1. art and entertainment
2. shows and events
3. classical concert

MARYLEBONE JOURNAL
April/May 2015
Volume 11/02
marylebonejournal.com
@MaryleboneJrnl
JANE PACKER
A DAY IN THE
LIFE OF A
FLORISTRY SHOP
WILLIAMVINTAGE
A CENTURY
OF COUTURE
THE JOINT
PIGGING OUT
HANG
IT
TRACEY NEULS
ON SHOES, BOOZE
AND SCULPTURE
Inspired Eating. Effortless Elegance.
Located in the heart of London’s West End at the top of Regent Street, Roux at The Landau brings
together the legendary Albert Roux and Michel Roux Jr. to the kitchen for the first time in 19 years.
The Roux trademark style of classically-constructed French dishes, blended with today’s tastes
for lighter choices is tastefully delivered in the stunning David Collins designed dining room.
rouxatthelandau.com
The Langham, London, 1c Portland Place, Regent Street, London W1B 1JA T 44 (0) 20 7636 1000
Contents.
4. UP FRONT
4: Toby Shannon on saying
goodbye to old favourites
4: The big picture A view from
The Marylebone Hotel
6: Street stories Wigmore Street
8: Local lives The life and
times of Gillian Cook
10: Past presence Emma Cons
12: My perfect day Pauline
Burrows describes her perfect
day in Marylebone
14: Ten Royal Academy of Music
alumni, from Simon Rattle to
Elton John
16
22
32
26
36
26
36
CHILDREN’S
CRUSADE
LONDON’S VERY
FIRST CRECHE
SUPPORT ACT
THE STORY
OF THE ROYAL
SOCIETY OF
MUSICIANS
PULLING POWER
THE JOINT:
FROM BRIXTON
VILLAGE TO
MARYLEBONE
VILLAGE
16
FROCK OF AGES
WILLIAM BANKSBLANEY TAKES
US ON A TOUR
OF VINTAGE
COUTURE
IN BLOOM
A DAY IN THE
LIFE OF ONE OF
THE WORLD’S
FINEST
FLORISTS
42. CULTURE
42: Q&A: David Thorp, guest
curator at Ambika P3
44: What’s on
45: Picture from an exhibition
48: Book reviews
50. STYLE
50: Q&A: Tracey Neuls of
Tracey Neuls
52: My favourites: Tim Yates
of Trunk Clothiers
54: Nailed it
56: A fresh look
56: Vive la difference
57: The outfit
58: Facing the future
60. HOME
60: Q&A: Vicky Shepherd
of Cologne & Cotton
62: Home help: getting the best
of interiors day from Skandium
63: Five desk lamps
64. FOOD
64: Q&A: Ermanno Devalle
of The Cavendish
66: New
67: A recipe from Roux at
The Landau
68: Why I love: lamb
68: Top tipples
70. HEALTH
70: Q&A: Dr David Forecast
of The London Clinic
74: Body and mind: Barrecore
76: Kit & caboodle: Vibrant
Soundbridge
76: Beginner’s guide:
neuromuscular dentistry
78. WORK
78: All he surveys: A chartered
surveyor
80. SPACE
80: Open house: Harley Street
Medical Area
82: Ask the expert
82: Property of the month
85: Q&A: Simon Hedley of
Druce Marylebone
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Editor’s letter.
Marylebone Journal
marylebonejournal.com
@marylebonejrnl
Editor
Mark Riddaway
[email protected]
Deputy editor
Viel Richardson
[email protected]
Assistant editor
Clare Finney
[email protected]
Sub-editor
Ellie Costigan
[email protected]
Editorial desk
020 7401 7297
Advertising sales
Donna Earrey
020 7401 2772
[email protected]
Publisher
LSC Publishing
13.2.1 The Leathermarket
Weston Street
London SE1 3ER
lscpublishing.com
Contributers
Jean-Paul Aubin-Parvu,
Joseph Fox, Sasha Garwood,
Robert Giorgione, Tom Hughes,
Stevie Martin
Howard de Walden Estate contact
Jenny Hancock
[email protected]
Design and art direction
Em-Project Limited
01892 614 346
[email protected]
Distribution
Letterbox
Printing
Warwick
Independent Publishing Awards
Editor of the Year
Winner 2011, Mark Riddaway
Writer of the Year
Winner 2013, Clare Finney
Winner 2011, Viel Richardson
Designer of the Year
Winner 2010, Mike Turner
The Marylebone Journal is owned
and sponsored by
The Howard de Walden Estate
23 Queen Anne Street, W1G 9DL
020 7580 3163
hdwe.co.uk
FINE
VINTAGE
MARK RIDDAWAY
THE FIRST TIME I became aware of the concept
of vintage clothing I was just out of university,
earning a mingy pittance in a telesales job and
generally struggling to pay for anything beyond
rent and bran flakes. Wandering into a shop in
Covent Garden, dressed as usual in ratty charity
shop garbs, I discovered a whole new world, one of
secondhand clothes that I couldn’t actually afford.
Then a thunderbolt: the exact same shirt I was
wearing at the time—a colourful, wide-collared
number, discarded by an ageing disco dancer
and bought by me for 50p at a hospice shop in
Tooting—was there on a rail, pressed and wrapped
and on sale for £40.
Seizing the moment, I nipped around the corner,
removed my shirt, pulled my jumper back on to
create the classic v-neck sweater and chest-hair
Lovejoy look, then sold my ‘vintage’ shirt to the
shop’s unsmiling proprietor for a cool £15.
I suspect he’d have given me £20 if it hadn’t still
been warm from my circulatory system. Still, I was
delighted—an instant 3,000 per cent profit is the
kind of margin that even a utilities company might
consider attractive. And most importantly, I had a
new identity. I was now a buyer and seller of vintage
clothing, not just a skint bloke with iffy taste and a
wardrobe full of ageing Nylon. I could have been
another William Banks-Blaney. If it wasn’t for the
bit about iffy taste and skintness.
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- Intellectual Property
- Defending Medical Practioners
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- Litigation
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- Employment Law
- Medical Negligence
- Commercial & Corporate
- Family Law
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- Tax Advice & Disputes
- Immigration
- Professional Negligence
- Wills, Probate & Trusts
17 Manchester Street, London W1U 4DJ
0207 998 7777
www.bloomsbury-law.com
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23/03/2015
14:06:39
Up front.
TOBY SHANNON
MIXING IT UP
THE BIG PICTURE
Here at the Howard de Walden
Estate we are always pleased to
welcome new retailers to the area,
but we are as disappointed as anyone
when popular and longstanding
members of the Marylebone Village
retail community decide to move on.
It is therefore a great shame that the
owners of Divertimenti, whose unique
approach to kitchenware was such
a perfect fit for the high street, have
chosen to assign their lease and head
off to pastures new. We understand
their reasons for accepting the offer
presented by the incoming tenant,
Lululemon, and while we wish this
highly respected retailer every success,
Marylebone Village would have had
a win-win if Divertimenti could have
found a way of staying in the area.
Maintaining a broad and eclectic
mix of retailers, with an emphasis on
independence, has for many years
been central to the Estate’s strategy
for Marylebone Village, but there
are limits to what we can do when
our chosen retailers are offered
substantial sums of money to assign
their leases. Our main is hope that
those retailers considering assigning
their leases will be influenced by the
Estate’s example by searching out
retailers which can complement and
enhance the existing tenant mix.
Meanwhile, we continue to work
hard to support our retailers in what
is a buoyant and aggressive market.
The upcoming Marylebone Interiors
Day, the Summer Fayre and indeed
this very magazine are all prime
examples of how we can showcase what
the village has to offer, getting people
working together and reinforcing the
sense of place that is so critical to the
area’s long term success.
A spectacular view from one of
The Marylebone Hotel’s impressive
new London suites
Toby Shannon
Chief executive
The Howard de Walden Estate
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Up front.
STREET
STORIES
WIGMORE
STREET
In 1719, when Edward
Harley began planning
the development of his
family’s Marylebone estate,
Wigmore Street enjoyed
a prominent place within
the elegant grid of roads
designed by his architect
John Prince. Named
after Wigmore Castle,
Herefordshire, it was one
of the first parts of the
development to be finished:
John Rocque’s famous
London map of 1746 shows
Wigmore Street completed
while much of the rest of
Marylebone remained a
pastoral backwater.
The street made its name
as a commercial and retail
centre. It has even hosted
some heavy industry:
throughout the second half
of the 19th century, a major
ironworks, Benham & Sons,
lorded over the intersection
of Wigmore and Welbeck
Streets, with its workshops
in the vast basement area
and showrooms on the
ground floor.
Apart from a handful
of original Georgian
buildings, most of the
street’s current stock is late
Victorian and Edwardian.
Dominating one entire
Blue plaques
Surprisingly, none. One
of Wigmore Street’s few
notable residents was
the dashing Italian
poet and revolutionary
Ugo Foscolo, who in
the early 19th century
would entertain the
English literati in his
humble lodgings.
Landmark building
The Debenhams building,
a purpose-built Edwardian
department store designed
by William Wallace and
James Gibson, now mainly
office space.
block is the extraordinary
Debenhams building,
dating from 1907-8. Faced
with stunning white
Doulton Carrara tiles, it is
an ostentatious example
of Edwardian baroque,
complete with turrets
and arches, cherubs and
bare-breasted Amazonians
—a statement building,
erected by a commercial
superpower brimming
with confidence. Wigmore
Street is the spiritual
home of the Debenhams
chain, which can trace
its roots back to the Flint
& Clark drapery store,
established in 1778 at 44
Wigmore Street. In 1813,
an ambitious 19-year-old
named William Debenham
became a partner in the
firm, which was renamed
Clark & Debenham, and
the rest is history.
The road’s main
draw is Wigmore Hall,
which started life in 1901
as a marketing stunt
by the German piano
firm Bechstein, whose
showrooms were next door.
This grand but intimate
venue, built to show off the
pure tones of Bechstein’s
instruments, was designed
by the English architect
Thomas Collcutt in a
Renaissance style, packed
with alabaster and marble.
Almost as venerable a
resident is the Hall’s near
neighbour, the John Bell
& Croyden pharmacy,
which moved to its current
location in 1912. One
famous tenant was rather
more short-lived. In
January 1968, the Beatles’
Apple Corps moved into
95 Wigmore Street, but
found itself a little too hip
for comfort. Unable to play
records during office hours
because of complaints from
other tenants, the business
was gone within months.
6—marylebonejournal.com
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Up front.
LOCAL
LIVES
GILLIAN COOK
Gillian Cook manages The Capital
Dance School on Blandford Street.
She has travelled the world representing
her country in modern ballroom
and Latin dance and has taught many
leading competition dancers
INTERVIEW: JP AUBIN-PARVU
IMAGE: JOSEPH FOX
I started ballet when I was
two years old. There’s an
old photograph somewhere
of me dancing on stage at
about that age. My parents
weren’t pushy, but they
encouraged me to dance,
which was a great escape
for a very shy child. At the
age of 10 I moved onto
tap and then changed to
jazz, disco and rock and
roll dancing a couple of
years later. During my
mid-teens my aunt took me
to see a ballroom dancing
competition, which I loved,
so I began having lessons.
I started properly
dancing ballroom and
Latin at 18. I found myself
a dancing partner, had
the best teachers ever
created, and within
eight months we went
to America to represent
the UK at the California
Star Ball Dancesport
Championships. They
usually send one ballroom
couple, one Latin couple
and a third couple to make
up the numbers. We were
the third couple—basically
cannon fodder—but to
everyone’s surprise we won
the ballroom category.
Competitive dancing is
addictive, it’s like a drug and
you get the most amazing
high when you win.
Back then I worked as
a civil servant and would
practise three to four hours
every night, competing
on Sundays. You have to
be ranked as an amateur
and so I danced in all the
ranking competitions
throughout the UK, but
dancing has since taken me
all over the world. Hong
Kong was an amazing
trip. The ballrooms are
spectacular and we received
wonderful feedback from
the public. I first went
there in 1994, just a few
years before it was handed
back to China. I met some
really interesting people
and found the culture
absolutely fascinating.
I started teaching when
I was 25. I had been looking
for a new competitive dance
partner and found one in
France, so I handed in my
resignation at the office
and moved over there.
I was competing and started
teaching to earn money.
Trying to teach in a foreign
language sometimes
lands you in trouble. I was
giving a husband and wife,
a competitive dancing
couple, their first lesson
and kept telling the guy to
lower his arm. But I got the
pronunciation wrong and
was actually telling him to
go fuck his arm. The wife
was in hysterics, but he
was mortified.
I also spent a year
teaching and competing in
Germany, before returning
to the UK and starting
at the Gwenethe Walshe
School of Dancing right
here in Marylebone, in
this very studio. I’ve been
teaching here for the last
24 years. Gwenethe taught
all the world champions—
she even taught Len
Goodman—and I had a
really strong education
from her. Gwenethe was
an amazing woman.
I now manage and teach
at The Capital Dance
School. We teach absolutely
anything and everything
that you can dance in pairs,
so that includes Argentine
tango, lindy hop and salsa,
and we’ve just employed
someone who also teaches
street and jazz. We have
a very strong range of
teachers here: the best
in the UK.
Our students start as
young as five, while the
eldest has been well into
their 90s. We’ve taught
everyone from asphalters
and electricians to
celebrities, actors and
foreign royalty. I even
taught a murderer. Yes,
you read that right. I was
teaching this guy who told
me that he was going away
on business for a while and
wasn’t sure when he’d be
back. About a week later
I read in the newspaper
that he’d got 14 years for
murdering his wife.
People come to dance
for many different reasons.
I’ve helped lots of people
get off drink or drugs—
the studio is in a very safe
environment and you can
be whoever you want. We
don’t judge you. If you want
to be Fred Astaire, you can
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Dancing has given me
a wealth of experience.
I have travelled around
the world, which was
something an East End
girl like me probably
wouldn’t have done
otherwise. It has given
me an understanding of
how people think. You
see inside people, which
is wonderful
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Up front.
be Fred Astaire. If you want
to be Ginger Rogers, you
can be Ginger Rogers.
If you want to be both of
them at the same time then
you can. We teach same sex
couples as well.
What do I love about
teaching? The people.
They’re all different. They
walk differently, they have
different attitudes, they
think differently. You
can say something to one
person and it’s crystal clear
and you can say the same
thing to somebody else and
they look at you like you’ve
just landed from Mars,
so you have to find their
characters and pull out
the best bits. That’s what I
love. At the end of the day
dancing is: walk forwards,
backwards, turn right and
turn left. That’s it. Anyone
can do it. Making it look
good is the hard bit.
Dancing has given me a
wealth of experience. I have
travelled around the world,
which was something
an East End girl like me
probably wouldn’t have
done otherwise. Dancing
has given me confidence
and introduced me to so
many interesting people.
It has given me a great
understanding of my own
body and other people’s
bodies. It has given me
an understanding of how
people think. You see inside
people, which is wonderful.
But what I love most
about dancing is the
freedom. You are totally
free. You can be whatever
you want and can do
whatever you want.
You can express who you
are, without having to use
words.
QUOTE
HG WELLS
Wells lived at
47 Chiltern Court (1931-35)
and 13 Hanover Terrace,
Marylebone (1935-46)
Leaders should lead
as far as they can and
then vanish.
Their ashes should
not choke the fire
they have lit.
PAST PRESENCE
EMMA CONS
(1838-1912)
Looking around the blue
plaques of Marylebone,
there is one significant
characteristic that almost
all of the area’s celebrated
luminaries had in common:
they urinated standing up.
And had beards too, for the
most part. But among this
parade of Victorian men, a
handful of women did force
their way into the plaquemakers’ plans—including
the formidable Emma Cons.
Born in 1838, Cons grew
up near Goodge Street in
a working class family with
artistic aspirations—her
father Frederick was a
skilled cabinet and piano
case maker. At the age
of 14, Cons joined the
Ladies Art Guild, a Fitzroy
Square cooperative run
by Caroline Hill, which
helped turn the creative
talents of women into
gainful employment.
It was here that she made
friends with the principal’s
daughter, Octavia Hill—a
relationship that would
shape her life.
After graduating, Cons
found work as a watch
engraver, then a stained
glass painter. Meanwhile,
her friend Octavia,
angered by the ugly slums
that scarred London, had
started a campaign to
provide proper housing
for the city’s working poor.
With investment from John
Ruskin, she purchased
some previously squalid
tenements in Marylebone,
known as Paradise Place
and Freshwater Place.
Her intention was to help
the poor, but without
sentiment: the business was
run for profit, and its strict
rules encouraged thrift,
hygiene and personal
responsibility. Emma Cons
was brought in to manage
the estates and collect the
rent. She threw herself into
the job with genuine zeal,
proving utterly fearless in
dealing with the rough and
ready tenants.
She was unafraid of
hard work, rolling up
her sleeves to help out
with the renovations.
Henrietta Rowland would
recall her “mounting
ladders, mixing colours,
ordering and laughing at
the men who, when too
inexperienced, backward
or perhaps indolent, would
show resentment at or
disinclination for the job.”
In 1869, Julia and Hester
Sterling, inspired by Hill
and Cons, purchased
a block of 38 houses in
Marylebone: Walmer Street
and Walmer Place. Cons
became manager and
moved into the building.
With a £10 donation, she
immediately established a
library for tenants, with 300
books. It was a huge success.
Less successful was the pub
next door which lacked
one essential component:
plentiful booze.
Having witnessed
first-hand the destruction
wreaked on poor families
by drunken husbands
and fathers, Cons became
deeply involved in the
temperance movement.
She was honorary secretary
of the Coffee Taverns
Company, which sought to
compete with the city’s dens
of iniquity by providing
wholesome coffee shops.
In 1873, the Walmer Castle
coffee tavern was opened
right next door to her
home, with Cons as its
manager. It became a base
for her campaigning work,
and thrived for a while, but
the coffee tavern idea never
quite caught on.
After moving out of
Marylebone, Cons made
even more of a mark on
London’s Southbank.
It was here that she helped
found Morley College,
an adult education centre
for the working classes,
and turned the Old Vic
theatre into an alcohol-free
venue which put on great
plays at prices affordable to
London’s poor.
10—marylebonejournal.com
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11 Welbeck Street, London W1G 9XZ
Tel: 020 7486 1681
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Up front.
Clockwise from
far left: Skandium,
Pauline Burrows,
La Fromagerie,
Hardy’s Brasserie
& Wine Bar
MY
PERFECT
DAY
PAULINE
BURROWS
The founder,
designer and
director of the
Pauline Burrows
boutique on
Chiltern Street,
describes her perfect
day in Marylebone
Breakfast
It doesn’t matter where I
go for breakfast, I’ll always
order the same thing—
yogurt and granola with
fruit. Everyone makes their
signature version so it’s
not as boring as you might
think! I love the laidback
vibe of the Chiltern
Firehouse, especially
when I need some ‘me’
time. I like to go on my
own and take my time
over coffee: I always have
my sketch book with me
and swatches of fabric to
look at, so it’s the perfect
opportunity for quality
thinking and design time.
The Firehouse granola
is nutty—just the way I
like it and usually served
with berries, yum! A slow
leisurely breakfast at the
Firehouse is the perfect
start to the day.
A spot of fresh air
I’ll take a walk up
Marylebone High Street
and do some window
shopping. I can’t, however,
be ‘out’ and not stop for
coffee—that’s impossible, so
I’ll pop into La Fromagerie
on Moxon Street and have
either a violet tea or an
americano and, if I need
a sugar fix, a large slice of
flourless chocolate cake.
Shopping
I love the clean, simple
lines of the furniture
in Skandium. Quality
materials, understated and
beautifully constructed:
a similar philosophy, in
fact, to my clothing label.
Daunt Books is another
favourite—a great place to
browse... and buy!
A new outfit
I’m in a great position: if
I want an outfit I’ll have
it made in my studio. I’m
list. If I’m feeling in a party
mood I might pop into the
Firehouse for one (or two)
of their delicious cocktails.
I love the furniture in
Skandium. Quality
materials, understated
and beautifully
constructed: a similar
philosophy, in fact, to
my clothing label
not a standard size, so like
many of my customers
I need to have fittings
to achieve the perfect
proportions. Then, I’ll
finish my outfit off with a
pair of Tracey Neuls shoes.
Culture
I might pop into Atlas and
take a look at their superb
collection of photographs.
Pre-dinner drinks
I’d go to Le Vieux
Comptoir for a perfect
glass of champagne or
Hardy’s for a glass of red;
they have an excellent wine
Eating out
If I want a relaxed cosy
evening I’ll dine at Hardy’s.
I’m pescatarian, so if
scallops, mussels or cod are
on the menu, I’m in luck.
I might even have all three.
Staying in
I have a weakness for
scallops, so I’ll get some
hand-dived scallops at
Fishworks, and maybe
some wild sea bass. Then
I’ll walk a little further
down the high street and
buy a Fraisier marzipan
cake from Paul. It’s a very
light sponge filled with
cream and strawberries,
covered with the most
delicate green marzipan:
delicious, and very pretty.
I’ll choose a selection of
cheese, bread and chutney
from La Fromagerie—oh,
and I’d better get more of
their delicious homemade
granola while I’m there!
Anything else?
If I need a treat, I’ll have a
foot pamper at Margaret
Dabbs. That will do nicely!
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Maryleb
ALL DAY DINING
BREAKFAST | LUNCH | DINNER | AFTERNOON TEA | PRIVATE DINING
Marylebone
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Up front.
TEN
ALUMNI OF THE
ROYAL ACADEMY
OF MUSIC
1
often been a source of
praise than complaint.
She graduated from the
Royal Academy of Music
in 1981 and was a soprano
at the English National
Opera four years later.
Described as “beautifully
agile, but totally lacking in
affectation” her voice has
graced everything from Die
Fledermaus and Orlando,
to the Sound of Music and
Perfect Day.
It is a rare artist who can
be at once ‘classic’ and
‘popular’; who performs
in both operas and West
End musicals, without
either sparking the ire of
critics. Lesley Garrett is
one. Born in Yorkshire,
her rich, unwavering
northern accent has more
JOOST EVERS / ANEFO
5
8
Simon Rattle has
described his childhood
self as “a weird duck…
an uncomfortable,
overweight, intense boy
with this huge passion.”
While much has changed
during the Liverpudlian’s
prodigious, 40-year
career as a conductor,
2
Looking back on his alma
mater, Reginald Dwight
(as he was then known)
described it as “a place of
meticulous artistry where
futures are built”. Yet
even the most visionary of
Royal Academy of Music
students would struggle
to imagine a future quite
What do you do when the
academy’s principal forbids
you from playing the works
of a favoured composer, on
account of his “pernicious
influence”? Seek out the
privacy of the gents and play
anyway, if you’re the cellist
John Barbirolli, and the
composer in question is
Ravel. John loved ‘modern’
music. He would go on to
play and conduct much
of it throughout his life.
Even while he was a young
lad at the academy, still
going by his birth name of
Giovanni, he was dubbed
“that excellent young cello
player” by the Musical
Times and won the Charles
Rube Prize— despite his
sneaky performances in the
academy’s loos.
the intensity and huge
passion that set him apart
as a musician are still very
much in place. Having
started out—to the delight
of nominative determinists
everywhere—as a
percussionist in the
National Youth Orchestra,
Sir Rattle proceeded to
the Royal Academy of
Music in 1971. Aged just
18, he persuaded his
peers to perform Mahler’s
Resurrection Symphony, a
piece he repeated this year.
