JADE JAGGER On rocks and rock’n’roll

mayfair times
In this issue Jade Jagger, Chris Bracey and jewellery special
May 13
JADE JAGGER
On rocks and rock’n’roll
JEWELLERY SPECIAL
Mayfair’s most innovative designers
LIGHTS UP
Neon artist Chris Bracey
£3
May 13

Mayfair Times
Mayfair’s house magazine
for 28 years – now made
in Mayfair
www.mayfairtimes.co.uk
www.mayfairpa.com
Contents
22
43
38 31
14
26 Jade Jagger
The jewellery and interiors
designer on her inspirations, her
family and her rock’n’roll heritage
Cover picture by Benjamin Eagle
6 News
A rare diamond sets a new world
record at Bonhams and craftsmen
take over a Mayfair garage
14 Events
Get a lip reading from the Lipstick
Queen and quiz Al Pacino
18 Theatre
The West End’s new darling, Kara
Tointon, in Relatively Speaking
20 Art
Ben Brown Fine Arts hosts a major
show by YBA Gavin Turk
24 Literature
The short story is having a moment
at The Word Factory’s book salon
36 Food & drink
Sketch celebrates ten years and
Hibiscus gets a makeover
42 Charity
Mint Leaf hosts a sparkling benefit
in aid of cancer charity Teens Unite
43 Health & beauty
Street dance your way to health
with dance troupe Diversity
46 Business
Tweets, likes and check-ins: make
social networking work for you
51 Property
A sneak preview of the hottest new
apartment block on the rental
market. Plus: the Beacroft brothers
transform a tired Mayfair home
100 Direct lines
Should Mayfair top the Monopoly
board once more?
22 Chris Bracey
The neon sign-maker who went
from sex shops to successful artist
31 Jewellery special
Designers who dare to be different,
and Fortnum’s new jewellery room
Editor Selma Day
T 020 7259 1052
E selma@pubbiz.com
Writers Nuala Calvi, Jamie Downham,
Harry Edwards, Elena Seymenliyska,
Kate White
Sub-editor Nuala Calvi
Designer Andy Lowe
Publishing director Adrian Day
T 020 7259 1055
E day@pubbiz.com
Advertisement director
Sam Bradshaw T 020 7259 1051
Advertisement manager
Bridget Rodricks T 020 7259 1059
Printed in the UK.
© Publishing Business Ltd 2013
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5

6
news
A topping day for art
Grayson Perry and Stephen Fry joined Royal
Academy of Arts president Christopher Le Brun,
secretary and chief executive Charles Saumarez
Smith and keeper of the Royal Academy
Schools Eileen Cooper to lay a symbolic brick at
the topping-out ceremony for the RA’s Keeper’s
House on Piccadilly.
The Keeper’s House will open in September,
transforming facilities for RA visitors and
supporters. The £6.5 million project has been
designed by David Chipperfield Architects, with
interiors featuring new artworks by Perry and
other Royal Academicians and catering by
restaurateur Oliver Peyton.
Parky in
the garden
SIR MICHAEL PARKINSON has
agreed to open the 2013
Residents’ Society of Mayfair
and St James’s summer garden
party, which takes place on June
24 in Mount Street Gardens.
The event will run from 6pm
until dusk and will feature
champagne, canapés, music and
a variety of entertainment.
Ticket prices are £25 for
association members and £30 for
non-members. If you want to get
involved, either as a sponsor or a
supporter, call organiser Howard
Evans on 07950 776 704 or email
him at howard.evans@
conferencebusiness.co.uk.
Tickets are available at the
Mayfair Library, 25 South Audley
Street, or online at
www.rsmsj.com/summer-gardenparty.
The space includes a new restaurant, bar
and walled garden. The renovation will allow the
RA to offer more to friends, patrons, Royal
Academicians and the general public through
increased social spaces, extended opening
hours and a public programme featuring talks,
debates, workshops and exhibitions.
GRAYSON PERRY RA, EILEEN COOPER RA,
CHRISTOPHER LE BRUN PRA AND STEPHEN FRY
AT THE TOPPING-OUT CEREMONY OF THE
KEEPER’S HOUSE
PHOTO: DARREN GERRISH
© ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS, LONDON
Icons in our midst
HALCYON GALLERY at 29 New Bond Street is
exhibiting a collection of iconic contemporary
art including images by Andy Warhol.
The exhibition, called Iconic, will feature
photographs from Andy Warhol’s Exposure of
1979, a collection that saw Warhol amass
images of the glamorous and famous in his
daily life.
In addition to work by Warhol, there are
images by David LaChapelle, whose work has
been described as kitsch-pop surrealism, and
sculpture and painting by Mauro Perucchetti
and Santiago Montoya.
The exhibition runs until June 30.
MITCH GRIFFITHS, THEY LOVE ME,
THEY LOVE ME NOT © HALCYON GALLERY
New cast for West
End Company
NEW WEST END COMPANY has announced
two key appointments to lead the newly formed
Bond Street Retail Group. Paul Diamond, deputy
chairman of DAKS Simpson Group, has taken on
the role of interim chairman, and Beverley
Aspinall, former managing director of Fortnum &
Mason, has been appointed interim managing
director.
The Bond Street Retail Group will be made
up of senior directors from Bond Street’s leading
Out of Claridge’s
GORDON RAMSAY at Claridge’s is to close
next month after a 12-year collaboration.
Telling Mayfair Times of his departure,
Ramsay said: “Claridge’s was fantastic and
the feeling when we signed up was incredible
– it really pushed things forward for us.
“It was a brilliant partnership for more than
12 years, but we took the decision to move on
and look at other opportunities and developments.
You can’t stand still – you’ve got to keep on moving,
which is what we’re doing.”
September will see the opening of Union Street Café
in Borough Market, in partnership with David Beckham,
while Ramsay still owns Maze and Maze Grill in
Grosvenor Square.
luxury retailers and will work with funding partner
New West End Company. The transitional
management team, lead by Diamond and
Aspinall, will develop and start implementing a
five-year plan for Bond Street.
The group will work closely with Westminster
City Council and Transport for London to
manage a programme of work aimed at
transforming the public spaces of Bond Street,
including superior carriageways and paving. It will
also oversee new investment in the area, attract
an increase in spending from high-net-worth
visitors and help shape the future of
Bond Steet.
Prime-London primer
THE LONDON REAL Estate Forum, a two-day exhibition
and conference programme, takes place next month
(June 11-12) in Berkeley Square. It brings together more
than 50 major office, retail and residential developments
available to let or to invest in over the next decade.
The conference will present the latest development
activity in prime-London office and residential locations,
investigate future occupier requirements in the financial,
retail, technology, media and telecommunications sectors
and identify the latest investment and funding trends.
Speakers include David Shaw, head of Regent Street
Portfolio at The Crown Estate; Peter Vernon, chief
executive, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland; and Boris
Johnson, mayor of London. See www.lref.co.uk.
Dine back in time
LUKE THOMAS, the subject of recent BBC Three
documentary Britain’s Youngest Head Chef, has
partnered with restaurateur, hotelier and club owner Mark
Fuller to take over the ground-floor restaurant at Fuller’s
Embassy nightclub for a six-month pop-up social diner.
Called Retro Feasts, the food and drink concept is
inspired by childhood favourites, with classic British
dishes given a fresh twist.
The interior will give a nod to the retro styling of the
1970s and 1980s, with glassware and crockery to match,
while waiters and waitresses will be dressed in “cheeky
and colourful” old-school vintage clothing. For the launch
week (May 8-12) food prices will be set at 1983 levels.
Britain’s Youngest Head Chef followed Thomas, 19,
during his first seven months as chef patron at Luke’s
Dining Room at Sanctum on the Green, under the
watchful eye of Fuller.
Fancy that
AN EXTREMELY RARE, fancy deep-blue
diamond ring weighing 5.30 carats set a new
world record at Bohams Fine Jewellery sale
last month. The ring, made by Bulgari,
fetched £1.18 million per carat – beating the
previous world record for a blue diamond of
approximately £1 million.
Graff Diamonds, which has headquarters
in New Bond Bond Street, paid £6,201,250
for the gem, a Trombino ring made in the
mid Sixties, which had been expected to sell
for up to £1.5 million.
7

86
8
news
Opera lovers take note
AROUND 700 PEOPLE, including celebrities
and stars from the opera world, turned up for
the inaugural Opera Awards, which took
place at the London Hilton Park Lane hotel.
There were 23 awards in total, judged by
an independent panel of industry experts.
Winners included Nina Stemme (Female
Singer), Jonas Kaufmann (Male Singer and
Reader’s Award, as voted for by readers of
Opera Magazine) and Antonio Pappano,
FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS of
her previous exhibition Elements
of Nature, London artist Aisha
Caan has created another capsule
collection of paintings that further
explore the theme of the Big
Bang. Caan’s work brings
together the disciplines of faith
and science through the form of
contemporary, conceptual art. The
paintings go on display at the
Albemarle Gallery in Albemarle
Street on May 16.
WESTMINSTER CITY COUNCIL
has now designated Mayfair as a
neighbourhood forum area. On the
basis that only 23 per cent of the
floor area within Mayfair is
residential, Mayfair has also been
designated a business area. This
means when it comes to the
referendum on the Business
music director of the Royal Opera House
(Conductor). The Lifetime Achievement
Award went to Sir George Christie, former
chairman of Glyndebourne Productions and
founder and former chair of the London
Sinfonietta.
The awards, founded by Harry Hyman of
the Nexus Group (based in St James’s) and
Neighbourhood Plan, both
businesses and residents will be
allowed to vote.
THE NOVIKOV Lounge Bar in
Stratton Street has launched a
series of DJ nights. Some of the
world’s leading talents are lined
up to play, including DJ and
producer Arthur Baker who will be
Crafty use of a garage
FOR FOUR MONTHS from May 23, The
New Craftsmen will be transforming a
back-street garage in Mayfair (14 Adams
Row) into a “multi-sensory evocation of
craft and its roots”, where guests can
buy, commission and experience new
pieces of craft created by British makers.
A programme of interactive
workshops, residencies and stimulating
events will also encourage guests to
connect products to materials and
News in brief introducing the latest trends on
the DJ scene. For details, call
020 7399 4330.
NEWS: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
Opera Magazine editor John Allison,
recognise excellence in all areas of opera.
THE LOOMBA FOUNDATION, a
UN charity partner that supports
widows in developing countries,
will hold its inaugural 5k event in
JONAS KAUFMANN
processes, giving them a greater
understanding of provenance and value.
Launched last November with a popup
shop in Carlos Place, The New
Craftsmen works to promote and sell
craftsmanship from the British Isles,
made by a selection of Britain’s finest
makers working in textiles, silverware,
furniture, ceramics, jewellery and
glassware, amongst other disciplines.
www.thenewcraftsmen.com
Hyde Park on June 23, marking
International Widows Day 2013.
Thousands of runners, including
patrons Sir Richard Branson and
Cherie Blair, are expected to take
part in the event, which will also be
supported by a host of celebrities,
including Olympic and Paralympic
athletes. For more information, visit
www.theloombafoundation.org.
LAST MONTH the Hilton on Park
Lane marked its 50th anniversary,
paying homage to the day the
hotel opened on April 17, 1963.
Fifty staff representing 50 years
posed outside the hotel for a
photograph to mark the occasion.

