belgravia residents' journal june 2012

Editorfrom theEditor

from theEditor

It is our great pleasure to present you with the inaugural edition of The Belgravia Residents’ Journal, which has been conceived

entirely with the local resident in mind. We hope you find this a useful resource for local news and enjoy the luxe format.

We open with a feature on a Belgravian household name, quite literally, in Thomas Cubitt (page 4) and look at the legacy of

this architect, who was highly revered by the royals of his époque. He would surely have been involved in Belgravia’s Jubilee

celebrations, and it is to this that we turn our attention in The Calendar (page 10).

Have a coffee break, and perhaps even a cigar, whilst enjoying our interview with one Belgravian entrepreneur who owns shops

peddling both the aforesaid (The Belgravian, page 15). We hope you thoroughly enjoy the read.

We would highly value any feedback you wish to email us with:

[email protected]

Photography: Andreu Doz / Runwild Media

There’s a well-known pub down Elizabeth Street in

Belgravia that goes by the name of The Thomas

Cubitt. Any pub, it could be construed, is in

effect honoring the object, animal or limb that inspired

its title; from The Red Lions out there to The Kings

Arms, notwithstanding The Royal Oaks, The Swans and

The Crowns among them. But there’s something quite

splendidly singular to the ring of The Thomas Cubitt,

named to single out London’s legendary master architect

and builder of the early to mid-1800s.

A stroll around Belgrave Square and Eaton Square

(look to the north and west sides of the latter) will acquaint

you with Cubitt’s architecture if you’re not already in-the-

know. The Norfolk-born builder, whose work centered

around London but also popped up across the country,

was commissioned by Richard Grosvenor, Second

Marquess of Westminster, and created a domino effect

of edifices in Belgravia in the 1820s. This, it is widely

believed, was his greatest achievement in the capital city.

The architect Philip Hardwick also contributed

to the architecture of Belgrave Square. Between 1825

and 1847, the previously undeveloped area essentially

metamorphosed from cesspit to one of London’s most

fashionable districts. Prior to the makeover, it was

an uncultivated, marshy spot between London and

Knightsbridge called The Five Fields and deemed

a dangerous zone for the presence of highwaymen.

To effect the transformation, one crucial move was

No it’s a CubittAlice Tozer reflects on the architectural legacy of some of Belgravia’s boldest buildings

Is that a Corbusier?Illustrations: Mai Osawa

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S J O U R N A L 005

the filling of the marshy ground with rubble from

excavations in the Docklands area.

Cubitt had a knack for draining London’s soggy

spots, making them into the road-lined, edifice-endowed

areas we now take for granted. Take Cubitt Town, or the

south-eastern part of the Isle of Dogs, so-dubbed in honor

of its extensive developer. Cubitt embanked the riverfront

and laid out the main streets there during the 1840s and

50s. Gathering momentum with his success, he kept

acquiring land in the area to build on. Under the terms of

his third agreement, which was for 99 years dating from

March 1852, the initial rent of the zone was a mere £140

per annum. He spent £5,000 on a five-year improvement

scheme which involved raising the level of the ground,

draining, fencing, making roads and erecting buildings.

Elsewhere across

London Cubitt made

his mark with purpose,

building the east front of

Buckingham Palace and

nearly a kilometre of the

Thames Embankment.

This man, who was

incidentally the great-

great-great grandfather

of Camilla Parker Bowles,

was a fervent supporter of conserving open space and

some say Battersea Park owes its existence largely to

him. Beyond the M25, Cubitt’s legacy lives on notably in

two of the country’s trendiest spots; Brighton (specifically,

Kemptown) and the Isle of Wight (Osborne House).

The quirky fact about Osborne House, situated in

East Cowes and built as a summer getaway for Queen

Victoria and Prince Albert, is that the Prince designed it

himself. He wanted it to replicate the style of an Italian

Renaissance palazzo. Cubitt was perfect for the practical job

as his style was characterized by the incorporation of simple

classical lines of the Italianate school (as can be observed

on many of his London terraces). The legend goes that

Cubitt’s reworking of his two-dimensional street architecture

into this freestanding mansion for the royal couple in 1845

inspired a freefall of Italianate villas throughout the British

Empire. Back in England though, Cubitt was already on a

royal roll for it was also for Victoria and Albert that he built

the main façade of Buckingham Palace in 1847.

In fact the royal seal of approval was confirmed in

1855, upon Cubitt’s death, when Queen Victoria only had

good words to say about the man. ‘In his sphere of life,’

she said, ‘with the immense business he had in hand,

he is a real national loss. A better, kindhearted or more

simple, unassuming man never breathed.’

Next year it will be 225 years since Cubitt was

born. Belgravia residents are privileged in that they retain

some of the architect’s most revered domestic works. The

Regency style which he executed displays four-square

solidity, giant order spanning two storeys and the odd

impressive central Ionic colonnade (a visit to Polesden

Lacey in Surrey provides the exemplar supreme of Cubitt’s

take on the latter).

The beauty of a building − when we choose to

notice it − can fill us with inspiration, putting a stride in

our step on the most unpromising of spring days. Yet Alain

de Botton in his book, The Architecture of Happiness,

is quick to flip the coin: ‘The noblest architecture can

sometimes do less for us than a siesta or an aspirin.’ True

enough, even Buckingham Palace is unlikely to snap us

out of our most melancholy of moods.

But we could try to use architecture in a more

therapeutic manner than we tend to, if only we put our

minds to it. De Botton puts this fact into perspective with

the help of John Ruskin, the leading English art critic of

the Victorian era. Writes de Botton: ‘Those who have made

architectural beauty their

life’s work know only too

well how futile their efforts

can prove… John Ruskin

acknowledged that few

Venetians in fact seemed

elevated by their city,

perhaps the most beautiful

urban tapestry in the world.

[Ruskin observed that

alongside St Mark’s Church]

they sat in cafés, read the papers, sunbathed, bickered

and stole from one another as, high on the church’s roof,

unobserved “the images of Christ and His angels looked

down upon them.”’

We can all take our surroundings for granted.

Perhaps the next time you are having coffee opposite a

Cubitt original you will endeavor to marvel at the wonder

of the curvilinear balusters as you sip, even raising your

cappuccino cup to this kindhearted man and architect

who contributed to making Belgravia residents’ everyday

surroundings above and beyond the ordinary.

‘Cubitt had a knack for draining London’s soggy spots,

making them into the road-lined, edifice-endowed areas we

now take for granted’

Webber and Saunders both busying away Belgravia residents Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber

and Jennifer Saunders have been undertaking

new projects, respectively. Webber, who was

recently presented with a fellowship by the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers

and Authors at the Ivor Novello Awards, has

just donated £125,000 to helping theatres in

need of renovation. As part of this charitable

scheme, venues across the country will be

able to apply for funding of up to £5,000.

Lloyd Webber has also recently caused a stir in

announcing the shock casting of BBC radio’s

Chris Moyles as King Herod in a revival of

Jesus Christ Superstar to be staged at the O2

Arena in September.

Meanwhile, AbFab legend Saunders

has been continuing work on her horse riding

documentary series, The Saddle, due to be

aired on ITV in August. The 53-year-old, who

has ridden horses since she was a child, has

been training daily as part of her energetic

efforts. The series will feature some filming

with Princess Anne who Saunders met when

she visited the Gatcombe horse trials. The documentary will reveal a new,

more serious side to the comedienne, though ITV insiders confirm there

will be the odd quip. Saunders, who last year spoke out having highly

underplayed her recent breast cancer scare, has also been working

on Ab Fab: The Movie. A much-anticipated double dose of Saunders

to come then.

A thousand easy pounds? Belgravia estate agents, Henry & James

are inviting local residents to pop into

the Motcomb Street location and enter a

competition. It’s not straight-forward though.

Interested parties will have to pick up a

Henry & James baseball cap from said

branch, then set about obtaining a photo of

a local celebrity or ‘dignitary’, as the advert

says, wearing one of the caps. All in a day’s

work? Well, set to it, as £1,000 is up for

the taking in the prize draw that will ensue.

Evidence must be presented in the form of

a photo delivered by hand or by email to

[email protected]. Uptakers have

until 1 September to have a flick through

their address book. The criteria for winning?

‘The most famous person to be snapped’.

That could open up a whole new debate...

The NotebookWho and what is moving and shaking in Belgravia this June? We keep you up-to-date

Illustration: Russ Tudor


Winning prizes? What scandalous behaviour! Steven Moffat has received a Bafta for his writing of A Scandal in Belgravia, the first

episode of the second series of the BBC crime drama series Sherlock. Named after

our neighbourhood because of the prominent role of Buckingham Palace in the script,

the episode was loosely inspired by A Scandal in Bohemia, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s

short story. In the episode, a palace official reveals that a dominatrix has been taking

compromising photographs of herself and a female member of the royal family. First

broadcast on 1 January this year on BBC1 and

dubbed ‘sexier Sherlock than ever before’ by The

Independent, the whole series is rather popular

with our American friends who have recently

had the episode aired, putting Belgravia on

the map with them

if it wasn’t there

before.

New face on the blockRumour has it that Belgravia’s residents can look out for a new famous face in

the area. Whilst you might not recognise him in person, Christopher Flowers has

been successful enough in his private equity investment career to deserve some

serious recognition. Flowers had his big moment a decade ago when he made huge

dividends after scooping up Japan’s failed Long Term Credit Bank. He’s had

his ups and downs since, and his role in the financial

crisis was portrayed in the 2011

film Too Big to Fail. According

to sources close to Flowers,

he has just made a permanent

move from New York to London

and has a new home lined up

in Belgravia. Having never lived

outside the US, Mr Flowers

might take some adjusting to our

British ways but he couldn’t have

picked a better area to settle into.

Welcome Mr Flowers!

Grosvenor goes industrialGrosvenor property group (majority stakeholders of our beloved

Belgravia) has made its foray into industrial property. Grosvenor,

owned by the Duke of Westminster, controls some £12.5 billion

of property on this planet but is to diversify into this new area,

through putting major funding into Industrial Ownership. As

well as its Mayfair and Belgravia estate, Grosvenor owns the

Liverpool One shopping complex, the luxury London residential

development 3-10 Grosvenor Crescent, and the residential tower

Westminster Terrace, in Hong Kong. It will be interesting to see

how this new move develops.

