Open skies | March 2012

et A Pock to Guide ners o d n o L

EvEry rolEx is madE for grEatnEss. thE submarinEr, introducEd i n 19 53 , wa s t h E f i r s t watc h to b E wat E r r E s i s ta n t up to 10 0 mE tr E s . it wa s l atEr strEng thEnEd by its patEntEd tr iplE-sE al triplock winding crown, making it capablE of withstanding dEpths of up to 300 mE trE s.

the submariner d ate

06_OPEN SKIES_V2_COR.indd 1

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11th March - 6th April 2012

Abu Dhabi Festival www.abudhabifestival.ae

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March -

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Traveller

11 March 5 April

19 15

Community & Education Programmes

Gestures of Light

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Anoushka Shankar

Emirates Palace Auditorium Foyer & Ghaf Art Gallery

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

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March

Resplendent Russia

Globe Education at Shakespeare’s Globe

Maxim Vengerov & The St Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted

by Yuri Temirkanov

Naseer Shamma & The Global Music Ensemble

7:30 pm Abu Dhabi Theatre

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

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Eastern Wind

Maqam Journey

Göksel Baktagir

Anwar Abudragh & Maqamat

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Ballroom 1

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Ballroom 1

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27 & 28 March and1 & 3 April Wagner’s Ring Cycle

30 & 31 March La Bayadère

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Faisal Al Sari

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Synthesis

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Semperoper Ballet, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover & David Coleman

The Met in HD

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Ballroom 1

7:00 pm VOX Cinema, Marina Mall

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

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6

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April

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April

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April

Beloved Friend

Natalie Cole in Concert

A Night of Legends

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

8:00 pm Emirates Palace Auditorium

Royal Opera House

Fadel Shaker in Concert

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EDITOR’S LETTER

S

amuel Johnson once said that by seeing London, he had seen as much of life as the world can show.

After our visit to London last month, we know what he means. The English capital has more going on than anywhere else in the world: more music, more art, more shopping, more parks, more creativity, just more life really. Of course it’s to easy to reduce London to a series of postcard clichés, so we asked a group of Londoners (both native and adopted) to tell us about their city. From a renowned tailor to a bar man, a Big Issue salesman to a grandmother, we get a glimpse of their city in their own words. The whole piece is illustrated beautifully by Luca Laurenti.

We chart the history of Soho, one of the few central London districts that has lost none of its charm.Paul Willetts takes us on a tour with a difference.

We roped in the wonderful illustrator Jacqueline Ford to come up with a series of London stereotypes from the WAG to the oligarch.

Don’t take it too seriously. We also get a glimpse of one of the last traditional London crime families, the Pyles, all through the lens of Joceyln Bain Hogg. Enjoy the issue.

CONOR@OPENSKIESMAGAZINE.COM

Emirates takes care to ensure that all facts published herein are correct. In the event of any inaccuracy please contact The Editor. Any opinion expressed is the honest belief of the author based on all available facts. Comments and facts should not be relied upon by the reader in taking commercial, legal, financial or other decisions. Articles are by their nature general and specialist advice should always be consulted before any actions are taken.

PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE Telephone: (+971 4) 282 4060 Fax:(+971 4) 282 4436 Email: emirates@motivate.ae

89,396 COPIES Printed by Emirates Printing Press, Dubai, UAE

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Obaid Humaid Al Tayer GROUP EDITOR & MANAGING PARTNER Ian Fairservice GROUP SENIOR EDITOR Gina Johnson • gina@motivate.ae SENIOR EDITOR Mark Evans • marke@motivate.ae EDITOR Conor Purcell • conor@motivate. ae DEPUTY EDITOR Gareth Rees • gareth@motivate.ae DESIGNER Roui Francisco • rom@motivate.ae STAFF WRITER Matthew Priest EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Londresa Flores SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER S Sunil Kumar PRODUCTION MANAGER C Sudhakar GENERAL MANAGER, GROUP SALES Anthony Milne • anthony@motivate.ae BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Nicola Hudson • nicola@motivate.ae SENIOR ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Jaya Balakrishnan jaya@motivate.ae ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Murali Narayanan ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER Shruti Srivastava EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS FOR EMIRATES: Editor: Siobhan Bardet Arabic Editor: Hatem Omar Deputy Editor: Stephanie Byrne Website • emirates.com. CONTRIBUTORS: HG2, Ronan Shields, Chaz And Dave, Alexandra Heminsley, Steve Scott, Paul Willetts, Ben Sloan, Tom Jay, Alex Hawkes, Luca Laurenti, Jacqueline Ford, Mitch Blunt, Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Gemma Correll, Phil Oh, Edward McGowan, Axis Maps, COVER ILLUSTRATION by Jacqueline Ford MASTHEAD DESIGN by Quint • www.quintdubai.com

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES: AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND Okeeffe Media, Kevin O’ Keeffe; Tel + 61 89 447 2734, okeeffekev@bigpond.com.au, BENELUXM.P.S. Benelux; Francesco Sutton; Tel +322 720 9799, Fax +322 725 1522, francesco.sutton@mps-adv.com CHINA Publicitas Advertising; Tel +86 10 5879 5885 FRANCE Intermedia Europe Ltd; Fiona Lockie, Katie Allen, Laura Renault; Tel +33 15 534 9550, Fax +33 15 534 9549, administration@intermedia.europe.com GERMANY IMV International Media Service GmbH, Wolfgang Jäger; Tel +49 89 54 590 738, Fax +49 89 54 590 769, wolfgang.jager@iqm.de HONG KONG/MALAYSIA/ THAILAND Sonney Media Networks, Hemant Sonney; Tel +852 27 230 373, Fax +852 27 391 815, hemant@sonneymedia.com INDIA Media Star, Ravi Lalwani; Tel +91 22 4220 2103, Fax +91 22 2283 9619, ravi@mediastar.co.in ITALY IMM Italia Lucia Colucci; Tel +39 023 653 4433, Fax +39 029 998 1376, lucia.colucci@fastwebnet.it JAPAN Tandem Inc.; Tel + 81 3 3541 4166, Fax +81 3 3541 4748, all@tandem-inc.com NETHERLANDS GIO Media, Giovanni Angiolini; Tel +31 6 2223 8420, giovanni@ gio-media.nl SOUTH AFRICA Ndure Dale Isaac; Tel +27 84 701 2479, dale@ndure.co.za SPAIN IMM International, Nicolas Devos; Tel +331 40 1300 30, n.devos@imminternational.com TURKEY Media Ltd.; Tel: +90 212 275 51 52, mediamarketingtr@medialtd.com.tr UK Spafax Inflight Media, Nick Hopkins, Arnold Green; Tel +44 207 906 2001, Fax +44 207 906 2022, nhopkins@spafax.com USA Totem Brand Stories, Brigitte Baron, Marina Chetner; Tel +212 896 3846, Fax +212 896 3848, brigitte. baron@rtotembrandstories.com

27

190 YEARS AGO

A MAN INSPIRED BY HORSE RACING CHANGED WATCHMAKING FOREVER .

In 1821, at a horse race in Paris, Nicolas Rieussec successfully tested his revolutionary invention that allowed time to be recorded to an accuracy of a fifth of a second. The chronograph was born. A tribute to a visionary man, the Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph Automatic is centred on the essence of his invention, the rotating disc technique.

Monopusher chronograph, self-winding manufacture movement, second time zone, 30 min. and 60 sec. rotating disc counters.Crafted in the Montblanc Manufacture in Le Locle, Switzerland.

Montblanc Boutiques DUBAI Burjuman | Deira City Centre | Dubai Mall | Emirates Towers | Festival Centre | Grand Hyatt | Ibn Battuta | Jumeirah Beach Hotel Mall of the Emirates | Mirdif City Centre | Wafi | ABU DHABI Abu Dhabi Mall | Marina Mall | AL-AIN Al-Ain Mall

www.montblanc.com

CONTENTS

MARCH 2012

COCKNEY LEGENDS CHAZ AND DAVE GIVE US THEIR ALL-TIME LONDON TOP TEN (P44)... WE CHART A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFAMOUS

LONDONERS (P48)... TWO-TIME PULITZER PRIZE WINNER STEVE COLL GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON WRITING, TRAVEL AND KNOWING WHEN TO QUIT (P51)... WE CHECK OUT A NEW BREED OF RETAIL OUTLET:

BOXPARK IN SHOREDITCH (P56)... TEN LONDON RESIDENTS TELL US ABOUT THEIR CITY, AND THE PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT MAKE IT SO SPECIAL (P64)... WE TAKE A TOUR OF LONDON’S BEST INDEPENDENT

CINEMAS (P76)... SOHO IS ONE OF LONDON’S MOST INTERESTING DISTRICTS. PAUL WILLETTS CHARTS THE AREA’S TUMULTUOUS PAST

(P86)... WITH OUR TONGUE FIRMLY IN CHEEK, WE TAKE A LOOK AT SOME

A STEREOTYPICAL LONDONERS (P104)... JOCELYN BAIN HOGG’S PHOTOGRAPHS OF ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING

FAMILIES ARE UTTERLY COMPELLING (P110)...

al G c i p y t LONDON stereoCRIME ner Londo

29

CONTRIBUTORS

et a Pock to Guide ners Londo

TOM JAY: An illustrator based in the UK, he has exhibited his work around the UK and has produced illustrations for the likes of Computer Arts Magazine. When not illustrating he can be found biking and playing squash (badly).

ALEXANDRA HEMINSLEY: The books editor for Elle UK magazine and The Claudia Winkleman Arts Show on BBC Radio 2, her debut book was published by Pan Macmillan in 2007 and her new book, about running, will be out in 2013.

PAUL WILLETTS: Soho’s leading chronicler, he has published a number of books, including Members Only: The Life And Times Of Paul Raymond. He has also written for The Times, The Spectator, The Independent on Sunday and the TLS.

JACQUELINE FORD: A UK-based illustrator whose bird illustrations have gained her national acclaim. She is also an avid photographer and blogger. For this issue she illustrated London’s most stereotypical residents.

JOCEYLN BAIN HOGG: An award-winning photographer whose work has appeared everywhere from Vogue and Esquire to Le Monde and The Observer, his photography has been exhibited around the world.

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INTRO P. 34 • LONDON’S DIGITAL HYPE

P. 47 • THE JOY OF RUNNING

P. 51 • STEVE COLL ON WRITING

P.58 • LONDON BOOTY

SH BOX FKRTE HE NEXT

IS BOXPAR IN RETAIL? BIG THING IGATE WE INVEST

P56

33

he UK’s most forward-thinking digital start-up companies are now gravitating towards the traditionally less glamorous London neighbourhoods of the E1, EC1 and N1 triangle. So much so that the area has now been tagged with the diffident moniker Silicon Roundabout, a distinctly British homage to its confident, glitzy and sun-soaked US contemporary.

The name can be traced back to 2009, when an infographic, created by Trampoline Systems (trampolinesystems. com) charted the whereabouts of London’s digital start-up companies.

A dense cluster of such firms around the Old Street roundabout in East

T

London was noted – though the trend began some time before then – and a media sensation was born.

More than 1,000 tech start-ups (techcitymap.com) are now housed around

Silicon Roundabout, most undoubtedly drawn by the area’s reputation as a hub of ‘outsiders’, although the area is now starting to take on an establishment feel, according to some.

OUR MAN IN

LONDON IS LONDON’S SILICON ROUNDABOUT ANY MORE THAN A CATCHY MEDIA INVENTION?

Ronan Shields is a reporter at New Media Age; twitter.com/ronan_shields//Illustration: Mitch Blunt 34

TWITTER

PITCH magma

Local and central government, both of which are run by markedly establishment characters in the form of Mayor Boris Johnston and Prime Minister David Cameron, are now attempting to get in on the act.

Eager to generate positive headlines in an otherwise bleak economic climate, both are keen to bolster Silicon Roundabout with

observers have pointed out the area has had no high-level successes yet funding, both public and private.

Just six months after taking office, Cameron announced the government’s Tech City (techcityuk. com) initiative, aimed at making Silicon Roundabout the “tech capital of Europe” by encouraging entrepreneurialism in the tech industry.

This has been met with cynicism by some within the industry, but others argue that the government’s attempt to rebrand Silicon Roundabout as Tech City is a positive move.

Industry observers have highlighted that Tech City has yet to spawn any high-level successes, none at least that could be mentioned in the same breath as Google or Facebook.

However, Justin Pearse, editor of New Media Age, a publication focused on the

UK digital industry, points out Moshi Monsters, an online gaming community targeted at children, as an exception.

“What makes it stand out from the Silicon Valley successes is that it’s uniquely British, has found take-up outside of the UK and has even transcended digital media with Moshi Monsters books and magazines,” he says.

Whether Silicon Roundabout can deliver similar success stories remains to be seen, but the area itself faces competition for both talent and funding from other areas within Britain itself.

Russell Buckley, who helped found a mobile advertising company that was eventually sold to Google for $750m, says that digital companies demonstrating the same degree of innovation are emanating from the less trendy Cambridge area. No doubt, this is partly spurred by the city’s illustrious university providing it with fresh talent.

Despite the creativity requirement, ultimately the success of Silicon Roundabout will rely on the success of UK start-ups attracting venture capital. But while the current buzz around the East London hub may pique the interest of UK investors, they are still notoriously more risk averse than their US counterparts.

So even with the backing of the UK government, Silicon Roundabout might well become a talent-spotting pool for the big boys of Silicon Valley. But US dominance of the digital media industry is unlikely to be seriously challenged any time soon.

