THE PORTMAN
Paws for thought: a walking tour of art works
Autumn 2014
Living on and around The Portman Estate
9 contents
11 As told to Charlotte Adsett, a celebrity stylist who runs a hotel’s new shopping concierge team
12
Happenings Buns, bake offs and the most expensive cuppa in the UK
20 COVER: OLD QUEBEC STREET’S INDOMITABLE BEAR PHOTO: NICK BIBBY
Art
Tour on foot A walking guide to galleries and sculptures
SEE PAGE 20
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Food & drink Chiltern Firehouse Where the real VIPs are the local residents
The Portman is a regular journal about life on and around The Portman Estate Editors Lorna Davies Kate White Writers Cally Squires Debbie Ward Sub-editor Gavin Hadland Designer Andy Lowe Publisher The Portman Estate
Advertising Sam Bradshaw 020 7259 1051 sam@pubbiz.com Send information to The Portman Publishing Business 3 Princes Street London W1B 2LD 020 7259 1050 www.pubbiz.com Printed in the UK © Publishing Business Limited 2014
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32 Art
New light The Wallace Collection’s famous Great Gallery gets a makeover
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Food & drink Happy at Hardy’s The family-run brasserie still going strong after 30 years
44
History Fascinating facts From John and Yoko to air raid shelters: Montagu Square’s compelling past uncovered
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Baker Street Summer in the Square July’s series of outdoor events attracted more than 13,000 visitors
11 as told to
The celebrity stylist Charlotte Adsett is in charge of a specialist shopping concierge team recently launched at The Mandeville hotel. She talks to Debbie Ward
An exciting new look
“
Our TypiCAl lOCAl ClienT will be bored with their wardrobe and want a refresh. Visitors from overseas, meanwhile, will have no idea about the best shops or the coolest places. We may also get business people, brides-to-be or friends of any age. i can also source gifts like jewellery or kids’ stuff. The difference between shopping on your own and using my service is my little black book. it’s full of people i know in the fashion industry who may not even sell to the public. it’s an extension of what i do for photo shoots or when i put together a celebrity’s wardrobe for a TV show. in the first instance we’ll contact clients with our questionnaire about their style and what they want to achieve and go from there. We’ll usually start at The Mandeville Hotel and have a chat. it’s an ideal location – near all my favourite local shops and Bond Street. it has a great vibe and is super-welcoming – and there’s an exclusive lunch menu for shopping concierge customers. i dressed rachel Stevens at the hotel for an event a couple of months ago. For red carpet dos we’ve access to a ‘glam squad’ of celebrity hair and makeup artists for clients. For time-poor
shoppers, a lot of boutiques will bring products to their rooms. We’ve negotiated some discounts, like Matches offering 10 per cent off. They also have a Vip service at a townhouse on Welbeck Street, where they’ll bring whatever we need from their stores. i don’t impose my own style on people. it’s about what suits them and how the clothes are going to fit into their lives. Someone with no idea would be my favourite, a blank canvas. i love giving someone a look and their being confident that they can do fashion for the first time. My favourite style icons include Audrey Hepburn, Sophia loren, Jane Birkin and lauren Bacall. i think the most stylish women today are Olivia palermo, Kate Moss and Alexa Chung. My dream celebrity styling project would be the Duchess of Cambridge. While she always looks perfectly groomed and appropriate, i’d steer her away from her classic styles and mix it up with some different shapes, bold accessories and shoes by new designers.
”
The Mandeville hotel is at Mandeville place. info: 020 7009 2200, www.mandeville.co.uk
12 happenings
Full steam ahead
New school opens
A new restAurAnt serving steamed food has opened on Baker street. that’s Vapore is a Milanese brand that promises quick, simple, healthy and delicious dishes. they are cooked by steaming, which retains up to 50 per cent more nutrients than boiling or frying. Open for breakfast and lunch, that’s Vapore will offer a daily selection of more than 16 steam baskets, including pasta, seafood, meat and vegetarian options. Customers can pick up a hot basket from the grab-and-go counter. there is also a choice of cold baskets, salads and a soup of the day. Breakfast dishes include pastries from the Artisan Bakery, and coffee made from organic, wood-roasted coffee beans.
A new JunIOr sCHOOl has opened on wyndham Place. the International Community school (ICs) admits boys and girls aged three to 18. An International Baccalaureate world school, it is part of the skOlA group and offers all three IB programmes – primary years, middle years and diploma. ICs has two other sites in london – a primary school for children aged between three and 11 near regent’s Park; and a secondary school for 11 to 18-year-olds in Bayswater. the wyndham Place school will admit pupils aged from eight to 11. Ben toettcher, managing partner of the skOlA group of schools, said: “we have seen the development of Marylebone over many years, as we have had schools in the area for more than 40 years. “we’re opening at wyndham Place to increase our capacity, as demand has risen for International Baccalaureate education in london. this will be our junior school and it’s located
that’s Vapore is at 7 Baker street. Info: 020 7935 0697, www.thatsvapore.co.uk
between our infant and secondary school campuses.” ICs is at 7 wyndham Place. Info: 020 7935 1206, www.icschool.co.uk
Buns in the oven
chestnut tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, butter and chives. following locatelli will be the Paris Pop-up, which promises a variety of innovative dishes and diverse drink pairings. It is run by Harry Cummins and laura Vidal. Harry has cooked at Jamie Oliver’s fifteen restaurant, as well as Michelin-starred wild Honey, Artbutus and Zafferano; while laura is a Québécoise sommelier. they will be based at Carousel from October 22 to november 1.