This time it was different.
The place was the Royal
Festival Hall, the orchestra
the Berlin Philharmonic.
The timing coincided with
a welcome announcement:
in 2018, Simon Rattle will
be returning to Britain
to lead the London
Symphony Orchestra. His
only doubt? “Will they still
need me when I’m 64?”
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like Elton John’s. Every
Saturday for four years
the academy nurtured a
talent that would transform
pop music. Little Reg was
just 11 when he became a
junior academician, but
his energetic fundraising
for the purchase of a new
organ, plus the provision
of a regular scholarship,
are testiment to his love of
the place where his grand
ambitions were first seeded.
What do you do
when the principal
forbids you from
playing the works
of Ravel? Seek
out the privacy of
the gents and play
it anyway
9
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REUTERS / MIKE BLAKE
It is remarkable enough
that anyone can create and
sustain a full-time career
as a solo percussionist.
More so if they also happen
to be profoundly deaf.
Yet Evelyn Glennie is
adamant her talent for
percussion has nothing to
do with the deafness which
6
There’s more to Michael
Nyman than the piano,
but it’s a good place to
start. Not only is he an
accomplished performance
pianist, having studied
the instrument at the
Royal Academy of Music,
but his score for Jane
Campion’s The Piano
Born in Accrington in 1934,
Harrison Birtwistle is most
closely associated with Royal
Manchester College of
Music, but he did stop over
at the academy in 1957—
where he completed a postgraduate course in clarinet
under Reginald Kell—on
his way to becoming the
Royal National Theatre’s
inaugural music director,
a world-famous composer
and a knight of the realm.
became one of the bestselling film soundtracks
of all time. After winning
the academy’s Howard
Carr Memorial Prize for
composition in 1964,
he proceeded to write
everything from children’s
songs to operas, but it is
his remarkable scoring
and soundtrack work for
directors including Peter
Greenaway for which he is
most widely known.
4
Gleaming behind glass
in the Royal Academy
of Music’s museum lies
Dennis Brain’s battered
Alexander horn, salvaged
from the mangled wreck
of his sports car. When he
crashed, fatally, in 1957,
Dennis was just 36 years
old. He was the offspring of
7
10
MITO SETTEMBREMUSICA
3
has afflicted her since she
was 12. Since graduating
from the Royal Academy of
Music, which accepted her
despite her being unable to
perform in a full orchestra,
she’s won a Grammy,
played a quite stunning
role in the London 2012
Olympics Opening
Ceremony and was recently
awarded the Polar Music
Prize: music’s equivalent of
a Nobel prize.
It was during her university
year in France that
Flott—as soprano Felicity
Lott is affectionately
known—found her voice.
Having set out to be an
interpreter, she returned
in 1969 to study at the
Royal Academy of Music.
There she was awarded
eminent horn players: his
father Aubrey was in fact his
professor during his time
at the academy, from 1936
until the outbreak of war in
1939. Dennis then joined
the RAF Central Band and
Symphony Orchestra. By
the war’s end he was famous,
and so accomplished that he
knew most pieces by heart;
at concerts, it is claimed, his
music stand invariably held
a car magazine.
When Annie Lennox
moved to London from
Aberdeen to attend the
Royal Academy of Music,
she was a wee scrap of a
17-year-old who had to pay
her way through her course
via cleaning jobs. She left
before her exams, threw
herself entirely into playing
with Dave Stewart in the
Eurythmics and became
one of the most successful
women in pop history.
the coveted Principal’s
Award, and met Graham
Johnson, the pianist with
whom she would found the
Songmakers’ Almanac,
a group renowned for
its performance of
little known songs. She
returned to the academy
years later, after a career
singing to packed opera
houses the world over, to
serve as visiting professor
and fellow.
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Features.
FROCK
OF AGES
William Banks-Blaney,
Marylebone’s king of
vintage, has written a book
about the 25 dresses that
define a century of high
end fashion. He takes the
Journal on a guided tour
of classic couture
INTERVIEW: ELLIE COSTIGAN
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Lanvin robe de style
silk gown
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Features.
Frock of ages
“IT’S about celebrating women,” says
William Banks-Blaney—a simple
summation of his Marylebone
boutique, WilliamVintage. It’s
also an accurate description of
the principles underlying his new
book, 25 Dresses: the reason for our
presence here today on a plush velvet
sofa, in what resembles the dressing
room every little girl—and big girl,
for that matter—dreams of having,
with row upon row of sea green satin,
lace, black velvet and smatterings of
crystals. Tucked away just off New
Cavendish Street, it’s easy to see why
WilliamVintage is often described as
a shoppers’ haven.
Dressed in his signature style—an
impeccably tailored jacket, waistcoat
and jeans—William’s dimpled smile
betrays his obvious pride at the glossy
hardback tome in front of us. “I love
it,” he says, before I’ve even asked. “It’s
so lovely to finally see it in print after
months of planning, researching
and writing. To see it bound is a really
proud moment, and very exciting.”
In what is his first publication,
William deftly takes us through more
than 100 years of fashion: from the
iconic Mariano Fortuny delphos dress
to Thierry Mugler’s silk ball gowns,
and everything in between. But this
is far from your ordinary—and let’s
face it, often dry—book on vintage
fashion. “A lot of vintage books
tend to be quite curatorial; about
a dress on a mannequin in a case,
analysed solely in terms of material
and texture,” William laments, “or, at
the other end of the spectrum, very
rose tinted, with pictures of go-go
dancers from the sixties. But vintage
is still really relevant today. It impacts
the catwalk and inspires 21st century
designers—I wanted to show that it’s
the mother ship of fashion.”
To the uninitiated—of which I am,
admittedly, one—a hefty-looking
book on vintage fashion, beautiful
though it may be, can be somewhat
intimidating. But you needn’t know
your haute couture from your pret-aporter or your Courrèges from your
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McQueen for Givenchy
haute-couture dress
(left) and Chanel
flapper
Balenciaga to appreciate William’s 25
Dresses. Each stunningly illustrated
chapter provides a full description of
the dress in question, and an image
of the WilliamVintage dress itself
alongside both contemporary and
catwalk images—many of which
you’ll recognise. Some are dresses
that have become symbolic of their
era, such as the Chanel ‘flapper’
(think Great Gatsby), others are styles
that have been so influential on later
designers that the cut or style has
trickled down to the high street.
“When women come in they’ll
often look at a dress and immediately
recognise it,” says William. “They’ll
say, ‘I love that, that shape works
well on me’—and that’s not because
they’re vintage aficionados,
but because you can see that
particular pattern cutting in all of
the contemporary collections. It’s
the template of fashion. People at
first can be quite concerned when
shopping vintage, but they very
quickly start to see the legacy aspect,
which is quite magical.”
It is one of the reasons that designers
such as Christian Dior, Coco Chanel
and Yves Saint Laurent endure,
remaining household names
decades after their heyday. Yet more
astounding is the effect the dresses
designed by these pioneers had on
their contemporaries: when Dior
introduced what came to be known
as the ‘new look’ of the 1940s, for
example, (which brought back the
slight-waisted, full-skirted silhouette
echoing pre-war dress), there was
genuine outrage. Times had moved
on. Women had become part of the
workforce and they wanted clothes
to reflect that.
Through his discussion of the
social and political climate of the time
in which each dress was produced,
William illustrates not only the
changing nature of fashion and
iconography of each dress, but maps
the progression of women: via the 18th
century, formal court-style dresses
produced by Lanvin, right through to
the avant garde garments designed
by the late Alexander McQueen, who
constantly challenged the perception
of beauty and forced others to do
the same, to provocative effect.
McQueen’s tendency to challenge
conventional ideals of beauty set
him apart from his predecessors
in an industry that has long been
criticised for its portrayal of women
and unattainable ideals. The everchanging nature of what’s considered
‘ideal’ is made clear in the pages of
25 Dresses. The all too widely held
perception that you must conform to
a certain body type to wear a certain
style of dress, however, is an assertion
William passionately refutes.
“Women have been all shapes
and sizes since god was a boy. Every
woman that comes in, whether they’re
a seven-foot supermodel that weighs
practically nothing, in their 70s, a size
22 or a size 0, invariably during the
appointment, every single woman
says ‘I don’t like my…’—fill in the gap.
And they just don’t need to. Whether
you love fifties, sixties, twenties
fashion, there’s something out there
for you no matter what your body
shape and I wanted the book to really
reflect that. There’s always a flavour
each season in contemporary fashion:
it’s the A-line, it’s bright orange, it’s
seventies throwback. But with vintage
you have 100 years of fashion to
choose from.”
That is not to say WilliamVintage
is out of sync with contemporary
fashion, mind. In fact, every dress
William selects for the store is chosen
precisely because of its relevance to
modern day. “We don’t do vintage
handbags, hats, shoes—I can’t stand
dress up. I do not believe a woman
should leave looking as though she’s
stepped straight out of the 1950s.
That’s an anathema to me,” he
continues, shifting in his seat with
abhorrence. “It’s very much about
bringing it up to present day; pairing
a vintage dress with a clutch from
Matches, or something fantastic from
the eastern gallery in Selfridges.”
The shop itself is a reflection of this
ethos. Walking into WilliamVintage,
you’d never guess it was anything
other than a modern day boutique.
Laid out simply according to
William’s taste, rather than price—
“that’s a very old school approach,
which I can’t stand”—£200 LBDs sit
alongside original, new look Dior
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Features.
Frock of ages
ball gowns that’ll set you back
as much as your mortgage.
But it’s not all formalwear:
“There’s a whole collection
I call the ‘drunk dresses’,
because they’re great
fun and if you fall into
a swimming pool after
three drinks too many,
it’s not the end of the
world”—perhaps I can
shop here after all.
Unlike other high
end vintage stores, which
often have a section
“where someone will
check your shoes or
handbag before they deign
to show you the treasures”,
for WilliamVintage,
the priority is customer
experience. “We’re an
appointment-only store,
but that’s not because we’re
terribly snooty. It’s because
I want customers to have
the opportunity to come in,
throw their coat and bag
down and have the place
to themselves. You can be
yourself, put a dressing
gown on, look through the
rails, have a cup of coffee
and try on different outfits.
A lot of women in the area
see it as almost a sanctuary.”
In fact, WilliamVintage
was borne of a desire
to step away from the
pretentiousness that many
high end vintage stores
embody. “During a trip to
Paris with a girlfriend, we
were at a vintage store and
the staff were so rude to my
friend that they made her
cry. I thought, that’s really
not how shopping or fashion
should be, so I started a
pop-up for friends.” William
always had a passion for
vintage clothing, so he
began to sell the items he
had picked up on his travels.
It proved hugely popular
and after several sell-out
pop-ups, William opened
his store on Marylebone
Street in 2009.
“I always think if you’re
paying money for something and
you’re not smiling at the end of
it, somebody isn’t doing their job
properly. It should be lovely. Your
confidence should be boosted,
you should laugh, maybe have
a glass of champagne. Enjoy
yourself. And that’s really
missing from a lot of retail
experiences,” says William.
And clearly, his approach
is working. Dubbed
‘the king of vintage’ by
Vogue, WilliamVintage
has developed faithful
followers—be it
successful, local women
or celebrities. “Whether
it’s for the red carpet
or for wearing to work,
nobody wants to be a
sheep. Vintage gives
you that ability to
express yourself and
your personality
more so than with
contemporary
fashion. Just as a piece
of antique jewellery
can have magic to it,
with vintage there’s
the sense that it’s
something that’s
lasted and been
loved a really
long time.”
Such vast success
in so short a period
of time has, not
surprisingly,
entailed a lot of
work. William selects all
of the dresses himself
and he finds them all over
the world. Not only has
he written a book, he has
appeared on The Rachel
Zoe Project in the US; has
made guest appearances
on Channel 4’s This Old
Thing; directed Oxfam’s
fashion campaign; he’s
a style ambassador
for American Express and has given
talks at the V&A, Condé Nast College
of Fashion and the London Fashion
and Textile museum. It’s a wonder he
has any time to be at the shop at all.
“It’s a heavy workload, but I try and
be present as much as possible,” he
says. “I’m very hands-on with it, I’ll
always be floating about if not doing
the final fitting. It’s my company.
It’s important.”
What’s clear is William’s genuine
love for what he does—not only
for vintage clothes, but every
aspect of his job. Yet despite all
of the glamorous TV and public
appearances, what William enjoys
most is what brought him here in the
first place: buying dresses. “It doesn’t
have to be a fantastically exciting
dress, I just love that moment
of discovery. Whether it’s a jawdroppingly fantastic museum grade
couture, or just a beautiful dress that
I look at and think, this is perfect for
a customer to put on their back and
walk down Marylebone High Street.
It makes no difference to the joy of
finding it.”
So what’s William’s favourite
dress? “I couldn’t possibly narrow
it down to just one dress. But one
experience that stands out for me is
a visit to Devon with a friend of mine.
She had asked me several times to
come with her to visit her mother,
who had kept all of her clothes from
the sixties. Eventually, we went down
there and found ourselves in a barn
with a decrepit looking wardrobe in
the corner. I opened up the doors
expecting some simple dresses—and
she had 17 pieces of the Courrèges
couture collection from 1967, in
perfect condition. It turned out she
had known Gabrielle Chanel, André
Courrèges, Yves Saint Laurent—
she had fittings with all the names
above the door. She used to live next
door to Audrey Hepburn and they
would fly to Paris together to have
clothes made. You never know what
you’re going to find. It’s like being a
treasure hunter.”
25 DRESSES: ICONIC MOMENTS
IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY FASHION
By William Banks-Blaney
Quadrille, £30
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I always think if you’re
paying money for
something and you’re
not smiling at the
end of it, somebody
isn’t doing their job
properly
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Features.
The Beaumont Street house
opened in 1869 with room for 50
babies, and the sisters were
almost immediately fully booked
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CHILDREN’S
CRUSADE
The heartwarming story of
London’s first crèche
WORDS: TOM HUGHES
THE ongoing baby boom in Greater London—
supposedly at its most fecund in the SW postal
codes (aka Nappy Valley)—has created a massive
demand for childcare. There’s even a daycare
centre in Parliament Street for the exclusive use
of the toddlers of MPs, but (at least according to
the typically whinging Daily Mail) it is so seldom
used that it has become a “grotesque waste of
public money”. In the private sector, parents
paying from their own pockets have a range of
options. The modern crèche can range from
quite posh—kitted out with cribs that swing or
glide, changing mats, sterilisers and 24-hour
bottle warmers—to a simple line of cots and
nappy buckets overseen by a youngish ‘nanny’.
When she’s not texting her mates, that is. While
the social scientists and psychologists can debate
the wisdom of ‘daycare’, the simple economic
truth is that affordable childcare is essential for
most working parents.
There were no crèches in London until 1869,
when an aristocratic lady from Marylebone,
joined by a group of her well-heeled friends,
established one on Beaumont Street. The setting
was quite near to “some of the worst courts of
Marylebone, in which a storm of drunkenness,
foul language, and gross conduct seems
perpetually to rage, even in the broadest day,
and where every sense is assailed by causes of
horror and disgust”. Mary Teresa Clifford, the
12th Baroness Petre lived not far away from these
blighted alleys but in much more salubrious
accommodations at 57 Portland Place. A devout
Catholic, she was the mother of 12, including
a “bevy of good looking and divinely tall
daughters”, three of whom became nuns.
In the 1860s the Victorian peeress had
recoiled at the horrors exposed by a series of
infanticide scandals. For years, mothers (and
fathers, too, of course) without the money,
time or interest had turned their tiny bairns
over to ‘baby-farmers’. For a few pennies,
these so-called lying-in houses would take
in babies by the score and dose them with
cordials, including the infamously lethal,
‘mother’s friend’. The British Medical Journal
was the first to shine light on the “abominable
system”. One of their undercover investigators,
meeting with the crone-like matron of one such
establishment, was assured that “my children all
sleep sound”, as she laughed a little laugh.
The thoughtful public asked, “What can be
done for the little ones?” In April 1868, Lady
Petre announced her appeal for donations,
citing as patrons both the Pope and the
archbishop of Westminster. A forlorn lodging
house at 16 Beaumont Street had been acquired
and the Sisters of Mercy from the order of
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Features.
Children’s crusade
St Vincent de Paul were employed to manage
the crèche for the “children of the Roman
Catholic poor”. The crèche was dedicated to the
memory of Benedict Joseph Labre, an eccentric
French mystic who gave up all his worldly goods
to live in rags in the Roman Coliseum.
The house rules in the crèche were simple.
Children under three may be left by their
mothers from 6am until 8:30pm. Nursing
mothers would be allowed to return twice a
day. The infants were to be bathed, clothed and
tended carefully by the sisters. Two meals would
be served: a main meal of “excellent bread and
milk and nourishing soup, such as is good for
them”, then another round of milk and bread.
The cost was three-pence for one child, four for
two and an extra penny if they were kept after
6pm. Payment was expected daily, but employed
women could settle up on payday. No child could
be left overnight and, regrettably, any child left
three days would be considered abandoned.
The Beaumont Street house opened in 1869
with room for 50 babies, and the sisters were
almost immediately fully booked. Many of the
children were the offspring of the area’s large
community of milk maids. These rural ladies—
as a group, they were known to be “ruddyblooming wenches”—plied the streets all day,
carrying their weighty yoke of clanging pails,
while they cried out “milk below!”
Lady Petre’s novel effort in Marylebone
quickly attracted attention. The crèche was
open for visitors each afternoon from 2pm till
5pm. A reporter from The Times paid an early
call and was greeted by a “very jovial chorus”.
He was much taken with the Lilliputiansized furniture. The caring nuns, each in her
starched white cornette (hence the sobriquet
“flying nun”), bustled about at their tasks while
their tiny charges displayed an attitude of
“supreme contentment”. The older tots were
eager to display for visitors their newly learned
skill of making the sign-of-the-cross.
The man from The Times concluded that
he had witnessed “the germ of an institution
that may supply one of the greatest wants of
the labouring poor of London”. The Lancet
asserted that it was “incumbent upon all medical
journalists to express our hearty approbation”.
Lady Petre would vigorously contest all
claimants to her title of originator of the
crèche in London, although some will
tout the case for Marie Hilton, a quaker
missionary who set up a similar effort in
the East End
But another observer made the poignant
comment that echoes a century and a half later,
noting that the peace, cleanliness and care the
children received each day was something “far
removed from the sounds, smells, and hideous
squalor of their own court-homes. That they must
return thither at night is as yet a sad necessity, but
at least their days are spent healthily and well.”
Lady Petre was grateful for the kind words
and praise, but more money was needed.
Fundraising concerts were held to support her
effort. Beaumont Street had been quickly found
to be unsuitable and a search was launched for a
larger, airier location. In 1870, Sister Joseph and
her nuns moved to new quarters in Marylebone
at 4 Bulstrode Street, Manchester Square.
The idea, of course, quickly spread.
About the only criticism to be heard came from
the Francophobe sector. The first crèche had
opened in Paris in 1844 but one John Bullish
journal blustered, “We hope to see it drop its
foreign name, and be called, as it is, in good
English, a day nursery.” Alas, crèche has held
strong, if perhaps only in avant-garde circles.
But by the 1870s, in Marylebone, there were
soon more than a dozen “infant day nurseries”.
St Andrew’s, Wells Street, stepped up quickly
for the Church of England. In these early days
nearly all such facilities were affiliated with
church or chapel and served the families within
their congregation.
Lady Petre would vigorously contest all
claimants to her title of originator of the crèche
in London, although some will tout the case for
Marie Hilton, a quaker missionary who set up a
similar effort in the East End, where the locals
called it a “crouch”. Lady Petre died in 1895 but
in Bulstrode Street, the children of the working
poor “slept in tiny cribs and rocked in cosy
cradles” cared for by the good sisters until well
into the 20th century. The original Beaumont
Street site of London’s first crèche, however,
is long gone, as are the “squalid courts” that
were home to most of the mothers. In today’s
London, the real estate glossies now celebrate
how Beaumont Street has become terribly chic
and is “ideally situated for all the amenities of
the high street”. Watch out for the prams.
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Features.
Daniel Fiteni (left) and
Warren Dean
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PULLING
POWER
The Joint—with its Brixton roots and its
messy menu of pulled pork and ribs—
might not have seemed an obvious fit for
the elegant environs of Marylebone, but
that hasn’t stopped diners of all ages piling
in to get their hands dirty. Co-founders
Warren Dean and Daniel Fiteni talk to
the Marylebone Journal about secret bread
recipes, Brixton prison and why burgers
are boring
WORDS: CLARE FINNEY
IMAGES: JOSEPH FOX
IT was the winter of 2013 and one of the Howard de
Walden Estate’s restaurant units had become vacant on
New Cavendish Street. Its size—two floors, sizeable bar
area, spacious kitchen—and its location in one of London’s
culinary epicentres made it instantly covetable. Established
chains drooled over it. A Michelin-starred chef applied,
fighting off fierce competition to get down to the last two
bidders: his upscale operation versus a small, little-known
pulled pork joint from Brixton. It looked like a mismatch—
until some intrepid folks from the Estate ventured south of
the river, to Brixton Village market, and had a meal.
Within days, the team behind The Joint—chef Warren
Dean and baker Daniel Fiteni—had the keys to their new
restaurant. “We hadn’t even considered Marylebone
until that point. It was one of the only places in London
we didn’t,” Daniel laughs. “We thought, wow. Marylebone
is ready for this?”—this being 16-hour pulled pork on a
sourdough bun, topped with lashings of barbecue sauce
and served with fries on a recycled sugarcane paper plate.
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Features.
Pulling power
It seemed hard to fathom in so genteel an area, but the
pair didn’t need persuading. “As soon as we saw the village,
we thought, we’ll stay.”
At first they considered “dressing the food up” to suit
the area’s attractive environs, but when they looked at
what was selling they made a surprising discovery. “In
Marylebone, even more than in Brixton, customers love
dirty food,” Daniel grins. “The dirtier the better.” The pair
look round furtively, as if letting me in on a secret. “We did
cheesy fries with smoked bacon and béchamel sauce as a
special, and they loved it. We’ve sold more of those than we
have normal fries. Same with deep fried mac and cheese.
Sometimes people here just want that kind of food.”
Their promise is simple: “Try the food, and you
will come back again. Guaranteed.” It’s not without
foundation, as even by Marylebone’s standards the quality
of their offering is high. Jay Rayner’s a fan, so too is Tom
Kerridge, who featured them on his Best Ever Dishes
series. “He was originally just going to cover the sauce,
but then he tried the food and ended up featuring an
entire beef brisket,” Warren smiles as he remembers. “The
kitchen was tiny, because we’d only just opened really.
But when we apologised for it he laughed and said he
remembers when his kitchen looked just like ours.”
“Get the food right, and people won’t care where
it’s cooked, or who made it,” Tom told them wisely. Ten
months on, The Joint’s success in Marylebone proves his
point. When we visit on a Wednesday night, the place is
packed with sticky fingered diners from all walks of life:
suits, students, couples, older people, all knuckle deep in
barbecue sauce and rib bones.
