It is fair to say U+I’s deputy chief executive Richard Upton has a reputation for being unconventional. And prospective buyers of his £22m Devonport House Hotel in Greenwich will not be disappointed.
As well as an art collection including works by Francois Hameury and a 17th-century mausoleum that houses the remains of Battle of Trafalgar admiral Sir Thomas Hardy, it includes a John Reardon sculpture entitled Monument for a Dead Parrot.
It is surely named in homage to the expired bird in Monty Python’s famous pet shop sketch, and lies on a plinth outside the hotel.
Even if the parrot is dead, is no more, has ceased to be, here’s hoping the sale flies.
Dip into the talent ’Pool
A new study has declared the most affordable place for graduates to live: Hartlepool.
Perhaps better known as the home of the football team beloved of Soccer Saturday’s Jeff Stelling – and the town that elected club mascot H’Angus the Monkey as mayor – the North East town comes out best when the average graduate salary one year after leaving university is compared against rent levels and cost of living, according to mortgage broker Propillo.
With the cheapest three spots all in the same region, and the five most expensive all in London – not to mention the study’s finding that the next generation won’t actually be able to afford to live in 60% of the country – Diary can’t help but think there’s an opportunity there for companies who want to get ahead of the curve.
Outsource your graduate programme to the North East and snap up some of the shrewdest fresh talent on the market. According to Radius Data Exchange, there is almost 80,000 sq ft of office space available in Hartlepool.
Cor! Netto!
Diary made the most of the bank holiday heatwave, personally researching the night-time economy of Nottingham. Ahem.
Never fully off-duty though, our retail radar was sent into overdrive in one bar, where we spotted something rather spectacular: a supermarket logo of the past emblazoned on one punter’s arm.
Yes, he bore a tattoo of the logo of Denmark-based chain Netto (still very much alive in Europe but lost to our high streets in 2016).
Still more remarkably, the Netto dog is actually a cover-up, replacing an ex-girlfriend’s initials (that’s asking for trouble, as anyone who has seen Tattoo Fixers will know).
One lads’ holiday to Malia and a few pints later, he ended up branded for life, in every sense.
It got Diary thinking. Are there any C&A or BHS tats out there? And, with the retail crisis in full swing in 2018, who will step forward to keep Toys R Us and Maplin alive in body art?
Tweet us your best high street tattoos @estatesgazette #retailink
Wahlberg making his Mark
London’s crowded burger joint marketplace will have a new A-list entrant this September – none other than Mark Wahlberg, the singer-turned-actor once known as MarkyMark. And he’s planning to make his presence felt – virtually, at least.
Apparently, he will “beam in” to the Covent Garden branch of his Wahlburgers chain on video screens to have FaceTime-style conversations with diners. Diary would probably prefer to chat with his foul-mouthed co-star Ted, or at least a Transformer or two, but any interaction with a Hollywood star has to be exciting.
Wahlberg told the London Evening Standard: “If you want to talk to me on a special occasion, just tell the manager and at the pop of a button I’m on the screen.”
In news that will have readers of a certain age screaming with excitement, his brother Donnie (of New Kids on the Block fame) will also be available.
Are in-store celeb “appearances” the future of restaurants?
Get a moo-ve on
Canadians are known for being nice. No surprise then that a native farming company should seek to bestow a gift upon the residents of an Ontario town.
Quite unexpected, though, that the good people of Markham would say “no thanks”. And really rather shocking that the donator, Romandale Farms, would demand Can$3m (£1.7m) to take it back.
The subject matter? An 8m tall stainless steel statue of a cow on stilts, named Charity: Perpetuation of Perfection, which the locals objected to after a part of it fell off.
Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice has weighed in, ruling “a true philanthropist respects the wishes of those he or she wishes to benefit” and rejected Romandale’s application for an injunction or damages. So you can look a gift horse in the mouth – or at least a gift cow.
To send feedback, e-mail jess.harrold@egi.co.uk or tweet @jessharrold or @estatesgazette