nOrdIC BAkery is holding a week-long celebration of the cinnamon bun. the scandinavian coffee shop, which is based on dorset street, will be selling a limited-edition cinnamon bun from september 30 until Cinnamon Bun day on October 4. every week nordic Bakery sells hundreds of these buns, which are made fresh on the premises every day. the limited-edition buns will be made using the cafe’s traditional bun-dough and cinnamon recipe, but they will feature a new twist. Cinnamon buns, which are the bakery’s biggest seller, originate from a rustic, home-style finnish recipe. with a taste described as “eating a hug”, they are baked on their sides so the sweet cinnamon filling stays enclosed inside. A golden, sticky glaze gives the buns a slightly crunchy bite, revealing layer upon layer of robustly spiced cinnamon with a hint of cardamom in a light dough. If the buns were unravelled, the dough would stretch a metre in length.
Carousel is at 71 Blandford street. Info: 020 7487 5564, www.carousel-london.com
nordic Bakery is at 48 dorset street. Info: 020 7487 5877, www.nordicbakery.com
Carousel’s autumn dining round-up BlAndfOrd street’s new dining venue Carousel, which hosts a rotating series of guest chefs and pop-up events, has revealed its autumn schedule. Georgio locatelli and his wife Plaxy, who own Michelin-starred restaurant locanda locatelli on seymour street, are hosting 21 days of Pizza locadeli until september 28. diners can enjoy wood-fired pizza with Italian spritz, wines and craft beer. small dishes include Parma ham and figs, autumn salad and an array of stuzzichini. As well as pizza, there are pasta dishes including spaghettini with clams, garlic and chilli; and
14 happenings
Building client dreams sHe wAs reCently named one of Britain’s top30 interior designers by The Sunday Times – and now eliská sapera is offering a new architectural service to her clients. the interior designer owns eliská design Associates – a high-end furnishings boutique on new Quebec street. she has joined forces with professional architect Hannah darby to provide a high-quality, turnkey service to clients. Hannah has worked on house, garden and loft extensions, multi-level basement installations and internal reconfigurations. she has collaborated with eliská in the past on several high-profile cocktail bars, hotels and embassies. their overlapping skill-sets allow the pair to deliver an entire project, from initial design concept, through tendering and construction stages and onwards to the final selection of furnishings and hand-crafted fittings. eliská said the duo would work together to maximise the potential of every space to enhance a client’s lifestyle. In other words, she said, the collaboration will be a “one-stop shop to deliver clients’ dreams”.
New fish fare A fIsHMOnGer is set to open in Portman Village in October. nic rascle, who owns la Petite Poissonnerie in Primrose Hill, is opening a second branch of the shop on new Quebec street. like its sister venue, it will stock sustainably sourced fresh fish and shellfish, which is sourced from uk destinations including Portsmouth, Plymouth, norfolk, Cornwall and Grimsby. the Marylebone shop will offer customers lots of extras, including dinners they can take home and cook. dishes will range from seared loin of tuna to marinated black cod with rice. “we make all the marinade and the dressing for you – all you have to do is cook it,” said nic, who is originally from france. “we see ourselves as a ‘fishmonger-plus’, offering customers lots of different things.” A lunch menu aimed at office workers will include sandwiches, sushi, bento boxes and salads of the day; and the shop will sell a range of french wines and champagne. nic can also cater for dinner parties. la Petite Poissonnerie will be based at 19 new Quebec street. Info: www.lapetite-poissonnerie.co.uk
eliská is at 16A new Quebec street. Info: 020 7723 5521, www.eliskadesign.com
16 happenings
Bake Off prizewinner announced A CHef from the Grazing Goat was named overall winner of the inaugural Portman Village Bake Off. neradah Hartnett, executive pastry chef at the new Quebec street pub, won prizes for best biscuit and tastiest cake. she was also crowned overall bake off champion at the event, which was held in Portman square garden. restaurants, shops and hotels from Portman Village submitted 30 cakes and biscuits to be judged by an expert panel, which was led by the reigning champion of the Great British Bake Off, frances Quinn. entries ranged from daisy Green’s mega banana-bread sandwich to the lockhart’s lemon Ice Box Pie. Visitors enjoyed live music, food and drink, and a raffle with prizes from prosecco at Vinoteca to a meal at the Portman pub. the event raised almost £400 for local homeless charity the west london day Centre’s safety boot fund. A spokesman said: “following the bake off, we helped a day centre user to find work on a construction site. we bought him a hard hat but he needed safety boots, which the fund helped us buy for him. “we think we’ll need to buy about 50 pairs of safety boots a year and so need to raise £1,000 for our safety Boot fund. the bake off played a part in getting us at least a third of the way there.”