“We did not expect this,” says Dan, gleefully. “We
expected a young crowd, not 60-something dentists from
Harley Street as regulars. They look a bit dubious when
they first come in,” he continues. “Then they eat.” The
dishes belie the décor—not that the pared walls and
graffitied peacock mural aren’t beautiful, but it’s not
to everyone’s tastes. Most Marylebone eateries stick to
formality when it comes to interiors. Yet with fresh food
sourced locally and recipes created themselves—an
award-winning chef and a prodigious baker—Daniel and
Warren don’t need to rely on their restaurant being pretty
to be popular.
Which is just as well—for when my burger comes, it is
anything but pretty. Sweet, succulent pork flakes over my
fingers and smoky sauce, coleslaw and salsa burst brightly
forth. Barbecued sweetcorn in a brown paper bag and
cheesy chips on a (recycled) paper plate are delivered by a
girl sporting jeans, a t-shirt and an enormous grin.
“Just because the waiter has a tie and a waistcoat and
the bill comes to £400 doesn’t mean the food is any good,”
Warren continues. “The Joint is the place you come to
for something fun and delicious, when you’re sitting at
home and fancy a meal out. It’s like a cool family barbecue.
No one leaves thinking what a waste of cash THAT was,
because people weren’t dressed up.”
Hailing from South Africa and Australia, the pair are
well versed in the pleasures and pitfalls of barbecuing.
“If they served in Australia what some of the burger
places serve here, you’d be on the front page of every
newspaper—and not in a good way,” says Daniel. “Rare? It
doesn’t exist in Australia. They burn the shit out of their
meat.” The pair laugh together at the idea of Australians
slow roasting pork for hours. “They simply do not have the
patience,” says Daniel. “Yet because the produce there is
fresh and good quality, their burgers taste juicy even when
they’re fried until black.” When it came to The Joint, both
he and South African Warren were determined to source
the best British meat; not because they want to cremate
it, but because they know how much it matters both to the
environment and to the overall flavour. “What makes the
difference here is that we’ve made sure everything, from
the coleslaw to the cocktails, is 10 out of 10.”
The pork’s from Ginger Pig, the beef from a quality
butcher in Mayfair, and the vegetables—yes, there are
greens here—hail fresh from Brixton market. “Other
places treat sides as secondary. We give them as much focus
as the meat.” The bread is a case in point. Fluffy, slightly
moist and tinged with a slight buttercup yellow tinge, its
origins lie in a Christmas cake Daniel was making for his
first cafe, Burnt Toast. “I’d soaked the figs for a month,
then tried some with the pork and thought, shit this is
good.” He devised a recipe—a sourdough roll infused with
figgy and vanilla flavours—and The Joint started to roll.
These buns are NOT brioche. That much is hammered
into me: if there’s one way to make Dan and Warren
lose their good humour, it is to make that fundamental
mistake. “For one thing, it takes nine to 10 hours to make
just one of our bread rolls. Brioche is relatively easy,” Dan
continues, “but there is nothing easy about these. No
one else does them and because it’s so hard to copyright
recipes, we don’t sell them individually.” Beyond Dan and
his baker Bridget Hugo, revolutionary co-founder of the
pioneering pizza place Franco Manca, no one really knows
what makes The Joint’s bread rolls such an orgasmic
experience: no one, that is, except a few convicted
criminals at Brixton Prison.
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Just because the waiter has a
tie and a waistcoat and the bill
comes to £400 doesn’t mean the
food is any good. The Joint is like
a cool family barbecue. No one
leaves thinking what a waste of
cash THAT was, because people
weren’t dressed up
Warren Dean
In Marylebone, even more than in
Brixton, customers love dirty food.
The dirtier the better
Daniel Fiteni
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Features.
Pulling power
Food was exciting. People seemed
to care. They were no longer
obsessed with French cuisine and
there was a street food culture
that wasn’t just bacon baps off
the motorway
Warren Dean
This needs some context. Brixton Prison’s Bad Boys’
Bakery, a state of the art bakery founded by Gordon
Ramsay, was established in 2012 as a social enterprise to
give prisoners the confidence and skills to move on after
they leave. Dan and Warren used the bakery to supply
the Brixton restaurant. “I did three weeks of working
there, training the guys specifically on this bread and
more generally on how to bake with poorer equipment
than they have in that kitchen,” says Dan. Gordon, being
Gordon, had spared no expense in getting the best kit
possible, but the students needed to be able to do far more
with far less if they were going to get a job after leaving.
“It’s very rare these days to find a baker that can actually
bake sourdough bread and miche and so on. Learning
this will give them more knowledge than many bakers
who have been baking for years. In the hospitality industry
it largely doesn’t matter who you are, provided you can
cook,” Dan explains. “With rare skills you can find a job
quite quickly.” Indeed, one of The Joint’s most senior
employees, the guy who runs the prep kitchen, is a Bad
Boys’ Bakery alumnus. Though the demands of The Joint
have now outgrown Bad Boys’ Bakery, Dan still teaches
there. “It’s good to give something back,” he says.
Both know what it’s like to put in the hard graft.
If the Marylebone restaurant seems somewhat, well,
minimal in its interior aesthetic, it’s by virtue of necessity:
The Joint was born of their own savings, business loans
being thin on the ground these days. Equally remarkable is
the pair’s absolute absence of qualifications in their trades.
Warren learnt on the job in various eateries around the
world, Dan in his brother’s restaurant chain in Australia
as front of house. Only when he moved to London nine
years ago did he acquire and cultivate his flair for baking,
at the award-winning Breads Etcetera in Clapham.
Of course, London’s food scene nine years ago was a very
different beast compared to now. “On my days off I used
to get a train to Oxford Circus from Brixton just to get
a coffee from Flat White. It was the only decent place
for coffee in London.” He sighs somewhat wistfully.
“They are everywhere now of course. I kind of wish I’d
been the one to bring antipodean coffee culture here.”
In the future, historians will remain divided about when
London’s food scene finally took off. Was it Russell Norman
or Fergus Henderson who started it? Was it restaurateurs
or artisans? Either way, Warren remembers, when he
came to London again in 2011 everything had changed.
“Food was exciting. People seemed to care. They were no
longer obsessed with French cuisine and there was a street
food culture that wasn’t just bacon baps off the motorway,”
he grimaces. Hard as it might be to imagine now, there was
a time before high end burger joints.
Neither Warren nor Dan has much truck with the
burger craze. “There are about 400 carbon copies of the
same chain. Plus burgers have been around for ever!”
Warren complains. “All they’ve done is undercook the
burger and over-inflate the price.” One of the reasons
he alighted upon pulled pork as a concept was because
no one else was doing it at the time. “It’s popular now,
but when we set up it was mostly American.” Add Warren’s
rub of smoked spice and smoked salt and you’ve a
meal that was, and still is, very special, not least for its
potential to come complete with sides of sticky ribs,
grilled sweetcorn, and coleslaw with a cabbage-carrotmayonnaise ratio right out of Plato’s Forms.
“It’s the combination that has stood the test of time,”
Dan muses, as the smell of pulled pork intensifies and the
first of the lunchtime crowd pull up at the rustic wooden
tables. “Great produce, the bread rolls, the sauces and
rubs Warren came up with. That’s what stands us in good
stead.” Their growing crowd of followers seem to agree.
Later that evening, dinner draws an eclectic mix of diners,
all keen to get the hands dirty and their appetites sated.
The Joint may have been an outside bet for Marylebone—
but it’s definitely winning.
THE JOINT
19 New Cavendish Street, W1G 9TZ.
020 7486 3059
the-joint.co.uk
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Features.
SUPPORT
ACT
The Marylebone Journal
pays a visit to one of the
area’s oldest institutions,
The Royal Society
of Musicians
WORDS: CLARE FINNEY
THE Royal Society of Musicians was
once celebrated by Charles Dickens
for being “the real thing; because it
was in fact as well as in name a society
of musicians. Not a heterogeneous
concourse of nondescripts and
toadies… but an association of
professional gentlemen all animated
by a love of common art.” They had
formed “a benefit society to make
provision of relief, not of their own
age, distress or infirmities, but of
those casualties in the lives of their
less fortunate brethren, of their
widows and orphan children,” the
author of Oliver Twist continued,
to enthusiastic applause from his
audience. Writing about the society
155 years later, my sentences are
shorter and significantly less eloquent
than Dickens’s—but his sentiment,
expressed at the Freemason’s Tavern
in 1860, is mine too.
It is an astonishing institution.
Founded in 1738 by three musicians
when they stumbled across the
penniless orphans of their recently
deceased friend outside the
Haymarket theatre, its inaugural
meeting in a London tavern saw
George Frideric Handel, Edward
Purcell (Henry’s son) and William
Boyce among the signatories.
Though it began life as “the fund
for decay’d musicians”, its duty—to
provide immediate financial aid to
musicians out of work due to illness
or accident—and its customs have
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continued unchanged ever since.
The society still meets on the first
Sunday of each month, it consists
entirely of musicians, and it even
holds the same bank account at
Drummonds, part of Royal Bank
of Scotland. If it ain’t broke, why
fix it, seems to be the attitude of
the members—and with 275 years
behind them, it is hard to disagree.
They are on fine form. I’m at their
headquarters in Marylebone: a tall,
18th century townhouse tucked just off
Oxford Street, on Stratford Place. The
house is humming with anticipation
as, that evening, Wigmore Hall will
host the first concert to be performed
in aid of the society for several years.
In a tradition which stretches back
to the 18th century, three marches
have been specially commissioned—
penned by the society’s president, Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies, and two other
members in honour of the occasion.
Three Marches for 3rd March is the
event’s title, and in a few hours I’ll
hear it: a triumph of musicianship
played to a full house, after years of the
society eschewing concerts in favour of
quieter fundraising methods.
For now, there’s work to be
done. I’m here with archivist Colin
Coleman to find out how and why it
has endured this long. He shares his
birthday with the society, 23rd April,
and colleagues frequently jest he has
been here since it began. Its success
is partly down to patronage. From
the start, the society has received
the boon of some of Britain’s most
respected celebrities: “musical, royal
and otherwise,” says Colin. George
III was a patron, and Handel was at
its inaugural meeting and put his
name to the Declaration of Trust in
1738. Not only did Handel compose,
perform and pay for many of the
first fundraising concerts, he left a
vital codicil: “£1,000—the biggest
donation to us for 50 years,” Colin
says happily. Solely dependent on
subscriptions until that point, with
Handel’s windfall in its sails the
society was able to fly.
Things went from strength to
strength. This was, after all “the
burgeoning age of philanthropy”, says
Colin, “and the society was not averse
to honorary subscribers.” In return
for their donations, the “lords and
ladies of the land” would be invited
to fundraising concerts. Of course, in
those days such occasions were rather
more lavish affairs than tonight’s
event. “One record describes a certain
amount of beer, certain amount of
sherry, and a bottle of wine—per
person,” Colin chuckles. All this,
mountains of food and—in the
19th century—an eloquent address
from celebrated non-members
like Dickens, Sullivan or Irving, in
addition to hearing some of the finest
musicians in history, occasionally for
the first time on English soil.
“Franz Liszt, when he first came
to London aged 12, played first at
one of the Royal Society’s concerts,”
recounts Colin. “Clara Schumann,
wife of Robert Schumann, played
here too. Though she said it was too
rowdy to play again.” Both Haydn and
Weber wrote for it. Visiting in 1792,
Haydn was blown away by the sheer
size of the orchestra playing in the
Handel Commemoration Concerts,
organised and performed by the
society to celebrate the centenary of
Handel’s birth. “It was a landmark
event in history. There had never
been so many members of an
orchestra. They had to erect a special
scaffold in Westminster Abbey to
accommodate them.” Little wonder
that Haydn honoured them with a
specially written Grand March.
You can see the autograph upstairs
in the grand room in which the
society’s meetings are held. Encased
in glass at the back, its yellowing
pages stamped on both sides with
an ‘if found’ mark, it looks almost
incidental to the Robert Adam décor,
and you’d never guess it was the
original score. “It’s hard to believe
now, but the society actually lost this
score many years ago and it turned up
in a bookshop. When they got it back,
the librarian at the time stamped it
all over, presumably so they wouldn’t
lose it again,” Colin says, wincing.
“Musicians being musicians, he
clearly did not think much to the
value and posterity of such an
important piece.”
It’s a longstanding problem. The
merits of being run “by musicians
for musicians” are incalculable, but
there are a few downsides, admits
Colin. Chief among them is the sense
of apathy musicians tend to feel when
it comes to admin. “They are very
focused on their artistic endeavours,
and not necessarily attuned to… the
formalities,” he says diplomatically.
When he joined the society, his first
job was to stop documents being
discarded: minute books, cash books,
programmes which were deemed
irrelevant by the current generation
of members, but will intrigue the
future as much as the 18th century
versions do today.
“I said, ‘You need to keep this
stuff, in 100 years’ time, people will
wonder!” he laughs exasperatedly.
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Features.
Support act
It was a landmark event in history.
There had never been so many
members of an orchestra.
They had to erect a special
scaffold in Westminster Abbey
to accommodate them
Colin’s job as archivist is to ensure
all ‘working material’ is filed away
properly, to keep abreast of existing
records and answer family history
queries, of which there are a great
many. He leads me down into the
archives: a surprisingly small room
at the bottom of a steep staircase,
brim-full of bookshelves. “Here is an
application recommending violinist
Charles Alexander Seymour as a
member,” he says, pulling out a soft
faded sheaf of forms from behind
‘S’ in the filing cabinet. Comprising
birth certificates, marriage
certificates and details of children,
it is a genealogist’s dream.
Behind the membership form,
dated less than a year later, lies an
application for assistance. Charles is in
a ‘consumptive state’ says the doctor’s
note. “He went to Scotland in hopes
that change of air would have been of
service to him, but without any benefit
arising therefrom is now at Lisbon.”
Penned in fine, calligraphic hand, the
note is comically antiquated and yet so
vividly real, it takes your breath away.
Open up another file and you’ll find
programmes for Anniversary Festivals
from the 18th century onwards,
together with tonight’s programme,
already in there, gleaming brightly
at the top.
So much has changed. Prior to the
birth of the welfare state, musicians
unable to work relied solely on
savings or philanthropy. The society
was the only constant source of
assistance. Now we’ve state support,
in theory at least, and other health
insurers. Even Seymour’s complaint
of consumption, an archaic word for
tuberculosis, is outdated. Deference
to tradition and history aside, do
professionals really need the Royal
Society of Musicians today?
The answer, to judge by the
evening concert, is a loud yes. “We are
honoured to be playing in support of
such a worthwhile and vital cause,”
says Ben Hancox of the Sacconi
Quartet. Too well do the members
and musicians themselves, of course,
understand the insecurity that their
career presents. They have no sick
leave, holiday, nor pensions to speak
of. Lose your voice as a vocalist, break a
finger as an instrumentalist and you’re
out of work until you are better. The
welfare state and savings can only do so
much for someone whose income is so
utterly dependent on physical health.
Nor is that all they do. Based here
in Marylebone, they are blessed
in having Harley Street’s medical
prestige at their fingertips, including
Katherine Butler, who specialises in
the treatment of hands and upper limb
conditions. “Words cannot describe
how many lives are transformed by
their assistance,” she says of the society,
which has been based at Stratford
Place since the 1920s and has thus
garnered many such connections
with specialists such as Katherine.
“They are supportive and practical,
and enable musicians to swiftly access
medical assistance and rehabilitation
that may not be available on the
NHS. Their help enables musicians
to play, teach and perform again,
which ensures that future generations
can also learn and develop through
music.” Rehabilitation, counselling,
consultations with financial advisors,
the Fine Instrument Scheme for young
musicians—these too are part of
their offering to musicians, and to the
musical world at large.
It is the last that is most noticeable
during this evening’s event: three
rare, antique cellos, singing out under
the talented hands of cellists Guy
Johnston, Cara Berridge and Brian
O’Kane. All three date from the 18th
century, or earlier still. The silence
of the audience is palpable as, with
hair-raising clarity, the strains of Frank
Bridge’s Novelletten for String Quartet
rings out through the chamber on
a cello from 1781. In 1860, Dickens
declared that the society’s story, “like
the stories told in the Arabian night,
has now been going on for 122 years,
but it may well go on for 1001. So long
as mankind live and love, so long as
their nature is sensitive, affectionate
and grateful, music can never cease.”
Let us hope, for all our sake, that in
another 155 years’ time, Dickens’s
prescient words still hold true.
ROYAL SOCIETY OF MUSICIANS
10 Stratford Place, W1C 1BA
020 7629 6137
royalsocietyofmusicians.org
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Features.
Jane Packer flower arrangements may
exude effortless elegance, but behind
the scenes a huge amount of effort and
teamwork goes into their creation.
The Marylebone Journal spends a day
behind the curtain of one of the world’s
most famous floristry companies
WORDS: JEAN-PAUL AUBIN-PARVU
IMAGES: JOSEPH FOX
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Features.
In bloom
“SOME people come into the
industry thinking it’s about making
pretty bouquets and it’s all just lovely,
which it is, but they don’t understand
quite how tough it can be at times.”
Louise Govier, manager at Jane
Packer, is describing the cut, prune
and thrust of floristry. The job can
be very physical, exhausting and
dirty. The hours are often long. So
why put herself through it? “It’s really
rewarding,” she beams. “And I love
creating something from nothing.
When you do an event at a bland
venue and then you and your team
walk out a few hours later having
transformed it it’s a great feeling.”
Louise is used to early starts. She
and colleague Polly Parry-Jones stride
with purpose through New Covent
Garden Flower Market and it’s not
even 7am. Jane Packer sources much of
its living, breathing, working materials
from Dutch supplier FleuraMetz, but
the rest comes from early morning
raids at this fabulously fragrant flower
market. Many of the world’s flowers are
grown in Holland, Ecuador, Colombia
and Kenya, which are then sold to
wholesalers through Dutch auctions.
Louise stops at Quality Plants, a
trusted supplier, to inspect orchids,
house plants and succulents, then
does a bit of business with Bobby
from Alagar. She is soon the proud
owner of hydrangeas, sunflowers,
lilies and a very particular shade of
rose. These are needed to make up
orders that came in late yesterday.
GARY WALLIS,
CEO AND CO-FOUNDER
OF JANE PACKER
How did you come to be working in the
business?
Jane was my girlfriend, so I was
involved from day one. I got drawn in
more and more until I was working in
the business full-time. Then we got
married. We worked well together and
it just seemed natural.
Dennis Edwards Flowers has roses of
all colours and shades. “Surely there
can’t be this many colours,” I ponder,
but Louise assures me these roses are
all natural rather than dyed. Louise
buys a few pink carnations from
Dennis “ just because they look nice”.
The market is alive with florists. Two
young gents in winter coats and natty
scarfs discuss which flowers should be
earmarked for the “royal suite”. Out in
the loading bay a florist grappling with
an enormous bush finally manages to
stuff most of it through the back doors
of his van. Louise and Polly load their
purchases far more carefully.
Half an hour later we arrive at New
Cavendish Street. The workroom is
located in the basement, which has
How did Jane get into flowers?
She started working at a florists on
Saturdays while she was at school
and spent her entire first day’s wages
on flowers. She was totally besotted
and ended up doing a City & Guilds in
floristry at Southwark College. Jane
then became the florist at a hotel in
Charing Cross, which was around
the time I met her. But it was during a
recession and the hotel budgets were
squeezed until her job was so difficult,
she decided to leave.
What was her next move?
Jane had very strong views about how
flowers should look, but realised there
were no flower businesses out there
that would be willing to accommodate
what she wanted to do. So she decided
to give up floristry and went to work for
a knitwear company in St Christopher’s
Place called Artwork. As an assistant
to the designer she bumped into
photographers, graphic artists, fashion
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designers—people who were her age
but all working independently to carve
out their chosen career. And that was a
lightbulb moment. Jane realised that
if she wanted to pursue her passion for
flowers she’d have to get out there and
develop a career for herself.
The first Jane Packer shop opened on
James Street, Mayfair in 1982. What
was floristry like back then?
There were two real leaders at
that time. There was a guy called
Kenneth Turner who did a lot of parties
and functions. He did very grand,
interesting things using a lot of dried
flowers, but everything was big and
dramatic. Then there’s Pulbrook &
Gould on Sloane Street, who had more
of a country style. They pandered to
the wealthy. But they were notable in
that they did things differently to other
florists. Most did very staid flower
arrangements and only really catered
for births, weddings and funerals.
Describe Jane’s vision.
Jane saw flowers as something
everyone should have in their lives. Back
then supermarkets didn’t sell flowers
or if they did, they didn’t sell them in a
very nice way. They’d do bunches of
daffodils tied up in a rubber band. She
also thought flowers should be part of
the worlds of fashion and interiors.
Jane Packer seem to set trends rather
than follow them…
Our mantra is “innovate, don’t imitate”.
None of us work in a vacuum, we are
all influenced by things—use that
creative spark that made you like it to
do something new. Always innovate;
that’s what Jane did. In the early
eighties things went through quite a
retro, Victorian phase. Everything was
stripped pine, that kind of thing. But
Jane would bring flowers into London
from growers who weren’t traditional
suppliers to florists and raid the
hedgerows. Her thing was to bring the
country into the city.
Wasn’t Jane invited to do the bridal
flowers for a certain royal wedding
in 1986?
We used to do work for Brides Magazine,
a Conde Nast publication. Jane would
often be on set and got friendly with the
make-up artists and hairdressers.
One day, a hairdresser called Denise
phoned and said: “I’d like you to come
down to the salon. I have this client who
wants to talk to you about flowers.” Jane
was really tired and asked if they could
fix an appointment for another day. But
Denise replied: “No! I think she’d really
like to see you now.” So Jane went to the
salon and there was Sarah Ferguson,
who was about to become the Duchess
of York.
Jane Packer was selected to design
and produce the “victory bouquet” for
the medal winners at the London 2012
Olympics. That must have been a very
proud moment.
Proud is probably too simple a word.
Right from the very beginning we were
privy to information, things that were
going to happen that nobody else knew
about. The organisation was top notch.
I was privileged enough to have to go
down to the stadium to do a number of
things including a radio interview. The
atmosphere and the can-do attitude of
everybody was astonishing. The whole
thing was incredible.
Any other highlights?
We’ve done hundreds of big jobs over
the years and we love doing them.
But, like I said earlier, Jane’s vision
was to sell flowers to whoever has
a passion for them. We’re not about
celebrity. We’re not about big events.
We are about good quality flowers and
introducing new varieties wherever we
can. There’s a bit of a joke at the market.
If they have a new variety of flower and
the other florists aren’t keen, they’ll
say: “Oh don’t worry, Jane Packer will
buy it.” And we have to. If there’s a new
variety we just can’t not buy it. It’s in
our DNA.
Jane sadly passed away in 2011. What
did she bring to floristry?
She brought a freshness of approach,
youth, creativity, a lack of blinkers.
A new way of thinking about how
you could use flowers. Very early on
someone described Jane as a breath
of fresh air in the world of flowers.
That’s a good description. She turned
everything on its head.
tunnels leading off to nooks filled
with vases and bowls of glass, clay and
the shiniest metal. The plants and
flowers are stored in the cold areas.
Louise sits at one workbench and
begins making up an order for the
Welsh Office, filling wooden boxes
with gorgeous miniature yellow tetea-tete daffodils. Her colleague Helen
Edwards is busily creating a bouquet
of sunflowers interwoven with deep
green hebe foliage. She cuts the long
stem of each sunflower and surrounds
the hand-tied bouquet with crimped
yellow tissue and frosted cellophane
paper, before gently lowering it into
an elegant square black box.
