Where to, Parker_Issue _1_2015

Where to,
Parker?
The in-car magazine for Parker Car Service
London Jazz Festival
Rugby World Cup
The renaissance
of vinyl records
London’s very own
sparkling wine
PLACES, PEOPLE, ARTS, CULTURE IN LONDON
Issue 1 | Autumn 2015

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welcome
On the cover: Melody Gardot at the
EFG London Jazz Festival.
Photo: Franko P Tettamanti
Welcome
I’m delighted to welcome you
to the very first issue of Parker
Cars’ in-car magazine. With this
publication we hope to entertain
you and inform you with our
cabs’-eye view of this wonderful
city.
Parker Car Service began
27 years ago from my mother’s
kitchen table. Our plan all along
was to provide a service that
was always very special for our
customers. Over the many years
since then we have tried to add
features and benefits that help
those customers. This magazine is
one more free gift to you.
Inside this issue you’ll find
everything you need to enjoy
your London. There are features
on new restaurants, bars, shows,
galleries, museums and shops.
We include artists, photographers,
politicians, chefs, sportsmen,
florists and musicians.
Sit back, peruse the magazine,
and enjoy your ride. And please
take the magazine home with
you, if you like.
Joe Polley
Partner, Parker Car Service
Editorial
Editor: Dominic Bliss
Twitter: @DominicBliss
Art editor: Anthony Collins
www.antcollins.com
Printed by: 47g Print Consultants
19 Catherine Place, London SW1E 6DX
parker cars
Partner: Joe Polley
Operations manager: Ian Lowe
Where to, Parker? is published by
Parker Car Service.
Unit 3, Victory Business Centre,
Fleming Way, Isleworth,
Middlesex TW7 6DB
T: 020 8560 0000
E: admin@parkercarservice.com
www.parkercarservice.co.uk
Parker Car Service makes every effort to ensure
that editorial is factually correct at the time of
going to press, but cannot accept responsibility
for any subsequent errors.
Parker Car Service is not responsible for
unsolicited material.
Copyright Parker Car Service. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without the
written permission of the publishers.
Views expressed and products appearing in
Where to, Parker? are not necessarily endorsed
by Parker Car Service.
For more information regarding Parker Car
Service, visit: www.parkercarservice.co.uk
where to, parker? 3

18
In this issue
6 London by day
New shops, shows, galleries and events.
8 London by night
New restaurants, bars, concerts and nightlife.
10 Topical London
18 Class and power
Meet Belgravia’s elite in all their glory.
22 Chateau Enfield
The north London vineyard aiming to produce
10,000 bottles of wine a year.
10
22
4 where to, parker?

Contents
44
32
28 Gerry Judah
The London artist who combines protest art with
corporate commissions.
32 The box office
Is this London’s most iconic boxing gym?
34 For the record
The amazing renaissance of vinyl records.
38 Twickers, here we come
Whether you love rugby or hate rugby, enjoy our
brilliant guide to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
28
44 Station to station
The photographer who spent two years taking
pictures of all 269 Tube stations.
46 London villages
Everything you ever wanted to know about the
rapidly gentrifying Acton.
48 London property
Ever dreamt of living on a houseboat?
49 The world according to Boris Johnson
Relive the outgoing mayor’s greatest ever witticisms.
50 Six of the best…
London florists. 46
where to, parker? 5

get out more
London by day
All the best stuff to do
during daylight hours.
WC2R 1LA
Tintin and Snowy’s
latest adventure is an
exhibition at Somerset
House, Nov 12 to Jan 31.
WC2B 4DD
Admire the £13.5 million renovation in
1920s style at the Waldorf Hilton on
Aldwych.
W8 7RZ
New pay-as-you-go but
very posh Kensington
gym, Core Collective,
opens on Phillimore
Walk.
SW6 1UD
Beat the autumn
blues with some
Caribbean partying at
Rumfest. Unfortunately
at Fulham’s ILEC
Conference Centre (Oct
17 to 18) rather than on a
warm beach.
SW7 2DD
Cosmonauts: Birth of the Space Age,
at the Science Museum, explores how
Russia became the first nation ever to
explore space, Sept 18 onwards.
6 where to, parker?

london daylife
E1W 2SF
Celebrate Mexico’s
answer to Halloween
with Wahaca’s Day of
the Dead Festival (Nov
7) at Tobacco Dock, in
Shadwell: music, food,
drink, art and culture.
E20 2ST
Watch snowboarders
and skiers defy gravity
at Freeze Big Air in
the Queen Elizabeth
Olympic Park, Nov 14.
E16 1XL
Cybermen, Zygons,
Silurains, Ice Warriors,
Weeping Angels, Autons
and, of course, Daleks.
Meet Doctor Who’s
worst enemies at the
Doctor Who Festival, at
Excel, Nov 13 to 15.
SE1 3XF
A new exhibition at
the Fashion & Textile
Museum explores
the impact of Arthur
Liberty, founder of the
eponymous London
store, on British fashion,
Oct 9 to Feb 28.
SE10 9NF
From truant schoolboy to world-famous
diarist, Pepys was one of the most
intriguing Londoners ever to have
lived. The National Maritime Museum
exhibition Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire &
Revolution lets you into his life and times,
Nov 20 to March 28.
SE10 0QX
There are 60 teeingoff
bays plus dining
and drinking facilities
at the new Greenwich
Peninsula Golf Range.
where to, parker? 7

get out more
London by night
All the best stuff to do after
the sun has gone down.
W3 9BH
For great burlesque
cabaret, but without
heading into the West
End, try the recently
refurbished Aeronaut
Acton: live performers,
beer brewed on the
premises, and circus
and fairground themes
throughout.
HA9 0AA
Shakey-headed
comedian Michael
MacIntyre puts on a
three-night residence at
Wembley Arena, Oct 22
to 24.
SW7 3DY
Shuck oysters to your heart’s content
at the new Wright Brothers seafood
restaurant in South Kensington.
W1T 1BU
Mexican fast food and frozen margaritas
are on the menu at the new DF Mexico
on Tottenham Court Rd.
W1H 5BN
New Italian restaurant
Bernardi’s (from Italian-
Australian brothers
Gabriel and Marcello
Bernardi) opens in
Marylebone.
W1B 4DY
Indulge yourself with old-fashioned
afternoon tea at the new London Royal
Tea at Hotel Café Royal. Battenburg
cake, Victoria sponge and fruit cake all
on offer.
KT8 9AU
Scare yourself silly with a ghost tour at
Hampton Court Palace, various dates
between Nov 1 to Feb 28.
8 where to, parker?

