Attempted Car-Jacking In Berkeley Square

It has been reported that a former contestant of the Channel 4 programme Big Brother, Ms Charley Uchea, was the victim of a attempted car jacking in Berkeley Square on Tuesday night.

The minor celebrity had just left the Funky Buddha nightclub when she stopped to get cash. It was at this point that a gang of four men, apparently armed, tried to take her car - a silver Mercedes SLK200.

Somehow Ms Uchea and a friend managed to repel the gang and the police were called to attend the scene.

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Mr Paparazzi

Savile Row's Kilgour Sold To Dubai Based JMH

It has been reported that Kilgour of Savile Row has been sold to a Dubai based outfit called JMH, which is putting together a portfolio of companies providing luxury goods and services. Other recent acquisitions by JMH have included Ray Ward Gunsmiths and Uplands Stables.

Kilgour was originally A.H Kilgour, and was merged with T&F French bespoke tailors in 1882. It occupies No 8 Savile Row and has a showroom at No 5 Savile Row.

Beatles' Former Flat Up For Sale

A flat in Green Street that was once lived in by the Beatles is coming up for sale through Southeby's International Realty. It is of particular note to Beatles fan as it is reportedly the only property in which all four of the group members lived. They stayed there for a few months in the autumn of 1963, and posed for a photo there which was used on the cover of the December 1963 edition of The Beatles Book.

"The owner is aware of its history, but hasn't turned it into a Beatles shrine or anything like that," said estate agent Peter Bevan.

Now converted into a two bedroom flat, the asking price is £1,750,00.

TFL Bans Cranach's Venus From Underground

A Royal Academy advert (shown above) featuring Lucas Cranach the Elder's 16th century painting depicting the Roman goddess, Venus, has been ruled unsuitable for display on the London Underground by Transport For London.

The painting from 1532, regarded by many as a masterpiece, shows Venus - the goddess of Love - in a state of nudity. This prompted TFL to veto its use on the tube network, citing their guidelines which don't allow adverts to "depict men, women or children in a sexual manner, or display nude or semi-nude figures in an overtly sexual context".

The RA hit back with Head of Press and Marketing, Jennifer Francis telling Reuters, "We are disappointed and find it quite ridiculous in this day and age".

The advert was intended to promote a new exhibition Cranach's work, running at the RA from March 8th until June 8th. Find out out more by visiting the Royal Academy of Arts' website.

What do you think of this decision? Would the use of this advert offend you? Use the comments form to share your views...

See also: Buy Lucas Cranach the Elder Posters

St James's Square Isn't In Mayfair

I was reading the Times Online a couple of days ago, and noticed a story by David Robertson about Rio Tinto - the world's second largest mining company - having to sell its core assets, including its head office at "6 St James's Square in Mayfair".

Ok, as much as I hate to be a pedant, I think it does need to be pointed out that St James's Square is not in Mayfair. It's south of Mayfair, in a district called... wait for it... St James's. Piccadilly runs through the two districts, and acts as Mayfair's southern boundary, and the northern boundary of St James's.

New Halcyon Gallery Opens in Bruton Street

A new exhibition space has opened today at 24 Bruton Street, with an inaugural showing from sculptor Lorenzo Quinn (son of legendary actor, Anthony Quinn) entitled "Evolution".

The new gallery is the third from Halcyon Gallery, complementing their two other galleries in Mayfair - 29 Bruton Street and 29 New Bond Street.

Find out more by visiting the Halcyon Gallery website.

Bourdon House Becomes Home of Alfred Dunhill

Alfred Dunhill, purveyor of luxury goods to men, has purchasesd Bourdon House at 2 Davies Street, with the intention of turning it into a new "Home" concept store. Dunhill has already established one Home store in Japan, combining elegant retail space with a members club, offering services such as a bar, a valet service and a barber.

Bourdon House is an impressive building in Davies Street and was once home to the second Duke of Westminster and for the last fifty years has been the site of Mallet's Antiques' showroom. It is thought the sale of a long lease on the property was worth between £14 million and £15 million.

Alfred Dunhill expects to open the new Home store, expected to also include a cinema, cigar shop and spa, in Spring 2008, and they have similar project planned for Shanghai in Summer 2008.

Power and Broadband Outage in Mayfair

Businesses and residents in Mayfair were affected by a localised power outage yesterday afternoon.

A knock on effect of this was that power to 3 of BT's ADSL "muxes" in Mayfair was lost, meaning that broadband was unavailable for several hours, leaving many firms unable to work.

According to BT's log, the ADSL error was detected at 16:11 and serviced was restored at 18:09.

Tube Passengers Led Out Of Tunnel By Foot

A London Underground train broke down yesterday between Baker St and Bond St stations. After a two hour wait for passengers, many of whom were standing and suffering from dehydration, they were led out of the train and along the tunnel by foot. They had to walk 300 yards across gravel and sleepers before they emerged from Bond Street station.

Were you on the train? What was it like? Please feel free to add a comment...

Savile Row on BBC Four: Love Thy Neighbour

A new documentary series on BBC Four about Savile Row in Mayfair. In episode one, aired last night, the arrival of Abercrombie and Fitch in the famous street, the tailors fear for their future.

The episode is available to watch on BBC's iPlayer service for the next week.

What The Critics Said

Andrew Billen, The Times

Savile Row (BBC Four) was a bespoke documentary on the London street where even a side-blotched lizard would be asked which side he dresses. The tailors feared they were being stitched up because the jean-makers Abercrombie & Fitch were opening up in the lane. The craftsmen got the last laugh, however, when Mike Jeffries, the CEO of Abercrombie, and a man with a face that looks as if it has been botched up in a Calcutta sweatshop, arrived at Norton and Sons to be measured for a suit.

Nancy Banks Smith, The Guardian

Happily, though, not before we had met Col Blashford-Snell, a jovial soul in his 70s, who dropped into Norton and Sons to get his explorer's suit seen to before he went up the Amazon. Savile Row suits seem to return to the place they were born like salmon. The colonel demonstrated the many original and handy features on his. "The back pocket is zipped. A chap tried to pick my pocket on the Green Park tube station. I spun round and was about to chop him down but he ran off. He didn't expect a zip." He didn't expect the colonel, either.

Westminster Unveils "Common Sense" Parking Rules

Westminster City Council has launched a new "common sense" parking initiative. Based on feedback, residents who display a residents parking permit will be given a grace period of 5 minutes when waiting at a single yellow line, in order to unload, load items or pick up and drop off passengers.

If a parking attendant observes that no such activity is taking place after 5 minutes, a penalty notice will be issued.

Councillor Danny Chalkley, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Transport, said:"These measures are designed to improve motorist's experiences of parking in Westminster. They pass the "Ronseal" test. We will still take a firm line with people who flout the parking laws but we are also ensuring that a common sense approach is used to make parking in Westminster as easy as possible.".

Amy Winehouse Visits Grosvenor Square

Ok, so you know the news is slow when you have to report on the comings and goings of Amy Winehouse. The troubled singer-songwriter has temporarily left rehab to visit the US Embassy in Grosvenor Square to discuss getting a visa, to allow her to visit the States and possibly perform at the Grammy awards in LA this coming Sunday.

Sir Norman Rosenthal Retires from RA

The Royal Academy of Art's Head of Exhibitions, Sir Normal Rosenthal, is to step down after 31 years in the post. The flamboyant figure will continue to be a freelance consultant to the RA but will also work for other institutions. He has been responsible for bringing a number of hit exhibitions to the Royal Academy in Piccadilly, including the exploration of the Aztecs, and the current controversial showing of Russian masterpieces.

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