You’re right to do a double take. London’s most elegant postcode has a wicked glint in its eye. Behind the white stucco and garden squares lies a neighbourhood purring with secrets. This is where Mozart wrote his first symphony.
And where the Beatles’ story took a tragic turn.
Where the Titanic was dreamed up – and where her fate was sealed.
Your guide is Andy Hotels, resident historian at Brown’s Hotel and London’s expert on the secret lives of its grand addresses. He’s the ghost at the banquet, perfectly at home in the world of chandeliers and clubland whispers – the man who knows which drawing room plotted which scandal.
By way of a taster: Ian Fleming’s bachelor pad – where James Bond was born. And point counterpoint the haunt of his villainous Hugo Drax. The next move on the backgammon board is Andy’s murmured confidence: “later, while Ian Fleming was creating his unflappable secret agent, his own marriage was coming apart at the seams. His wife Ann was in the throes of a torrid affair with the Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell. Knowing that, a line like ‘The bitch is dead now’ from Casino Royale takes on a chill that feels a little too close to home.” High stakes indeed.
You’ll hear of lords who vanished, thieves who got away with it, spies who didn’t, and society’s glittering elite who tried to keep their secrets under wraps.
A walk through Belgravia is a stroll through style and scandal – a world of Aston Martins and missing earls, glamour and intrigue at every turn.
IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THE GUIDING
AND A VERY CLASSY ENDING POINT
The walk ends at Little Big Ben, by Victoria Station.
Sue –
The start of the walk is by an iconic store in Knightsbridge. Check!
Venture then across the border into Belgravia, home of genteel squares with stunning mansions, embassies, posh florists and supper clubs.
A world of upstairs, downstairs.
Andy soon began to uncover the not so genteel or posh side of the area though.
Dirty secrets were aired in public, no holds barred. Princesses and robbers were star performers.
Symphonies and musical sergeants, Bond villains and secret agents were there too.
What has a plumber and a missing Lord got in common? When is a blue plaque not a blue plaque?
An enlightening peruse of the tiles of Victoria station (not as boring as it sounds!) will help you to locate a mooring for your yacht if need be.
Whilst most people would associate Belgravia with Location, Location, Location, Andy would suggest……Insurance, Insurance, Insurance!