Double WIgmore

Double in that, after this Sunday morning concert, we had thought to visit the Wigmore public house, on the corner of the block which is mostly the Langham Hotel. Probably owned by them; perhaps intended to fill the gap left by the Artesian in another corner not ever seeming to be open when we try to visit. And this afternoon, checking the archive, I had to go back to 2017 to find an occasion - noticed at reference 1 - where we did manage to take lunch there. But despite inquiring on Saturday, to our surprise, the Wigmore public house was fully booked for Sunday lunchtime and so we settled for the Wigmore in-house restaurant in the basement.

On the Sunday, Waterloo was out, so we settled for driving to Sutton and taking the stick rather than the full trolley. Two bits of bad driving on the way. First, some young man overtook at speed at some junction. All very aggressive and unnecessary. Second, some old lady shot out of a side turning in front of us, seemingly not knowing that we were there. Perhaps she was embarrassed as she kept her eyes very firmly forward.

An infestation of mistletoe in a mature tree just past the California. We speculated about the origin of the name. And a nest of Wellingtonia just beyond that. Marked down for a visit.

Then in the waiting room at Sutton, we were able to admire joinery through the ages. Wainscoting right, presumably of the same generation as the handsome trim to the roof over the platform behind the much more recent shop-fitting left. Nothing particularly special, but I dare say it would be expensive to replace now - and probably would not be unless it were to be promoted to heritage for some reason.

Standing room only at Sutton, but after a while I got a set with some hospitable ladies who had just struck up an acquaintance on the train. We discussed the relative merits of kippers and spiced fish.

Bus'd from Victoria to Portman Square and from there to Olle & Steen where, for once, I got the right coffees and the right buns. Cardamom and almond buns, not too sugary like some of their offerings. But not like the Cardamom bun on their website, more like the Kløben bun, which is where we started, quite a few months ago now.

Might be a posh address, with a rather higher class of front door joinery than Sutton railway station, but that does not seem to stop the litter piling up. Maybe they are not posh enough to have a back door?

Possibly the main entrance to office space which is part of the Howard de Walden Estate. Possibly shut at the weekend, despite the advertised 24 hour access - for which there is perhaps a back door. Possibly condemned in favour of one of the doors to the left. 

The first and second floor windows look a bit grand for the building ever to have been flats, but who knows. Without, that is, turning up the urban history page which I have used in the past.

Interesting flower arrangement in the hall, with pale green anthuriums in the lead, which needed the platform lights to bring them out properly. One supposes that the florist, who nearly always does rather well, takes such things into account.

The concert was given by Julia Púsker on the violin and Christia Hudziy on the piano, from Hungary and the Ukraine respectively. According to reference 3 and what she said, Púsker was equipped with a Stradivarius, on loan to her from her teacher, György Pauk, to be found somewhere in the audience. The pianist did not seem to run to her own website, not yet, anyway. Clara Schumann, Op.22, Beethoven Op.96 and the Rondo, arranged for violin and piano, from Schubert's D895 piano sonata. Encore probably the andante in A major from the Bartók violin sonata DD 70, BB 26. All very good, particularly the Beethoven, which was got us there.

Downstairs, the restaurant was not crowded, maybe doing thirty covers in the time we were there. Median age probably about ours. Ambience good, without background music. Service good. But there was not a big choice - which was fine - but the food was a bit overcomplicated and they were a bit mean with the accessories like bread and vegetables.

Soup good, chicken adequate - I did not realise until too late that I had ordered stuffed chicken which I am not usually keen on. Chips adequate. BH was better pleased with her fish. We both had complicated dollops of potato, mine in the form of a small layered brick. Quite good but there was not very much of it. Just as well that I went for extra chips.

I thought I ordered cheese cake for dessert, but what I actually got was a fancy cheese and biscuits, rather like the offering at Côte noticed at reference 3. And as there, the thinly sliced, rather dry Lincolnshire Poacher did the brand no favours. Plus the blue cheese was too strong for my taste; and, the Brie type cheese was unripe; and, I much prefer white bread and one kind of cheese, without all the bits and bobs - which is why I went for the cheesecake in the first place. I suppose I could have asked for it to be changed, but I find that doing that rather messes up the rhythm of the occasion.

Satisfactory wine by Lolo, from the people at reference 4. Marked up by a factor of about four, so not too bad. Something that warms by Martell, in lieu of a spot of Calva.

A photographic reminder in the Bechstein Room that they have now got around to having the foyer clock wound up. It seems to have taken them some months.

Out to admire some more fancy joinery, this being the main entrance of what was the Debenham & Freebody building, from the beginning of the 20th century. Joinery which I dare say dates from that time - and not that different in style from what I remember of the fancy rooms in GOGGS at the bottom of Whitehall.. 

With this one being another building which we have admired before. See reference 5 for a bit more of it.

On to catch a bus to Victoria, which was fast enough once it turned up - taking in the impressive amount of stuff in a hole in Wigmore Street on the way. Hopefully someone knows what it all is.

We were also impressed by the view of Selfridges from the bus stop. It must have been a seriously expensive building, even more flashy than Debenham & Freebody above, an expense which I would not think would be justified now. They might pull the tourists but are they pulling enough of their money?

The place was a dead loss when I tried to buy plain white shirts there a few years back. Rather better for kabanosi more recently. I wonder now what they do in the way of tweed jackets, something you have not been able to buy in Epsom since Lester Bowden went down.

I think I preferred the less pretentious and more functional roof trusses of Victoria Station - and spent a few quiet minutes wondering what went on under the curved plates at the top of the capitals. A tricky bit of detailing which did not bear too close inspection.

On the train, not for the first time, we wondered why the dogs' home at Battersea had not sold up for flats and moved out into the sticks. I think I once knew, but don't anymore.

And some trees full of crows. Not in the same league as the tree at Brading, but trying. For which see reference 6.

And I spotted a couple of fine Wellingtonia in what looked like a school field at Carshalton. To be followed up.

PS: it would be interesting to know what Debenham & Freebody and Selfridges cost. How different in size and cost were they? Did they get their money back? I dare say one could find out using cunning searches, but it might soak up quality time.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2017/12/fancy-spirits.html.

Reference 2: https://www.juliapusker.com/.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2024/12/more-madrigals.html. 

Reference 4: https://pacolola.com/en/productos/lolo/.

Reference 5: https://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/survey-of-london/tag/debenham-and-freebody/.

Reference 6: https://psmv2.blogspot.com/2014/07/twit-log.html. Ten years ago!