Sketch is a restaurant at 9
Conduit Street
Conduit Street is a street in Mayfair, London. It connects Bond Street to Regent Street.
History
The street was first developed in the early 18th century on the Conduit Mead Estate, which the Corporation of London had owned since the 15th centu ...
,
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, which opened in 2003. The restaurant is owned by Mourad Mazouz, and the head chef is
Pierre Gagnaire
Pierre Gagnaire (born 9 April 1950 in Apinac, Loire) is a French chef, and the head chef and owner of the eponymous Pierre Gagnaire restaurant at 6 rue Balzac in Paris (in the 8th arrondissement). Gagnaire is an iconoclastic chef at the forefro ...
. The cuisine is described as '
New French', and is a loose adaptation of the cuisine served in Gagnaire's three
Michelin-starred
The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The acquisition or loss of a ...
restaurant in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and is executed by Frederic Don and Johannes Nuding. There are 5 eateries, including 3 restaurants in the building: the Parlour, the Lecture Room & Library, the Glade, the Gallery, and the Eastbar & Pods. The Lecture Room & Library holds 3 Michelin stars.
Mazouz came to public attention through the success of Momo, the North African restaurant and bar he opened in 1997 just off
Regent Street
Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash and James Burton. It runs from Waterloo Place ...
, although he was already well known in France for his celebrated restaurants, Au Bascou and 404.
The restaurant covers two floors of a converted 18th century site in Conduit Street, Mayfair. Its dining area contains a permanent exhibit of
David Shrigley
David John Shrigley (born 17 September 1968) is a British visual artist. He lived and worked in Glasgow, Scotland for 27 years before moving to Brighton, England in 2015.
Early life and education
Shrigley was born 17 September 1968 in Maccles ...
artwork, and Shrigley designed the restaurant's tableware.
Awards
In 2005, Sketch was ranked as the 18th best restaurant in the world by
''Restaurant'' magazine.
In 2008 and 2016, Sketch won the AA Wine Award for England.
As of 2021, the Lecture Room & Library holds five
rosettes from the AA.
The Sketch Lecture Room and Library was awarded its first Michelin star in 2005, its second star in 2012 and its third star in 2019.
9 Conduit Street history
9 Conduit is a
Grade II listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
townhouse in Mayfair,
designed by English Architect James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806.
Early life
W ...
in 1779 as the private residence of James Viner.
Following that the building hosted a variety of societies and institutions that, according to some accounts, included cyclists, balloonists and psychologists, as well as the Suffragette movement
A suffragette was a member of an activist women's organisation in the early 20th century who, under the banner "Votes for Women", fought for women's suffrage, the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom. The term refers in part ...
in the early 20th century.
In 1887–1909, Conduit Street was converted into the headquarters of the Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
(RIBA) and still retains its plaque and crest in the entrance hall.
During this time, RIBA/AA hosted a competition to re-design the 18th century façade design and although this was never realised; the RIBA archive at the V&A retains some of the competition proposal drawings.
The townhouse continued its design legacy and history in the mid-20th century to become Christian Dior's London atelier, within which Dior housed his collections. During this time in the 1970s the listed interior was modified by the seminal mid-century architect and leading Pop interior designer and furniture maker Max Clendinning
Max Clendinning (26 September 1924 in County Armagh, Northern Ireland – 4 June 2020) was an architect and interior designer.
Clendinning is best known for his 1965 design of the "slot-together but sturdy looking" Maxima chair, inspired in par ...
(b. 1924) who designed cupboards, cubicles and display cases for Dior's ready to wear clothes and accessories. To combine the old and new, everything (including the walls, ceilings and woodwork) was painted a uniform mid-grey with a grey velvet Wilton carpet and grey uniformed attendants to "throw the clothes into sharper relief, and seems to conform with the classical, refined elegance of the House of Dior itself". This austere style of monochromatic design was developed from his seminal 1960s signature white on white designs that marked the peak of British Modernism.
When the building was taken over by Sketch the interior was re-designed by Mazouz and Paris-based designer and sculptor Noé Duchaufour Lawrance. Several other international designers were commissioned for signature pieces, which are featured throughout Sketch.
See also
* List of French restaurants
This is a list of notable French restaurants. French cuisine consists of cooking traditions and practices from France, famous for the rich tastes and subtle nuances with long and rich history. France, a country famous for its agriculture and indepe ...
* Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts
The Society for the Encouragement of the Fine Arts was established in 1858, and was based in the architectural galleries and offices at 9 Conduit Street, Mayfair, London. Meetings were held at various galleries to increase technical knowledge.
The ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster
French restaurants in the United Kingdom
Michelin Guide starred restaurants in the United Kingdom
Restaurants established in 2003
European restaurants in London
Tourist attractions in the City of Westminster