london nightlife
WC2N 4EA
There’s a Victorian
tavern on the ground
floor and a gin parlour
and salon upstairs at the
new Mr Fogg’s Tavern
on St Martin’s Lane.
E1 6HU
An old petrol station in Shoreditch is
now home to classic American fare such
as smoked ribs, buttermilk-fried chicken
and amazing burgers thanks to the
opening of Boneyard.
SE10 0DX
Love them or loathe
them, you can’t
ignore Irish rockers
U2, especially since
they have a six-night
residence at The O2, Oct
25, 26, 29, 30, Nov 2, 3.
E1 7ha
New Italian restaurant Canto Corvino
opens in Spitalfields.
where to, parker? 9

10 where to, parker?
Get brassy
Blast your ears with British and
international jazz at the 2015
London Jazz Festival, featuring
hundreds of artists and bands at
huge venues such as the Royal
Albert Hall and the Barbican all
the way down to tiny theatres,
pubs and cafes. (Including an
unusually jazzy Ice-T, pictured.)
London Jazz Festival, various
venues, Nov 13 to 22

topical london
A wee dram
Now in its seventh year, the Whisky Show (the
UK’s largest) moves to Old Billingsgate, an
exhibition space near the Tower of London. As well
as whisky experts, a cocktail bar, master classes,
whisky-themed meals and over 500 whiskies
to sample, there will also be tastings of “ultrapremium
whiskies”, some of which are worth up to
£1,000 a bottle.
The Whisky Show, Old Billingsgate, EC3R 6DX,
Oct 3 to 4, from £99
Skate at Somerset
House this winter.
The ice rink is open
from Nov 18 to Jan 10.
Tickets from £7.50.
Bomb damage
Find out whether your house
would have copped it during
the Blitz. A new book of maps
and photos reveals the bomb
damage that our grandparents
(and great-grandparents)
suffered during World War II.
And, yes, the East End took
the brunt.
The London County Council
Bomb Damage Maps, 1939-
1945, by Laurence Ward,
Thames & Hudson
where to, parker? 11

topical london
Londoners’ secret habits
We can’t sleep, we’re hooked on coffee, we’re always
skint, and we hate commuting. A major survey of
Londoners has uncovered little-known secrets of
those of us who live in the capital. Did you know, for
example, that more than six in ten Londoners have
trouble sleeping, mainly because they’re worried
about work? That work brings us in an average
salary of £29,500, yet we collectively believe we
need a minimum of £38,500 to be comfortable.
No wonder we can’t stand commuting to work.
According to the survey (carried out by Time Out
on nearly 14,000 Londoners), 8.3 per cent of us feel
a short journey to work is most important to our
happiness. Other ways we boost our well-being are,
in order of priority, through exercise, cycling instead
of public transport, sex, being in a relationship,
avoiding coffee, and telephoning our family.
As city-dwellers, we all have certain crutches
we rely on. Just under four in ten of us couldn’t
get through the day without checking our emails.
Over a third of us would flounder without coffee.
Other indispensable habits include, in order of
priority, Facebook, cuddles, tea, make-up, chocolate,
cigarettes, alcohol and Twitter.
Courtesy of Time Out’s Great City Living Survey
2015.
London’s upmarket
chain of pet boutiques,
Pet Pavilion, is now
offering doggy beer.
Don’t worry, it’s nonalcoholic,
containing
beef or chicken stock,
malt barley extracts
and mineral oils.
Abstract painter
Bridget Riley teams
up with the late
Georges Seurat for
an unexpected joint
exhibition at the
Courtauld Gallery,
WC2R 0RN, Sept 17
to Jan 17.
12 where to, parker?

topical london
This picture of Velvet
Underground’s singer Nico
appears in a new exhibition of
photos from Andy Warhol’s
1960s New York studio, The
Factory (left).
Billy Name: The Silver Age,
Serena Morton II, W10 6HA,
Sept 30 to Oct 23.
where to, parker? 13

Tintin’s
new adventures
in London
Billions of blue, blistering barnacles!
Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock and
all of Hergé’s other iconic characters
are coming to Somerset House
this winter in a major exhibition
celebrating the artwork of Belgium’s
most famous cartoonist. Featuring
pencil sketches, watercolours,
original artwork and models and
installations of story locations,
TINTIN: Hergé’s Masterpiece also
reveals some little-known facts
about the author himself. The origin
of his name, for example, which was
the initials of his real name Georges
Remi, but in reverse.
TINTIN: Hergé’s Masterpiece,
Somerset House, WC2R 1LA, Nov 12
to Jan 31, free
Who do you love?
Ever fancied being a Whovian? That’s a Doctor
Who fan, in case you were wondering. Visit the
Doctor Who Festival at ExCel, in November, with
its behind-the-scenes insights into how the show
is made, and you’ll be well on your way. You can
watch theatre shows, meet the cast (current
Time Lord incarnation Peter Capaldi will be in
attendance), try the costumes and props, test your
Doctor Who knowledge, and marvel at the otherworldly
prices of the official merchandise.
Doctor Who Festival, ExCel, E16 1XL, Nov 13 to 15,
from £68
14 where to, parker?

topical london
Street cred
Of all the hundreds of thousands of streets that criss-cross London,
if you could list your favourites, which would you choose? With such
diversity, it’s almost an impossible task. Fortunately, the author of a
new book called James Sherwood’s Discriminating Guide to London
has done the job for us. Here are the results: his top six exceptional
London streets:
Savile Row (for tailors):
“Home to London’s bespoke
tailors since Henry Poole opened
the first showroom door at Nos
36-39 in 1846,” Sherwood writes.
Lamb’s Conduit Street (for
independent shops):
“Today it is one of those fourleaf-clover
streets that is almost
entirely devoid of big brands.
Starbucks, which muscled in
in 2006, was soon seen off by
locals…”
Redchurch Street (for fashion):
“Although it was stretching it a
bit when the Evening Standard
called Redchurch Street the new
Bond Street, there’s no denying
that this humble, bleak East End
backstreet is the ‘Alternative
Miss World’ of British fashion
compared to the mainstream,
glossy brands of Bond Street.”
Burlington Arcade (for luxury
goods): “
It still has its Beadles to enforce
order… ensuring the rules of no
bicycles, no whistling and no
running are upheld.”
Cecil Court (for antique books):
“We owe a debt of gratitude
to the Marquess of Salisbury,
who owns the land, for the
preservation of Cecil Court
and its eccentric, independent
dealers.”
Elizabeth Street (for anything
you can imagine):
“An oasis of village life in the
otherwise apparently deserted
streets of Belgravia.”
Catching big air
London in mid-November
seldom sees snow. Even a
rare light dusting is enough
to bring the entire public
transport system to a halt.
So if you’re pining for the
stuff, you’ll need to get down
to Freeze Big Air, a ski and
snowboard competition at
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park,
in Stratford. Testing the mettle
of those taking part will be
a 120 metre-long snow jump
covered in 360 tonnes of real
snow. And since it’s an official
FIS snowboarding event, there
will be Olympic qualifying
points at stake for the 2018
Winter Games in South Korea.
Freeze Big Air, Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20
2ST, Nov 14, from £37.50,
www.freezebigair.com
where to, parker? 15

download
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In this age of technology we can do
almost everything from our smart
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listen to music and even book a minicab.
At Parker Car Service we like to give you as
many options as possible to make your life
easier. You can book by telephone, email,
online via our website or even via our smart
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Once you have downloaded the app, we will
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Parker Car Service
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class and
power A new book remembers London’s elite in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
18 where to, parker?

