guided walks

From one extreme to another. A few weeks back six of us ate at Caravan in the Kings Cross Regeneration area. The restaurant styles itself as offering "Well-travelled food and mighty fine coffee, in an old grain house."

It was worth travelling to enjoy the experience, mixing with the 20 and 30 somethings in a relaxed, efficient environment with its minimalist fit-out. Jest you may over exposed brickwork and pipework, but it does work.

At the midway point between Open House 2012 and 2013, it seems timely to feature one of the jewels in the Open House crown.

Embassy buildings come imposing and impenetrable. Even standing outside one can be intimidating.

However, this building had an early name that was nothing if not prosaic. “The Independent North Mansion” was the title of 49 Belgrave Square, one of Thomas Cubitt’s creations in his Belgravia masterpiece.

We’re in Frederick Close. This is not the street in the City (Frederick’s Place) described by Pevsner as “an oasis of domesticity with Georgian houses on either side”, containing work by the Adam brothers and a regular stop for a guide with a better than superficial knowledge of the City, but a tucked away street off the Bayswater Road.

A tucked away street with a history, the home for many years – at 6a-10 Frederick Close - of a musical instrument factory, but now refurbished under the ownership of The Church Commissioners to provide superior residential apartments.
 

The lawyers at City firm Linklaters will be working late nights, following being appointed to act for the administrator of HMV, which collapsed on Monday after a painful period of decline.
 

It’s been a bad time for Twitter abusers. First, in well-publicised news,  21 year old Swansea University student Liam Stacey lost his appeal against conviction for racially aggravated public disorder as a result of tweets he sent following Premier League footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsing on the football field with cardiac arrest.

The programme for the current National Theatre production of She Stoops to Conquer (piece by Frank Delaney) describes Goldsmith as “born with a grossly protruding forehead and upper lip, while his chin receded like a man aghast”.

Serving proceedings on another party can be tricky if you can’t track the person down. City law firm Stephenson Harwood has found a way round this. Why not use Facebook?

Acting for defendant TFS Derivatives in a claim from AKO Capital for alleged unpaid commissions, it secured permission from the High Court in London to serve notice on Fabio de Biase by Facebook message, to join Mr de Biase as a defendant in the proceedings.

“You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately...Depart I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

These words are attributed to Oliver Cromwell for a speech that he made on 20 April 1653 to the Rump Parliament, but equally could symbolise the cry of the City of London Corporation before they trooped to the Court of Appeal to ask the Court to reject the appeal against eviction by the Occupy LSX Movement, who have been camped in the precincts of St Paul’s Cathedral since 15 October last year.