10
news
One of India’s leading fashion designers, Payal
Jain, made her UK debut last month at Le Meridien
Piccadilly, at a fundraiser hosted by Friends of
Pratham. The event was in aid of Pratham, India’s
largest education NGO, which works to improve
learning levels among underprivileged children.
Television presenter Tasmin Lucia-Khan hosted
the afternoon. Also pledging their support at the
event were Bollywood stars Poonam Dhillon,
Jacqueline Fernandez and British comedian
Sanjeev Bhaskar.
Bhaskar, who has recently come on board as
an ambassador for the charity, told Mayfair Times:
“Education is an incredibly passionate subject with
me – I’m chancellor of Sussex University – and I
think that any project that focuses on education,
particularly children, rings a lot of bells for me.
“I think that young people, if they are educated,
apart from bettering themselves in society, are the
people who will become the adults who are
involved in corporations in the future. They are the
ones us Brits want to be doing business with, so if
there’s any degree of self-interest, there’s a longterm
benefit.”
Bhaskar praised the charity, saying he admired
its approach to doing things. “They get in and
educate,” he said. “The fact that they are doing it
from here, are small and target specific projects, is
all music to my ears. It all makes sense to me.
“The admin costs are among the lowest I’ve
ever experienced in any kind of organisational
charity, and that means the money is going
straight there.”
The event, which raised £42,000 for the charity,
was attended by a 350-strong audience of mostly
Designed to help
young women. Guests were treated to drinks and
canapés, while enjoying Payal’s spring/summer 13
catwalk show, jewellery by Neety Singh and an
exhibition by SA Fine Arts.
Pratham has reached almost 500,000 children
in 43 cities, and 33 million children in 305,000
villages, through its wide range of programmes –
and has taught children to read in nursery, primary
and secondary education and beyond.
Bhaskar urged people in Mayfair to show their
support and told guests: “These are the people
your husbands are going to be doing business
with in the future.”
Visit www.pratham.co.uk
BOLLYWOOD STARS,
COMEDIANS AND TV
PRESENTERS TURNED OUT
FOR THE UK DEBUT OF
FASHION DESIGNER PAYAL
JAIN AT LE MERIDIEN, IN AID
OF FRIENDS OF PRATHAM
TOP: TASMIN LUCIA-KHAN, SANJEEV
BHASKAR, JACQUELINE FERNANDEZ AND
POONAM DHILLON
MIDDLE: PAYAL JAIN SPRING SUMMER 13
LEFT: PAYAL JAIN (MIDDLE) WITH MODELS

12
news
Summer loving stars
GROSVENOR HAS
CONFIRMED
THREE ACTS –
FROM NATHAN
HASSALL MUSIC –
THAT WILL BRING
A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT
FLAVOUR TO THE
PERFORMANCE
PROGRAMME AT
SUMMER IN THE
SQUARE. THIS
YEAR’S EVENT,
WHICH TAKES
PLACE IN
GROSVENOR
SQUARE FROM
JULY 11-28,
WILL SEE A
MORE DIVERSE
AND UPBEAT
RANGE OF
PERFORMANCES,
WITH A MORE
“INTERNATIONAL”
FEEL TO APPEAL
TO A MUCH
WIDER AUDIENCE.
The Bloomsbury
String Quartet
THE EXQUISITE Bloomsbury String Quartet is one
of London’s top professional classical chamber
ensembles. All of the members have extremely busy
and varied careers working with the likes of the Royal
Ballet Sinfonia, English National Ballet, Academy of
Ancient Music, Les Misérables, and Bournemouth
Symphony Orchestra to name just a few.
Angelita Jimenez
– Brazilian singer
AS WELL AS BEING stunningly attractive
Angelita is one of London’s finest Brazilian
ex-pat musicians with a gorgeous voice
and an extraordinary level of musicianship.
Effortlessly performing a mix of classic
Bossa Nova, Samba and Brazilian Pop,
what better way to relax and enjoy the
sunshine than hear this rising star?
The
Nathan
Hassall
Trio
NATHAN ORIGINALLY
studied classical
saxophone at the Royal
College of Music but
since graduating in 2005
he has enjoyed a busy
career playing with his
jazz band right across
Europe. Nathan is
professor of saxophone
at the London College of
Music and artistic
director of the critically
acclaimed Miles Davis
Project Band.
A LIMITED NUMBER of sponsorship
opportunities are available. Contact Jessica Curtis
at Grosvenor on 020 7312 6196 for details or
email her at jessica.curtis@grosvenor.com

14
events
George Bellows Exhibition: Modern American Life
Royal Academy of Arts, W1. Runs until June 9. £10 adults, £8 students, under-12s free.
The Royal Academy of Arts is hosting the first-ever British exhibition of works by American
realist painter George Bellows.
Bellows was one of the most acclaimed American artists of his generation and, despite
his death at the age of only 42 in 1925, he left behind a remarkable body of work, the best
of which is on display here.
The artist is known for his bold depictions of urban life and social deprivation in New
York during the early 20th Century. His work was central to the emergence of the
American realist movement which sought to focus on the real, emerging America of the
city in contrast to its rural beginnings.
The exhibition includes approximately 50 paintings, 20 drawings and 20 lithographs.
Tel: 020 7300 8027. www.royalacademy.org.uk
GEORGE BELLOWS, STAG AT SHARKEY’S, 1909. © THE CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART
EVENTS: Harry Edwards research@pubbiz.com
British Asian Culture:
Doomed to be
‘Uncool’?
Asia House, New Cavendish Street,
W1. May 10, 6.45pm. Tickets £10, £8
concessions, £7 Asia House friends.
A selection of British Asian
commentators will meet to discuss
whether British Asian culture will ever
be perceived as cool.
The speakers will examine the
development of Asian culture in
Britain and how British Asians have
adapted their own traditions to help
make Britain a multicultural place.
Guests include television
presenter Bobby Friction, awardwinning
TV chef Ravinder Bhogal
(pictured), poet Siddhartha Bose and
writer Sathnam Sanghera.
Info: 020 7307 5454.
www.asiahouse.org/arts-and-culture
An Evening with Pacino
London Palladium, Argyll Street, W1. June 2,
7.30pm. Tickets start from £55.
Hollywood icon Al Pacino will be appearing for one
night only at the London Palladium in An Evening with
Pacino.
The event will explore the highlights of Pacino’s
career and will include an on-stage interview with the
actor, as well as a rare opportunity to quiz him in a
question-and-answer session.
Info: 0844 412 4655. www.seatlive.com
Romantic Chemistry
The Royal Society, SW1. Runs until June 14. Free.
This exhibition explores chemistry in the early 19th Century, a
time when the discovery of the elements was at its zenith.
The chemists of the time were young, popular and
romantic, and the exhibition uses the Royal Society’s archives
to tell their stories and explain how the discoveries they made
affect the world we now live in.
Info: 020 7451 2500. www.royalsociety.org
Pacifica Quartet at Wigmore Hall
36 Wigmore St, W1. May 25, 7.30pm. Tickets £12, £18, £24,
£28 dependent on area.
The Pacifica Quartet of Bloomington, Indiana, will be
performing three contrasting approaches to string-quartet
composition by Haydn, Bartok and Ravel.
The group was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical
America in 2009.
Info: 020 7935 2141. www.wigmore-hall.org.uk
Treasures of the Royal Court
discussion at Waterstone’s
Waterstone’s, Piccadilly, W1. May 16, 6:30pm. Tickets £5/£3.
The curators of the V&A’s exhibition The Treasures of the
Royal Courts: Tudors, Stuarts and the Russian Tsars, will be
discussing the ideas behind the show at a special evening
event at Waterstone’s Piccadilly. The exhibition tells the story
of diplomacy between the British Monarchy and the Russian
Tsars through more than 150 magnificent objects.
Info: 020 7851 2419. www.waterstones.com

16
events
The World
on Regent Street
Regent Street, W1. May 12. Free.
On Sunday May 12, Regent Street will be
completely traffic free and transformed to
celebrate the cultures of countries from
across the globe.
The World on Regent Street will
showcase the best in music, dance, art,
food and fashion from a wide variety of
countries, all of which will be set against the
backdrop of Regent Street’s famed British
architecture.
There will be a range of free activities to
take part in during the day, including tango
lessons from Argentina, henna drawings
from Egypt, a steel-pan band and dancing
from Trinidad and Tobago, Wallace and
Gromit adventures featuring a hot-air balloon
and much more.
Throughout the month, there will be a
schedule of events including in-store
activities, special menus and competitions.
Info: 020 7287 9601.
www.regentstreetonline.com
Lipstick Queen Lip Readings
63 New Bond St, W1. May 13, 12pm-3pm. Free.
Poppy King, founder of the iconic lipstick brand
Lipstick Queen, will be offering her famous “lip
readings” at the new Lipstick Queen counter in
Fenwick in Bond Street.
Poppy will read your hopes and dreams
through your lips, while providing expert
guidance on shades and textures of lipstick that
will complement your features and style.
Info: 020 7629 9161.
www.fenwick.co.uk/bond-street
Cricket and the Rise
of Modern India
Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street,
W1. May 13. Tickets £10, concessions
£8, friends £7.
Asia House is hosting a discussion on
the role that cricket and corruption have
played in modern India.
Speakers include James Astill, the
author of The Great Tamasha: Cricket,
Corruption and the Turbulent Rise of
Modern India, and sports-betting
journalist Ed Hawkins.
They will examine how politicians,
bookmakers and players have been
embroiled in cricket-related corruption.
Info: 020 7307 5454.
www.asiahouse.org
Charles Correa: India’s Greatest Architect
RIBA, Portland Place, W1. Runs May 14 – September 4. Free.
The Royal Institute of British Architects presents the first major UK exhibition showcasing
the work of renowned Indian architect Charles Correa.
The exhibition features over 600 drawings by Correa, and looks at how he has
attempted to incorporate wider social concerns into his designs, such as climate change
and the need for affordable housing.
Info: 020 7580 5533. www.architecture.com
A Weekend with
BLITZ Magazine
Institute for Contemporary Arts, The Mall, SW1.
May 18-19. Ticket prices to be announced.
The ICA will be hosting a number of special
events to mark the launch of fashion editor
Iain R. Webbs’ new book, As Seen in BLITZ:
Fashioning 80s Style.
The weekend includes a pop-up show
curated by Webb, film screenings and a series of
talks with special guests. The exhibition will focus
on 1980s fashion and culture and the role BLITZ
magazine played in the era.
Info: 020 7930 3647. www.ica.org.uk
Calder After the War
Pace Gallery, Burlington Gardens,
W1. Runs until June 7. Free.
An exhibition showcasing nearly 50
works by the American sculptor
Alexander Calder is being held at
Pace Gallery.
Calder is best known for his
mobiles – delicate, hanging kinetic
sculptures that move in response to
a motor or the air. The exhibition will
also feature some of Calder’s lesserknown
paintings.
Info: 020 3206 7600.
www.pacegallery.com

18
theatre
AFTER FINDING FAME WITH
EASTENDERS AND STRICTLY
COME DANCING, KARA TOINTON
BECAME THE TOAST OF THE
WEST END AS ELIZA DOOLITTLE.
NOW SHE IS TAKING TO THE
STAGE AGAIN, IN A REVIVAL OF
ALAN AYCKBOURN’S SIXTIES
COMEDY RELATIVELY SPEAKING
“It was the most nerve-racking thing I’ve ever
experienced,” says Kara Tointon, of the time she first met
playwright Alan Ayckbourn. “I was doing Absent Friends at
the Harold Pinter theatre, and he turned up at our first full
run-through. It’s always a little bit scary doing the whole play
through for the first time, but doing it in front of him…”
As it turned out, having the great man in the room proved
rather useful. Tointon had been struggling somewhat with the
part of straight-talking Evelyn in Ayckbourn’s comedy of
manners, and he was able to give her a pep talk.
“I was really struggling at the time, because I was playing
a girl who just sat there and every now and then came in
with these comments like a fog horn. I thought it was a really
easy little part because I was just going to sit there and do
nothing, but it was actually the hardest part I’ve ever done.
Alan explained that the others are playing the game together
and she isn’t, and that’s sort of the point of it. After that I
really embraced it and got it.”
Part of the trouble was that Tointon had just been on
stage as Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion, opposite Rupert Everett
– a part that involved “all the speaking in the world”. It was
the show that had marked her transition from soap actress
(as EastEnders’ Dawn Swann) to “actress of truly great
potential” – according to the Telegraph’s Charles Spencer –
and she was the undisputed star.
But Tointon needn’t have worried – she’s since become
something of an expert in Ayckbourn’s perfectly pitched
ensemble comedies. Following Absent Friends, she was
snapped up for another Ayckbourn number – Relatively
Speaking – which hits the West End this month after a
successful regional tour.
In Relatively Speaking Tointon plays Ginny, a girl about
town in Swinging Sixties London, who is pursued to
Buckinghamshire by an over-keen new boyfriend, Greg. Cue
much mistaken identity and hilarious misunderstandings – as
well as the acute middle-class social observation for which
the playwright is known.
Relatively Speaking was Ayckbourn’s first West End hit,
one of around 80 plays he has penned over the course of his
career. Popular and prolific, he was nevertheless somewhat
maligned in the last decade.
“It’s interesting how, time and time again, when you meet
Strictly theatre
popular people they haven’t necessarily had the easiest of
careers – they haven’t been showered with praise, but
they’re the best at what they do,” says Tointon. “People don’t
always jump to salute popular things, and I don’t know why.
“Ayckbourn is a bit like Marmite I suppose – you either
love or hate his kind of comedy. Personally, I love it – it’s right
up my street. I think his humour is very British, and despite
the time difference, you can relate to the things he writes
about.”
Discovering a talent for comedy acting has proved to be
Tointon’s ticket out of the world of soaps, although the
transition wasn’t easy. “I think that’s just the sting of the
soap, that’s what you sign up for when you go in,” she says.
“I was aware of it, but your choices are based on what’s
going on at that time, and I wanted to be part of something
for longer than a couple of weeks or a couple of months, so
at the time it was the right thing to do.”
At the time, she was 21, an Essex girl with Lamda acting
exams and appearances in Teachers and Dream Team under
her belt. Playing Swann, the mouthy barmaid, gave her
national recognition and a regular pay packet.
But once she left in 2009, it was a while before the
phones started ringing again. In the meantime, Tointon filmed
a documentary for the BBC, Don’t Call Me Stupid, about her
experience of living with dyslexia.
“It wasn’t until I did the documentary that I realised that I
could actually change the way I do things as an actor. I’d
always struggled to learn scripts, and for a long time I just
“Ayckbourn is a bit like
Marmite I suppose – you
either love or hate his kind
of comedy. Personally, I love
it – it’s right up my street”
Kara Tointon
stuck to the way I was doing it, but I love that I’ve found new
techniques.
“I realised I remember things by colour, movement and
sound, rather than just reading it and hoping it will go in. It’s
got to be more physical and bright than that. It sounds
bizarre, but I have these post-it notes and I go around the
room and I write something that reminds me of the line, and
then it’s all about movement. So it’s not just about sitting
there and reading over your lines constantly – I’m sort of
running around the room!”
Such techniques proved invaluable when casting
directors started falling over themselves to hire her again –
after she boosted her crowd-pulling power by winning 2010’s
Strictly Come Dancing – especially for learning the daunting
number of lines required as Eliza Doolittle.
Making her West End debut was “something I had always
dreamed of doing – I was in my element,” she says. But she
was anxious that the critics would be sharpening their pencils
for her. “I was very nervous on the press night, because you
suddenly think: oh my goodness, you’re feeling great about
it, but reviewers are a daunting, scary thing,” she says. “The
fact they were kind was like the icing on the cake. It made
me feel great about going ahead for the four-month run.”
Having won the critics over unanimously, now she just
has to worry about Mr Ayckbourn turning up unannounced.
Relatively Speaking is at the Wyndham’s Theatre from
May 14. Tel: 020 7836 7660.
KARA TOINTON AND FELICITY
KENDAL IN RELATIVELY SPEAKING
PHOTOS BY NOBBY CLARK
THEATRE: Nuala Calvi
nuala@pubbiz.com
19

