Valerie’s London: Mayfair

By Valerie Wills

“I’ll put the kettle on and we’ll have a nice cup of tea”. That’s what you will be greeted with in any English home. It solves all of our problems. A nice cup of tea! I used to love going to my Grandmother’s house where she’d boil the kettle, add the loose tea, pour the hot water into the teapot and put a little hand knitted jacket over the top… all cosy - hence it’s name “tea cosy”! Speaking of tea - when I moved to London, I worked on St. James’s Street in Mayfair, luckily around the corner was Fortnum & Mason (known locally as Fortnum’s) where I would buy my tea (lapsang souchong with oil of Bergamot was my favorite).

Fortnum’s was established in 1707 by William Fortnum and Hugh Mason and is fondly known as the Queen’s Grocer. I haven’t revisited the department store since it underwent major renovations in 2007 but before then the interiors dated back to the 1920s. On the top floor they used sell the most amazing antiques - Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian pieces of furniture, one of a kind mantle clocks and beautiful object d’art. On the second floor they sell beautiful stationery and fabulous home goodies such as bowls, ashtrays and globes.

.

Once you’ve had your Fortnum’s fix, I highly recommend a wander down Jermyn Street (parallel to Piccadilly). Jermyn Street started out in 1661 when planning permission was granted for 23 buildings, before that it was just fields! This street is amazing at Christmas – very Dickensian!

I cannot explain the excitement of finishing work and meeting friends at the Red Lion Pub around Christmas time… the lights, the store fronts, the smell – it’s just perfect and brings a smile to my face whenever I think of it. You should pop in and have a pint – the pub dates back to 1788 and was described by the Architectural Review as a ‘perfect example, except for bomb damage, of a small Victorian Gin Palace at its best’.

Floris is a must for all visitors to Jermyn Street. Founded in 1730, in a room beneath chambers later occupied by Lord Nelson, by Juan Floris, a Minorcan whose family still owns the business in its seventh generation. It is one of the oldest established shops in London, and famous the world over for perfumes, bath essences, toilet waters, soap and badger-bristle shaving brushes - all served from behind the magnificent mahogany showcases acquired from the Great Exhibition of 1851. Floris is worth a visit for anyone who loves a little old-fashioned service in what must be one of London’s most beautiful and historic shops. Even Florence Nightingale was impressed and a letter of commendation from her is on the wall.

Other notable stores of interest along Jermyn Street are:

Trevor Philip & Sons — Antique globes and early scientific instruments, including barometers, surveying instruments, microscopy, astronomy, navigation and time keeping (see below).

The Weiss Gallery — Great gallery selling early British historical portraits, Flemish and Dutch Old Master paintings.

Sladmore — Sculptural gallery with over 40 years’ experience in supplying fine bronzes from 1850 to the present day.

Czech & Speake. Makers of fine bathrooms and aromatic toiletries.

After a day of shopping, I can highly recommend Quaglino’s (16 Bury Street).

After a day of shopping, I can highly recommend Quaglino’s (16 Bury Street). It’s owned by the very talented Terence Conran (and you already know he’s one of my heros). You have to take a sweeping staircase to your table – as you descend, you can just imagine this fabulous restaurant in the 1930s – to this day it still has the same elegance. My great friend, Sir Richard Heygate tells the tale of his Mother (Gwyneth Lloyd) and her friend Diana Churchill (Winston Churchill’s daughter) having their debutant party at Quaglino’s. Wouldn’t you have liked to be a fly on the wall for that party?

Valerie Wills is a British born designer now living in San Francisco and running her own design firm, Valerie Wills Interiors. Valerie Wills studied interior design at London’s Westminster University. Valerie enjoys mixing old and new, be it from an existing piece, treasures from her client’s travels, books or art work, to build a uniquely personalized space - turning a house into a home.