious reception and private terrace. EPC: C

Trinity Square, EC3 £550 per week A two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in this landmark development located near to the Thames and Tower Bridge. EPC: C

Hamptons City Office Lettings. 020 7717 5437 | Sales. 020 7717 5435

Victor Wharf, SE1 £650 per week Beautifully presented two double bedroom apartment with two bathrooms arranged on the 4th floor of a well maintained. EPC: C

Eagle Wharf, SE1 £475.00 per week Fabulous refurbished one bedroom warehouse apartment in this popular development with balcony overlooking Tower Bridge Piazza. EPC: C

St Georges Wharf, SE1 £425 per week Attractive one bedroom apartment, situated in a warehouse conversion in the heart of Shad Thames. EPC: D

Anchor Brewhouse, SE1 £395 per week A bright one bedroom apartment set within a prestigious warehouse conversion in the heart of Shad Thames. EPC: D

Bermondsey Central, SE1 £395 per week Modern one bedroom apartment situated within a fantastic new development with open plan kitchen and balcony. EPC: B

Java Wharf, SE1 £425 per week Beautiful one bedroom apartment in immaculate order throughout. Arranged on the top floor of a portered warehouse conversion. EPC: C

Hamptons Tower Bridge Office Lettings. 020 7717 5491 | Sales. 020 7717 5489

Beyond your expectations www.hamptons.co.uk

De Beauvoir Road, N1 A four-bedroom Victorian house that has been sensitively refurbished and boldly extended as a sculptural architectural form, that maximises natural light and embraces views of its garden and surrounding trees. Set within the De Beauvoir conservation area, original period features such as working fireplaces, plaster mouldings and window shutters have been reinstated using traditional methods, while a rear extension of sweeping spaces gives a new vibrancy to its elegant nineteenth century character. EPC: C

Hamptons Islington Office Sales. 020 7717 5453 | Lettings. 020 7717 5335

£1,950,000 Freehold • • • • • •

Wonderfully restored Victorian house Architect design Double reception room Open plan kitchen/family room Self contained home office/study Off Street Parking

Englefield Road, N1 ÂŁ1,400,000 Freehold An immaculately presented and refurbished family home on an attractive residential street in De Beauvoir. This charming 1645 sq ft period house has been tastefully finished to an excellent standard. EPC: D

Liverpool Road, N1 ÂŁ2,150,000 Freehold A fabulous opportunity to acquire a substantial Grade II Listed Georgian five storey family house offering over 2200 sq ft of accommodation, also benefitting from a west facing garden. This light and elegant, well proportioned period property has been beautifully renovated. GRADE II LISTED

uniQue homes, uniQue serVice, uniQue people A tailored service from Langford Russell, John Payne & Acorn for distinctive and exclusive homes

By Langford Russell

camden park road, chislehurst br7 an exciting contemporary home in an exclusive, private and gated location with views over the golf course. 7000 sq ft of stunning accommodation with spectacular double height spaces and an outstanding amount of natural light. six bedrooms, six bathrooms and four reception rooms plus study, gymnasium and sauna. beautiful south westerly facing gardens. Energy Efficiency Rating C.

ÂŁ3,250,000 F/h Please contact our Chislehurst office for more information: Tel: 020 8295 4900 Email: chislehurst@langfordrussell.co.uk

hazel groVe, Farnborough park br6 located on a quiet cul-de-sac within a private estate, boasting a grand entrance hall, kitchen/breakfast room with impressive vaulted ceiling, two further receptions, study and four en-suite bedrooms. the top floor provides a fantastic 27 ft cinema/games room which has plumbing for the addition of a bar/kitchenette. Featuring pre-wiring for multimedia system, CCTV and under floor heating. Energy Efficiency Rating B.

ÂŁ1,999,995 F/H Please contact our Locksbottom office for more information: Tel: 01689 882 988 Email: locksbottom@langfordrussell.co.uk

Offices Across South East London & Kent www.uniquepropertiesuk.com www.acorn.ltd.uk www.langfordrussell.co.uk www.johnpayne.com

UNIQUE is a Specialist Division of Langford Russell, John Payne & Acorn

‘There’s a frisson in the air’

SE3

L A NDS

PAR K

B R O OKLANDS

PARK

Inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, bespoke developers Erinvale have created two stunning detached villas of unequivocal style and design, located on Blackheath’s prestigious Cator Estate. Each home affords almost 5000 sq ft of exciting living space and has been conceived to fulfil the demands of todays modern family. Just moments from Blackheath Village and Royal Greenwich Park and with direct rail links to The City (Cannon Street 18 minutes) and via DLR to Canary Wharf.

Selling agent

Developers

Internal Finishes From

Incorporating

Launching September 2013 REGISTER NoW FoR MoRE INFoRMaTIoN CaLL 020 8318 1311 oR EMaIL bLackheath@johnpayne.com

Local know-how. Better results.

