MAYFAIR EAST

 

      Number 50 is still owned by the Murray family. It is here where famously Lord Byron’s memoirs were burned shortly after his death in 1824. The decision was made by John Murray II abetted by five of the poet’s friends. They considered the memoirs too salacious for public scrutiny and that the details would damage Byron’s reputation.

     Brown's Hotel (5) was founded in 1837 by James Brown and his wife Sarah. The Browns were former valet and maid to Lord and Lady Byron. The hotel was originally eleven Georgian townhouses which were gradually acquired and merged so no two of the 117 rooms are the same. It is considered to be one of London’s oldest hotels has always been the place to go for afternoon tea (something else for my ‘to do’ list).      

     The hotel was where Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book. The Kipling Suite, with jungle-themed interior, is the hotel’s biggest. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell made Europe’s first successful telephone call from the lobby – to Henry Ford five miles away. And in room 36 the exiled Dutch government declared war on Japan during WWII.

     Spotted in Albermarle Street .....

                                                                                                         Michael Faraday

The collections of The Royal Institution of Great Britain (6) include the apparatus and experimental equipment of many of the distinguished scientists who have researched, lectured and lived in the building.  

     Founded in 1799, the institution has always attracted the most important scientific minds in the country, including fourteen Nobel prize winners.

     The public lectures at the Royal Institution became so popular Albermarle Steet was transformed into London’s first one-way street to control the traffic.

     Initiated by Michael Faraday, the Royal Institute Christmas Lectures for young people have been held annually since 1825, pausing only during WWII. World-famous scientists who have presented the lectures include Nobel Prize winners William and Lawrence Bragg, Sir David Attenborough and Carl Sagan. The lectures have been televised every year since 1966.

       In the basement of the Ri is The Faraday Museum. Admission is free and well worth a visit ....

 

     The centrepiece of the museum is Michael Faraday's magnetic laboratory displayed as it was in the 1850s. 

      Amongst the many scientific gems on display is the original Davy Lamp, which has saved the lives of countless miners. It was invented by Faraday’s boss Humphry Davy.

     Despite discovering the physiological effects of laughing gas (nitrous oxide), Davy was said to be a humourless man.  Mary Shelley based Professor Waldman in Frankenstein on Davy. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein is inspired to discover the secret of life after attending a Waldman lecture.

     The fact that no fewer than ten elements have been discovered at the Ri is reflected with this thing of beauty …..

       

     You can also sing along to Tom Lehrer’s The Elements. Lehrer wrote the words in 1959, when the highest numbered known element was 102, nobelium. The song is sung to the tune of  The Major-General's Song from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan. It ends with the lines:

    “These are the only ones of which the news has come to Harvard,

     And there may be many others, but they haven't been discarvered”.

    There are now 118 known elements. An updated version of the song by AsapSCIENCE can be heard on Spotify. It ends with Oganesson. Their other ‘hits’ include The Pi Song (π to 100 figures). 

     It’s unlikely any more elements will be discovered in the near future. If there is will it be an element of surprise (Oh)? 

 

     The speciality at the Guinea Grill (9) in Bruton Place is their award-winning steak and kidney pies which you can order as bar food. But I tried the cosy restaurant and my default lamb chops. It’s a little cramped so there’s no problem earwigging the estate agents on the next table, rounding up property prices to the nearest million. And the chops were delicious. In the gents are autographed photos of various distinguished visitors including Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Mel Gibson and Michael Douglas. 

     There has been a pub on this site since 1423. It was named The Guinea in 1675 and their restaurant, which opened in 1952, was London’s original steakhouse. Booking is essential.

     

    In the famous song, written in 1939, Vera Lynn was ‘perfectly willing to swear’ that a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square (11).  But such twittering is highly unlikely as nightingales are not city dwellers.

 

     Clive’s actions on behalf of the East India Company made him one of Britain’s most controversial colonial figures. His poor management of Bengal contributed to the Great Bengal Famine of 1770 in which between one and ten million perished.

     Private members club Annabel’s is now at number 44 Berkeley Square and occupies the entire house. It was one of the first nightclubs in London and popular with the British aristocracy and  international jet-set of the 1960s and 70s. Annabel's was one of the first nightclubs in London to replace their live band with a discotheque. It has always had a strict dress code – the Beatles were once denied access for wearing inappropriate shoes (trainers?) After 7pm jackets must be worn by men except on the dance floor.

       When Lord Liverpool resigned in April 1827, Canning was chosen to succeed him as Prime Minister, ahead of the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel who both declined to serve under him. 

       But Canning’s health rapidly deteriorated and died in office in August 1827. His tenure of just 119 made him the shortest-serving Prime Minister – until the 29 days of Liz Truss.

    Unless anyone can suggest otherwise the longest pub name in Britain is The Old Thirteenth Cheshire Astley Volunteer Rifleman Corps Inn in Stalybridge. The shortest is The Q Inn, also in Stalybridge.

     Built in 1898, Claridges (14) is one of London’s most exclusive hotels, frequently hosting royalty and other heads of state.

     During much of the Second World War the exiled Peter II of Yugoslavia and his wife lived in Claridges.  For a single day (July 17, 1945) Winston Churchill ceded suite 212 to Yugoslavia to allow Peter’s heir, Crown Prince Alexander to be born on Yugoslav soil, a spadeful of which was placed under the bed. There is no actual evidence of this.

