ELEVEN people were rescued by the London Fire Brigade after a fire in Hill Street last Friday (1st March).

Emergency services were notified shortly after 0530 after a smoke alarm alerted residents to the fire in a block of flats.

Forty firefighters from Soho, Paddington, Chelsea and Kensington fire stations responded to the blaze, rescuing seven residents from the roof, one from a first floor window while the rest were led to safety via an internal staircase.

Station Manager Brett Loft, commented:

“This was a very dynamic incident and firefighters worked fast to rescue 11 people from the block of flats… Firefighters managed to contain the fire to a first floor flat, greatly limiting the impact of the blaze on the surrounding properties.

“Thankfully the property had a working smoke alarm which awoke the occupants. Homes need multiple smoke alarms or you won’t be properly covered. As a minimum, you should have smoke alarms on every floor of your home – in the hallways and the rooms you use the most plus a heat alarm in the bathroom and kitchen.”

The cause of the fire, which was under control by 0700, is under investigation.

Grosvenor Estate is still inviting feedback on planned changes to the “South Molton Triangle” area.

The major Mayfair landowner launched an online consultation last year showing the proposed changes to the area which will include South Molton Street, South Molton Lane, Davies Street, Brook Street and Davies Mews.

Their aim is to create a new “an exciting and inviting new place” in Mayfair, with a mix of uses,  that is “an enjoyable place to work, live and visit” while being “respectful of location and heritage.”

Proposed additions to the area include brand new office space, retail space, micro retail units and a gym.

A new passageway would open up a link between South Molton Street and South Molton Lane, while Davies Mews will “feel like a pedestrian area” with alfresco dining and be “the heart of the South Molton Triangle”.

If you have not yet visited the online consulation, find out more about the plans and have your say at https://thesouthmoltontriangle.commonplace.is/

The owner of the Millennium Hotel in Mayfair has announced it is rebranding the hotel as The Biltmore, Mayfair,

The Grosvenor Square hotel is currently undergoing an extensive £50 million refurbishment and is due to reopen this Spring as a deluxe five star hotel.

The Biltmore, Mayfair, will be the first hotel in Europe to be operated under the new luxury hotel collection from Hilton called LXR Hotels & Resorts.

Mr Tan Kian Seng, Interim Group Chief Executive Officer of Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc, commented: “We are excited to introduce our flagship hotel, The Biltmore, Mayfair, in conjunction with Hilton’s new luxury collection – LXR Hotels & Resorts. This hotel, located in the prestigious Grosvenor Square in Mayfair, has undergone a complete refurbishment.” 

In this centenary year of the end the First World War, here’s a look back to the role that Mayfair played with the use of some of its buildings as Red Cross auxiliary hospitals. These temporary hospitals provided space to convalesce for injured service men, taking the pressure off other hospitals.  Many women and girls joined up as VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) nurses to help look after the wounded.

Auxiliary hospitals were located in Mayfair at:

• Anglo-Chilean Hospital for officers of the Royal Air Force, 6 Grosvenor Square
• Astley Hospital for Officers Dorchester House, Park Lane
• Mrs F.W. Salisbury-Jones’ Hospital for Officers, 27 Berkeley Square
• Coulter Hospital, 5 Grosvenor Square
• Robert Fleming Hospital for Officers 27 Grosvenor Square
• Hospital for Facial Injuries, 78, Brook Street, and 24, Norfolk Street
• The Garland Home, 4 Norfolk Street
• Lytton Hospital, Dartmouth House, 37 Charles Street
• Lady Evelyn Mason’s Hospital for Officers, 16 Bruton Street
• American Red Cross Military Hospital No. 25, Aldford House, 26 Park Lane
• Harold Fink Memorial Hospital, 17 Old Park Lane
• Hospital for Officers, 24 Park Street
• St Mary’s Russian Hospital for Officers, 8 South Audley Street
• 56 Grosvenor Square
• Theodore Hospital, 53 Mount Street
• Mrs Thal’s Hospital, 17 Upper Grosvenor Street
• Princess Henry of Battenberg’s Hospital for Officers, 30 Hill Street
• Lady Inchcape’s Hospital for Officers, 7 Seamore Place
• Hon. Mrs Robert Lindsay’s Hospital for Officers, 7 Charles Street
• Auxiliary Home Hospital 14 Great Stanhope Street (now Stanhope Gate)

Sources:

• Lost Hospitals of London > Military Hospitals
• List of Red Cross Auxiliary Hospitals during WWI

 

HUNDREDS of items from the legendary Mayfair club Annabel’s will go on auction later this month.

Annabel’s relocated from 44 Berkeley Square to a Grade I listed mansion at No. 46 earlier this year.

Now, many items from the club’s previous address are available to buy at a dedicated auction at Christie’s in St James’s on November 20th.

Artwork from the club’s collection available to buy include Sir William Nicholson’s painting of the Cenotaph from the year after the First World War ended.

Other lots include paintings of the club by John Stanton Ward, a large Bodhisattva figure from the club’s Buddha Room, and an iconic red velvet corner sofa which Naomi Campbell once posed on.

Click here to browse the items in the Annabel’s auction at Christie’s.

FORTY firefighters from the London Fire Brigade attended a blaze at Curzon Street in Mayfair on Friday.

Fire crews from stations including Soho, Lambeth, and Chelsea, were called to the fire at a restaurant with flats above just metres from the Saudi Embassy.

The restaurant’s extraction system was damaged in the fire.

The fire brigade sent six fire engines to the blaze after they were first called out at 09.17. The fire was under control 90 minutes later.

With Christmas fast approaching, London – and Mayfair – is about to get its annual seasonal transformation with lights and glitter in abundance. Here are the dates for Christmas light switch on events nearby in and around Mayfair.

Mount Street – 5.30pm 22nd November 2018
Bond Street – Date TBC
Burlington Arcade – Date TBC
Oxford Street – 6th November 2018
Regent Street – 17th November 2018
Shepherd Market – 6th December 2018 (switched on by Joan Collins)

This post will be updated as more info becomes available.

A MODERN live-fire grill has been launched at the COMO Metropolitan London hotel in Old Park Lane, Mayfair.

The Gridiron is a collaboration between COMO and chef Richard H. Turner, who is an expert in open flame cooking and ethical sourcing.

The new restaurant’s exposed grill, feature bar and countertop are designed to create a “sensorial experience of smoke, fire and interactivity.”

Turner commented: “With charcoal and live-fire cooking, the ingredient is king. Every dish becomes a unique encounter, in the way the meat, fish or vegetable responds to the flame. We are thrilled to be able to partner with COMO Hotels and Resorts to showcase the techniques inherent in this simple yet flavourful way of cooking at Gridiron by COMO.”

Javier Beneyto, General Manager, COMO Metropolitan London, added: “At COMO, we take pride on working with chefs whose imaginations and technique come together to create a distinctive point of view. Gridiron by COMO will put generosity and warmth at the core of its food and service.

“It will give Mayfair a restaurant with a convivial, spirited ambience where people can come together to enjoy the banter of good company and a sizzling meal sourced from farmers our chef knows personally — an antidote to the growing homogeneity in food production and restaurant experiences all over the world.”