photography
where to, parker? 19

“The photographs are not about individuals but
about a group of people and their ideas during
a particular time in history,” says Karen Knorr,
the photographer behind these amazing images
captured in London’s Belgravia between 1979 and
1981. “They are non-portraits in that they do not
aim to flatter or to show the truth of these people.
People are not named and remain anonymous.”
Karen chose her models to represent “class
and power amongst the international and wealthy
during the beginning of Thatcherism in London”.
Satirical though they are, the accompanying
captions (typos and all) are real quotes from
interviews with the subjects.
20 where to, parker?

Since she took these photos more than 30 years
ago, Karen has exhibited and lectured at the Tate
Modern, Tate Britain, Harvard University and the Art
Institute of Chicago. Her more recent work focuses
on interior photography, often featuring out-of-place
wild animals in strange poses. It’s not a million miles
away from the models pictured here.
Belgravia by Karen Knorr,
Stanley Barker, £45
where to, parker? 21

22 where to, parker? | issue 1 | autumn 2015

london wine
chateau
enfield
For the first time since the Middle Ages,
a London vineyard is about to produce
a sparkling wine on an industrial scale.
Will the fizz go off with a bang?
Ten thousand bottles of wine a year. It’s an ambitious
target but, according to Sarah Vaughan-Roberts,
founder of Forty Hall, the only commercial vineyard
in Greater London, it’s a wholly realistic one. The
cream of her crop will be a sparkling white wine
made according to the traditional champagne
method. It will be the first sparkling wine produced
in London in a very long time indeed – possibly since
the Middle Ages.
“But it will take a few years to reach 10,000
bottles,” she admits. “We have to wait up to five
years for all our vines to mature.”
A not-for-profit venture, Forty Hall (named after
the local Jacobean manor house-turned-museum)
has thousands of vines across 10 acres of land
leased from a horticultural college called Capel
Manor. Volunteers – many of them with learning
difficulties – oversee the growing of organic pinot
noir, chardonnay, pinot meunier, ortega and bacchus
grape varieties.
“We grow grapes naturally, with as little
intervention as possible,” Sarah adds, “so that
the wine produced best reflects the terroir – the
unique characteristics of the place, the soil and its
microclimate.”
The soil and microclimate of Enfield aren’t the
very first things that spring to mind when you
think of English wine-making. And let’s be honest.
This isn’t the most glamorous part of the capital
either. The vineyard is a stone’s throw from the
M25 and the border between Greater London and
Hertfordshire. This is a place of main roads, golf
where to, parker? 23

Above: Forty Hall,
the Jacobean manor
house that gives the
vineyard its name.
Below: Volunteers
at harvest time.
clubs, cemeteries and bleak suburban housing. The
Loire Valley it most certainly ain’t.
So why on earth did Sarah choose Enfield for her
experiment in viticulture? It turns out what attracted
her to this northern suburb was a south-facing hill and
a rare bit of gravelly soil, as opposed to the grapeunfriendly
clay that covers the vast majority of the
capital. “It’s absolute luck that we ended up here,”
Sarah says. “I initially emailed loads of people across
London and they all laughed. But Capel Manor offered
us the land as long as I could raise the money.”
As well as money, Forty Hall also has the support
of a veritable expert to help them negotiate the
tricky path from grape to bottle. His name is Will
Davenport and he’s an award-winning wine-maker
from Davenport Vineyards in Kent. “Forty Hall’s
grapes are in good hands,” Sarah says confidently.
Will has already made sparkling wine from the
This is a place of main roads,
golf clubs, cemeteries and
bleak suburban housing.
The Loire Valley it most
certainly ain’t.
24 where to, parker?

london wine
Grape Britain
British vineyards are booming, arguably
in better health than they’ve been since
Roman times. And the industry is no longer
a worldwide laughing stock: many sparkling
wines have beaten French champagnes in recent
international awards. English sparkling rosé is
particularly revered.
Most vineyards are in England (the lion’s
share in West Sussex), some in Wales. Sorry,
Scotland, but you’ll need a bit more global
warming yet.
470
commercial
vineyards
vineyard’s 2013 harvest. “It’s a very young, crisp,
champagne-style wine with an apple fruit flavour,
and the start of a biscuit-y and yeasty flavour
coming through,” he says. “Like most English
sparkling wines, it has good levels of acidity so it
goes very well with food. It’s not just something
you’d drink as an aperitif.”
But then, as official wine-maker, Will is bound
to be a bit biased. Unfortunately we were unable to
sample any of his vintages (that 2013 harvest was
the first ever) since they’re not yet commercially
available. The only way to taste what has already
been produced is through a small-scale sponsorship
scheme direct with Forty Hall. This year’s harvest
is only the third in the vineyard’s short history.
“It is not yet released for sale or sampling as the
production levels are still too low to go to market,”
Sarah explains.
But give her and her colleagues time, and we
may soon be able to buy Forty Hall wine direct from
the cellar door. Sarah remains coy but suggests sales
to the restaurant trade are a possibility. “Lots of
people are interested.” She’s also in discussion with a
potential retailer.
Who knows? One day soon, bottles of Forty Hall
might be gracing the shelves of Tesco.
3,634
acres currently in production
135wine producers
2,243
acres in southeast England
86hobby vineyards
The main grape varieties
are chardonnay, pinot noir,
bacchus, seyval blanc, pinot
meunier and reichensteiner
where to, parker? 25