We are a small group of independent shops providing an alternative collection of design books and products. www.twitter.com/magmabooks

Daunt Books

An original Edwardian bookshop in Marylebone High Street with five more independent, friendly and beautiful shops based in London. www.twitter.com/dauntbooks

Muswell Books

Booksellers of Mayfair, sending books worldwide since 1936 One of 50 reasons to love Britain (Sunday Telegraph). www.twitter.com/muswellbooks

heywood hill

Long-established independent bookshop in North London. www.twitter.com/heywoodhill

Foyles

London’s iconic bookshop at Charing Cross Rd, Royal Festival Hall, St Pancras International, Westfield London. www.twitter.com/foyles

35

GRAPH INFORMATION ELEGANCE

A day in the life Average of key points throughout the day:

WAKEY WAKEY - 6.40AM Workers and parents get up and get ready for the long day ahead.

SCHOOL RUN - 8.25AM Mother is organising the kids and battling rush hour traffic. Most stressful time of their day.

C

CLOCK IN AT WORK - 8.28AM Full-time workers get to their desk. ‘Nine to five’ perhaps isn’t so true anymore.

D B

DAYDREAM ABOUT LUNCH - 11.01AM Around this time is when workers’ stress is sky high.

Lunch is something to look forward to.

DINNER PLANNED - 2.45PM The evening meal will have most likely been planned out by this point.

36

A

of the average Brit DARLING I’M HOME - 5.42PM Workers finally get home after battling with rush hour traffic, the most common time for car crashes.

BEER O’CLOCK - 6.14PM The country’s first alcoholic beverage of the day averages around this time. And we’re not the earliest!

H

TEA TIME - 6.22PM More formally known as dinner. The evening meal is when families normally eat together, yet this is becoming less common with increasing distractions.

F

E

FINALLY SWITCH OFF - 7.18PM The chores are done, dinner is cooked and the kids are happy. Leaves adults a few hours for leisure before bed.

BED TIME - 11.40PM The time most of us go to bed. It has gotten later due to the hectic lifestyle.

ILLUSTRATION: MATTHEW ROWETT,

G

37

BOOKED

IAIN SINCLAIR – DOWNRIVER

I

f the author Peter Ackroyd, with his best-selling biographies of London luminaries and famous biography of the city, is establishment London’s chronicler par excellence, then Iain Sinclair, a self-styled outsider, is the city’s high priest, a strange mystic and mythmaker charting London’s past and unfolding present, funnelled through the astounding surreality of his distinctive imagination. For a Welshman, Sinclair’s writing displays a strange devotion to his adopted city.

He is famous for roaming the London streets, eking out an often-paranoid nightmare vision of the city he has called home for several decades.

Sinclair wrote several self-published poetry books and a novel before Downriver, and he has written many successful works – poetry, fiction and nonfiction – since. But it was this story – or rather 12 interrelated stories – charting the effects of Thatcher’s Britain on life along the river Thames that made his name, winning the James Tait Black Memorial Prize a year after its publication in 1991. There is little evidence of a plot in the traditional sense of the word, but Downriver is challenging, strenuous and mesmerising in equal measure. Paladin, 1991

ROOM

521

MANDARIN ORIENTAL

HYDE PARK LOND ON

INTERNET SPEED: 24MB PILLOWS: Five IPOD DOCK: Yes CLUB SANDWICH DELIVERY TIME:

22 minutes COMPLIMENTARY SNACKS: Fruit,

pastries TOILETRY BRAND: Ormonde Jayne DAILY NEWSPAPER: International Herald

Tribune EXTRAS: Large magazine selection TV CHANNELS: 254 VIEW: 4 /5 RATE: From $1,200 MANDARINORIENTAL.COM/LONDON/

We do like this rather swish slab of real estate located in the most expensive junction in the UK. Oh yes, Knightsbridge oozes money, albeit lacking somewhat in class. The MO, however, has class in spades, and how apt that the room we stayed in, the Junior Suite, overlooked the leafy environs of Hyde Park rather than the Baby Bentleys of Sloane Street. The suite was huge, and replete with all manner of technology, neatly hidden away. The winner here, however, is the huge balcony overlooking Hyde Park, where you can spot morning joggers and the odd VIP motorcade whizzing past. The bathroom is huge, with a standalone bath tub looking out over the park. The breakfast is superb, with The Full English, while neither good for your heart or your wallet, particularly delicious.

39

MAPPED SYDNEY SYDNEY

Marsfield Marsfield Marsfield

This city’s location, on hills surrounding Sydney Harbour, with backed by national parks and with beaches to the front, should be enough in itself to rank as one of the top ten cities in the world to live in. But alongside that comes a range of innovative and exciting new ventures, catering to the most discerning of consumer. ‘Modern Australia’ is the buzz where food is concerned; boutique hotels and shops are plentiful, indie galleries are numerous and there are 37 beautiful beaches to choose from. Roisin Kiernan takes the tour.

WWW.HG2.COM

Eastwood Eastwood Eastwood NorthNorthNorth RydeRydeRyde Melrose Melrose Melrose Park Park Park

Melrose Melrose Melrose Park Park Park

Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast PointPointPoint Rookwood Rookwood Rookwood Burwood Burwood Burwood

Petersha Pete

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HOTELS 1. Pretty Beach House

2. Diamant

3. Kirketon

4. Four Seasons

RESTAURANTS 5. Baroque Bistro

6. Bilson’s

7. Flying Fish

8. Hugos Bar Pizza Manly

Chatswood Chatswood Chatswood Middle Middle Middle Cove CoveCove

Manly ManlyManly

NorthNorth Sydney North Sydney Sydney

NorthNorth Head North HeadHead

Greenwich Greenwich Greenwich

S YSDYSNDYENDYENYE Y

Neutral Neutral Neutral Bay Bay Bay

Watsons Watsons Watsons Bay Bay Bay

Darlinghurst Darlinghurst Darlinghurst

Camperdown Camperdown Camperdown Petersham am ersham

BondiBondiBondi

BondiBondiBondi Junction Junction Junction

BARS / CLUBS 9. Absinthe Salon

10. Hemmesphere

11. Arq

12. Star City

GALLERIES 13. 2 Danks Street

14. Outre Gallery

15. Oxford Art Factory

16. Cockatoo Island

41

MAPPED SY D N E Y

HOTELS 1 PRETTY BEACH HOUSE

Requests to arrive by seaplane, helicopter or a four-foot skippered yacht are the norm; Aussie artwork adorns the walls and Mediterranean fare is on the menu. Bushlandmeets-beach boudoir.

2 DIAMANT

3

Room number 77 is notorious for its nocturnal shenanigans. But whilst Diamant’s location near Sydney’s Kings Cross dark side does lend itself to such stories they’re definitely done with style.

KIRKETON Edge Design re-stamped this to represent a Parisian boutique hotel, complete with scarlet coloured hallways, leather bedroom loungers and one of Sydney’s hottest cocktail venues, Eau de Vie.

4 FOUR SEASONS

FLYING FISH This is the slickest seafood joint in town with a harbourside loft location. But it’s the freshest of sashimi, scampi and their Sri Lankan prawn curry that steals the show.

8

This Sydney site – a venerable favourite among frequent international visitors – has an illuminated marble bar, Art Deco chandeliers, a six-room spa and stunning views.

RESTAURANTS 5 BAROQUE BISTRO

Character meets culture at this bustling French bistro set in Sydney’s historical quarter. Its stripped-back warehouse residence, Harbour Bridge views and charcuterie boards add to the charm.

6 BILSON’S

This culinary powerhouse offers three, seven or ten course French menus from the ‘Godfather of Australian Cuisine’, Tony Bilson. Georgian windows and foie gras set the scene nicely.

7

HUGOS BAR PIZZA MANLY This Kings Cross hotspot is a fave among Sydney socialites. Terrace tables are in high demand as are its sumptuous cocktails and setting by Manly Ferry Wharf.

BARS/CLUBS 9 ABSINTHE SALON

This stylish Parisiantype den has a gothic atmosphere and more absinthe than you can shake your head at.

Education comes as extra.

Booking is advised as this place gets very busy.

10 HEMMESPHERE

With its decadent interior, delicate Japanese nibbles and cocktail list decent enough for the most discerning drinker, it’s easy to see why this has a reputation as one of Sydney’s best bars.

11 ARQ

This cavernous sweat pit is full of Sydney’s most fiendishly fabulous.

Banging trance, hot pants and lasers come as standard. It is busy every night with the weekends extremely busy.

12 STAR CITY

This sprawling Las Vegaslike metropolis has a five-star hotel, theatres, spas, restaurants and the ubiquitous gambling tables, giving you more than one reason to get lost in the moment.

GALLERIES 13 2 DANKS STREET

With ten galleries in one, everything from Aboriginal to Andy Warhol art is featured.

And with several eateries included, this former Kodak factory makes for a great day out.

42

14 OUTRE GALLERY

This quirky original is so popular it’s spawned several sites across the country, all sticking their metaphorical middlefinger up at the snooty arts scene. Come to buy cool and quirky titbits.

15 OXFORD ART FACTORY

This gritty warehouse space serves as the base layer for any fashion going. Street artists and hip authors alike are said to have graced this versatile multiperformance venue.

16 COCKATOO ISLAND

This UNESCO world heritage listed former Imperial prison is now also the location of street art project, Outpost.

Renowned graffiti artists have contributed, adding a contemporary flavour.

SKYPOD COCKNEY HEROES CHAS & DAVE GIVE US THEIR ULTIMATE LONDON SOUNDTRACK

BERNARD CRIBBINS RIGHT SAID FRED

LONNIE DONEGAN MY OLD MAN’S A DUSTMAN

http://bit.ly/RightSaidFred

http://bit.ly/Dustman

WWW.CHASNDAVE.NET

MAX BYGRAVES FINGS AIN’T WOT THEY USED TO BE http://bit.ly/ ThingsAintWotTheyUsedToBe CHAS & DAVE LONDON GIRLS http://bit.ly/Akt252

CHAS & DAVE GERTCHA! http://bit.ly/Gertcha

BERNARD CRIBBINS -

JOE BROWN - WHAT A CRAZY WORLD http://bit.ly/ WhatACrazyWorld BILLY COTTON MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE I’M A LONDONER http://bit.ly/MaybeItsBecause

44

HOLE IN THE GROUND http://bit.ly/HoleInTheGround

CHAS & DAVE AIN’T NO PLEASIN’ YOU http://bit.ly/ AintNoPleasingYou

ILLUSTRATION: NISHIKAWA MAIKO

TOMMY STEELE WHAT A MOUTH! http://bit.ly/WhatAMouth

COLUMN

Running towards london AU T H OR AN D DEVOTED RUNNER ALEXANDRA HEMINSLEY BELIEVES THERE IS A PURITY TO THE OLYMPICS OFTEN OVERLOOKED unning is a passion of mine, as it is my father’s. My career as a writer is in no small part inspired by the impact his commitment to athleticism had on my life. Yet we very rarely watch sport together. There is, however, one notable exception to this rule: the Olympics. The first Games I can (just) remember seeing were Los Angeles 1984: a hot summer spent riveted by not just the opening ceremony – which featured a working jet pack! – but by the weeks of athletics.

Men and women from all over the world, running, jumping and throwing just as I did in the playground every day. Could adults really still do this? I wondered in awe.

While my commitment to sport – as both participant and spectator – has ebbed and flowed in the intervening 28 years, the Olympic Games never fails to capture my imagination; I am now feeling just the same level of childlike

R

excitement about this year’s Games.

I understand entirely why many feel aggrieved at the amount of money spent on the Olympics, particularly now that it is happening in our own city.

There does seem to be limitless funding, endless branding strategies and increasing corporate might at play. It has at times seemed increasingly difficult to see the athletes through the haze of sponsorship, pomp and politics.

Yet, despite these more than understandable reservations, there is a part of me, and not just the long-forgotten eight year old, which will always love the purity of a lifetime dedicated to

There is something very moving about its simplicity 47

A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFAMOUS L0NDONERS r Jeffrey Arche

Fagin

The Kray Twins

ch er Pat But

1

This Dickens’ character (‘disgusting to look at,’ apparently) was the archetypal East End scoundrel, preying on the weak to make a living. A child crime kingpin, he was based on a real person: Ikey Solomon, a London underworld crime boss.

2

The archetypal London pub bar woman, Pat Butcher was a complex character, complete with a shady past and a string of complicated

relationships. She died on the 13th of January and Eastenders’ torrid slice of East London, Albert Square, will never be the same again.

3

At one point the most loathed man in Britain, Archer managed to combine questionable taste in writing with questionable political positions and very questionable morals. His haughty demeanour and penthouse overlooking the Thames did not help

what is sometimes just a few seconds of ultimate effort.

While of course the training is hugely demanding, most athletic events are brilliantly unfussy.

There will always be something undeniably moving about human beings spending months and years of training in pursuit of being the very best at something of such ancient simplicity. In turn, there is something magical about our desire to watch these men and women, and the fact that it can lead to the regeneration of such a huge part of an international city.

48

either. A favourite target of Have I Got News For You and Private Eye.

4

Ah, the good old days, when gangsters such as the Kray twins would spend the day extorting and brutalising before going home to take care of their dear old mum. They loved their mum, they did. And they had a code, you see. OK, so this is all nonsense, but the Krays are still loved in many parts of the East End.

East London is an area that has been crying out for regeneration for half a century, and to watch its citizens walking with a spring in their step is as much a triumph of athletics and the human spirit as it is of town planning.

Because the Olympic Games are a special event that always reflect the bigger political and societal picture that is providing their backdrop.From international conflicts to social change, our world is mirrored by our Olympics.