About our resident artistWe are thrilled to have Russ Tudor illustrating his way through

The Belgravia Resident’s Journal. We asked him for a short bio,

to which he suggested: ‘Russ Tudor was found in a shoe box in

1903. Gifted from an early age he decided to start at the bottom

and work his way down. His scribbles can be seen in many

magazines and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal,

The Sunday Telegraph and The Pig Farmers Gazette. Now in

his twilight years he continues to deface popular magazines. His

hobbies include expensive wine and cheap women.’

Have a Jubilee flutter alongside Boisdale of BelgraviaBoisdale of Belgravia, the lively Scottish restaurant, is

advertising its enclosure at this summer’s Derby to be the

most prestigious. The Derby will be the first event of Her

Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations with

guns away on Friday 1 June and spanning the Saturday.

Tickets to the Queen’s Stand have already sold out but, as

we go to print, the Boisdale Package remains an option

for those keen racegoers among you looking to access

the stand and celebrate the Jubilee, equine style. Worthy

of mention within the substantial Boisdale package is

the private terrace overlooking the finish line and the

sumptuous three-course meal that involves Scottish

lobster and, to quote the menu, ‘the very finest dry-aged

Aberdeen Angus fillet of beef accompanied by exceptional

white Burgundy and Claret’. A toast to the Queen has

never been made easier!

01372 460 460

www.boisdale.co.uk/belgravia/events

Macarooning about Since the start of the year and for one year only, pastry chef Pierre Hermé has been

coming up with a new macaroon (or rather, macaron) for his shop, Pierre Hermé

Paris. The collection is entitled ‘Les jardins’ and Hermé says he approached the

challenge ‘in the same manner as a perfumer, with particular focus on fragrance’.

The delicate offering awaiting us in June is the Macaron jardin du paradis,

an homage to aniseed and saffron. Says the label: ‘The alchemy between fragrant

saffron and aniseed is subtle: their flavours flower, unfold and linger on the

palate. Eventually, the taste of saffron fades while that of aniseed remains.’

Hermé continues: ‘It is Ariadne’s thread which I pursue, a set of creations

named ‘Sous le signe de dature’ which perhaps transmits our need to escape, to

dream and our need for pleasure...’ Quite a tall order for a macaroon but why not

pop in and treat yourself to one, see where the sugared delight takes you?

£1.85 per macaroon, with gift boxes starting at £15 for a 7-piece box

13 Lowndes Street

020 7235 3741

www.pierreherme.com

Terrace timeThe Terrace at Knightsbridge has re-opened, considering it summertime and

timely for us to indulge in summer luncheons and afternoon teas. We can

happily go along with that, especially when offered a revitalized menu that’s

sure to satisfy the taste buds. Seating eighty people for a fully al fresco affair, so

really coming into its own now it is getting warmer (we hope), The Terrace is to

be found just in front of the Sheraton Park Tower hotel. The tables are shaded

by elegant parasols but provide an optimum vista for people-watching and foot-

resting post Knightsbridge shopping spree. New for 2012 is a range of freshly

baked pizzas, sharing platters and pressed juices.

The Terrace

Sheraton Park Tower, 101 Knightsbridge

Open seven days a week, weather permitting

020 7235 8050 www.sheratonparktower.com

A roasting weekend Belgravia’s notorious pub, The Thomas

Cubitt, is celebrating the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee any which way it

possibly can. Sure to be decked in

bunting and flying the flag, it will also

be screening the Jubilee pageant live

in the ground floor bar. Worry not about

not getting a seat, since additional

outdoor seating (with street-party

classic wide trestle tables) will abound.

The Thomas Cubitt will be

turning back time and trying to stand

out from the crowd at the same time,

with the revival of the ‘street bar’

concept. Not seen in honour of a

Diamond Jubilee for 115 years, they

say, it will be laid on for a traditional

British street-party feel.

The nation’s annual Big Lunch

falls on the same Sunday, making

this particular occasion a double

community knees-up.

44 Elizabeth Street

Sunday 3 June

020 7730 6060

www.thethomascubitt.co.uk

Food for thoughtWe bring you this month’s foremost culinary news from the Belgravia area


It’s a bit odd going for lunch in a hotel where you’re not staying the night. A

shuffle away from Knightsbridge tube and a merry skip from Harvey Nichols,

entering One-O-One restaurant you hardly notice, however, that you’re also on

the ground floor of the Sheraton Park Tower hotel.

The soothing atmosphere in this restaurant is just the tonic to the outside

rush of the Brompton Road; easy-on-the eye mint greens, browns and creams

form the foundation of the safe and simple decor. It is immediately apparent

that One-O-One, voted sixth best restaurant in Britain in last year’s The Sunday

Times Food List, appeals to both the businessperson and the leisure

class, with a bias towards the former. Wine appears as much a

concern here as fish, with the most expensive bottle on the

list eating its way into the £2,000 mark. The sommelier

over-bubbled with viticultural insights, as I noticed on

the wine list a decent selection of half bottles and the

possibility of champagne by the glass.

At One-O-One, they have essentially

re-invented the fish tapas repertoire with the petits

plats menu. Adiós to calamaris fritos, beer-battered

prawns and whitebait; healthier fish ensembles are

possible as a lunchtime snack. My guest and I eat our

way through ‘Farm Turbot Pan-Fried with Saffron, Pea and

Coquillages Risotto’ alongside (deliciously pink) ‘Wild

Cornish Maquerel Fillet grilled with Aioli Rouille, Bruschetta of

Red Pepper Biscayenne and Fennel Salad’. On the side, zingy

seaweed butter (with tomato foccaccia) was a clever attention-to-detail on the

piscine theme. Next up was ‘Wild Norwegian Red King Crab’ (which head

chef Pascal Proyart is widely credited as having introduced to the UK),

‘Wild Manx Queenies’ (divinely gratined) and ‘Wild Silver Mullet’.

Award-winning, Brittany-born Proyart is the brain behind the artistry.

At One-O-One since 1998, his formal training was interrupted by military

service in Africa where he experimented with new flavours. All the better for the

beneficiaries of his recipes; vibrancy and a bold approach to flavour are what

rocks this particular fish boat. But he doesn’t stop there. The petit plats

lunchtime menu features dishes sourced only from fully sustainable fish stocks.

Proyart feels diners should make more informed choices about the fish they

eat and wants to give them the opportunity to diversify their fish tastes within

species that can be sustainably sourced. Impeccable service at One-O-One

does all this justice.

Fish, the belle of the ball, never seemed so effortlessly prepared

into palate-sized portions, oozing vibrant colours and multiple tastes.

One unnerving departure into red meat territory came with ‘Roasted, Leg

Confit of Gressingham Duck Breast with Ginger Carrot Compote, (mini

parcel of mouthwatering) Pack Choy, Orange Sauce’. Beautifully

tender, it went down as naturally with the fish as my red

wine (a pinot noir so-recommended for being a lighter

red for us philistines who insist we don’t drink white

even with fish). Beware though; two plates each

from this menu suffice at lunchtime, despite how

the waiter may guide you.

It remained to try the petit plat of cheese,

delightfully tempered by walnut dressing quince jelly

and (for a happy change) toasted hazelnut raisin

bread. The final sweetener, highly artistically presented

English rhubarb, turned out to be more about its

accompaniments of (jellied) grenadine syrup, vanilla

bourbon panacotta and (creamy as heck) minted white

chocolate ice cream. But that was fine; after all, jelly and ice

cream is all any adult really wants for dessert. To drink, try:

Mont de Joie Sauvignon Blanc by Henri Bourgeois, 2010, Loire, France,

£8 by the glass

Pinot Noir Williamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon, USA, 2008,

£10.50 by the glass

Two petits plats per person cost £17; three per person are £22

101 Knightsbridge

020 7290 7101

www.oneoonerestaurant.com

Alice Tozer samples hotel lunching at its most discreet and Omega-3 rich at a very conveniently situated destination

enjoy fishOne way to

The Calendar... at Chester SquareThere will be a Diamond Jubilee garden

party in Chester Square on Thursday 31 May

hosted by The Reverend Prebendary Charles

and Mrs Marnham along with the staff and

members of St Michael’s Church. Whilst

we’re all hopeful for a heatwave special that

weekend, there’s always the church as a

back-up if it does go all English on us and

bucket down. The event will be held between

6.30pm and 8.30pm.

020 7730 8889

[email protected]

www.stmichaelschurch.org.uk

Get the Jubilee bug...There are plenty of locally organized events celebrating Her Majesty

the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee either before, during or after the Jubilee

weekend (the first in June in case you’ve been in hiding all year).

Jubilee fervour is set to hang around all month, but make sure you do

your research ahead of time so as not to miss out on events arranged

specifically with Belgravia residents in mind. The Grosvenor website’s

news pages cover the best Belgravia haunts to eat, shop and party in the

streets during this momentous Bank holiday weekend.

www.grosvenorlondon.com

... on Motcomb StreetBelgravia’s Jubilee pièce de résistance sounds very likely to be Motcomb Street’s planned

vintage vehicle display; a traditional take on the Jubilee. A gala evening, classic cars and

fashion and flowers unite in this Traders’ Association-supported event. Sponsored by Messila

Residential, it all kicks off along our favoured cobbled haven on Wednesday 30 May from

5.30pm and wraps up at 8.30pm. You can expect a fashion exhibition featuring a model

styled per decade from the 1950s to the present day, each in a vintage car, dressed by luxury

Belgravia brands Louise Kennedy and Hervé Léger and with hair done by Errol Douglas MBE.

To act as a precursor to the planned Jubilee events in Belgravia, hairstylist Douglas (who

appropriately has over three decades working with royals) has already united with famous faces,

top photographers and floral couture master and Belgravia neighbour, Neill Strain. The result

was a photographic tribute to this year’s Diamond Jubilee. Dressing Royally celebrated the

Jubilee with impeccable taste, as can be seen from the image on the left. Douglas said: ‘The

British monarchy is an integral part of [London’s] very solid creative platform, and receiving my

MBE personally from The Queen remains the highlight of my career.’