26 where to, parker? | issue 1 | autumn 2015

hilton london syon park
advertising feature
Stay at the Hilton Syon Park,
London’s luxury retreat
This season, luxury hotel Hilton London Syon Park
is launching an exciting array of new offerings,
ranging from a brand new menu at the Marco
Pierre White Bar & Grill to a bespoke outdoor
Shisha Bar!
Representing a new breed of the easily
accessible country retreat for Londoners and a
tranquil base for sybarites from further afield, Hilton
London Syon Park exudes a sense of playful luxury
in the historic 200-acre Syon Park Estate owned by
the Duke of Northumberland.
Anglo-French influences serve as the key
inspiration behind the new menu at the Marco Pierre
White Steakhouse Bar & Grill, with an intriguing
range of new eclectic British dishes prepared
using French cooking techniques. New signature
dishes include the Brandade of Smoked Mackerel,
(personally singled out by Marco as a favourite)
as well as a Chauteaubriand made with 28-day
aged native breed beef, a welcome addition to the
existing range of steaks.
Marco stays true to form by injecting a healthy
dose of diversity into the new menu, with dishes
ranging from a Coq and Shrimp Curry with mango
and ginger, to the traditional Rump of Lamb a la
Dijonnaise. Marco’s take on his childhood favourite,
the Knickerbocker Glory, is an exciting addition
to the dessert menu, as is the Sticky Sticky Sticky
Toffee Pudding.
An oasis of calm and wellbeing, The Kallima
Club & Spa, popular amongst local residents and
hotel guests alike, has motivated the introduction of
new Kallima Club membership options, designed to
suit a variety of different lifestyles. New members
can enjoy a no-joining fee, with additional benefits
including access to a wealth of different fitness
classes and an induction programme. Follow-up
classes to ensure members take full advantage of
the wide range of fitness facilities and personal
training options are also on offer.
Membership benefits also include a 15%
discount off various signature spa treatments.
With a specialised spa menu that focuses on the
relaxation and rejuvenation for mind, body and soul,
the Kallima Spa uses Comfort Zone products for
treatments ranging from exfoliation to mineral mud
masks and full-body massages.
Ideally located a stone’s throw away from
Twickenham Stadium, Hilton London Syon Park has
launched various offerings to see England through
this year’s Rugby World Cup. Rugby fans are invited
to join like-minded patriots in the bar and indulge
in a British-themed World Cup 2015 Bar Menu
designed to satisfy the appetites of hungry rugby
supporters.
Last but by no means least, Hilton London
Syon Park is due to launch a new Shisha Lounge at
the end of November so guests can enjoy a wide
range of flavoured tobacco whilst looking onto the
stunning grounds of the Syon Park estate.
For more information please call
+44 (0) 207 870 7777 or visit
www.londonsyonpark.com.
where to, parker? 27

feature
a shrine to
speed
When he’s not making geo-political
protests, London sculptor Gerry
Judah is in cahoots with the motor
industry. Here he explains how he
reconciles the two.
28 where to, parker?

sculpture
Gerry Judah’s
enormous car
sculptures at the
Goodwood Festival
of Speed.
On top is a representation of a
Calcutta power station, belching
out smoke. Underneath is the
ultimate in green transport: a
bicycle rickshaw. It’s Gerry Judah’s
favourite sculpture – among the
hundreds he has created over the
years – and its message of environmental protest is
common to much of his work. (See overleaf.) This
is a sculptor who isn’t afraid to tackle geo-political
issues. During his career he has used his artwork to
address war, civil destruction, genocide and climate
change.
Strange then that for the last 15 years he has
also created an annual temple to the motor industry
in the form of the enormous and unmissable car
sculptures at Goodwood Festival of Speed. In the
past they have been sponsored by the likes of
Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, Rolls-
Royce, Lotus and Alfa Romeo, often displaying huge,
ostentatious contortions of metal and real motor
cars. This year it was Japanese manufacturer Mazda
that paid for the commission.
“I’ve worked with commercial
sponsors from the word go
because they have effectively
funded all my geo-political work,”
Gerry explains. “You have to be
pragmatic. But yes, it is a bit odd
that I do these big sculptures on climate change and
also these sculptures for car companies.”
Gerry is no stranger to working with big names.
Earlier in his career he used to concentrate on
stagecraft and model making, creating scenery
and props used by the BBC, in museums and
for pop stars such as Robert Plant, Jimmy Page,
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. “One minute
you’re making a city built entirely out of biscuits
for a biscuit commercial,” he remembers. “Then
an Indian village for the Museum of Mankind. Then
you’re making massive silk and fibre-glass forms for
Rudolf Nureyev. Then massive canvases for Michael
Jackson. Then you’re doing those Benson & Hedges
adverts with the flying deckchairs. You constantly
where to, parker? 29

Gerry’s Bengal
sculpture depicts a
power station on top
and a bicycle rickshaw
beneath.
30 where to, parker?

sculpture
Gerry’s cruciform
sculpture in St Paul’s
Cathedral.
have to think in different areas. If you want to
survive, you have to be flexible.”
Gerry says it’s an attitude to work he learned
as an immigrant to the UK. He arrived in London
from India with his parents at the age of 10. As
Indian Jews they settled in Golders Green, in north
London. “I had an immigrant mentality to work,” he
says. “It was: don’t turn up your nose at work. Just
do whatever you can, make a living and respect the
people that give you work.”
He remembers how, just after leaving Slade
School of Fine Art, he once talked his way into the
Royal Shakespeare Company, boldly exaggerating
his capabilities as a set designer. “I had a tiny studio
on Shaftesbury Avenue that I rented for £4 a week,
but I told them I had a massive studio, and loads
Commercial sponsors have
effectively funded all my
geo-political work. You have
to be pragmatic.”
of people working for me. I had no idea how to do
it, but somehow I did it. You have to have a level
of blind confidence. In my case, I had to make the
opportunities for myself because they were not
handed to me.”
More recently, Gerry has created sculptures
based on the Holocaust of the Second World War,
the terrible death count of the First World War, and
three-dimensional paintings exploring how wars in
Eastern Europe and the Middle East have left whole
cityscapes ravaged by bombing. His rickshawpower
station combination (left) resulted from a
trip he took with Christian Aid to India to highlight
climate change.
With so many commercial sponsors, now, in the
motor industry (as well as the Goodwood Festival of
Speed, he was recently commissioned by Porsche
to make a sculpture), he obviously has to be careful
to keep his car clients happy. However strongly he
feels about climate change, he could hardly choose
to satirise the internal combustion engine. “That
would be more than biting the hand that feeds,” he
jokes. “That would be biting the hand that’s going to
kill me!”
where to, parker? 31

feature
32 where to, parker?

