Souvenir Of The Silver Jubilee
Her Majesty Queen Mary & His Majesty King George V
1910 ~ 1935
85 years ago today, May 6th 2020... the framed Scotts menu hanging on my dining room wall...
I wonder, what was 1935 like at Scotts, also how did everyone celebrate this special Silver Jubilee year occasion at Scotts, and in the same street, it must has been quite a spectacular event I expect?
SCOTTS OYSTER BAR & RESTAURANT ~ LONDON
The finest menus and cuisine, with “Fish to die for” was always a great description of Scotts fine foods. Scotts extremely high standards, the menus, fish, delicacies and tastes, also their fine china and forgetting their fine wines too, all these are still in existence today, at Scotts Mayfair, London.
Scotts Restaurant’s actual London address, was known and printed in many ways, as Coventry and or Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly, The Haymarket, Top of the Haymarket, and of course, Scotts of London.
The five story building, Scotts Oyster Bar and Restaurant, was owned and run by my Sinclair family for many decades, right up until the early 1960’s, when the business what purchased by Messrs Kerman. Scotts shortly afterwards moved the Restaurant over to Mount Street, Mayfair.
My Sinclair family, with a taste of their history too…
Malcolm Stuart and Blanche Sinclair, and their family owned Scotts Oyster Bar and Restaurant from the 1850’s. The building itself still stands on the corner or Great Windmill Street and Coventry Street. Scotts fantastic exterior walls, still show off large pieces of Italian marble, also a great deal of carved stone incorporating scallops and especially the carved S’s for Scotts, or were these really there for the Sinclair name and brand of excellence?
Sadly it was approximately 1980, when I witnessed the heart of the building and all five floors behind these superb exterior wall had been ripped out completely, and so very sadly the actual old building is no longer.
Many of the old buildings situated in the heart of London during the past hundred fifty years or so, Scotts being one of those, will have seen an abundance of changes, from candle and gas light over to electricity and telephones*, horses and carriages to motor vehicles, and especially everyone’s dress code too.
*In 1903 Scotts telephone number was 2513, this is quite an early phone number for London during this time, and by 1915 Scotts had two telephone lines 7175 and 7176.
Scotts Restaurant only ever to attracted the best and elite customers from across the globe because of its foods and excellence. The nobility, gentry, lawyers and writers, great film stars, actors and actresses, in fact all of London’s high society and its wealth all met, wined and dined at Scotts, it really was always the place to eat and to be seen.
As a young boy I was told some amazing stories by Michael Sinclair, as I’ve said previously, the only son of Stuart and Blanche Sinclair, also a few tales by Michael’s eldest sister too. Because of these amazing and unbelievable stories, well, I just wanted to hear more and more. So from that point to now, I’ve spent the past 40+ years and I’ve never stopped researching and looking into both Scotts Restaurant and the Sinclair’s fascinating family too. So much so, I’m now a professional genealogist and working for clients across the world.
I have been researching Scotts and the Sinclair family for many years, easily 40 years, so I know a fair bit about them now, but not enough.
I am always looking out for Scotts Restaurant related history, including their bone china and silverware too, please do get in touch with me if you have any Scotts tales and stories to tell, thank you.
I came across a most interesting booklet headed “Scotts” a long time ago with a date 1658 printed across the front cover, also a drawing, possibly portraying how the Scotts building looked during 1658. Including on the sketch, was a windmill on the top of the hill to the left hand side of the old restaurant. The most surprising thing is that this old 1658 Scotts was right in the city centre of London as well, together with a windmill at the top of old Windmill Street. If this is an interpretations of the old Scotts, then there’s a great deal more to learn.
There are a good number of old newspaper articles covering Scotts Restaurants and the Sinclair’s, very sadly a few describing the loss of life, during a terrible fire at Scotts.
Advertisements, I haven’t come across too many. I’ve attach a couple of postcard images from the early 1900's, so that you can see a couple of nice sketches of Scotts between 1890, 1903 and 1915. The building and the 'fish restaurant' expanded in size a number of years later.
Scotts Restaurant, the Sinclair family, friends, and ‘names’ (in no particular order);
Malcolm Sinclair owned and bred a number of horses at their stud in north London. Many famous horses used, stayed, and wintered out at Malcolm stables. (Apologies, I’m unsure of the correct terminology and wording relating to these great animals.)
I have an oil painting of The King’s Chancellor, one of Malcolm’s horses, painted by quite a well-known artist of the time.
Malcolm and Blanche had four daughters and one son. One daughter married a race horse trainer to the Queen Mother, one the Lord Mayors son, the third emigrated to Argentina, and the last became a talented ballet teacher in London, but very sadly she was killed by a bus whilst crossing the road.
