A round up of stories of the newsworthy of Kensington and Chelsea features restaurant openings and closings and the latest move of Mr and Mrs James Stunt
Your hour’s up
The Guinness tap has been turned off for the last time at one of South Kensington’s last remaining neighbourhood boozers, The Hour Glass on Brompton Road. Now featuring signs declaring “closed for refurbishment”, a source told The Steeple Times that landlords the South Kensington Estate have struck a deal with a restaurateur.
A French comeback
Chabrot on Knightsbridge Green was a favourite of many of our readers. Their patronage plainly wasn’t enough as the restaurant has now closed. Its replacement is a new outpost for Les Gourmets des Ternes, a Parisian restaurant that opened in 1962. Said to be popular with Sharon Stone and Jack Nicholson, this second London venue for Les Gourmets des Ternes is run by the grandson of the company’s founder, Maximilien Marie.
Venice in Chelsea
Readers might remember Russell Norman as the original manager of Zuma in Knightsbridge. His stratospheric rise in the time since took Norman first to Caprice Holdings and then via a stint as BBC Two’s The Restaurant Man into restaurant ownership himself. His venues include Polpo, Polpetto and Spuntino and this month he’s opening in Chelsea’s Duke of York Square. Of the new restaurant, Norman told The Caterer: “Polpo Chelsea will feel closer to Venice than any restaurant we have opened yet. There are so many tables and chairs outside that it will feel very reminiscent of the huge squares of La Serenissima”.
Stunting Old Church Street
Our subscribers are anything but fans of the ludicrous convoy of Rolls-Royce, Bentleys and Range Rovers belonging to Bernie Ecclestone’s daughter Petra and her husband James Stunt. Sadly for members of the Chelsea Arts Club, they’re now plaguing Old Church Street with their menacing vehicles. Mr and Mrs Stunt recently took up residence at Sloane House at 149 to 151 Old Church Street – bought from Lord and Lady Bamford in 2012 for £66 million and extensively and expensively “improved” in the time since. Of their arrival, a well-heeled neighbour remarked: “They really do lower the tone. They really do”.
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Another pub gone… Shame on the South Kensington Estate!!!
As for Stunt, he is a menace with those bloody cars. His security team are also very rude to anyone who gets in their way. It should be made clear to them that James **** doesn’t own the roads of Kensington and Chelsea and nor does he own the bloody pavements!!!!!!!!
See you next Tuesday is all that comes to mind in this context.
See and be seen
One has to question who was it that bullied a young James Stunt, in the playground of his school, that has led to the revenge he is wreaking on the Royal Borough
Lucky old Lord Bamford….66 Million and a clean exit strategy…pity help his old neighbours
I was treated to a pitying look from Petra as she ‘ swep ‘ into the Ivy a couple of weeks ago because I happed to be handy and ‘ pitiable ‘………..apparently
Their rumoured divorce is going to be a sell out
James Stunt went to school with my husband and we had the misfortune of bumping into him and having to talk to him for an hour, obviously his conversation was only about money, the never ending drivvle that he talked about was nauseating, I think Petra may have done a runner if she had heard what he talked about and how all he talked about was his obvious obsession about money. He is from a very nice, well to do family but sadly that never stops someone from being a gold digger supremo. Poor Petra..please tell me why this little ‘idiot/nothing of a man needs such a security team, if he was my husband I would remove the security team and hope to dear god that he may one day disappear.
I love Polpo. So pleased it is coming to Chelsea.
Stunt is a fat fool and is viewed as a joker at London’s leading art establishments. He is just a bit of a pest and an idiot really and nobody should take him seriously. Nobody wants to harm him either. They just want him to go away. He is a little bit confused really.
How dare you mock James Stunt and his dear wife. They are good supporters of charities and though I don’t know if they donate to the Find Madeleine fund, I hereby suggest they do if they read this. James and Petra: With all your please please donate to support dear Gerry and Kate McCann in their efforts to find their beloved daughter Madeleine McCann. You could put an end to the misery this poor couple have endured by just donating a tiny fraction of your wealth. Thank you. Find Madeleine. Find her please.
I am a car chaser and I love seeing James and his cars. He’s got the cash and he enjoys his motors. I think that’s just great. Get a life people.
Good point Max I love cars too!
Max and Anna……see you in the fast lane