the west london day Centre is calling for people to join its sponsored sleep-out on October 10. the annual event sees volunteers sleeping rough for the night to raise money for the homeless. If you’d like to take part, visit www.wlm.org.uk/sleep-out
NERADAH HARTNETT AT THE BAKE OFF
Suits for you, sir A new tAIlOr has opened in Portman Village. taliare is a bespoke and made-to-measure tailoring house, which was founded by former savile row cutter erlend norby. speaking of the seymour Place shop and work rooms, he said: “Commissioning a garment is a big investment of your time and and money. “we will work with you every step of the way to create a garment that perfectly matches your requirements.” taliare has a relaxed, salon-style environment, where clients can consider a wide range of cloths from the finest mills in uk and europe. Made-tomeasure garments range from suits to bespoke overcoats and evening tails. taliare is at 5A seymour Place. Info: 020 7723 5100, www.taliare.com
18 happenings
Playing the game Hunter 486 restaurant is celebrating the game season with a different dish on the menu each week. foodies can feast on top-quality game dishes including roasted haunch of Chart farm venison with marinated red cabbage, almond potatoes, chocolate-scented jus and caramelised parsnips. Other dishes include roasted goose breast with wild boar bacon and roast salsify, potato and turnip dauphinoise; and traditional roast Berkshire pheasant, bread sauce, roast potatoes, buttered green cabbage and chestnut purée and glazed apples. until november 23 at Hunter 486, the Arch london, 50 Great Cumberland Place. Info: 020 7724 4700, www.thearchlondon.com
Tea with a difference A POt Of teA that is said to be the most expensive in the uk is now available at the royal China Club. According to the Baker street restaurant, the drink is comparable to a fine wine – with the tea leaves of da Hong Pao left to mature and gain flavour for 80 years before being served. the handmade tea is baked in small batches over charcoal to create an aromatic infusion with distinctive dark, cocoa notes. the royal China Club is at 40-42 Baker street. Info: 020 7486 3898, www.royalchinagroup.co.uk
Fantastic fit for women sunsPel HAs exPAnded its presence on Chiltern street to include a full collection of womenswear. the British brand was founded in 1860 by thomas A. Hill. In 1947 it became the first company to introduce boxer shorts to the uk. the label has supplied the rAf with issue undergarments and was worn by daniel Craig in the James Bond film Casino Royale. sunspel opened its first Marylebone shop at 13-15 Chiltern street in december 2012. It has now expanded into the premises next door, which houses a full range of womenswear. sunspel’s new womenswear shop is at 11 Chiltern street. Info: 020 7009 0650, www.sunspel.com
20 art
A walking art education
From Oxford Street to Chiltern Street, Lorna Davies is your guide on a walking tour of The Portman Estate that features galleries, sculptures and artists’ homes
THE TOUR BEGINS on Oxford Street, where you’ll see Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture on the corner of John Lewis. The Winged Figure was treated to extensive restoration work last year to celebrate its 50th birthday. Further down Oxford Street in Selfridges, you could be standing in the former home of artist George Stubbs (1724-1806). The painter, whose portrait you can see at the National Portrait Gallery, lived at 24 Somerset Street from 1764 to1806, but the street was demolished to make way for Selfridges’ expansion north of its original site in the 1920s. Stubbs was known for his depictions of magnificent horses such as Whistlejacket, which is on show at the National Gallery. Round the corner on Orchard Street, you’ll find a pop-up show at The Old Selfridges Hotel, directly above the Selfridges Food Hall. The huge industrial space is being filled by the Institute of Contemporary Art for its Off-Site project from October 14 to18. The week-long programme, to coincide with the Frieze art fair, encompasses performance, music, art, dance and discussion, with different events each day. (More information at www.ica.org.uk) ‡
LEFT: GEORGE STUBBS, WHISTLEJACKET, C 1762: ©THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
ABOVE: BARBARA HEPWORTH, THE WINGED FIGURE. RIGHT: PALINDROME, PRESENTED BY NTS AND CURATED BY TREVOR JACKSON, IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ICA
22 art
Orchard Street was also home to another well-known artist, the miniaturist Richard Cosway (1742-1821). He lived there from around 1763 until 1768. In 1785 he was appointed painter for the Prince of Wales, and had considerable influence over the official image of the prince. Turn left onto Portman Mews. At 7 Portman Mews South you will see Field Work by Shauna McMullan. The carving of meadow grasses on the building’s lower façade is a subtle reminder that the area was used as farmland up until the 1740s. Walk back down Orchard Street and onto Portman Square where you’ll see some pretty iron gates at 43-45 and wall art work by John Carter at 40. Inside leafy Portman Square Gardens you can see the beautiful Emergence, a four part sculpture by renowned artist David Breuer-Weil. Behind you at 30 Portman Square, Hyatt Regency London – The Churchill, there is a life-sized bronze sculpture of Sir Winston Churchill. In Conversation by Lawrence Holofcener was unveiled in November 2012 on the hotel’s terrace. Head down Seymour Street to number 45 where at York House you’ll find Alabaster, a sculpture by wiorld-famous artist Anish Kapoor. Turn around and right onto Old Quebec Street. There you’ll find a 15 foot grizzly bear waiting for you. Indomitable is by Nick Bibby, a wildlife sculptor collected by Damien Hirst and JK Rowling, and was lifted into position by a crane on June 25. “It was a gift of a commission, as I
ABOVE: DAVID BREUER-WEIL, EMERGENCE © DAVID BREUER-WEIL
