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A BOAT
Sorry, where? What is the Northbank? The Northbank of what? The Seine? This is the traditional
response from the majority of the property industry who remember this area of London as a
downtrodden, unimaginative and tired part of town. However, in reality you couldn’t be more central.
Covent Garden to the north, the river Thames to the south and St James’s to the west. Any Londoner
(or indeed international traveller) worth their salt knows this area is on the up, and has been for some
time, with new and exciting developments, new occupiers and restaurants and the local Northbank
Business Improvement District, the pace of change is happening fast in this once forgotten quarter.
OK, so it’s been an architecture and history-
filled Village Life this issue. Sorry about
that. The Delaunay is one of a myriad of
high quality restaurants springing up in this
part of town. This is Corbin & King at what
they do best. Green leather seats, black and
white marble and a brasserie based menu
serving everything you could possibly
want. A great place to take your Mum
for afternoon tea as an alternative to The
Wolseley. If you need a little pick me up
afterwards, head to The Fleet Street Press
for a proper (artisan / hipster / organic
/ home-brew / [insert more millennial
buzzwords here]) coffee served by some
heavily tattooed (probably) baristas.
A 5-minute walk from Trafalgar Square,
Covent Garden is often considered a tourist
destination. That is an unfair and uneducated
view, and one which Shaftesbury and
CapCo are working hard to change. Digging
deep into Covent Garden away from the
bustle of the piazza and you can walk
home with a new skateboard from Palace
Skateboards, a fresh bunch of flowers from
Petersham Nurseries, and a new wetsuit
from Finisterre following an up close and
personal theatre performance at the 251-seat
Donmar Warehouse theatre. I once saw
Tom Hiddleston hanging upside down here,
dripping blood and screaming in my face
whilst performing Shakespeare’s Coriolanus.
Beats the ballet any day of the week.
Having originally located in this neck of
the woods in 1829, the college recently
expanded to take additional space in
four iconic buildings in the Grade II listed
Aldwych Quarter, bringing new life in the
form of brainy young international students
to the area. Keep your eyes peeled for the
next John Keats, Jo Brand, Desmond Tutu
or Robert Swinhoe (an ornithologist for
those not up to speed on birdwatching)
knocking about locally and bringing a
much-needed vibrancy to the area.
THE DELAUNAY
COVENT GARDEN
KINGS COLLEGE
Two facts: 1) not in Somerset; and 2) not
a house. Nothing like my house anyway.
Somerset House can be enjoyed in
various ways, but my favourite is to sit in
the courtyard on a summer’s afternoon,
enjoying the sunshine and eating an organic
pistachio flavoured ice cream. But there is
more to it than this. The site has an amazing
history, even before architect Sir William
Chambers designed the current buildings
in 1776. Little did he know that he had built
a structure which would later be used as
an ice skating rink at Christmas and the
Somerset House Summer Series hosting the
likes of Damian ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley, Warpaint,
and Four Tet as well as showing films such
as Jaws on the outdoor cinema screen.
Home to the National Gallery (keep an eye
out for Monet & Architecture in April 2018 if
you like lilies) as well as Nelson’s Column and
four angry lions made from melted cannon.
Somewhat amazingly, Westminster put on
F1 Live this year which featured Vettel and
the gang throwing donuts and burning
rubber. More traditional upcoming events
include Africa on the Square, Carols on the
Square, and St Patrick’s Day on the Square.
The Square remains a centre for democracy
and national protest, so you will probably
be seeing a lot more of it on TV in 2018.
You can’t really classify yourself as a true
Londoner if you have not seen in the New
Year or been to a protest in the square...
TRAFALGAR SQUARE
SOMERSET HOUSE
VILLAGE LIFE
Each
quarter we
take you
into one of
London’s
villages.
This time
our mystery
man-
about-town
showcases
the best
of the
Northbank
Northbank
It’s not quite Venice, but jumping on
a boat ride at Embankment Pier is
something that most Londoner’s have
not done. Wrap up warm and take a
ride under Tower Bridge, before coming
back and taking in the various buildings
from the City tower cluster, past Temple
(look out for some unusual head gear
from the locals...) and then slowly take
in the amazing architecture of ‘the big
ones’: Somerset House, The Adelphi,
and Devonshire House. They don’t build
them like that anymore. Northbank is a
handsome part of London set against an
unruly backdrop of historic buildings and
somewhat dubious planning decisions.
CUSHMAN & WAKEFIELD
39
VILLAGE LIFE