oxing
The box office
37 years of sweat. 37 years of blood. 37 years
of rampant testosterone. Repton Boxing Club,
in Bethnal Green, has oozed with all three of
these bodily fluids during its glorious history.
This photo, by Peter Dazeley, suggests the sports
venue hasn’t changed one iota since it first
moved into the East End bathhouse back in 1978.
But the club’s history dates back much
further than that. It first started in 1884 – a
philanthropic venture founded by Derbyshire
public school Repton – and was previously
housed in various locations across London’s
East End. And it’s the latest location that has
cemented the club’s place in sporting folklore.
Top fighters such as John H Stracey, Maurice
Hope, Darren Barker and Audley Harrison
have all trained here (Note the latter’s Olympic
scoreboard in the top right corner of the photo),
while several films including Lock, Stock and Two
Smoking Barrels have used its faded glory as a
realistic backdrop.
“There is a good patina on white glazed tile
walls, distressed woodwork, yellowing bout bills,
battered punchbags and a
well-used square ring,” writes
Mark Daly in the book from
which this photo is taken.
“All this creates an authentic
atmosphere.”
Photo from Peter Dazeley’s
book Unseen London,
Frances Lincoln.
where to, parker? 33

vinyl records
for the record
Vinyl records sell more now
than they have done in a whole
generation, with all the hippest
bands releasing their new
albums on the old-fashioned
format. Dominic Bliss discovers
the reasons for the renaissance.
There’s a revolution in the music industry right now.
And it’s spinning at 33 rpm. Occasionally 45 rpm.
Yes, it’s the astonishing and meteoric revival of vinyl
records.
All across the Western world, artists are releasing
their new albums on these old-fashioned black discs
as well as on CD and in digital format. According to
the International Federation of the Phonographic
Industry, the market is worth US$218 million globally,
compared to less than $40 million in 2006. In the
UK alone, 2014 saw 1.29 million vinyl LPs sold – a
20-year-high. Spotify can go hang!
But what’s the reason for this renaissance?
Surely it’s not just ageing collectors? Certainly not.
According to the British Phonographic Industry,
20-something hipsters are snapping up the old
format almost as much as 50-something dads.
Chin-stroking audiophiles will bang on about
the superior and warmer sound of analogue but,
in truth, few of us have stereos that get anywhere
close to appreciating the difference. There’s no
doubt, though, that the tangibility of records, with
their sleeve notes and cover artwork, makes them
so much sexier than a soulless mp3 track, just as
34 where to, parker?

vinyl records
where to, parker? 35

vinyl records
Because so much music is free
nowadays, vinyl is a sign you
can really be bothered; that
you’re more serious about
your music. And it’s all mixed
in with a large spoonful of
nostalgia.”
Tom Fisher, of Camberwell’s Rat Records
a hardback book is infinitely more attractive than
something you’d read on a Kindle. In any case, many
records now come with a download code, allowing
buyers to get an additional digital version for free.
There’s also a certain ceremony to playing a
record that you simply don’t get with digital music;
an anticipation as you extricate the disc from its
envelope, settle it onto the turntable and poise the
stylus.
“It’s a more enveloping experience than hearing
Spotify through your laptop,” says Bob Stanley, DJ,
producer and former keyboardist for pop group
Saint Etienne. “Once you’ve put a record on it dares
you to walk away, or even to skip a track. There are
36 where to, parker?

vinyl records
The vinyl countdown
So you fancy your hand at collecting vinyl but
you’ve no idea what to buy. This lot will get your
collection started.
Lazaretto
by Jack White
Hidden tracks beneath the label,
side A playing inside out, a matte
finish on side B, a hand-etched
hologram… this vinyl album may well have more
special features than any other ever created.
King of Limbs
by Radiohead
Double 10-inch clear vinyl plus a
newspaper, large illustrations and
625 pieces of miniature art. Lovely.
All Things Must Pass
by George Harrison
Generally considered pop music’s
first triple album, this reveals a
very exasperated ex-Beatle.
added layers of enjoyment.”
Mark Burgess is owner of Flashback Records,
a chain of three record shops in north and east
London. “Vinyl has a ritualistic element which
demands effort and a set sequence of actions,” he
says. “People like this.”
South of the river, at Rat Records (above), in
Camberwell, Tom Fisher has been selling vinyl for
the past 25 years, shifting over 650,000 discs in his
time. He believes his younger customers see vinyl
as “a badge of authenticity, a demonstration of their
musical taste, and proof of how important music
is to them”. He adds: “Because so much music is
available for free nowadays, vinyl is a sign that you
can really be bothered; that you’re more serious
about your music. And it’s all mixed in with a large
spoonful of nostalgia.”
Perhaps this is the real key to the renaissance of
vinyl: nostalgia for a bygone pre-digital age. In which
case, how long can the nostalgia last?
Fisher believes vinyl sales can’t grow much
bigger than they currently are. “This is the Indian
summer of vinyl,” he says. “It’s not a product that
could be scaled up to the mainstream once again.
Sure, vinyl will continue to sell but eventually it
will be very rare stuff sold by specialist sellers to
specialist buyers.”
Not that Bob Stanley sees records fading out.
“If I were a younger, wealthier man,” he says, “I’d be
investing in a new record pressing plant right now.”
Quadrophenia
by The Who
Double album and a superb
booklet that draws you right into
the music.
Billion Dollar Babies
by Alice Cooper
The snakeskin cover and the fake
billion dollar bill inside makes this
the ultimate celebration of rock
excess.
Banana
by The Velvet Underground and Nico
“Peel off and see,” says the Andy
Warhol-created banana on the
cover.
Metal Box
by PIL
Three 12-inch records packed
inside a metal film canister.
Bombproof.
Sticky Fingers
by The Rolling Stones
Features a working zipper on a
full-to-bursting denim-clad crotch
photo by Andy Warhol.
where to, parker? 37

38 where to, parker?

ugby world cup
twickers,
here we
come
Whether you love
rugby or hate rugby,
enjoy our brilliant guide
to the 2015 Rugby
World Cup, and be fully
prepared when the
entire country scrums
down this autumn.
Photo: Canterbury
where to, parker? 39