As if the Jubilee weren’t enough, Motcomb Street will return to host its 25th summer

street party on the 27 June, simultaneously raising funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the

Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund. There will be celebrity action, an auction,

a so-called tree of life (the mind boggles), and a selection of entertainment acts.

www.motcombstreetparty.co.uk

The variety of events taking place on the Grosvenor Estate highlights the village atmosphere that is prevalent in BelgraviaGiles Clarke, Executive Director, Grosvenor

The variety of events taking place on the Grosvenor Estate highlights the village The variety of events taking place on the Grosvenor Estate highlights the village

We bring you the status quo for the most appealing organised events in Belgravia this June


... on Pimlico RoadThe Pimlico Road Association invites revellers to its Jubilee Party on Tuesday 29 May at 6pm.

This one’s by invitation only, so send an email enquiry to [email protected]

beforehand. It is happy to be sponsored by Moorfields eye charity.

... and on Elizabeth StreetElizabeth Street is having its summer party on 13 June. Organised by the Belgravia Traders’

Association and sponsored by Knight Frank, all proceeds will go to The Kids Company charity.

Retailers and restaurants will be opening stalls on the street offering visitors a variety of gifts

and delicious gourmet delights whilst children can run riot on the bouncy castle, have their

face painted and dabble in the art of break-dancing.

www.elizabethstreetlondon.com

Special Jubilee dealsOver the Jubilee weekend, benefit from Belgravia retailers’

good moods and subsequent celebratory offers. The Errol

Douglas Salon has created a ‘Dressing Royally - Belgravia

Blow Dry’ package for £80, which includes a free luxury

manicure and a ‘treat suite’ chocolate trio and hot chocolate

from Motcomb Street’s Rococo (we hope he’s not anticipating

rain). To book, telephone 020 7235 0110 and mention

‘Dressing Royally.’ Meanwhile, at the Flower Lounge down the

road at West Halkin Street, Neill Strain Floral Couture is selling

limited-edition Diamond Jubilee Bouquets for a mere £45.

The fun will all be over on 30 June though. Make sure you

don’t miss out this time round. Few of us can count on having

another sixty years to play with!

Murder Juul wroteBelgravia Books will be hosting Denmark’s foremost literary

author Pia Juul who will be reading from her new novel

The Murder of Halland (Peirene Press). The blurb? ‘Bess

and Halland live in a small town, where everyone knows

everyone else. When Halland is found murdered in the

main square the police encounter only riddles. For Bess,

bereavement marks the start of a journey that leads her to

a reassessment of first friends then family.’ It is translated

from the Danish by Martin Aitken.

This event is free, with wine and nibbles provided but

book before by emailing: [email protected].

14 June, 6.30pm

59 Ebury St

020 7259 9336

Sup’s upDaylesford, the organic farm and wellbeing

empire, host a supper club on the last Thursday

of every month at its Pimlico Road shop and

June will be no different. A social event, it is also

a chance to discover the best of the season’s

produce from the Daylesford farm (then perhaps

locate it in the shop for future purchase since

tills will, alas, be closed). This three-course

evening menu, ‘from farm to fork’ as they say,

costs £35 (excluding wine) and goes on a merry

three hours between 7.30pm and 10.30pm.

A wonderful way to meet locals, why not swap

the rigid restaurant routine for an eating event

where rain is guaranteed not to stop play?

Booking is a must. Be there 7.30pm for 8pm.

Expect Prosecco and nibbles.

44b Pimlico Road

020 7881 8060

Escape to Hispanic lands (for 90 minutes)We are spoilt for choice

with film screenings at

the Spanish Institute

(Instituto Cervantes)

this month. It all begins

on 1 June with ‘Esas no

so penas’ (These Are Not Sorrows), an Ecuadorian film, and wraps

up on 29 June with Uruguayan special ‘La perrera’. ‘Familia Tortuga’,

The Sugar Curtain and The Violin fill the intervening weeks. If you’re

all Jubileed out, this is a good place to discover something new

this month.

102 Eaton Square

020 7235 0353

Art FocusOut and about on the Belgravia art trail, we found these hidden gems for June

Horse play at The Osborne Studio GalleryElie Lambert’s first solo show brings together fifty of his colourful and humorous

racecourse paintings. Working in Deauville, Normandy, a city that has attracted

such artists as Toulouse Lautrec and Degas, Lambert paints from his apartment

overlooking the famous racecourse. Having studied at the Academie des Beaux

Arts in Brussels, Lambert proceeded to dedicate his life to equestrian pursuits.

Beginning as a ‘gentleman rider’, Lambert worked as a trainer, a columnist for

Paris-Turf and Sporting Life, and as a bloodstock agent for fifteen years before

turning his hand to painting.

Lambert has found a spiritual home in Britain and considers it the

world leader in racing; his success at auction here proves that our feelings are

mutual. Seven years ago he brought his work to Tom Rooth, head of sporting

art at Christie’s, who calls him a ‘great painter’ with a ‘vibrant quality’.w Rooth

sells roughly four or five Lambert works a year and suggested he compose

a large canvas depicting Glorious Goodwood to commemorate the Diamond

Jubilee. Respected by those in the art and racing worlds alike, he has been

praised by renowned horse racing commentator Sir Peter O’Sullevan for

bringing ‘a fresh perspective’ to the racecourse.

June 18 - July 8

2 Motcomb Street ‘To the Gallops, Deauville’ (43x55cm) by Elie Lambert

‘Still Life 2001’ by Elie Lambert ‘Newmarket Race Course’ by Elie Lambert

(Stamp) duty to celebrate the JubileePlus One Gallery is currently exhibiting Dutchman and wood-sculptor Diederick Kraaijeveld’s 9p and 3p

stamps just while all the Jubilee excitement lasts. Diederick’s ongoing series of Royal Mail stamps in a

variety of colours featuring the iconic silhouette of The Queen have

found huge popularity worldwide, spawning commissions of rare

stamps such as the One Penny Black. Could collecting stamps be

making something of a comeback? As the gallery exclusively exhibits

hyperrealist, photorealist and realist art, these pieces form part of

that collection and are for sale. Though Kraaijeveld’s pieces hang like

paintings they are considered sculptures. The Gallery will be holding a

solo show for Kraaijeveld in September and October this year too, which

will feature all new pieces by Diederick. Make a note,

if you like his style.

89-91 Pimlico Road

020 7730 7656

From left / ‘3p Queen Stamp’ and ‘9p Queen Stamp’ by Diederick Kraaijeveld; both coloured salvaged wood, 100x85cm


HyperrealIn recent years hyperrealist painting – a style of work that resembles

high-resolution photography – has come to dominate major events, such

as the BP Portrait Exhibition. The reception by some has been cool to say

the least, with the likes of Brian Sewell claiming to be ‘heartily sick’ of it even

in 2007. If ever such an opinion is to be reassessed, Pimlico Road’s Plus One

Gallery – the leading specialist in modern photorealist and hyperrealist art

– seems a fine place to start.

The immediate impact of this kind of realism is in that

moment you ask yourself: ‘is it really a painting?’ The

technical skill involved in pulling off such a trick is

undeniably astounding. And yet this does not stop plenty

questioning the point; surely a camera does a fine

enough job of capturing reality in a fraction of the time?

This concern might have been more aptly

aimed at hyperrealism’s precursor, photorealism of

the 1960s. However, since then there has been

increased digital manipulation of the reference images

(i.e. Photoshop) which has sparked more unusual and

imaginative compositions. One is struck by the break from

traditional compositional forms: here they express the bustle

of American suburbia – see the acrylics of Rudy Sparkuhl and

Tad Suzuki – or the interplay of order and chaos in a world increasingly

strewn with manmade objects. The acrylic work of Tom Martin and Cynthia

Poole and the oil paintings of Pedro Campos and Daniel Harding all heavily

feature the garish and the artificial: items rendered with extraordinary precision

to reveal the textures and surfaces that characterise everyday consumerism.

For hyperrealists, the topic of ‘light’ is about much more than the macro

effects that more painterly figurative works tend to capture. Gazing deeply

through glass or into water reveals an intricate dance of reflection and refraction

which modern technology allows painters to explore in ways that were previously

impossible. Hyperrealists deliberately emphasise the complicated distortions they

observe, and nowhere else is this more apparent than in the sheen of an Andrew

Holmes tanker or in a Steve Smulka glass bottle. In part, hyperrealist artists pick

up on these effects to reflect how the modern world has embraced new materials.

They also do so to convince the viewer; the absence of a reflection on a coke can

– or its poor execution – would give the game away.

You get the impression that much of the artistic importance

in hyperrealism lingers in the relationship between the original and

its own photographic reproduction. The artists even seem to play

on a sort of austere form of aesthetic appreciation to be

found in walking up to the surface of a hyperreal piece,

finally to resolve evidence of the human hand.

Up close, some hyperrealist works are more

‘painterly’ than others. Cynthia Poole’s work, for

instance, is remarkable precisely because, up-close,

the reveal is relatively easy. The nudes of Juan Cossio,

on the other hand, require more effort.

Most hyperreal work is quite large and certainly

greater in size than many reproductions. This

considerably increases the impact when seen across a

room on a clean white wall (whilst no doubt also allowing a

little more wiggle-room for the artist’s brush). The same cannot be

said for the paintings of Stéfan Nandancée. Hiding away on the lower

floor of Plus One, these effortlessly exquisite miniatures must be seen to be

believed. For example, ‘Terrarium’ (20 x 25cm, acrylic on board, and above),

which features the artist’s wife standing on a rough stony plateau, is so small and

utterly real that it becomes eerie to the point of making one shudder.

If Sewell has a point, it is perhaps that hyperrealism is not best suited to

capturing the human face; a subject matter where less intricate brushwork

might best express the emotions.

@twitter.com/BenHopeArtist

Local artist Benjamin Hope strolls into a Belgravian commercial gallery dedicated to hyperrealism and asks whether these artists really are the ultimate in painting virtuosi that some claim

Get

Above / ‘Terrarium’ by Stéfan Nandancée (20x25cm); acryclic on boardLeft/ ‘Life Through a Lens’by Simon Hennessey (66x86cm)Below/ ‘A Little Bit of Allium’ by Glen Semple; (120x120cm); both acrylic on canvasRight/ ‘Flour and Eggs’ by Benjamin Hope, (50x40 cm) oil on canvas

Our boutique is located 20 Motcomb Street London SWIX 8LB

tel. 020 7823 2176

www.annickgoutal.com

pub UK soliflores.indd 1 24/05/12 15:58


Tom Assheton is wheeling a dishwasher in through the back door of his

cigar shop on 63 Elizabeth Street. His fine-boned lurcher, Maggie, is

poorly and stumbling around his feet, not helping with the operation.