There are many strings to Jane
Packer’s signature bow. Upstairs on
the ground floor is the shop and the
flower school, where the courses range
from beginners and recreational,
right through to advanced career
courses. Here in the workroom Louise
and her colleagues deal with the sameday delivery telephone orders, which
arrive with alarming regularity, as well
as the more straightforward contracts.
A business-to-business team looks
after the higher maintenance
contracts with swanky restaurants,
luxury hotels and private dwellings.
“The b-to-b team start at four in the
morning,” says Louise. “They flit in
and out during the day, but are on the
road most of the time.”
As well as being an international
name, Jane Packer is a truly local
business; as well as serving the
Marylebone public in the shop,
the team may be called upon to
do the flowers for a wedding at
The Langham or the Christmas
installations at The London Clinic.
They also provide arrangements for
events, ranging from glitzy parties to
magazine shoots. “A lot of the bridal
magazines approach us. They send
us a brief of what they’d like, we make
it up, then send it over to them to
photograph,” says Louise.
Latest recruit Helena Willcocks
is upstairs in the shop making
everything just so. Bold, bright
plants in even bolder, brighter
pink pots stand proud outside the
shop, while inside glass vases burst
with fancy flowers such as clematis,
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Features.
In bloom
phalaenopsis, ranunculus. What a
pity the Journal doesn’t do scratch ‘n’
sniff, because the smell is incredible.
Polly and Ahmed are running the
advanced course at the flower school.
Polly has the students delicately
weaving pink cymbidium orchids
through red bamboo branches
standing in dark green vases. Spanish
moss is used to hide any wires. Polly
spends time with each student,
suggesting effective tweaks and
passing on tips. People travel from all
over the world for these courses—one
of today’s students runs an events
company in Mexico.
Time to hit the road with Junior,
a delivery driver. Junior is taking
the daffodils to the Welsh Office
on Victoria Street and relies on
his encyclopaedic knowledge of
London’s back-doubles to beat the
gridlock. “You never get used to the
traffic,” he sighs. The pavements
around Buckingham Palace are also
chocked with tourists eagerly waiting
for the changing of the guard. Junior
navigates the backstreets of Victoria.
Many of the residential flats have
rather drab window boxes—these
tenants really should call Jane Packer.
Back at central HQ Helena and
fellow florist Helen are a whirl of
flowers, ribbons and secateurs, as
Louise replies to an email from
somebody enquiring about flowers
for their wedding at The Langham.
Louise continues to answer emails,
take phone calls, write delivery
instructions and prepare the flowers
and foliage for the next order.
Louise entered the world of floristry
eight years ago. “I decided to have a
change of career and took the City
& Guilds route to floristry. It started
off as a hobby and grew from there. I
had always admired Jane’s work and
one evening I was looking at the Jane
Packer site and saw they had vacancies.
That was just over five years ago.”
Louise oversees New Cavendish
Street and the nearby John Lewis
concession. “I couldn’t do that job
without a really supportive team,” she
says. “Everybody mucks in.” Part of
the job for these merry multitaskers
is to write the heartfelt messages
onto the cards that accompany each
bouquet and hatbox. These range
from birthday greetings and messages
of condolence, to the sweetly romantic
and the downright suggestive. Surely,
I say, you must hear stuff that would
make the rest of us blush.
Annoyingly, Louise appears
to have taken a similar oath to a
confessional priest and refuses to spill
the beans. “Helen will know the one
I’m thinking of,” smiles Louise, still
managing to give absolutely nothing
away. “What this guy wanted written
on the card was unbelievable. It was
for Valentine’s Day, but it wasn’t at all
romantic. But we get nice sentimental
messages as well. It’s a real mixture.”
Louise and Helen love the variety
of people they deal with in this job.
And that includes all their regulars
at the shop. “Some of them come in
weekly and will ask for their usual,”
says Louise. Jane Packer has an
army of loyal fans, both local and
otherwise. Many enrol onto courses,
some go on to do work experience,
and occasionally one might become a
member of staff. “There’s the proof,”
grins Louise, pointing at Helen.
Alicia, one of the business-tobusiness team, has rocked up.
She needs to put together an
arrangement for The Cavendish
restaurant just across the road
and sets about making a stunning
creation using amaryllis topiaries and
magnolia branches. “The Cavendish
has something different every week,”
says Alicia. “They have certain colours
and certain sizes, but leave it up to us
to come up with the particular design.
We follow the Jane Packer style, but it
is open to interpretation.”
As they work Louise and Helen
recall what it felt like to be part of the
London 2012 Olympics, when Jane
Packer had the honour of producing
the victory bouquets—a project some
two years in the making. “It was great
being a part of that,” smiles Louise.
“We were all located in different parts
of the country. I was in Dorchester for
two weeks looking after the flowers
for the sailing. Some of the girls were
down in Writtle, Chelmsford.” Helen
looks up from her work. “And we were
at Horse Guards Parade and the ladies
beach volleyball. The guys all wanted
to do that delivery,” she laughs.
Suddenly Helena lets out a yelp
from the other side of the room.
The poor girl has pricked her finger
while stripping a rose stem of its many
thorns. So are these terrors the bane
of a florist’s existence?
“Have you see my hands?” begs
Louise. “Yes, they are. And you get
so used to them that sometimes you
don’t even realise you’ve got a thorn
until it goes septic. I’ve got loads of
them.” Louise presents her hands
for inspection. They resemble wellmanicured pin cushions. “I’ve got
hands like a builder,” she grumbles.
She and her two colleagues begin
telling their thorn-related tales. It’s
rather like Vietnam veterans sharing
war stories, only these centre on
Valentine’s Day. As a rule of thumb,
the prettier the rose, the more thorns
it has. None of which are removed
before they arrive at Jane Packer.
“That’s what we do at six o’ clock on a
Monday morning,” says Helen.
Ahmed has been patiently
warming his soup in the microwave.
He chooses this moment to announce
that one of the first places he worked
at had a conditioning machine which
removed the thorns for you. Ahmed’s
colleagues stare first at their thorn
ravaged hands, and then at one
another. Could there be mutiny in the
air? I feel a strike coming on.
JANE PACKER
32-34 New Cavendish Street, W1G 8UE
020 7935 2673
jane-packer.co.uk
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Some people come into the
industry thinking it’s about
making pretty bouquets and it’s all
just lovely—they don’t understand
quite how tough it can be at times
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Culture.
DAVID THORP
The guest curator
of the Potential
Architecture
exhibition at
Ambika P3 talks art,
architecture and the
wider implications
of changes in our
urban environment
INTERVIEW: VIEL RICHARDSON
IMAGES: JOSEPH FOX
WHAT’S
ON
EXHIBITIONS,
MUSIC AND
THEATRE
PP44-48
So what’s Potential
Architecture all about?
Comprising four sitespecific commissions
by international artists
Alexander Brodsky, Sean
Griffiths, Joar Nango and
Apolonija Šušteršic, the
show is jointly curated by
myself, Ambika’s curator
Michael Mazière, and the
architectural department
of the University of
Westminster. The artist and
architects involved use a
medley of recycling, craft,
and low-tech processes
as well as performance,
video and installation art
to explore the implications
of change in various urban
environments.
How did it begin?
It’s an interesting story.
About two years ago, I went
up to Tromsø in northern
Norway, a small town 600
miles above the Arctic
Circle, on a visit to the
university. It was while I was
there that I met the artist
Joar. He is one of the Sami,
the indigenous people of
that part of the world whose
background is in reindeer
herding, and he was
interested in the crossover
between traditional
nomadic life and the
urban environment, and
the social conditions that
result from that. For this
exhibition he visited tribes
in Mongolia, in fact. I asked
him if he knew the work
of Alexander Brodsky—a
Russian artist whose work
explores recycled materials
with an implied critique
of unsustainable property
development—and he said
he was a huge fan.
What’s the connection
between the artists?
Both move between the
disciplines of art and
architecture, and both are
concerned with people
and their environment.
Then there’s Apolonija
from Slovenia, who works
by creating forums for
people to take more
control over their urban
environment within
an artistic context. For
example, in this exhibition
she will be building a
small auditorium in which
a pre-recorded video of
invited speakers talking
about the negative effects
of property development
will be playing. Visitors
can come and watch
the proceedings in the
auditorium where it took
place. Sean Griffiths is
really the most orthodox
architect, in a way.
His whole piece is about
alienation and how the
prevailing establishment
system messes with
our heads. So that, in a
way, is the basis of the
exhibition—though it was
never set out like that right
at the beginning.
Do you often work with
architecture?
I’m not an architectural
expert at all. I’m a
curator. This show is a
collaboration, between
Katharine Heron, who is
professor of architecture
here, Michael Mazière,
who is responsible for
the P3 space, the artists
and myself. That said,
the implications of what
these artists are doing
impinges on my and many
other people’s feelings of
annoyance and outrage
about the way London
is changing thanks to
property developers, and
the issue of social housing.
I’m pissed off about this,
and about self-serving
egomaniacs like Boris
Johnson. All this has a
bearing on how the lives of
ordinary people in London
are being undermined
and constrained.
You work as a freelance
curator. Why is that?
I like to work on alternative
margins. I don’t mean
Glastonbury, hippy type
stuff—though that has its
place, of course—I mean
establishing an alternative
to a mainstream art world
and the financial system
behind it. There were
two things I was trying to
avoid, which you can only
do on a small scale: one
was the sponsorship of
private companies whose
values you don’t share,
and the second was the
bureaucracy of something
like the Arts Council,
though in fact they have
been very generous in their
support of this. So yes, I
wanted to do something
that was free from
traditional constraints.
What drew you to Ambika
P3 as an exhibition
space?
The scale, and the
roughness of it. Outside
the turbine hall, there is
nowhere in central London
that is this big. Also, if you
look at what has happened
in recent years in the area,
it is a context which suits
what we are trying to do
in this exhibition. Also,
I like small organisations.
Westminster university
is big of course, but this
is a small team, semiautonomous within the
university and much more
flexible. There is a strong
sense of teamwork and
the organisation is flatter.
All these things matter.
POTENTIAL ARCHITECTURE
Until 19th April
Ambika P3
35 Marylebone Road, NW1 5LS
p3exhibitions.com
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I like to work on
alternative margins.
I don’t mean hippy type
stuff—though that has
its place, of course—
I mean establishing
an alternative to a
mainstream art world
and the financial system
behind it
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Culture.
REMAKING
A
CLASSIC
REGENT STREET CINEMA
On 21st February 1896, a small gathering
of cultural pioneers paid a shilling each
to witness one of the landmark cultural
events of the century: photographic images,
projected onto a screen and—curiouser
and curiouser—moving around. Intrigued
and baffled, the audience watched as the
Lumière brothers showed workers filing out
from a French factory, waves lapping a sea
shore, and a train chugging along a track.
The theatre, based on Regent Street in what
is now the University of Westminster, had
witnessed many things since its creation
in 1838: Victorian magic lantern shows,
photography, optical illusions. But nothing
had prepared the audience for the sight of
an on-screen train, hurtling towards them.
Having remained at the centre of
cinematic invocation throughout the 20th
century, the theatre closed its curtains
for the last time in 1980. For years it was
kept in darkness and disrepair. Then the
University of Westminster began a complex
three-year restoration programme
designed to return the Regent Street
Cinema to its former glory. The project is
now nearing completion, with a distinctive
programme of British cinema, classic
repertory titles, non-Western cinema
and experimental moving image and
animation set to get underway later in the
spring. But while generous donations from
the Quintin Hogg Trust, the Heritage
Lottery Fund and the Garfield Weston
Foundation have raised much of the near
£6 million required to reopen the cinema,
fundraising is still ongoing. Marylebone
residents can play their part: the cinema’s
Name a Seat campaign means that, for
£750, donors can have a personalised
plaque featuring an inscription of their
choice installed on one of the auditorium’s
seats. Contributors will also receive a year’s
membership and an exclusive invitation to
a preview of the newly-restored venue.
REGENT STREET CINEMA
309 Regent Street,
W1B 2UW
birthplaceofcinema.com
WHAT’S
ON
EXHIBITIONS
MARC RIBOUD:
PARIS TO PEKING
Until 9th May
Atlas Gallery
49 Dorset Street,
W1U 7NF
atlasgallery.com
Top to bottom: Marc
Riboud, Tony de Wolf,
Allen Jones
French photographer
Marc Riboud made it his
duty to be at the forefront
of almost every major
event of the mid to late
20th century, capturing
images from Mao Zedong’s
China during the Cultural
Revolution and from both
sides of the Vietnam War
(his image of Jan Rose
Kasmir holding a flower
in front of gun-wielding
soldiers has become iconic),
not to mention his famous
Eiffel Tower Painter.
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All of these—among
several other lesserknown prints from the
photographer’s personal
collection—have been
collated at the Atlas
Gallery, Marylebone, for
a unique exhibition of
some of Riboud’s lesserseen work.
SMALL ART
Until 18th April
A&D Gallery
51 Chiltern Street,
W1U 6LY
aanddgallery.com
A&D answer the prayers
of space-poor art lovers
with this exhibition of A4
drawings, sketches and
prints from a host of notable
contemporary artists, some
of which are originals.
Artists include Allen Jones,
Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons
and Andy Warhol.
LEE UFAN
Until 9th May
Lisson Gallery
27&52 Bell Street,
NW1 5DA
lissongallery.com
Korean-born minimalist
master Lee Ufan presents
his carefully wrought
watercolours and four
large-scale paintings
together with installations
made up of rocks and
other components free of
artistic action. The space
of the gallery has been
transformed into a quasisacred environment,
calling on visitors to
engage in profound
contemplation—the aim
being to “lead people’s
eyes to emptiness and turn
their ears to silence”.
PICTURE FROM AN EXHIBITION
133.52 MILES WALKED, MAP (EXPLORER 306/
OL26) BY RACHAEL CLEWLOW
“I wanted to do something that would reflect the
local area,” says Newcastle-based artist Rachael
Clewlow, reflecting on the premise behind this
painting—a beautiful infographic which uses acrylic
and silverpoint to map Middlesborough’s old iron
ore trade routes. During the 1800s, coal and iron
production in the area expanded exponentially,
turning what had been a hamlet into a major city at
the forefront of the country’s rapid industrialisation.
After extensive research at the Teeside archives,
Rachael was able to reconstruct the journeys made
by miners into and out of the city. Many of the routes
are now disused, so her research took her into
unknown areas: from urban to suburban, to rural,
over the moors and out to the coast. Rachael then
plotted a total of nine walks using tracing paper
placed over Ordnance Survey maps, embellished
with information collected on her walks—“It could
Lee Ufan
be anything: from a monument, to graffiti, to a pair of
pants on the road.”
The data has been colour-coded to create an
accompanying key, which is equally arresting on the
eye. The horizontal lines of the key correspond with
the colour of the circles on the map. “The outer circle
is always the opposite, complimentary colour of the
inner,” Rachael explains, “but the size and tone of the
circles are left to intuition and often change as I move
through the painting.”
133.52 miles walked, Map (Explorer 306/OL26)
will feature alongside the key as part of jaggedart’s
Ramblings exhibition, which also features works
from artists Mercedes Castro Corbat, Monica
Fierro, Ashraf Hanna and Tom Henderson.
RAMBLINGS
26th March–25th April
jaggedart
28a Devonshire Street, W1G 6PS
020 7486 7374
TONY DE WOLF:
AN EXHIBITION
OF NEW WORKS
6th—24th May
Thompson’s Gallery
15 New Cavendish Street,
W1G 9UB
thompsonsgallery.co.uk
Tony de Wolf’s hyperrealist still life paintings
are reminiscent of the
Dutch Old Masters, whose
meticulously detailed
paintings inspired him
from a young age. De Wolf
underwent seven years’
training at Antwerp’s
Academy of Fine Arts before
receiving direct guidance
and training in 17th century
technique under classical
painter Willem Dolphyn.
With that in mind, De
Wolf has developed a
clear, individualistic style,
capturing everyday scenes
with impressive precision.
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Culture.
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MUSIC
ROXANA
HALLS
EXHIBITION
It’s a rare day that a
female artist elicits praise
from Brian Sewell, but
with her “discerning
draughtsmanship and
honest ability to paint”, it
seems Roxana Halls has
done it. That the young
south London artist has
yet to secure the National
Portrait Prize from judges
“who have been too
dull-witted to share her
passionate melancholy”
is a perennial source of
irritation to Britain’s
most celebrated—and
controversial—art critic.
Her studio resides in
an old theatre in south
London, lending her
works a sinister ‘backstage’
atmosphere in which masks
slip, paint peels and the
centre cannot hold: her
still lives, meanwhile, have
an impressive emotional
depth. Returning to the
Hay Hill Gallery after
the lavish success of her
September exhibition,
Roxana’s latest collection of
work promises to be many
things—except of course,
for tame, usual and safe.
5th May—30th May
Hay Hill Gallery
35 Baker Street, W1U 8EN
hayhill.com
RACHMANINOFF:
VARIATIONS
IN A LIFE
18th April
Hellenic Centre
16-18 Paddington Street,
W1U 5AS
helleniccentre.org
Top: Angela Hewitt
Above: Gerald Finley
Banned under Stalin for
being too ‘decadent’,
slighted by Stravinsky for
his apparent detachment,
alternately celebrated
and criticised by his
contemporaries, Sergei
Rachmaninoff is now
widely regarded as the
last great composer of the
romantic era of Russian
classical music. In this
concert, composer and
pianist Costas Fotopoulos,
actor Alberto Bona and
playwright Josephine
Hammond come together
to recreate his works, in a
multi-layered celebration
of one of the greatest
Russian musicians of the
20th century.
ACADEMY
SOLOISTS
ENSEMBLE:
MOZART AND
HAYDN
14th April
Royal Academy of Music
Marylebone Road,
NW1 5HT
ram.ac.uk
Trevor Pinnock,
principal guest
conductor at the Royal
Academy of Music,
leads the Soloists
Ensemble in a rendition
of works by Mozart and
Haydn. While Mozart’s
Gran Partita (K.361)
demonstrates the colours
of wind instruments
and their immense
sensitivity, his mentor’s
Notturno no.8 in G (Hob
II:27) magnificently
blends the timbres of
strings and woodwind.
10TH
ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
TRASIMENO
31st May
Wigmore Hall
36 Wigmore Street,
W1U 2BP
wigmore-hall.org.uk
Hosted by classical
pianist Angela Hewitt—
widely celebrated for her
interpretations of Bach—
this event marks the 10th
anniversary of the very first
Trasimeno Festival. For this
special concert, Angela is
bringing to Wigmore Hall
something of the unique
atmosphere of the festival
she founded a decade
ago, which takes place
annually in the Umbrian
town of Magione.She will
be accompanied on the
evening by the Cremona
Quartet, violinist Kerson
Leong and bass-baritone
Gerald Finley.
BOOK
REVIEWS
TOUCH, HOLY
SPY AND THE
HOUSEKEEPER’S
TALE
PP48-49
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BOOK
REVIEWS
Culture.
WORDS: SASHA GARWOOD
THEATRE
TOUCH
CLAIRE NORTH
JM BARRIE’S
PETER PAN
£14.99, Little, Brown Book Group
15th May–14th June
Regent’s Park Open Air
Theatre
Inner Circle,
NW1 4NU
openairtheatre.com
After what seems like
an eternity of winter,
the Regent’s Park Open
Air Theatre is finally
re-opening its doors.
Directed by Timothy
Sheader and Liam Steel,
the 2015 season will
begin with a recreation
of JM Barrie’s much-loved
Peter Pan. This take on
the classic children’s
tale of magic, mischief
and adventure is tinged
with some of the darker
undertones clearly present
in Barrie’s original work,
which have often been
eradicated in subsequent
versions.
THE LONELY
SOLDIER
MONOLOGUES
6th—31st May
Cockpit Theatre
Gateforth Street,
NW8 8EH
thecockpit.org.uk
“You think you know war?
You don’t know the half of
it.” The missing half is the
perspective of the women
who fought in and were
affected by the conflicts
in Iraq and Afghanistan,
but whose voices are rarely
heard. Helen Benedict
redresses this imbalance
with a verbatim play that
looks at the lives of seven
women who served in the
US armed forces between
2003 and 2006. Why did
they enlist? How have
their lives changed? And
what do their stories tell us
about western culture?
LECTURE
ANNE SILK
LECTURE:
SLEEP AND
CIRCADIAN
RHYTHMS
5th May
Royal Society of Medicine
1 Wimpole Street,
W1G 0AE
rsm.ac.uk
In what will be the third
annual Anne Silk lecture,
professor Russell Foster,
president of the British
Neuroscience Association,
will discuss the science
and clinical applications
of circadian rhythms—
the biological ‘clocks’
which govern our daily
lives. This fascinating free
talk will be followed by a
drinks reception. Booking
is essential.
Peter Pan at Regent’s
Park Open Air Theatre
So Claire North has followed up
last year’s superlative The First
Fifteen Lives Of Harry August with
another novel-of-ideas disguised as
an adventure story—and once again
it works splendidly. Part meditation
on human connection and identity,
part violent kickass, Touch is the
story of a narrator whose gender and
“real” name we never quite find out: a
“ghost” who discovered—after being
beaten to death in an alleyway in
the 18th century—that by touching
another person’s skin they could
inhabit that body until they chose
to switch back out. Which puts the
metaphorical cat amongst a flock of
ideological pigeons.
Touch’s premise raises some pretty
big questions about accountability,
identity, and connection. Ghosts tend
to stick around indefinitely, neatly
avoiding the majority of human
accountability systems but getting
some unique opportunities for
vigilante justice. It’s possible to kill a
ghost, and Touch’s narrator (whose
name definitely isn’t Kepler, but goes
by it anyway) spends a fair chunk of
the book trying to do just that—but
it requires killing the body (“skin”)
they’re currently inhabiting and
making sure there’s no opportunity
for them to touch anyone and switch
out until they’re definitely dead.
North makes ghosts’ systems of
survival plausible and terrifying.
“Kepler” was once an “estate agent”,
seeking out healthy people for ghosts
to move into. It’s not as simple as
regulated theft: sometimes ghosts
are invited to inhabit a particular
person, and sometimes they simply
take, leaving a host with only a sense
of lost time and occasionally an
unexpectedly aged body. It is, when
you think about, as creepy as hell.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, ghosts
develop some strange and sometimes
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poignant relationships with nonghosts, and some odd but resilient
long-term relationships with one
another. Kepler’s friendship with his
ex-skin Johannes Schwarb is amusing,
its unfortunate consequences grim,
whilst the book is driven by Kepler’s
need to eliminate the unscrupulous
mass murderer Galileo.
North’s plotting in Touch is
rapid and constantly shifting, but
underneath it there’s a whole bunch
of human condition angst to get out.
How much of what we consider our
identities is tied up with our bodies?
There’s a moving moment quite early
on in Touch when a new friend of
Kepler’s learns to recognise them:
“Doesn’t matter who you’re wearing,
I know it’s you… Something in the
way you look. Something old. I can
recognise you, whoever you are.” This
distinction, between being seen and
being known, runs through the book.
So much of human interaction
is based on body language, cultural
semiotics, assumptions—if you strip
all that away, who are we? Surely one
human body is a flawed medium for
so much emotional experience? And
yet, in the climactic moments of the
book, the ghost’s experience of love
becomes indistinguishable from the
human. Touch is troubling in lots of
ways, but none that make it anything
less than a damn good novel.
