好色先生TV

What鈥檚 in a name?

I could probably fill a whole page on the report and accounts put out by the Garden Bridge Trust last week 鈥� which could be summed up in one word: 鈥淗ELP!鈥� 鈥� but that would be unfair. Instead, I鈥檒l continue my section on niche middle names. You may remember that a few weeks back I was rather tickled that new Knight of the Realm Andy Murray鈥檚 middle name was Barron? Well, I was looking through the names of the trustees and Joanna Lumley 鈥� who is not popular with some, given that the wretched thing originated as her idea 鈥� is down there. Her middle name is Lamond. Former construction adviser Paul Morrell is listed as well. His middle name is Dring 鈥� an old Norse moniker. Personally, I鈥檓 not sure that either of these can quite match up to Aloysius, which is the fine and manly middle name my parents gave me.

All accounted for

More gems from the world of report and accounts, this time a set of accounts for Laing O鈥橰ourke plc 鈥� I lose count of all the firms with a Laing O鈥橰ourke prefix 鈥� which included a line about how the business had racked up a 拢43m loss on three contracts carried out by its off-site manufacturing business, DfMA. It stated: 鈥淭hese projects were substantially redesigned in order to demonstrate the benefits of DfMA.鈥� Isn鈥檛 that another way of saying: 鈥淲e鈥檝e proved it can work 鈥� it鈥檚 just that it cost us 拢43m to prove it鈥�?

Saintly pride

Rejoice! Word reaches me that the 1862-built St Wilfrid鈥檚 Catholic Church 鈥� designed by yours truly, when I wasn鈥檛 busy founding this magazine or inventing the Hansom cab 鈥� in the North Yorkshire city of Ripon, has won heritage lottery funding towards a major restoration project.

I worked on the project in my younger years as an architect in collaboration with fellow gothic revivalist and Catholic Edward Welby Pugin.

The 拢47,000 funding will go towards planning the essential conservation works and improving accessibility, with a view to applying for a full grant at a later date. I wish them luck; I am only too sorry not to be able to offer a hand, but my skills are a little rusty these days.

Real prime resi

Perhaps London housebuyers are luckier than they think. I read the world鈥檚 most expensive house changed hands for $270m (拢224m) last year. Amazingly, it wasn鈥檛 in London 鈥� perhaps there are too many luxury pads to choose from 鈥� and nor was it in New York. It was in Hong Kong, and bought by tycoon Chen Hongtian as a family home. I hope it had a sea view.

Sachs and the city

There鈥檚 a huge scheme being dug on the site of a former BT building on Farringdon Road in central London. It looks like it might be a groundscraper and there are four red tower cranes beavering away. Yet, to the naked eye that鈥檚 pretty much it. The site hoardings offer no clue and there鈥檚 no logo or any other sign that a contractor has been engaged. I鈥檓 pretty sure it鈥檚 being built by Multiplex and that the architect is KPF. I鈥檓 also pretty sure it鈥檚 got a name of London Development Company or something. Which I think is another way of saying: it鈥檚 the new Goldman Sachs headquarters. I don鈥檛 understand all the secrecy.

I thought post-financial crash, the banks had turned over an enlightened leaf. Or are they embarrassed about all those Goldmanites joining Trump鈥檚 administration at the White House? Embarrassed, perhaps, but not displeased surely 鈥� Goldman Sachs鈥� shares rallied around 30% in the weeks after Trump won the election.