Tom seems very concerned about her. Nevertheless, she is booted out and

we settle ourselves into his underground office. Formal chat lasts all of five

minutes: ‘Don’t suppose you’d like a cigar?’ ‘Why not?’ I smile. We grab a

couple of Romeo y Julietas and are soon seated on the rooftop of the Boisdale

jazz club round the corner, me a somewhat cack-

handed novice trying to light the thing for the

third time and him, well, looking somewhat

more the pro.

Tom is the owner of Tomtom

Cigars, Belgravia’s first-stop shop for the

cigarette’s elder brother. Not that we’d

want to go comparing the two in front

of a connoisseur. ‘I wouldn’t want to

do down cigarettes; I’d rather play up

cigars,’ Tom says. He was, in any case, a

cigarette smoker before he discovered the

cigar; a moment that changed his life. ‘I

used to be a soldier, then I had a spell

in the country. In the mid 90s I smoked

a cigar and I liked it.’ Some fieldwork in

Cuba followed and Tomtom cigar shop

opened for business in 1997.

‘I went to Cuba and looked

at cigar factories. What I really

liked was the little shop at one, where

people drank coffee and kept their boxes

of cigars’. The combination of coffee and

cigars was brewing, but it wasn’t until 2008

that the second boutique in the Assheton

emporium erupted: Tomtom Coffee House at 114 Ebury Street.

Eton-educated Tom does not provide WIFI at his café (‘so that people

talk’) and the communal coffee table inside had a former life in his dining

room. Born and bred in Chelsea, it can’t have been a great shock to land

on his professional feet in Belgravia. ‘Everyone knows someone with a

connection here, even if it is that person who brought their laundry here fifty

years ago.’ Home, though, is Stockwell; like many of Belgravia’s retailers, he

lives outside the bubble.

Calm, fun, and modest, Assheton shows sparkles of eccentricity. There

was the Chelsea boat phase during which he slept with an umbrella over his

bed because of a leak - ‘that got rather tiring’ – and there was the decision to

learn the ukulele; ‘I thought I’d have a chance with an instrument that only has

four strings.’ It must get tedious being constantly mistaken for a car navigation

system, though. He claims to have been well-established before the Dutch

company took a hold on the automobile world and confused the names.

‘I thought they might pay me,’ he laughs.

The poesy of cigar smoking the

Assheton way certainly appeals.

‘There are three phases to cigar

smoking,’ I am educated. ‘Take

off, cruising altitude and the off

the planet. You don’t want to

enter the latter.’ Why the appeal

over smoking a cigarette? ‘It gives

you a long, slow enhancement

of how you feel; it puts a gloss

on the moment whereas a

cigarette gives you that massive

hit.’ Finding it tricky to maintain

conversation without looking like

I have a soggy stick wrestling

with my mouth, I let him wax

lyrical a little longer. ‘I think cigars

are rather lovely, actually. You

only have to look at an old Bogart

film and observe the choreography;

people fiddling around with a cigar in hand,

doing nothing much beyond smoking it.

Sadly I suppose this has been replaced by

mobile phones on screen.’

Tomtom Cigars has skirted the smoking ban with an exemption, in the

name of needing to sample a cigar before buying, clearly the case when you

could spend £50 on one and £1,000 on certain boxes of fifty. Are all of his

clients elder gentlemen? ‘Cigar smoking is something you grow into, rather

like olives or coffee. We do have people in their late twenties and early thirties

but they are mostly men. I don’t think women feel cigar smoking would be

attractive, a bit like downing a pint. And no-one has really cracked the art of

making it appeal to them.’ Now there’s a window of opportunity.

IT’S A MAN’S WORLD

Alice Tozer spends time on a roof with Tom Assheton, owner of Tomtom Cigars and Tomtom Coffee House

BelgravianThe

‘Cigar smoking is something you grow into, rather like olives or coffee’

Illustration: Russ Tudor

During the rehearsals [of Titus Andronicus] Vivien

started to go a bit mad. Or, as Olivier put it, the

crash came. He was trying to master an unknown

part when the familiar trials and tribulations were renewed.

She invited the younger members of the company back

until three in the morning but would be up again by

five. He could never allow her to wander too far from his

sight. The River Thames ran through the bottom of the

garden, and beyond that fast cars would blind down the

road. He asked himself: “With only two hours of sleep,

how in God’s name have I any hope of committing to

memory the unfamiliar myriad of words in this huge part?”

In desperation he took her to see Dr Freudenberg. She

agreed to go but put on a convincing performance of a

sane, normal woman: “Poor Larry, he’s over anxious, that’s

all; it’s easy to understand when you think of all the terrible

dances I have led him, but, you see, I’ve never really been

or felt better.” To Olivier’s horror Freudenberg did not

think more treatment necessary. “The only thing I could

think of,” wrote Olivier, “ − and it was not a very enlivening

thought – was that I might get as mad as she and be

taken away and locked up. As for Vivien, she gave a really

splendid party that night and I didn’t even get my usual

two hours. I was drained of everything.”

[Noel] Coward thought Vivien was on the verge of

another breakdown, talking wildly at supper, her voice

shrill and her eyes strange. Larry came and talked to

him when she had gone out, and was distraught. “Their

life together is really hideous and here they are trapped

by public acclaim, scrabbling about in the cold ashes

of a physical passion that burnt itself out years ago...

She, exacerbated by incipient TB, needs more and more

physical satisfaction. They are eminent, successful, envied

and adored, and most wretchedly unhappy.”

An extract from ‘Olivier’ by Terry Coleman; pp 273-74,

chapter entitled ‘Richard III and the Ménage à Trois’;

published by Bloomsbury (2005)

ThenHollywood starlet Vivien Leigh resided in two Belgravia locations alongside Laurence Olivier; Lowndes Square and 54 Eaton Square. Olivier rented the Lowndes Square house from January 1957 until October 1957, at a rent rising from twenty guineas a week to twenty-five

That was

B E L G R AV I A R E S I D E N T S J O U R N A L016

Dcrash came. He was trying to master an unknown

part when the familiar trials and tribulations were renewed.

She invited the younger members of the company back


and adored, and most wretchedly unhappy.”

An extract from ‘Olivier’ by Terry Coleman; pp 273-74,


Illustration: Mai Osawa

29 LOWNDES STREET • KNIGHTSBRIDGE • SW1X 9HXT: +44 20 7201 2590 E: [email protected]

LONDON FLAGSHIP BOUTIQUE


Lab work to doCOUTURELAB, has opened a ‘concept store’ on our

doorstep at 32 Grosvenor Crescent Mews. It is situated

amongst predominantly residential dwellings and entering

the cobbled mews building gives one a sense of stumbling

upon a secret destination. And it is a real find indeed; a

treasure trove of rare and unusual products from around

the world. The Grade II listed building was, in fact, the

last working stables in Belgravia, renovated in the 1990s

by Andrée Putman for Connolly, the leather experts, and

as such has a rich and varied history. COUTURELAB has

been a virtual and retail concept since 2006, previously

in Fulham and then in Davies Street. But it has now re-

located to Belgravia where the shop is open from Monday

to Friday from 10am ‘til 6pm, and offers a unique selection

of expertly curated products which tell an inherent story of

craftsmanship, tradition and skill, expressing intrinsic value.

A refreshing change from your average designer conveyor-

belt then; you can even be part of your own creations by

ordering objects especially made for you. No need to go to

a Hong Kong suit-fitter or battle through Indian markets to

get personal about your clothes making. Just pop over to the

Lab and experiment.

020 7499 7082

DOG TREATS Pet-accessory store Mungo & Maud sources

and creates well-designed accessories

for the most stylish of Fidos and felines to

complement the contemporary home and

lifestyle. Husband and wife team Michael and

Nicola Sacher use durable, natural materials to

provide everything from cotton beds to organic

treats for pets who

expect the best.

79 Elizabeth Street

RULE BRITANNIA In celebration of the Jubilee and the Olympics, David Linley has created two

limited-edition boxes adorned with the Union Jack. The Britannia jewellery box and Britannia humidor are limited to just thirty

pieces each. Each box is constructed using walnut,

lined in red suede and inside features sterling

silver plaques bearing the year of the Jubilee, perfect

for engraving a personal message or initials.

60 Pimlico Road

Standing out from the rest in the boutiques

currently are...rangetheTop of

shop of the monthBelgravia’s

Mungo & Maud weekend bag in safari (£90-£115 depending on size) Mungo & Maud

double wooden dog bowl (£145)

Mungo & Maud Bauhaus collar (£79-£81) and lead (£89-£102) in camomile slate

StreetwiseWe take a stroll around the lanes of Belgravia and note retail news of the month

Limited edition Britannia humidor & jewellery box (both £3,900)

Four walls.Our only limitation.

COOTE BERNARDI&

Coote & Bernardi creates outstanding interiors that exceed expectations, no matter what the budget. Visit us at our showroom to discuss your interior design requirements.

59 Pimlico Road, London SW1W 8NE T: 020 7259 0960 cooteandbernardi.com

INTERIOR DESIGN BESPOKE FURNITURE


Residents’Culture

The latest offering from bestselling author and

poet Siri Hustvedt is a complex but entertaining

collection of essays, exploring the concept

of who we are and how we came to be this

way. Never one to shy away from difficult or

controversial topics, the provocative author

of What I Loved and The Summer Without

Men draws directly from her own life in order

to consider the answers to deep questions

regarding the self, reigniting the age-old dialogue

of the human condition. A challenging and

thought-provoking

read that will keep

you debating long

after the book club

has finished.