For example, the marathon was not an Olympic sport for

Ri The Jack

p p er

Sherloc

k Holmes

Paul Raymond

Henry VIII

5

The notoriety of the ‘Ripper’ stems more from his brutal methods and his evasion of justice than the number of women he killed (at least five, possibly more). It’s hard to exaggerate the fear he instilled across East London for five years.

6

The ‘King of Soho’, Raymond brought sleaze into the mainstream and became one of the richest men in Britain in the process.

The suave club owner made millions from his mildly titillating floor-shows and even more from his clever property purchases. He also had a penchant for massive fur coats and large sunglasses.

7

Primarily known for his separation of church and state and his violent method of dealing with dissenters (torture and murder were his two favourite techniques), he had two wives, 20 peers and six friends

women until 1984, but now we live in an age where Paula Radcliffe is one of the nation’s greatest sporting stars. I dream of running a marathon in twice the time that Paula can, but every time I head out into the drizzle on too few hours’ sleep, I am inspired by knowing what she has achieved. We don’t need brightly coloured mascots or ludicrous political posturing: we need heroes.

We need to be part of something bigger than ourselves, whether it is our pride in our city, our nation or simply that

beheaded. A strong man who let no one stand in his way.

8

A 19th century James Bond, Sherlock Holmes was the fictional antidote to the crime and decay in Dickensian London. A master of logical reasoning, he, in his own way, was a trailblazer for modern detective techniques. Add to that his ‘colourful’ personal habits, and a legend was born, one as popular today as ever.

jog around the park with some mates that the sporting stars encouraged. This is why the Olympic Games continue to inspire. This month I am taking my father to the new Olympic Stadium to cheer on a friend who will be taking part in the Olympic Park 5k. It will be a long time since the two of us sat with ice-lollies watching the 1984 Games on television, but the spirit remains the same. The Olympics do bring people together, whether it’s the bloke in the newsagent, the woman in front of you at the supermarket, or your dad.

49

INTERVIEW

MY TRAVELLED LIFE STEVE COLL, WRITER, 63

traditional news media shrinks. There are

ON WRITING

ON RECOGNITION

institutions providing modest stipends

The key is in knowing what you want the end

As my profile has risen, it has probably

that ensure writers can do serious work.

product to look like. You can visualise what

become easier to get interviews, particularly

With commercial institutions speeding up

you want in terms of information. So when

in South Asia. A lot of people have read my

the news gathering process it is hard for

you are interviewing people you can always

books and so its easier to explain what I want.

reporters to take the time to write books.

circle back and talk to them again. You can

Most people want to participate and they

always get more from interviewees.

know I am fair-minded and not going in with a preconceived notion.

ON THE NEXT BOOK My next book is about Exxon Mobil and it’s

ON STOPPING

another big subject, a subject I knew little

There is a school of thought that says you

ON JOURNALISM’S FUTURE

about before I started. I spent about a year

never finish a book, you just run out of

I think that foundations such as the

just learning about the industry, discovering

time. I conducted more than 200 interviews

New America Foundation will become

what mattered, before I started anything.

for Ghost Wars, and that type of book has a

more important when it comes to

very expansive narrative, so you are always in

getting books written. People are going

Steve Coll will be speaking at the Emirates

search of more information. There is a kind

to have to reinvent themselves as the

Airline Festival of Literature; www.eaifl.com

of battle to ensure the information is complete, but at the same time the book needs to be readable.

ON PRODUCTIVITY It’s often easier to write somewhere like Afghanistan as the evenings are pretty quiet and so you get time to work. There is also generally space in the day between appointments when I can write up my notes.

I am quite neurotic about typing up my notes as soon as possible so I can figure out what is important and how the things were said.

51

STREET PEEP • ER LO N D O N

•

WWW.STREETPEEPER.COM

•

FASHION SPOTTER PHIL OH CHECKS OUT LONDON’S MOST LUMINESCENT

CELESTINE COONEY

JOHN SKELTON

STYLIST

SHOP OWNER

Balenciaga jacket,

Damir Doma robe

skirt & shoes

Raf Simons suit

Simone Rocha shirt

Dries van Noten shirt

Louis Vuitton bag

Sasquatchfabrix shoes

LAURA ANTONIONI

Vintage jacket Issey Miyake skirt

52

SARAH NICOLE PRICKETT

Calvin Klein bag

WRITER

Topshop shoes

HARLEY VIERA NEWTON

KENYA HUNT

DJ

PUBLISHING

Mulberry skirt and bag

Vintage coat

SARAH HARRIS FASHION EDITOR PEONY LIM BLOGGER

Tommy Hilfiger coat Gap shirt

Hermes bag

Jimmy Choo boots

Alexander McQueen

Paige jeans

scarf

Chanel bag

53

PLACE

PHOTO: STEVE SCOTT

A RC H I T E C T U R E M APPED

54

BARBICAN ESTATE •

C I T Y O F LO N D O N

•

YEAR BUILT: FROM 1972

STORE U R BA N C ARTO G RA P H Y

•

BOXPARK

•

LONDON

•

RETAIL

T

he ‘pop up’ concept has taken off in London since the financial crisis of 2008 and the ensuing recession.

‘Austerity Britain’ is not a place in which independent businesses want to put all their eggs in one basket, or to commit to long-term contracts – risk is out, and so London has seen a glut of pop up restaurants, pop up galleries, pop up shops and now its first pop up mall – Boxpark.

Located in the trendy area of Shoreditch in East London, Boxpark – billed as the ‘world’s first pop up mall’ – is the brainchild of entrepreneur Roger Wade, the founder of successful British streetwear brand Boxfresh, which he set up in 1989 and subsequently sold in 2005.

The mall, designed by architectural firm Waugh Thistleton, fitted out by interior design company We Like Today and built on a piece of previously disused land, comprises shipping containers and houses 60 independent stores. It will remain in Shoreditch for five years, at which point it will be taken down and the land returned to the owner.

Wade’s passion for independent retail was the spark that ignited the whole Boxpark project, and he sees the concept as a solution to a serious problem facing independent retailers, large and small, in the UK. “I noticed that independent brands were being squeezed out of the marketplace, and every high street in Britain was becoming the same – dominated by the major players, like River Island, Topman, H&M, Zara, Starbucks and Costa,” TEXT: GARETH REES

56

he says. “We were in danger of becoming a homogenised society.”

For Wade, independent doesn’t mean small. At Boxpark Nike, Puma, Lacoste and Levi’s sit alongside smaller, lesserknown brands like Smiley and Abuze.

“High street retailers have vertical operations, so they produce garments that can only be sold in their stores – for example Next and River Island,” Wade explains. “Even big brands like Nike are looking for new avenues to sell the top tier of their brand.”

As well as supporting independent brands and providing an alternative to the high street, Boxpark, as Wade sees it, is an urban regeneration project. He is working with organisations such as Independent Shoreditch to ensure it becomes part of the local community.

“Lots of empty bits of land become caught up in red tape, and to deal with the planning permission required to develop that land takes a long time,” says Wade.

“We developed an anti-mall approach. We wanted to be the complete opposite of a traditional shopping centre. Traditional shopping centres left town, but we wanted to create urban regeneration.”

“We have come along, taken a bit of disused land that has been empty for 40 years and done something positive with it. The local community will decide if it likes Boxpark and if it wants us to remain after our five years is up.”

Boxpark, 2-4 Bethnal Green Road, London; www.boxpark.co.uk; +44 0207 0332 899

57

1

BOOTY

2

LONDON

WE FIND SOME GEMS IN LONDON’S ALTERNATIVE SHOPPING SCENE

1

Jazz Club #2, $8 Vinyl LP from the bargain bin.

JB’s, 36 Hanway Street, London

2

Nobrow magazine, $24 A magazine of illustrations from Shoreditch-based publisher, Nobrow Press.

Nobrow, 62 Great Eastern Street, London. www.nobrow.net

3

Charlie Parker LP, $16 The jazz master at work. An all-time classic.

4

On The Beat, 22 Hanway Street, London

4

Retro postcards, $2 Souvenirs from the London Transport Museum.

Covent Garden, London. www.ltmuseum.co.uk

3

58

6

5

5

Little White Lies, $7 Independent film magazine.

Wardour News, 118-120 Wardour Street, London

6

Wool beanie, $47 A high quality winter accessory.

Present, 140 Shoreditch High Street, London. Present-london.com

7

7

The Travel Almanac, $14 Independent travel magazine.

Wardour News, 118-120 Wardour Street, London

8

Everything We Miss, $19 Graphic novel by Luke Pearson.

Nobrow, 62 Great Eastern Street, London. www.nobrow.net

8

59

3 n Su

EMIRATES AIRLINE FESTIVAL OF LITERATURE

4

Sa t

Fr i

Th u

2

1

CALENDAR

on M

Pulitzer Prize winner Steve Coll is among the writers to come to Dubai. www.eaifl.com

5 6

e Tu

7

ed W

8

u Th

9

Fri

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

10

Sat

A public holiday in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh celebrates this day with marches and parades around the capital.

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Sun

12

n Mo

13

Tue

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Wed

Thu

15

Fri

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Sat

17

Tue

Wed

Th u Fri

Sa t

Su n M on

W ed u Th

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i Fr

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t Sa

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Tu e

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The most stylish and beautiful people on earth descend on the city of Angels. www.fashionweekla.com

18

Sun

Mon

FASHION WEEK LOS ANGELES

19

20 21

NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL Wellington is awash with more than 300 performances, from theatre and dance to music and cinema. www.festival.co.nz

22

23

24

MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX The Formula One circus revs its engines at Kuala Lumpur’s Sepang circuit. www.malaysiangp.com.my

31

PEACE OF MIND STARTS WITH PROOF OF QUALITY. Carat Weight 1.53

Color Grade E

Clarity Grade VS1

Cut Grade

Excellent

Laser Inscription Registry Number GIA 16354621

Natural Diamond Not Synthetic

A GIA report is certainty from the source. GIA is the gemological research institute that created the 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System.™ It is globally recognized as the unbiased expert for professional, detailed gem evaluations. Before you buy a diamond, ask your jeweler for a GIA grading report. To learn more visit www.4cs.gia.edu

THE UNIVERSAL STANDARD BY WHICH GEMS ARE JUDGED.

DUBAI WORLD CUP MARCH 31, 2012 THE GREATEST SPORTING SPECTACLE OF THE YEAR. Join the heart of the social action at Apron Views, home to the famous Bubble Lounge, Irish Village and Jaguar Style Stakes competition or take in all the racing action from the comfort of Premium Seating 2 & 3 or Meydan Terrace.

Race ahead and book your tickets today, visit meydan.ae or call +971 4 327 2110 from 8am to 8pm Sundays to Thursdays for more information.

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MAIN P. 64 • MY LONDON

P. 76 • POP-UP CINEMAS

P. 86 • SOHO REVISITED

LONDOPNE!S!

STERPOOLITTICY ALLY

A GUIDE INCORRECT ERS TO LONDON

P104

63

ILLUSTRATIONS: LUCA LAURENTI // AS TOLD TO GARETH REES & ALEX HAWKES

Joe Dunthorne, Writer I’d always been a bit scared of London before I moved here — the scale of it unsettled me. But once I moved in, and bought a bicycle, I completely fell in love with it and London’s size became a challenge — a game, almost — rather than a worry. It’s hard to walk down the same street twice without noticing some fascinating/ horrifying/edifying change. For a writer, there’s almost too much about London to document. It’s drenched in history, conflict, culture, art, beauty and ugliness, rich and poor, all side by side.

My fondest memory of living in London is eating breakfast on the roof

66 MY LONDON

of my old flat in Shoreditch with fifteen or so friends.

We were surrounded by cranes, pitched roofs, heating vents, graffiti, skyscrapers, traffic, rats. I’d always thought that, if you’re going to live in a metropolis like London, then you might as well commit to it – and actually live in the most urban, concreted, city-like places, rather than trying to cling on to some dream of countryside peacefulness. That moment felt unique and unrepeatable. For people visiting London, I’d recommend cycling across Tower Bridge at dawn. I can vividly remember the first time I did.

Rowan, Bar Manager I work in a bar called the Chesire Cheese on Fleet Street.

It’s a quite historic area. Some of the business guys have worked round here for years. Fleet Street used to be where all of London’s newspapers were based, and although they’ve now all pretty much gone, there is still a lot of offices in the area. We get a lot of tourists in here as well, as this is one of the oldest pubs in London. I love to chat with the regulars. A lot of local businessmen come here at lunch and after work. I get on great with them and sometimes we go drinking together if I’m not on a shift. This pub is very different to those in Australia, where I am from. Pubs in Australia usually have one big long bar, while this pub has many small bars spread out in different rooms. It creates a great atmos-

phere. We have an open fire in one room, and downstairs people can sit in the cellar and enjoy a pint. It’s just a really kooky venue. I like being around this area - St Paul’s cathedral is just up the road, and we are also near Middle Temple and the Royal Courts of Justice. My favourite restaurant is Chi Noodle, which is just round the corner from here. It does some great Asian food and has some good Australian beers from back home. I really like just walking around London and taking in the sites. I would probably start in Trafalgar Square and then head up to Covent Garden, stopping to look at the street entertainers. From there I would head up to the Strand, before joining Fleet Street and coming for a pint here. I would then head down to the river and watch the sunset.

MY LONDON 67

Ross Botha, Mini-cab Driver I’m not a great tour guide but, being a cabbie, I do know how to avoid the traffic between Earlsfield and Clapham Junction. I moved to Earlsfield just over two years ago from Johannesburg, South Africa. It’s a really comfortable area – lots of South Africans around, good transport links and some decent pubs, which is a major plus point for me.