have always loved bears,” Bibby told The Portman. Walk back to Seymour Street and at the end of the street, turn right onto Great Cumberland Place. The man standing in the middle of the crescent is Swedish architect and businessman, Raoul Wallenberg (1912-1947). During World War Two he rescued thousands of Jews from Nazi-occupied Hungary. The memorial was made by sculptor Philip Jackson, who also made the Bomber Command Memorial Sculpture in Green Park. On the rear of the statue, there are 100,000 Schutz passes, protective passports with which Wallenberg saved the Jews. Continue walking down Great Cumberland Place, through historic Bryanston Square and onto York Street. Number 20 was home to painter and miniaturist George Richmond (1809-1896) (look for the blue plaque.) At the end of the street, turn right and walk to 117 Gloucester Place, the former abode of Sir Gerald Kelly (1879-1972). There’s a blue plaque informing you that the portrait painter moved there in 1916 and stayed until his death 56 years later. Turn left onto Dorset Street and right onto Chiltern Street until you reach number 48, GV Art. The gallery is currently showing Reassembling the Self (on until October 11), an exhibition centered on a study of the condition of schizophrenia, which weaves together art, science, psychiatry and individual histories. ‡
BELOW: PHILIP JACKSON, WALLENBERG MEMORIAL OPPOSITE, FAR LEFT: SUSAN ALDWORTH, REASSEMBLING THE SELF 7, 2012 OPPOSITE, NEAR LEFT: SIR GERALD KELLY, BEACH AT ETRETÂT, 1908 ©TATE
24 art
Further down Chiltern Street you can’t miss Atlas Gallery on the corner of Chiltern and Dorset Street. Visit between September 25 and November 16 and you’ll find remarkable images of the unseen lives and traditions of people from 35 of the world’s last indigenous tribes. Jimmy Nelson’s landmark project Before They Pass Away is led by the British-born photographer’s fascination with other cultures that has led him on a journey around the world to document some of the oldest surviving communities. At the end of the street, turn left onto George Street, where you’ll find a heron peering down at you from the corner before Thayer Street. The sculpture was put there when the building was built in 1967 by Heron International PLC. Walk down Thayer Street and right onto Hinde Street until you reach Manchester Square, home of the world-famous Wallace Collection, where you can enjoy masterpieces in a whole new light. Find out more on page 32. Elsewhere on The Estate, plans to redevelop Marble Arch Tower to deliver 53 luxury flats, offices, shops and a cinema were given the goahead in June. The scheme will also include a new public realm space featuring public art. A spokesman for Almacantar said the precise form of the art has not yet been agreed.
ABOVE: HERON INTERNATIONAL BELOW: JIMMY NELSON, KAZAKH, ALTANTSOGTS, BAYAN OLGII, MONGOLIA, 2011 © JIMMY NELSON BV
26 food & drink
“JUST HEADING OUT…to Chiltern Firehouse.” Utter these words in a central London office and it’s guaranteed to provoke more than a few swivel chair spins and wide-eyed stares. “How on earth did you get in there?” one of my colleagues asks. Granted, I’m not Rita Ora, so was surprised when I was offered a guided tour, drinks and a dinner reservation this side of 2015. But when I speak to owner André Balazs, he’s keen to emphasise that it’s a neighbourhood restaurant, and Portman Estate residents and those who work in the area are treated as VIPs. “The most important clientele are the people who are our neighbours. I know with all the attention it’s gotten it seems like it’s something else, but that’s absolutely not the intent and it’s never the long-term goal of anything we do,” he stresses. Since its opening in February, Chiltern Firehouse has become a veritable beacon of celebsville. Not a day goes by without Kate Moss, Lily Allen, David Beckham, Harry Styles et al
being photographed slipping out of the hotel and restaurant’s large black gates. “Yes it’s been hugely popular,” Balazs agrees, “which is a wonderful thing, but it’s kind of also – I think it’s a difficult thing as well, with the paparazzi interest. We are changing ways of entering and exiting the building, doing what we can, working with the neighbours and with Westminster [City Council].” For Balazs, working with the local community is essential: “I think a good hotel should always be at the centre of its community. That’s the way a hotel survives. It becomes totally integrated into the heart and soul of the community – certainly that’s the way we’ve worked in the past.” He loves the area, and he has spent time getting to know the locals: “There are some wonderful people on the street. We’re good friends with the two great shopkeepers directly across the way – Sandy, who runs the newsstand [Shreeji Newsagents, 6 Chiltern Street] and Mario, who runs the barber shop [Mario’s Barber Shop, ‡
Inside the Chiltern Firehouse
ANDRÉ BALAZS
Celebrities have regularly been spotted at the Chiltern Firehouse, but it’s essentially a neighbourhood restaurant, says its owner. Lorna Davies and Kate White report
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4 Chiltern Street].” Balazs, 57, is the owner of a property and hotel empire comprising The Mercer in New York, Chateau Marmont in Hollywood and Standard Hotels across America. Chiltern Firehouse is his first venture outside the US (although he’s now acquired the Camden Town Hall Annexe in Euston Road to turn into a Standard Hotel). He chose Marylebone because “it’s kind of like Mayfair, but a bit different. “The street is elegant, quiet, centrally located and very convenient,” he says. “The Firehouse itself is just a magnificent building, which I fell in love with. It reminded me a lot of our place in New York [The Mercer], and a little bit of the Chateau Marmont.” The building, with its soaring chimneys and gothic detailing, looks more like an aristocratic dwelling than a former public building. The original fire station dates back to 1888, and Balazs and his team – Studio KO in Paris and architect David Archer of Archer Humphreys – have been careful in restoring and emulating the original designs. The restaurant itself was the appliance room, and the flooring, columns and tile walls are all from the original station. There’s even a fire pole going through the middle of one of the tables in the corner. Renowned chef Nuno Mendes heads up the kitchen, serving up a menu featuring delicious dishes such as sea trout crudo, blackened salmon and spring lamb. Breakfast and brunch are more recent additions – French toast, buttermilk pancakes and spiced crab omelette feature – aimed at drawing in a local crowd.
CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: THE RESTAURANT, A HOTEL BATHROOM, AND AN OUTSIDE VIEW OF THE CHILTERN FIREHOUSE
“The most important clientele are the people who are our neighbours.” André Balazs
The pretty garden leads to the ladder shed, a beautiful bar, complete with a decks and records and a huge work of art by Theaster Gates, commissioned by Balazs, made of fire hoses. There are 26 hotel rooms, with a homely feel and a personal, intimate service – “you dial 0 for anything,” says Lucy McIntyre, marketing and communications head, who has worked with Balazs for 12 years. McIntyre shows me round a few of the hotel rooms and by the end I don’t want to go home. The 1930s decor includes very plush carpets, remote-controlled fireplaces, heaps of storage space, international plug sockets and the most amazing bath tubs. All the appliances and furniture are custommade. There’s even the aroma from a bespoke Chiltern Firehouse scented candle wafting through the hotel stairwell and restaurant. Balazs says the design aims to “create an atmosphere that’s very much reflective of the neighbourhood. “We found a language and a design vernacular that seemed appropriate and hence as glorious as the building is on the outside, with its Victorian grandeur. Inside at the end of the day it was a very utilitarian, municipal building. The firemen used to live there, the horses and the carriages
were on the ground floor.” Some of the building work was “almost like an archeological dig”, says Balazs.“We discovered things that were inspirational and worth keeping. For example, in what was the ladder shed we started cleaning away this institutional yellow colour, and suddenly discovered this amazing colour scheme that must have been the original one when it was built in the 1880s.” The design is amazing, but for Balazs, a good hotel is one that “first and foremost makes you feel welcome and safe”. The crowning glory of the hotel is the gothic spire, the original castle-like watchtower from which the fireman would look out over London to see if there was any smoke or fires to put out. “We’ve had many, many firemen come by who used to be stationed here, including the chiefs,” says Balazs. “They’ve sent beautiful letters to us saying how heart-warming it is for them to see a place that they lived in for so long come to life again, with kind of its original spirit, but in a completely new way.” Chiltern Firehouse is at 1 Chiltern Street. Info: 020 7073 7676. reservations@chilternfirehouse.com
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AFTER TWO YEARS, £5 million and lots of hard work The Wallace Collection’s Great Gallery opens up to the public again on September 19. The grand room, which houses masterpieces by artists from Rubens to Velazquez, has undergone a major makeover, boasting new interior design, a new glass ceiling and even some new paintings. Built between 1872 and 1875, the Great Gallery was part of Sir Richard Wallace’s major extension of Hertford House to accommodate his art collection’s move from Paris to London. The glass ceiling was a feature of Wallace’s original gallery, but was blocked off in the 1970s when environmental controls meant more room was needed for the air-conditioning unit. When deciding on a new design, the team at the museum looked closely at Wallace’s original space. Large picture galleries were a common feature in his day, usually placed behind the private living quarters, and glass ceilings were a common element. “Top lighting was invented around 1800 and in the early 19th century there was still a very lively discussion around whether it was a good thing or
whether light from the side was better,” explains Dr Christoph Vogtherr, director of the Wallace Collection. “We still think today that top lighting is the best for paintings, that’s why we are very proud that we could reintroduce it.” But it wasn’t just the light the museum had to think about. “We realised we are reintroducing a large glass surface and today there are lots of performances and guided tours and talks in this room, so there could have been an acoustics problem,” Vogtherr reveals. Luckily, The Wallace Collection has some expert neighbours in the form of the Royal Academy of Music, housed on Marylebone Road. “They were very helpful and came in to examine the space and give their opinion on the new design. They reassured us that the acoustics would be fine,” Vogtherr adds. The ceiling means the stunning pieces in the room are, quite literally, being seen in a new light. Visitors can again enjoy some of the museum’s most treasured pieces, including Frans Hals’s world-famous The Laughing Cavalier, often described as “one of the most brilliant of all
Letting in the light
WIth a new glass ceiling about to be revealed at the Wallace Collection’s Great Gallery, masterpieces by Rubens and Frans Hals can be seen in a new light, writes Lorna Davies PETER PAUL RUBENS, THE RAINBOW LANDSCAPE, C.1636 © BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION
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Baroque portraits”; Thomas Lawrence’s monumental portrait George IV; and Paris by Van Dyck, intended by the 3rd Marquess of Hertford as a bequest to the king. As Vogtherr explains, moving and storing world-class masterpieces is a delicate task. “The most important works we had put into other rooms in the building, except two or three that were just simply too large and wouldn’t go into any other room,” Vogtherr tells me. “Some of them were stored at the Tate Gallery and for some paintings we used the opportunity to have them cleaned and restored because they were off show anyway, so it was the perfect moment.” This included the four large Dutch still-life paintings (three by Jan Weenix and one by Melchior d’Hondecoeter). “We had them cleaned and they are now back and hanging in much more prominent positions because they are just so much nicer to look at,” Vogtherr says. Some new pieces have been introduced into the collection, including two by François Lemoyne – Perseus and Andromeda and Time Saving Truth from Falsehood and Envy – “because we had no French 18th-century paintings in there and now we’ve made that part of the story again.” With so many masterpieces in one room, does Vogtherr have a favourite? “It’s always very hard to pick out one or two, but maybe The Rainbow Landscape by Rubens, that is very iconic, it’s very much part of our identity.” The room itself boasts a new design by the
ABOVE: THE GREAT GALLERY WILL FEATURE NEW INTERIOR DESIGN AND NEW PAINTINGS LEFT: TITIAN, PERSEUS AND ANDROMEDIA © BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION
RIGHT: FRANS HALS, THE LAUGHING CAVALIER, 1624 © BY KIND PERMISSION OF THE TRUSTEES OF THE WALLACE COLLECTION