Email us your

review of the book

and we may print it

next month: culture@

residentsjournal.

co.uk

‘Living, Thinking,

Looking’ by Siri

Hustvedt is out 7 June, £17.99

The Residents’ Journal Film Club: Red LightsRed lights is a film exploding with electricity. Acting heavyweights Robert De Niro and Sigourney Weaver

team up with one of the industry’s hottest directors of the moment, Rodrigo Cortés (a Sundance Film Festival

phenomenon thanks to his 2010 film Buried), for a paranormal thriller, with a beautifully constructed script

that will leave you guessing until the end. Psychologist Margaret Matheson (Weaver) and her ambitious

assistant (the brilliant Cillian Murphy) study paranormal activity, using science and logic to expose hoaxes

to awaiting sceptics and believers alike. Their work leads them to investigate blind psychic Simon Silver (De

Niro), a world-renowned expert that Matheson had carefully avoided for years. His announcement that he is

leaving retirement after thirty years to go on tour offers her the opportunity to finally challenge her greatest

adversary, but forcing her to face her own fears and faith, or lack thereof. The performances are fantastic,

from the self-possessed De Niro to the aggressively ambitious Murphy, and leave the viewer in a constant

state of debate until it reaches its inevitable dramatic climax – a must-see for summer. Email us your review

of the film and we may print it next month: [email protected]

Red Lights is out nationwide from 22 June 2012

To mark the 50th anniversary of the classic musical West Side Story

a unique event is taking place at the Royal Albert Hall. Fifty years

after its release the MGM re-mastered film is being screened with an

accompaniment from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted

by Jayce Ogren. Ogren is widely regarded as one of the finest young

conductors to emerge from America and has conducted the BBC

Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New World Symphony.

The Royal Philharmonic also has a revered history of working with cultural

icons like Burt Bacharach, George Benson and Stevie Wonder. The

acclaimed musical was the winner of ten Academy Awards including Best Picture and remains one of

the great movie musicals. Screenings will take place from Friday 22 – Sunday 24 June.

22 June, 7.30pm

23 June, 2.30pm and 7.30pm

24 June, 2.30pm

£25 - £65

020 7589 8212

www.royalalberthall.com

A West Side Story classical special

The Residents’ Journal’s Book Club: Living, Thinking, Looking by Siri Hustvedt

Write to usWhat is concerning you about life in Belgravia

at the moment? Good or bad, we’d love to hear

from you. Please email your ‘letters’ to the

Editor, for possible publication, with name and

profession to: [email protected]

3 June - Big Jubilee Lunch / Street Parties Piccadilly will be pedestrianized from 11.30am to 6pm for the Piccadilly Big

Jubilee Lunch street party.

3 June - The Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant

Due to a number of road and bridge closures, motorists are advised to avoid

central London for all but essential journeys, and a number of bus diversions

will be in place.

4 June - The Diamond Jubilee Concert and National Beacon LightingBig screens showing the concert will be in Hyde Park, St James’s Park

and the Mall.

5 June - Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s CathedralThere will be a carriage procession from the Palace of Westminster to

Buckingham Palace. The route is on the Diamond Jubilee website

(www.thediamondjubilee.org). It will also be shown on big screens in Hyde

Park, St James’s Park and Trafalgar Square.

St. James’s Park and The Mall road closuresTo enable the build for the Diamond Jubilee Concert venue there will be

a number of road closures in the coming weeks. They are:

Monday 14 May - Sunday 13 June

Mall west of Marlborough Road plus Constitution Hill

and Queen Victoria Memorial are closed.

Monday 21 May - Saturday 9 June Birdcage Walk eastbound and Spur Road are closed.

From 1st June and over the Diamond Jubilee weekendAll St. James’s Park roads closed for ceremonies and

the Diamond Jubilee activities.

Monday 27 May - Saturday 9 June

Hyde Park road North Carriage Drive will be closed.

Planning & DevelopmentxxxxxxxxxxxxxKeeping you in the know about important street plans in the Belgravia district

Progress on the Victoria Coach Station frontThe Victoria-station end of Elizabeth Street has long caused local residents a

headache. Grosvenor has been shouldering the burden of needing to develop

the area, which suffers from the haphazard placing of arrivals and departures

either side of Elizabeth Street. Victoria station is the busiest transport hub in

London. It’s not the station per se that causes all the bother (far from it; it’s

highly convenient for residents) but the coach station specifically, a location

that causes a great degree of confusion. The coach station essentially sits at the

wrong end of Victoria station for Belgravia’s residents.

Grosvenor Estate and the Urban Land Institute last month re-examined

the ongoing issue of what to do with the Victoria Coach Station ‘problem’.

Grosvenor has written a dozen reports over the last decade that have all

led to nothing, but there is a sense in the air that stones are turning. After

a week long study, the ULI made a presentation at The Grosvenor Hotel to

local residents, lobbyists and businesspeople. In the best possible of worlds,

Victoria Coach Station would be moved and the area entirely revamped,

perhaps with the addition of a square and play area for children, capturing

the community spirit. A less dramatic move, and one being considered, would

be to combine arrivals and departures into one, releasing the arrivals area for

a phase one of development.

updatesJubilee

PLANNED ROAD WORKS AND CLOSURES IN JUNE

STREET Basil StreetBloomfield TerraceBressenden PlaceBressenden Place Bressenden PlaceBressenden Place Brompton RoadCadogan SquareGroom PlaceHarriet WalkKinnerton StreetKnightsbridge Lowndes Square

PLANNED WORK Piping 11.5m in carriageway and 8.1m in footwayWater pipe upgrade workPhone line upgrade workWorks for the Victoria Circle linePreventative cleaning of subways for Olympics Lane 1Victoria Train Station works Hoarding build (until 31 Oct)Excavation in CW to repair blocked gullyHighway services: works for road purposesExcavation in CW to repair blocked gullyWater pipe upgradePiping - Grosvenor place to The Lanesborough HotelExcavation in CW to repair blocked gully (outside 46/47)

DATES 15 - 19 June8 - 14 June30 May - 7 JuneJan - 30 June6 - 7 JuneMay ‘12 - May ‘13 1 June - 31 Oct30 May - 7 June7 - 12 June18 - 22 June7 - 13 June16 May - 13 June6 - 12 June

WORKS OWNER Fulcrum Pipelines Limited 0845 6413010Thames Water 0845 9200 800 British Telecommunications 0800 800 150Transport for London 0845 305 1234Transport for London 0845 305 1234Transport for London 0845 305 1234 Transport for London 0845 305 1234Kensington and Chelsea 020 7361 3000City of Westminster 020 7641 2000Kensington and Chelsea 020 7361 3000Thames Water 0845 9200 800 National Grid Gas plc 0845 605 6677Kensington and Chelsea 020 7361 3000


Chelsea Barracks UpdateChelsea Barracks, the 12.8 acre military site, is to undergo

extensive redevelopment to reconnect it with Belgravia and

the surrounding area. An entire residential neighbourhood

featuring houses, apartments, shops, restaurants and a public

sports and fitness facility has been approved by Westminster

City Council.

Not everything will be brand spanking new, though.

The former Garrison Chapel, recently given listed building

status, will be adapted to create a multi-purpose community

and cultural centre at the heart of the new neighbourhood.

And true to its claim of being a ‘garden setting’, five acres

of squares, streets and green space will provide plenty

of opportunity to wander around. The new public garden

squares will be among the first to be developed in Central

London for more than a century. Over one hundred new

trees will be planted, public art will be displayed and the

landscaped areas will include vegetable patches, reflecting

Chelsea’s earlier history as London’s market garden. However,

the jury is still out on whether residents can don their

gardening gloves and engage in a spot of communal topiary

when the mood takes them.

The development will be carried out by Qatari Diar

Real Estate Investment Company through its wholly-owned

subsidiary Project Blue Ltd. The developers have held thirty

public consultation events including an open day attended by

nearly six hundred local people, whose conflicting views have

resulted in a ‘masterplan’ which they call economically, socially

and environmentally sustainable. Sadly though, the foundations

of the barracks themselves are soon to be no more: they are to

be excavated to make way for the development.Images above © Project Blue (Guernsey) Ltd

Today’s Belgravia of elegant, sweeping terraces and

neatly manicured gardens imbues its environs with

a sense of quiet confidence, an aura more than

earned by the fact that this corner of Mayfair remains a

resolute bastion of soaring property prices in an uncertain

market. But it was not always so.

The seeds for modern Belgravia were planted with

the marriage of Sir Thomas Grosvenor to young heiress

Mary Davies in 1676. Sir Thomas brought titles and

power to the union, and Mary brought extensive property

holdings across Mayfair and Pimlico as well as a large

area of swampy marshland. This would become Belgravia.

As well as being rather boggy underfoot (though

useful for growing asparagus and watercress) the area was

indeed dangerous, filled with the threat of highwaymen.

The open ground was also a favoured site for duelling, as

well as bear-baiting and dog-fighting. Travellers would

gather at Hyde Park Corner and walk in groups.

Eaton Square, meanwhile, was built for grandeur and

elegance, deriving its name from Eaton Hall, the Grosvenor

family country seat in Cheshire. Its slightly odd shape is due

to it being divided by the King’s Road - formerly a small

footpath created for Charles II for the sole use of the King

and his family to travel to Hampton Court Palace (anyone

else wishing to use the road required a token).

However, holding the cache of being the most

desirable street in the country (the average property

price is £6.6 million) is Chester Square, one of the three

squares designed by Thomas Cubitt for the Grosvenor

family. Named after the northern city where Grosvenor’s

Eaton Hall is situated, Chester Square was originally laid

out as streets, but was later redesigned as a square,

with most houses completed by the 1840s.

Another square that has changed much from its

origins is Lowndes Square, which was originally a

wooded area. According to a record of 1746, Lowndes

Square was ‘once a coppice, which supplied the Abbot

and Convent of Westminster with wood for fuel’. Just as

Lord Grosvenor used Cubitt to develop his lands, William

Lowndes also sought his services and Cubitt set about

building Lowndes Square between 1838 and 1849.

And so the ground was prepared, quite literally, to

create squares, crescents and avenues whose enduringly

elegant aesthetics and beauty would last for centuries.

