The Maddox Gallery has opened another space in Mayfair.

The new gallery in Berkeley Street opened this month and comes in addition to their existing Mayfair spaces in Maddox Street and Shepherd Market.

“Our newest address since the opening of our Shepherd Market gallery more than five years ago, the gallery’s prestigious W1 location further establishes us as a market leader in the art world,” says John Russo, Group Chief Executive Officer. “We are excited to celebrate this next chapter at Maddox with our clients.”

Maddox Berkeley Street at 12 Berkeley Street opened with a new solo exhibition called “Storytelling” devoted to the internationally renowned photographer David Yarrow.

WESTMINSTER Council has given the go-ahead to a major new development by local landlord Grosvenor Estates.

The £500 million scheme, recommended by council officers and approved by councillors on December 22nd, will see two new office buildings, a hotel, retail units and 33 homes delivered by 2026.

The North and South Block office buildings – both rising to eight storeys – will require the demolition of several buildings in Brook Street, Davies Street.

Public realm improvements planned include repaving, tree planting, lighting, cycle parking, wayleaving of existing street lighting and the introduction of a new passageway between South Molton Street and South Molton Lane & Davies Mews.

Historic England said in its submission that the scheme would “result in harm to the significance of the Mayfair Conservation Area” but that should be weighed against the benefits of the project.

The South Molton Triangle is bound by Brook Street, Davies Street, and South Molton Street as well as including Davies Mews and South Molton Lane.

A month-long sculpture trail has gone live in the streets of Mayfair.

The curated trail showcases sixteen large-scale outdoor pieces of art blending existing permanent works with brand new temporary installations.

Eye-catching pieces to look for include: Elisabeth Frink’s stunning Horse and Rider sculpture outside Ralph Lauren in New Bond Street; Antony Gormley’s Cinch on top of the Burlington Arcade; and Kalliopi Lemos’s Bag of Aspirations outside Fenwick.

Permanent fixtures which have been included in the trail, an audio commentary for which can be found through the Smartify app, include Henry Moore’s Time-Life Screen and Lawrence Holofcener’s bronze statues of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

The Mayfair Sculpture Trail is a new initiative stemming from Mayfair Art Weekend (Friday 2 – Sunday 4 October) and is a partnership with Art in Mayfair, in collaboration with Westminster City Council, Burlington Arcade, Cork Street Galleries, Wander Art, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, and Art of London.

Find out more about Mayfair Sculpture Trail

ONE of Mayfair’s grand squares is to be redesigned ahead of its 300 anniversary.

Grosvenor Estates has tasked architects Tonkin Liu with the job of revamping Grade II-listed Grosvenor Square which dates back to 1726.

The square was famously home to the imposing US Embassy building from the 1960s until very recently when it moved to Nine Elms at Battersea.

Research carried out by Grosvenor found that only nine per cent of Londoners were familiar with the square which is the second largest in the capital.

Having been successful in an international competition, Tonkin Liu will now have to come up with plans which make the square: welcoming and engaging; more sustainable; London’s most outstanding green space.

James Raynor, CEO of Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: “Grosvenor Square’s original purpose was to bring the countryside to the city, it was the first of its kind and caused a sensation. However, today it provides limited benefit to Londoners, their well-being or the environment. Now it can once again become the capital’s outstanding green space.

“Tonkin Liu has an impressive track record as a sustainable design studio, and as a champion of the garden square and public participation. We are excited to work with them on this project.”

Anna Liu, Director, Tonkin and Liu added: “As Londoners and as architects, we are thrilled to be part of this important moment in time, for the transformation of Grosvenor Square through an ecological and community agenda. Having responded to the shared vision put together by Grosvenor, local residents and Londoners, we will use nature and collective storytelling to deliver a vision of local and universal resonance.”

Grosvenor Square is home to London’s 9/11 memorial gardens and statues of US Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan.

It’s fast approaching that time of year again when London will be transformed into a twinkling, sparkling, winter wonderland. This post will be updated as and when we find out information about switch ons for Christmas light displays in Mayfair. This year, for the first time, world famous Savile Row will be dressed to impress with its inaugural Christmas light display. A switch on event is scheduled for the 7th November with free tickets available for the event – find details below.

Mount Street – 28th November, 5.30pm (switch on at 6.30pm)
Bond Street – 13th November, 6pm
Burlington Arcade – Date TBC
Oxford Street – 21st November 2019, 5.30pm
Regent Street – 14th November 2019
Savile Row – 7th November 2019 – Link to free ticket signup
Shepherd Market – 5th December 2019, 6pm – 9pm (switch on at 6.30pm)

THE UK’s longest-running immersive theatre production is transferring to a new venue in Mayfair this autumn.

The Great Gatsby will move from Long Lane, SE1, to a new dedicated immersive theatre in Davies Street, Mayfair.

The new venue, titled Immersive LDN, offers 32,000 sq ft of space at the historic Davies Street drill hall property, located at 56 Davies Street.

The drill hall was home to the Queen Victoria’s Rifles, The King’s Royal Rifle Corps and was still in use by the army until 2017.

Immersive LDN has a theatre capacity of 250 seated and also boasts a garage, former shooting range, gun & ammo store and two new bars with kitchens.

SMOKE was sent billowing into the sky on Thursday when a fire broke out at a restaurant in Mayfair.

Eight fire engines from stations across London were called to the blaze at Gymkhana Indian restaurant in Albemarle Street at around 4pm.

It took sixty fire fighters from the London Fire Brigade over two hours to get the fire under control.

Fire investigators believe that the blaze started in the restaurant’s ducting system. The ducting, used for ventilation, was destroyed and half of the ground floor was damaged.

A statement posted to the Gymkana website said:

A fire broke out at Albemarle Street in Mayfair causing Gymkhana to temporarily close. The fire was quickly attended to by the emergency services and has now been extinguished – At this stage, the cause of the fire is not yet known however we would like to reassure the public that all staff and diners are safe. 

Currently, Gymkhana is not taking further reservations and all existing bookings are being retrospectively rescheduled and re-booked at other JKS Restaurants and partner venues to minimise further disruption.

There was no injuries in the fire.

A HEDGE fund has agreed to lease office space in Mayfair at the highest ever price per square foot.

The Evening Standard reports that Steadview Capital, which focuses on Asia, has inked a deal for office space at 30 Berkeley Square at a record breaking £250 per square foot. The company, headed up by former Morgan Stanley analyst Ravi Mehta, has leased 3000 sq ft according to reports.

Charles Begley, Westminster Property Association Director, commented to the Standard, “This deal demonstrates a remarkable level of confidence in Mayfair, and shows that despite the political uncertainties, the West End remains hugely attractive to business.”

30 Berkeley Square benefitted from extensive refurbishment and remodelling about six years ago and sits on a corner plot at the north side of the square, adjacent to Davies Street, Mount Street and Bourdon Street. The bottom two floors are leased to auction house Phillips.

• Related: Find office space in Berkeley Square