Who’s playing who?
The 20 World Cup teams are split into four pools of five. It all starts off round robin,
with the top two teams in each pool eventually progressing to the knock-out stage.
Pool A
Australia
Nickname: The Wallabies
Player to watch: Israel Folau
Did you know? Years ago it
was suggested the team’s
nickname should be The
Rabbits but this was rejected
since the animal was an
imported pest.
England
Nickname: n/a
Player to watch: Sam Burgess
Did you know? England have
scored a record 20 drop goals
in the World Cup, 14 of them
courtesy of Jonny Wilkinson.
Wales
Nickname: n/a
Player to watch: George North
Did you know? Welsh rugby
legend Gareth Edwards
played 53 consecutive
matches for Wales and is
considered by many the
greatest rugby union player of
all time.
Fiji
Nickname: The Flying
Fijians Player to watch:
Vereniki Goneva
Did you know? Fiji really is
a rugby-mad nation, with
around one in 12 of all Fijians
registered with the national
association.
Uruguay
Nickname: Los Teros
Player to watch: Felipe
Berchesi
Did you know? It was an
amateur Uruguayan rugby
team that plane-crashed in
the Andes and resorted to
cannibalism, as documented
in the book and film Alive.
Pool B
South Africa
Nickname: The
Springboks Player to watch:
Willie Le Roux
Did you know? When South
Africa won the post-apartheid
1995 World Cup, Nelson
Mandela presented the
trophy to Francois Pienaar
in a moment that united the
nation. “I wanted to hug him,”
Pienaar later said.
Samoa
Nickname: Manu Samoa
Player to watch: Ken Pisi
Did you know? Like the All
Blacks, the Samoans perform
a war dance before matches,
called the Manu Siva Tau.
Japan
Nickname: The Cherry
Blossoms
Player to watch: Male Sa’u
Did you know? Japan are
hosting the next World Cup
in 2019.
Scotland
Nickname: n/a
Player to watch: Stuart Hogg
Did you know? The Calcutta
Cup, between Scotland and
England, is arguably the most
fiercely contested rivalry in
rugby union. England have
won 69 times; Scotland 39; 14
draws.
USA
Nickname: The Eagles
Player to watch: Hayden
Smith
Did you know? USA are the
reigning Olympic champions
in rugby union. But that was
back in the 1920s.
Pool C
New Zealand
Nickname: The All Blacks
Player to watch: Julian Savea
Did you know? One of the
All Blacks’ hakas includes
what looks like a throatslitting
gesture. Apparently
it represents “drawing vital
energy into the heart and
lungs”.
Argentina
Nickname: Los Pumas
Player to watch: Juan Martin
Hernandez
Did you know? The team jersey
crest actually depicts a jaguar,
not a puma. It was a South
African journalist in the 1960s
who confounded the animals
and created the erroneous
nickname… which stuck.
Tonga
Nickname: Ikale Tahi
(The Sea Eagles)
Player to watch: Nili Latu Did
you know? The Tongans start
their matches with a war dance
called the Sipi Tau.
Georgia
Nickname: The Lelos
Player to watch: Mamuka
Gorgodze
Did you know? The popularity
of rugby in Georgia may be
thanks to a traditional (and
brutal) ball sport called Lelo
Burti.
Namibia
Nickname: The
Welwitschias
Player to watch: Jacques
Burger
Did you know? Namibia have
played more World Cup
matches without winning (15)
than any other team.
40 where to, parker?

ugby world cup
Pool D
France
Nickname: Les Bleus
Player to watch: Thierry
Dusautoir
Did you know? Since the
Gallic rooster is the symbol
of the national rugby team,
some fans release cockerels
onto the pitch at international
matches.
Ireland
Nickname: The
Glashonds
Player to watch: Tommy Bowe
Did you know? At away
games a special anthem
called Ireland’s Call is used for
political reasons since the Irish
side features players from
both the Irish Republic and
Northern Ireland.
Italy
Nickname: Azzurri (The
Sky Blues)
Player to watch: Sergio
Parisse
Did you know? Italy’s Fabio
Ongaro is the most sin-binned
player in World Cup history.
Canada
Nickname: The Canucks
or The Maple Leafs
Player to watch: Tyler Ardron
Did you know? Years ago
Canadian rugby allowed for
forward passing.
Romania
Nickname: The Oaks
Player to watch: Mihai
Macovei
Did you know? At the end of
the communist regime in 1989,
many Romanian rugby players
were killed since they were
traditionally employed in the
army and police.
Best places to watch in London
Missed out on tickets? Worry not. Here are the best pubs and
public screens to watch live on TV. With the added bonus that you
don’t have to drink beer out of plastic glasses.
Fan zones: Free to enter, these haunt with some great ales
will feature huge screens, rugby to match. Just down the road
activities, food, drink, and from it is the William Webb
entertainment. Trafalgar Square Ellis, named after the chap
will be open from the semifinals
onwards. Other London You can hear the stadium roar
who allegedly invented rugby.
venues include Wembley Park in from both pubs. Welsh fans
Brent, Queen Elizabeth Olympic who want a bit of a home
Park in Newham, and, closest to atmosphere in London should
Twickenham Stadium itself, Old head for the Famous Three
Deer Park in Richmond.
Kings in West Kensington.
Pubs: Almost in the shadow Irish fans might try the Auld
of Twickenham Stadium, the Shillelagh in Stoke Newington
Cabbage Patch (above) is a or the The Faltering Fullback in
notorious post- and pre-match Finsbury Park.
Don’t miss the action
The Rugby World Cup runs from September 18th to October 31st.
Here’s a match schedule of the 48 fixtures between the 20 teams.
Sept 18: England vs Fiji (Twickenham)
Sept 19: Tonga vs Georgia (Gloucester); Ireland
vs Canada (Cardiff); South Africa vs Japan
(Brighton); France vs Italy (Twickenham)
Sept 20: Samoa vs USA (Brighton); Wales vs
Uruguay (Cardiff); New Zealand vs Argentina
(Wembley)
Sept 23: Scotland vs Japan (Gloucester);
Australia vs Fiji (Cardiff); France vs Romania
(London’s Olympic Stadium)
Sept 24: New Zealand vs Namibia (London’s
Olympic Stadium)
Sept 25: Argentina vs Georgia (Gloucester);
Sept 26: Italy vs Canada (Leeds); South Africa
vs Samoa (Birmingham); England vs Wales
(Twickenham)
Sept 27: Australia vs Uruguay (Birmingham);
Scotland vs USA (Leeds); Ireland vs Romania
(Wembley)
Sept 29: Tonga vs Namibia (Exeter)
Oct 1: Wales vs Fiji (Cardiff); France vs Canada
(Milton Keynes)
Oct 2: New Zealand vs Georgia (Cardiff)
Oct 3: Samoa vs Japan (Milton Keynes); South
Africa vs Scotland (Newcastle); England vs
Australia (Twickenham)
Oct 4: Argentina vs Tonga (Leicester); Ireland vs
Italy (London’s Olympic Stadium)
Oct 6: Canada vs Romania (Leicester); Fiji vs
Uruguay (Milton Keynes)
Oct 7: South Africa vs USA (London’s Olympic
Stadium); Namibia vs Georgia (Exeter)
Oct 9: New Zealand vs Tonga (Newcastle)
Oct 10: Samoa vs Scotland (Newcastle);
Australia vs Wales (Twickenham); England vs
Uruguay (Manchester)
Oct 11: Argentina vs Namibia (Leicester); Italy
vs Romania (Exeter); France vs Ireland (Cardiff);
USA vs Japan (Gloucester)
Oct 17: winner Pool B vs runner-up Pool A
(Twickenham); winner Pool C vs runner-up Pool
D (Cardiff)
Oct 18: winner Pool D vs runner-up Pool C
(Cardiff); winner Pool A vs runner-up Pool B
(Twickenham)
Oct 24: semi-final 1 (Twickenham)
Oct 25: semi-final 2 (Twickenham)
Oct 30: third-place play-off (London’s Olympic
Stadium)
Oct 31: final (Twickenham)
All matches shown on ITV
where to, parker? 41