SquaredRebecca Ross and Melanie Backe-Hansen discover the origins of Belgravia’s most prestigious postcodes that are magnitudes more desirable than other locales

Property

Estate AgentsAmes 80 Ebury Street020 7730 1155

Ayrton Wylie 16 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 4628

Best Gapp & Cassells 81 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 9253

Harrods Estates 82 Brompton Road 020 7225 6506

Henry & James 1 Motcomb St. 020 7235 8861

John D Wood 48 Elizabeth St. 020 7824 7900

Knight Frank 82/83 Chester Square 020 7881 7722

Savills 139 Sloane Street020 7730 0822

Food & DrinkBARS Amaya Halkin Arcade, Motcomb St. 020 7823 1166

bBar and Restaurant 43 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7958 7000

The Garden Room (Cigar) The Lanesborough Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599

The Library Bar (Wine) The Lanesborough

Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599

Tiles Restaurant and Wine Bar 36 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7834 7761

CAFÉSBelgravia Coffee Bar 4 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 3738

Bella Maria 4 Lower Grosvenor Pl. 020 7976 6280

Caffe Reale 23 Grosvenor Gardens 020 7592 9322

The Green Café 16 Eccleston St. 020 7730 5304

ll Corriere 6 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 2087

The Old English Coffee House 1 Montrose Pl. 020 7235 3643

Patisserie Valerie 17 Motcomb St. 020 7245 6161

Tomtom Coffee House 114 Ebury St. 020 7730 1771

Valerie Victoria 38 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7630 9781

ITALIANComo Lario (Italian) 18-22 Holbein Pl. 020 7730 9046

Da Scalzo Art Brasserie (Pizzeria) 2 Eccleston Pl. 020 7730 5498

Il Convivio (Italian) 143 Ebury St. 020 7730 4099

Olivo (Pizzeria) 21 Eccleston St. 020 7730 2505

Tinello (Italian) 87 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 3663

Zafferano (Italian) 15 Lowndes St. 020 7235 5800

PUBSThe Antelope (Classic) 22-24 Eaton Terrace 020 7824 8512

The Belgravia (Classic) 152 Ebury St. 020 7730 6040

The Duke of Wellington (Classic) 63 Eaton Terrace 020 7730 1782

The Nag’s Head (Classic) 53 Kinnerton St. 020 7235 1135

The Pantechnicon (Gastro) 10 Motcomb St. 020 7730 6074

The Thomas Cubitt (Gastro) 44 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 6060

The Wilton Arms (Classic) 71 Kinnerton St. 020 7235 4854

TRADITIONAL BRITISH FAREBumbles Restaurant 16 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7828 2903

Motcombs Private Town House 23 Motcomb St.

020 7235 3092

RESTAURANTSKen Lo’s Memories of China 65-69 Ebury St. 020 7730 7734

Mango Tree (Thai) 46 Grosvenor Pl. 020 7823 1888

Nahm (Thai) The Halkin Hotel, Halkin St. 020 7333 1234

Salloos (Pakistani) 62-64 Kinnerton St.020 7235 4444

The Sekara (Sri Lankan) 3 Lower Grosvenor Pl. 020 7834 0722

11 Pimlico Road 11 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6784

Apsleys, a Heinz Beck Restaurant The Lanesborough Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599

Petrus (French) 1 Kinnerton St. 020 7592 1609

Koffmann’s (French) The Berkeley, Wilton Pl. 020 7235 1010

La Poule au Pot (French) 231 Ebury St. 020 7730 7763

Noura (Lebanese) 16 Hobart Pl. 020 7235 9444

Roussillon (Vegetarian) 16 St Barnabas St. 020 7730 5550

A compendium of the area’s key establishments

The BelgraviaDirectory


Health & BeautyBARBER Giuseppe D’Amico 20 Eccleston St. 020 7730 2968

DENTISTSBelgrave Dental Practice 42a Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7834 4312

The Beresford Clinic 2 Lower Grosvenor Pl. 020 7821 9411

James Hull Associates 2 Eccleston St. 020 7730 4948

Motcomb Street Dentist 3 Motcomb St. 020 7235 6531

The Wilton Place Practice 31 Wilton Pl. 020 7235 3824

DOCTORSThe Belgrave Medical Centre 13 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 5171

The Belgravia Surgery 26 Eccleston St. 020 7590 8000

Dr Kalina 109 Ebury St. 020 7730 4805

GYM/ FITNESSThe Light Centre Belgravia (Yoga, pilates etc.) 9 Eccleston St. 020 7881 0728

Michael Garry Personal Training 54b Ebury St. 020 7730 6255

Yogoji (Yoga) 54a Ebury St. 020 7730 7473

HAIR SALONSColin & Karen Hair Design 39 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 7440

Daniel Galvin Jr 4a West Halkin St. 020 3416 3116

Errol Douglas 18 Motcomb St. 020 7235 0110

Gianni and Claudie 22 Motcomb St. 020 7235 7275

Motcomb Green Hair and Beauty Salon 11-12 Motcomb St. 020 7235 2228

Moulson Davern 85 Bourne St. 020 7730 6818

No 10 Hairdressing 10 Holbein St. 020 7823 6037

MEDISPABijoux Medi-Spa 149 Ebury St. 020 7730 0765

SPASearthspa 4 Eccleston St. 020 7823 6226

Glow Urban Spa 8 Motcomb St. 020 7752 0652

True Beauty 39 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 3220

HomeANTIQUES Anno Domini Antiques 66 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 5496

Anthony Outred Antiques 72 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7948

Bennison 16 Holbein Pl. 020 7730 8076

Hilary Batstone 8 Holbein Pl. 020 7730 5335

Howe 93 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 7987

John King Antiques 74 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 0427

Keshishian (Carpets) 73 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 8810

Lauriance Rogier Lamps 20a Pimlico Rd.020 7823 4780

Nicholas Gifford-Mead 68 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 6233

Rose Uniacke 76-78 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 7050

Sanaiy 57 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 4742

Tomasz Starzewski Home 229 Ebury St.020 7730 8886

Turkmen Gallery 8 Eccleston St.020 7730 8848

ARCHITECTS/ DESIGN Clifford Tee + Gale 5 Eccleston St.020 7730 9633

Donald Insall Associates 19 West Eaton St. 020 7245 9888

Marston & Langinger194 Ebury St.020 7881 5700

Paul Davis + Partners 178 Ebury St.020 7730 1178

Travis Perkins (Builders) 61-63 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 6622

ARTEFACTSJoss Graham 10 Eccleston St.020 7730 4370

Mark Ransom 62-64, 105 Pimlico Rd. 020 7259 0220

Odyssey Fine Arts 24 Holbein Pl.020 7730 9942

DIYBlakes of Belgravia 7 Eccleston St. 020 7730 2999

Blakes of Belgravia 5-7 Kinnerton St. 020 7235 2166

FINISHING TOUCHESFrame Designs (Framer) 57 Ebury St. 020 7730 0533

L&B (Exclusive bed linen) 6-7 Motcomb St. 020 7838 9592

Luke Irwin (Rugs) 22 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6070

Paint Services Company 19 Eccleston St. 020 7730 6408

Pullman Editions (Posters) 94 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 0547

Rachel Vosper (Candles) 69 Kinnerton St. 020 7235 9666

Ramsay (Prints) 69 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6776

Sebastian D’Orsai (Framer) 77 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 8366

Zuber 42 Pimlico Rd. 020 7824 8265

FURNITURE Ciancimino 85 Pimlico Pl. 020 7730 9959

The Dining Chair Company 4 St Barnabas St. 020 7259 0422

Hemisphere 97 Lower Sloane St.020 7730 9810

Jamb 107a Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 2122

Lamberty 46 Pimlico Rd. 020 7823 5115

Linley 60 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7300

Lloyd Loom Showroom 20 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6574

Mark Wilkinson Kitchens 10 West Halkin St.020 7235 1845

Michael Reeves Associates 30 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 3009

Nicholas Haslam 202 Ebury St. 020 7730 0445

Ossowski 83 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 3256

Patrick Jefferson 227 Ebury St. 020 7730 6161

Promemoria UK 99 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 2514

Soane 50-52 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6400Talisman 190-192 Ebury St. 020 7730 7800

Westenholz 80-82 Pimlico Rd. 020 7824 8090

GALLERIES 88 Gallery 86-88 Pimlico Rd.020 7730 2728

Ahuan Gallery 17 Eccleston St. 020 7730 9382

Eleven 11 Eccleston St. 020 7823 5540

Gallery 25 26 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7516

Gauntlett Gallery 90-92 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7516

Gordon Watson 28 Pimlico Rd. 020 7259 0555

John Adams Fine Art200 Ebury St. 020 7730 8999

Julian Simon Fine Art 70 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 8673

The Osborne Studio Gallery 2 Motcomb St.020 7235 9667

Plus One Gallery 89-91 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7656

INTERIOR DESIGN Chester Designs 9 Chester Sq. Mews 020 7730 4333

Coote & Bernardi 59 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6064

Jane Churchill Interiors 81 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 8564

Joanna Wood 48a Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 5064

Leonie Brown Interiors 2 St Barnabas St. 020 7730 4433

Living Interiors 57 Ebury St. 020 7730 0545

RESTORATION Humphrey-Carrasco 43 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 9911

Paul Hahn 5 Lower Grosvenor Pl.020 7592 0224

HotelsB&Bs B+B Belgravia & Studios@82 64-66 Ebury St. 020 7259 8570

Belgravia Hotel 118 Ebury St. 020 7259 0050

Cartref House 129 Ebury St. 020 7730 6176

James House Hotel Bed and Breakfast 108 Ebury St. 020 7730 5880

Lord Milner Hotel 111 Ebury St. 020 7881 9880

Lynton Hotel 113 Ebury St. 020 7730 4032

Morgan Guest House 120 Ebury St. 020 7730 2384

Westminster House Hotel 96 Ebury St. 020 7730 4302

BOUTIQUEAstors Hotel 110-112 Ebury St. 020 7730 0158

The Belgravia Mews Hotel 50 Ebury St. 020 7730 5434

Belgravia Rooms 104 Ebury St. 020 7730 1011

The Diplomat Hotel 2 Chesham St. 020 7235 1544

Lime Tree Hotel 135-137 Ebury St. 020 7730 8191

The Rubens at the Palace 39 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7834 6600

The Sloane Club Lower Sloane St. 020 7730 9131

Tophams Hotel 24-32 Ebury St. 020 7730 3313

LUXURYThe Berkeley Wilton Pl. 020 7235 6000

The Goring Beeston Pl. 020 7396 9000

The Grosvenor 101 Buckingham Palace Rd. 0845 305 8337

The Halkin Hotel Halkin St. 020 7333 1000

Jumeirah Lowndes Hotel 21 Lowndes St. 020 7858 7223

The Lanesborough Hyde Park Corner 020 7259 5599

ServicesBANKS Barclays Bank 8 West Halkin St. 08457 555 555

Duncan Lawrie 1 Hobart Pl. 020 7245 1234

NatWest 141 Ebury St. 0845 303 0933

Royal Bank of Scotland 24 Grosvenor Pl. 020 7235 1882


BOOKMAKERSCoral Racing 67 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 6516