HOLY SPY
RORY CLEMENTS
£14.99, Hodder and Stoughton
It is unfortunate for Rory Clements
that CJ Sansom exists, for were I
not pathologically addicted to the
latter’s immersive and immaculately
researched Shardlake mysteries I
would be all over Holy Spy. As it is,
I found it mildly entertaining but
lacking in the luxurious swathes of
detail and character that persist even
six books into the Shardlake series.
John Shakespeare works for
Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth’s
notoriously ruthless spymaster, and
has been charged with infiltrating the
circle of Catholics around Anthony
Babington, thus entrapping Mary
Queen of Scots into condemning
herself for treason. At the same time,
he’s drawn into the complicated web
surrounding his disappeared ex-lover
Kat Whetstone, recently married to
the wealthy Nicholas Giltspur and
widowed by a man who accused her of
employing him to commit the crime.
It’s an interesting premise, and
some of the apparent colourlessness
of the characters is probably the
result of diving into a series at the
seventh book and expecting in-depth
characterisation. But there’s no
getting away from the fact that—with
the exception of the absent Queen—
the female characters are limited to
being young and attractive. In fact,
“two slender whores, sisters”, Kat
and Shakespeare’s new 18-year-old
housekeeper are pretty much the only
women to appear.
This would be bad enough, but
some of Clements’ descriptions are…
hackneyed. Kat, for example, has
“breasts like exotic fruit… welcoming
thighs of smoothest, softest silk” (can
we get over writing historical novels
like bad pornography, please?) and
the incestuous sisters appear only as
“coil[ing] and writh[ing] bodies”,
seducing the cleric Gilbert Gifford
and then demanding money.
I might have been able to let this
apparent inability to create female
characters with depth, autonomy or
any characteristics beyond the nubile
slide. But I have the shining example
of CJ Sansom before me.
THE HOUSEKEEPER’S
TALE: THE WOMEN
WHO REALLY RAN THE
ENGLISH COUNTRY
HOUSE
TESSA BOASE
£20, Aurum Press
The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle is a
slightly odd, gentle, quite beautiful
book. It has the kind of gauche
plot that only happens in novels—
Elizabeth Pringle leaves the lovely
house on the Scottish Island of Arran
she’s lived in all her life to a stranger,
who 30 years before admired it while
walking past with her baby daughter—
but with enough emotional realism
that it doesn’t really matter.
Bequest made, things get messy.
The beneficiary, Anna, is now elderly
and senile, so Elizabeth Pringle’s
house passes to her daughter
Martha, once the baby in the pram.
Fleeing a messy breakup, Martha
moves to Elizabeth’s, finding herself
gradually drawn into the dynamics
of the small, insular world of Arran
and the affections and rivalries that
swirled around Elizabeth Pringle
when she was alive. Delving deeper
into the history of the house and
its former inhabitant, she starts to
suspect that Elizabeth had a secret...
For all the human intimacy of its
island canvas, Elizabeth Pringle has
an acuity that brings its characters
to life. However predictable its
emotional developments (I cannot
imagine a novel of this kind where
the protagonist doesn’t find love with
one of her benefactor’s close friends,
and would be disappointed if I did)
both Elizabeth’s voice and Martha’s
character are believable and engaging,
and Arran’s wild beauty vividly evoked.
Whilst Martha’s paramour’s
barbed comments often veer too close
to negging for my liking—this is the
21st century, can we PLEASE have a
male love interest that treats his lover
with respect and understanding?—
Elizabeth’s relationships and
Martha’s fraught connections with
her mother and sister are much
more subtle.
For all its obviousness of plot,
Elizabeth Pringle is meditative,
beguiling and absorbing.
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Style.
TRACEY NEULS
The founder of the
eponymous shoe
brand on why she
hangs her shoes
from the ceiling,
designs them using
plasticine, and
desperately wants to
introduce alcohol to
the shoe-shopping
experience
INTERVIEW: STEVIE MARTIN
IMAGES: JOSEPH FOX
always want a crazy top
piece on it. Some are classic
shapes that have been
going since 1850, and are
also traditionally male;
juxtaposing something
like that on a woman’s shoe
conjures up memories,
but it’s still completely
fresh. Fashion is theatrical,
and so are the shoes,
which is why I present
them in this dramatic,
different way.
Have you always loved
shoes?
I have! And I feel quite
thankful for that, because
you have lots of people
who don’t know what they
want to do. But when I was
nine, I remember making
shoes out of toilet rolls
and cardboard boxes, and
sitting in my mum’s closet
with all the shoes around
me... it was something
I always wanted to do.
But I’m Canadian, and
there were no footwear
colleges anywhere in
Canada, so I went into
fashion design instead.
After a 10 year career in
fashion I thought, OK,
there’s a school in the
UK I can go to, so let’s
do it now!
Did your career in fashion
influence the shoes you
design?
It all goes hand in hand—
some of my designs will
have a little detail on the
heel, or the top, that will
make the factory groan
whenever they see it.
Like, “What is this?!
This doesn’t go on a shoe!”
But it’s all about balance.
A lot of the shapes I create
are sculptural, so I don’t
Talking of presentation,
why do you hang them
from the ceiling?
To celebrate the detail!
You usually go into a store,
there are super-bright
lights, and loud music
and, while this is fine, I feel
like it distracts from the
product. Also, when a shoe
is on a shelf, you only see
the top view, but you see
everything when the shoe
is actually on a foot. It’s like
a sculpture, and you want
to see every angle possible.
Originally, I wanted
to have cocktails and
shoes—friends coming in,
the shoes flying around,
everything so dynamic!—
but licensing has been
an issue, although I’m
still looking into it.
When we first opened
this store, I was baking
bread in the back just to
have that juxtaposition
of different senses.
NAILED
IT
NAIL
PRODUCTS
PP54-55
What inspires you to
design a shoe?
I think there’s something
lovely in the innocence of
childhood. You see a kid
playing and they don’t care
about anything, they’re
talking to themselves and
doing their own thing.
I’m big on memories and
nostalgia, so I create my
designs out of plasticine
and take them to the
factory. The smell of it
takes you right back—like
that freshly baked bread
—and of course the factory
hates me for it. I turn up
with my little shoes saying
things like, “So here’s a
green one, here’s a little
blue one” and they’re so
not used to that. But they
do it!
Apart from that nostalgia
element, why do you use
plasticine?
It’s a way of translating
from your brain to
your hands, a sort of
communication between
the body and the mind.
Plus, I’ve been doing it for
ages and learned it as a kid!
It’s important to me not
to grab Vogue and trawl
through, looking at what
other designers are doing,
because if you’re not doing
exactly what Vogue tells
you to do at that moment,
then it won’t go out of
fashion in six months’
time. My favourite
moments are when
mothers and daughters
come in and shop, because
when that happens you’re
transcending time. It’s
impossible for us to say
that there’s a particular
demographic we’re
focusing on, and I love
that—a 14-year-old will be
like “I want these ones!”
while her mom is trying on
something else, all in the
same store.
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I think there’s
something lovely in
the innocence of
childhood. You see a kid
playing and they don’t
care about anything,
they’re talking to
themselves and doing
their own thing
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Style.
MY
FAVOURITES
TIM YATES
The shoes are almost
mini works of art. How
should they be worn?
If you wear a ring, you don’t
think, this turquoise won’t
go with anything! You just
throw it on. Shoes should
be more like that. I’d hate
it if someone came in and
was like, “I’ve got a green
jumper, what should I wear
on my feet?” Wear whatever
you like! You don’t need
a pair of shoes to go with
specific items of clothing;
you can do something
vintage on top, or a bit of
Chloé, or a bit of Japanese...
just make it your own.
The general manager at
Trunk Clothiers shares
his picks from the current
collection
Do you have a favourite
shoe?
Well, the neon shoe we do
has been going for a long
time. The company has
been going for 15 years,
and neon and natural are
company colours, so to
have that still in fashion
is kind of great. To me it
has the same attributes as
a trainer—not that you’ll
be running too much in
it—but it kicks the ass off
any Nikes or Converse. You
can go to clubs in it, and
you can wear it in the day.
It’s all-purpose and I just
love that.
How have you found
Marylebone?
I completely love it! The
people are so real! From
the first moment we set up
shop here, we had people
rocking up on their bicycles
saying, “Good on you, we
can’t wait for it!” and some
other people would be all,
“We saw your new article in
so and so! Nice one!” You go
to Notting Hill and there’s
a vibe, but in Marylebone
there are no preconceived
notions. You’ve got actors
galore, French galore,
young people, old people...
there are guys flogging
sausages down the road
and you’re like, how can
you be minutes away from
the world’s most famous
shopping street and flog
sausages? It’s so great.
TRACEY NEULS
29 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2NQ
traceyneuls.com
We don’t follow the catwalks at
Trunk. Most of our customers are
30 or older; they are guys who aren’t
trying to be super-trendy, just smart,
stylish and well dressed. They have
an interest in clothes, they have an
interest in quality, they want stuff to
be well fitted. We have some young,
trendy stuff, of course, but we are
not obsessed.
For example, the helmets by
Hedon. These are new for us, made
in north London by a French brand,
and they are my personal favourite.
They are not stocked in very many
places at all. The green is particularly
popular—I have a Vespa and this
is just brilliant. It seems to catch
everyone’s eye, and it is comfy to
boot. It’s such a nice finish with the
leather trim—and while it’s strong, it
doesn’t look like you have a balloon
on your head. This is number one.
My number two is a check suit by
Caruso—a tailored brand at the
smarter end of the spectrum, which
always proves popular. It’s an Italian
manufacturer, so unlike British
jackets that tend to be on the heavy
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side, they are very lightweight—
ideal for spring. This particular
style is nipped in at the waist, quite
structured, and double breasted,
which we don’t have much of. It’s a
bit more formal than some of our
tailoring, but some guys prefer that.
I like these shoes by the American
brand, Alden. Alden is an institution
in America—well over a century old
and still family run. They’ve a big
following there and in the UK: theirs
are genuine-welted shoes, made
with one of the finest and rarest
leathers in the world, shell cordovan.
One batch of shell cordovan takes a
minimum of six months to produce
and finish. This particular style is an
American take on the classic English
shoe. It’s burgundy coloured, so
it goes with grey, blue, and black
trousers, and it is really comfortable.
Downstairs we’ve more of a casual
range. Boglioli is one of our more
relaxed, soft tailoring brands. Some
of their jackets are like wearing a
cardigan, they are so comfortable.
You can dress down with chinos or
dress up in a shirt. I think it’s nice
with chinos and trainers though
really. In fact, I’d probably wear one
with one of our Barena collarless
shirts, another of my favourites. The
cotton is lovely and soft, of very high
quality and thread count. They look
great under a jacket.
Then for trousers I’d pick these
from The Gigi. They are made in
Italy from a classic textured cotton
seersucker and have a drawstring
waist, so are an easy fit. They look
smarter on the body than they do
on the hanger—they are a great
cut, ideal for relaxed summer days
pottering about. They are a bit more
causal than I would normally wear,
but I love the brand and its quirky
take on tailoring. It’s actually from
the guys behind Boglioli—they went
on to found The Gigi afterwards,
and they have such interesting
patterns, inspired by their interest
in architecture and geometrical
prints. For knocking about on the
weekend in a pair of trainers, these
are just perfect.
Caruso per Trunk Nabucco suit, £1,565
Barena Crea Poppi shirt, £95
The Gigi Waikiki trousers, £215
Alden cordovan plain toe blucher, £695
Hedon Hedonist helmet, £300
TRUNK CLOTHIERS
8 Chiltern Street, W1U 7PU
trunkclothiers.com
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Style.
NAILED
IT
The sun is out, the
election is on and the
gloves are off—both for
the politicians, and for
you, fair Maryleboneites.
Even if that cold wind
continues to blow, the
days of hiding your digits
in mittens are numbered.
It’s a scary moment.
Chapped fingers are
never a good look,
but restoring health
and vitality is no easy
task. Enter the village’s
impressive selection
of balms, creams, oils
and—most crucially—
nail varnishes, the
bright spring colours of
which will bring life to
even the most winterravaged of hands
1
2
NARS Wind Dancer nail polish
(15ml) Space NK, £15
4
ESSIE Blossom Dandy nail varnish
(13.5ml) West One Beauty, £7.99
ESSIE Petal Pushers nail varnish
(13.5ml) West One Beauty, £7.99
Zagara orange blossom hand
cream (75ml) Ortigia, £16
3
5
Kent NB6 nailbrush
John Bell & Croyden, £9
Melissa nail balm (10ml)
Neal’s Yard Remedies, £9
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6 8
9
7
Resurrection Aromatique hand
wash (500ml) Aesop, £27
Resurrection rinse-free hand wash
(50ml) Aesop, £7
ESSIE First Base base coat
(13.5ml) West One Beauty, £8.99
ESSIE apricot cuticle oil (13.5ml)
West One Beauty, £8.99
Brown sugar hand cream (75ml)
Fresh, £15
THE
OUTFIT
THE BEST OF
MARYLEBONE
VILLAGE
PP56-57
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Style.
A FRESH
LOOK
There are two types of
women in Marylebone:
those who are passionate
devotees of Fresh, and
those who have yet to visit
this small and unassuming
beauty store. Founded
in America by beauty
pioneers Lev Glazman and
Alina Roytberg in 1991, its
growth from a small Boston
apothecary to a global
brand has been as slow
and reassuringly steady
as that of the all-natural
ingredients from which its
products are made.
After a decade on the
high street, the time had
come for a makeover: the
‘Fresh look’ made manifest
on the shop floor itself.
The new look store is
already drawing in new
converts. “People are
coming in asking if we’ve
just opened, not realising
we’ve been here for 10
years!” says the manager
Caglar. At the front a
sensorial bar serves as a
centrepiece, each glittering
phial of essential oils crying
out to be sniffed. Behind
them, brightly coloured
soaps nestle like iced
pastries in an artisanal
bakery—one of the key
inspirations, it transpires,
for the new display. “Fresh
is a sensual brand—scent
and nourishment are part
of what we do. When you
walk past a bakery you
think how beautiful it
smells. Fresh is the same.”
VIVE LA
DIFFERENCE
It’s not an obvious
collaboration. Petit Bateau
is a chic, classic French
brand of Breton stripes
and pan collars. Kenta
Matsushige describes
his inspiration as the
architecture of Japanese
museums and augmented
reality videos. Quite how
the two styles have melded
so beautifully is a mystery.
Nevertheless, to say we
want to get our hands on
Kenta’s entire capsule
collection for Petit Bateau
is an understatement.
Smart and beautifully
cut, Kenta’s collection
is simultaneously a
departure from the
brand’s roots, and a return
to them. Little surprise,
then, that Kenta now lives
and works in Paris.
PETIT BATEAU
70 Marylebone High Street,
W1U 5JL
petit-bateau.co.uk
FRESH
92 Marylebone High Street,
W1U 4RD
fresh.com
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THE
OUTFIT
THE BEST
OF THE SEASON
FROM
MARYLEBONE
VILLAGE
BA&SH Taylor shirt
KJ’s Laundry, £125
Denim quilted jacket
Comptoir des Cotonniers,
£130
AG the ex-boyfriend
in 10 years
Trilogy, £210
Aztec woven clutch
J Crew, £128
Helena Rohner
porcelain stone
earrings
Toast, £95
Flossie nappa
leather court
LK Bennett, £180
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Style.
FACING
THE
FUTURE
Beset by the stresses
of making the
Marylebone Journal
profitable, our sales
director Donna
Earrey visits the
Chuan Spa for her
very first facial
I have never had a facial
before. Surprising really,
especially as I am always
first in the queue for any
new pot of lotion, full
of hope that its magic
ingredients will smooth,
plump and firm all my lines
and saggy bits, leaving me
looking half my age at most.
But a month or so down
the line, the only thing
that ever feels tighter is my
cashflow.
I’d often wondered
whether I should instead
entrust my face to a
professional, but the salons
and spa rooms on my
high street seem to be the
preserve solely of TOWIE
wannabes. I have spent
many a Saturday browsing
the treatment lists, only
to have a 20-something
female with a face the
colour of carrot soup
glare back at me through
weaponised eyelashes;
off-putting to the say
least. So when I received
an invitation from The
Langham, London for
a facial treatment at the
Chuan Spa, it seemed like a
rather better place to start.
I am met by Gosia Dec,
senior therapist and trainer
at Chuan Spa, who talks me
through my treatment. I
am having a Germaine de
Capuccini facial known as
the Timexpert Lift. This
leading Spanish skincare
brand offers non-invasive
treatments designed to
reduce the volume, depth
and length of wrinkles,
revitalise dull skin and
provide anti-ageing effects.
The key to its success is
the Efficy 3 machine.
Gosia explains how this
multi-functional piece of
equipment, which utilises
various cutting edge
technologies, can stimulate
a biological action in the
deepest layers of the skin
tissues, improve circulation
and guarantee that the
delicious products slavered
on my face penetrate
fully. After choosing my
preferred scent for the
facial massage that makes
up the blissful final stage
of the treatment—Central
Park, for the record—I
settle back and begin to
relax; perhaps a little too
much, as in a relatively
short space of time I am
struggling to stay awake.
After nearly two
blissful hours and with
my treatment over, I make
haste to the changing room
desperate to find a mirror.
Looking at my reflection,
my face does have a really
lovely glow and the saggy
bits, which if neglected
long enough are the envy
of any bloodhound, do
appear to be a little less
saggy and the wrinkly bits
seem to have filled out, but
I still need more evidence
that the treatment has
been successful. I grab my
mobile phone and look for
the self-portrait I cunningly
took before leaving home.
Still standing in front of the
mirror I look at the image
then back at my reflection,
then back and forth several
times more. And yes,
there really is a difference.
Smiling, I think of all
those half-finished pots of
cream sitting smugly on my
bathroom shelf. It will be
goodbye to them from now
on—and hello Chuan Spa.
CHUAN SPA
1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA
chuanspa.co.uk
T
Ca
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Try a class for free!*
MARYLEBONE
CHELSEA
CHISWICK
6 Cavendish Square
1st Floor Atlantic Ct.
12 Turnham Green
Call to book and quote ‘Marylebone Journal’
Lower Ground Floor
77 Kings Road
Terrace
W1G 0PD
SW3 4NX
SW19 5AX
T: 020 7637 8458
T: 020 7349 7500
T: 020 8996 0401
KENSINGTON
WIMBLEDON
18 Kensington
49 High St
Church Street
Lower Ground Floor
W8 4EP
SW19 5AX
T: 020 7937 6901
T: 020 3151 5730
barrecore
@barrecore
barre_core
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Home.
VICKY SHEPHERD
The co-founder of
Cologne & Cotton
on snake charmers,
craftsmanship and
the horrors of
Bri-Nylon bedsheets
INTERVIEW: ELLIE COSTIGAN
IMAGE: JOSEPH FOX
You’ve been trading for
26 years now—how has
the business changed in
that time?
We’ve expanded the
product range hugely and
the internet has had a big
impact on our business.
We’re just building a new
web platform, which will
offer us huge functionality
in terms of data capture,
analysis and a better
offering for the customer.
That’ll go live towards the
end of April, with a lot of
new products on. Jenny and
I are getting a bit tired I have
to say! But we’re still doing
it. The company’s better run
for sure.
How did it all start?
Cologne and cotton...
they’re pretty different,
no?
They are completely
different, but what they
have in common is that
touch and smell are the
two most sensitive senses.
When we started in 1989,
the premise was to be able
to walk into very beautiful
surroundings and on the
one hand have piles of bed
linen all unwrapped, and
on the other side have these
big bottles of cologne. So
you’d have this wonderful
smell and the fact you could
touch it all, pull it off the
shelves, feel the cotton and
the linen—those two things
were paramount.
Up until the sixties,
everybody slept in cotton.
It was wonderful to sleep in,
but hell to wash and iron.
You know the proverbial
Monday wash day? My mum
would actually stay in all day
and wash. Then Bri-Nylon
came along and everyone
thought it was wonderful.
It was horrible—ugh! It was
disgusting! If you touched
it with a broken nail you
got an electric shock, it
was ghastly. But of course
it dried almost instantly.
Then polyester arrived,
another manmade fibre,
easy to wash and dry and
didn’t need to be ironed,
and by the early eighties
pure cotton bed linen was
virtually impossible to
find on the high street. We
wanted to re-introduce it.
So where do you get your
stock from?
When we first started there
were mills in Lancashire.
Then they started closing
down one by one, so we
went further afield to
Portugal, India and China.
In the late eighties, China
was very competitive. The
first time Jenny and I went
there we were able to buy
hand-embroidery at what
we would now consider
incredibly cheap prices,
but in the nineties there
was a huge crisis. Two years
of very bad cotton harvests
meant there was very little
decent cotton to be had,
and when it recovered the
price shot up and never
came down again.
Meanwhile, everybody
in China was demanding
better wages and conditions,
and rightly so. Alongside
that, nobody really did
hand-embroidery anymore;
young people weren’t
interested and the older
generation had retired.
So we now buy a lot of our
hand-embroidery from
Vietnam. It is still a big
industry over there, but it’s
expensive. And it should
be expensive—some of
our pillow cases have taken
someone a very long time
to make. We know that one
of them takes eight days!
They’re heirlooms, they’re
not something you stick
in the wash, in the dryer;
they’re very beautiful. If you
look after them they will
last for a long, long time.
They’re beautiful things
and one day they won’t exist.
So we want to maintain it as
long as possible.
How has it affected the
sort of products you have?
Every single piece is still
handmade, some, such
as our quilts, by snake
charmers in very remote
parts of Pakistan. They’re
completely crazy! You can’t
5
LAMPS
PP63
tell them what to do; they
just make what they feel
like. The guy we deal with is
wonderful. He’ll say, “Oh,
I have a small shipment
coming. They’ve made
some nice boxes too,” so we
have to take the boxes as
well. The last batch of stuff
we got, he’d included these
tin trunks with lids, painted
with the wildest looking
birds you’ve ever seen. We
took those as well—and
people love them. They’re
quite quirky, different, and
that’s what we’re all about.
We still do our own
colognes and beautiful
candles and diffusers. All
the essential oils are from
France but it’s produced
in the UK. That’s always
been the case. We do a lot of
niche fragrances that you
won’t find anywhere else:
Côté Bastide, Fragonard, E
Coudray, Acqua Colonia,
all these independent
companies that have been
making perfume for
many years. When we take
someone on we don’t like to
drop them after six months,
we like to keep them. We’ve
had relationships with some
of the suppliers since we
first opened in Leamington
back in 1989.
What shall we look out for
this spring?
We’re always bringing in
new things and Marylebone
gets the bulk of our stock.
We’ve got some absolutely
beautiful embroidery
coming in, which we’re
calling ‘flirt’, which is made
in Portugal. It’s 400 threadcount cotton with beautiful,
bluey-grey embroidery on
the pillow cases and duvet
covers. Beautiful baskets,
rugs, all this colourful stuff
from Rajasthan, scrolls,
some gorgeous table linen.
We have a new Fragonard
product and some gorgeous
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Cologne and cotton are
completely different,
but what they have in
common is that touch and
smell are the two most
sensitive senses
cushions that I’ve just set
out. Everything is very
bright and colourful.
