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My London: Benedict Allen
By Alistair Duncan. ES Magazine Last updated at 00:00am on 25.03.04
Where do you live and why?
I live in no-man's-land between Shepherd's Bush and Brook Green. It's a lovely, little Victorian street: not as nasty as Shepherd's Bush but not as posh as Brook Green. A lot of my family live west of London, so I can easily jump on the M40 and M4.
Where were the last three places you went on holiday?
I've just got back from the Czech Republic and I have recently been in Guatemala and Cuba. My last adventure involved training a dog team in Siberia. I got frostbite in all my fingers on the first day.
Harvey Nicks or Selfridges?
I wouldn't know the difference. A girlfriend once took me to Selfridges to buy a Paul Smith shirt, but I haven't been back since. I wish I could say that I was more stylish.
What do you miss most when you're out of London?
The huge variety of its inhabitants: 350 different languages are spoken in London. I love sitting on the Tube, listening to other people's conversations.
What are your favourite home comforts?
Lying in a bath. I'm not like those professional bathers who spend hours in one, but I do like a bath. Also eating biltong (an African dried meat) with a glass of Shiraz.
What are your extravagances?
Every now and again I like a glass of champagne somewhere posh. It's the antithesis of what I normally do.
What would you do if you were Mayor for the day?
Put a tax on people with four-wheel-drive people carriers. They seem to be all about status. I would also introduce trams as they are so dependable - they always arrive on time.
What have been your most memorable London meals?
I like restaurants with a view - such as Oxo Tower. And there is a great Polish restaurant near me called Daquise. I went to The Ivy not so long ago with Jerry Hall and the paparazzi formed a horseshoe outside - it was meant to be a quiet night out. I guess I should have known better with The Ivy.
What is your life philosophy?
The world steps aside for someone who knows where he is going. I have always wanted to be an explorer and I only got where I am now by spending years working in warehouses to save up the money to do so.
What items are in your spring wardrobe and where did you get them?
After doing a shoot recently I was allowed to keep a £2,000 Bill Blass black cashmere jacket. I don't shop for flashy clothes.
What are your current projects?
I am writing a book on survival and am hoping to get a project off the ground with the BBC. There are very few places left on earth that haven't been explored - most of them are surrounded by marshes or thick jungle. I am hoping to organise a zeppelin balloon to lower me down to them so I can be the first person to reach them.
Watering hole
The Dove on the river at Hammersmith. I like to eat pork scratchings and have a pint there. I took pork scratchings with me to Siberia. In those temperatures you crave calorific food.
What were the last books you bought?
I am a real book man: I read The Good Soldier Svejk by Jaroslav Hasek recently and Jason Elliot's An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan. Also The Snow Geese by William Fiennes. I met him at a supper party and he suggested I read it, because it 'might help with your writer's block'. Bloomin' cheek, I thought - he's written exactly eight books less than me!
How do you get around town?
I use my racer bicycle. I am a very competitive cyclist, actually. I never like to lag behind anything.
What advice would you give to a tourist?
Take a boat from Embankment to Greenwich. You get a great vista of London doing it. I took a Mexican shaman on it, so he could visit Greenwich. I thought he would be interested in all the time connotations of Greenwich. But he wasn't. However, when Concorde flew over, he thought it was the most beautiful thing he had seen.
What was the last CD you bought?
Decade: The Very Best of (1966-1976) Neil Young. I'd forgotten how patchy he is. A genius one moment, really cringeworthy the next. But the excellent part is worth hanging on for.
What was the last play you saw in London and did you enjoy it?
His Dark Materials at the National. I represented the book on the BBC's The Big Read and we managed to come fourth, beating Harry Potter. It's such a complex book that works on so many levels. Philip Pullman gave me the tickets to see it.
What is your earliest London memory?
Watching the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. My cousin was in the army and in charge of it and, at that time, we were allowed in the gates to watch it. I remember him marching some Gurkhas past us and them all saluting.
Who is in your secret address book?
I get all my maps from Stanfords on Long Acre and a lot of my gear from Itchy Feet on Wardour Street. I got a water bottle from there recently that filters water when you squeeze it, and a white Swiss Army knife - it's easier to find if you drop it in the jungle.