The venues
There are 13 Rugby
World Cup venues,
three of which are
in London.
1: Twickenham
2: London’s Olympic Stadium
3: Wembley
4: Brighton Community Stadium
5: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
6: Stadium MK, Milton Keynes
7: Sandy Park, Exeter
8: Villa Park, Birmingham
9: Leicester City Stadium
10: Kingsholm Stadium, Gloucester
11: Manchester City Stadium
12: Elland Road, Leeds
13: St James’ Park, Newcastle
7
5
10
13
11
12
8
9
6
3
1
4
2
Previous
Rugby
World Cup
champions
This will be only the eighth
Rugby World Cup. Here are
the previous winners.
Year Host nation Winner
1987 Australia & New Zealand New Zealand
1991 France & British Isles Australia
1995 South Africa south Africa
1999 Wales australia
2003 Australia england
2007 France south Africa
2011 New Zealand new Zealand
The haka
Whether you’re a seasoned rugby fan or
completely uninterested in the sport, the All
Blacks’ pre-match haka is an unmissable part of
the international game. A traditional Maori war
dance, it has been used to intimidate opponents
since the beginning of the 20th Century.
There are actually two versions: the better
known Ka Mate (see below) and the much more
modern Kapa O Pango. The latter is “performed
from time to time at the team’s discretion”.
Now ear this!
Rugby has thrown up some pretty gruesome
injuries over the years: dislocated limbs, cracked
skulls, horrific double leg breaks, spinal damage
and all manner of “spilt claret”, as players
describe it with macho understatement. But
the most bizarre injury of all is one that’s wholly
curable yet often left to fester – cauliflower ear.
It’s one sure-fire way of spotting a serious
rugby player. Does his ear look like melted
cheese? The condition occurs when pummeling
or kicking causes a blood clot, and the ear swells
up. Get it treated quickly by a doctor (who drains
the blood or removes the clot) and the offending
organ should return to its original size. The
problem is many rugby players ignore ear injuries
altogether, seeing the deformed cauliflower as a
badge of honour.
Ka Mate
[Sing along and, if you dare, do the moves]
Ringa pakia (Slap hands against thighs)
Uma tiraha (Puff out the chest)
Turi whatia (Bend the knees)
Hope whai ake (Let the hips follow)
Waewae takahia kia kino (Stamp the feet as
hard as you can)
Ka mate! Ka mate! (It is death! It is death!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! (It is life! It is life!)
Ka mate! Ka mate! (It is death! It is death!)
Ka ora! Ka ora! (It is life! It is life!)
Tenei te tangata puhuruhuru (This is the hairy
man)
Nana nei tiki mai (Who fetched the sun)
Whakawhiti te ra (And caused it to shine again)
A upane, ka upane (An upward step, another
upward step)
Upane, kaupane (An upward step)
Whiti te ra (The sun shines)
42 where to, parker?

Sound like an expert
You may not have the foggiest about rugby but that doesn’t mean you can’t bluff your
way to sounding like an expert. Impress friends down the pub with these pearls of
wisdom as to why the All Blacks are the best team in the world.
RUGBY WORLD CUP
They have won over 76 per cent of their Test
matches, and have held the world number one
ranking longer than all the other teams combined.
They are the only international team to enjoy a
winning record against every nation they’ve played.
Maoris have been an important part of the New
Zealand side since the sport first started in the
1870s, thanks partly to their stocky build. Around a
quarter of the current squad have Polynesian blood.
Every primary school in New Zealand boasts a
grass rugby pitch.
The All Blacks have always been great
innovators. In the 1900s they developed specialist
scrummaging positions. In the 1930s it was a
revolutionary rucking style. The 1990s saw the
inclusion of enormous wingers such as Jonah Lomu
and Va’aiga Tuigamala. Nowadays they are reverting
to smaller, faster backs.
Rugby has always been a strong New Zealand
cultural symbol. “New Zealand beating British
teams at rugby was used by politicians to promote
the virtues of the healthy, virile Kiwi lifestyle,”
says Professor Toni Bruce, a sport sociologist at
Auckland University.
where to, parker? 43

station to
station
A new art project
kept photographer
Ant Smith busy
taking pictures of
every single station
on the London
Underground.
There can’t be many people who have visited all 269
London Underground stations. Photographer Ant
Smith has. He has spent nearly two years traipsing
round the Tube network, taking photos of every
single stop. Now he plans to combine them all into
a huge 20-metre by 13-metre artwork based on the
official Tube map.
“You cannot live in or visit London without the
Underground featuring in some special memory,”
he says, explaining his motives for the project.
“It insinuates itself into our lives. So I decided to
photograph it. All of it. To create a visual narrative
across the seasons and throughout the day. None
of us have, or take the time to stop and appreciate
the stations we use everyday. With this project I’ve
made it possible to do that.”
Ant, who says he’s famous for his tenacity, spent
many long Saturdays beneath the city, pursuing his
goal. “Or else I picked them off as I travelled to and
from work. Now, wherever I go in London, I get to
think: ‘I’ve been there before.’”
It was his wife who originally dreamt up
the project. “When I moved to London I learnt
everything I could about the Tube,” he remembers. “I
think I was driving her crazy with interesting facts so
she said ‘Why not photograph them all?’.”
Through crowdfunding he has raised the money
he needs to exhibit his final artwork. “Probably
early next year,” he adds. “I’m currently finalising the
venue and date.”
antsmith.net
44 where to, parker?

underground art
Clockwise from top
left: South Harrow,
Chalk Farm, Tooting
Bec, Oval and
Shepherd’s Bush.
where to, parker? 45

A piece of the Acton
The bit where we spotlight one of London’s lesser-known but
very wonderful quarters.
Overshadowed for decades by Chiswick to the south
and Ealing to the west, Acton is finally getting the
recognition it deserves, thanks to its lovely Victorian
terraces, quirky shops and (compared to other west
London addresses) reasonable house prices. Perhaps
the coolest part of Acton is around the poets’ roads,
near Acton Central station and, in East Acton, across
the old-fashioned railway crossing. And once Acton’s
Crossrail is up and running, it will take just 16 minutes
to get into the City.
46 where to, parker?

london villages
Left page, top:
The Rocket Pub &
Restaurant. Left page,
bottom: Shakespeare
Rd and Acton Park.
This page, above:
Arthur Razor barbers,
English Butcher, Park +
Bridge wine shop.
Great park
Acton Park.
Great pubs
The Rocket Pub & Restaurant; The Station House.
Great streets
The poets’ roads (Shakespeare Rd, Chaucer Rd,
Milton Rd, Spencer Rd etc) are lined with pretty
Victorian terraced houses, many brightened up with
tiny balconies and pretty front gardens.
Great schools
Twyford Church of England High School; The
Barbara Speake Stage School, whose alumni include
Phil Collins, Keith Chegwin and Naomi Campbell.
Great shops (all on Churchfield Rd)
Heart and Soul florist; Park + Bridge wine shop;
Anthony Bell hair salon; English Butcher (he’s an
Aussie); Arthur Razor barbers.
Did you know?
Most of the rock band The Who went to Acton High
School, back when it was Acton County Grammar.
The UK’s first ever Waitrose store was in Acton,
originally called Wait, Rose and Taylor.
where to, parker? 47

london property
If it floats
your boat
The Thames and its various tributaries are home
to some of the loveliest and quirkiest properties in
London. Just be prepared to roll with it.
Above and below:
A floating home
on Tagg’s Island, in
Hampton TW12, with
3,000 square feet of
internal space and
private grounds of
an acre. (£1,850,000,
River Homes.)
This picture and right:
A fully operational
Dutch barge at Dove
Pier in Hammersmith
W6, with 57 square
metres of internal
space including
two bedrooms and
a reception room.
(£365,000 River
Homes.)
48 where to, parker?