     Many well-known actors, directors, and entertainers who have stayed at Claridge's including Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, regular visitor Alfred Hitchcock, Brad Pitt, Joan Collins, Mick Jagger and Whitney Houston.

    And on the day I was passing by Claridges there was a bit of activity outside. But when someone asked a pap who he was waiting for all he got was a very grumpy “I’m working here!” Well, I’d be grumpy if my job was hanging around hotels waiting for a fleeting glimpse of some minor celeb. Anyhow, I lingered for around for ten minutes, which felt like much longer, to capture my fleeting glimpse, disappointed it was no-one I recognised …..

         Still, it’s good to see Kylie has remained true to her humble roots and continues to wear sensible clothes ....

 “Mzansi claims Kylie copied lion dress” (The South African)

(NB No lions were harmed making Kylie's dress, apart from their pride).

                 “Being on a reality show doesn’t get the respect it deserves.” Kim Kardashian

     The adjacent homes at 23 and 25 Brook Street (15) of Jimi Hendrix and George Frideric Handel are currently being refurbished and expanded. They are expected to re-open in Spring 2023 as Handel and Hendrix in London. The ongoing work is called the Hallelujah Project.  Well, why not?

    The top two floors of number 23 were owned by Jimi’s girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. He lived there for a few months - helping to decorate and furnish it to his own taste - before leaving to tour the USA in March 1969.

     Handel lived for much of his life at number 25 and it was there that he composed his best-known work, the oratorio Messiah (1741). Handel was born in Germany but became a British citizen, adopting Frederick as his anglicised handle. He was accorded a state funeral and is buried in Westminster Abbey.

      Hanover Square (16) is the least attractive of Mayfair’s green spaces. But it provides a handy spot to relax near to Oxford Circus.

     The statue of William Pitt the Younger at the south side was erected in 1831, famously surviving an attempt by Reform Bill agitators to pull it down on the opening day. Pitt will forever be blamed for introducing income tax.

     Peace Head by Yoshitomo Nara was a temporary sculpture which is no longer there, doubtless removed by frustrated Reform Bill agitators.

     UPDATE (March 2023):

     Many Americans have been married in St George’s, notably Theodore Roosevelt who wed Edith Kermit Carow there in 1886. He is the only American president to be married outside the United States. Prior to the wedding they had stayed in Brown’s Hotel in order to meet residency requirements.

     When living at 23 Brook Street, Handel worshipped at St George's. He wrote the Messiah in the church and played the organ there (not the one pictured).

     The Savile Row Bespoke Association was founded in 2004 to protect and to develop bespoke tailoring as practised in Savile Row (18) and the surrounding streets. Founder members include Henry Poole, Dege & Skinner and Gieves & Hawkes. The member tailors are required to spend 50 hours on hand-stitching each two-piece suit. 

    On 14 February 1969, Edward Sexton and Tommy Nutter opened Nutters of Savile Row at 35a. Their backers included Cilla Black and Peter Brown, the MD of the Beatles’ Apple Corps. The extrovert Nutter, who had initially studied plumbing, was the creative force and Sexton the bespoke master cutter.

      In 1976 Tommy left Nutters and Sexton became managing director, keeping the name until 1982 when he changed it to Edward Sexton.

      "Wizard with the scissors" Sexton moved to Knightsbridge in 1992 but returned to Savile Row in 2022 at number 35, next door to the original Nutters. He died, aged 80, on July 23, 2023.

      Nutters clients included many pop stars. For the cover of Abbey Road, they dressed the Beatles in Savile Row suits, apart from George who opted for denim.

    

    No 1, Savile Row has been the flagship store of Gieves and Hawkes since 1912. Founded in 1771 by Thomas Hawkes, it is one of the oldest bespoke tailoring companies in the world. The business was originally based on providing uniforms for the British Army and Royal Navy, and hence by association the British royal family, stretching back to George III.

     Gieves and Hawkes made the tailcoat for Michael Jackson for this Bad tour of 1987-89. The style is based on the 1930s civil uniform worn at court together with some military-inspired details.

     Next door to Gieves and Hawkes is 3 Savile Row, once the HQ of Apple Corps. The roof was where the Beatles famously made their last public performance on January 30^th1969.  They recorded the Let It Be album in the basement – not at Abbey Road.

     This being Savile Row it’s no surprise the building is now American gent’s outfitters Abercrombie and Fitch, possibly best known for selling Ernest Hemingway the gun he used to commit suicide in 1961.

A rather more famous album cover was shot in Heddon Street (19) ….

                    ..... and the telephone box is still there .....

1.     Royal Academy of Arts Café

2.     50 Albermarle Street (John Murray)

3.     45-46 Albermarle Street (Goldfinger, such a cold finger)

4.     Goat Tavern, Stafford Street

5.     Brown’s Hotel

6.     Royal Institution

7.     Coach and Horses

8.     Banksy Shop Till You Drop (Bruton Lane)

9.     Guinea Grill, Bruton Place

10.   17 Bruton Place (QEII birthplace)

11.   Berkeley Square

12.   The Footman

13.    67 Brook Street (Bee Gees plaque)

14.   Claridges Hotel

15.   Hendrix and Handel in London

16.   Hanover Square

17.   St George’s Church

18.   Savile Row

19.   Haddon Street