All their children including Michael were schooled at Marlborough and in Paris.
Michael had his own business, also in central London, he served in H.M. Royal Navy during WW2, and a returned home with the rank of a Sub Lieutenant. Michael was an accountant, during the way he was called in like many others to work on the Enigma machine and codes.
The Queen mothers Castle of Mey, Caithness, on the most northern tip of Scotland was always said to be belong to the same Sinclair family.
The Sinclair’s family crest and motto are certainly know to the Sinclair clan.
The Queen mother, and Royal Families eye surgeon, Sir… its best I don’t include this name.
An actress in Raider of The Lost Ark, she took a proper job and became in nurse in one of London’s large hospitals.
Blanche Sinclair’s father and grandfather, were famous billiard champions of the world, friends to the Prince of Wales, and the Raja of India, also Lillie Langtry too.
The Sinclair family had numerous hotels and Inns right across London, including the Bath Hotel and you may not really know of this Hotel, but when I say The London Ritz, you certainly know.
There are an abundance of amazing names, characters and real friends to Malcolm, Blanche and their family, they’re also well known to us today as well.
WW2, Scotts made it ok through the war, except that when a bomb landed close by to Scotts whilst Elizabeth Taylor just happened to be lunching, all of the windows at Scotts imploded, making such a dreadful noise and mess. Elizabeth Taylor felt so very sorry for Scotts and that this had happened, so much so that she asked if she could possibly help clear up all the glass and debris… “Certainly not” was the reply.
The Great Escape film, the imminent escapees from the Tom, Dick and Harry tunnels, said “we’ll meet at Scotts bar”.
Writer, Ian Flemings, whilst lunching at Scotts often wrote and added to three or four of his James Bond books /films, The Casino Royale and the so famous line, "shaken not stirred", this line both came from and were filmed at Scotts.
The Mitford sisters were friends to the Sinclair’s.
Robert Sangster, horse breeder was friend to the Sinclair family.
John Sainsbury lived right across the road in Hampstead from Malcolm and Blanche Sinclair, they were good friends. The well-known shop name today of J Sainsbury’s, is said to be 150 years old, but I as a professional genealogist who’s always had an interest in the Sainsbury’s family, I have followed their lineage on and off for years, the J Sainsbury’s business is not 150 years old, as published.
If you know of, or come across any Scotts Restaurant stories or images, please do get in touch with me, thank you. Jed
I wonder, what was 1935 like at Scotts, also how did everyone celebrate this special Silver Jubilee year occasion at Scotts, and in the same street, it must has been quite a spectacular event I expect?
SCOTTS OYSTER BAR & RESTAURANT ~ LONDON
The finest menus and cuisine, with “Fish to die for” was always a great description of Scotts fine foods. Scotts extremely high standards, the menus, fish, delicacies and tastes, also their fine china and forgetting their fine wines too, all these are still in existence today, at Scotts Mayfair, London.
Scotts Restaurant’s actual London address, was known and printed in many ways, as Coventry and or Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly, The Haymarket, Top of the Haymarket, and of course, Scotts of London.
The five story building, Scotts Oyster Bar and Restaurant, was owned and run by my Sinclair family for many decades, right up until the early 1960’s, when the business what purchased by Messrs Kerman. Scotts shortly afterwards moved the Restaurant over to Mount Street, Mayfair.
My Sinclair family, with a taste of their history too…
Malcolm Stuart and Blanche Sinclair, and their family owned Scotts Oyster Bar and Restaurant from the 1850’s. The building itself still stands on the corner or Great Windmill Street and Coventry Street. Scotts fantastic exterior walls, still show off large pieces of Italian marble, also a great deal of carved stone incorporating scallops and especially the carved S’s for Scotts, or were these really there for the Sinclair name and brand of excellence?
Sadly it was approximately 1980, when I witnessed the heart of the building and all five floors behind these superb exterior wall had been ripped out completely, and so very sadly the actual old building is no longer.
Many of the old buildings situated in the heart of London during the past hundred fifty years or so, Scotts being one of those, will have seen an abundance of changes, from candle and gas light over to electricity and telephones*, horses and carriages to motor vehicles, and especially everyone’s dress code too.
*In 1903 Scotts telephone number was 2513, this is quite an early phone number for London during this time, and by 1915 Scotts had two telephone lines 7175 and 7176.
Scotts Restaurant only ever to attracted the best and elite customers from across the globe because of its foods and excellence. The nobility, gentry, lawyers and writers, great film stars, actors and actresses, in fact all of London’s high society and its wealth all met, wined and dined at Scotts, it really was always the place to eat and to be seen.
