My Marylebone

Dr Adrian Whiteson, GP and co-founder of Teenage Cancer Trust

The Ivy Cafe

Work I have spent my career as a GP in private practice and have always been based in Marylebone. I started in Upper Wimpole Street, going on to Harley Street, then Wimpole Street, and now the corner of New Cavendish Street and Welbeck Street. I’ve been around the Marylebone block! My first room was in the practice run by Dr Peter Curley. He was the radiologist to the royal family and had a spare room on offer. This was the early 1960s and I had turned up with my hair slightly longer than was normal, wearing a light suit and a style of shoe we called brothel creepers. I was assured I could have the room but also politely told to get my hair cut a little shorter. It was also ‘suggested’ that I wear a dark suit with a white shirt, a dark sensible tie and get some decent shoes. It was a different world then.

In the late sixties, I joined British Boxing Board of Control as a medical adviser and went on to become their chief medical officer. After that I became the chairman of the Medical Committee of the World Boxing Council. Then in the late eighties, together with my wife Myrna, I co-founded Teenage Cancer Trust, all while running my GP practice in Marylebone.

Shop This is a tricky one because I’m allergic to food shopping. I will not go anywhere that involves shopping for food. When Myrna wants to go, I would rather sit in the car and wait for her to come back. She once pointed out that I was happy to go to an art gallery and spent time enjoying and appreciating the wonderful paintings and sculptures. She suggested that I adopt the same approach with the window displays in the area. Marylebone has wonderful shops that display their products beautifully, so I’ve taken up a bit of window shopping. It really opened my eyes to the variety of lovely things available here. You can get everything from beautiful furniture to stationery without leaving the area.

Culture I’ve always loved Wigmore Hall. I have always liked going to their concerts in the evenings and weekends. I’m a real lover of all kinds of music, except punk, and Wigmore Hall has always produced a wide range of musical styles. I have seen many wonderful performances just by popping into the box office to see if they have any spare seats. Then, of course, there’s the Wallace Collection. It’s such a major part of Marylebone’s cultural landscape. Something really lovely is that local organisations can hold receptions there. This extra access makes it so much more than just a gallery and more of a genuine cultural hub.

Eat The restaurants are one of the real joys of working in Marylebone. There are so many of such a high quality and they are so varied. You just pop around the corner. Myrna would come up to join me at lunchtime when I had some time off and it was only a short walk to any number of great places to eat. Places I regularly frequent are Fischer’s, Fishworks which serves really wonderful seafood, and The Ivy Cafe, but there are so many others I could mention. The nice thing is that new places come along to keep things interesting. You can eat British, Italian, Middle Eastern and Japanese all a short walk from where I practice – it is remarkable really and a real tribute to the management of the area.

Community When I arrived in the sixties, it was an amazing time. There were no meters, so you could park where you liked. If you wanted to find consultants to talk to, really senior people, icons of the medical and surgical professions, you just went to the right pubs, and they were all there on Friday evenings. I used to love coming in on the weekends. You would see the consultants out with their wives or their families, chatting away. It was a village atmosphere, and that continues to this day. I’m in the surgery by 7am and on my way in the guys sweeping the streets or cleaning the windows will call over: “Hi, how are you? Have a good day. ”The welcome you get here from everyone is just so warm. They are happy, proud to be a part of Marylebone. I don’t see very many people scowling. Everybody’s going about their day with a smile.