William Hill 12 Buckingham Palace Rd. 08705 181 715

William Hill 18-20 Elizabeth St. 08705 181 715

CHARITIESBritish Red Cross shop 85 Ebury St. 020 7730 2235

CLEANERSBelgrave Dry Cleaners 8 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 9978

Buttercup Dry Cleaners 49 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 2912

Byblos 18 Eccleston St. 020 7730 4545

Ebury Cleaners 63 Ebury St. 020 7730 4430

Elias Cleaners 3 Motcomb St. 020 7235 2920

EDUCATIONMiss Daisy’s Nursery Ebury Square 020 7730 5797

St Peter’s Church of England Primary School Lower Belgrave St. 020 7641 4230

Thomas’s Kindergarten 14 Ranelagh Grove 020 7730 3596

FLORISTSJudith Blacklock Flower School 4/5 Kinnerton Pl. South 020 7235 6235

Neill Strain Floral Couture 11 West Halkin St. 020 7235 6469

Nikki Tibbles for Wild at Heart 30a Pimlico Rd. 020 7229 1174

Woodhams 45 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 3353

LIBRARYVictoria Library 160 Buckingham Palace Rd. 020 7641 1300

MOTORINGBelgravia Garage 1 Eaton Mews West 020 7235 9900

Masterpark KnightsbridgeKinnerton St. 0800 243 348

POST OFFICEPost Office 6 Eccleston St. 08457 223344

PRINTING & COPYINGPrintus 115a Ebury St. 020 7730 7799

TRAVELBravo Travel 6 Lower Grosvenor Pl. 0870 121 3411

Celestial Travel 1 Lower Grosvenor Pl. 020 7828 3311

Diplomat Travel 12 Eccleston St. 020 7730 2201

Steamond Travel 23 Eccleston St. 020 7730 8646

Specialist shopsBAKERIESBaker & Spice 54-56 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 3033

Ottolenghi 13 Motcomb St. 020 7823 2707

Poilane 46 Elizabeth St. 020 7808 4910

CIGAR SPECIALISTSTomtom Cigars 63 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 1790

CONFECTIONARYPeggy Porschen 116 Ebury St. 020 7730 1316

Pierre Herme 13 Lowndes St. 020 7245 0317

Rococo Chocolates 5 Motcomb St. 020 7245 0993

DELILa Bottega 25 Eccleston St. 020 7730 2730

GREENGROCERSCharles of Belgravia27 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 5210

The Market Quarter 36 Elizabeth St. 020 7824 8470

JEWELLERSCarolina Bucci 4 Motcomb St. 020 7838 9977

David Thomas, Master Goldsmith 65 Pimlico Rd. 020 7730 7710

De Vroomen 59 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 1901

Erickson Beamon 38 Elizabeth St. 020 7259 0202

Kim Poor 53 Elizabeth St. 020 7259 9063

NEWSAGENTSMayhew Newsagents 15 Motcomb St. 020 7235 5770

Y B Patel 25 Grosvenor Gardens 020 7834 0579

PERFUMERYAmouage 14 Lowndes St. 020 3031 9872

Annick Goutal 20 Motcomb St. 020 7245 0248

Les Senteurs 71 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 2322

PET ACCESSORIESMungo & Maud 79 Elizabeth St. 020 7022 1207

PHARMACIESKeencare Chemist 6 Lower Belgrave St. 020 7730 8747

Walden Chymist 65 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 0080

POLISHERSF Bennett and Son 9 Chester Square Mews 020 7730 6546

STATIONERSGrosvenor Stationery Company 47 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 4515

HR Stokes 58 Elizbabeth St. 020 7730 7073

WINEJeroboams 50-52 Elizabeth St. 020 7730 8108

1

savills.co.uk

Savills KnightsbridgeLucy [email protected]

020 7581 5234

Savills Sloane StreetRichard [email protected]

020 7730 0822

Guide £6.5 million Freehold

3 reception rooms ø kitchen/breakfast roomø master bedroom suite ø 3 further bedroomsø 3 further bath/shower rooms ø gym ø wine cellarø terrace ø 305 sq m (3,284 sq ft)

A WELL PRESENTED GRADE II LISTED BELGRAVIA TOWNHOUSEeaton terrace, sw1

1

savills.co.uk


020 7730 0822

Savills KnightsbridgeBarbara [email protected]

020 7581 5234

Price on application Freehold

Entrance hall ø dining room ø sitting roomø drawing room ø kitchen/breakfast room ø masterbedroom with dressing area and shower room ø 4further bedroom suites ø utility room ø cloakroomø patio garden ø terrace ø 374 sq m (4,032 sq ft)

STUNNING TOWNHOUSE BORDERING KNIGHTSBRIDGE AND BELGRAVIAwilton place, sw1

1

savills.co.uk

Savills KnightsbridgeAlex [email protected]

020 7581 5234


020 7730 0822

Guide £9.5 million Leasehold, approximately 161 years remaining

Entrance hall ø reception room ø dining roomø kitchen ø 4 bedrooms (3 en suite) ø familybathroom ø guest cloakroom ø balconies ø liftø porter ø 227 sq m (2,441 sq ft)

BEAUTIFUL FOURTH FLOOR LATERAL PENTHOUSEeaton square, sw1

1

2

savills.co.uk

Savills Sloane StreetSimon [email protected]

020 7824 9005

LUXURIOUS ACCOMMODATION INTHIS SUPERB MEWS HOUSE

belgrave mews south, sw1

4 bedrooms ø 2 reception rooms ø kitchen ø 4 bathroomsø guest cloakroom ø garage ø 353 sq m (3,800 sq ft)

£7,950 per week Flexible furnishings

Savills Sloane StreetAdam [email protected]

020 7824 9005

AN EXTREMELY WELL ARRANGEDFOUR BEDROOM HOUSE

whittaker street, sw1

4 bedrooms (all en suite) ø entrance hall ø 2 receptionrooms ø eat-in kitchen ø patio garden ø private parking for2 cars ø 260 sq m (2,804 sq ft)

£3,300 per week Unfurnished

Chalfont House, SW1X £1,450,000 | Leasehold

A well proportioned two bedroom flat (double and single) on the ground floor of this popular apartment building in Chesham Street. The apartment has been recently modernised and is beautifully presented with an eat-in kitchen. The reception room is a light room with windows facing south and west, and has a large square bay window overlooking a courtyard. There is a porter during daytime hours. The heating and hot water is communal and therefore the cost is included in the service charge. Due to its convenient location and the good management of the building this would make an ideal rental investment.

Reception room, Double bedroom, Single bedroom, Kitchen/breakfast room, Bathroom with shower

1 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8JX 020 7235 8861

[email protected]

Chesham Street, SW1X £1,595,000 | Leasehold

A beautifully presented two bedroom flat in this popular street in the heart of Belgravia. Situated on the third floor (with lift) it is bright and airy and well-proportioned. There are two double bedrooms both en-suite and a good-sized reception room with ample space for a dining area and a well-equipped kitchen. The building has been well maintained and has an attractive stucco façade. Nearby are a plethora of world-class shops, restaurants and entertainment venues, and there are excellent transport links with Sloane Square and Knightsbridge Underground stations within easy walking distance.

Reception room, Kitchen, Two double bedrooms, Bathroom and Shower room, Lift.

[email protected]


Lowndes Square, SW1X £750 per week | Furnished

A lovely newly refurbished pied-a-terre on the raised ground floor of this prestigious portered building, located on one of the finest squares in London just a few moments from Motcomb Street. The property has been interior designed throughout and furnished in a contemporary style. The property comprises kitchen open-plan to the reception room, a double bedroom, a shower room. Available immediately for a long term let.

Double bedroom, Bathroom, Open-plan-kitchen to reception room, Porter, Newly refurbished.


[email protected]

Eaton Square, Belgravia SW1

Leasehold 123 years approximatelyGuide price £4,950,000

Exceptional two bedroom Belgravia apartmentA stunning, newly refurbished raised ground floor apartment located in one of London’s most prestigious garden squares. Master bedroom with en suite shower room, 1 further bedroom, 1 further bathroom, reception room, kitchen, dining room, communal garden. Approximately 1,455 sq ft (135 sq m)

(BGV120012)

KnightFrank.co.uk/Belgravia

020 7881 [email protected]

Belgrave Mews South, Belgravia SW1

Available furnished£7,950 per week

Immaculate private mews houseAn exquisitely refurbished unassuming mews house available for rent in Belgravia. The four bedroom property is situated in a quiet location, with two impressive reception rooms, luxurious fixtures and furnishings, private roof terrace and garage. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room, three further bedrooms with en suite bedrooms, reception room, open plan kitchen and dining area, guest cloakroom, roof terrace, garage. Approximately 353 sq m (3,800 sq ft)

Knight Frank

Belgrave Mews South, Belgravia SW1

Available furnished£7,950 per week

Immaculate private mews houseAn exquisitely refurbished unassuming mews house available for rent in Belgravia. The four bedroom property is situated in a quiet location, with two impressive reception rooms, luxurious fixtures and furnishings, private roof terrace and garage. Master bedroom with en suite bathroom and dressing room, three further bedrooms with en suite bedrooms, reception room, open plan kitchen and dining area, guest cloakroom, roof terrace, garage. Approximately 353 sq m (3,800 sq ft)

(156052)

KnightFrank.co.uk/Lettings

020 7881 [email protected]

Knight Frank

www.johndwood.co.ukBELGRAVIA 020 7824 7900 [email protected]

BOURNE STREET, SW1A wonderful 2nd floor apartment enviably located overlooking Orange Square and Pimlico Road with its designer galleries, food shops, restaurants and weekly Farmer’s Market, situated close to Sloane Square.

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room.

Furnished £1,050 per week

EBURY MEWS, SW1A charming two storey house in a cobbled mews just to the south of Chester Square, situated just around the corner from the restaurant, shopping and bar facilities of Elizabeth Street.

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, reception room.

Furnished £995 per week

Belgravia Residents Journal.indd 1 18/05/2012 12:34

www.johndwood.co.ukBELGRAVIA 020 7824 7900 [email protected]

EATON SQUARE, SW1A highly desirable and impeccably presented 2nd floor portered apartment, with lift, in this prime central London garden square.