As a young boy I was told some amazing stories by Michael Sinclair, as I’ve said previously, the only son of Stuart and Blanche Sinclair, also a few tales by Michael’s eldest sister too. Because of these amazing and unbelievable stories, well, I just wanted to hear more and more. So from that point to now, I’ve spent the past 40+ years and I’ve never stopped researching and looking into both Scotts Restaurant and the Sinclair’s fascinating family too. So much so, I’m now a professional genealogist and working for clients across the world.
I have been researching Scotts and the Sinclair family for many years, easily 40 years, so I know a fair bit about them now, but not enough.
I am always looking out for Scotts Restaurant related history, including their bone china and silverware too, please do get in touch with me if you have any Scotts tales and stories to tell, thank you.
I came across a most interesting booklet headed “Scotts” a long time ago with a date 1658 printed across the front cover, also a drawing, possibly portraying how the Scotts building looked during 1658. Including on the sketch, was a windmill on the top of the hill to the left hand side of the old restaurant. The most surprising thing is that this old 1658 Scotts was right in the city centre of London as well, together with a windmill at the top of old Windmill Street. If this is an interpretations of the old Scotts, then there’s a great deal more to learn.
There are a good number of old newspaper articles covering Scotts Restaurants and the Sinclair’s, very sadly a few describing the loss of life, during a terrible fire at Scotts.
Advertisements, I haven’t come across too many. I’ve attach a couple of postcard images from the early 1900's, so that you can see a couple of nice sketches of Scotts between 1890, 1903 and 1915. The building and the 'fish restaurant' expanded in size a number of years later.
Scotts Restaurant, the Sinclair family, friends, and ‘names’ (in no particular order);
Malcolm Sinclair owned and bred a number of horses at their stud in north London. Many famous horses used, stayed, and wintered out at Malcolm stables. (Apologies, I’m unsure of the correct terminology and wording relating to these great animals.)
I have an oil painting of The King’s Chancellor, one of Malcolm’s horses, painted by quite a well-known artist of the time.
Malcolm and Blanche had four daughters and one son. One daughter married a race horse trainer to the Queen Mother, one the Lord Mayors son, the third emigrated to Argentina, and the last became a talented ballet teacher in London, but very sadly she was killed by a bus whilst crossing the road.
All their children including Michael were schooled at Marlborough and in Paris.
Michael had his own business, also in central London, he served in H.M. Royal Navy during WW2, and a returned home with the rank of a Sub Lieutenant. Michael was an accountant, during the way he was called in like many others to work on the Enigma machine and codes.
The Queen mothers Castle of Mey, Caithness, on the most northern tip of Scotland was always said to be belong to the same Sinclair family.
The Sinclair’s family crest and motto are certainly know to the Sinclair clan.
The Queen mother, and Royal Families eye surgeon, Sir… its best I don’t include this name.
An actress in Raider of The Lost Ark, she took a proper job and became in nurse in one of London’s large hospitals.
Blanche Sinclair’s father and grandfather, were famous billiard champions of the world, friends to the Prince of Wales, and the Raja of India, also Lillie Langtry too.
The Sinclair family had numerous hotels and Inns right across London, including the Bath Hotel and you may not really know of this Hotel, but when I say The London Ritz, you certainly know.
There are an abundance of amazing names, characters and real friends to Malcolm, Blanche and their family, they’re also well known to us today as well.
WW2, Scotts made it ok through the war, except that when a bomb landed close by to Scotts whilst Elizabeth Taylor just happened to be lunching, all of the windows at Scotts imploded, making such a dreadful noise and mess. Elizabeth Taylor felt so very sorry for Scotts and that this had happened, so much so that she asked if she could possibly help clear up all the glass and debris… “Certainly not” was the reply.
The Great Escape film, the imminent escapees from the Tom, Dick and Harry tunnels, said “we’ll meet at Scotts bar”.
Writer, Ian Flemings, whilst lunching at Scotts often wrote and added to three or four of his James Bond books /films, The Casino Royale and the so famous line, "shaken not stirred", this line both came from and were filmed at Scotts.
The Mitford sisters were friends to the Sinclair’s.
Robert Sangster, horse breeder was friend to the Sinclair family.
John Sainsbury lived right across the road in Hampstead from Malcolm and Blanche Sinclair, they were good friends. The well-known shop name today of J Sainsbury’s, is said to be 150 years old, but I as a professional genealogist who’s always had an interest in the Sainsbury’s family, I have followed their lineage on and off for years, the J Sainsbury’s business is not 150 years old, as published.
If you know of, or come across any Scotts Restaurant stories or images, please do get in touch with me, thank you. Jed