20
art
Memory games
THE MOST MEMORABLE DAY in Ruth Goddard’s childhood
was the day that her old history schoolbooks were suddenly
exchanged for new ones. Goddard was growing up in South
Africa, and apartheid had just ended. History needed to be
rewritten.
This experience is the inspiration for Goddard’s work A
Persistent History (above), in which pages from various South
African school textbooks, dating from before and after
apartheid, are traced in intricate pencil drawings. Each
picture is then partially rubbed out, suggesting the shifting
nature of collective memory.
In Alan Cristea Gallery’s latest exhibition, Conflicted
Memory, Goddard’s work sits alongside that of seven other
women from around the world who are linked by all having
lived in areas of conflict or political unrest.
They include Christiane Baumgartner, who also addresses
her early school experiences in Klassenkameraden, a screenprint
that superimposes the faces of her classmates until they
become unrecognizable, in order to comment on the
suppression of individuality in the former GDR.
Adela Jusic’s The Sniper, meanwhile, addresses the
generational impact of conflict, as the artist struggles to
come to terms with her father’s part in the Bosnian war. The
video installation voices entries from her father’s notebook, in
which he recorded the number of Serbs he killed each day,
with the artist’s hand drawing a red circle from which a
picture of her father slowly materializes.
Despite the very diverse experiences that inspire the
works, it’s the common processes of remembering,
commemorating and forgetting, on both a personal and
public level, that are so brilliantly illuminated.
Conflicted Memory is at The Alan Cristea Gallery, 31 & 34
Cork Street, until June 1. Tel: 020 7439 1866.
RUTH GODDARD, A PERSISTENT HISTORY, 2011-12
COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND ALAN CRISTEA GALLERY
art events
Gavin Turk pops up in Mayfair
GAVIN TURK famously began his career by announcing its demise – in the
form of a blue plaque, posthumously attesting to his greatness. Since then,
he has continuously explored notions of artistic identity and authorship.
Finally receiving his first monograph, long after he became one of
Saatchi’s Young British Artists in the Nineties, Turk is also enjoying a major
solo show in Mayfair this month. Entitled The Years, it brings together some
of the artist’s most recognizable works, including Triple Pop Black and White
(2011), a variant on his Pop waxwork in which Turk cast himself as Sid
Vicious in the same pose as Elvis in Andy Warhol’s famous screen-print.
New works premiered continue the artist’s preoccupation with artistic
identity, including ovoid canvases that have been punctured to spell Turk’s
initials – referencing Lucio Fontana’s 1940s slash and holes series, in which
the Italian artist cut into the surface of his paintings.
Gavin Turk: The Years is at Ben Brown Fine Arts, 12 Brook’s Mews, until
June 14. Tel: 020 7734 8888.
GAVIN TURK, TRIPLE POP BLACK AND WHITE, 2011 © GAVIN TURK. COURTESY OF BEN BROWN FINE ARTS
UNTIL MAY 25
Andreas Eriksson:
Coincidental Mapping
Mamma Andersson:
Gooseberry
Eriksson’s stitch paintings
recreate the beauty of the
Swedish countryside, while
Andersson’s work draws
on Nordic folk art.
Stephen Friedman Gallery,
25-28 Old Burlington Street.
Tel: 020 7494 1434.
UNTIL MAY 31
David Rickard:
Vanishing Points
Large artworks test the limits of
the gallery space, including two
concrete beams that swing back
and forth, striking the walls.
Sumarria Lunn Gallery, 35 South
Molton Lane.
Tel: 020 7493 9598.
UNTIL JUNE 1
Richard Patterson
Overview of the past 15 years of
painting by the former YBA and
Freeze and Sensation artist.
Timothy Taylor Gallery, 15 Carlos
Place. Tel: 020 7409 3344.
MAY 3-JUNE 1
Martin Kobe: New Work
Semi-abstract, architecturally
inspired paintings by the New
Leipzig School artist.
Pippy Houldsworth Gallery,
6 Heddon Street.
Tel: 020 7734 7760.
MAY 20-JUNE 1
Great English Furniture
Includes a giltwood trophy by
Sefferin Nelson, carver for
George IV at Carlton House.
Mallett, 37 Dover Street.
Tel: 020 7499 7411.
Last month the
Mayfair Times App was
downloaded by readers in
Australia
Brazil
China
France
Germany
Japan
Kuwait
Maldives
Norway
Singapore
Switzerland
Tunisia
United Arab
Emirates
United Kingdom
United States
Download the free app now at
the App Store and Google Play

22 23
art
It’s taken a while for Chris Bracey to acknowledge that what he
does is art. Bracey has been making neon signs for over 30 years,
but it’s only relatively recently that he’s been selling through
auctioneers and galleries. “About three years ago, Phillips de Pury,
the auctioneers, approached me about selling some [works] – I put
three in the auction and they went for £15,000 each,” he says,
evidently still excited by the fact. “The day after that, Guy Hepner
called me from Los Angeles. He’s got an art gallery, he does, like,
Warhol, Lichtenstein, Banksy, you know, Mr Brainwash and all that,
and then he started selling my stuff. So I was falling in line behind
Warhol, Lichtenstein and Banksy. I didn’t mind being in fourth
position – it’s alright to be behind those guys.”
This month marks Bracey’s first UK solo exhibition, at Mayfair’s
Scream gallery. Entitled I’ve Looked Up to Heaven and Been Down
to Hell, it’s a dazzling collection of neon signage and sculpture that
references everything from pop lyrics, tattoo culture and the sex
industry to religion and existentialism. Neon, with its seedy
connotations, is used to great effect juxtaposed with the figure of
Christ or an angel, or emphasising the hollowness of promises of
“paradise” or “utopia” (in fact, it’s surprising how sinister such a
bright, colourful medium can be if you put your mind to it).
In sophistication and intent, the works are a far cry from the
creations of Bracey’s father and grandfather, who were neon signmakers
for fairgrounds and amusement arcades. But Bracey clearly
remains keenly aware of the debt he owes them and the proud
tradition he comes from. “I’ve grown up with it – I’ve got neon
flowing in my blood, you know, and neon – it’s 101 years old. It’s not
a mainstream product made by General Electric or in a factory. It’s a
bunch of guys like me that work in small studios, nearly all taught by
their fathers, and their fathers were taught by their grandfathers,
doing the same process.”
It took a while, however, for Bracey to see that neon could be art
with a capital A. “I didn’t consider it an artform,” he admits. “I
considered it an industrial product.”
To begin with, it was the sex industry that benefited from his
talents. He was largely responsible, he says, for setting Soho aglow
with bright-pink signage in the Seventies.
“I was the first one to use ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’ in Soho,” he says.
“I used to make neons for the Raymond Revue Bar, and all that. But
I was kind of public enemy at that point. I was the Banksy of sex,
because I didn’t ever apply for planning consent or anything, I just
used to go in under cover of darkness, and turn a business
overnight into a sex business. I used to make all the names up, use
all the colours and just put whatever I wanted, you know: ‘Dreaming
Lips’, ‘Rude Encounter’, ‘Find Love Upstairs’. I just did whatever I
wanted to do.”
Bracey was up a ladder plying his craft one day when a
frustrated art director came his way. Chris Townsend, who was
working on the film Mona Lisa, starring Michael Caine and Bob
Hoskins, had been having trouble talking the club owners into letting
him shoot scenes in the area. “I said, ‘Oh, it’s because you’re not
connected – you don’t know the right people,’” says Bracey. “I said,
‘Well I’ll get you in, if you give me the job of making all the signs for
the front of these places, where you want to change them.’ By this
point I was sick of doing sex signs in Soho because it was murder
getting the money.”
With his foot in the door of the film industry, Bracey quickly
found his niche specialism much in demand with everyone from
Stanley Kubrick (on Eyes Wide Shut) to Tim Burton (Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory). The art and fashion worlds were quick to follow,
with Bracey commissioned by David LaChapelle, Martin Creed,
Stella McCartney and Vivienne Westwood.
Moving from creating neons for other artists to creating his own
standalone works of art, some made from scratch, others fashioned
from reclaimed bits of film sets or vintage advertising hoardings,
Bracey’s collectors now include Kate Moss, Jude Law, Elton John
and Lady Gaga. “Gordon Ramsay’s got one, and Jamie Oliver’s got
one,” he says. “I seem to be quite popular with chefs for some
reason. If you’re very driven, you seem to be attracted to neon.”
And what about his own enduring love affair with the medium?
“There are loads of different forms of light source, but for me, neon’s
got a spirit, it’s got a life, you know?” he says. “Neon, when it’s
switched off, is dead. When you put the electricity on, it’s almost like
being Professor Frankenstein.”
Chris Bracey: I’ve Looked Up to Heaven and Been Down to Hell is at
Scream gallery from April 12. Tel: 020 7268 9857.
The light fantastic
CHRIS BRACEY WAS TAUGHT
THE ART OF NEON SIGN-MAKING
BY HIS FATHER, WHO WORKED
FOR FAIRGROUNDS AND
AMUSEMENT ARCADES. BUT
BRACEY TOOK A DIFFERENT
CAREER PATH, FIRST LIGHTING
UP SOHO’S SEX INDUSTRY AND
NOW DAZZLING THE ART WORLD
ABOVE: NO PLACE
LIKE UTOPIA
LEFT: SHINE A LIGHT
IN THE DARKNESS OF
YOUR SOUL
OPPOSITE: HANDS
OF GOD
© CHRIS BRACEY,
COURTESY OF
SCREAM GALLERY
ART: Nuala Calvi
nuala@pubbiz.com