0 % Commission 100 % Local know-how And a commitment to getting you the best possible result …on the house! > Maximum exposure to the best buyers > London’s best negotiators* > Unequalled customer service* > Award-winning marketing > Over 150 years’ experience To celebrate the opening of our newest office in Marylebone, we are offering to sell your property for free! For full Terms and Conditions, call us or visit marshandparsons.co.uk/sell-your-home-for-free

* Voted ‘Best Customer Service 2012’ by The Sunday Times and ‘Best UK Estate Agent 2012’ by The Negotiator

CurrellResidential

£1,595,000 Freehold Albion Road, N16 • Striking double fronted ‘Thomas Cubitt’ design house • 75 x 37 south easterly facing rear garden • Light lateral space • Self-contained lower ground floor flat

www.currell.com

£1,750,000 Freehold Freehold Florence Street, N1 • Unique four storey Victorian house • Roof terrace boasting 360° views of the Islington skyline • Retains many of the original features • Central Islington position

020 7226 4200

islington@currell.com

George Row, SE16 £360 per week

A stunning one bedroom apartment within a modern development at the fringe of Shad Thames. Balcony with views over a private courtyard.

Butlers Wharf, Shad Thames, SE1 £899,950 Leasehold

Recently refurbished to an exacting standard, a beautifully presented one bedroom apartment with views over the Thames and Tower Bridge.

Butlers Wharf, SE1 £600 per week

Norfolk House, EC4V £2,400,000 S/F

This beautifully apartment, offinest the prestigious A lovely modern presented apartment located just alocated stroll on the fifth Onefloor of the apartmentsButlers in the Wharf City of Building, has a direct view of Tower Bridge and the river. from Canary Wharf. London.

Bermondsey Wall East, SE16 £1,250,000 Freehold

A stylish end of terrace townhouse overlooking the Thames from Bermondsey Wall East. With accommodation covering four floors this a smart and highly practical family home.

Butlers Wharf, Shad Thames, SE1 £899,950 Leasehold

Recently refurbished to an exacting standard, a beautifully presented one bedroom apartment with views over the Thames and Tower Bridge.

Shad Thames, Leasehold Curlew Street,SE1 Shad£950,000 Thames, Leasehold SE1 £2,200,000 Freehold Leeside Court, SE16 £419,950 Norfolk House, EC4V £2,400,000 S/F

Roof terraces areapartment rare in Shad and topcombines floor duplex a glass fronted room that opens A two superb freehold property of Thames great 785 quality which the has edgy, urban style ofliving a warehouse bedroom measuring sq this ft, located One of the finest apartments inconversion the Cityonto of an East and South facing roof garden. with the practicality of a five bedroom house. within a popular riverside development. London.

Pennington Court, Wapping E1W 2SD

Gainsborough House, Casalis Road, Glamis Place,Wapping Docklands E14 9LQ E1W 3EF One bedroom apartment on the 4th floor of the popular Canary Central development.

This good sized 2 bed/ 2 bath is situated only a few minutes’ walk from the river.

£314,995 Share of freehold

£324,995

£339,999

Skyline Plaza Building, Aldgate E1 1NY

Capital Wharf, Wapping E1W 1LY

Hermitage Court E1W 1PW

£349,950 Leasehold

£800,000 Leasehold

£1,250,000 Share of freehold

Cinnabar Wharf Central, Wapping E1W 1NQ

Sanderling Lodge, Wapping E1W 1AJ

The Coach House, Morpeth Street, London E2 0RP

£1,199,995 Leasehold

£1,420,000 Share of freehold

£560 PW

1 bedroom apartment. Close to the City.

2 bed apartment is light and airy with fantastic east facing views.

3 double bedroom apartment with terrace overlooking the River Thames.

2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. The development has a residents gymnasium.

4 bedrooms. Close to Wapping station.

2 double bedroom apartment offers fantastic water 3 bedroom – 2 bathroom house has been views from this luxurious modern development. recently refurbished to a high standard.

Glamis Road, London E1W 3EE

Orient Wharf, 70 Wapping High Street, Wapping E1W 2NN

Wine Close, Wapping E1W 3RQ

£260 PW

£300 PW

40 Horseferry Road, Limehouse E14 8DF

Lime Close, Wapping E1W 2QP

2 bedroom house situated within this popular West Wapping canal side development.

Trafalgar Court, Wapping Wall, Wapping E1W 3TF River views from this 1 double bedroom gated development.

£330 PW

£340 PW

£350 PW

Campania Building, Wapping E1W 3WD

Riverside Mansions, Milk Yard, Wapping E1W 3SX

Burr Close, Wapping E1W 1ND

£375 PW

£395 PW

£450 PW

1 double bedroom apartment. Close to the City.

2 bedroom apartment. Close to Limehouse Docklands Light Railway.