There’s a good cheap gym down the road from my home, and a specialist South African shop near Wimbledon station, which sells great Biltong sauce. Just like home.

I also love a good curry, and Tooting is the best place to find one. Karachi Lahore serves a particularly good one. Very spicy but tasty, and cheap too. One drawback is that Earlsfield isn’t great for going out on the town,

68 MY LONDON

but I like drinking in The Wandle pub sometimes. The Tram and Social, just up the road in Tooting Bec, is much better, though. It has a really nice vibe and cool decor. My fondest memory of London, though, has to be going to Twickenham to watch the rugby a year or so ago – it was a great experience. I’d advise anyone who likes rugby to go, but if I am entertaining visitors, I just take them for a walk along the South Bank. It’s nice to walk along the River Thames, and there are plenty of places to stop off for a couple of drinks and some food.

I’m still relatively new to the city, London has so much history: the Queen, Big Ben – it really is endless.

Oswald Boateng, Tailor I was born and raised in London, and although my profession has taken me to some amazing places all over the world, I will always be drawn back here. It’s such an inspiring place creatively. Although Savile Row was my calling, Portobello Road is where it all started for me. There is still a plethora of talent there and returning from time to time helps me gain perspective on my work. The most exciting experience I have had in London is when I was closing London Fashion Week in 2010. It was the biggest show on the schedule with over 100 models. It was also a huge milestone for me as it was the first time the UK recognised menswear at Fashion Week.

I’ve always been fond of art; it’s where I draw a lot of my inspiration. Whenever I have the chance my favourite place to go to is the Tate. John Martin’s Apocalypse was amazing, such powerful images. I remember the 1990s in London very

fondly. There was the resurgence of Savile Row and the rise of ‘Cool Britannia.’ Around that time London really was the place to be. The Arts Club is a personal favourite, they serve great selections of cocktails and I love the intimate atmosphere in there. To eat, one of my regular haunts is Roux At The Landau. It’s such a beautiful restaurant, not to mention the food. London is great for people working in the fashion industry.

While Paris and Milan are of course leaders in my field, Britain is unique in its innovation. We are always looking forward to the next thing. The British public are more open to breaking the mould than other people are which is great.

And, of course, London has Saville Row. Being here is a dream come true. It’s an honour to be here, this is the birthplace of the modern man, where it all started.

MY LONDON 69

Gary, Big Issue Seller I have been in London since 1996. I came from Torquay in Devon for a plastering job. The city has got a lot busier and more expensive, but the range of different ethnic minorities has always been here. My life was good in the 1990s. I was a plasterer working on building sites all the time, and then I had a motorbike accident and did my leg in. I have a plate in my left leg. After it was fixed, I went back to the building site to try and carry on as a plasterer, but my leg wasn’t strong enough to be on a building site going up and down ladders. So that ended that. I stay in London because I like the atmosphere, the busyness and the nightlife is good. Londoners are friendlier than people expect. Some people perceive different areas of London as being dominated by gangs.

Some areas, that’s true, but there are nice places in London where there isn’t so much gang culture. I live in a hostel

70 MY LONDON

in Hackney. It is getting better, it’s still a bit rough. In Covent Garden, you get the performers coming down in the daytime, the magicians. If I could be mayor for a day, I would change travel prices. Travel is expensive in London – all of it, buses, taxis and tubes. Now and again I use the bikes Boris Johnson has provided. At first a lot of people were using them, but you don’t see as many now. I work in Covent Garden every day. There are more tourists in Central London, because they come for the shopping and the clubs. When I’m not working, I’ll go and walk through London Fields, watch the football there, or the basketball, then go and get something to eat in the afternoon and then to the pub for a couple of beers. I love to visit the little pie and mash shop on Broadway Market in Hackney. It also does the famous jellied eels. It’s an old 1970s-style pie and mash shop.

Nick Hayes, Illu rator The best aspect to where I live on Old Street is taking bike rides along the canal and the various noises people make around tight corners, when they don’t possess a bell. My perfect Sunday morning occurs invariably in the afternoon: Hackney City Farm, quick look at the pigs, then a posh breakfast surrounded by toddlers and mums. The area has not really changed since I have been here.

I guess I represent a part of the gentrification of the area – council flats sold on to young professional types. However, even more symbolically, The Mildmay Hospital, where Princess Diana famously took an HIV AIDS patient in her arms, is currently being destroyed, to make way for, you guessed it, luxury flats and a shopping mall. The architecture of empathy dismantled for Top Shop. People think the area is avant-garde. It’s actually just

expensive. The exciting things are located in cold warehouses on the edge of town. There are some great characters locally. There’s a homeless guy called Mike who sits outside Tesco. He’s a cheery chappy, and it recently emerged that he’s editing an alternative Big Issue, which publishes all sorts of stories from the streets. He got a grant from the Arts Council, several investors, and the first issue had a picture of Rupert Bear being torn to shreds, bleeding over a map of Britain. It seems that everyone here is in media. I also love Soho.

My favourite restaurant is there, the Gay Hussar. Eastern European cuisine, walls plastered in political catoons, this used to be the place where the politicians came to get pie-eyed and forge policy.

My favourite place is Epping Forest: 20 minutes on the Tube and acres of beechwoods.

MY LONDON

71

Russell Norman, Restaurateur I live in a quiet suburban area of London, the houses are huge, the gardens are big and there is very little disturbance. This is in contrast to where I work in Soho. It is full of bohemians, poets, artists, musicians and dreamers. My favourite character is Phil Dirtbox, a sort of post-Dickens cross between the Artful Dodger, Dean Martin and Tommy Cooper, and he’s a charmer too. I do love Soho, it’s my favourite place in London, a village within a city. My perfect day would start with a morning looking round one of our excellent markets: Portobello Road, Borough Market, Columbia Road or Brick Lane. I would then have lunch in Chinatown followed by a stroll across Hungerford Bridge to the Southbank for a fresh walk along the Thames. After a snooze at the ho-

72 MY LONDON

tel I would head to the Donmar Warehouse, the Royal Court or the National for the best theatre in London, followed by supper at Polpo. One of the few things people don’t know about London is that you can walk everywhere. Don’t take buses or the Tube, just walk. If it’s your first time in the city, you must go to the top of Primrose Hill. The views of the city are breathtaking. As mentioned before, I love Soho and my favourite bar (The Dog & Duck on Frith Street), restaurant (Andrew Edwards on Lexington Street) and shop (I Camisa on Old Compton Street) are all within its confines.

To summarise, my London is full of frustrations, inconsistencies and ironies but I am the only one who is allowed to criticise it, thank you very much.

Ann, Retiree I have lived in London for 51 years. I didn’t choose to come here, my husband came over and he sponsored me to come over. I have always lived in Lambeth. I worked in a restaurant and pub in Bank doing catering. In 1970 I worked on a building site. In those days, they didn’t hold your job when you had a baby. You had to start again. When I had my first child, I had to find something else. I did bits and pieces – cleaning, everything. I was the manageress of the canteen on a building site. It was all Irish men, Scottish men, black, white, pink, all different.

Sometimes there were 300 men on the site. I worked at the Rolls Royce showroom in Green Park. London has changed in every way. The houses, the people, everything has changed. People are friendlier and more civilised now. It’s changed for the better in that way. There was a lot of discrimination, but I have always got along with people, whether they are black or white. There is more violence now. When I first came from the Caribbean, I was living in a room and we had one door key. That key was tied

onto the letterbox and when anyone came home, they could pull it out and open the door. I know no other area apart from this one. I have lived in this home right here for 41 years. I used to go to plenty of parties, at the Tiffany Ballroom, the Empire Ballroom. I love dancing. I still dance. Now at my age, at my church hall they invite me to birthdays or christenings and I go there and dance. My music is the old 1960s reggae. It used to be that you could walk around Brixton and see nice restaurants. Now it’s not the same. All you see in the shopping centre now is yam and banana and chicken and fish. I would remove some of those stalls.

You have no nice antique shops or boutiques with lovely dresses.

I would open some boutiques for over the over fifties and a dancehall. I go to a Monday club called Stockwell Good Neighbours. The people are very friendly. You can have a game of bingo, dominos, a raffle.

I do Tai Chi there. We do walking for charity. A lot of things. I am a part of the community. I think I am a celebrity around these parts.

MY LONDON 73

Kostas, Newsagent I am Greek, but London is my home now. I came here to London from Greece around ten years ago, and I was drawn to this area in particular because I liked the fact that there was, and still is, a large Greek community in Camberwell. We have many Greek restaurants, bakeries and delicatessens right here on our doorstep. Many of my friends live here also, which means our children can play together. And the schools here are good, so it’s there’s a community, and it’s perfect for families. The area hasn’t changed all that much since I arrived a decade ago. Many of the local businesses on the high street have been here for many years now. On the positive side, Camberwell Green has been cleaned up and there is a new

74 MY LONDON

leisure centre, which opened not that long ago. This is a positive development for the people who live here, especially those with families. There are many other nice places around South East London where I like to go for walks. Peckham Rye Park is a nice place to sit and have a picnic in the summer. Dulwich Farmers’ Market is also very nice now, and we visit that occasionally. It has lots of good meat to buy, and the spit roast is very good. For a perfect 24 hours, I would take my family out shopping for the day around Oxford Street.

Afterwards we would go and see a musical in the West End, followed by some dinner in Chinatown. If I had to advise people to visit one place, it would be The London Eye. It has great views of the city.

Gurmeet Sian, Architect I’ve lived in London since 2002 and chose to live here because of the sheer diversity of culture, art, cuisine, languages and people. This is really important for someone working in a creative industry. My favourite area in London is Shoreditch, and a little known adjacent enclave called De Beauvoir Village. It’s a wonderful hidden collection of historic and new buildings, with quaint coffee shops and pubs. Next door, I love Shoreditch, with its amazing art galleries, restaurants and bars. My perfect day would start with a good breakfast in one of the amazing eateries on Stoke Newington Church Street.

Then I would take a walk around Stoke Newington Cemetery, which has the most macabre collection of tombstones and graves that you could possibly imagine. It’s incredibly overgrown, and it feels like you’re stepping into a fantasy world. Heading south, I would walk through the vibrant Dalston and pop into the coffee shops near

the canal. I’d grab a quick lunch from one of the bagel shops in Brick Lane, and pop into a couple of the galleries, especially the White Cube, in Shoreditch. I would continue my walk south, through the Bank area and walk over London Bridge and across to the South Bank Centre for an evening of classical music at the Royal Festival Hall. Then a few drinks with friends around Hoxton Square and I’d finish the day with cocktails by the pool on the rooftop of Shoreditch House. If I had to advise a visitor to go to one place in London, I would suggest the Tate Modern Gallery. You can arrive by boat on the Thames and experience some world-class art in an incredible building, which used to be a power station. Afterwards, go up to the rooftop bistro which has stunning, panoramic view across the city.

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76 LONDON CINEMA

by ben SloAn IllUsTraTions by tom jay

B

lame it on Bill Murray. In 2005, the British Film Institute in London screened Ghostbusters on a Sunday afternoon. A friend, Amy, and I came out and made a list of all the films we grew up with on VHS but which we’d never seen on the big screen. There were some forty titles on the page.

With the idea that we couldn’t be the only ones who would relish the chance to see The Goonies , Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Top Gun and the Brat Pack classics in a cinema, we approached the Picturehouse chain of cinemas, who saw something in the idea. So it was that for two years we ran The Breakfast Club, screening 1980s films on Sunday mornings in 16 cinemas across the country.

We like to think we injected a bit of personality into our screenings. They were our choices, after all. For personality is what independent cinemas are all about. Instead of constantly competing w ith the giant exhibitors, independent cinema owners sell themselves in other ways, focusing on off-beat films, putting the class back into cinema-going and giving audiences new experiences. And nowhere else in the UK is this more evident than London – a city big enough and cosmopolitan enough to provide the audiences these cinemas need.

Fed up with being fleeced for overpriced popcorn and herded like cattle in an experience that leaves you cold?

the MulTiPlex and the BloCkBusTer are not the Only way to EnjOy CinEmA, Even now Then resist! Occupy the auditorium!

And let this selection of London’s best independent cinemas be your guide.

As for Amy and I, we didn’t give up the day jobs. We were never intending to. But we did get to see most of our list.

The death knell is ringing. Independent cinemas are dying. If piracy, home cinema systems and the internet weren’t challenges enough, the unstoppable march of the multiplex is the last thing independent cinemas need.

Since 1999 multiplexes in the UK have opened 1143 new screens. Traditional cinemas have lost 230. So say your farewells, for independent cinema looks to be on the way out.

But wait. Between London’s gargantuan multiplexes lies a network of independent cinemas that are thriving, putting the class back into the movies, treating cinemagoers with respect and pushing boundaries as far as they’ll stretch.

The stories of these cinemas are the stories of people passionate about film and committed to bringing new experiences to audiences.

LONDON CINEMA 77

prInce chArles ciNema

Leicester Square, in the heart of the West End, is so often the venue for blockbuster premieres that it’s the last place you’d expect to find the capital’s most eclectic independent cinema. Yet nestled in an alley behind a multiplex is what Time Out London voted the capital’s best cinema, the Prince Charles. Don’t be fooled by the name – this two-screen gem is as far removed from the establishment as their namesake is part of it.

Opened in 1962 and originally the sort of cinema we certainly wouldn’t be writing about in a magazine such as this, the Prince Charles changed hands and is now the only independent in the West End. The programme is peppered with independent, edgy new films, always a month or two after their release date. But what the Prince Charles does best is show the sort of cult double, triple and even quadruplebills that you just don’t find anywhere else in London.