24 25
literature
Picture the scene: it is 2008 and two powerful players
in London’s literary scene are having lunch at The
Wolseley. Cathy Galvin, then deputy editor of the Sunday
Times magazine, has recently introduced a weekly shortstory
slot, the magazine’s first foray into fiction in its
50-year history. Opposite her sits Lord Matthew Evans,
former chairman of the publishers Faber & Faber, now
chairman of EFG Private Bank in Switzerland. The
conversation is convivial, bookish, gossipy. They both
love writers, they both want to champion the short-story
form.
Galvin suggests a prize, something to celebrate the
best in short-story writing. Quick as a flash, Evans talks
business: “How much do you think we should offer?”
Galvin swallows, tries not to choke, and replies in a
tentative tone: “Twenty-five thousand?” Unflustered,
Evans comes back with: “I should call Geneva this
afternoon.”
By 2010, the world’s richest prize for a single short
story was launched, with a cheque for £25,000 for the
best work of no more than 7,000 words published in the
UK or Ireland. Now in its fourth year, the EFG Sunday
Times Short Story Award is still going strong, and in
March this year, the winner Junot Díaz walked off with a
cheque for £30,000.
The prize is in good company, with a growing number
of awards recognising the short-story writer’s unique
talents, among them the BBC’s national and international
short-story awards, and the Costa Short Story Award.
Most recently, the short story received tacit recognition
with the unveiling of the Folio Society Prize, which can
go to any work of fiction, be it a novel or a collection of
short stories.
After too long in the literary shadows, the short story
is having its moment. And it’s all falling into place for
Galvin, who left the Sunday Times last year. She has
followed her passion for stories and now runs a literary
salon that champions short fiction. “I love fiction,” says
Galvin with a shrug. “It’s as simple as that – people like
being told a story.”
The salon meets on the last Saturday of the month,
in a bijou café-cum-bookshop called the Society Club,
down a cobbled road just east of Regent Street. At a
long, refectory-style table crowded with books and
bouquets of white roses, the grey-haired man in a tweed
jacket can rub elbows with the girl with a geometric
haircut and big spectacles. Outside, snow is falling.
Inside, the windows fug up with bonhomie and ideas.
The exiled Iraqi writer Hassan Blasim reads in Arabic into
a respectful silence. The young Welsh novelist Joe
Short but
sweet
WITH A GROWING NUMBER OF AWARDS
CELEBRATING THE SHORT STORY, THE ARTFORM
IS HAVING A MOMENT – AS A VISIT TO THE WORD
FACTORY’S MONTHLY SALON DEMONSTRATES.
FOUNDED BY FORMER JOURNALIST CATHY
GALVIN, THE MEETINGS DRAW CROWDS OF
SHORT-STORY LOVERS, AS WELL AS SOME OF
THE BIGGEST NAMES IN FICTION. ELENA
SEYMENLIYSKA REPORTS
CATHY GALVIN WITH HANIF KUREISHI - ONE
OF THE AUTHORS HER SALON HAS HOSTED
Dunthorne reads with a poker face and makes everyone
laugh. Afterwards, writers and audience mingle and chat,
emails are exchanged, books are bought and signed. It
is easy but stimulating, informal yet polished.
“The word salon can sound elitist,” Galvin says. “It
made me uncomfortable at first. I didn’t want it to be
mimsy. I like good work but I want it to be accessible.”
Over the past eight months, her salon has hosted writers
such as Hanif Kureishi, James Meek, Alexei Sayle and
Lionel Shriver. Among those lined up for future events are
Helen Simpson, Naomi Alderman and Kevin Barry.
Galvin says she named her venture the Word Factory
because it reflects the grand idea she has not just of a
literary salon, but also of all its creative offshoots – a
website with videos of authors reading their work;
creative writing seminars and masterclasses led by
agents and published authors; an innovative writing
apprentice scheme; and possible future projects such as
a magazine and a books imprint.
The name is also linked to her experience as a
magazine journalist. For 17 years, Galvin would walk
through the doors at News International, publisher of the
Sunday Times, and think to herself: “Here I am again,
back at the Word Factory.” The features and interviews
she published were stories too but, as she puts it:
“Fiction can touch on subtle truths about the times we
are in.”
Plus, around the time she came up with the idea for
the Word Factory, she was grappling with her own,
subtly personal story: her father was dying. “He’d
worked in factories all his life,” she says. “I wasn’t part of
some literary establishment. That’s why I was drawn to
journalism – I was the outsider looking in. The Word
Factory was my way of paying homage to his labour. It
has the same down-to-earth values: you produce good
work which can get sold.”
Galvin grew up in Coventry, and has roots in Ireland.
She says she loves parties, loves to gather and mix
people who seem different. Her salons have been known
to burst into song, or be set against a background of live
jazz, or feature Irish folk musicians alongside writers at
the peak of their careers and those just starting out.
“The Word Factory is a way of sharing the things that
I love,” she says. “This feels right. I haven’t had to work
at it – it’s been hugely easy and enjoyable.” She thinks
for a moment, and repeats: “It feels right.”
For details of the next literary salon or creative-writing
seminar, visit www.thewordfactory.tv. The Society Club is
at 12 Ingestre Place, W1.

26 27
jewellery
AS HER JEWELLERY GOES ON SALE AT FORTNUM &
MASON, DESIGNER JADE JAGGER, THE DAUGHTER OF
MICK AND BIANCA JAGGER, TELLS SELMA DAY HOW HER
ROCK’N’ROLL HERITAGE INFLUENCES HER WORK, WHAT
EFFECT HER PARENTS’ FAME HAS HAD ON HER CAREER,
AND WHY SHE’D LIKE TO BE A PAINTER
Rock on
How does it feel to be selling your jewellery at
Fortnum’s?
It’s great to be a part of it. I’ve always loved Fortnum’s – it’s
got great heritage. I love the tea rooms and I buy Christmas
presents here, and I think it has the right feeling to sell
jewellery. It’s not always that easy for stores to sell jewellery –
it needs a calm setting where there is the attention to detail.
Tell me about the jewellery that you’re designing now.
Making jewellery in India, there is a sort of Indian influence,
but I still have a heritage of rock’n’roll. So there are the skulls
and the new arrow collection, using different motifs, but they
are also still feminine and everlasting.
Where does the skull fascination come from – did Keith
Richards have any influence on you?
Maybe – it is a sort of rock’n’roll symbol – but I think it also
comes from some sort of rebelliousness that we’ve
had throughout the last couple of hundred years. It
gives us some sort of memory and
understanding of where we’ve come from and
where we’re going to go.
seem to enjoy it. Also, it’s not prohibitively expensive, so we
can make the things we want to make out there.
What’s inspiring you at the moment?
I’m always inspired by colour and using beautiful stones. The
new Arrow collection takes inspiration from things from Cupid
to Navajo Indians. I love the design of the motif, and I think
it’s quite fun.
Who wears your jewellery?
Different kinds of women wear my pieces, from more grownup
ladies, who you’d be surprised to know love the skull
rosaries and the beading work, to a younger crowd. There
doesn’t seem to be a particular type.
Do you think people are looking for something more
individual these days, rather than the big brands?
I think that there is a sort of backlash towards the corporate
identities of the bigger companies. I think they do give us
security and safety in branding, but I have a lot of clients who
want something a bit more unique as well as more of a
personal experience.
What is it that you love about Indian You left your role as creative director at Garrard in 2006.
culture?
How does running your own company compare to working
I’ve always worked there, so I’ve spent with such a big brand?
time there. I had a beading factory Having one’s own company I get to produce what I want,
when I started my first company, Jade and I think also the speed at which I can get there is quite
Inc. I worked in Delhi and we did a lot important to me. Sometimes when you work for a large
of embroidery and embellishment company it can take quite a long time, and that can become
there, so that was kind of my entry into very frustrating, particularly if you feel that something or
India. I’ve been working in Jaipur quite
a lot – that’s the main place that I
somebody gets there before you – if the idea gets out.
produce. I just I think it’s one of the last Is it difficult to strike a balance between being commercial
places on earth that really has that
and creative?
attention to detail that I love, and people still Yes, with all the marketing and modernity that goes on these
THIS PAGE: SILVER AND 18K GOLD VERMEIL VICTORIAN RUBY AND DIAMOND RING, £1,115
OPPOSITE PAGE: JADE JAGGER, PHOTOGRAPHED BY ROBERT ASTLEY-SPARKES

28
jewellery
days with Twitter and Facebook there seems to be a neverending
desire to send information out, whereas sometimes I
feel that I actually want to be more private.
If you could only wear one piece of jewellery for the rest of
your life, what would it be?
Probably a pair of earrings – but it’s always hard to make
those sorts of decisions. I have my nan’s wedding ring and
engagement ring from my dad’s side, and that’s very special
to me – I guess it’s so special I don’t really wear it. I do
sometimes but I worry because it’s getting a bit delicate now.
What makes a piece of jewellery special? Is it the emotional
attachment or the aesthetic beauty?
I think it is a combination. There’s usually a lot of sentimental
value in a piece of jewellery. The great thing about jewellery is
that it’s often given within an important moment in
somebody’s life, whether it’s between two lovers, for
Christmas, or given to your children. But I do have a lot of
clients who are buying it for themselves and are treating
themselves because they feel they’ve deserved it.
Are you working on any other projects?
I’ve got two large interiors projects going on in India at the
moment, in Mumbai and in Bangalore, and I’ve got a large
project in Moscow.
How does designing interiors compare to designing
jewellery?
People always find it quite difficult that I work between these
different disciplines, but in fact many people do – take
Philippe Starck, who’s also in that business. He works with
everything from glasses to welly boots to buildings and, in
essence, I think it’s about bringing beauty in design into
people’s lives.
Is there anything you haven’t designed that you’d like to
turn your hand to?
I’m going to start doing a few pieces of furniture and interiors
pieces.
Do you have any role models or people that you admire –
designers or artists?
I think sometimes I’m quite an insular person and I tend to
take my inspiration from experiences and nature rather than
role models. I wonder whether maybe it’s because both my
parent were such big role models.
Andy Warhol said of you: “I taught her how to colour and
she showed me how to play Monopoly.” Did he inspire you?
Yes – I think that being surrounded by so many artists was
quite important to my work, and that sort of upbringing was
quite exciting.
Many people’s first exposure to Mayfair comes through
playing Monopoly – was it a place you were aware of,
something you aspired to?
Definitely, we all aspire to go into Mayfair, and right now I’m
looking for a home and have been trying to be closer to the
centre of town. London has really has changed a lot,
particularly though food. It’s become as sophisticated, or
more so, than many other cities, and I’m happy to see that.
Would you consider living in Mayfair?
If I could afford it, yes.
Would you consider opening a store in Mayfair?
I’d love to but it’s quite difficult to come across property here.
Do you shop in Mayfair?
I love Lanvin and Marc by Marc Jacobs, but I make a lot of
my own clothes in India and I’ve also been wearing a lot of
Agnes B. I think I’ve taken to comfort being a very important
thing, because I’m always travelling or lugging a suitcase
around.
Music has been a big part of your life – what are you
listening to at the moment?
I listen to all sorts of music, from the old to the new. I’ve
been downloading a lot of things from Beats in Space, which
is one of those radio stations which has live streams. It’s nice
to get a bit of new music, though I’m always a bit unsure of
what the songs are.
What’s your favourite Rolling Stones song?
I think the new one is really great – I was quite inspired by it
and the lyrics. It’s hard to choose – I love them all. It’s been
exciting them going on tour and seeing them.
Do you think having the incredible parents you’ve had has
helped or hindered your business career?
I sometimes think it’s more a hindrance than a help. I think
people make more negative assumptions, but I try not to let
it get in my way.
Are you still into the clubbing scene – weren’t you
something of a party animal?
I’m not sure I was a party animal, but we did kind of work in
music, and we still do some things in Ibiza. But my
other work has made it more difficult for me to do. I
do still put on some events, and it’s always exciting
to curate things and bring people together – I think
that’s what it’s all about.
What’s your proudest achievement so far?
My personal life will always come first, so as a mother
my proudest achievement is having children and
seeing them grow up into the intelligent women they
are becoming. Getting married was great – I think love
and happiness has to come first. Working for Garrard
was a great achievement, and being the creative director
of such a historical brand, and working for Guerlain
[designing a bottle for its Shalimar fragrance] was great.
How do you balance work and family life?
I think you’ve got to keep everything in perspective and try
not to panic too much. You can only do your best and hope
that it’s going to be good enough, and realise that if things
don’t work out it’s not the end of the world.
What do you do for fun?
I enjoy the smaller things in life – I love cooking and I love
swimming in the sea when I get the chance.
How do you stay looking so great?
Slap on a bit of make-up. Maybe it’s just love and feeling
loved that gives you inside happiness. I think I’m getting
more unfit and more unhealthy, to be honest – it’s become
harder and harder. This year I’ve been to Argentina, Brazil,
New York and Spain, so it’s very hard to get a routine going. I
love running, but the weather’s been so cold I can’t bear to
go outside and get obliterated by another snowstorm.
Have your daughters inherited the Jagger sense of
creativity?
My older daughter Assisi has nearly finished a homeopathy
course –she’s in her final year of university – and Amba is
going to study fashion, either in London or Brighton.
What ambitions do you still have to fulfil?
I started off my career as an artist, and I would like to paint
again – that would be nice. I enjoy the quietness that it
brings, though it is quite hard to incorporate it into the daily
life that I live, running around from place to place.
Jade Jagger is at 43 All Saints Road, W11.
www.jadejagger.com
GOLD-PLATED DIAMOND DISCO BALL RING, £1,845 GOLD-PLATED SKULL ROSARY, £1,425
“The great thing about jewellery is that it’s often
given within an important moment in somebody’s
life, whether it’s between two lovers, for
Christmas, or given to your children”
Jade Jagger
29

