Amicia de Moubray had a party to launch her latest book '20th Century Castles' at the baronial gothic splendour of the mansion at Two Temple Place, down on the embankment just along from The Savoy.
Two Temple Place
I went along as a guest of Mary Killen and was delighted to bump into Sir Peregrine Worsthorne and his wife Lady Lucinda Lambton. I have hardly seen them both since I drove down to Aix En Provence in a Bentley Mulsanne Turbo convertible, stopping as guests of Olivier Krugg one night and the monastery at Vazeley the second night. We stayed with Isobel Strathmore and had a lovely time until the car met with a large stone on the rockery in the garden which punctured the sump and put a very sudden end to the road trip. Bentley, of course handled it beautifully.
Hugh St Clair was down from Norfolk and it was very good to see the artist Julian Barrow, his wife Serena and Julian's brother, the author Andrew Barrow, whose son I fought painting to on the island of Mallorca 18months ago. The wine and canopes did not run out and it was so crowded that Mary stood at the top of the stairs by door greeting and chatting.
Zedel's Brasserie
The following day I had the pleasure of seeing Mary when we met for a lunch she had arranged at Jeremy Kings new joint called Zedel's in Piccadilly; and what a jolly affair that was too. Joanna Johnston, the costume designer who was up for an Oscar for her brilliance in the film Lincoln, joined us along with Hugh Betts from Maggs Bros in Berekley square.
I very much like the ambiance of this new and buzzing establishment...reminding me of the Brasserie St Georges in Lyon....large refectory type layout full of people in the serious business of feeding and talking...the result is a pleasant 'White noise' that gives the same back drop as a successful wedding reception. The secret is to always have the 'fixed price' menu. A glass of red is something like £3.50, a small tumbler of Lillet is £3.00 and so too is a creme brûlée....it seems slightly unbelievable.
Stephen Mackenzie is the new general manager....having come just two weeks ago from the Bar Boulud underneath the Mandarin Oriental. He very graciously complimented us ( as they say these days) the puddings (the tarte au pommes is worth a bit of pain) and that was a kind and thoughtful gesture.
After lunch we set off let a well refreshed troupe of Flanneurs to take in the sights as we went along. We stumbed upon the Cafe Royal and Tim, the head concierge dropped everything to show us around.
The Grill at the Cafe Royal which is one of the legendary dining rooms in London, frequented by Oscar Wilde.
It is rather fabulous in it's opulence. The main suite is still under construction and judging by what they have done so far, has a breath taking potential. The wooden panelled suite has the feelings of a grand country house or the guest room at Arundel Castle...the double glazing of a miraculous quality blocks out the traffic and drama of Regents Street outside.
From there we walked on through Mayfair and talking about inspirations for costume design, slipped through Browns Hotel from Albermarle Street to Dover Street and into Philip Mould's Gallery for an idea.
Phillip, famous for his books and TV shows, including the Antique Roadshow happened to be in. I have known Phillip since day one of public school. We were in the same house, interviewed for the same regiment, went to the same University and lived in the same cottage as students.
Philip talked us through a full size portrait of the Countess of Pembroke....a painting of a beautiful woman full of allegory reflected in her clothes which are symbolic of that moment in life. From there we strolled across to Hugh Betts office at Maggs Bros.
Maggs Bros
Maggs Bros is situated on Berkeley Square in a mansion that is said to be the most haunted house in London and is the size of a small prep school. It is a wonderful establishment and you might not be phased to meet characters from another era browsing around it's magnificent collection of antiquarian books and prints.
Hugh Betts of Maggs Bros in His Office
With a flourish Hugh produced an item that has just come into his possession......lifting from under his desk a container that is normally used for carrying feline creatures to the vet...Hugh unpacks the contents, separating it from it's bubble wrap and old newspaper padding. Behold the death mask of Napoleon....
Whilst it was an improvement on Hugh's general appearance.....it really is a fantastic piece of history and one of only two made by his physician within two hours of his death. Mary and Joanna said they were surprised at how handsome he was.....certainly had noble features.
We finished up with mugs of tea and biscuits in the kitchen in the basement....it was a bit like going to see your tutor at University.
That evening I was lucky enough to be invited to a very lovely dinner party at the Chelsea Arts Club, thoughtfully and generously thrown by the artist Nicola Reed and her husband James. The were 16 of us including Ralph Ward Jackson, who introduced me to Nicola. The food and atmosphere were conducive to a characterful and very amusing evening...
Early Members of The Arts Club
Typical Afternoon at The Arts Club
The following day Ralph Ward Jackson Hosted a lunch for 5 at Bucks Club on Clifford Street, just off Savile Row. Being dim I left the house without thinking earlier in the day and it dawned on me that I was not appropriately dressed for lunch in such an establishment...
I think that is the poet Roger McGough on the right with the spectacles and earring....I know he should be poet Laureate and he performed Lilly the Pink back in the early '70s. This is in the Chelsea Arts Club..