LONDONERS QUOTED
The world according to…
Boris Johnson
Life won’t be such fun when
Boris Johnson steps down
as mayor. Love him or loathe
him, you can’t ignore his Oscar
Wilde-esque witticisms. Here
are some of the best.
“My chances of being PM are about as good as
the chances of finding Elvis on Mars, or my being
reincarnated as an olive.”
“My policy on cake is pro having it and pro
eating it.”
“My speaking style was criticised by no less an
authority than Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a
low moment, my friends, to have my rhetorical skills
denounced by a monosyllabic Austrian cyborg.”
“I love tennis with a passion. I challenged Boris
Becker to a match once and he said he was up for
it but he never called back. I bet I could make him
run around.”
“Voting Tory will cause your wife to have bigger
breasts and increase your chances of owning a
BMW M3.”
“The Lib Dems are not just empty. They are a void
within a vacuum surrounded by a vast inanition.”
“I don’t see why people are so snooty about Channel
5. It has some respectable documentaries about
the Second World War. It also devotes considerable
airtime to investigations into lap-dancing, and other
related and vital subjects.”
“I think I was once given cocaine but I sneezed so
it didn’t go up my nose. In fact, it may have been
icing sugar.”
“If people want to swim in the Thames, if they want
to take their lives into their own hands, then they
should be able to do so with all the freedom and
exhilaration of our woad-painted ancestors.”
[On his London Assembly opponents]
“Great supine protoplasmic invertebrate
jellies!”
[On Tony Blair]
“It is just flipping unbelievable. He is a mixture of
Harry Houdini and a greased piglet. He is barely
human in his elusiveness. Nailing Blair is like trying to
pin jelly to a wall.”
[On Portsmouth]
“Too full of drugs, obesity, underachievement and
Labour MPs.”
“I can hardly condemn UKIP as a bunch of bosseyed,
foam-flecked Euro hysterics, when I have been
sometimes not far short of boss-eyed, foam-flecked
hysteria myself.”
“There is no point in wasting any more moral or
mental energy in being jealous of the very rich.
They are no happier than anyone else; they just
have more money. We shouldn’t bother ourselves
about why they want all this money, or why it is
nicer to have a bath with gold taps. How does it
hurt me, with my 20-year-old Toyota, if somebody
else has a swish Mercedes? We both get stuck in
the same traffic.”
[On sex]
“I’ve slept with far fewer than 1,000.”
[On driving with a mobile phone]
“I don’t believe that is necessarily any more
dangerous than the many other risky things that
people do with their free hands while driving:
nose-picking, reading the paper, studying the A-Z,
beating the children, and so on.”
where to, parker? 49

london’s finest
Six of the best
The bit where we bring you the very greatest of London life.
This time it’s the capital’s best florist’s.
Scarlet and Violet
This Kensal Rise florist’s, headed
up by Victoria Brotherson,
supplied the flowers for Kate
Moss’s wedding… and they’ve
rightly been dining out on
that claim to fame ever since.
“I wouldn’t change my job for
anything,” Brotherson says
proudly.
76 Chamberlayne Road, NW10 3JJ
scarletandviolet.com
Rebel Rebel
Bold and brassy, Clapton-based
Rebel Rebel know the power of
colour. As well as domestic and
event bouquets, they have also
created amazing installations for
commercial clients such as De
Beers, BAFTA, BBC, Peroni, Agent
Provocateur and the Pope’s 2010
visit to London. Best not to get
the last two mixed up.
64-66 Brooksby’s Walk, E9 6DA
rebelrebel.co.uk
Grace & Thorn
When Nik Southern first founded
this Haggerston florist – starting
in a studio space and later moving
to her shop premises – she says
she set out to “create florals that
defied all traditions and rules”.
It seems the local hipsters have
taken her to heart.
338 Hackney Road, E2 7AX
graceandthorn.com
Hayford & Rhodes
Hayford & Rhodes
This Bermondsey florist’s,
brainchild of Edwardian
gentleman William Hayford,
has been supplying beautiful
bouquets to Londoners since
1924. In 2007 the three Rhodes
sisters, Amy, Joanna and Laura,
took over, backed up by the 12
talented florists in their employ.
5 Morocco St, SE1 3HB
hayfordandrhodes.co.uk
JamJar Flowers
A lovely old mews in Kennington
is the setting for this florist’s set
up just five years ago by Melissa
Richardson, the former director of
a modelling agency. Expect only
seasonal flowers in an eclectic mix
of vases including, of course, jam
jars. According to Melissa, there
is indeed a connection between
models and flowers: “Both hang
their heads and droop if you don’t
treat them nicely,” she says.
7a Peacock Yard, SE17 3LH
jamjarflowers.co.uk
Hayford & Rhodes
Scarlet and Violet
McQueens
Favoured by fashion shows,
restaurants, party organisers
and hotels the world over,
McQueens has established quite
a reputation since it was first set
up by Kally Ellis in 1991. “It never
fails to surprise me when I receive
calls about our flowers from
Hollywood and Japan,” she says
with understandable confidence.
70-72 Old Street, EC1V 9AN
mcqueens.co.uk
50 where to, parker?

parker cars
airport meet and
greet service
If you are arriving at
Heathrow Airport any time
soon, Parkers are unique in
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at Heathrow.
Our meet-and-greet representatives are
dressed in distinctive green jackets with
black trousers or skirts. They are generally
found by the arrivals barrier where they
will be standing with your designated driver
who will help carry your luggage to the car.
We monitor the status of flights, checking
arrival times to ensure that you are met,
even if your plane is early or running late.
If you require additional time at the airport
to freshen up or for shopping, simply
arrange to meet us at a pre-determined
time after the flight has landed.
Let the Parker meet-and-greet
professionals take the stress out of your
travel, eliminating any queuing, waiting
time or fuss.
Book online, by app,
by phone or by email.
Parker Car Service
T: 020 8560 0000 | E: admin@parkercarservice.com
www.parkercarservice.co.uk