Golden
delicious
Fortnum & Mason is famous for its iconic food hall, traditional afternoon
teas and luxury hampers, but more recently it created a buzz by launching
a new jewellery room and playing host to the British Fashion Council’s
Rock Vault exhibition.
Curated by leading British jewellery designer Stephen Webster, founder and
creative director of Stephen Webster Ltd (based in Mount Street) and creative
director of Garrard, the exhibition ran for four weeks following its preview at London
Fashion Week. It showcased creations from emerging designers and was part of
Fortnum & Mason’s ongoing enterprise to support craftsmanship and design.
For its permanent range, the jewellery room will be selling collections from designers
including Vivienne Westwood, Stephen Webster, Jade Jagger, Lara Bohinc, Bex Rox,
Katie Hillier and Susan Caplan, while designs by Nicholas Kirkwood, Christopher Kane,
The Diana Vreeland Legacy Collection, Stefano Poletti and Vanessa Seward feature as
part of the Atelier Swarovski collection.
Jewellery was previously a small part of Fortnum’s offering, but its position has been
elevated – literally, to a cosy corner of the second floor. The area is a calm, intimate
space, which has a seating area with its own bar (Rocks Bar) where customers can
relax with a drink during consultations.
“We wanted a beautiful room that was very different to anything out there – not
only in the collections but also in the ambience,” says Fortnum’s fashion and
accessories buyer Amanda Ware.
Amanda, who has been with the company for 31 years, is the woman
responsible for deciding which designers to take on board.
“I think as I have developed as a buyer, my taste has
become slightly more fashion-forward,” she says.
“While we recognise we have a classic customer
and want to have beautiful, elegant product, there is
a need to punctuate it with some hip and
happening things. Also, price-point and design
wise, I want to make it a very eclectic mix and to
widen the demographic of customers, so a
senior gentleman could come in here and
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
KATIE HILLIER DOTTY BUNNY PENDANT NECKLACE, £425
MAWI NECKLACE, £360
BEX ROX CENTURY RING, GOLD/ORANGE, £200
ALEXIS BITTAR MAURITIUS CUSHION RING, AQUA, £185
FORTNUM & MASON
MIGHT BE BEST
KNOWN FOR ITS EDIBLE
TREATS, BUT NOW IT’S
THE PLACE TO GO FOR
DELECTABLE JEWELS
FROM THE LIKES OF
STEPHEN WEBSTER
AND BEX ROX, THANKS
TO THE LAUNCH OF ITS
NEW JEWELLERY ROOM
31
jewellery

32
jewellery
“The high street
is really catching
up, so if you are
going to pay a
little bit more
there’s got to
be something
unique about it”
Amanda Ware
buy a beautiful piece for his wife of 40 years, and equally a
younger chap can come in and get his partner something
that’s a bit more fashion-forward. I think there is pretty
much something for everyone here.
“I’m always looking at things that catch my eye – it
has to be gut instinct. Also, if I’m honest, sometimes I tap
into something that I don’t necessarily think will be a
commercial success but I think is important to be there
for a certain reason – it could be that it’s press-worthy, or
that it has a wonderful integrity in the way that it’s made.”
Amanda admits that she’s made some brave choices for
Fortnum’s, citing designer Alice Menter, who combines everyday
objects such as nuts, washers, zips and bolts, as an example.
“I think she is innovative and clever, but I had great courage in my
own convictions when I bought that one,” she says.
“I also love Carlos Maronna, who is a Spanish sculptor. I
loved the fun of his jewellery – I thought it was very innovative and
very, very different. Yes, one wouldn’t look at it and think it
screams Fortnum’s, but to me it’s very cleverly done. It’s all sterling
silver. This is something that you wouldn’t get anywhere else in the
UK, and I just thought it was fabulous. It made me laugh, it made
me smile, and I just thought it was really clever.”
Fortnum’s was also one of the first to stock the brand Mawi, which
has since taken the fashion world by storm with its statement pieces.
“We couldn’t sell it at first, because at the time we didn’t have a purposeful
area and it wasn’t surrounded by other similar, complementary collections,”
says Amanda. “So it’s great that the company has really supported this
department with a beautiful refit.”
Amanda is confident that the eclectic mix of timeless and
affordable jewellery on offer at Fortnum’s will attract customers
looking for something that little bit different, and that the store will
become a destination for jewellery.
“It’s getting harder and harder out there,” she says. “The
high street has really caught up, and is doing designs based
on the major fashion houses, so if you are going to pay a
little bit more there’s got to be something unique about it.
We are trying to offer pieces that are exclusive to Fortnum’s
or not widely available. I’m finding that people are becoming
more discerning and are moving away from the big brands.
As much as some of the pieces are very desirable, they want
something different.”
I ask Amanda if the revamped jewellery room is part of a
bigger strategy for Fortnum’s to become more fashionforward
and to widen its appeal to a new generation of
customers.
“I think it’s probably the first of several projects
that are going in that direction,” she says.
“Having been responsible for other areas as
well, such as lingerie, millinery, bags and
accessories, I think there are lots of things we
could do to develop those. I love the fact that we
are moving forward.”
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:
ALICE MENTOR MINNIE NECKLACE, £210
ATELIER SWAROVSKI BY CHRISTOPHER KANE, BOLSTER NECKLACE SILVER NIGHT, £420
NECKLACE BY MELANIE GEORGACPOULOS, £2,875
DURBAN BEAK POST EARRING, GOLD/YELLOW, £120

34 35
jewellery
NOUDAR JEWELLERY took off after a one-off exclusive design for Lady
Gaga, marking the release of her Born This Way album in May 2011.
“It was a unique piece made just for her – a very detailed and complex
necklace in white gold and diamonds – and was unlike anything I’ve done
before,” says its creator, Noor Al Fardan.
The venture allowed Al Fardan, an award-winning young Qatari designer, to
express herself creatively and push the boundaries of fine jewellery making and
wearable art. Having previously interned at Chopard, she draws inspiration from both
Western and Middle Eastern fashion, as well as traditional Arabic culture, putting a
modern spin on classical elegance.
“There is a lot of inspiration from Arabian traditional jewellery, architectural patterns
and basic daily life in the Middle East,” she says. Her Henna rings, for example, come in
two versions and are made with either brown diamonds or black diamonds, reflecting the
actual colour of traditional henna.
“The Fingerless Gloves piece is actually a very well-known style of traditional jewellery
called Kaf, where the rings are connected to a bracelet,” says Al Fardan. “My jewellery is
basically a modern interpretation of all these things, allowing international customers to
enjoy themes and styles from our rich and colourful history that are wearable today.”
Noudar’s first collection consisted mostly of rings and bracelets, while the second
collection is even bolder and more edgy. You’ll find the jewellery at Frost of London,
108 New Bond Street.
AMISHI JEWELLERY is named after its
founder, Mayfair resident Amishi Dhanuka,
who travels the globe sourcing raw
materials, with special attention to
craftsmanship and finish. Handcrafted in
Europe, combining diamanté-style zirconia,
pearl, agate, jade and semi-precious stones,
the pieces are timeless and classic but
designed to make a dramatic statement.
Amishi can also create bespoke pieces – to
make an appointment, call 07709 450156.
www.amishi.eu
IN THE RUN-UP TO NEXT MONTH’S JEWELLERY WEEK (JUNE 7-16) WE LOOK AT
SOME OF MAYFAIR’S MORE UNUSUAL JEWELLERS, WHO TAKE INSPIRATION FROM
DIFFERENT CULTURES AND INCORPORATE UNEXPECTED MATERIALS INTO THEIR
WORK – FROM OLD MOSAIC FRAGMENTS TO PINK CONCH PEARLS
NOURBEL & LE CAVELIER specialises in handmade, mostly
one-of-a-kind jewels incorporating the rare and the precious,
from micro-mosaic remnants from late 19th to mid-20th
century Italy reworked into contemporary pieces, to jewels
made from pink conch pearls and the signature Nourbel
diamond bracelet that twists and turns repeatedly like a rope.
The founders of Nourbel & Le Cavelier – Valerie Le Cavelier
and Georges Karam – are both trained gemologists who hail
from second-generation family jewellers in Geneva and Beirut
respectively.
A highlight of the collections is the Paraiba tourmaline
earrings and ring. The Paraiba tourmaline was discovered in
the 1980s in Brazil, and can now only be found in a single
mine in Mozambique.
Nourbel & Le Cavelier is at 23 Burlington Arcade.
Sparkles of
inspiration
THESE ALHAMBRA EARRINGS are part of the 24
collection from Annoushka, which launches next
month. Only 24 pieces of any one design in the
collection will be made, with each being engraved
with the number of the piece within the edition.
“I chose the number 24 as I am a keen art
collector, so this felt like the natural number for
editions of this nature,” says founder and creative
director Annoushka Ducas.
“For me, there is something so appealing about
the idea of owning a piece of jewellery which is
strictly limited to 24 pieces. I, like many women, want
to feel that the jewellery and clothes I wear reflect my
personality and individual style, rather than being
instantly recognizable and available.”
The Alhambra earrings are priced at £8,500 and
will be available from Annoushka at 1 South Molton
Street.

36 37
food & drink
Drink in the scent of flowers
THE DORCHESTER will once again be offering its annual champagne
afternoon tea in celebration of the Chelsea Flower Show (May 21-25).
The Laurent-Perrier Floral Afternoon Tea will include pastries such as
candied lemon, a lemon-shaped sponge cake filled with lemon cremeux and
a white-chocolate flocage; violet’s garden, a patch of red-fruit mousse
flavoured with violet on a crunchy shortbread with a fresh crystallized violet
garnish; and lavender basket, a dark-chocolate tartlet infused with lavender
scent, decorated with a spun-sugar handle.
The cakes will be served with a selection of finger sandwiches and
scones complemented by Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé. During tea, The
Promenade at The Dorchester will be filled with the fragrance of limitededition,
lavender-scented candles created by Mayfair perfumer Roja Dove.
Served from May 20-26, the tea is priced at £56 per person. To book,
call 020 7317 6501.
FOOD & DRINK: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
A potty idea
THE LIVING ROOM at 3-9 Heddon
Street has launched a new
seasonal menu that promises
diners the opportunity to “eat with
your eyes”. The chefs are turning
traditional ideas about presentation
on their head to add a sense of
theatre to the culinary experience.
The unorthodox presentation
includes the use of props such as
fish bowls, miniature barbeques
and traditional clay plant pots. In
addition, the Living Room has a
new bar menu made up of a
selection of “grazers” – dishes of
light bites and smaller meals. To
book, call 020 7292 0570.
On the wild side
CORRIGAN’S MAYFAIR at 28 Upper Grosvenor Street
will be launching an exclusive menu for the Chelsea
Flower Show (May 21-25). The menu will use a variety
of British wild flowers and herbs grown in its urban
rooftop garden to create dishes of edible flowers. The
exterior of the restaurant will also celebrate the show,
featuring various designs by Amanda Wilgrave. The
menu will be priced at £29 for three courses. To book,
call 020 7499 9943.
Cheese dreams
ENGLISH ASPARAGUS
AT CORRIGAN’S
MAYFAIR
ITALIAN RESTAURANT BABBO at 39 Albemarle Street
has a new head chef in Carlo Scotto, who has created a
menu dedicated to celebrating burrata. Burrata is made
from mozzarella and cream, and Babbo sources its
burrata from the Caseificio Maldera cheese factory. It is
suited to both sweet and savoury dishes and Scotto has
incorporated it into a wide range of dishes across the
menu. The new four-course burrata menu is priced at
£50 per person. To book, call 020 3205 1099.
A pizza Mayfair
FOLLOWING THE refurbishment of its British brasserie and
appointment of Richard Sawyer as new head chef, Mews of
Mayfair has also opened a new pizza restaurant and bar.
Just across Lancashire Court from the brasserie, at no. 4,
Mayfair Pizza Co offers authentic Italian pizza made in a
traditional brick pizza oven. To book, call 020 7629 2889.
Bijoux for two
THE LANGHAM HOTEL in Portland Place has announced its
annual Bijoux Afternoon Tea collaboration with jewellery
designer Theo Fennell. The tea selection has been created by
award-winning head pastry chef Cherish Finden, and is inspired
by Theo Fennel’s jewellery collection. It is a modern-day
interpretation of the classic British tradition and will run until
November 2013. The tea is priced at £49 per person. To book,
call 020 7965 0195.
Food that’s fit for a Queen
THIS SUMMER, Sketch is partnering with Buckingham Palace to offer a
Gourmet Rapide lunch in The Lecture Room with a ticket to tour the palace.
Created by Pierre Gagnaire, the three-course menu is priced at £68 per
person.
Alternatively, guests can enjoy a champagne afternoon tea in The Glade,
with sandwiches, pastries and sultana scones served with clotted cream and
homemade jams, along with a glass of champagne and choice of teas. The
tea, with a ticket to the palace, costs £60.50 per person.
Both offers run from August 9 to the end of September.
Go the full English
LANGAN’S BRASSERIE in Stratton Street is now open for
classic full English or continental breakfast every Monday
to Saturday between 7am and 11am. Aside from the
traditional English breakfast, the likes of eggs Benedict are
available, alongside other options such as Granola.
To book, call 020 7491 8822.