It will show Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and Captain America together as the Avengers marathon; the first four Friday 13th films back to back in a single night on, of course, Friday 13th January; or Stand By Me and Super 8 as a neat double bill.

Its monthly sing-a-long The Sound of Music is a London institution, and may account for the large number of nuns roaming the West End on a Friday night once a month.

It regularly hosts director Q&As, with attendees having included Ken Loach, Moon director Duncan Jones and The Hurt Locker Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow. They’re currently very excited that Tommy Wiseau, the writer, director and star of The Room , is flying over for a Q&A in February. Made in 2003, The

Room has gained cult status in the US by virtue of the fact that it is truly terrible in every way. Which, of course, is its appeal.

‘It’s awful. It’s the worst film ever made in the history of film,’ says Robin Priestley, Creative Manager of the Prince Charles, doing his best to talk down, or maybe up, expectations. ‘So much so that it’s actually quite good.

We sold 400 tickets in the first week we had them on sale.’

It’s not all kitsch and cult, however. Classic silent films are regularly screened with live musical accompaniment, as well as the best documentaries from around the world in the DocHouse strand.

Film royalty love the Prince Charles.

Q uent i n Ta ra nt i no ca l le d it t he ‘Queen’s jewels’ and, on the release of Kill Bill, declared ‘the day that Kill Bill plays at the Prince Charles will be the day that Kill Bill truly comes home.’

‘We are the only completely independent cinema in central London,’ says Priestley. ‘Others look independent but the films they show are booked by a larger organisation. There are four of us in our office and we alone decide what we want to show.’

As a result, they have no one to answer to other than themselves.

That’s not to say there aren’t challenges. ‘We’ve definitely had to up our game, to cope with the advent of 50-inch televisions and the ability to download films.’ But, he says, it’s the shared experience of the events they organisethat gives them a reputation that stretches far beyond London. ‘People want the experience of watching films together, on the big screen, with a load of people that feel the same.’

7 leIcesteR plaCe, loNdon wc2h 7by. tel: 020 7494 3654, wWw.PrincEcharLescineMa.coM 78 LONDON CINEMA

seCret ciNema

‘I always thought that the audience should be inside the film, become part of the experience,’ says Fabien Riggall, founder and Creative Director of Secret Cinema, who takes the idea of cinema being a ‘shared experience’ to the extreme.

The premise is inspired. Tickets go on sale but nobody knows what the film is going to be, or even where it will be screened. Teasing emails and communications are sent out to all ticket-holders, telling them the dress code, where to meet and other hints about which film they’ll be watching. But it’s when they arrive at the venue that the fun really starts. Secret Cinema has turned the Troxy, a refurbished music hall in East London, into Fat Sam’s speakeasy for a screening of Bugsy Malone. They’ve turned Hackney’s London Fields into a mini Coney Island for Walter Hill’s seminal New York gangs flick The Warriors, and screened One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest in the abandoned Princess Louise Hospital in West London. But what makes Secret Cinema so innovative is the level of detail involved in making the experiences interactive. Everyone who saw One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was invited to submit a photo and their own psychiatric evaluation. On the night, people were unnerved to have the orderlies address them by name and ask questions based on the information

they had submitted. Bugsy Malone ended in a foam-pie and splurge-gun fight as cops raided the joint.

Secret Cinema is by far the most innovative of the ‘pop-up’ cinemas that have emerged in recent years. To call its events screenings doesn’t do them justice. They are productions, involving up to 140 crew. Like theatre, once you’ve missed it, it’s gone forever. Its staging of Ridley Scott’s cyberpunk classic Blade Runner in 2010 was the tipping point. ‘That was when the audience started to take the concept seriously,’ Riggall says. ‘We had 1,000 people turn up, all in costume, and there was a real bleed between the actors and the audience.’

His other personal highlight was when they screened Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers in the Old Vic tunnels in April 2011 - the height of the Arab Spring. ‘I was very conscious of being sensitive and for it not to be a parody. It’s such a powerful film that we wanted to make it feel real and truthful, and treat current events with respect.’ Over the course of the film’s run, almost 14,000 people were herded through the Casbah, harangued by French guards, searched and detained if they were found to have the wrong papers.

They’ve even launched an event in Kabul which, coupled with a recent spate of media coverage, has made the events rather less secret then some of the early adopters would like. Yet in 2010 Secret Cinema’s screenings of Blade Runner grossed enough money ($216,000) to put it at number eleven in the UK box office chart. The clash, as always, is between the commercial viability of these independents and the desire to remain out of the mainstream.

So far, Secret Cinema has done both.

wWw.SecreTcineMa.orG LONDON CINEMA 79

thE leXi

The oversized lettering on the front of the Lexi says simply, ‘I AM A CINEMA. LOVE ME.’ What looks like a needy plea is quite unnecessary, for this is one of the loveliest and most personal of London’s independent cinemas. It’s also the newest. The brainchild of entrepreneur Sally Wilton, and named after her daughter, the Lexi in Kensal Rise, North West London, looks more like a church hall from the outside. With a social club on one side and some lucky person’s home on the other, the Lexi is a focus for the community in this leafy part of town.

When Wilton sold her training and conference facilities company in 2006 in a multi-million-pound deal she began realising her long-held ambition of running a cinema. Finding a vacant Edwardian theatre just down the road from her home, she put around £500,000 of her own money into the project, turning the auditorium into an 80-seat cinema, fully equipped for digital projection and featuring a 15seat private balcony area.

With only one screen, the cinema must play carefully in order to make money on the films it chooses, which tend to be a mix of independent UK, European and A merican cinema.

They also have kids’ club screenings, classics from across the world, and live broadcasts of opera from the New York Met and theatre from the National Theatre on the South Bank.

the Lexi is one of the City’s LovElIest CinEmas, and all its ProFits go to an AfrIcan ChaRity 80 LONDON CINEMA

But what sets the Lexi apart, even amongst other independents, is the fact that the cinema sends 100 per cent of its profits to the eco-village of Lynedoch, established by the Sustainability Institute, in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Tens of thousands of pounds have so far gone towards building a crèche, providing schoolbags and children’s clothes, after-school clubs, solar power and water management systems for the village.

Wilton has recently expanded the Lexi’s work through the Nomad – a mobile cinema that travels the capital, the country and, we’re promised, even further afield, screening films in unusual locations all year round.

thE leXi, 194B chAmberLayne roAd, keNsal riSe, loNdon nw10 3ju. tel: 0871 7042069, wWw.TheleXicineMa.Co.Uk. wWw.WhereIstheNomad.cOm

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SavEd From ConVeRsiOn to OffIce in 1985, the PheOnix is the GraNdAddy of the CinEma SceNe

thE phOenix

If the Lexi is the baby of the scene, then the Phoenix is the grandaddy, but one looking remarkably good for his age. One of several London cinemas to have reached their century in the last couple of years, the Phoenix in East Finchley, North London, was saved from conversion into offices in 1985 by the intervention of local residents and a grant from the Greater London Council.

Since then, the cinema has been run by the independent Phoenix Cinema Trust, which ploughs all profits back into the cinema, and has recently overseen a £1million restoration of the building for its centenary year, which reinstated the café that was originally on the first floor, and created a new balcony overlooking the street.

Steadfastly independent, they make the most of their single screen with a packed programme of indy cinema from the UK and beyond, interspersed with 82 LONDON CINEMA

kids’ club screenings, live theatre, opera and ballet broadcasts. They also punch well above their weight when it comes to enticing writers, actors and directors to their Q&A screenings, which are then made available to stream on their website.

But the Phoenix doesn’t just show films. It appears in them too. Its ornate art deco interior, with intricate 1930s wall panels designed by the RussianIrish duo Mollo and Egan, and the vaulted ceiling, has been seen in Interview With The Vampire , The End Of The Affair, John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, and the musical Nine.

52 higH roAd, easT fiNchley, loNdon N2 9pj tel: 020 8444 6789, wWw.PhoenIxcineMa.Co.uK

thE elEctric

Another centurion on the independent circuit, the Electric in Notting Hill, West London, has had a chequered past, with several closures since it first opened in February 1911. Now, happily, thriving again, this West London institution makes full use of its single screen, with a varied programme of larger independent films and one-off screenings such as its members-only Electric Film Club events. Again, like the Phoenix, the Electric is a listed building, meaning that an innovative solution had to be found in order to get around the problem

of its proscenium arch. An elegant solution was found: a mobile screen, which unfurls from inside the arch and expands beyond its boundaries, enabling the cinema to show films in their full widescreen format.

191 poRtobellO roAd, loNdon W12 2ed tel: 020 7908 9696, wWw.ElectRiccineMa.Co.Uk LONDON CINEMA 83

ricH miX

bfi soutH baNk

With three screens and a constantly changing programme of previews, classics, themed seasons and lost treasures from their vaults, the British Film Institute’s Southbank home is a favourite of any London cineaste. January this year saw a Woody Allen Season, the London Comedy Film Festival and a celebration of Dickens on screen. Its extraordinary pulling power makes them the big hitter in terms of guest speakers and Q&A sessions, though members get first shot at these tickets so it pays to be prepared. It also has an IMAX screen showing major blockbusters, often in 3D. Geoff Andrew, Head of Film Programme, sells it simply: ‘It has state-of-the-art technical equipment, it shows the best prints available, and has an extensive, very diverse programme with audiences to match!’

beLvederE roAd, souThbaNk, loNdon se1 8xt tel: 020 7928 3232 wWw.bFi.oRg.Uk 84 LONDON CINEMA

A new £19-million arts centre in Shoreditch, just east of the city, Rich Mix couldn’t be more appropriately named. Across its five floors you’ll find a three-screen cinema, performance space for live music, bar, event space and office-cum-studio space for the sort of artists, musicians, performers and all-round creatives that Shoreditch does so well. In the cinema, the latest Twilight instalment will screen next to a programme of Lithuanian short films by female directors. Such eclecticism perfectly mirrors the cosmopolitan neighbourhood Rich Mix calls home.

35-47 beThnal greeN roAd, loNdon E1 6la tel: 020 7613 7498, wWw.RichmIx.oRg.Uk

Rich mix ConTains ThrEe ScrEens, a bar, a StuDiO, OffIce SpaCe and a LarGe Live MusIc VenUe

HorSe HosPital

Yes, it was once a home for sick steeds. Now the ‘mane’ attraction of this 18th century corner building in Bloomsbury is the truly avant-garde films on offer. A home for alternative art, fashion, literature and music as well as film, its mission is to celebrate ‘irreverence, individualism, anti-conformism, sincerity and integrity.’ In short, this is the fringe of the alternative, the very outer reaches of film and media where anything goes. It recently hosted the London Underground Film Festival, and every month screens a free gruesome horror in its Cut! programme.

thE coLonnaDe, blOomsbuRy, loNdon wc1n 1jd tel: 020 7833 3644 wWw.ThehoRsehoSpital.cOm

You want more? Tr y the Curzon Soho, the Ritzy in Brixton, or the Rio Dalston.

What these cinemas and exhibitors seek to do is bring back the excitement of seeing films on the big screen, the thrill we used to have when we went to the cinema as youngsters, when the screen seemed bigger, the stories more fantastic and the effects more real.

Says Lexi founder Sally Wilton: ‘I want to recreate the magic of cinema.

To make it a really exciting event, not just “Let’s see what’s on.” I want it to be something that you look forward to, more like going to the theatre or a concert. I want people to get excited about coming here.’

Where the mega-chains are formulaic and anonymous, each of these cinemas is unique and full of character. Each, in their own way, reinstates the element of an event, of fun and surprise, that is lost at the multiplex.

For independents, the film is just the springboard for the experience as a whole; the surroundings, the company you find yourself in, and the feeling you have upon leaving.

And as Fabien Riggall of Secret Cinema says, the ‘indies’ are also the battleground where the dominance of the big chains and their buying power is challenged. ‘The fact that we can sell 19,000 tickets for films without people even knowing what they are going to watch shows that there is another way to distribute films. There is a power shift and the powers need to listen.’

Ben Sloan is a writer and film fanatic based in London LONDON CINEMA 85

SOH REVEALED

86 SOHO

OHO

BY PAUL WILLETTS SOHO 87

D

auntingly large though London can seem, it has often been likened to a cluster of small towns, each w it h it s ow n distinctive social and architectural character. Hampstead is one such town, with rustic buildings, winding roads, and acres of undulating heath making it appear to belong to the countryside rather than the capital. Over recent decades, the inexorable process of gentrification, shunting poverty further and further towards the margins, has transformed the atmosphere of most of these districts.

Unlike Notting Hill, Hampstead and other such areas, Soho has preserved its identity despite the intense economic pressures exerted by its central position. Few of the capital’s many neighbourhoods possess such a strong identity, a self-image that’s acquired the resonance of a successful commercial brand. Ask most Londoners about Soho and they’ll probably reel off a series of overlapping remarks.

They’ll talk about nightclubs, cafés, and restaurants. They’ll deliver smirking references to adult naughtiness of every conceivable shade. They’ll allude to sharp-suited 1950s and 1960s gangsters operating protection rackets.

And they’ll mention hard-living, selfdestructive bohemians.

For its devotees, Soho is as much a state of mind as a location. It’s London’s equivalent to the Latin Quarter in Paris, or Greenwich Village in New York during their long-gone heydays.

Nonetheless, the boundaries of Soho have, in keeping with the fluidity of city life, altered a great deal over the decades. As little as 50 years ago, the area extended much further to the south, east and north.