4 bedrooms, dressing room, 3 bathrooms (2 en suite), drawing/dining room, reception room, kitchen/breakfast room, cloakroom, lift, garage, private communal square gardens.

Lease to 2073 Guide Price £7,800,000 JSA: Savills, Sloane Street

1872 - 2012

TR

UST

ED FO

R GENERATION

S140Years of Property

Belgravia Residents Journal.indd 2 18/05/2012 12:34

E A T O N P L A C E , S W 1

ACCOMMODATION AND AMENITIES

Large Entrance Hall • Drawing Room and Dining Room (interconnecting)

Kitchen / Breakfast Room • 3 Bedrooms • 2 En Suite Bathrooms • En Suite

Shower Room • Study / Bedroom 4 • Shower Room / Utility Room • Cloakroom

Patio Garden.

[email protected]

LEASE 92 YEARS£4,650,000

Situated in the heart of Belgravia, this Grade II Listed ground and lower ground maisonette (2,442 sq ft / 227 sq m) enjoys the benefit of an attractive south-facing patio garden.

L Y A L L M E W S , S W 1

ACCOMMODATION AND AMENITIES

Drawing Room • Dining Room • Kitchen • Master Bedroom with en suite

Bathroom • 3 further Bedrooms • Bathroom • Study • Guest Cloakroom • Garage

Off Street Parking (subject to Grosvenor licence) • Use of Belgrave Square Gardens

(subject to annual fee).

16 Lower Belgrave Street, Belgravia, London SW1W 0LN

FREEHOLD

£3,650,000

In one of Belgravia’s most prestigious mews, between Eaton Place and Chesham Place, this mews house (1,936 sq ft / 180 sq m) gives the buyer the opportunity to modernise and rearrange to their own specification and budget.

www.ayrtonwylie.com +44 (0) 20 7730 4628 Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Chelsea

www.ayrtonwylie.com +44 (0) 20 7730 4628

[email protected] T: +44 020 7225 6509

Freehold

M.S. MOUETTE, CADOGAN PIER, Chelsea, SW3Built in Germany just before the outbreak of WWII, this purpose built steel-hull diesel motor boat was commissioned as a passenger ferry on the Swiss lakes, and was in service approximately 60 years. Now fully restored and retaining most of its original features, M.S. Mouette occupies a prominent mooring on Cadogan Pier, which is accessed via a gated entrance on Chelsea Embankment. Currently used as a pied-à-terre, the vessel comprises approximately 1,380sq ft (128.2sq m) of internal area and a further 700sq ft (65sq m) of external recreational decks. There is also substantial storage in the hold.

For Sale: £1,000,000 subject to contract

BROMPTON PLACE, Knightsbridge, SW3This very charming one bedroom freehold terraced house is arranged over two floors and boasts a rear patio located off the dining room. Upstairs the bright well proportioned bedroom benefits from built-in wardrobes with a large ensuite bathroom. Located discreetly off the Brompton Road, Brompton Place is ideal for the fabulous amenities Knightsbridge has to offer and is within moments walk of Harrods, Hyde Park and Sloane Street. The property would make an ideal pied-a-terre and a secure underground parking space within the Harrods car park with valet service which is located at the end of Brompton Place is available for an additional £150,000.

For Sale: £1,595,000 subject to contract Freehold

SLOANE STREET, Knightsbridge, SW1This fabulous three bedroom family apartment (1,980 sq.ft/183.9 sq.m) currently part of a larger unite, is located on the third floor of this small discreet, purpose-built, mansion block with resident caretaker, lift and security. The accommodation includes a wonderfully proportioned double reception room with an abundance of period features, a large kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, guest WC and utility room. Situated on the corner of Sloane Street and Basil Street, the entrance of this 19th century, period building is located on Sloane Street, moments from Harrods, Hyde Park and all the world-class amenities that Knightsbridge has to offer.

For Sale: £4,950,000 subject to contract Leasehold 135 years

[email protected] T: +44 020 7893 8044

BASIL MANSIONS, Knightsbridge, SW3This lower ground apartment (724 sq ft/67.3 sq m) is located in a very well managed mansion block on Basil Street, moment away from Harrods and Sloane Street. Well presented with 2 double bedrooms, there is also access to a communal patio from the reception room. Basil Mansions benefits from resident caretaker, lift and security. The property would make an ideal pied-a-terre or rental investment.

Leasehold 990 yearsFor Sale: £1,175,000 subject to contract

EATON SQUARE, Belgravia, SW1This spacious, three / four bedroom lateral apartment is situated on the second floor across two substantial stucco-fronted buildings on the preferred north side of London’s most exclusive garden square. Refurbished to the highest standards, the apartment benefits from generously proportioned, high-ceilinged reception room and bedrooms with direct views of the private square gardens. The apartment also benefits from a resident porter, lift, security and access to the square’s gardens and tennis courts.

For Sale: £10,950,000 subject to contract Leasehold: 63 years

PONT STREET, Knightsbridge, SW1A fabulous one bedroom apartment on the ground and lower ground floors of a substantial red-brick building set back from Pont Street. This property boasts a large reception room with high ceiling and a resident porter. Situated on the southside of Pont Street the property is ideally situated for the amenities of Knightsbridge , Sloane Street and Sloane Square. This would make an ideal pied-a-terre or rental investment.

For Sale: £1,500,000 subject to contract Leasehold 61 years

Substantially re-modelled by the distinguished architect Oliver Hill in 1913. The three storey building is approached through the garden via distinctive wrought iron gates and is quietly located within a short walk of Sloane Square. The net internal floor areas are:First floor 1,005 sq ftGround Floor 989 sq ftLower Ground 1,030 sq ftTotal 3,024 sq ft /280m2

All with good natural light and sunshine.To be let on a new full repairing and insuring lease for a term to be agreed.

WEST EATON PLACE, BELGRAVIA SW1A splendid and individual period office building to let with the rare amenity of a south facing courtyard garden

Property Consultants, Estate Agents & Chartered Surveyors

FURTHER TERMS AND VIEWING VIA JOINT SOLE AGENTS:

Jonathan [email protected]

AMESBELGRAVIAPROPERTY CONSULTANTS

T: 020 7730 1155www.amesbelgravia.co.uk

Christopher Ames07769 [email protected]

ESTATE AGENTS,SURVEYORS AND PROPERTY CONSULTANTS81 Elizabeth Street, Eaton Square, London SW1W 9PG

Tel: 020 7730 9253 Fax: 020 7730 8212 Email: [email protected]

www.bestgapp.co.uk

Over 100 years experience in Belgravia

EATON SQUARE SW1A most impressive recently refurbished ground and garden floor maisonette on the south side of this most prestigious Square in Belgravia. The apartment has high ceilings and a south facing reception room opening on to a patio garden and use of the communal gardens and tennis court. (by separate negotiation.)

* Reception room* Kitchen/Breakfast Room* Master Bedroom Suite* 2 Further Bedrooms* Shower Room* Separate WC* Garden* PorterLeasehold 38 Years £2,775,000

Chelsea Sales 020 7225 3866 Lettings 020 7589 9966Fulham & Parsons Green Sales 020 7731 7100 Lettings 020 7731 7100Kensington & Holland Park Sales 020 7938 3666 Lettings 020 7938 3866Knightsbridge, Belgravia & Mayfair Sales 020 7235 9959 Lettings 020 7235 9959Notting Hill & Bayswater Sales 020 7221 1111 Lettings 020 7221 1111West Chelsea & South Kensington Sales 020 7373 1010 Lettings 020 7373 1010

struttandparker.com

City Office 020 7600 3456 Professional Valuations 020 7318 5039UK Commercial & Residential 020 7629 7282Residential Investment 020 7318 5196Property Management 020 7052 9417

St Michael’s Mews | Belgravia | SW12,422 sq ft (225 sq m)

£4,850,000 Freehold

Knightsbridge 020 7235 9959

Entrance hall | Reception room | Drawing room | Kitchen/breakfast room | Three bedrooms Two bathrooms | Roof terrace | Private underground garage

A contemporary 3 bedroom townhouse with a large integral garage and roof terrace, within the secure gated Belgravia Place development.

Scan this QR code with your camera phone to read more about this property. Free QR code readers are available to download from our website at struttandparker.com/qrcode

Wilbraham Place | Knigtsbridge | SW1

Chelsea Sales 020 7225 3866 Lettings 020 7589 9966Fulham & Parsons Green Sales 020 7731 7100 Lettings 020 7731 7100Kensington & Holland Park Sales 020 7938 3666 Lettings 020 7938 3866Knightsbridge, Belgravia & Mayfair Sales 020 7235 9959 Lettings 020 7235 9959Notting Hill & Bayswater Sales 020 7221 1111 Lettings 020 7221 1111West Chelsea & South Kensington Sales 020 7373 1010 Lettings 020 7373 1010

struttandparker.com

Drawing Room | Kitchen | Cloakroom | Master Bedroom with En Suite Bathroom Two Further Bedrooms | Bathroom | Lift

A owners own home located in this impressive mansion block moments from Sloane Square and Knightsbridge.

City Office 020 7600 3456 Professional Valuations 020 7318 5039UK Commercial & Residential 020 7629 7282Residential Investment 020 7318 5196Property Management 020 7052 9417

£6,000 per week Furnished


Short Let


struttandparker.com

A new batch of potential buyers has just arrived.As Knightsbridge and Belgravia remain the prime destinations for overseas property investment, it continues to attract a wealth of international buyers.

In the last six months, 75% of our registered buyers and tenants were from overseas.

If you want to market your property now or would like to talk about how we can help you, do call either Charlie Willis, head of sales or Nina McDowall, head of lettings.

66 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9SH.Call 020 7235 9959 or email [email protected] today

Chelsea Sales 020 7225 3866 Lettings 020 7589 9966Fulham & Parsons Green Sales 020 7731 7100 Lettings 020 7731 7100Kensington & Holland Park Sales 020 7938 3666 Lettings 020 7938 3866Notting Hill Sales 020 7221 1111 Lettings 020 7221 1111West Chelsea & South Kensington Sales 020 7373 1010 Lettings 020 7373 1010

3460 International Ad A4.indd 1 11/05/2012 15:52

belgravia residents' journal june 2012

Documents

thomas cubitt page

cubitt town

eaton square look

docklands area

calendar page

belgravian entrepreneur

belgravian household

undeveloped area