38
food & drink
PIERRE GAGNAIRE
Pierre Gagnaire has been described as a living legend of French
cuisine, and his eponymous restaurant in Paris regularly makes it
onto the 50 Best Restaurants list. He opened Sketch in Conduit
Street with restaurateur Mourad Mazouz just over ten years ago,
which has since been a destination for experimental design, art,
architecture and food. Last year, its fine-dining restaurant The
Lecture Room & Library was awarded a second Michelin star,
but, as Gagnaire points out, running a business over two floors of
a Grade II listed building in Mayfair – once the headquarters of
Christian Dior – hasn’t been easy.
Has your customer changed over the past ten years?
At the beginning – for the first two years – it was too trendy. It
was a disaster for the place because it was more like a nightclub,
but now we have the right mix. I am very aware that we live in a
more difficult world and the clientele is getting more discerning,
especially in London. But I feel very lucky because our clients
have been loyal – they are quite happy to come out and spend
money on quality. We live in a little bubble in Mayfair and are
lucky that we can carry on doing what we do.
What have been the main challenges for Sketch?
To maintain the quality. We’ve had our problems, made many
mistakes – the biggest mistake was that we rushed the opening.
Now we have the right balance – the space, music, light, good
food and, most importantly, the right staff. The key to success is
the people who work here – we are like a family. When you come
to Sketch, you feel the energy – it is always crazy but positive –
and you feel the heart of this place. It’s a real business.
How has your food evolved?
My work and my life is food, so day after day I create new dishes
– it’s my job and I love doing that. But at the same time, we offer
consistency.
Where do you find your inspiration?
It’s impossible to say. It changes with the seasons. Today it’s
spring – a new season – and now we’ll have lots of green
vegetables. I’m not a painter or a sculptor, I’m a chef, so yes the
food must be beautiful, but the most important thing is the taste.
Why did you decide to become a chef?
One day, I just understood that when you cook you create a link
with people, which is absolutely fantastic.
Do you and Mourad still enjoy working together after so long?
Although we both have different personalities, somehow Mourad
and I are very close. The guy is very, very honest. In ten years,
we’ve never had any tension or any disagreements – we have a
fantastic relationship. We’re both very creative, so we understand
each other better than anyone else.
Are you involved in the business side of things?
Yes, I’m obliged to be. This is a very old building, so there are
always things to be refurbished. Everything has to go hand in
hand, and the business still needs to make a profit.
What do you like about Mayfair and what changes have you
seen over the past ten years?
For me it’s a huge honour to be in this location, in this city,
because I love London and I love this street – it’s very special.
This street was very deserted. Now there are several restaurant
concepts and we have coffee shops, a Pret A Manger and a tea
place – it’s absolutely incredible.
What do you do for fun?
I walk, do sports, run in the park, go to a museum or an art
gallery or I read. I don’t have time to go to the movies. At home, I
cook simple, good food – maybe a quiche or a nice piece of fish.
WHEN IT OPENED TEN YEARS
AGO SKETCH SUFFERED FROM
BEING TOO TRENDY, SAYS CHEF
PIERRE GAGNAIRE. BUT NOW ITS
CLIENTELE IS MORE DISCERNING,
HE TELLS SELMA DAY
Reaching for the stars
DISHES FROM PIERRE’S PERFUMES OF THE EARTH MENU

40
food & drink
Hibiscus
blossoms
The past few months have been especially busy for
Mayfair chef Claude Bosi. Not only have he and his brother
Cedric opened their second pub – The Malt House in Fulham
– but Claude’s two-Michelin-starred restaurant Hibiscus in
Maddox Street has been given a complete makeover.
It’s five years since Claude, chef-creator of the restaurant,
and business partner Claire Bosi moved their restaurant from
Ludlow to Mayfair.
“Since then, the food, the wine and service have all
progressed,” says Claude. “We now feel the time is right to
further enhance our guests’ experience and have the interiors
reflect more what’s happening elsewhere at the restaurant.”
Claude and Claire have worked with London design
agency Wentworth Interiors to redefine the look. Natural
elements of wood and metal with pale timber paneling now
surround the dark-slate focal walls from the original design,
while blue leather and velvets on the seating and oak floors
give a more modern feel.
The private-dining room has also been given a makeover,
but the star of the show is the swanky new development
kitchen – a state-of-the-art affair using Electrolux Grande
TWO-MICHELIN-STARRED
RESTAURANT HIBISCUS HAS
BEEN GIVEN A MAKEOVER AND
ITS NEW, STATE-OF-THE-ART
DEVELOPMENT KITCHEN IS SET
TO HOST SOME VERY SPECIAL
COOKERY MASTERCLASSES.
SELMA DAY REPORTS
TOP LEFT: FINE CREAM TART OF SWEET PEAS AND
MOROCCAN MINT, COCONUT AND WHEY SORBET
ABOVE: SALAD OF CURED PORK CHEEKS, PHILIBON
MELON AND LEMON VERBENA OIL
LEFT: CLAUDE BOSI
BOTTOM LEFT: HIBISCUS
Cuisine appliances. The room, accessed through the
restaurant’s private wine cellar, also plays host to cookery
masterclasses and demonstrations for groups of up to six
guests, as well as an exclusive chef’s table or an aperitif area
with a chef producing canapés in situ.
As for the menu, Claude has taken inspiration from some
of his original Hibiscus menus, which he has modified,
enhanced and reintroduced.
With a choice of key seasonal and market-led products,
guests will still be able to enjoy the special set lunches
(£34.95 per person for three courses and £49.50 per person
for three courses, half a bottle of wine, coffee and petit fours)
and choose between three, six and eight courses tailored on
the day.
Meanwhile, heading the kitchen over at The Malt House is
former Hibiscus head chef Marcus McGuinness, who is
offering modern British pub food, with a focus on seasonal
ingredients, in an informal, friendly setting.
Claude is overseeing both The Malt House and the Fox
and Grapes, the pub he opened in Wimbledon Village with
his brother in 2011.
To appear in
the restaurant
directory call
020 7259 1050
41
restaurant directory

42
charity
Teenage kicks
MINT LEAF RESTAURANT in Haymarket recently
hosted a tasting evening for 20 supporters of Teens
Unite, a charity that helps teenagers aged 13-24
with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. The
restaurant has been working in close partnership
with the charity over the past five years, hosting
many special evenings.
Guests at the event were treated to a
champagne reception followed by a specially
created six-course tasting menu, with
accompanying wines supplied by Enotria World
Wine. Highlights of the menu included pickleflavoured
guinea fowl with cucumber raita, spiced
chicken with pineapple chutney and lamb with fresh
fenugreek, crisp rice pancake and grilled broccoli.
Teens Unite were joined on the night by Ben
Wilson, a teenager who has benefited from being a
member of the charity for three years. After dinner,
Ben spoke about his involvement. He said: “From
going to exclusive gigs, a fair few Arsenal matches
and one very memorable helicopter ride, I began to
realize that there could be more to life with cancer
than just sitting in hospital beds and waiting for test
results. I know it would have been a much harder
three years than it has been without Teens Unite’s
love, help and support.”
The evening raised £10,000, which Teens Unite
plans to spend on respite weekends for teens at the
newly opened Teens Unite Respite Home in
Hertfordshire.
MINT LEAF RESTAURANT IN
HAYMARKET WAS THE SETTING FOR
A GLAMOROUS EVENING IN AID OF
TEENS UNITE – A CHARITY THAT
BRINGS ADVENTURE AND
EXCITEMENT INTO THE LIVES OF
TEENAGERS LIVING WITH CANCER
ABOVE LEFT: PAUL NEWRICK, KAREN MILLEN OF
TEENS UNITE, ERIC LANLARD, AND BEN WILSON
ABOVE: GUESTS WERE TREATED TO A SIX-COURSE
TASTING MENU
BELOW: MINT LEAF MANAGER GERARD MCCANN,
RAJINDER PANDY, CHEF AT MINT LEAF, DEBBIE PEZZANI
OF TEENS UNITE AND THOMAS BRICOUT OF ENOTRIA
Add Diversity to your workout
FITNESS FIRST has launched Diversity Street
Dance, an exercise class created by
internationally acclaimed street-dance troupe
and Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity,
choreographed by the group’s leader and Got to
Dance judge Ashley Banjo.
The all-body workout fuses energetic streetdance
moves with traditional fitness, taking
members through a high-powered set against a
soundtrack of fun, fast-tempo music.
Designed to suit all ability levels, Diversity
Street Dance comprises a series of three
routines, which are taught in
sessions. Combining cardio, strength,
conditioning, balance and flexibility with
Diversity’s street-dance moves, each routine is
set to a different genre of music, ranging from
house to dubstep to breaking, with
corresponding soundtracks.
The Diversity Street Dance class is on offer
at Fitness First in Berkeley Square, 59 Kingly
Street and 15 Great Marlborough Street.
For further information, visit
www.fitnessfirst.co.uk.
Stay in the Loop with Zumba
ELAINE LAWRIE was senior events manager for a City bank for 11 years before
deciding to leave and set up her own fitness company, Lainie Lawrie. The
inspiration came when she heard a talk by a speaker called Jim Lawless.
“He spoke about how you should act boldly to make things happen in your
life,” she says. “The talk was on the Friday and I handed in my notice on
Monday. I could not sleep all weekend, as I had this niggling feeling that I had
not been feeling so happy at my desk and always had a passion for dance.”
Elaine had started Zumba classes a few months earlier and, after observing
the teacher, decided she could do it herself.
“I loved it so much, because it was finally something where I knew I was
exercising hard and burning calories, but having fun – and it wasn’t repetitive,”
she says.
She has now set up classes at Loop Bar at 19 Dering Street, as well as in
the City, primarily targeting professionals or workers who don’t necessarily want
to have a gym membership or be tied to a contract.
“I looked at Zumba classes in the area, and the majority are held at a gym,”
she says. “The classes are pay as you go, and at accessible times. I keep the
music current, so people can sing along, and the dances are easy to pick up.
“You burn 600 calories if not more. The most important thing is the fun I
have teaching and the fun for the participants – I think that’s the key to its
success.”
Elaine’s hour-long Zumba classes cost £7 and take place every Monday at
Loop at 5.45pm and 7pm. For more information, see www.laineylawrie.co.uk.
HEALTH & BEAUTY: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
43
health & beauty

44
PART OF PROPERTY
COMPANY
GROSVENOR’S ONGOING
COMMITMENT TO
IMPROVE PUBLIC
SPACES AND CREATE
BETTER PLACES FOR
THE PEOPLE IT SERVES,
BROWN HART GARDENS
HAS UNDERGONE A
TRANSFORMATION TO
BRING IT BACK TO AN
EXCITING AMENITY
SPACE FOR THE LOCAL
COMMUNITY
Feature sponsored by
Living cities
www.grosvenor.com
Next month, a week of lunchtime events will mark the
re-opening of Brown Hart Gardens – an elevated public
square over a Grade II listed electricity substation on Duke
Street, just minutes from Oxford Street and a short stroll
from Bond Street.
Grosvenor, working with EDF (now UK Power
Networks), opened the gardens to the public in 2007 and
embarked on a series of events, encouraging the local
community to make use of the space. Building on its
success, the gardens have since undergone further
improvements to create a beautiful, green and
flexible space for local residents and office workers
to enjoy.
After consulting with residents and stakeholders on
how best to integrate and reinvigorate the gardens,
Grosvenor has now brought this hidden gem in the heart
of Mayfair up to modern standards, complete with new
surfacing, planting, seating, a fabulous new water feature
and a 50-cover café.
“We spent about six months talking to local people,
listening to their ideas, had workshop sessions with the
architects and we came up with components of what
they’d like to see,” said Niall Tipping, Senior Development
Manager at Grosvenor who leads the project with John
Burton, Project Manager.
The opportunity to have refreshments available in the
garden was a high priority – backed by the recent Mayfair
Life Survey, which showed a desire by the local
community for more everyday eating places.
The on-site café, known as the Garden Café, will open
from 8am to late afternoon/early evening and will offer
indoor dining as well as a takeaway service. With a focus
on fresh, seasonal food at an affordable price, it will
provide the perfect spot for a light lunch or an early
supper or for those wanting to have a cup of coffee while
sitting reading a book or simply relaxing and soaking up
the atmosphere.
The glazed structure will open out on to the deck
during the summer, while in the winter, a state-of-the-art
system – the first time it has been used commercially in
the UK – heats the glazing, providing a warm, comfortable
environment for customers.
The café will help to address the significant
maintenance costs of the deck and any revenuegenerating
events will be low-impact and responsive to
local sensitivity.
A key attraction of the deck is the new water feature –
a beautiful piece of public art designed by Andrew Ewing
that uses one of the garden’s original stone seats and has
a film of water trickling down behind. Trees and planters
will continue to create a strong focus, and the ability to
move the planters and organize them in different
configurations will allow for several planting combinations,
while giving the flexibility to provide space for various
community events. The idea is to encourage use of the
deck for a number of activities, for example, a reading
club, talks, lectures, a chess club, table tennis, art and
floral displays or children’s events such as face painting.
The trees also provide a degree of screening along the
deck perimeter, giving local residents more privacy than in
previous times. To improve privacy and security at night,
lighting has been introduced for the first time, with lights
recessed into the deck itself, perimeter lighting integrated
into the underside of the benches and lights on the
approach to the gardens, along with atmospheric lighting
for the pavilions and café.
Led by designers Building Design Partnership, the
deck has been sympathetically restored to take into
account the unique heritage of Brown Hart
Gardens (see timeline) – not to mention the technical
challenges and considerations regarding the electricity
substation underneath that still needs to function.
As Nigel Hughes, The Estate Surveyor at Grosvenor
points out: “After Leicester Square, this is the most
The secret
garden
“This is about
Grosvenor
investing into the
fabric of the
community.”
Nigel Hughes,
Grosvenor
important electricity facility within this part of town so it’s
key to the UK Power Networks that it’s operational. And to
have a garden above such a major piece of infrastructure
is really quite something.”
Burton adds that the presence of the substation
presented quite a few design hurdles. “For the cafe, we’ve
had to run several services below the deck, so getting
consent for that has been somewhat challenging,” he
said.
“Also, the condition of the deck was in a fairly poor
state so we spent a lot of time getting the levels right and
making sure everything was sound before we could start
putting the deck down. There was a restriction on the
thickness of the new surfacing – once we exceeded that,
there was a danger of the drainage not working.”
Looking back at the original designs and working with
structural engineers, the team was able to locate the trees
and their permanent planters – as well as the new water
feature – in such a way to avoid the risk of water leaking
into the substation below.
“Relocating the redundant water feature and installing
new water pipes across the deck has been a bit of
challenge,” says Burton. “And from the construction side
of things, the weather recently hasn’t helped.”
Grosvenor will be working closely with the local
community to ensure management and maintenance
arrangements are appropriate.
Accessibility to the deck has also been improved
through the introduction of a new staircase and lift for
people with restricted mobility such as the elderly or
mothers with prams and small children.
Brown Hart Gardens is part of Grosvenor’s
commitment to improving the public realm of its central
London estate and to ensure that north Mayfair remains
very much a place for people. A number of developments
within the local area are planned or already on site
including the opening next year of The Beaumont – a
hotel, restaurant and spa from Rex Restaurants (the
owners of The Wolseley), which will all add to the vibrancy
of the area.
As Hughes says: “This is about Grosvenor reinvesting
into the fabric of Mayfair for the benefit of the community
and to give local residents and workers a renewed sense
of place.”
IMAGE: BDP
Brown Hart Gardens
Timeline
1886-1888
A communal garden, landscaped
by Joseph Menton, was laid for
down for the residents of
Chesham and Balderton Buildings
in Brown Street and Hart Street
(now the Peabody flats)
1902
The site was leased by the second
Duke of Westminster to the
Westminster Supply Co to build an
electricity substation
1905
The substation was completed to
a design by Sir Stanley Peach. To
compensate local residents for the
loss of the old communal garden,
the Duke of Westminster insisted
that a garden be placed on top of
the substation. The plans included
a drinking fountain, a urinal, a
shelter, trees and a coffee or
cocoa house (which never
materialized)
1906
The new Duke Street Gardens
were opened in 1906. Sir Stanley
Peach covered the substation with
a 10,000 sq ft roof with a domed
gazebo and steps at either end.
The deck became known as the
Italianate Gardens
1980s
The gardens were closed to the
public for reasons of anti-social
behaviour and concerns over the
state of repair and management
issues
2007
Plans were announced to revamp
the site and following extensive
repair work, Grosvenor
re-opened the deck on a limited
basis
2012
The gardens were closed for
further refurbishment
June 2013
Brown Hart Gardens reopens as a
publicly accessible space for
residents and workers
45

