A tale of two cities

Photo 15. London

Peggy Porchen Cake Shop, Ebury Street, Belgravia.

Eye know…not your average tuck shop. Been described as the prettiest café in the world…a destination for escapism, dreaminess and an unwritten permission for visitors to creatively connect with their inner child. Even the dog’s bowl’s pink. And those jeans cost a bomb. Note the LV scarf…

We’re in Belgravia…the posh end of town. Only here hoping Judi Dench or Bill Nighy might be filming: surreptitiously opening a door, being ‘invited’ into the Bentley…or something. Shoot a lot of movies round here, especially when they want to show ‘typical’ London. Judi was here for Skyfall, Bill for Page Eight.

We only just missed out on a place, actually. Recently refurbished, with a private health spa in a newly-created basement under the main house, with a nine-metre swimming pool with wave technology, changing facilities. Had reproduction Louis XVI fireplaces and all. Eight bedrooms. Went for thirty-eight million quid.

Would have bid more, but the garden’s across the road, through a fence, shared with the neighbours. Didn’t fancy nipping over for a bit of parsley, or a lemon, only to find Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein had just nicked the last one.

Was once owned by Sir Spencer Cecil Ponsonby, son of the fourth Earl of Bessborough, a senior diplomat and courtier. Laid the foundation stone for the pavilion at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

According to one of the real estate firms…

Belgravia’s grand white stucco-fronted houses are iconic [no less] symbols of affluence. The neighbourhood’s leafy squares, exclusive boutiques [and cake shops] and proximity to Buckingham Palace add to its allure.

Ahhh, there it is: proximity to the Palace. You want to understand London? Down river is the original city… the City of London. The skyscrapers. Up river…the City of Westminster—which only really got going in 1703, when the Palace was built, and the aristocracy needed their ‘town’ houses here, to be at hand—the Palace, the leafy squares, the royal parks, the superlative emporiums. The two cities were never the best of friends: I look down on him, because he is middle class. Old money versus new...

Mostly new money buying property in Westminster these days, though. The Telegraph reports that the average age of a buyer spending twenty-five million pounds is forty-one¹. And Sotheby’s tell us that twenty-two percent of London homes they sold in 2024 were purchased for the buyer’s children². Poor things…

Oh Tarquin, darling…this is Mummy and Daddy’s house. You have your own house to sleep in. Go on now, with Nanny. That’s a good boy.

Still, no regrets. It was fascinating to be there; get the vibe of the posh end of town. Even if we didn’t see Judi, or Bill.

Besides, here’s a quote I found…

Never be envious of what someone else has. 
You don't know the price they paid to get it, 
and you don't know the price they are paying to keep it.

Which is fine. Except those cakes did look rather good…

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Next week: So Long, London

1. The new breed of millionaires buying up London 31 Jan 2025.

2. 2025 Luxury report.

Quote from Stephan Labossiere