To the south, it embraced Gerard Street and the rest of what’s now 88 SOHO

Chinatown. To the east, it subsumed Charing Cross Road and Denmark Street, nicknamed ‘Tin Pan Alley’, a street still lined with instrument shops and music clubs. To the north, it encompassed present-day Fitzrovia, known back then as ‘North Soho’, its current name assigned in homage to the Fitzroy Tavern on Charlotte Street, once the hub of this thriving annexe.

Nowadays, however, Soho is ringfenced by Oxford Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross Road and Regent Street. In spite of its geographical fluctuations, it has remained a distinct entity for more than 400 years.

Throughout that period it has been linked with entertainment. Originally, it was a royal hunting ground, patronised by the aristocracy. Its name reputedly derived from ‘So-hoe!’, the word shouted as the hounds pursued their quarry across the fields. A vague reminder of this distant rural past can be found in the form of a tiny pub called the Dog and Duck. Located on the cor-

SOHO HAS KEPT ITS IDENTITY DESPITE THE PRESSURE OF ITS CENTRAL LONDON LOCATION

ner of Bateman and Frith Streets, it has a lovely Victorian interior, customers’ voices echoing around a traditional mixture of dark woodwork, antique mirrors and richly coloured tiles.

Soho’s history has its roots in 1677 when King Charles II presented the land to his illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, who built a mansion in Soho Square. Within a few years, the English royal family had parted with other large stretches of their former hunting grounds, which began to vanish beneath a labyrinth of roads, courtyards and dark alleys. Documents from that period show that the area was already known as Soho.

Into the district’s tightly packed streets flooded thousands of French Huguenots, escaping persecution in their native country. They were the first of many waves of immigrants – Greeks, Jews, Cy priots, Italians, Chinese, Germans and Vietnamese – who would endow Soho with the cosmopolitan ambience that has been an

intrinsic facet of the area for so long.

By the middle of the eighteenthcentury, Soho had already forged a link with musicians and artists, their presence contributing towards its reputation not only as a refuge for the persecuted, but as somewhere tolerant of unconventional behaviour. Among Soho’s creative residents at this time was the musical child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who lived with his parents at 20 Frith Street, where he gave concerts. The painter known as Canaletto, who had a studio at 41 Beak Street, was another famous resident.

As early as 1760, the connection bet ween Soho, fashionable nightclubs and carnal indulgence was established. That was when Theresa Cornelys, lover of Giacomo Casanova, the diarist – himself a one-time Soho 90 SOHO

charge of ‘keeping a disorderly house’, a euphemism for running a brothel.

Cornelys set an unwitting precedent. Within 50 years of her death in prison during 1797, the area had been colonised by prostitutes, who plied their trade alongside the district’s shops, pubs, artists’ studios, small theatres, workshops, and slums.

It was there that the young writer, Thomas De Quincey, best-k now n for his Confessions of an English

resident – rented Carlisle House. There, she launched a sumptuously furnished private members’ club. She used the venue to host extravagant dances, banquets, and fancy-dress balls, enlivened by the outrageous behaviour of her clientele. In one of the earliest recorded examples of crime in Soho, she ended up being convicted on a

Opium Eater, befriended a 17-year-old streetwalker, someone with whom he later shared a rat-infested room on Greek Street.

The insanitary conditions prevalent in Soho’s slums led to an outbreak of cholera in 1854. By mapping the addresses of those suffering from the disease, Dr John Snow made one of the great breakthroughs in epidemiology. He was able to pinpoint the water-pump at the junction between Lexington and Broadwick Streets as the epicentre of the outbreak. At his insistence, the authorities removed the handle from the pump, thus preventing Soho’s residents from using it. Subsequent tests revealed that the

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spring-water beneath the pump had been contaminated by sewage.

Even now, the streetscape of Soho remains predominantly nineteenth-century, its skewed layout as idiosyncratic as many of its inhabitants, its yellowish grey brickwork lending a warm, incongruously quaint backdrop to the alcohol-fuelled revelries enacted on a nightly basis. But its attractive streets could easily have been swept away during the early 1970s when Westminster Council unveiled grandiose plans to demolish large swathes of Georgian and Victorian buildings. Had the plan been implemented, these would have been replaced by gargantuan tower blocks, linked by concrete walkways straddling six lanes of traffic.

From an architectural point of view, Soho’s unlikely saviour was the flamboyant strip-club owner and theatre impresario, Paul Raymond. Although Raymond had been knocking round there since the Second World War when he’d been a kerbside dealer in black market goods, he didn’t become an established figure in Soho until 1958. That April he opened one of London’s first strip-clubs, an upmarket venue called the Raymond Revuebar, situated in Walker’s Court – near the heart of what was dubbed ‘the Square Mile of Sin’. Signposted by a giant, neon sign that faced Brewer Street, the words ‘London’s only real challenge to Paris’ juxtaposed by a drawing of a high-kicking can-can dancer, his club exploited a loophole in the law.

At that time topless women were only permitted on stage provided they remained motionless. Prior to the launch of Raymond’s club, this type of static posing had formed the basis of the extremely popular ‘Revudeville’ shows presented at the Windmill Theatre on Great Windmill Street. The performers, whose skilfully marketed 92 SOHO

pin-up photos earned them worldwide fame, posed in a variety of tableaux, many of these striving for spurious respectability by mimicking Classical statuary and other works of art.

Whenever a seat near the front fell vacant, customers would try to claim it by hurriedly clambering over the seats ahead of them, a manoeuvre described as ‘the Windmill Steeplechase’.

Long queues of servicemen formed outside the theatre during the Second World War. Apart from a brief period of closure immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, the Windmill remained open, unlike other London theatres. As a result, its advertising soon sported the proud tag-line, ‘We Never Closed’, which jokers amended to ‘We Never Clothed’.

SOHO ATTRACTED POETS, BUMS, MOVIE STARS, CROOKS, MODELS AND DAY TRIPPERS By making the Revuebar a private club, Paul Raymond was able to circumvent the ban on moving nudes. In the club’s early days, his shows were interspersed by dance routines and elaborate cabaret acts, one of which involved a white horse walking onto the stage. With the huge profits from the Revuebar, which attracted show business stars of the level of the Beatles, Judy Garland, and Frank Sinatra, Raymond was able to purchase the inexpensive freeholds of large numbers of run-down buildings in what had become a run-down yet charming area.

Strolling down its streets, one would catch fragments of multi-lingual chatter seldom heard elsewhere in Britain.

One would pass Continental patisseries and delicatessens, their windows

SOHO 93

filled with what were then culinary novelties such as French bread, salami, parmesan, and strings of garlic. And one would also pass shops displaying foreign magazines and newspapers; touts attempting to entice the gullible into dubious clubs; bookies standing on street-corners, taking illegal off-course bets; ultra-fashionable coffee bars, the faces of teenage customers barely visible through steamy windows.

Another characteristic feature of those streets was the inconspicuous doorways ushering the cognoscenti into bohemian drinking dens – the Mandrake, the Caves de France, and the Colony Room among the most prominent. Wreathed in a haze of cigarette smoke, gossip, dry humour and acerbic banter, a shifting and often starry cast of writers, musicians, film-makers and painters held court in these subterranean clubs. Regulars included the painters Lucian Freud and Francis Bacon, as well as the writers Julian Maclaren-Ross and Dylan Thomas, alcohol-marinated patron saints of what has since come to be known as ‘Sohemia’.

Inadvertently shielding this rarefied world from the type of wholesale redevelopment destined to ruin large tracts of London, Paul Raymond was content to harvest the rents from his fast-expanding property empire and to wait for the value of his investments to rise. Yet the area wasn’t immune to change. In the run-up to the opening of the Revuebar, it had become the cradle of British teen culture, initially manifested by the coffee bar and rock ’n’ roll booms of the mid-1950s.

Both of these phenomena found famous expression in the Two I’s Coffee Bar at 59 Old Compton Street. The self-styled ‘Home of Rock ’n’ Roll’, it featured a basement where Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde and others first caught the public’s attention.

94 SOHO

When the 1950s gave way to what would rapidly be labelled ‘the Swinging Sixties’ , Soho – small shops and restau ra nt s st ill pu nc t uat i n g it s streets – went on to establish itself, along with nearby Chelsea, as one of the two centres of Britain’s next big youth movement.

Soon it was hosting a new wave of fashion, music, cooking and clubbing, which made London the world’s most fashionable city. In Carnaby Street, where shops such as I Was Lord Kitchener’s Valet flourished, an innovative sartorial style was born. In venues such as the Marquee on Wardour Street, the Rolling Stones and other superstars-in-the-making performed.

In clubs such as the Ad Lib and La Discotheque, the cream of the Sixties scene relaxed. And at the Trattoria Terrazza on Arment Street, film stars and musicians dined on a type of pro-

SOHO WAS AT THE HEART OF THE SIXTIES, A MIX OF GLAMOUR, SLEAZE AND CHARM vincial Italian cooking that would influence and eventually transform the British restaurant trade.

Prompted by the success of the Rev uebar, a rash of tawdr y little strip-clubs meanwhile opened all over Soho, thudding music pouring from their neon-trimmed doorways.

Along with these came pornographic bookshops and adult shops, brazenly displaying their products.

Rampant corruption within London’s police force abetting their advance, the ‘skindustry’ had, by 1970, come to dominate Soho, rendering the name a byword for sleaze.

While the local residents, their opinions articulated by the recently founded Soho Society, were tolerant of the prostitution that was as integral to Soho’s character as its architecture, they were outraged by these latest incursions of the sex industry.

Their campaigning contributed to a backlash and a newspaper exposé. It also triggered an investigation of the corrupt links between the sex moguls and the police. During 1974 the investigation saw the prosecution of three Metropolitan Police officers. A further 470 officers – almost a sixth of the force – were dismissed, disciplined or took early retirement.

A round the same time, the Old Compton Street section of Soho was in the early stages of gentrification, and was particularly welcoming of alternative lifestyles. This gentrification was eventually mirrored across the rest of Soho. Before long, buildings only worth $6,000–$8,000 in the 1960s were commanding rents in excess of $370,000-per-annum, making many landlords rich.

Elderly Soho residents and regulars, nostalgic for the supposed golden age of the 1950s, frequently complain that the area isn’t what it used to be.

Admittedly, it bears scant resemblance to the Soho of 30 years ago, let alone to the halcyon days of the coffee bar boom.

For the best par t of 100 years, t hou g h , p e ople have b e en ma king unfavourable comparisons between contemporary Soho and their memories of how it once was. But the differences between past and present can’t obscure the area’s lasting individuality, its mystique, its variety, and its charm.

Paul Willetts is the author of Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia and North Soho 999.

THE GREATEST MOMENT EVER

BY NICK HORNBY ILLUSTRATIONS BY ZORAN LUCIC

I

n all the time I have been watching football, twenty-three seasons, only six teams have won the First Division Championship: Leeds United, Everton, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, and, a staggering eleven times, Liverpool. Five different teams came top in my first five years, so it seemed to me then that the League was something came your way every once in a while, even though you might have to wait for it; but as the seventies came and went, and then the eighties, it began to dawn on me that Arsenal might never win the League again in my lifetime. That isn’t as melodramatic as it sounds. Wolves fans celebrating their third championship in six years in 1959 could hardly have anticipated that their team would spend much of the next thirty years in the Second and Third Divisions; Manchester City supporters in their mid-forties when the Blues last won the league in 1968 are in their early seventies now.

Like all fans, the over whelming majority of the games I have seen have been L eague games. A nd as most of the time A rsenal have no real interest in the First Division title after Christmas, nor ever really come close to going down, I would estimate that around half these games are meaningless, at least in the way that sportswriters think about meaningless games. There are no chewed n a i l s a nd c he we d k nuc k le s a nd screwed-up faces; your ear doesn’t become sore from being pressed up hard against a radio, trying to hear how Liverpool are getting on; you are

98 FEVER PITCH

not, in truth, thrown into agonies of despair or eye-popping fits of ecstasy by the result. Any meanings such games throw up are ones that you, rather than the First Division table, bring to them.

And after maybe ten years of this, the Championship becomes something you either believe in or you don’t, like God. You concede that it’s possible, of course, and you tr y to respect the views of those who have managed to remain credulous. Between approximately 1975 and 1989 I didn’t believe. I hoped, at the beginning of each season; and a couple of times – the middle of the 86/87 season, for example, when we were top

for eight or nine weeks – I was almost lured out of my agnostic’s cave. But in my heart of hearts I knew that it would never happen, just as I knew that they were not, as I used to think when I was young, that they were going to find a cure for death before I got old.

In 1989, eighteen years after the last time Arsenal had won the League, I reluctantly and foolishly allowed myself to believe it was indeed possible that Arsenal could win the Championship. They were top of the First Divi-

sion between January and May; on the last full weekend of the Hillsboroughelongated season they were five points clear of Liverpool with three games left to play. Liverpool had a game in hand, but the accepted wisdom was that Hillsborough and its attendant strains would make it impossible to keep winning, and two of Arsenal’s three games were at home to weaker teams. The other was against Liverpool, away, a game that would conclude the First Division season.

No sooner had I become a bornagain member of the Church of the Latterday Championship Believers, however, than Arsenal ground to a catastrophic halt. They lost, dismally, at home to Derby; and in the final game at Highbury, against Wimbledon, they twice threw away the lead

IN 1989 I RELUCTANTLY AND FOOLISHLY THOUGHT THAT ARSENAL COULD WIN THE LEAGUE

100 FEVER PITCH

to draw 2-2 against a team they had destroyed 5-1 on the opening day of the season. It was after the Derby game that I raged into an argument with my partner about a cup of tea, but after the Wimbledon game I had no rage left, just a numbing disappointment. For the first time I understood the women in soap operas who have been crushed by love affairs before, and can’t allow themselves to fall for somebody again: I had never before seen all that as a matter of choice, but now too I had left myself nakedly exposed when I could have remained hard and cynical. I wouldn’t allow it to happen again, never, ever, and I had been a fool, I knew that now, just as I knew it would take me years to recover from the terrible disappointment of getting so close and failing.