Wallace’s regular designer John O’Connell. The old wall fabric, a coral-coloured cotton damask from the 1970s, has been replaced with a striking crimson silk damask. “For many details, colours and patterns on the silk we looked at photos of other great galleries in London townhouses in the Victorian age and we found they had quite a bit in common. For example, the silk pattern was always very similar in all of these spaces and different grand houses at the time, so we were quite confident that we had picked the right pattern and the right type of silk. It’s a much more sympathetic space for the works,” says Vogtherr. The Great Gallery has a key feature among London museums in that it combines paintings from different schools in one room. “That’s very much the character of a private collection and we’ve kept that because we think it’s actually a great opportunity to talk about exchanges between different schools and regions about how painters knew each other, visited each other,” Vogtherr says. “Rubens went to Madrid and saw Velázquez there, and our Titian painting was owned by Van Dyck – there are all these very personal relationships between them.” Vogtherr became director of the Wallace in 2010 – taking over from Dame Rosalind Savill, who had led the museum for 23 years – and has been working out a plan for the museum ever since. The team has defined three particular aims over the next ten years: to broaden its visitor base to younger age groups and lower income groups; to improve its internal infrastructure; and to raise its research profile. “Particularly in 18th-century art and arms and armour because they are our two world-class specialties,” says Vogtherr. The director’s job is to “motivate and ensure a strong direction for the museum”, something Vogtherr says he finds particularly important because of budget cuts. “Like all museums, we have to think about money more carefully and generate more, but without losing sight of what it’s all about. I need to keep everybody thinking about what we are here for, and that’s the art, the public and the enjoyment and the access of it,” he says. The Great Gallery project was funded by a £5 million donation from the Monument Trust. It’s the end of a huge project, one that Vogtherr and his team are excited about showing to the public. However, he’s not finished with the makeovers: “We have three rooms left on the first floor on the west side of the building, and those will be refurbished next. Then we can move to the ground floor. It’s an ongoing project because just as one finishes we can start on another!”
38 food & drink
With classic dishes such as fish and chips, shepherd’s pie and fishcakes, this family-run brasserie in Dorset Street has found a reliable recipe for success. By Cally Squires
A Hardy’s act to follow
THREE DECADES in the restaurant business is a feat that should certainly be celebrated, especially in London, where new restaurants and cafes seem to spring up on a daily basis. Fortunately it is an achievement that Hardy’s on Dorset Street has reached with relative ease. Approaching its 30th year in business this October, Hardy’s is a family-run brasserie and bar. What’s the secret of their success? Owner, manager, part-time sommelier and self-confessed masochist Dominique de Bastarrechea cites the “very personal and friendly” atmosphere.
DOMINIQUE DE BASTARRECHEA
“There are not that many independent places left in the centre of London. We’re lucky to now be serving the second generation of our regular customers. We have the privilege of having history, but at the same time work hard to keep it relevant, so it doesn’t become a relic. Obviously it’s a fine balance – we can’t change too much otherwise people would be up in arms.” The local neighbourhood restaurant is British at heart. “We’ve had the classics on for ever – fish and chips, fishcakes and a really great shepherd’s pie.” Surely not during the summer? “We tried to take the shepherd’s pie off for a few months but people were very upset. They didn’t seem to mind that it was 30°C outside!” Although pies aside, English chef Sam Hughes does change the menu every month. “We’ve been doing quite a lot of shellfish recently after he went to Brittany on holiday and came back inspired,” says Dominique. Trained under Rowley Leigh at Kensington Place, Hughes worked at the Michelin-starred Sir Charles Napier in Oxford for several years, and was put up for the job by a local patron and master chef himself, Raymond Blanc. Selecting the wine is a team effort by Dominique and James the barman. “We try to work with several different suppliers to find interesting bottles that generally overdeliver, as customers are always eager to try new things. We let them sample it, and if they don’t like it, they can change. We do a few natural wines – not the extreme ones – but we’ve been
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“We tried to take shepherd’s pie off the menu for a few months but the customers were very upset. They didn’t seem to mind that it was 30 degrees outside”
selling a lovely Cabernet Franc recently.” Dominique’s parents took over Hardy’s from founder Simon Boyle, and she thinks the inherited name was linked to Thomas Hardy, who was born in Dorset. Although this is purely conjecture, there has been at least one customer who was quietly disgruntled not to find any memorabilia of the novelist inside the restaurant. “My father had never been in the restaurant business. He simply came home one day and announced that he’d bought a restaurant,” she recalls. “Luckily my mother embraced it.” As too did Dominique herself. “It was very small when they started, just one dining room downstairs with peach carpet and chintz upholstery. But my father was a brilliant maître d’, and built up the clientele by word of mouth.” In the beginning, the bulk of customers worked in advertising agencies or the music industry, with EMI based in Manchester Square and Warner Brothers in Gloucester Place. “The restaurant just sort of established itself. We’ve never really done any traditional marketing,” says Dominique. As Dorset Street isn’t a through-street, there is surprisingly little foot traffic for a road based just off Oxford Street. “There are probably a lot of people in the area who’ve never been down here, but that means the people who do know it feel like it is their own special place, and they really become our champions,” she explains. Will all that change with the buzz of hotelier André Balazs’s Chiltern Firehouse on the next street? Staff say they are not basking in the limelight. “Of course we see all the comings and goings – and have had some famous faces popping in – but happily we don’t have to deal with paparazzi on our doorstep,” says Dominique. And unlike Balazs, de Bastarrechea is not looking to expand her empire. “It would be very difficult to replicate Hardy’s. This building has so much character, and we don’t have an overarching brand, so people can really be themselves here. I like romance, and unlike many London restaurants, commerciality is not our sole driver.” To celebrate the restaurant’s 30th anniversary, there will be a retro menu at the end of September with prawn cocktail, steak Diane and coq au vin – which, funnily enough, have started to come back into fashion now anyway – on at £19.84 for three courses. Have any dishes, besides the beloved shepherd’s pie, stood the test of time? Off the top of her head, Dominque recalls arctic roll as a long-time crowd pleaser, but
