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| Upper crust get hot under collar |
ONE totally unpredictable consequence of the government’s controversial
new Licensing Act is the number of lords and ladies who have been
coming out of the woodwork objecting to any the extension of hours
by pubs, clubs and restaurants.
For years they have been incredibly distant figures whose whereabouts
were only known for rare appearances in the House of Lords or presiding
over a high-profile court case.
Their Who’s Who entry invariably lists their clubs (Garrick,
Athenaeum, Reform etc,) but seldom their address, only the House
of Lords if you are lucky. Now, though, faced with the prospect
of late night pubs near them, they have been forced to break cover.
Pubs in backwater Knightsbridge, Marylebone and Mayfair streets
want to open a bit later, letters are descending upon Westminster
Council, with full name and addresses enclosed.
This week Knightsbridge resident Earl of Mount Charles objected
“most vigorously” to the prospect of a restaurant opening
up a couple of hours later.
Last week High Court judge Sir John Laws and his wife reacted with
utter horror at the prospect of a pub near them in Pimlico opening
10 minutes later during the week.
And even in the luxury of Queen Anne’s Gate, Lady Joy Goldsmith,
wife of Judge Baron Peter, pleaded with council officials to stop
St Stephen’s Club from opening throughout the night.
Sadly for her, the pleas fell on deaf ears. Clearly, the threat
of late night boozers near these lords and ladies shows that the
price of privacy has its limits.
Hunt for bridge builders
THERE are few better things to do in London than take a boat
from Westminster Pier to Greenwich – a journey that can surely
not be surpassed in architectural greatness.
One of the most enjoyable moments is when the boat travels beneath
Waterloo Bridge, when the commentator, who invariably sports a faux
Cockney accent, reveals that it was built entirely by women during
World War II.
“That’s why it’s got such lovely curves,” he
would exclaim. The bridge was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott,
also the architect of Bankside Power Station, now the Tate Modern,
and was constructed by thousands of women between 1942 and 1945
at the insistence of the Home Secretary Herbert Morrison.
Well, now the history of the rebuilding of the bridge, is being
investigated by a team of historians eager to meet anyone involved.
Led by Dr Christine Wall, from London Metropolitan University, the
team is planning a film on the history of the bridge.
“We are trying to track down anyone who lived nearby and saw
the women working on the bridge,” she said. “Or anyone
who knows of a female relative who worked in construction during
the war, and also anyone who might have worked on it.” Call
Karen Livesey on 020 7771 9596.
Top bobby dodges cameras
METROPOLITAN Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair has been keeping
a low profile recently – hardly a surprise following the fatal
shooting of Jean-Charles de Menezes at Stockwell Underground station.
And it is understood that such is the sensitivity that Commissioner
Blair refused a publicity photo shoot outside the new police “pavilion”
by Piccadilly Circus Underground.
Apparently the idea of appearing smiling in a photograph by an Underground
station sign was too much for him to bear. |
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