What’s your favourite
product?
What I love the most is
the hand-embroidery.
It’s just so exquisite.
The craftsmanship, the
workmanship, the pleasure
it gives you. You don’t even
have to put it on your bed,
you just have to look at it and
know it’s there. That to me
is a joy. That’s what created
this company. You can’t do
anything like this without a
passion. You can think, I’d
like to have a shop, but in
order to do something very
specific like this and see it
through you really do have
to think, I can do this and
nothing will get in my way.
I will create colognes,
I will have embroidered bed
linen and I will have it on
the shelves, I won’t have it
wrapped. It’s a passion.
Who are your customers?
We have hugely devoted
followers. It’s wonderful—
once we get a customer we
don’t lose them. When they
discover Cologne & Cotton
they wonder why they ever
went anywhere else! It’s a
testament to the customer,
who knows what he or she
wants. These customers are
very discerning: they don’t
want to be told what to buy,
they already know what
they want. It’s individual,
it’s not mass produced, it’s
not been churned out, and
that allows the customer
to use their imagination a
bit. Nobody wants to be the
same as everyone else, you
want that quirkiness. You
want individuality, to match
your own individuality.
COLOGNE & COTTON
88 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4QX
020 7486 0595
cologneandcotton.com
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Home.
HOME
HELP
Skandinavia. Iittala,
another Finnish designer,
is mainly metal work and
glass. Danish Skagerak is
more classically Skandi,
with wood and quite
minimalist.
Matias Björndahl,
marketing manager
and photographer
at Skandium, gives
his tips on how to
get the most out
of Marylebone
Interiors Day
What is your experience
in interior design at
Skandium?
I’m a photographer
by trade. I studied fine
art photography and
I specialise in taking
photographs of furniture.
enjoy this. The language
is so great—slightly old
fashioned. Everyone of
all ages loves Moomin.
Even my grandparents have
some Moomin cups. I don’t
think they will ever go out
of fashion.
Who is Interiors Day for?
It’s for anyone who is
interested in interior design:
from students, to people
with second homes in the
countryside. In fact, because
Skandium’s event this year
is inspired by the release of
the new Moomin film, it is
for children too.
What advice can I seek on
the day?
Advice on everything:
from getting new storage
equipment, to wall colours,
to arranging furniture,
to kitchen accessories.
Our staff are all trained in
design or architecture, so
they will be able to help you.
Interiors for children?
Because Marylebone is so
family orientated we felt
it would be good to have
something for kids. We’re
having a Moomin display
window and a storyteller
coming in to read Moomin
books. Even adults will
What offers will you have
on the day?
At Skandium, we have
Marimekko, Iittala and
Skagerak. They are all very
different. Finnish designer
Marimekko is more floral
and pretty-pretty—not
what you’d expect from
Are people quite set in
their ways when it comes
to Scandinavian design?
A little bit. People tend to
assume minimalist, cream
and wood and so on. But
we’ve many young, fresh
Scandinavian designers
who are not so ‘classic’.
What’s interesting is that
many of these new designs
can go together even if they
seem to clash, as they are all
timeless. Each of the three
designers we’re featuring
will be mixed together in
the display, so you should be
able to see how it’s done. It’s
not always easy, but our staff
will be on hand to help out.
What should people bring
with them?
An open mind. There is so
much to see, and you can
get inspiration for all areas
of the home, whether you’ve
got nothing or everything.
If you have a particular
room or area you want to
design for, bring photos or
house plans. We’ll provide
refreshments.
SKANDIUM
86 Marylebone Rd, W1U 4QS
skandium.com MARYLEBONE
INTERIORS
DAY
16TH MAY 2015
If 2013’s inaugural
Marylebone Interiors
Day was hugely popular;
its sequel in 2014 was
bigger and more beautiful
still. So how to better it this
year? That is the daunting
challenge Marylebone’s
interior shops have been
facing—and they’ve risen
to it admirably, with a
wealth of workshops,
talks, free consultations
and exclusive offers.
On Saturday 16th
May, eight of the area’s
retailers—The Conran
Shop, Designers Guild,
McGlashans Interiors,
Lewis & Co, Little
Greene, Solid Floor
and Skandium—will
join forces to celebrate
Marylebone Village’s
growing reputation
for interior design.
Registration will take
place at the foyer of
Regent’s University
London at 110 Marylebone
High Street, where you
can refuel, collect your
‘passport’—a guide to the
various events and
offerings at each store—
and receive complimentary
canvas bags for stashing
catalogues, goodies and
treats throughout the day.
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FIVE
OF THE BEST:
LAMPS
Some shining examples
of lamps that will brighten
your life both literally and
figuratively
Gubi Gräshoppa task lamp,
Another Country, £337
Bottle light,
Oliver Bonas, £10
Mushroom table lamp,
Skandium, £439
Celia oversized lamp,
Brissi, £249
Arles lamp in mint,
The Conran Shop, £100
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Food.
It is a way of service that is
dying out and it’s a shame,
because it is beautiful to
see it at its best. It is about
the experience a person
has from the moment they
walk in and we take their
coat, to handing it back
when they leave
ERMANNO
DEVALLE
The general
manager of The
Cavendish talks
about bringing
the theatre of the
private club to
Marylebone diners
INTERVIEW: VIEL RICHARDSON
IMAGE: JOSEPH FOX
What is your role here at
The Cavendish?
My role is to be in charge
of the day to day running
of the restaurant: from
the style of service, to
dealing with the suppliers
and public relations. The
directors are also involved,
but I’m the one who is
here on a daily basis. They
came up with the concept
and the look; it’s my job to
make it a reality.
What’s the idea behind
the restaurant?
We want to give our
customers the kind of
experience they would get
in a private club. There is
an ambience and a certain
theatre to the best clubs
and we want to bring
that experience to more
people.
So do you have
experience of that
private club world?
I do. Before coming here I
worked at the George Club
on Mount Street. When I
started, I was in charge of
breakfast and head waiter
at lunch. Eventually I
moved to assistant general
manager, which was my
position for six years. After
that I had a short time
at The Arts Club before
moving to Morton’s in
Mayfair. The Arts was a
beautiful place but it didn’t
operate the kind of service
that I really enjoy.
How would you define
that particular style of
service?
It is a way of service that is
dying out and it’s a shame,
because it is beautiful to
see it at its best. Cooking
dishes in front of the
customers, for example—
perhaps the waiter carving
the joint for a Sunday
roast tableside, mixing
the steak tartare in front
of you, or flambéing the
crepe suzette—brings
theatricality to the
dining experience which
customers really enjoy.
But this kind of service
goes deeper than putting
on a show. It is about the
experience a person has
from the moment they
walk in and we take their
coat, to handing it back
when they leave.
So the people you hire
have an important role
Absolutely. Our staff are
central to what we do. You
have to give perfect service,
and this is easy to say but
not easy to do and it takes a
very specific approach. You
have to have knowledge of
whatever you are selling.
You also have to execute
everything with perfect
technique—we cannot
have accidents at the table.
The staff also have to know
how to be attentive without
being intrusive, which is a
skill not everyone has.
How do you achieve
and maintain these
standards?
You have to hire people
who love their job and
want to be working with
customers. It has to be
why they want to come
to work. We pay our staff
properly—we ask and
expect a lot from them,
so it is only fair we pay
accordingly. We have a
very extensive interview
process to make sure
we get the right kind of
people: people who are
really looking for a career
and haven’t just applied
because it is good money
in the short term. We also
have a lengthy training
programme, but we try
to hire some people who
have worked in private
clubs before. My colleague
Salvatore used to work in
Morton’s, for example.
We have managed to get a
group who really love what
they are doing and they
are very nice people. You
can never manufacture a
natural smile.
But this isn’t a club, so
how do things differ?
It’s more modern and
contemporary, and
NEW
THE ARRIVAL
OF PIERRE
MARCOLINI
PP66
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perhaps a little less formal
even though the standards
are kept very high. We also
have music both upstairs
and downstairs on ground
floor level. Downstairs
has a bit more of a party
atmosphere—the music
is a bit louder and the
lighting is different—so
it’s great if you are going
for a night out with friends
but want to be able to talk
without shouting. Upstairs
we change the lighting
and lower the music, so it’s
much more conducive to
intimate dining.
What other factors do
you think go into making
a successful restaurant?
The food has to be of the
very highest quality. The
food here is outstanding,
and that all starts with
the suppliers. I work
with the best of those I
have met throughout my
career, so we have a long
term relationship. This
is important, because
they know the standards
I require and I know the
quality of the products
they will deliver. We also
have a wonderful head
chef, Alfonso Lillo Fas,
who trained at El Bulli.
He has created an
absolutely wonderful
menu.
What do you enjoy
most about working at
The Cavendish?
If you love being around
people, which I do, there
is no better job than
catering. I meet lots of
different, interesting
people and as general
manager I get to socialise
with them. It is a wonderful
side to the job.
THE CAVENDISH
35 New Cavendish Street,
W1G 9TR
35newcavendish.co.uk
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Food.
NEW
SIX OF THE BEST WINES TO
DRINK WITH CHOCOLATE
2011 Chateau Jolys Cuvee Jean,
Jurancon, France, £11.99
This wine would work well with
tropical fruits such as pineapple,
mango, guava and passion fruit,
but a mouth-watering acidity on
the finish means it also copes well
with white chocolate desserts.
ORGANIC
GROWTH
Organic farming,
sustainable practices,
meticulous animal welfare,
minimal packaging, fuel
efficiency: reading up on
the principles underlying
Daylesford Organic
Farm, we almost forgot to
wonder at the delectable
smorgasbord of organic
meat, cheeses, fruits and
vegetables it produces.
The farm, set within 2,000
acres of Gloucestershire
countryside, employs a
mere 15 full-time workers,
yet its fields and pastures
are free from pesticides,
GM products and
chemical fertilisers.
The creamery, bakery,
dairy and pastures have
been filling the shelves of
the business’s small chain
of farm shops for years,
the latest of which is
opening on Blandford
Street in May. With
produce from the farm
and an open kitchen
serving breakfast, lunch
and afternoon tea,
Daylesford will be a
welcome addition to
Marylebone’s foodie haven.
DAYLESFORD FARMSHOP & CAFÉ
6-10a Blandford Street, W1U 4AU
daylesford.com
2012 Mas Amiel Muscat de
Rivesaltes, LanguedocRousillon, France, £10.99
A lightly-fortified, sweet vin doux
naturel wine. Displays aromas of
pineapple, orange blossom and
lovely floral notes.
MAGIC BEANS
April sees the arrival in
Marylebone of renowned
Belgian chocolatier
Pierre Marcolini. Winner
of the World Pastry
Championship in 1995,
Pierre opened his first
chocolate shop that same
year. He has since widened
his reach to cover Belgium,
Monaco, Japan, Kuwait—
and now Marylebone
High Street.
“We chose
to come to
Marylebone
because it is
precisely the
kind of place we
had envisioned
when thinking
about locations
for our flagship
London store.
The high
street is at
the heart of
Seriously Plummy,
Maury, France, £10.99
A splendidly sweet dessert wine
with intense forest fruit flavours
and hints of spice, perfect with
dark artisan chocolate. Try it
with black forest gateaux—the
chocolate and cherry combination
is sublime.
2007 Disznoko Tokaji Aszu 5
puttonyos, Hungary, £26.99
The sweet Tokaji wines are
produced from the furmint grape,
then sweetened with baskets of
noble rot-affected grapes. Perfect
with chocolate and orange.
2013 Seifried Sweet Agnes
Riesling, Nelson, New Zealand,
£13.99
A modern classic, with honeyed
sweetness and vibrant notes of
citrus zest.
Kourtaki Cameo
Mavrodaphne,
Patras, Greece, £6.69
A good match with milk
and dark chocolate, and an
absolute bargain.
All wines subject to
availability from Waitrose on
Marylebone High Street.
rovingsommelier.com
@rovingsommelier
London, and the centre of
a delightful mix of small
boutiques and artisan
venders,” says Pierre. “We
take the best cocoa beans
from around the world
and bring them to our
workshop in Brussels.”
Pierre believes cocoa
beans deserve the same
level of respect as wine
grapes, and takes the
same level of care a vintner
would when blending
them to create his grand
cru base, from which all
the chocolates are made.
The result is a collection
of flavours you’ll find
nowhere else.
“Just like fashion
designers, we create
seasonal products to allow
our customers to discover
new flavours several times
per year,” Pierre explains.
“Being surrounded by
people who appreciate
such an expression of
creativity is one of the
reasons it makes sense for
us to be in the heart of this
fashionable city.
“I often get asked what
inspires these collections
and it is such a difficult
question to answer, because
I am influenced by so many
things. Travelling and
exposure to other cultures
allows me to discover
new products, but also
to test new ways to enjoy
familiar ingredients. I am
also heavily influenced by
the art world, especially
contemporary art—
textures, shapes and
colours are all sources of
inspiration—as well as
gastronomy, which in itself is
very creative and constantly
pushing the limits. And last
but not least I love music—
it can be so moving.”
MAISON PIERRE MARCOLINI
37 Marylebone High Street,
W1U 4QE
marcolini-eboutique.com
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RECIPE
INGREDIENTS Serves 4
CARAMEL APPLE
FINANCIER
WITH WHIPPED
CRÈME FRAÎCHE
Chris King, chef de cuisine
at Roux at The Landau
For the financiers
—90g unsalted butter
—90g caster sugar
—3 medium egg whites
—40g plain flour, sifted
—40g almond powder
—½ tsp salt
—Dark rum
These rich, buttery cakes are
traditionally baked in little rectangular
moulds shaped like a financier’s stock
in trade—a golden ingot. I love them
for the nuttiness they take from the
browned butter and their willingness to
absorb plenty of boozy dark rum.
You could serve these little fancies on
their own with a cup of coffee, or as here
with a few butterscotch roast apples
and some whipped crème fraîche.
For the caramel apple compote
—3 opal or cox apples, peeled and diced
—75g sugar
—40g unsalted butter
—¼ pod vanilla, seeds scraped out
—50ml cloudy apple juice
For the whipped crème fraîche
—75ml crème fraîche
—15ml double cream
—15g icing sugar
METHOD
—Put the butter in a heavy bottomed
saucepan over a medium heat. Without
stirring allow the butter to first boil,
then foam and finally settle down and
quieten. The butter solids will stick to
the bottom of the pan and caramelise
into nutty little nuggets. Leave to cool.
—With a whisk, mix the egg whites and
sugar in a bowl then incorporate the
almond powder, sifted flour and salt.
—Scrape all of the cooled butter into the
mix, including the toasty goodness in
the bottom of the pan and whisk.
—Pour into buttered moulds—ingots, a
muffin tin, ramekins, your choice.
—Bake at 170C until golden and
springy—about 10 minutes.
—Turn out of the moulds, and while the
cakes are still hot drench them with
plenty of dark rum.
—Next make the apple compote. In a
heavy bottomed frying pan, melt the
sugar with just a splash of water to
create a light caramel. Carefully add
the diced apples, the butter and the
vanilla seeds. Cook over a medium
heat, stirring, until coated and
softened. Add the apple juice, take off
the heat and keep warm.
—Blitz half of the apple compote with the
liquid in a blender until a very smooth
puree (add another dash of juice to help
it go around if needs be).
—Whisk the crème fraîche, double
cream and icing sugar vigorously until
smooth and glossy.
—Serve the financiers still warm with a
little of the apple compote, the whipped
crème fraîche and the butterscotchapple puree.
ROUX AT THE LANDAU
1C Portland Place, W1B 1JA
020 7636 1000
rouxatthelandau.com
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Food.
Later in the year, as the
meat gets a bit tougher,
lamb is better for slow
cooked stews, casseroles
and tagines, using cuts
such as shoulder and
breast, but right now
the early season lamb is
perfectly tender
The executive chef
at 108 Brasserie on
one of his favourite
ingredients
At this time of year, the
ingredient I most enjoy
cooking with has to
be lamb. It’s just a real
reminder of the British
springtime. Later in the
year, as the meat gets a bit
tougher, lamb is better
for slow cooked stews,
casseroles and tagines,
using cuts such as shoulder
and breast, but right now
the early season lamb is
perfectly tender. It is great
to focus on the cuts that
cook quite quickly—racks,
fillets, saddle—and simply
roast them, preserving all
that subtle spring flavour.
New season lamb is
delicate in flavour, versatile
and can be prepared in so
many different ways—it
goes perfectly with some of
the other seasonal flavours
such as artichokes, broad
beans and wild garlic. A
favourite dish of mine on
the 108 Brasserie spring
menu is roasted rack
and slow-cooked belly,
served with broad beans,
asparagus and artichoke.
We have a lovely lamb
rump dish on our events
menu, served with a goat’s
cheese and potato gratin,
and we are introducing a
nice roast saddle onto our
Sunday lunch menu over
Easter. I’m also partial
to a herb-crusted roast
lamb rack: very simple
but it really shows off the
ingredient.
As with everything
we do here, the most
important thing is to have
good quality meat, from a
happy, well-reared animal.
All our meat comes from
our butcher Aubrey Allen,
but the new season lambs
are farmed in Cornwall.
108 BRASSERIE
108 Marylebone Lane, W1U 2QE
020 7969 3900
108brasserie.com
MAMA’S
MORANGOS
THE
MARYLEBONE
The mixologists at
The Marylebone pride
themselves on their
homemade infusions,
whipped up in their inhouse ‘laboratory’. We
love the Brazilian-inspired
mama’s morangos: a
strawberry-infused
cachaça blended with sugar
and lime, served with a
sumptuous strawberry and
cream filled croustade.
THE MARYLEBONE
93 Marylebone High Street, W1U 4RE
themarylebonelondon.com
CHEESECAKE
COCO MOMO
LAMB RUMP
WITH GOAT’S
CHEESE &
POTATO GRATIN
Simmer 250ml double
cream, 2 garlic cloves and
sprigs of rosemary and
thyme over a low heat for
5 minutes, sieve, then mix
with 4 sliced potatoes and
25g grated parmesan.
Layer the potatoes in a
roasting dish. Sprinkle
with more parmesan and
60g finely sliced goat’s
cheese. Cover with foil
and cook at 160C for 30
minutes, then uncovered
for 10 minutes at 180C.
Seal 4 seasoned lamb
rumps in hot oil, then roast
in the oven at 160C for
approximately 6 minutes.
In a pan, heat 200g baby
spinach, 12 basil leaves and
4 cooked baby artichokes,
then serve with rectangles
of gratin and slices of lamb.
A delicious blend of eyewateringly sour and lipsmackingly sweet: a mix of
stolichnaya vanilla vodka,
butterscotch schnapps,
fresh lemon juice and sugar
over crushed ice, enough to
eclipse any need for dessert
altogether. They had us at
‘cheesecake’.
COCO MOMO
79 Marylebone High Street, W1U 5JZ
foodandfuel.co.uk
LADY OF CAO
PACHAMAMA
Peruvian restaurant
Pachamama has taken
Marylebone by storm
since its opening late last
year. Their lady of cao is
a homemade beetrootinfused pisco, chilli sauce,
lime and tomato juice.
A Peruvian classic with a
fiery, fruity twist.
PACHAMAMA
18 Thayer Street, W1U 3JY
pachamamalondon.com
Registered Charity No. 1068298
WHY I
LOVE...
LAMB
RUSSELL FORD
TOP
TIPPLES
INFUSIONS
68—marylebonejournal.com
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msf2015
Registered Charity No. 1068298
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13:47
Health.
DR DAVID
FORECAST
The consultant
gastroenterologist
at The London
Clinic talks cameras,
football and the
science of flexibility
INTERVIEW: VIEL RICHARDSON
IMAGE: JOSEPH FOX
middle. Endoscopy is the
telescopic examination of
that tube.
How long have you
been practising in
Marylebone?
Since 1990. After I finished
training, I was working in
various hospitals all over
London and spending
half my life in the car. The
London Clinic invited me
in to cover the endoscopy
list of a doctor who was
ill and I never left. I am a
general gastroenterologist
with a particular interest
in endoscopy and
colonoscopy.
What is endoscopy?
It is the use of camera
technology, inserted
from an orifice—either
the mouth or the anus—
to gain access to the
digestive tube which runs
between the two. The
tract is about 5-7m long
and, theoretically, two
endoscopes could go from
either end and meet in the
What was the
gastroenterology
department like when
you arrived?
In those days the clinic was
a very different place and
endoscopy was still a young
discipline, but even then
the department had
a very high reputation.
The driving force was
Dr Chris Williams, who is
one of the grandfathers
of colonoscopy. Chris
actually arrived here
in 1980 with the first
prototype endoscope on
the back of his motorbike.
We didn’t have a real
understanding of the
process, but it was very
clear that the introduction
of a technique involving
fibre optics was very
exciting. It was the first
time you could get inside
the gut and look at it. It
could be very difficult and
the challenge was one of
the things that I found
attractive. It also seemed
a bit of a bridge between
medicine and surgery,
which was something else
I liked.
You must have seen some
changes since then?
The advances have been
huge. First there has
been the development
of flexibility within the
scope. Imagine a hosepipe
1.6m long. I have to get
that up your bottom,
round a series of bends
and corners, to the end of
your colon. If the scope is
too rigid or too floppy I’m
not going to get there, so
the science of semi-rigidity
and flexibility is vital.
Through research and
development, people have
devised a semi-rigid tube
that I can control using
wheels to manipulate the
front end of the scope,
which has the instruments
and camera attached.
The high definition
cameras and viewing
screens are amazing,
too. The view you get
is incredibly clear. The
intestines and colon
are full of turns and
folds. It’s a very complex
environment. With the
modern scopes I would
expect to see over 99.9
per cent of the colon.
In the old days you
would consider 50 per
cent good.
You specialise in
colonoscopy—tell us
a little about that.
Colonoscopy is the
examination of the colon
using the endoscope.
There are two aspects:
screening and diagnostic.
Eighty five per cent of
colon cancers start their
lives as polyps. If you
remove the polyp you
will prevent the cancer,
and that is what I have
been doing for 30 years.
Screening is important
here. If the whole country
had a colonoscopy at
50, we would reduce
dramatically the incidence
of colon cancer and all
the associated suffering.
The diagnostic side of
colonoscopy is where
patients come to us with
colonic symptoms such as
abdominal pain, a change
in bowel movement,
persistent diarrhoea,
or rectal bleeding—
seeking help with this
is an absolute must.
In these circumstances
we undertake a close
examination of the colon
and possibly take a piece
for testing to diagnose
the problem.
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You should be able to
scope someone’s colon
while they are awake,
with no anaesthetic.
This is very much about
both the doctor and the
patient being relaxed.
Quite often I talk to them
during the procedure,
mainly about football
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Health.
What are the biggest
challenges?
I cannot emphasise
enough that safe,
painless endoscopy can
be a difficult procedure.
Especially on the right
side of the colon, which is
much more difficult and
time consuming to get to.
You have to understand
the environment and know
that you often have to pull
the scope backwards to
progress forwards. Getting
all this absolutely right is
the art of colonoscopy.
You should be able to
scope someone’s colon
while they are awake, with
no anaesthetic, and they
should feel very little.
The way you achieve this
is very much about both
the doctor and the patient
being relaxed. Quite
often I talk to them during
the procedure, mainly
about football.
Guiding the scope is a
mentally challenging
process, but you have to
remember that it is not
about getting it from
point A to point B. It is
about looking for disease
Anything else that can
cause you problems?