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insists “food is very much about fashion – last month it was all about kale and in the early Noughties it was rocket salad.” Any regulars whose cravings for nostalgia aren’t satisfied by arctic roll can take a peek at the private dining room where old menus have been lovingly framed and displayed. Local customers will also be pleased to hear that having taken a short break, the Hardy’s literary suppers are also making a comeback. “We’ve got some fun ones planned – including a dinner in October on the wisdom of psychopaths, with a madness menu,” says Dominique. Kevin Dutton, an academic and expert on positive traits of psychopaths, is the speaker. “The first talk we ever did was my friend Niki Segnit’s book The Flavour Thesaurus, which went on to become a bestseller. It’s really fantastic if authors have an obvious connection with food – which is why Waitrose Kitchen editor William Sitwell was brilliant.” Dominique’s dream authors are an eclectic list of Professor Mary Beard, actor Stephen Fry, comedian Eddie Izzard and artist Grayson Perry. Somehow, I am not surprised. Hardy’s is at 53 Dorset Street. Info: 020 7935 5929, www.hardysbrasserie.co.uk
44 history
IN THE 1930s, 48 Montagu Square was burgled – and the silver inkwell was stolen from the desk in the library. “A trail of ink led across the hall, down the front steps, along the street, and into the house three doors down,” recalls Lord Mancroft, grandson of the former owner. “The footman there was the culprit, and he went to prison. “After he was released he used to call round every Christmas, with the unusual greeting, ‘Good morning, m’lord. I’m your burglar’. Grandfather would give him a golden guinea, wish him a happy Christmas and send him on his way.” The anecdote is one of many fascinating tales in a new book on the history of Montagu Square, published by the Montagu Square Residents’ Association. It is edited by Ben Baglio, a former children’s book creator and publisher. The 74-page tome contains an amusing and
The colourful history of Montagu Square
It was the setting for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s controversial nude photograph, but there are many other fascinating tales in the history of the square. Kate White on a fascinating new book
ABOVE: JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO LEAVING THEIR FLAT AT 34 MONTAGU SQUARE © REX FEATURES LEFT: PRESENT-DAY MONTAGU SQUARE GARDEN KAY & CO
affectionate foreword by the author and journalist Peter York, who lived in the square for 19 years and was chairman of the garden committee for a time. It also features a detailed history of the square, which was written by Thomas Whipham in 1990. There are memories of residents past and present, and new material that brings the story up to the present day. The book tells how, before Montagu Square was built, London enjoyed a wave of prosperity after the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. The city expanded rapidly, and Marylebone soon gained a reputation as a fashionable place to live. The land that is now Montagu Square was formerly known as Ward’s Field, which was home to a cluster of cottages called Apple Village. In the 1700s, one of its residents was executed at Tyburn for murder. Montagu Square took its name from Mrs Elizabeth Montagu, who lived in Montagu House in Portman Square. It was constructed by former chimney-sweep David Porter and the architect Joseph Parkinson. Porter and Parkinson built the houses of Montagu Square in the traditional Georgian style, with a basement, ground and three upper floors. Rate books at the time suggest that construction was completed in about 1812. Each house in the square had a mews property at the rear, where grooms and coachmen lived in crowded conditions. The 1821 census showed 14 adults and children living in a single mews house. George Fletcher, who resided at 28 George Street, was the first gardener employed to tend the garden in the centre of the square. He was paid £100 a year but had to bring his own tools. From the outset, the garden was seen as a peaceful place for residents to enjoy. Livery servants were not allowed to use the space, and children were banned from playing with bats, balls or bows and arrows. In 1935 a number of improvements were made to the square to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary. The works cost £250 and residents were asked to make voluntary contributions. The Second World War brought about big changes to the square. An air raid shelter was built at the south end, and some of the houses were requisitioned and occupied by the US army. The square was badly damaged in the war, with five houses destroyed or demolished because they were unsafe. Arthur Portman, editor of Horse & Hound for 50 years, was killed in a raid in October 1940. Lord Manford recalls: “Mr Turner, my father’s
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secretary, extingushed an incendiary device which had landed in the garden in 1941, by putting it in a fire bucket full of water, before going back to his typing. “One of the consequences of the bombs was that the house always had a slight tilt. This meant that the butler could not lay the dining room table until five minutes before lunch, or the silver would start to slide down the polished tabletop.” Like many other London squares, Montagu Square had its railings removed to be melted down as part of the war effort. They were replaced with an ugly fence that was camouflaged by a privet hedge. In the 1960s an attempt to raise money to install new railings failed; and by the mid-1990s, the fence had badly disintegrated and the hedge was dying. It meant the garden was left with little security. As a result, the garden committee formed a sub-group to reinstate the railings, which would be made to look as similar as possible to the original design. Following a series of grants and donations, the new railings were installed in 1999. The square has been home to a number of famous faces over the years. An early resident was Rear Admiral Sir Frederick Lewis Maitland, who captured Napoleon at Rochefort in 1815 and took him to Plymouth, before he was transported to St Helena. Novelist Anthony Trollope also lived there for a time. In his autobiography he wrote: “Early in 1873 I took a house in Montagu Square, in which I hope to live and die.” In the end he passed away in a nursing home on Welbeck Street in 1882. In 2010, English Heritage unveiled a blue plaque for John Lennon on the outside of 34 Montagu Square. It recognises the property’s strong links to the music scene of the 1960s, when the ground and lower-ground flat was leased to Ringo Starr. Paul McCartney recorded demo songs there and worked on hits including Eleanor Rigby. Jimi Hendrix and his manager later lived in the apartment, and it was during this time that