46 47
business
Tweets, likes, check-ins, circles. They don’t sound much like
the business tools of a brave new world. But with customers
increasingly living their lives online, companies are joining the
charge to the world of social networking – and getting
impressive results.
Claridge’s, for example, takes its famous customer service
onto Twitter to talk to its guests, while London’s oldest butcher,
Allens on Mount Street, posts recipes and competitions – not to
mention shots of its juiciest cuts – on the firm’s Facebook page.
It’s all part of building a brand on the internet, not just via the
traditional web page but through the sites where so many
people talk these days. Facebook has more than 31 million
active users in the UK alone, so there are plenty of potential
customers to talk to.
One of the masters of this cutting-edge style of marketing is
John Lyons, the managing director of Brandmovers Europe, a
local firm with a global reach that has helped businesses such
as Virgin and Sainsbury’s navigate the waters of digital
engagement for nearly a decade.
We meet in his Wells Street office, where the shelves
showcase some of the joy of technology, heaving with many of
the most exciting computers and consoles of the past 30 years.
“Most industries now understand quite inherently the
importance of digital as a marketing and sales tool,” says John.
“We’ve gone through the cycle of people not trusting social
media because they fear that someone else controls it. Now
businesses are willing to step on board Facebook and Twitter.
“What we do is help brands engage with their consumers
digitally. We work across the social media platforms, across
mobile, web and tablet. If there’s a brand that wants to speak to
consumers, or engage them, or build a community, that’s where
we come in.”
And one of the beauties of the internet is that you can be
quite specific in targeting whoever you like with special offers,
sweepstakes, games, adverts – or anything else that will build
your brand and boost your sales.
“We’re confident we can reach pretty much every
demographic,” says John, who was an award-winning architect
before founding his own web-design agency. “We can use our
research tools to find out where they are and what costs might
be involved.
“Facebook’s advertising platform will show you exactly how
many people fit any demographic. So if we’re looking at over-
50s who like wine, who are based in south-east England, we can
find out exactly how many people are on Facebook who meet
that parameter. Not everyone who’s online is on Facebook – but
it’s a pretty good starting point.”
And as the 120-year-old Allens has proven, you don’t have to
be a huge company to make social networking work for you.
Brandmovers has helped everyone from cocktail bars to
restaurants to telecoms giants build their mailing lists, interact
with their customers, create communities, or just ramp up the
number of “likes” on their Facebook page.
“If you were to have a promotion where people are driven to
go to a Facebook page because the client wants to reach a
younger audience or wider audience, we can target the people
BUSINESS: Selma Day selma@pubbiz.com
that match their ideal customer and give them a tool where all
they need to do is ‘like’ the page, enter an email address,
decide if they want to opt in, and they get a discount code,”
says John. “If they want to share it with a certain number of
friends, they can earn a bigger discount. That’s a great way of
developing an audience.”
So, if you’ve just got the traditional website for your
business, have you fallen behind? Not necessarily, says John.
“I guess 15, 16 years ago, when I got into digital, the whole
thing was businesses starting to think they probably should be
on this internet thing. We’re now at the stage where a sizeable
number of people – probably a majority – will jump onto Google
and check out something before calling.
“We all expect to find something online now. So there’s still
value in having your traditional web page because it allows
people to make an informed decision about what they might
purchase or do.
“Where I see things shifting is a convergence of all these
platforms. We’ve worked quite hard on a service which allows
content to be delivered across a number of platforms from one
source – so you can have a website that works on tablet, mobile
and desktop, but it can also go to Facebook and Twitter.
Bringing all these things into one place is quite important.”
Not to mention a big time saving if you’re jumping between
all the different places businesses can have their voices heard
now, from LinkedIn to your company blog. And if you’re worried
about investing in a cutting-edge technology that might be
about to be blown out of the water by the next cutting-edge
technology – perhaps you remember Bebo, MySpace or Friends
Reunited – there’s good news.
“I think mobile is going to continue to grow – I suspect it’s
going to become the majority very soon. But I don’t think there’s
a big platform waiting to happen,” John explains. “I think Twitter
will continue growing. I think as a marketing tool it’s going to
increase its share against Facebook.”
One of the most exciting developments for local shops, bars
and restaurants is the rise of “geo-location” – where people
using smartphones in the area can see what businesses are
nearby and “check in” to earn discounts, points, prizes or
special offers.
“Being able to advertise to people as they’re in the vicinity,
engaging them to go and check in, to become customers, to
become part of a community, that is something we’ve been
doing a lot of,” says John.
So on the way back into Mayfair, I tried one of the fastestgrowing
of these geo-location services, Foursquare, which
works by the smartphone pinpointing your location and the site
offering a range of local places for you to check in with.
I asked it where to get a drink, and it highlighted that Taylor
St Baristas was just around the corner on Brooks Mews. It also
offered reviews from other customers and showed me which
friends had been there and checked in recently.
But it also pointed out that the O’Neill’s pub on nearby Great
Marlborough Street would give me a free pint of Guinness for
every three check-ins. Now that’s marketing.
www.brandmovers.co.uk
Get engaged
LONDON’S OLDEST BUTCHER’S SHOP POSTS
PICTURES OF ITS FINEST CUTS ON
FACEBOOK, WHILE CLARIDGE’S HAS TWITTER
CONVERSATIONS WITH ITS GUESTS. DIGITAL
MARKETING EXPERT JOHN LYONS TELLS
JAMIE DOWNHAM WHY SOCIAL NETWORKING
IS NOW A CRUCIAL BUSINESS TOOL

48
business
From
Apprentice
to manager
Why did you decide to take up the
position?
Ultimately it was because of the people.
James and his team are a strong bunch.
Did James approach you directly?
No, it was through a friend and his
colleague. It wasn’t an advertised role but
something that James matched my skills to,
which is how a lot of people are brought
into the company.
Were you surprised to be asked?
Of course – I never assume anything and
am always grateful of opportunities when
they arrive.
What does the job entail?
I am head of media for the Start-Up Loans
Company [chaired by Caan]. I manage a
YASMINA SIADATAN, THE 2009 WINNER OF TV’S THE
APPRENTICE, HAS JOINED MAYFAIR PRIVATE EQUITY FIRM
HAMILTON BRADSHAW, HEADED BY FORMER DRAGONS’ DEN
STAR JAMES CAAN. SHE TELLS SELMA DAY ABOUT HER NEW
ROLE AS HEAD OF MEDIA FOR THE START-UP LOANS
COMPANY – HER FIRST JOB SINCE LEAVING LORD SUGAR’S
AMSCREEN HEALTHCARE IN FEBRUARY LAST YEAR
newly recruited team of six and we deliver
all marketing and communications for the
campaign.
Will you be working closely with James?
Yes, James has a policy to be involved in all
his businesses, and Start-Up Loans is
certainly no exception.
How does the role differ from what you
were doing at Amscreen Healthcare?
Both roles are in the marketing world and
both are managing teams so, in fact, they
are quite similar.
What did you learn from working there and
with Lord Sugar?
I learned plenty – how to run a technology
company was very insightful.
Are you happy you took part in The
Apprentice and would you encourage
others to go down that route?
Yes, I would definitely encourage everyone
to get out there and do something that
makes you stand out from the crowd – it's
completely transformed my professional life.
What are your ambitions, both short term
and long term?
Long term, I would like to help start 20,000
businesses through Start-Up Loans, and in
the short term, I would like to make Start-
Up Loans a household name.
How does it feel to be working in Mayfair
and what do you like about the area?
I love working here. My favourite reason has
to be the skyline out towards the park when
the sun is setting.
BUSINESS:
Selma Day
selma@pubbiz.com

Look behind
the façade
ONE OF 16 NEW LUXURY
APARTMENTS FOR RENT IN A LISTED
BUILDING AT 65 DUKE STREET
Sixteen superb new apartments are set to come onto the Mayfair
rental market this month – and Mayfair Times was given an exclusive
sneak preview.
Located at 65 Duke Street behind a magnificent Queen Anne
style, Grade II listed façade, the luxurious flats have been developed
by Grosvenor with the décor masterminded by renowned interior
designer Helen Green.
Spread over four floors, the apartments are available in either
contemporary or modern-classic style. Some are fully furnished with
bespoke furniture, while others come unfurnished.
The flats are accessed via a stylish reception hall with a
concierge desk. They feature dark European-oak flooring, fitted
kitchens with Gaggenau appliances, comfort cooling and Crestron
home-automation systems. Many of the flats also have private
outside space.
The building is located near to Selfridges and the newly
transformed Brown Hart Gardens (see page 44). Five-star hotel The
Beaumont, which is being developed by the owners of The Wolseley,
is also set to open nearby next year.
Peter Wetherell, one of the two agents marketing the flats, said:
“These apartments have been developed to what is probably the
highest standard of finish available on the rental market. It will end up
being Mayfair’s most exclusive apartment building in which to rent.”
The flats are likely to attract a younger generation of tenants who
are highly successful, he added. “These people come to Mayfair
wanting to buy something, can’t find anything they like and so
decide to rent for a year.
“Most of the selection of flats that are offered on the rental
market are a little bit dowdy and second hand, so it doesn’t really
appear they have ‘arrived’. But with this development being brand
new, people will say, ‘Wow, how did you find this flat? It’s fantastic.’”
Guy Bradshaw, head of lettings at Savills Mayfair, which is also
marketing the property, added: “It’s a phenomenal development, it’s
Mayfair at its best. It’s very discreet and cleverly designed behind
the Queen Anne façade.
“I expect it will attract a migration of tenants from South
Kensington and Knightsbridge. It’s brand new, it has a porter and it
really offers all the spangly technology that developments in
Knightsbridge tend to have.”
Prices for the apartments at 65 Duke Street range from £1,100
per week for a 969 sq ft, one-bedroom contemporary apartment, up
to £4,350 a week for a 2,455 sq ft, three-bedroom classic apartment.
They are available to rent through Wetherell (020 7493 6935) and
Savills Mayfair (020 7578 5100).