The wonderfully stylish Richard James came to the rescue....situated opposite the club but on Savile Row, they gallantly produced the suitable attire for lunch in a gentleman's club and dressed me with the kit on loan and all I had to do was stroll across to join Ralph and his guests. Bucks serves delicious club food and the potted shrimps followed by rabbit pie was juicy and good. The wine was a fine and generous choice and the setting would be perfect for a costume drama....
Talking of which the costume was returned to Richard James straight after the last brandy.
The club is where the famous Bucks Fizz was invented (the drink - not the group of the same name from Sweden who sprang to fame with Waterloo when I was at Prep School in the 70s)
What a change lunch was the next day...minimalist Japanese food at Samosun with Ambrose Carey and John Corry ....very neat and clean and I felt like I had arrived to have my appendix out rather than eat tempura and sushi.....which, incidentally, was masterfully prepared and quite exquisite. The hot Saki was great too.
Samosun on Albermarle Street, Mayfair
The next day my friend the cameraman Gavin Northover joined me for drinks at Gordon's Wine Bar. I was at school with the 5 Gordon boys and they are each quite remarkable in one way or another. Later we had a good beef Casserole dinner at the very reasonable Cotes on Charing Cross Rd....it was an all too rare opportunity to catch up with a dear old friend who I hadn't seen properly since his wedding in Southern Spain in the lemon groves followed by the dancing in the moonlight some 18 months ago!
Over the week end the owner and landlord of my local - the Brown Dog in Barnes - to celebrate his 40th birthday. The party was actually in the Tree House a few hundred yards away. I made a guest appearance as a barman for a short period, to add to the chaos.
40th Birthday Party
We ended the evening at the Halfway House till the early hours.
Sunday evening was spent welcoming my friends Jodi and Brindy Hamstra to London. We met at the Mayfair Hotel for champagne and canapés. We walked Brindy round the corner to the Dover Street Arts Club to meet her friends before Jodi and I took a cab to the Abingdon in Kensington and a very well prepared dinner.
I left Jody far too late for a Sunday night and she and Brindy took off for a 5 day wine tour of Bordeaux.
Vivienne Westwood and Matthew Williamson offices were a pleasure to deal with on a Monday morning and the talk that evening, organised by Sophia Koopman by the fabulous creator and sculptor, Richard Wilson. Richard is RA and world famous for his striking creations.... It was an intimate talk in the private dining room at Annabel's with a set dinner afterwards.
You might remember his crude oil installation at the Saatchi Gallery....
And his amazing and thought provoking installation in a disused building in Liverpool. The rotating disc was a triumph and he recounted the story about arriving in the city only for the taxi driver to insist that he took Richard to see what was the most attractive site in the city...the very same installation that Richard had installed.
It was a brilliant talk and utterly exciting to learn about his commission and inspiration for his new sculpture...Slipstream....that is going to be installed in the new Terminal 2 building at London Heathrow. Once done it will be the largest sculpture in Europe at 89 metres long.
Afterwards we dined quite well in the famous dining room where the 'the middle age meet the middle east'...it hasn't changed a jot since I first went there in 1973 as a guest of the Jebbs ( whose father designed the interior)
ANNABEL'S......nothing has changed ( apart from the ownership!! )
On Tuesday I went to the Pheonix on Smith Street before meeting my friend Chiggles and going on to the Phene Arms in Chelsea....now a very chic uber gastro pub. There I was very surprised to bump into Hugo Taylor of Made In Chelsea fame!
Hugo hasn't changed and was utterly charming.
Wednesday night was the brilliant Damian Barr's salon at Shoreditch House. I have just read Damian's rather brilliant memoir/autobiography called Maggie and Me...a wonderfully funny and delightfully endearing work that has been selected to be book of the week for Radio 4.
The Legend, Damian Barr
Damian's guests....who he interviewed some some aplomb included Rupert Thompson, author of This Party's Got to Stop...
Rupert Thompson And Lionel Shriver, Author of Let's Talk About Kevin
Lionel Shriver
Both read racy scenes from their new books and afterwards we had dinner in the club. It was very nice to bump into David Gilmour and his stunning wife, Polly Samson.
On Thursday morning I had a 7.30am breakfast meeting at The Connaught..the company was excellent, the service polite but the kippers were very grey and dreary.
Brekka at the Connaught
After a couple of meetings I was free to join my friend Murray Shanks for a good lunch at Kensington Place.. We met up again later in the day at the Electric House Club on Portobello Rd, where we were joined by Desmond MacCarthy and the stellar concierge from the Savoy, David Young....
Desmond owns the magical Wiveton Hall in North Norfolk. We quite possibly drank the place dry by the time we left. It was lovely to meet Thyra October and the fabulous dress designer, Alice Temperley
Wiveton Hall, North Norfolk
Desmond's pile that has seen some simply lovely week ends and summer holidays.