Hendrix composed The Wind Cries Mary. In 1968, the apartment was rented by two other big names in the rock world, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The controversial nude photograph of the couple which later became the cover of their Two Virgins album, was snapped here. The apartment was later raided by police looking for drugs, and the landlord took out an injunction against Starr to prevent the property from being used for anything illegal. Starr eventually sold the lease in 1969. Ben Baglio’s own home at 30 Montagu Square has had its fair share of interesting residents. The first leaseholder was Thomas Bulkeley, and in 1868, Percy Bulkeley of that address was charged and convicted with four counts of defrauding cabmen. In 1919 Dr Charles Samuel Myers moved into the house. Myers was a founding member and first president of the British Psychological Society, and introduced the term “shell shock” to medical literature in an article for The Lancet in 1915. After the war, the house was split into three flats, and in 1975, Claire and William Frankel moved in. William edited The Jewish Chronicle and was credited by The Guardian for turning it into a “vibrant, often highly controversial newspaper”. The square has several popular social events
ABOVE: DESTRUCTION OF NUMBERS 28 AND 29 MONTAGU SQUARE, NOW THE SITE OF MONTAGU COURT. DECEMBER, 1940. THE PORTMAN ESTATE RIGHT: THE DIAMOND JUBILEE SUMMER GARDEN PARTY, JUNE 2012. DOROTHY OSBORNE
“It must still be one of the nicest places in London to live, and I am very jealous of all those live there today.” Lord Manford
throughout the year, including the annual summer garden party on the south lawn. The event is always a sell-out, and raises money for local homeless charity the West London Day Centre. The garden also hosts Shakespeare in the Square, and an evening of Christmas carols performed by the choir of Wetherby School and the Baker Street Quartet. Proceeds from both events go to the St Marylebone Rotary Club’s Newpin charity. In some senses, life in Montagu Square has changed a lot for residents since the 1960s. Lord Manford recalls: “Ours was the last house in the square after all the others were converted into flats. “When my parents married in 1951, my father was living there alone with six indoor servants, no central heating and only one bathroom. The servants bathed in an iron tub in front of the kitchen range.” However, from the outside, the square has barely changed, he adds. “It must still be one of the nicest places in London to live, and I am very jealous of all those live there today,” he concludes. “I wish I did.” Montagu Square – A History costs £15. To buy a copy, please email secretary@montagusquare.com.
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Crowds flocked to five free outdoor events in July which offered everything from golf competitions to a screening of Casablanca. By Kate White
VISITORS AND LOCALS alike attended Summer in the Square this year – a series of sport, culture and social outdoor events brought to The Portman Estate by the Baker Street Quarter Partnership (BSQP). During July, five events took place in Portman Square garden, which were free to attend, open to the public, thanks to the kind permission of the Garden Committee. Deckchairs, cushions and blankets were all free of charge to visitors. The series began with Wimbledon Live, where residents and workers watched all the action in SW19 on a big screen. Next was the Summer Festival, which expanded on the BSQP’s food market to include entertainment, games and even a pop-up beach. More than 25 food stalls ensured there was plenty to eat, and there were competitions and games. Golf in the Garden, held in conjunction with the British Open, got everyone practising their putting and swing. Crazy golf, chipping and nearest-the-pin competitions saw crowds competing to win prizes awarded by local businesses. The spectacular Sunset Cinema showed the classic 1942 film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, in a setting like no other. As soon as the gates opened, people hurried in to find their perfect positions, and there was not a bare patch of grass by the time the film started. Casablanca was truly captivating and, despite the central London location, you could hear a pin drop during some of the scenes. With a full round of applause when the film credits rolled, it was clear that it was enjoyed by all. The final event, Games in the Garden, brought the spirit of sporting competition to the square once again, this time for the Commonwealth Games. Live action was broadcast on the screen, and Fitness First helped with tug-of-war, sprint, relay and tabletennis contests. More than 13,000 people in total attended these events, with more than 6,000 people alone attending the Wimbledon screenings. Sunny
Taking a shine to the square
LEFT: A JENGA CONTEST KEPT THE PUNTERS AMUSED RIGHT: TABLE TENNIS WAS ANOTHER ATTRACTION IN THE SQUARE
weather and the BSQP’s ambassadors, who were on hand to meet and greet everyone, put a smile on visitors’ faces. Kirsty Jones, marketing and communications manager for BSQP, was delighted with the success of the series. “We were ambitious with our first series of summer events and had so many ideas for what to do that we decided to offer a range of everything,” she said. “We were blown away with how many people attended and it was great to see people of the Quarter, whether workers, residents or visitors, coming together and enjoying themselves. “It’s our goal to create a vibrant Quarter and with such great feedback about Summer in the Square we are hopefully on our way to doing that.” BSQP hopes to continue to host events next year. In the meantime, its popular monthly food market can be found at 55 Baker Street on the second Wednesday of each month. Info: 020 3056 5910, www.bakerstreetquarter.co.uk