While some people have
very straightforward,
fairly firm colons which
make them easier to
scope, others—perhaps
women who have had
pelvic surgery—have a
more complicated left
side of the colon which
can be long, torturous
and floppy. Getting the
scope through these can
be very difficult. You need
to understand it early on
before you do any damage,
which could have serious
consequences for the
patient. For this you rely
on sedation and, in
a tiny proportion of cases,
general anaesthesia and
surgery to access
the area.
Guiding the scope
is very involved and a
mentally challenging
process, but you have to
remember that it is not
just about getting it from
point A to point B.
It is about looking for
disease, so you should
be carefully examining
the passage as you
progress. You cannot
simply focus on guiding
the scope, which there is a
risk of, especially when you
are new to it.
You mentioned that one
of the things you look out
for is polyps. Are they
easy to spot?
It depends, as they come
in all ifferent shapes and
sizes. If the polyp stands
up like a mushroom and is
15mm long, it is easy. But
they can be flat, 10mm in
diameter and the same
colour as the surrounding
area, which can make
finding them a bit of an art
form. But they often have
a coating of mucus and
if you spot that, then you
know that you have found
a polyp.
Because the right side of
the colon is more difficult
to examine, detecting
flat polyps over there
can be a real challenge.
I’m extremely cautious
when I’m on the right
side. I spend a long time
looking, I make sure I wash
the area, I will adjust the
position of the patient to
give me a good view,
and I look at every bit as
I progress.
Do the newer scopes
help with this?
On the cameras we can
detect a different kind of
refraction using green
light, which sometimes
shows them up well.
But the main things
are awareness and
confidence, and this only
comes with training and
experience. We are very
focused on training here
at The London Clinic
and our assessment of
what is an acceptable
standard is significantly
above accepted national
standards.
What conditions have
benefited from this
technique?
Virtually everything in the
field of gastroenterology,
because of the ability
to get a camera and
surgical instruments to
a specific area. If during
the examination you
see an area of tissue you
don’t like the look of,
you can use mini forceps
to remove a piece for
analysis. Having the ability
to do this has changed
the entire practice of
gastroenterology.
THE LONDON CLINIC
20 Devonshire Place, W1G 6BW
020 7935 4444
thelondonclinic.co.uk
72—marylebonejournal.com
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Do you suffer from
headaches, migraine, jaw
pain or stress? Do you
grind your teeth?
NEUROMUSCULAR DENTISTRY MAY BE THE SOLUTION FOR YOU.
Dentist Dr Oliver Dunsch FICCMO Specialising in neuromuscular dentistry, which is the
use of advanced computer technology to analyse the muscles of the face and jaw and
pathology of the jaw joints to help re-establish the jaws in the neutral position.
Zenith Dentistry 2 Devonshire Place London W1G 6HJ
020 7486 2723
Call
to book your consultation with Dr Dunsch
for more information go to: www. zenithdentistry.com
73—marylebonejournal.com
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Health.
IN THE
FRAME
MARIA
ELEFTHERIOU
A lead trainer talks
about an exercise
machine that takes
the Barrecore
experience to a
new level
“One of the most exciting
things about this new
piece of kit is just how
well it fits into the
approach we use here
at Barrecore,” says lead
trainer Maria Eleftheriou,
refering to the resistance
machine that forms the
basis of Barrecore’s
one-to-one private
training (PT) sessions.
At over three metres long,
two metres tall and nearly
a metre wide, the metal
frame needs a room all
to itself.
“The apparatus is made
up of a large framework.
Stretchy resistance
bands are then attached
and weights can be
added via a system of
pulleys. It all sounds a bit
complicated, but it means
that you can determine
precisely how much
resistance is used for each
exercise. At the lower end
of the framework there
is a movable platform that
the client sits or lies on
when doing exercises.
It’s an extraordinary
looking machine, but
once you have worked with
it for a while you realise just
how incredibly versatile
it is.”
For Maria, the best
thing about the machine
is the precision with which
it allows you to isolate
and work specific muscle
groups, a function which
is central to the Barrecore
approach. “It’s very
important,” she continues.
“These classes are a great
way to help you get the best
out of the other Barrecore
courses, because it gives
you a better understanding
of the isolation processes
that are at the heart of
what we do.”
All the PT sessions
are on a one-to-one
basis. The first session is
designed to see how the
client’s body performs, as
well as understand their
strengths and weaknesses.
“We go through eight to
10 exercises covering the
entire body—at the end
of the session you know
you’ve had a real workout.”
One of the major
benefits of the course is
the deep knowledge both
the client and instructor
gain about the client’s
body. And as they progress
through the programme
(the courses are usually
sold in batches of eight)
it really helps the instructor
It is really satisfying seeing
the benefits of your private
training classes come
through. You see them
doing better, going further
and pushing themselves
harder than they were
capable of doing before
hone in on specific ways
to help the client achieve
their goals.
“One of the nice
things about teaching
this course is that I get
to see the clients while
teaching other classes,”
says Maria. “I don’t teach
it in isolation. It is really
satisfying seeing the
benefits of your PT classes
come through. You see
them doing better, going
further and pushing
themselves harder than
they were capable of doing
before, as well as their
satisfaction as they begin
to see and feel the results
of the increased work they
are putting in.”
“I am a big fan of the
resistance machine—I use
it myself and really love
the effects I have seen on
my body,” Maria reveals.
“It doesn’t matter whether
you are a beginner or a
Barrecore veteran, the PT
course helps you deepen
your understanding of the
exercises and therefore
increase the benefits you
get out of each class.”
BARRECORE
6 Cavendish Square
020 7637 8458
barrecore.co.uk
74—marylebonejournal.com
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TLC378
Discover what
makes us unique.
From the moment you set foot in
The London Clinic, you are entering
an organisation that is dedicated to
putting our patients first, and setting
the standards for the end to end patient
experience in private medical care.
Find out more at
www.thelondonclinic.co.uk
TLC3784_Corporate-Ad_200mmWx250mmH_vAW.indd 75
1
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10:11
31/03/2015
S
M
Health.
KIT & CABOODLE
Audiologist Adam Schulberg
of Cubex on the far reaching
benefits of the Vibrant
Soundbridge hearing system
The Vibrant Soundbridge is
a hearing system primarily
aimed at people who cannot
wear conventional hearing
systems. This may, for example,
be because of conditions such
as otitis externa, which causes
inflammation of the external ear
canal, or recurring ear infections.
The system has three
components. There are two
internal parts: the vibrating
ossicular prosthesis (VORP) and
the floating mass transducer
(FMT—pictured below). Then there
is an external lightweight digital
audio processor called the amadè.
In a simple operation, the VORP
is fitted under the skin behind the
ear and the FMT is attached to the
appropriate place inside the middle
ear—usually the incus, which is the
middle of three linked bones which
make up what is called the ossicular
chain. The amadè is then simply
placed against the VORP and held
in place by small magnets, making
it very easy for the patient to attach
and remove.
The amadè picks up sounds
and turns them into electrical
signals, which are transmitted
through the skin to the VORP. The
VORP then transmits the signals
to the FMT, which converts them
into mechanical vibrations. These
directly stimulate the middle ear
structures, causing them to vibrate.
These vibrations are conducted
through to the inner ear in the
normal way, where they are passed
to the brain and perceived as sound.
It makes for a very natural sound,
as it uses the normal pathways.
While this is still a fairly niche
treatment, I think it is one that is
only going to grow in popularity
because of its ability to bring the
benefits of audiology to people
who have been missing out on
the help they need.
BEGINNER’S
GUIDE
NEUROMUSCULAR
DENTISTRY
Oliver Dunsch,
general, cosmetic and
neuromuscular dentist
at Zenith Dentistry
While dentists usually only look at the
teeth, and doctors tend to steer clear
of them completely, neuromuscular
dentists look at the muscles, the jaw
joints and the teeth. This allows them
to establish the bite. The lower jaw is
like a marionette, with the muscles
being the strings that attach it to the
skull: if the strings aren’t perfectly
aligned, then your positioning is off,
which can cause problems and pain
both in the jaw and elsewhere.
An incorrect bite can be caused by
many things and it’s more common
than you might imagine. It can start
as a child—for example, if you had
an allergy that meant you breathed
through your mouth, forcing the
tongue into a different position to
clear the airway and forcing the
cheek muscles to keep your palate
high and arched and the arch of the
teeth narrow and v-shaped. Another
cause might be missing, misaligned
or tilted teeth, or having a crown or
filling with an incorrect height.
Your body is able to adapt to many
misalignments by having the muscles
work full-time to maintain that
particular position, and that is what
causes problems. The most common
symptoms caused by muscle fatigue
or muscle spasm are migraines,
tension headaches, weak posture,
back pain, clicking or popping in the
joints and grinding your teeth. Often
people don’t even realise they have
a problem, or have learned to live
with it by taking painkillers, getting a
massage, or going to yoga. But that’s
treating the symptoms rather than
the cause.
The first thing we usually do, after
an extensive check up and medical
history, is relax the chewing muscles
with a TENS device, which blocks
signals from the brain to the muscles
and allows the muscles to reestablish
their resting length. The structure
of the muscles themselves doesn’t
change throughout your life, but they
do adapt; this stimulation of the nerve
brings back the original position, so
we can see the difference between
the habitual bite and where it should
be physiologically. After establishing
the neuromuscular bite, we can fit an
orthosis which realigns the jaw and
trains the muscles. Many patients will
experience an immediate relief and
an improvement in their symptoms.
During the following weeks and
months we will fine tune the orthosis
and continue to support the patient.
The neuromuscular dentist
can be the missing link between
the osteopath and the general
practitioner. Unfortunately, there are
not many neuromuscular dentists in
the UK, even though its philosophy
and related computer system were
developed by Dr Bernard Jankelson
in the United States as far back as the
1960s. There has always been a battle
between systems and philosophies
and sometimes people who need to
be referred aren’t, because dentists,
doctors and osteopaths either don’t
know about neuromuscular dentistry
or don’t believe in it.
Cooperation between
neuromuscular dentists and
osteopaths is essential, because all
the body’s muscles are attached
and can cause ascending and
descending problems. Our aim is
to inform and educate people—
specialists and patients alike—
about the opportunities offered by
neuromuscular dentistry.
Of course there’s no single best
way—there are lots of options. But
there’s more to the mouth than teeth!
76—marylebonejournal.com
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Y
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Sound is one thing.
Making sense is everything.
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you listen and understand
with your brain.
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www.cubex.co.uk
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W:W:www.cubex.co.uk
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Work.
ALL HE
SURVEYS
NIGEL HARRISON
The co-owner of chartered surveyors
Harrison Leggett on leases, job
satisfaction and the Italian consulate
The biggest misconception
about chartered surveyors
is that we are like the
surveyors you might use
in a residential purchase,
but that is a different area
of the field. Chartered
surveyors deal with a
range of property, either
commercial or residential.
We are governed by
the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors
which has various divisions
covering different skills,
all of which are related to
land and property. I work
in what can be termed the
general practice division.
Our core business
centres on the commercial
agency side. In simple
terms, when companies
need new offices they come
to us to help facilitate the
process. This transaction
will have two elements:
firstly there is finding the
new premises, secondly
dealing with the property
that they are leaving, which
may not be as simple as just
moving out. For example, if
they own the property and
want to let it rather than
sell it, suddenly they find
themselves contemplating
the role of landlords. So
whatever a company’s needs
are when moving premises,
they rely on us get the best
terms possible and provide
professional guidance.
While we do act for both
tenants and landlords, I
personally primarily act for
the tenants.
Even when we’ve found
our client a building they
like, there is still much
work to be done. In many
ways that’s where the
real benefit of hiring a
chartered surveyor can be,
and a significant amount
of money can be saved later
on by doing so. There is
a lot to think about when
moving into a new premises
and because we have seen
so many businesses go
through the process, we
can put a lot of experience
at their disposal.
We can give advice on
the length of lease they
should be looking at given
the size of their business
and stage of development.
We advise them on
whether they need a new
structural survey and
how the findings of the
survey will relate to the
leasehold obligations
they will be taking on. As
well as making sure the
price they are being asked
for is reasonable, we will
also negotiate the level
of incentive they get for
taking the space, such as
how long their free period
will be. We will also make
sure any service charges
are fair.
But there are some less
obvious things to consider,
such as whether you’ll have
permission to use it in the
way you want, whether
there’s a listing and if that
will have an impact on how
you want to operate, and
if the business rate is set at
an appropriate level. You
would be surprised how
often the original asking
rate can be reduced.
Finding a new property
can be expensive, daunting
and very time consuming
when you are trying to
run a company. Even so, it
can be vital to continued
growth, and asking an
outsider to help with
something so important is
a big step. When someone
asks us to find them
new premises, it is the
beginning of a relationship
and building trust is
vital. They are entering
ground with which they
are unfamiliar and which
has a lot of jargon and
legal technicalities, so they
have to feel comfortable
taking your advice on how
to spend what can be a
considerable amount of
their money.
The first questions we
ask a client are “where
would you like to be?” and
“what is your budget?”
If the answers to these
are compatible, that’s
great: we can start the
search. If not they may
have to compromise on
the size of the building
or the location. Some
clients may not know what
budget they should allow,
so we will provide real
time advice on current
market rents and costs.
This is another benefit
of having a chartered
surveyor. While anyone
can jump on the internet
and look at properties,
a lot of what you see has
already been let and is
only on the website to
tempt you in. As chartered
surveyors, and West End
property agents, we have a
dedicated internet system
which only we and other
agent members can access.
Once we have discussed
your requirements
regarding location, space
and budget, we will use
this internet resource to
interact with hundreds
of London property
agents hungry to let their
properties to our clients.
When you are acquiring
space for an occupier, you
are affecting someone’s
life. Where you work every
day has a fundamental
impact on your quality
of life, so when I find a
building that a client
really loves it gives me a
great sense of satisfaction.
The staff are happy, the
boss is happy—everyone
is happier in the new
premises, and that can
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When you are acquiring
space for an occupier, you
are affecting someone’s
life. Where you work has
a fundamental impact
on your quality of life,
so when I find a building
that a client really loves,
it gives me a great sense
of satisfaction
make a huge difference to
the performance of
the business.
When you are working
on behalf of the landlord,
the relationship is a bit
more formal. While it is
great knowing that you
have got the best possible
deal for their premises,
it doesn’t have the same
emotional satisfaction as
speaking to someone you
found new premises for and
having them tell you what
a difference it has made to
them and their staff.
One of the nice things
about this job is the
incredibly wide range
of people you meet and
the vast array of jobs
they do. It keeps things
interesting because they
all have very different
needs. One client we have
a great relationship with
is the Italian consulate. I
first met them when they
asked us to find them a
new building several years
ago. As you can imagine
they had quite specific
requirements. Eventually I
found a building for them
to buy and negotiated the
purchase, while taking
care of their existing
smaller building in
Belgravia. Working with
them has been a lot of
fun and we have a great
relationship.
That wasn’t the biggest
deal I have negotiated in
financial terms. When
working for a previous
larger practice I negotiated
the purchase of a building
for £48 million—that was
great for everyone, as the
commission was spread
around the company.
Another one of those
would be rather enjoyable!
HARRISON LEGGETT
20 Little Portland Street, W1W 8BS
0207 384 6130
harrisonleggett.co.uk
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Space.
Local occupiers quite
often see scaffolding
going up and coming
down, but they never see
the work once it’s done
—this project offered us
the opportunity to invite
people in
OPEN
HOUSE
HARLEY STREET
MEDICAL AREA
Claire Kennedy, office and
medical lettings director for
the Howard de Walden Estate,
discusses the unusual launch
of a new medical facility
With more than 5,500
square feet of floor space
split over five floors, when
55 Harley Street came back
into the Howard de Walden
Estate’s possession after
the expiry of a long lease, it
was always going to require
a substantial amount of
refurbishment work before
any new occupant could
move in. Usually, before
embarking on a significant
redesign of a medical
property, the Estate would
seek out a new tenant first
and then discuss their
specific requirements;
this time things took a
different path.
“Normally when we have
a property coming back
to us we have identified
a tenant already, and we
understand their specific
needs,” Claire explains.
“This time there was no
tenant in the wings, so
we decided at the Estate
to refurbish and launch
the building ourselves.
It is very rare for us to do;
in fact, it is the first time
since I have been working
here that there has been
the opportunity to finish a
building and take it to the
market—and it is certainly
the first time we have
ever launched a medical
property in this way.”
55 Harley Street has
been reconfigured to
provide state of the art
consulting rooms. There
were good reasons for
making it a consulting
facility rather than, for
example, a hospital.
“The building lends itself
particularly well to this
configuration,” says Claire.
“While we wanted to
substantially alter what it
could offer, the structure of
the building dictated the
level of medical services
we could provide. Having
assessed the building, our
experience told us it would
not be appropriate for
facilities such as operating
theatres and post-operative
care. We decided the best
approach was to create a
first class consulting and
day care facility, which
has the flexibility to cater
for specialists from any
medical field. Creating
a space with this level of
flexibility also allows us to
target medical specialties
that we may not currently
have on the Estate.”
Claire believes that
55 Harley Street would
work equally well either
as a centre for a large
practice, or for a cluster
of related specialisms.
She envisions it as a place
for patients to come for
initial consultations and
assessments. If further
care is needed, they can
then be referred to one
of the excellent hospitals
in the surrounding area.
After the procedure and
post-operative recovery, the
patient could then return to
55 Harley Street for ongoing
assessments, until their
treatment is completed.
“The idea is to enhance
the world class medical
community that already
exists in the Harley Street
Medical Area,” Claire
explains, “or equally,
it could work well for
someone already within
the area whose practice has
outgrown their existing
property and who needs
a larger space better suited
to their future needs.”
One of the more
pleasant benefits of not
having a client ready
to move in is that it has
allowed the Estate to show
off the finished building.
“Local occupiers quite
often see scaffolding going
up and coming down, but
they never see the work
once it’s done—this project
offered us the opportunity
to invite people in. They get
to see how much the Estate
is investing in properties
and infrastructure in order
to make it as useful for the
tenant as possible,” Claire
reveals. “Several of the
building’s previous tenants
came back to see what we
had done and a lot of them
said they wish they were
here now. It was lovely to
hear their memories and
stories about life on Harley
Street many years ago.
They all liked what we
had done to the building,
which was really gratifying.
Hopefully it will generate
warm memories for a new
set of clinicians in the
21st century.”
HOWARD DE WALDEN ESTATE
23 Queen Anne Street, W1G 9DL
020 7290 0901
hdwe.co.uk
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Space.
ASK THE
EXPERT
JEREMY JAMES
Associate partner
at Knight Frank
Marylebone
What are a sales agent’s
main responsibilities?
Communication is the
key! We need to be able to
provide the best possible
advice to both the seller
and the buyer to ensure
a positive outcome for
both parties. This is
where matching the right
buyer to the right seller is
so important. Both will
have a price in mind and
it is our job to marry the
two together. However,
agreeing the sale is only the
start. Once the contract is
in the hands of the solicitor,
it is our job to keep the
momentum going. We
are the glue that holds the
process together.
If you were to give one
piece of advice to a seller,
what would it be?
Make sure you know as
much about your property
as possible. There are a
number of essential pieces
of information that buyers
will require, but it is also
useful to know about the
history of the property;
from any alterations, to what
the neighbours are like.
Buying a property is a huge
commitment, so potential
purchasers will ask lots of
questions to ensure they are
making the right decision.
The more answers you
have readily available, the
quicker you are likely to sell.
PROPERTY
OF THE MONTH
WIMPOLE STREET
Tim Fairweather from
Sandfords on a bright,
stylish pied-a-terre
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
This stunning refurbishment in the
centre of Marylebone would make a
wonderful home for a couple wishing
to enjoy the best of what London has
to offer, or a great pied-a-terre for
someone working in Marylebone or
the City. One of the more unusual
aspects of the apartment is the 30ft
reception room which leads to a roof
terrace. The reception room makes
for a great entertainment space
throughout the year, but with the
terrace doors open in the summer
months this apartment offers
another dimension to city living.
The outside of the building has a
traditional look, in fitting with many
of the period buildings on Wimpole
Street. The interior has a more
modern edge with wooden floors
and a semi-open plan, contemporary
kitchen. South-west facing from
the reception room, the apartment
benefits from lots of light and, on top
of that, has an unusually long lease:
currently at around 147 years.
Being on the southern part of
Wimpole Street means it is very close
to Cavendish Square, the West End,
and everything Marylebone High
Street has to offer. All this amounts
to a very desirable property in the
heart of one of London’s most
sought-after areas.
SANDFORDS
6 Paddington Street, W1U 5QC
020 7224 4994
sandfords.com
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Preside MJ Proof 02 18_03_14.pdf
1
18/03/2014
11:36
You can tell our
buildings from
those managed by
our competitors
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Preside Residential block & estate management
Celebrating 30 years experience & local knowledge
acquired from operating in West One
Preside, One Hinde Street, Marylebone,
London W1U 2AY
www.preside.co.uk
T: 020 7224 0011
E: [email protected]
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Space.
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SIMON HEDLEY
The director of
Druce Marylebone
on development
properties, overseas
buyers and chatting
with locals
INTERVIEW: VIEL RICHARDSON
PORTRAIT: JOSEPH FOX
What attracted you to
Druce?
The chance to run my own
office. I was very happy as
a senior negotiator in my
previous company, but the
chance to get an office here
and do my own thing really
appealed to me.
How did you come to be
an estate agent?
My father was in property
so I had always been
interested in it. I owned a
place in Belsize Park and
had a lodger who owned an
estate agency. She would
tell me about her work
and it just sounded like a
really interesting job. I was
working in retail at the time
and she helped me get a job
with a Hampstead agency. I
then moved to an agency in
Marylebone, before setting
up this office in 1997. I’ve
been here ever since.
What is Druce known for?
Druce is known for its high
quality instructions, and in
my opinion we offer a very
bespoke service. We are very
involved in the community
and very passionate about
Marylebone—something
I am not sure can be said
about some of the multiples
and large international
agencies.
How would you define
your role?
I do have a partner who
was the original owner of
the company, but my role
is like that of a managing
director. I am very much
involved in the running
of the business, as well
as selling property. It is
about making sure all the
departments run smoothly
as well as marketing,
hiring staff, training, that
kind of thing. I am always
looking to the future to
see how we can push the
agency forward. In recent
years we have been more
and more involved in the
development market.
Can you explain what you
mean by development?
Development is essentially
taking over a block or a
group of properties and
bringing them to the
market. For example, the
development of the Fitzrovia
Apartments is something
we have been very closely
involved in. When the client
went to buy the site, which
was owned by the Royal
Orthopaedic Hospital,
I went with him to offer
advice on what I thought
could be done with the site,
the likely resales, what the
requirements would be and
appropriate finishes. We
can also give clients like this
a GDV figure, which stands
for gross development value,
and they can work out from
there what they want as a
maximum bid.
Why did you get into
development?
One of the defining aspects
of the Marylebone market
in recent years has been
the stark lack of stock. A
natural way for us to evolve
is to become more involved
with developments which
bring new properties to
the market, increasing
supply and offering
something different.
How would you
characterise the market
at the moment?
In one word, cautious.
