Belgravia was known as Five Fields during the Middle Ages, and became a dangerous place due to highwaymen and robberies. It was developed in the early 19th century by Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster under the direction of Thomas Cubitt, focusing on numerous grand terraces centred on Belgrave Square and Eaton Square. Much of Belgravia, known as the Grosvenor Estate, is still owned by a family property company, the Duke of Westminster’s Grosvenor Group.

The 100,000 pounds jibe

“It was the mid-70s, something like 1975 or 1976, and I was a newly appointed regional director at PA Consulting Group, then a medium- to-large consulting firm with 700-800 employees.

A man phoned with a direct request for business. This is unusual as something like 90 per cent of our business comes from ringing clients ourselves. So it was highly prized and I treated it with due respect, arranging to meet the man at our offices, Rotherham House, 13 Grosvenor Crescent.

When he eventually arrived for the meeting – eventually is the word – he was an hour and a half late. This had wrought havoc with my schedule. By now the devil was in my tongue.

He walked in and the excuse he gave was pathetic: ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t find number 13.’ To this I replied: ‘It’s an intelligence test. The number lies between 12 and 14.’ To which he then said: ‘If that’s your attitude you can f*** off’, and walked out. It cost the company pounds 100,000 in lost business.

He hadn’t even had the courtesy to say he would be late, or phone. But it taught me a lesson: not to be upset when people are late. Now if a client phones direct, and even if he’s then a week late, I’m forgiving.