It wasn’t quite all over. Liverpool had t wo games left, against West Ham and against us, both at Anfield.

Because the two teams were so close, the mathematics of it all were peculiarly complicated: whatever score Liverpool beat West Ham by, Arsenal had to halve. If Liverpool won 2-0, we would have to win 1-0, and so on. In the event Liverpool won 5-1, which meant that we needed a twogoal victory; ‘YOU HAVEN’T GOT A PRAYER, ARSENAL’, was the backpage headline of the Daily Mirror.

I didn’t go to Anfield. The fixture was originally scheduled for earlier in the season, when the result wouldn’t have been so crucial, and by the time it was clear that this game would decide the Championship, the tickets had long gone. In the morning I walked down to Highbury to buy a new team shirt, just because I felt I had to do something, and though admittedly wearing a shirt in front of a television set would not, on the face of

it, appear to offer the team an awful lot of encouragement, I knew it would make me feel better. Even at noon, some eight hours before the evening kick-off, there were already scores of coaches and cars around the ground, and on the way home, I wished everyone I passed good luck; their positiveness (‘Three-one’, ‘Two-nil, no trouble’, even a breezy ‘Four-one’) on this beautiful May morning made me sad for them, as if these chirpy and bravely confident young men and women were off to the Somme to lose their lives, rather than to Anfield to lose, at worst, their faith.

PLEASE MICHAEL, PLEASE MICHAEL, PLEASE PUT IT IN PLEASE SCORE I went to work in the afternoon, and felt sick with nerves despite myself; afterwards I went straight round to an Arsenal-supporting friend’s house, just a street away from the North Bank, the watch the game. Everything about the night was memorable, right from the moment when the teams came onto the pitch and the Arsenal players ran over to the Kop and presented individuals in the crowd with bunches of flowers. And as the game progressed, and it became obvious that Arsenal were going to go down fighting, it occurred to me just how well I knew my team, their faces and their mannerisms, and how fond I was of each individual member of it.

Merson’s gap-toothed smile and tatty soul-boy haircut, Adam’s manful and

endearing attempts to come to terms with his own inadequacies, Rocastle’s pumped-up elegance, Smith’s loveable diligence… I could find it in me to forgive them for coming so close and blowing it; they were young, and they’d had a fantastic season and as a supporter, you cannot really ask for more than that.

I got excited when we scored right at the beginning of the second half, and I got excited again about ten minutes from time, when Thomas had a clear chance and hit it straight at Grobbelaar, but Liverpool seemed to be growing stronger and to be creating chances at the end, and finally, with the clock in the corner of the TV screen showing that the ninety minutes had passed, I got ready to muster a brave smile for a brave team. ‘If Arsenal are to lose the Championship, having had such a lead at one time, it’s somewhat poetic justice that they have got a result on the last day, even though they are not to win it,’ said cocommentator David Pleat as Kevin Richardson received treatment for an injury with the Kop already celebrating. ‘They will see that as scant consolation, I should think, David,’ replied Brian Moore. Scant consolation indeed, for all of us.

Richardson finally got up, 92 minutes gone now, and even managed a penalty-area tackle on John Barnes; then Lukic bowled the ball out to Dixon, Dixon on, inevitably, to Smith, a brilliant Smith flick-on, and suddenly, in the last minute of the last game of the season, Thomas was through, on his own, with a chance to win the Championship for Arsenal. ‘It’s up for grabs now!’ Brian Moore yelled; and even then I found that I was reining myself in, learning from recent lapses in hardened skepticism, thinking, well, at least we came close FEVER PITCH 101

to the end there, instead of thinking, plea se M ichael, plea se M ichael, please put it in, please let him score.

And then he was turning a somersault, and I was flat out on the floor, and ever ybody in the living room jumped on me. Eighteen years, all forgotten in a second.

What is the correct analogy for a moment like that? None of the moments that people describe as the best in their lives seem analogous to me.

Childbirth must be extraordinarily moving, but it doesn’t really have the crucial surprise element, and in any case lasts too long; the fulfillment of personal ambition – promotions, awards, what have you – doesn’t have the last-minute time factor, not the element of powerlessness that I felt last night. And what else is there that can possibly provide the suddenness? A huge pools win, maybe, but the gaining of large sums of money affects a different part of the psyche altogether and has none of the communal ecstasy of football.

There is then, literally, nothing to describe it. I have exhausted all the available options. I can recall nothing else that I have coveted for two decades (what else is there that can reasonably be coveted for so long?), nor can I recall anything else I have desired as bot h man and boy. So please, be tolerant of those who describe a sporting moment as their best ever. We do not lack imagination, nor have we had sad and barren lives; it is just that real life is paler, duller, and contains less potential for unexpected delirium.

When the final whistle blew (just one more heart-stopping moment, when Thomas turned and knocked a terrifyingly casual back-pass to Lukic, perfectly safely but with a coolness that I did not feel) I ran out the door to 102 FEVER PITCH

the off-license on Blackstock Road; I had my arms outstretched, like a little boy playing aeroplanes, and I as I flew down the street, old ladies came to the door and applauded my progress, as if I were Michael Thomas himself; then I was grievously ripped off for a bottle of cheap champagne, I realized later, by a shopkeeper who could see that the light of intelligence had gone from my eyes altogether. I could hear whoops and screams from pubs and shops and houses all around me; and as fans be-

CHILDBIRTH MUST BE MOVING BUT IT DOESN’ T HAVE THE SAME ELEMENT OF SURPRISE

gan to congregate at the stadium, some draped in banners, some sitting on top of tooting cars, everyone embracing strangers at every opportunity, and TV cameras arrived to film the party for the late news, and club officials leaned out of windows to wave at the bouncing crowd, it occurred to me that I was glad I hadn’t been up at Anfield, and missed out on this joyful, almost Latin explosion on my doorstep. After twenty-one years I know longer felt, as I had done during the Double year, that if I hadn’t been to the games I had no right to partake in the celebrations; I’d done the work, years and years and years of it, and I belonged.

Nick Hornby is the best-selling author of Fever Pitch, High Fidelity and About A Boy

Our approach to customer service is inspired by the boomerang

Now open in Singapore and Dubai ParkRegisHotels.com Australia, Singapore and Dubai A brand of the StayWell Hospitality Group

The greatest compliment any guest can pay a hotel is a return stay. Our staff are trained and instilled with the values we Australians cherish; warm, friendly service with a down to earth attitude. Because we do our job well, we know you’ll want to keep coming back.

A pocket guide to Londoners Hipster//oligarch//WAG//toff//wideboy illustrations by jacqueline ford

104 STEREOTYPES

What// Too Cool For School (in their own mind) young trendies who irritate 99 per cent of the rest of the population Where// Shoreditch, Hoxton, Hackney Who// Peaches Geldof, Alexa Chung, Agyness Deyn, Nathan Barley Wears// Pink Ray Ban Wayfarers, ‘ironic’ retro T-shirts, skinny jeans Says// Ferris Bueller? That’s like, cool, in an ironic way, yeh.

STEREOTYPES 105

What// Rich, Russian, Exile (Probably) Where// Chelsea, Kensington, Knightsbridge, Mayfair Who// Roman Abramovich, Boris Berezovsky Wears// Alarmingly casual attire (cardigans, deck shoes etc). The occasional Savile Row suit with garish socks Says// Very little.

106 STEREOTYPES

What// A Footballer’s Wife (or Girlfriend, or Wannabe) Where// Chinawhite, Embassy, Boujis, Faces Who// Abbey Clancy, the cast of TOWIE, any female member of Celebrity Big Brother Wears// Hair extensions, Gucci, jumpsuits, micro-skirts, fake tan Says// This year I want to concentrate on my acting.

STEREOTYPES 107

What// Blue-blooded Trustafarian types who reak of Old Money Where// Chelsea Flower Show, Primrose Hill, The City Who// Boris Johnson, Joanna Lumley, Wills and Harry Wears// Blazers. colourful shirts (collars up), deck shoes, educational insignias Says// Cap D’antibes? Gosh, that is so 2009 Tarquin!

108 STEREOTYPES

What// Dodgy geezer, market trader, ‘businessman’ Where// Hackney, Croydon, Peckham Who// Del Boy Trotter, Harry Redknapp, Arthur Daley Wears// Loud shirts, sheepskin jackets, fake Rolex, a variet of headgear Says// I know a bloke, who knows a bloke, who knows a bloke who can get you a right deal on that.

STEREOTYPES 109

THE FAMILY INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF A LONDON CRIME FAMILY BY JOCELYN BAIN HOGG

112

A MAN THROWS A PUNCH DURING AN UNLICENSED BOXING MATCH IN A NIGHTCLUB

114

DAVE COURTNEY AND TEDDY BAMBAM, ASSOCIATES OF THE PYLE ORGANISEDCRIME FAMILY 115

'STORMIN' NORMAN BUCKLAND, UNDERWORLD CHARACTER AND FORMER BARE-KNUCKLE BOXING CHAMPION

117

The Family is a three-year journey in pictures that came about in the wake of a project shot by Jocelyn Bain Hogg in 2008, documenting the gun and knife crime issues around Britain’s youth.

Bain Hogg’s foray into organised crime began with his 2003 work The Firm. Eight years on, The Family is an intimate look into the life of one underworld family, revealing a far more circumspect world than the vaudeville pageant of the old villains.

Joe Pyle senior and the Kray twins, the old-school Godfathers of British crime, have died since The Firm was completed in 2001. And in 2008 Bain Hogg found a fractured society of British criminals with little or no organisation and leadership, vainly competing, as many businesses have to do, with international competition.

Russians, Albanians, Kosovans and Turks rule the UK underworld now but the indigenous villains, the scions of the Pyle family, still wear their heritage on their sleeves, talking business at unlicenced boxing matches and nightclubs and working with their Jamaican brothers - the Yardies.

- for a slice of the criminal pie.

The 18th Century artist and reformer William Hogarth set the precedent for documenting this underbelly of society and in 21st Century Britain, little has changed. The guns and drugs still flourish on our estates but the empire that once controlled them is in decline. These pictures show the lives of ‘The Family’ - the gangsters and players, writ large as the world changes irrevocably around them. www.jocelynbainhogg.com

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WARREN, JOE AND ALAN PYLE, MEMBERS OF THE PYLE CRIME FAMILY, CELEBRATE ALAN'S FIRST NIGHT OUT AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON

119

1950

1950

1950

From when the burning desert defined the Bedouin’s lifestyle.

All captured in the ‘Building a Nation’.

To celebrate 40 years of the UAE, Gulf News brings to you the story of this great nation in one book. This captures the country’s remarkable journey in just 40 years through pictures that showcase major national developments, the UAE’s growth and its traditions.

To enjoy this book at your leisure, buy your copy today.

Available at all leading bookstores across the UAE. For AED 200 only. For more information, call 8004585 or visit www.gulfnews.com today.

BRIEFING P. 122 • DALLAS & SEATTLE GUIDES

P. 122 • BARCELONA BOUND

P. 124 • GREEN WINGS

ARS FILM SST E YOUR

SHOWCA LENT AND CREATIVE TA D! HOLLYWOO MAKE IT IN

P123

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EMIRATES EMI RATES NEWS NEWS

FLEET GU I DE

AMERICAN DREAM

We give you the lowdown on two of Emirates’ new US routes: Dallas and Seattle

1 JFK MEMORIAL

Few people will forget the late US President John F. Kennedy’s notorious trip to Dallas in November 1963. His assassination was a national tragedy. The city’s open-roofed memorial is a must-visit, and is just around the corner from the infamous School Book Depository and the ‘grassy knoll’.

2 COWBOYS STADIUM

The famous saying ‘everything is bigger in Texas’ rings true at the home of the Dallas Cowboys. The American Football team’s stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world, big enough to fit in 110,000 people and boasts an enormous high-definition video screen that is 50 metres long.

3 THE DALLAS FARMERS MARKET

One of the largest public markets in the country, the Dallas Farmers Market is open daily and a perfect place to go for either a bite to eat or a leisurely stroll.

This 66-acre garden shows Dallas in all its glory. The small entrance fee goes towards park upkeep and the myriad of gardens are simply stunning. It is a perfect picnic spot, bordering the shores of White Rock Lake.

5 NASHER SCULPTURE CENTER

The Nasher Sculpture Center is a museum that houses a collection of modern and contemporary sculptures. There are constantly new exhibitions so it is definitely worth looking up what is on while you are in town.

DALLAS New First Class Chauffeur Drive

Forca Barca BARCELONA, ONE OF THE WORLD’S MOST AMAZING CITIES IS ABOUT to become a lot more accessible as Emirates is set to launch direct flights to the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region from 3 July. Watch this space.

122

EMIRATES IS ENSURING THAT getting to and from the airport is more convenient by introducing its new First Class Chauffeur Drive service.

The service sees a new fleet of 46 Mercedes E200 cars on hand to offer transport for First Class passengers to and from Dubai International Airport.

The service is available throughout the UAE.

ILLUSTRATIONS: EDWARD MCGOWAN

4 DALLAS ARBORETUM

FLEET GUI DE

EMIRATES NEWS EMIRATES NEWS

Be the next Ridley Scott

COULD YOUR LIFE CHANGE FOR THE BETTER IN JUST 15 SHORT minutes? The answer is yes for any prospective film-makers out there. Emirates has joined forces with Internet giant, YouTube and the Venice Film Festival, to launch a global search for the next generation of aspiring film-makers.

