黑洞社区

Should auld acquaintance be forgot

Congratulations to Scottish practices Nord, Elder and Cannon and JM Architects, who beat the likes of Hadid, Rogers, and Chipperfield to the shortlist for a 拢50m building for the Glasgow School of Art. Embittered designers who missed out have noted that Nord鈥檚 Robin Lee and Henry McKeown of JM Architects have been employed as teachers at the GSA鈥檚 Mackintosh School of Architecture. And Tom Elder of Elder and Cannon sits on the school鈥檚 board. This may be a bit of the green-eyed monster, though 鈥� after all, Charlies Sutherland and Hussey both teach at the Mack but their practice, Sutherland Hussey Architects, didn鈥檛 make the grade 鈥�

Double or quits

Piqued by the Chelsea Barracks scheme on their doorstep, residents of Kensington and Chelsea have started to refer to the scheme鈥檚 founder brothers as 鈥淐andy floss鈥� because they stand for 鈥渘o real substance鈥�. And to make matters worse, the slurs directed at the millionaire duo now extend to their perceived thriftiness. A noted Belgravia-ite told us at last week鈥檚 Chelsea Flower Show that Nick Candy was once interested in one of her properties 鈥� to rent for himself. 鈥淗is estate agent kept ringing up to ask, could I bring the price down?鈥� said the well-heeled west Londoner. 鈥淚 asked the agent who this guy was and when he told me it was Nick Candy, I said: 鈥榊ou can pass on the message that for him, it鈥檚 double.鈥欌��

Let them eat hummus

It was kind of the housing minister Margaret Beckett to invite the press to a reception at the House of Commons last week. An unseasonably cheery move, given that the event coincided with the inglorious spectacle of the speaker resigning over the expenses scandal. Greedy hacks wondered whether concerns about lavish spending were a factor behind the choice of catering for the event. The pots of hummus and dried pitta husks could have happily graced a student party. No need to fear that the minister is wasting taxpayers鈥� money here.

Credit: Morten Morland

Midfield general

Galliford Try boss Greg Fitzgerald recently likened running the company to playing for his favourite team, Manchester United (who else would a man from Devon support?) 鈥淚鈥檓 an attacking midfielder type but over the last year I鈥檝e had to play a more defensive role,鈥� he said. The ebullient chief exec was also frank enough to admit that buying Linden Homes at the top of the market for 拢245m in February 2007 was an 鈥渙wn goal鈥�. He didn鈥檛 say whether shareholders had since given him the hairdryer treatment.

Lionel tamer

Speaking of Beckett, a colleague recently bumped into her husband and office manager, Lionel, or 鈥淟eo鈥�. He told us that, far from benefiting from his wife鈥檚 powerful connections, having a partner in the Cabinet is something of an emasculating experience. 鈥淭he only time I鈥檓 free is when I鈥檓 driving the car which tows the caravan on holiday,鈥� sighed Lionel, who married Margaret in 1979 after meeting her on the campaign trail. 鈥淔or those two weeks, I wear the trousers. When we get back I have to have a little cry.鈥�

We shall, we shall be moved

Whoever said DIY is a man鈥檚 game has been proved resoundingly wrong by one little old lady in Norfolk who, it emerged this week, single-handedly demolished her house and rebuilt it more than 100 miles away 鈥� brick by brick. In defiance of developers who wished to crush the cottage to build a road, May Savidge decided to move home 鈥� literally. The 23-year project left her battling ill health as she took the house from a Hertfordshire high street to the Norfolk countryside. Mrs Savidge proved the authorities don鈥檛 always win 鈥� a heart-warming tale if ever we鈥檝e heard one.