94 95
property
The dated yellow cupboards in the kitchen have been replaced
with seamless bespoke walnut cabinets, and the brand-new
Miele appliances concealed behind sleek, dark units.
Step into the reception, and the old-fashioned swags and tails
have been swapped for stylish grey curtains. Gone are the
chintzy antiques, and in their place is chic, contemporary furniture
with clean lines and a stylish colour palette.
“The reception was the key room for us,” says Rob Beacroft,
whose property company has transformed the Upper Brook
Street flat. “The moment I saw that room, with the five large
windows, I knew we had to secure the flat.”
Beacroft, 30, previously worked as a private banker at Coutts,
and founded his property development business Beacroft &
Beacroft Ltd two years ago with his brother Nicholas, 28.
Like the Candy brothers before them, who began their
property empire by renovating their £122,000 flat in Earl’s Court
with a £6,000 loan from their grandmother, selling it for a cool
£50,000 profit 18 months later, the Beacroft brothers are making
a name for themselves in the luxury property market.
In the last two years they have redeveloped homes in well-todo
areas including Marylebone, Hampstead and Belsize Park.
But the Upper Brook Street flat, which was on the market with a
guide price of £2.5 million when they snapped it up last year, is
Same place,
new face
their first foray into Mayfair. “We really went to town with this
property and stripped it right back,” says Beacroft, who
collaborated with Chelsea-based design firm TH2 on the
contemporary yet classic interior. “We focused on bringing back
all the period features, such as the cornicing, the skirting boards
and the marble fireplace.
“We also put a lot of emphasis on enhancing the reception
room. It has five windows, which is very unusual, but when we
bought the flat they were hidden behind huge swags and tails.
We used a cornice as a pelmet to emphasise the ceiling height
and let the natural light come flooding in.”
The flat has been equipped with all the latest technology,
including a Sonos sound system, Rako custom lighting and full
Cat5 cabling. “I spent weeks researching what customers actually
want when it comes to technology,” says Beacroft.
“It’s important to future-proof a property, so we’ve got the
core infrastructure in there, the Cat5 cabling and the home
automation system. But you can over-spec these things so that
you have no choice but to use the systems, which can be
incredibly frustrating.
“In this flat, you can use the technology as much or as little as
you like. You can enter a code on the door and it will turn the
lights on, turn your music on, and even put Sky Sports news on if
THE BEACROFT BROTHERS HAVE TRANSFORMED
A TIRED UPPER BROOK STREET FLAT INTO A LIGHT,
LUXURIOUS APARTMENT WITH THE LATEST IN
MODERN TECHNOLOGY. AND IT’S JUST THE START
OF THEIR MAYFAIR AMBITIONS, WRITES KATE WHITE
BEFORE AND AFTER:
SLEEK KITCHEN
UNITS (LEFT)
TRANSFORM THE
ONCE-CLUTTERED
KITCHEN (ABOVE),
WHILE THE LIVING
ROOM NOW HAS A
CONTEMPORARY YET
CLASSIC FEEL
(ABOVE RIGHT)
you want. Or, you can use a key, open the door and turn the
television on yourself. You can either embrace the technology
entirely, or just be traditional and use a light switch.”
A James Bond-esque entry coding system allows the owner
to give out unique number sequences to different people in order
to keep track of their movements. “You might want to give the
porter an individual code for example, and you will then be
alerted by text when he enters the building and when he’s left,”
says Beacroft.
“If you’ve got staff and you’re abroad, which lots of our
potential Mayfair clients often are, it’s good to know who’s
entering your property, when they’re coming in and when they’re
leaving. It’s those little touches that will really appeal to some
clients.”
As well as renovating the flat itself, Beacroft & Beacroft has
implemented a large-scale refurbishment of the building’s façade,
which has been chemically cleaned, sandblasted and painted.
Phase two of the project will see the communal areas renovated,
with the beautiful wooden interior of the lift refurbished by the
PROPERTY: Kate White kate@pubbiz.com
same team who restored the Harrods lifts. The works to the
building have all been financed by the brothers themselves.
“There’s over half a million pounds being spent, so it’s a big
job,” say Beacroft. “The building hadn’t been touched for 30 or
40 years, but what it did have were the proportions, the beautiful
features, and all the makings of a great Mayfair building. We
worked very closely with the residents, had all sorts of meetings,
and they were fantastic and very keen on bringing it up to date.”
The look of the building from the outside, and the feel of the
communal areas, are all important factors when it comes to
selling a property, explains Beacroft. “There’s no point walking
into dreary, understated common parts, with a rude porter and no
lift, and then entering into a beautiful flat,” he says.
“The whole experience, from the moment you walk in the front
door of the block, the greeting by the porter, the luxurious
surroundings, the beautiful lift cabin – all those things evoke that
feeling of luxury living.”
So what’s next for the Beacroft brothers? “We’re a young
company, and we’ve certainly got aspirations to build a brand
that’s synonymous with an unsurpassed quality in everything we
do,” says Beacroft.
“But we are well aware that we’re only two years old, and at
the moment we’re just focused solely on building our reputation
and our experience organically.”
Two new projects are already lined up in Mayfair, he says.
“The plan is very much to maintain our presence in Mayfair and to
increase it. We’ve got some strategic investors who are very
happy with what we’ve done for them, and we’ve got more and
more people looking to invest with us. With that comes the
requirement to actually buy some properties, and we’re very keen
to keep buying in Mayfair.”
The flat at 42 Upper Brook Street is on the market for £3.5 million
with Savills Mayfair (020 7578 5100).

96
property
A landmark
for Finchatton
LUXURY DEVELOPER Finchatton
has bought a landmark Mayfair
building that is set to become the
company’s largest-ever project.
The international design and
development firm has purchased the
former US Navy headquarters at 20
Grosvenor Square in a joint venture
with the Abu Dhabi Investment
Council, for a sum believed to be in
excess of £250 million.
Finchatton will convert the
178,000 sq ft building, which was
previously owned by entrepreneur
Richard Caring, into luxurious
apartments that experts predict
could sell for a record-breaking
£6,000 per sq ft.
The development will be the
largest ever taken on by Finchatton,
which has designed and managed
more than 50 projects since it was
founded by Alex Michelin and
Andrew Dunn in 2001.
The company focuses mostly on
prime-central London, including
Mayfair, Chelsea and Belgravia, and
has previously developed flats on
Green Street and Mount Street.
Get the keys to
a secret garden
SNAP UP A conservatory and private courtyard
garden in the heart of Mayfair with this stunning
turnkey flat on Balfour Place.
Located just moments from Hyde Park in the
sought-after area known as ‘Mayfair Village’, the
flat is described as a “traditional Mayfair
apartment with character, perfectly situated in a
quiet and peaceful location.”
Occupying the raised-ground and lowerground
levels of a classic 1890s Mayfair
mansion, the apartment was completely
refurbished several years ago. It is described by
Wetherell, the agent marketing the property, as
“exceptional”.
The apartment on Balfour Place is on the
market for £3.75 million (020 7529 5566).
In and Out is on
PLANS TO BUILD a £200 million mansion on
Piccadilly have been given the go-ahead by
Westminster council.
Billionaire property developers the Reuben
brothers have been granted planning
permission to convert Cambridge House on
Piccadilly – the former home of the In and Out
Club – into a 48-room private residence.
The 50,000 sq ft property will include 11
bedrooms, a swimming pool, underground
parking for 12 cars and a huge wine cellar with
space for 35,000 bottles. Two adjoining
buildings will be turned into a single home and
six luxury flats.
The Grade I listed property has become
dilapidated in recent times and was placed on
English Heritage’s “at risk” register. Estate
agents have predicted it could fetch up to
£200 million when completed.

98
property
Share the
square
IT BOASTS jaw-dropping views of some of
London’s best-known landmarks.
And now this stunning penthouse, which
occupies the top two floors of Trafalgar
Square’s only residential building, could be
yours – if you have a spare £16.95 million
knocking about, that is.
The duplex apartment, which enjoys
dual-aspect views of the city, is one of five
new flats located in the former Canadian
Pacific building on the south side of the
square. Three have already sold.
Accessed by private lift, the penthouse
has a 33ft reception room that leads out
onto a stunning terrace, with views over
St James’s Park, Buckingham Palace, the
London Eye and Big Ben.
On the other side of the flat is another,
larger reception, which includes an openplan
kitchen and dining area and a study
with windows overlooking Trafalgar Square
and the famous landmarks of Nelson’s
Column and the National Gallery.
Three en suite bedrooms are located on
the top floor, with a second terrace that also
Have a ball – without leaving home
IT’S NOT OFTEN that a flat comes with its
own ballroom.
But that is exactly what’s on offer with this
two-bedroom apartment in Grosvenor Square,
which has just come onto the market for
£5 million.
The south-facing flat is located on the
second floor of a 1950s mansion block, with
views over the leafy square. It boasts two
bedrooms, two bathrooms, an eat-in kitchen
overlooks Trafalgar Square. The master
bedroom comes with its own walk-in
dressing room and bespoke oak wardrobes.
The property also benefits from a stateof-the-art
security system, cutting-edge
technology and home automation systems.
There’s secure underground parking nearby,
and 24-hour porterage.
The penthouse is on the market for
£16.95 million with Iles Prime Property
(020 7235 4555).
and a dining room that could be used as a
third bedroom if desired.
When the property was built, a ballroom
was created at the back of the block, which is
available for residents to hire. Other benefits
include 24-hour porterage, and the option to
rent staff accommodation and parking within
the building.
The apartment at 17 Grosvenor Square is
for sale through Wetherell (020 7529 5566).
Ring for
the butler
A NEW PROPERTY management company
backed by former Dragons’ Den star James
Caan held a launch party in Mayfair last month.
The London Management Company
provides a fully tailored property and lifestyle
management service for private clients,
institutional investors and landlords, which is
inspired by the traditional English butler.
Founder Rupert Collingwood said: “London
is a city with global appeal, attracting the
successful and the wealthy. They demand a fivestar
service and deserve nothing less. We are
leading the way in providing this and we look
forward to the challenge of managing London
properties.”
The London Management Company is
backed by Hamilton Bradshaw Real Estate, the
Mayfair-based, property-focused venture capital
vehicle chaired by entrepreneurs James Caan
and Faisal Butt.

100
direct lines selma day
Baroness Thatcher’s
table of content
THE RITZ recently had the sad honour of being home to Baroness Thatcher
during her last days.
The former prime minister had been staying at the hotel since December,
and it seems that they loved her there. Executive chef John Williams tells me
that ten Ritz staff attended her funeral.
“She wasn’t at all scary – quite the opposite, I found,” says John. “I was
quite nervous, and she relaxed me. I thought she was a fantastic lady.”
At The Ritz restaurant, Baroness Thatcher used to occupy table one, by
the window. The last time I visited I sat at the same table, and was told that
she liked it because “you can see the whole room from there”.
In that detail, at least, she was not so different from every other woman I
know.
BARONESS THATCHER AT THE RITZ HOTEL’S 95TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IN 2001
Can’t wait? Get to The Ritz
Creative juices
PHOTO: RICHARD YOUNG/REX FEATURES
IF YOU WANT to know how to carve grouse or smoked salmon correctly – or
create the perfect crêpe Suzette – get along to The Ritz, which has a range of
demonstrations taking place as part of National Waiters Day on June 23.
Fortnum & Mason is also joining in the fun, a little later, on the evening of
July 17. Its Back-to-Front-Front-to-Back event sees top chefs take on roles
such as bartenders, waiters and sommeliers out front, while the unsung heroes
from front of house get creative in the kitchen.
Intrepid diners can book a two-course à la carte dinner in the Diamond
Jubilee Tea Salon through Fortnum & Mason’s website.
See www.nationalwaitersday.com for these and other events.
NOW ART comes in many guises. So step forward John Wise.
John has been creating stunning visual displays of... fruit on his stall
at the junction of Woodstock Street and Oxford Street for over 40 years.
He doesn't call it art, of course – but when I pass the stall I am
always reminded of that quote by Marc Chagall: “Great art picks up
where nature ends.”
Help get Mayfair
back in the game
MONOPOLY, that iconic board game, has been causing
a stir down on Half Moon Street.
The game – which caused countless sibling
arguments in our house – removed Mayfair as its trophy
purchase back in 2011, replacing it with Kensington
Palace Gardens.
Now, after a seemly period of reflection, Colin Exton
of Flemings Hotel on Half Moon Street has started a
campaign to have Mayfair reinstated.
The Mayfair Back in the Game campaign has roped
in real-life property agent Peter Wetherell, and local MP
Mark Field is also, er, on board.
If you would like to join in you can sign the petition at
www.mayfairismissing.co.uk. But before you do, I'll just
also let the less regular players out there know that in
2011 Brixton Hill replaced Pall Mall, Notting Hill Gate
replaced Piccadilly, King's Road replaced Bond Street,
Knightsbridge replaced Park Lane and, in a tragic case
of friendly fire, Savile Row took out Regent Street.
Twitter: @MayfairTimes
PASSING GO:
COLIN EXTON
(BACK LEFT)
AND PETER
WETHERELL
(BACK RIGHT)