The Your Film Festival competition is offering filmmakers across the globe the chance to make a 15-minute video that will be seen by millions, with the winning director picking up a US$500,000 production grant to work on their next project with Academy Award winner Ridley Scott’s production company, Scott Free.

The entries should be a 15-minute story-driven video, in any format be it a short film, a web-series episode or TV Pilot of any genre from live action, to animation, to documentary.

A list of 50 semi-finalists will be chosen, with the public then eligible to cast their vote for the top 10 videos on 1 June.

From there, the 10 finalists will be flown over to attend the 69th Venice Film Festival in August, where the winner will be announced.

The deadline for entries is 31 March. www.youtube.com/yourfilmfestival

1 SPACE NEEDLE

Made famous in the opening reel of the TV-show Fraiser and the final scene in Tom Hanks’ Sleepless in Seattle, the 160m tall tower is the symbol of the city. Expect long queues and great views.

2 FIRST STARBUCKS

Starbucks is a global phenomenon; with more than 17,000 outlets worldwide. And yet, it all started at 2000 Western Avenue in Seattle, back in 1971 – a strange landmark, no doubt, but one that will impress your friends.

3 PIKE PLACE MARKET

One of the most popular attractions in the city is the hectic Pike Place Market. With bellowing fishmongers, shuffling tourists and fruit and vegetables of every colour, it is the ideal place for a spot of people watching and bargain hunting.

4 PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER

Hosting the latest in technology, the Pacific Science Center has virtual-reality exhibits, a tropical butterfly house, laser shows, holograms and plenty of hands-on demonstrations.

SEATTLE

5 ‘WAITING FOR THE INTERURBAN’

A quirky cast aluminium street sculpture based in the Fremont neighbourhood. The sculpture is of six people and a dog waiting under a shelter for the non-existent SeattleEverett Interurban train.

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EMI RATES NEWS

80%

EN VIRONMENT

ISSIONS ON CO2 EM OF AVIATI FLIGHTS M O FR D TE ARE EMIT 00KM OF OVER 1,5 GROUP EMIRATES 11 SOURCE: PORT 2010/ MENTAL RE ENVIRON

WINGS OF THE FUTURE THE TASK AIRCRAFT DESIGNERS HAVE BEEN challenged with is not an easy one: achieve sustainable growth in the air travel industry. In order to achieve that it will involve meeting unprecedented performance goals in an increasingly competitive market, while at the same time striving to become carbon neutral.

Current research is being done to address the six main technical challenges to improving flight efficiency: reduce drag, weight, energy consumption, emissions and noise.

The US’s National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA), is overseeing the research and development projects of many of the world’s leading aerospace companies and research facilities – such as Boeing, Cessna and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – as they test a range of technologies including double-bubble body fuselages and highaspect-ratio “elastic” wings.

The technology currently being tested and developed is targeted for aircraft entering service in 2030-35.

Emirates currently has 90 777-300 ER aircraft on order from Boeing.

ECO-WASHING

There are many hidden factors that can affect the functioning of an aircraft.

They can be anything from the altitude it is flying at, to how much drag is created by excess dirt and debris.

On aircraft, having a clean exterior lessens the drag created during flight, and therefore allows its engines to use fuel more efficiently.

However, it is not just in drag reduction that cleaning aircraft helps improve the environmental impact. Whereas the standard process for cleaning aircraft engines is via a conventional (but wasteful) high-pressure water spray, new washing services such as Pratt & Whitney’s EcoPowerTM have developed more efficient methods.

EcoPowerTM uses pure atomised water to clean aircraft engines, which not only reduces fuel burn by as much as 1.2 per cent, but it also decreases engine gas temperature, which in turn increases the amount of time an engine can stay on wing.

33million

GREEN BRITAIN

SUPERCONTINENT

TEA-TIME

Britain has confirmed

Scientists have predicted

Elderly people who

can lead to a variety of

WORLDWIDE BY ACTIVITIES RELATING TO

its commitment to

that in 50 to 200 million

regularly drink

diseases.

AVIATION AND TOURISM.

green jobs, green

years the Earth’s continents green tea stay more

Researchers in the

growth and getting the

will merge together to

agile, according to

Tohoku University

best deal for energy bill

create a supercontinent

researchers in Japan.

Graduate School of

payers, according to

they have named Amasia.

It is believed that

Medicine conducted

their newly-appointed

The study was based on a

green tea contains

research for more

Energy and Climate

pattern similar to the last

antioxidant chemicals

than three years,

Change Secretary,

time the continents merged that may help ward

following 14,000

Edward Davey.

– 300 million years ago.

adults 65 and over.

off cell damage that

THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE EMPLOYED

80%

SOURCE: EMIRATES GROUP ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT 2010/11

OF AN AIRCRAFT CAN BE RECYCLED.

SOURCE: ECYCLEENVIRONMENTAL.COM

124

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The 21st Century Grand Hotel

Discover the new glamour of the grand hotel.

Corinthia Hotel London, Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD +44 (0)20 7321 3000 corinthia.com/london

EMI RATES NEWS

COMFORT

BEFORE YOU R JOU R N EY CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TRAVELLING IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL CONCERNS ABOUT MAKING A LONG JOURNEY, OR IF YOU SUFFER FROM A RESPIRATORY OR

IN THE AIR

CARDIOVASCULAR CONDITION. PLAN FOR THE DESTINATION – WILL

TO HELP YOU ARRIVE AT YOUR destination feeling relaxed and refreshed, Emirates has developed this collection of helpful travel tips.

Regardless of whether you need to

rejuvenate for your holiday or be effective at achieving your goals on a business trip, these simple tips will help you to enjoy your journey and time on board with Emirates today.

SPECIAL MEDICATIONS? GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST BEFORE THE FLIGHT. EAT LIGHTLY AND SENSIBLY.

AT TH E AI R PORT

SMART TRAVELLER DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

YOU NEED ANY VACCINATIONS OR

ALLOW YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME FOR CHECK-IN.

TRAVEL LIGHTLY

AVOID CARRYING HEAVY BAGS THROUGH THE AIRPORT AND ONTO THE FLIGHT AS THIS CAN PLACE THE BODY UNDER CONSIDERABLE STRESS. ONCE THROUGH TO DEPARTURES TRY AND RELAX AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

REHYDRATE WITH WATER OR JUICES FREQUENTLY.

CARRY ONLY THE ESSENTIAL ITEMS THAT

DRINK TEA AND COFFEE IN MODERATION.

YOU WILL NEED DURING YOUR FLIGHT.

MAKE YOURSELF COMFORTABLE

DU R ING THE FLIGHT CHEWING AND SWALLOWING WILL HELP EQUALISE YOUR EAR PRESSURE

KEEP MOVING

DURING ASCENT AND DESCENT. BABIES AND YOUNG PASSENGERS MAY SUFFER MORE ACUTELY WITH POPPING EARS, THEREFORE CONSIDER PROVIDING A DUMMY.

LOOSEN CLOTHING, REMOVE JACKET AND

EXERCISE YOUR LOWER LEGS AND CALF

GET AS COMFORTABLE AS

AVOID ANYTHING PRESSING AGAINST YOUR BODY.

MUSCLES. THIS ENCOURAGES BLOOD FLOW.

POSSIBLE WHEN RESTING AND TURN FREQUENTLY.

WEAR GLASSES

USE SKIN MOISTURISER

AVOID SLEEPING FOR LONG PERIODS IN THE SAME POSITION.

W H EN YOU ARR IV E TRY SOME LIGHT EXERCISE OR READ IF YOU CAN’T SLEEP AFTER ARRIVAL.

CABIN AIR IS DRIER THAN NORMAL THEREFORE

APPLY A GOOD QUALITY MOISTURISER TO

SWAP YOUR CONTACT LENSES FOR GLASSES.

ENSURE YOUR SKIN DOESN’T DRY OUT.

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EMI RATES NEWS

CABIN L BE CREW WIL LP HE HAPPY TO D E IF YOU NE

CUSTOMS & VISAS

E C N A T S I S S A PLETING COM THE FORMS

TO US CUSTOMS & IMMIGRATION FORMS WHETHER YOU’RE TRAVELLING TO, OR THROUGH, THE UNITED States today, this simple guide to completing the US customs and immigration forms will help to ensure that your journey

is as hassle free as possible. The Cabin Crew will offer you two forms when you are nearing your destination. We provide guidelines below, so you can correctly complete the forms.

CUSTOMS DECLAR ATION FORM

IMMIGR ATION FORM

All passengers arriving into the US need to complete a CUSTOMS DECLARATION FORM. If you are travelling as a family this should be completed by one member only. The form must be completed in English, in capital letters, and must be signed where indicated.

The IMMIGRATION FORM I-94 (Arrival / Departure Record) should be completed if you are a non-US citizen in possession of a valid US visa and your final destination is the US or if you are in transit to a country outside the US. A separate form must be completed for each person, including children travelling on their parents’ passport. The form includes a Departure Record which must be kept safe and given to your airline when you leave the US. If you hold a US or Canadian passport, US Alien Resident Visa (Green Card), US Immigrant Visa or a valid ESTA (right), you are not required to complete an immigration form.

128

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FLEET GUI DE

ELECTRONIC SYSTEM FOR

WILL EXPIRE ALONG WITH

TRAVEL AUTHORISATION (ESTA)

YOUR PASSPORT.

IF YOU ARE AN INTERNATIONAL

APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.CBP.GOV/ESTA

EMIRATES NEWS

TRAVELLER WISHING TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES UNDER THE

NATIONALITIES ELIGIBLE

VISA WAIVER PROGRAMME,

FOR THE VISA WAIVER *:

YOU MUST APPLY FOR

ANDORRA, AUSTRALIA,

ELECTRONIC AUTHORISATION

AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BRUNEI,

(ESTA) UP TO 72 HOURS PRIOR

CZECH REPUBLIC, DENMARK,

TO YOUR DEPARTURE.

ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, HUNGARY, ICELAND,

ESTA FACTS:

IRELAND, ITALY, JAPAN, LATVIA,

CHILDREN AND

LIECHTENSTEIN, LITHUANIA,

INFANTS REQUIRE AN

LUXEMBURG, MALTA, MONACO,

INDIVIDUAL ESTA.

THE NETHERLANDS, NEW

THE ONLINE ESTA SYSTEM

ZEALAND, NORWAY, PORTUGAL,

WILL INFORM YOU WHETHER

SAN MARINO, SINGAPORE,

YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN

SLOVAKIA, SLOVENIA, SOUTH

AUTHORISED, NOT AUTHORISED

KOREA, SPAIN, SWEDEN,

OR IF AUTHORISATION

SWITZERLAND AND THE

IS PENDING.

UNITED KINGDOM**.

A SUCCESSFUL ESTA

*

APPLICATION IS VALID

** ONLY BRITISH CITIZENS QUALIFY UNDER THE VISA WAIVER PROGRAMME.

FOR TWO YEARS, HOWEVER

AD

80 mm wide x 224 mm high

SUBJECT TO CHANGE

THIS MAY BE REVOKED OR

72

THE NUMBER OF COUNTRIES THAT EMIRATES FLIES TO

1.8 MILLION TONNES CARGO CARRIED IN 2010-2011

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130

ROUTE MA P

ROUTE MA P

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ROUTE MA P

ROUTE MA P

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ET INS E L F THE NTA

CO OF LEET ADE UP F R S OU ES. M PLANE LAN R E P S 2 G E 7 N 1 N ASSE GO PLA 164 P R A 8C AND

Boeing 777-300ER Number of Aircraft: 67 Capacity: 354-442 Range: 14,594km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 64.8m

Boeing 777-300 Number of Aircraft: 12 Capacity: 364 Range: 11,029km Length: 73.9m Wingspan: 60.9m

Boeing 777-200LR Number of Aircraft: 10 Capacity: 266 Range: 17,446km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m

Boeing 777-200 Number of Aircraft: 9 Capacity: 274-346 Range: 9,649km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 60.9m

Boeing 777F Number of Aircraft: 4 Range: 9,260km Length: 63.7m Wingspan: 64.8m 134

FOR MORE INFORMATION: WWW.EMIRATES.COM/OURFLEET

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EMIRATES NEWS

Airbus A380-800 Number of Aircraft: 22 Capacity: 489-517 Range: 15,000km Length: 72.7m Wingspan: 79.8m

Airbus A340-500 Number of Aircraft: 10 Capacity: 258 Range: 16,050km Length: 67.9m Wingspan: 63.4m

Airbus A340-300 Number of Aircraft: 8 Capacity: 267 Range: 13,350km Length: 63.6m Wingspan: 60.3m

Airbus A330-200 Number of Aircraft: 26 Capacity: 237-278 Range: 12,200km Length: 58.8m Wingspan: 60.3m

Boeing 747-400F/747-400ERF Number of Aircraft: 2/2 Range: 8,232km/9,204km Length: 70.6m Wingspan: 64.4m

AI RCRAFT N UMBERS AS OF 3 1/ 0 3 / 2 0 1 2

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NEXT MONTH

W

e are all about the animals next month when we celebrate everything furry, feathered and four-legged. We take a tour of the world’s greatest zoos, with illustrations from one of the world’s best graphic artists. We discover one of the most beautiful parts of China where man and bird have a remarkable – and profitable – relationship. We also chart the making of an African railroad where a killer lion stalked the site; a tale of bravery, greed and good old fashioned adventure. We will also have all the usual views, reviews and interviews from around the world.

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