WWII victory site converted into new flats December 5, 2013 The 18th century former RAF mansion goes on sale as four luxury apartments A MANSION that served as the RAF’s headquarters during the Battle of Britain has been converted into luxury family homes that pay homage to its illustrious past. Bentley Priory Mansion House in Stanmore, north west London, overlooks vast lawns where two replicas [...]
Shaftesbury signs £125m loan December 4, 2013 Shaftesbury, the West End landlord, said yesterday it has signed a new £125m five-year loan with Lloyds Bank in a refinancing deal. The facility will replace an existing £125m loan which was due to expire in April 2016. “This will strengthen the group’s financial base by improving the maturity profile of its debt and diversifying [...]
Fulham’s new boss denies betraying Jol over sacking December 1, 2013 NEW FULHAM boss Rene Meulensteen last night denied that his recent arrival at Craven Cottage had triggered the departure of Martin Jol, insisting that he was shocked to hear of his fellow Dutchman’s sacking. Meulensteen only joined Fulham as head coach less than three weeks ago, prompting suggestions he was being lined up as Jol’s [...]
Awkward laughs prove to be just what the doctor ordered November 28, 2013 THEATRE IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY) St James Theatre | By Simon Thomson Four Stars IT’S THE dawn of the electrical age in a spa town near New York, and the enterprising Doctor Givings is treating hysterical patients. With vibrators. This is the West End transfer of Sarah Ruhl’s Tony-and-Pulitzer-nominated comedy In [...]
Shaftesbury to give Chinatown shops a facelift November 27, 2013 WEST END landlord Shaftesbury said yesterday it is looking to shake up Chinatown by refurbishing some of the buildings and bringing in new restaurant operators from the Far East, as the group posted strong full-year figures. Chinatown, which makes up 22 per cent of Shaftesbury’s portfolio, has the largest concentration of restaurants in the UK [...]
Gatwick boss: It’s between me and Heathrow November 26, 2013 GATWICK’S boss yesterday pointed to a growing number of new routes and rising passenger traffic as proof the airport is the best place for an extra runway in the south east of England. Stewart Wingate is “highly confident” that Gatwick will be on the aviation commission’s shortlist for new capacity next month, repeating yesterday his [...]
The Iranian deal is truly historic – but not because it resolves nuclear crisis November 25, 2013 THE HISTORIC interim agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and (primarily) the West over the former’s nuclear ambitions is the real deal – an actual current event that lives up to the “historic” tagline far too easily given out by breathless commentators. However, on its immediate merits, the best that can be said of [...]
The unlikely bedfellows driving a cab revolution November 24, 2013 Annabel Palmer talks taxis with Russell Hall and Ron Zeghibe, two of the founders behind Hailo IN 1639, a licence was granted to the Corporation of Coachmen, allowing its members to compete with the then-dominant licensed sedan chairs. Today, there are over 23,000 licensed taxi drivers in London. They’ve become a British institution – described [...]
Tube set to open all night on Fridays and Saturdays November 21, 2013 THE TUBE will keep running through the night at weekends from 2015, in a plan hailed by firms as changing the face of London’s night-time economy. However, unions threatened strike action after TfL announced alongside the night Tube that it was scrapping ticket office staff. Mayor Boris Johnson said London will be “a city fit [...]
Lessons of the crisis loom large for challenger November 21, 2013 Metro Bank’s Craig Donaldson is determined not to make the same mistakes as the big banks METRO Bank has made a splash since it was granted a banking licence just over three years ago. When it launched in 2010 the new lender was the first to the high street in more than 100 years – [...]