2 Double bedroom apartment within this popular riverside development.

1 double bedroom apartment. Patio door leading to a terrace with river Thames views.

2 Double bedroom, duplex apartment within this sought after development of Wapping.

1 double bedroom apartment with great views over park land.

2 bedroom duplex apartment, situated within West Wapping.

21 Wapping Lane. avaiLabLe to Rent. We are excited to announce that you can soon rent at this award winning development. Ideally positioned between Canary Wharf and the City, comprising of suites, one, two and three bedroom apartments will be offered to rent ranging from £315–£2,300 per week.

www.johnsand.co All CGIs are for illustrative purposes only. Areas, measurements and distances given are approximate only.

& & & & & &

Health Spa State-of-the-Art Fitness Club CafĂŠ/Restaurant Private Cinema Room 24 Hour Concierge 24 Hour Security

& & & &

Stunning Views Luxury Interior Finishes Five Minute Walk to the Station Bank 4 mins, Canary Wharf 8 mins, Shoreditch, 9 mins & Secure Underground Car Parking

Register on our website to secure your invitation to the launch evening on Tuesday 23rd July. For more information please email us at lettings@johnsand.co or alternatively call us on 0800 9545364. No obligation free tenant referencing at the event.

A development by

• Situated in Zone 1 on Park Road, overlooking The Regent’s Park • 2, 3 & 4 bedroom apartments, with en suite bathrooms • 4 & 5 bedroom duplex penthouses, with en suite bathrooms • Balconies and private rooftop terraces • Local property market has strong rental demand • Minutes from the West End shopping and leisure quarter • International level specification with designer fittings • Lift access to all apartments • Gated underground parking • 24-hour concierge • EPC Rating B and C • 40% SOLD

LUXURY APARTMENTS & PENTHOUSES FOR SALE OVERLOOKING LONDON’S REGENT’S PARK

PRICES FROM

£2.8m - £9.75m Correct at time of printing

Joint sole selling agents Savills St John’s Wood 15 St John’s Wood High Street London NW8 7NG

020 3043 3600

Designed for the City lifestyle

Replace the daily commute with an easy stroll, by living in the very heart of the City at Roman House. This magnificent collection of apartments and penthouses is designed for the demands of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s city-based international lifestyles and cosmopolitan tastes.

• Residents-only gym

• Studios, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, 2 bedroom duplexes and individually designed 3 bedroom penthouses

• 24 hour concierge

• Architecturally significant building, expertly refurbished by Berkeley • Juliet balconies to most apartments; terraces to penthouses

• Luxurious specification includes fully equipped fitted kitchens, engineered timber flooring, underfloor heating • Impressive entrance foyer and lift lobby with feature mosaic • 999 year lease

Luxury Studios, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom residences from £605,000 Sales & Marketing Suite open daily 10am-6pm. Roman House, Wood Street, London, EC2Y 5BA.

The Berkeley Group invests in the skills that keep Britain’s heritage alive Roman House is a refurbished City landmark with many original features. Our Vision. Your Future.

Call: 020 3489 0613 or email: romanhouse@berkeleygroup.co.uk www.roman-house.co.uk

Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies

Computer Generated Images depict Roman House and are indicative only. Prices correct at time of press.

• Located in the heart of the City, next to The Barbican

homes & property

development Showcase Stylish and Social

trong rental yields of around six per cent mean that the new collection of one, two, three-bedroom apartments and ‘uberhaus’ Thames-side apartments at ‘London’s favourite village’, Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV) represent a great investment opportunity. Located just a few minutes from North Greenwich Underground station, offering access to Canary Wharf in two minutes via the Jubilee line, GMV already has a thriving rental market with tenants appreciating the excellent design of the homes and good transport connections. Adjacent to Greenwich Yacht Club, the apartments offer fine river views and a maritime lifestyle. The O2 is within easy walking distance, as is the Thames Clipper and the new cable car service. This new collection is set around landscaped courtyards, with balconies and/or terraces and full height glazing. The high specification includes sleek kitchens with superb quality integrated appliances, luxury tiled and oak flooring and chic contemporary décor. GMV achieves a close-knit sense of community with interlinking tree-lined streets between each neighbourhood and a network of paths and cycleways that also connect to the on site Ecology Park and the Southern Park. There is already a wide range of amenities; a school, a health centre and leisure facilities with a childrens’ nursery opening soon. The Village Square already includes smaller shops and a café. n

West Parkside, SE10 FROM £388,000 LEASEHOLD Greenwich Millennium Village www.gmv.gb.com

020 8305 2712 146

THE LOCATIONS. THE STYLE. THE QUALITY.

Premium London living from Telford Homes Parliament House SE1

Cityscape E1

For more information please contact

0203 538 5649 or click telfordhomes.plc.uk Computer generated images of Telford Homes developments.

Avant-garde E1