There is still a general
feeling of not really wanting
to do anything until after
the election. However in
recent weeks there has been
some strong movement,
leading to four larger sales,
so maybe Marylebone’s
resilience is once again
shining through.
Who is being affected
most by the uncertainty?
Fifty per cent of our
buyers last year were from
overseas, mainly France
and western Europe. A lot of
them weren’t buying their
primary residence but are
living and working here, so
it may be a second or third
property. These are the guys
having second thoughts.
Five years ago, buying in
Marylebone was a nobrainer if you could afford
it. Now the tax burden on
both buying and selling is
higher, which means a lot
of people who would have
spontaneously bought in
the past are holding back.
What are the main
challenges of working
in Marylebone?
A big one is maintaining
relationships with clients,
because there is so much
competition nowadays.
There are more than 70
agencies serving the area,
many of which do not bring
anything much to the table,
just cashing in on a local
boom. We have been here
almost 200 years and more
recently have been very
much at the forefront of the
Marylebone revival.
What do you like about
working here?
I really love the area.
I know it’s a bit of a cliché,
but Marylebone has that
West End glamour and
excitement, mixed with
the community feel of the
village, which is rare.
I remember sitting outside
Topkapi, one of my favourite
restaurants, at lunchtime
one day and while I was
there, I must have got
chatting to 25 different
people. That just gives you a
sense of the area.
What is your favourite
part of the job?
The people. When you’ve
been around as long as I
have you’ve seen a lot of the
buildings several times,
but the people you meet
on a daily basis are always
interesting.
DRUCE
61 Weymouth Street, W1G 8NR
020 7935 6535
druce.com
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MonTAGU SqUARE
MARyLEbonE, W1
TimFairweather
Director
[email protected]
MARyLEbonE oFFICE
6 Paddington Street
Marylebone
London W1U 5qG
T:02072244994
E: [email protected]
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 86
ASKInG PRICE: £3,350,000
SHARE oF FREEHoLD
A recently renovated and bright top floor three bedroom duplex apartment with stunning views
over Montagu Square.
The top floor apartment is located on the third and fourth floor of a refurbished Georgian building.
The flat benefits from both east and west facing windows ensuring maximum sunlight. It boasts
a living room area and a separate dining room, together with three bedrooms, two with en suite
bathrooms and a further guest bathroom. The upstairs reception area leads to a 900sqft unbuilt
terrace space, for which our clients have Council planning permission and architectural plans.
The flat is located on Montagu Square, one of London’s most desirable garden squares, with
beautifully manicured resident only gardens. The flat is superbly located for both Hyde Park and
Regent’s Park, together with the world class shops and restaurants of Marylebone and the West End.
Underground and rail links are excellent from neighbouring Marble Arch, Edgware Road, Marylebone
and Paddington, and road access to the West and Heathrow is via the A40(M). EPC=C.
31/03/2015 13:48
sandfords.com
MonTAGU MAnSIonS
LonDon, W1
£1,650 PER WEEK
UnFURnISHED +FEES
JuliaGarberMARLA
Director
[email protected]
An immaculate and wonderfully spacious, two/three double bedroom apartment situated on the
second floor of this highly sought after, red brick mansion block in Marylebone.
MARyLEbonE oFFICE
6 Paddington Street
Marylebone
London W1U 5qG
The property comprises a large entrance hallway with built in storage, double reception room with
high ceilings and original period features, fully equipped, eat in kitchen, dining room/third bedroom
with floor to ceiling windows opening on to small balcony, master bedroom with en suite shower
room and further large double bedroom with built in storage. Further benefits include hard wood
floors, lift access and porter.
T:02072244994
E: [email protected]
Montagu Mansions is ideally located within a few minutes walk to Marylebone High Street and the
excellent transport links of baker Street. EPC=C.
Potential tenants should be advised that, in addition to rent, an administration fee of £252 per property plus £30 reference fee per tenant will apply when renting
a property. Please contact us for further information on other charges that may apply or see our Tenant Guide which can be downloaded from our website.
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 87
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WELCOME TO 66 WIGMORE STREET, THE LATEST OFFICE DEVELOPMENT BY THE HOWARD DE WALDEN
ESTATE AND PART OF THE ESTATE’S ONGOING DEVELOPMENT WORK AND COMMITMENT TO THE AREA.
Due for completion in early 2016 this state of the art office development, offering 55,000 SQ FT of new office space,
cascading roof gardens, central atrium, public art and terraces has been located in a prime spot at the junction of
Marylebone Lane and Wigmore street to coincide with the Estate’s much awaited enhancement works to provide a
shared surface along the length of Marylebone Lane, creating a new pedestrian friendly gateway to the highly acclaimed
shopping destination of Marylebone Village. Works to the lane are set to commence in early May 2015.
WWW.HDWE.CO.UK
020 7290 0970
Computer generated images for indicative purposes only.
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 88
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Mcglash
Executive Rental Specialists
020 7486 6711
[email protected] / lettings @mcglashans.co.uk
Maybury Court, Marylebone W1
A charming 4th floor flat which has been refurbished to a high standard
throughout, living / dining room, kitchen, double bedroom, bathroom
£650 per week furnished
Weymouth Street, Marylebone W1
A stunning penthouse apartment in a portered block, open plan kitchen/
living/ dining, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, utility room
£1,950 per week furnished/unfurnished
Wythburn Place, Marylebone W1
A unique and beautifully presented contemporary mews house, living room,
dining room, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, guest wc, decked terrace
£1,350 per week unfurnished
Shillibeer Place, Marylebone W1
A great recently refurbished mews hous, living/dining room with open
plan kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, guest cloakroom
£1,200 per week furnished/unfurnished
Bell Street, Marylebone NW1
A delightful new development of flats in a period house that has been recently
refurbished, open plan living room, kitchen, bedroom with en suite bathroom
£400 per week unfurnished
Crawford Street, Marylebone W1
A recently refurbished 1st floor apartment in a period lateral conversion,
reception with open plan kitchen, bedroom with en suite bathroom
£525 per week furnished
43 Marylebone Lane, London W1U 2NS
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Mcglashans
Apr 15.indd 1
www.mcglashans.co.uk
31/03/2015
13:48
25/03/2015
13:57:46
Marylebone High Street, W1
£1,895,000
Set on the second floor of this exclusive development on Marylebone High Street is a beautifully presented three
bedroom apartment. Further benefits include lift access, high ceilings and allocated underground parking.
•Secondfloor
•Threebedrooms
•Shareoffreehold
•Lift
Marylebone Sales 53–55 Weymouth Street, London W1G 8NJ
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•Undergroundparking
•Energyratingd
020 7224 5544
31/03/2015 13:48
M
4
Luxborough Street, W1
£1,250,000
An extensively refurbished raised ground floor apartment with high ceilings situated within this small purpose built block in
MaryleboneVillage.Thepropertyfurtherbenefitsfromalongleaseandlowservicecharge.
•Longlease
•Lowservicecharge
•Immaculatecondition
•Westfacing
Marylebone Sales 53–55 Weymouth Street, London W1G 8NJ
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 91
•Highceilings
•Energyratingf
020 7224 5544
31/03/2015 13:48
Bickenhall Street, Marylebone, W1
A wonderful duplex penthouse apartment on the sixth and seventh floors of this prestigious
Edwardian mansion block that benefits from three balconies and a terrace and is in superb
condition throughout, featuring approximately 1,700 square feet of living accommodation.
Energy Rating: C
Call 020 3394 0027.
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 92
4
4
1
£2,595,000 – Leasehold
31/03/2015 13:48
Hallam Street, Marylebone, W1
A beautifully refurbished and spacious apartment on the third floor of a portered purpose built
block with passenger lift. The property is approximately 1,359 sq ft and is located moments from
the green open space of Regents Park as well as the transport links at Great Portland Street and
3
Oxford Circus. Energy Rating: D
2
1
£2,650,000 - Leasehold
Call 020 3394 0027.
kayandco.com
Estate Agents
mj_mag_2015_volume11_02_ads_FINAL.indd 93
| Development & Investment Consultants | Block Managers
31/03/2015 13:48
UPPER MAISONETTE DEVONSHIRE MEWS SOUTH W1
A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO PURCHASE A QUIETLY LOCATED MEWS PROPERTY WITH
A VAULTED RECEPTION ROOM AND TWO SOUTH AND WEST FACING ROOF TERRACES.
This home, which is arranged mainly over two floors, has the benefit of its own
entrance, is presented in immaculate condition and has a reception room with a
high vaulted ceiling. Devonshire Mews South is the premier mews in Marylebone
and is conveniently located for Marylebone High Street and the open spaces of
Regent’s Park.
ACCOMMODATION
* Reception Room * Kitchen * 3 Double Bedrooms * Ensuite Shower Room
* Family Bathroom * Utility Room * Study * 2 Roof Terraces
AMENITIES
Joint Sole Agents
ESTABLISHED 1822
020 7935 6535
[email protected]
druce.com
* Private Entrance * Independent Heating & Hot Water * Entry Phone
* EPC Rating C
LEASEHOLD: 91 YEARS £2,950,000 STC
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Druce_Single.indd
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13:48
20/03/2015
H
.
15 15:16
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This impressive mews house has been the subject of an extensive
refurbishment of both the exterior and interior. Combining original
coach house architecture with more contemporary design, this
sizeable house provides the ultimate in luxury living and state of the
art innovation. Set over three floors, it accommodates three double
bedroom suites with two substantial reception areas and further
benefits from a stunning 30ft terrace and an integral garage.
ACCOMMODATION
SPECIFICATIONS INCLUDE
Master bedroom suite, 2 further bedroom suites,
Principal open plan living and entertaining space with
bespoke fitted kitchen, 2nd reception room/family
room, Utility room, Guest cloakroom, Loft storage,
Integral garage, Terrace, Patio.
Underfloor heating throughout entire house, VRF heating and cooling system,
Lutron lighting, AV system throughout including Sonos and Apple TV with inset
ceiling speakers, Bespoke fitted kitchen, Miele and Siemens kitchen appliances,
Italian marble worktop and surrounds, Natural stone flooring, Fitted bespoke joinery
throughout, Floor to ceiling sliding glass terrace doors, Parquet wood flooring
to reception room, Bespoke fitted dressing room to master bedroom, Fitted
wardrobes in remaining bedrooms, Italian marble slabs to bathrooms, Aquavision
TV, Video entry system, 10 year defects insurance from BLP.
A truly exceptional family home located in a quiet cobbled mews in the heart of Marylebone Village.
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13:48
20/03/2015
Druce_
15 15:17
WEYMOUTH MEWS
MARYLEBONE W1
£5,350,000 STC
Leasehold 900 Years
+44 (0)20 7935 6535
www.druce.com
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15:19
Baker Street, Marylebone NW1
£1,900,000
2
Stunning and well laid out two bedrooms apartment in this popular portered building
with far reaching views of the city and the treetops of Regent’s Park.
2
1
3
1
Leasehold
George Street, Marylebone W1
£4,250,000
Exceptionally bright and spacious, interior designed sixth floor apartment within what is
arguably considered one of Marylebone’s finest residential buildings with twenty-four
hour uniformed porterage.
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Manors Apr 15.indd 1
3
Share of Freehold
31/03/2015
13:48
25/03/2015
14:43:48
Manors
14:43:48
Sales / 020 7486 5655
Visit / 1 Baker Street, W1U 8ED
Email / [email protected]
Click / manors.co.uk
Upper Berkeley Street, Marylebone W1
£995,000
1
Recently refurbished, bright one bedroom apartment set in a small red brick mansion
block adjacent to Portman Square.
1
1
2
1
Leasehold
Great Cumberland Place, Marylebone W1
£1,300,000
2
A well proportioned two bedroom apartment comprising approximately 1,000 sq.ft. is
available for sale on the 33 year lease.
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Manors
Apr 15.indd 2
Leasehold
31/03/2015
13:48
25/03/2015
14:45:03
33 New Cavendish Street, London, W1G 9TS
+44(0) 20 7486 4111
www.jeremy-james.co.uk
[email protected]
A
R
DEANS MEWS, MARYLEBONE VILLAGE, W1
Fantastic mews house (1920 sq-ft) split over three floors boasting a large reception room, roof terrace and three double bedrooms. Deans Mews is
situated off Cavendish Square close to Bond Street underground station and Oxford Street with its array of shops and restaurants. Marylebone High
Street is only moments away with Regents Park close by.
Accommodation
Master bedroom • En-suite bathroom • Two double bedrooms • Second en-suite bathroom • Two guest cloakrooms • Utility • Kitchen • Living room • Roof terrace
EPC Rating E
Please see website for full details.
£1,600 per week unfurnished
WIMPOLE MEWS, MARYLEBONE VILLAGE, W1
P
T
E
u
Impressive mews house provides excellent living and entertaining space on a quiet street, only a few minutes walk from the boutiques and cafes of
Marylebone High Street. Oxford Circus Underground Station is within a 5 minute walk.
Accommodation
Large reception room with open plan kitchen • Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom • Further two double bedrooms • One single bedroom
Attic room / home office • Family bathroom • Shower room • Basement large play room / home office • Garage
EPC Rating D
Please see website for full details.
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M
m
£1,750 per week unfurnished
31/03/2015 13:48
w
Winkwo
S
1
k
k
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON BUYING,
RENTING AND SELLING HOMES.
PARK STREET, MAYFAIR, W1 £3,150,000 STC
This recently refurbished two bedroom conversion flat is located within a former terraced Queen Anne style period house and is available for immediate occupation.
Entrance hall | Double reception room with open-plan dining area and wooden floors | kitchen and adjacent breakfast area | WC with walk-through coat cupboard | Separate
utility room with drying area | Master bedroom suite | Second double bedroom suite with fitted wardrobes and qualification for City of Westminster parking permits.
MARYLEBONE | 020 7467 5770
[email protected]
winkworth.co.uk/marylebone
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Scan this code to download the
Winkworth iPhone app
OFFICES IN LONDON, THE COUNTRY AND OVERSEAS. SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY
31/03/2015
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104 George Street, W1U 8PB
020 7486 2321
www.lordestates.com
Bickenhall Street, W1
A tastefully presented, full of natural light three bedroom apartment situated on the second floor (with lift) of this impressive
red brick mansion block with 24 hour security. The property comprises of a large reception room, a separate dining room,
kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a guest cloakroom.
Bickenhall Street is situated off Baker Street therefore within easy walking distance of the shops, restaurants and transport
facilities of Marylebone High Street, as well as the open spaces of Regent’s Park.
EPC=C
£2,595,000
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carterjonas.co.uk
Devonshire street
Marylebone W1
Moments from Marylebone
High Street, a fantastic
apartment that has been
recently refurbished to a very
high standard.
Reception room • 2 bedrooms
2 bathrooms • Communal terrace
2nd floor with lift • Long lease
EPC rating C
Guide price £1,675,000
Marylebone & Regents Park
020 7486 8866
[email protected]
Wimpole street
Marylebone W1
This impressive Georgian
period townhouse has been
refurbished to an extremely
high standard. The property
has a lift serving all floors of
the house.
2 reception rooms • 5 bedrooms
4 bathrooms • 2 kitchens • Dressing
room • Roof terrace • EPC rating D
£5,500 pw*/£23,833.33 pm*
Unfurnished
Marylebone & Regents Park
020 7486 8866
[email protected]
*Rent excludes administration fees. Please contact
our branch who can provide this information.
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31/03/2015 13:48
savills.co.uk
1
A CHARMING GROUND FLOOR FLAT WITH A PORTER
hallam street, w1
Reception room ø contemporary kitchen ø bedroom ø porter ø private entrance
ø 56 sq m (603 sq ft) ø EPC=D
Savills Marylebone
Georgie Tarry
[email protected]
020 3527 0400
Guide £995,000 Leasehold, approximately 99 years remaining
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savills.co.uk
1
AN EXCEPTIONAL THREE BEDROOM FLAT IN A GEORGIAN BUILDING
montagu square, w1
Reception room ø kitchen/dining room ø master bedroom with en suite bathroom
ø 2 further bedrooms ø bathroom ø terrace ø patio ø residents garden square
ø 148 sq m (1,596 sq ft) ø EPC=G
Savills Marylebone
Georgie Tarry
[email protected]
020 3527 0400
Guide £2.65 million Leasehold, approximately 38 years remaining
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savills.co.uk
LETTINGS
LAYOUT
ONLY
1
A RECENTLY REFURBISHED
THREE BEDROOM FLAT
marylebone high street, w1
3 bedrooms ø reception room ø kitchen
ø 2 bathrooms ø 76 sq m (1,033 sq ft)
ø Council Tax=F ø EPC=C
Unfurnished Guide £935 per week
+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and
other charges may apply*
Savills Marylebone
Emma Higgins
[email protected]
0203 527 0407
2
A RECENTLY REFURBISHED
ONE BEDROOM FLAT WITH
A LIFT
faraday house, w1
Bedroom ø open plan reception room/kitchen
ø bathroom ø shower room ø porter
ø lift ø parking space ø 70 sq m (758 sq ft)
ø Council Tax=G ø EPC=E
Flexible furnishings Guide £795 per week
+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and
other charges may apply*
Savills Marylebone
Ashleigh Cumberbatch
[email protected]
0203 527 0408
*£36 inc VAT for each additional tenant/occupant/
guarantor reference where required. Inventory check
out fee – charged at the end of or early termination
of the tenancy and the amount is dependent on the
property size and whether furnished/unfurnished.
For more details, visit www.savills.co.uk/fees.
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savills.co.uk
LETTINGS
LAYOUT
ONLY
1
A BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED
THREE BEDROOM FLAT
new cavendish street, w1
3 bedrooms ø open plan reception room/
dining room/kitchen ø 3 bathrooms
ø lift ø porter ø 156 sq m (1,677 sq ft)
ø Council Tax=G ø EPC=F
Furnished Guide £1,950 per week
+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and
other charges may apply*
Savills Marylebone
Emma Higgins
[email protected]
0203 527 0407
2
A TWO BEDROOM FLAT
WITH HARD WOOD
FLOORING THROUGHOUT
portland place, w1
2 bedrooms ø reception room ø kitchen
ø 2 bathrooms ø lift ø porter
ø 108 sq m (1,158 sq ft) ø Council Tax=G
ø EPC=C
Unfurnished Guide £995 per week
+ £276 inc VAT one-off admin fee and
other charges may apply*
Savills Marylebone
Ashleigh Cumberbatch
[email protected]
0203 527 0408
*£36 inc VAT for each additional tenant/occupant/
guarantor reference where required. Inventory check
out fee – charged at the end of or early termination
of the tenancy and the amount is dependent on the
property size and whether furnished/unfurnished.
For more details, visit www.savills.co.uk/fees.
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Specifications include underfloor heating throughout, air
conditioning to all living and bedrooms, Crestron programmable
lighting, integrated sound system, video entry system, intruder
alarm, fire alarm sprinkler system and rooftop solar panels to
reduce energy consumption.
Clay Street is situated in the heart of Marylebone and is ideally
located for the boutique shops and restaurants of both Marylebone
and Mayfair, the green open spaces of Regent’s and Hyde Park,
as well as all the entertainment amenities of the West End.
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ACCOMMODATION & AMENITIES
3 double bedrooms, all with en-suite bathrooms • Open-plan
living space benefiting from a Leicht designed kitchen with
integrated Gaggenau, Miele and Siemens appliances and private
balcony • 2nd reception room • Study • Guest cloakroom •
Utility room • Integral garage
Approximate sizes from 191 sq m (2,065 sq ft)
Prices from £3,800,000
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A collection of five contemporary mews houses
Four floors of luxurious living space incorporating the latest in modern technology,
each benefiting from a balcony and an integral garage.
CLAY STREET
MARYLEBONE W1
Joint sole agents
A development by
Bryce Malcolmson 020 7861 1150
David Russell 020 3435 6440
[email protected]
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Simon Hedley
020 7935 6535
[email protected]
31/03/2015 15:54
13:48
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Portman Close, Marylebone W1
A large one bedroom apartment
A superb one bedroom apartment of generous proportions on the ground floor of a
modern purpose built portered apartment block in the heart of Marylebone Village.
Double bedroom with extensive built in storage, large contemporary bathroom
with bath and separate shower, open plan living and entertaining space with fully
integrated kitchen and dining area. The property is air conditioned and under floor
heated throughout. EPC: C. Approximately 74.7 sq m (804 sq ft).
Leasehold: 121 years approximately remaining
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone
[email protected]
020 3641 7937
C
A
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@KnightFrank
KnightFrank.co.uk
L
Guide price: £1,450,000
G
MRY150034
M
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KF sales
George Street, Marylebone W1
A two bedroom apartment with private parking
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone
[email protected]
020 3641 7937
An immaculate two bedroom apartment located on the third floor of a Grade II listed
conversion benefitting from a lift, concierge and CCTV for added security. Master
bedroom with built in storage and en suite shower room with WC, bedroom 2 with
built in storage, family bathroom, reception room, fitted kitchen, secure underground
car park space. Approximately 73.7 sq m (792 sq ft).
Leasehold: 106 years approximately remaining
Guide price: £1,800,000
MRY150020
@KnightFrank
KnightFrank.co.uk
Clarence Gate Gardens, Marylebone NW1
A three bedroom mansion block apartment
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone
[email protected]
020 3641 7937
A newly refurbished three bedroom apartment on the raised ground floor of a
portered red brick mansion block close to Regent’s Park. Master bedroom with
en suite bathroom, 2 further bedrooms, shower room with WC, reception room
with dining area, fully fitted kitchen with access onto a small balcony. EPC: D.
Approximately 98.6 sq m (1,068 sq ft)
Leasehold: 93 years approximately remaining
@KnightFrank
KnightFrank.co.uk
Guide price: £1,625,000
MRY150046
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Wyndham Mews,
Marylebone W1
An immaculate apartment
A newly refurbished three bedroom
apartment located in a quiet mews.
Comprising master bedroom and en
suite bathroom, 2nd double bedroom,
3rd bedroom / study, family shower
room, spacious open plan reception
/ dining room, separate fully fitted
contemporary kitchen with brand
new appliances. EPC rating D.
Approximately 134.6 sq m (1,449 sq ft)
Available furnished
Guide price: £1,250 per week
KnightFrank.co.uk/marylebone
[email protected]
020 3544 2485
Glentworth Street,
Marylebone W1
Grade II listed Georgian
townhouse
This beautifully presented three
bedroom apartment is situated in one
of Marylebone’s most sought after
mansion blocks. Master bedroom
and en suite bathroom, 2 further
bedrooms, family bathroom, reception
room with dining area, contemporary
kitchen with utility room. The property
further benefits from a lift and porter.
Approximately 128.1 sq m (1,379 sq ft)
Available furnished
Guide price: £1,500 per week
All potential tenants should be advised that, as
well as rent, an administration fee of £276 will apply
when renting a property. Please ask us for more
information about other fees that may apply or visit
KnightFrank.co.uk/tenantcharges
@KnightFrank
KnightFrank.co.uk
trust
PARTNERSHIP, IT’S IN OUR NATURE.
Marketing a property can be an exciting process, but it can also be
stressful and even overwhelming. That’s where having a partner you
can truly trust makes such a difference.
At Carter Jonas, our expert advice and tailored service enable us to
build lasting, intelligent and trusted partnerships with our clients.
Please contact us today for a free market appraisal.
Marylebone & Regents Park
T: 020 7486 8866
E: [email protected]
carterjonas.co.uk