Artworks from an eatery which was a favourite of the Queen Mother and visited by stars including Sean Connery and Ronnie Corbett have sold for £30,000 at auction.
Simon Parker Bowles was the husband of Andrew’s brother and owned Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar on Duke Street, London’s St James.
The Crown Estate opened the property in 1982. It was loved by celebrities and Royal Family members until 2016 when it had to be closed.
The Queen Mother was seen smiling when she left the venue, and it was discreetly visited also by Princess Diana, Prince William, and Harry.
Parker Bowles stated that Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of Great Britain, was also a regular visitor.
Another image of the stars in the venue shows Connery as James Bond, and Corbett as the beloved comedian, best known for The Two Ronnies with Ronnie Barker.
Carolyn was the one who commissioned the cartoons and paintings that used to grace the walls.
These include Sue Macartney Snape’s ‘Wine Tasting’. The scene depicts a colorful bar scene, whose characters were “remarkably similar” to those at Green’s, according to Mr Parker Bowles.
In the online sale held by London auction house Dreweatts today, it sold for £8,125, more than £3,000 above the upper estimate of £5,000.
Artworks from an eatery which was a favourite of the Queen Mother and stars including Sean Connery and Ronnie Corbett have sold for £30,000 at auction. Simon Parker Bowles was the husband of Andrew, and owned Green’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar on Duke Street, London’s St James. Above: Sue Macartney Snape, Tanzanian born artist. It sold today for £8,125
The venue opened in 1982. It was loved by celebrities and Royal Family members until 2016 when it was closed down by the Crown Estate landlords. The Queen Mother was seen smiling leaving the venue (above, Simon Parker Bowles), but it was also visited discreetly by Princess Diana and Princes William and Harry.
Another image of James Bond actor Sean Connery with Michael Medwin is another. Mr Parker Bowles said there was always ‘a lot of noise and a lot of singing’ when Connery visited
Raymond Jackson’s cartoons, also up for grabs, were available. He was better known by his initials JAK. After a long career that saw him working at titles such as the Evening Standard or Mail on Sunday, he became one of Britain’s most well-known newspaper cartoonists.
The estimates for the cartoons ranged from £100 to £500. Jackson’s portrait of restaurateur Peter Langan – who opened Piccadilly eatery Langan’s Brasserie with actor Michael Caine – had been expected to fetch up to £500 but ended up selling for £2,500.
Anthony Bream’s painting, ‘Lady At the Bar’ was second in value. It sold for £2,125, well above the lower estimate of £1,500.
A lobster painted onto card by artist Peter Manzi which bore the message ‘caught especially for Green’s’ sold for £700, well above the £50-100 estimate.
A painting of a glamorous woman holding up a glass by artist William Henry Barribal, sold for £1,500 – three times the £500 estimate. The Champagne Toast was its apt name.
Mister Parker Bowles spoke out about stars that visited and said, “My favorite visitor was Ronnie Corbett. She was very close to my heart.”
Ronnie: “He was shy Ronnie. He used to sneak into our table hoping no one would see him.”
Connery said that there was always “a lot noise and lots of singing” when Connery visited. The Royals were, however, “fun to be around”.
Carolyn Bream, Carolyn’s wife and restaurateur, ordered the cartoons and paintings that used to grace the walls. Anthony Bream painted ‘Lady At the Bar’. It was the second most expensive lot. It sold for £2,125, above the lower estimate of £1,500
A lobster painted onto card by artist Peter Manzi which bore the message ‘caught especially for Green’s’ sold for £700 today, well above the £50-100 estimate
Jackson has had an extensive career, which included work for titles like the Evening Standard (Monday Mail) and Mail on Sunday. The estimates for the cartoons ranged from £100 to £500. Above: The cartoon was featured in Sunday’s Mail before it was hung at Green’s. It was expected to fetch up to £100 but sold for £240
A painting of a glamorous woman holding up a glass by artist William Henry Barribal, sold for £1,500 – three times the £500 estimate. The Champagne Toast was the appropriate name for it.
Parker Bowles stated that he created the restaurant as many London venues had become too fussy. “I called it an oyster and champagne bar, and in reality, I can’t eat oysters, and I don’t like champagne,” he stated. Above: Here’s a throwback shot of the restaurant in its prime.
Andrew Bowles (right, with his brother in 2009), was the husband of Mrs Parker Bowles from 1973 to 1995. Ten years later she wed Prince Charles.
In 2002, you can see Green’s Champagne and Oyster Bar at St James’s. In 2016, the Crown Estate forced it to close.
“Margaret Thatcher” was a regular. They claimed she lost the plot. Manuel was always there for her. [the waiter]. He added, “Once met, never forget.”
The Queen mother was the queen star. This lunch was given to her by me, and Ronnie Corbett asked me about Anne Corbett. I also had a Canadian couple who came all the way from Canada, as they are huge fans of both Ronnies.
“Imagine their joy to see Ronnie and Ronnie sitting together, then the Queen Mother as well.
Parker Bowles explained that the restaurant was opened because London had too many restaurants.
He said, “I called it an oyster and champagne bar, and in reality, I can’t eat oysters, and I don’t like champagne,”
“The primary reason I was able to time my arrival at this particular moment in the 80s and 70s was because the new cuisine trend at restaurants at that point had exploded and people were getting more fussy.
“And I really thought that there weren’t any restaurants left that I would like to go to.
Cartoonist Raymond Jackson’s portrait of restaurateur Peter Langan – who opened Piccadilly eatery Langan’s Brasserie with actor Michael Caine – during a visit to Green’s in 1985. Jackson implied that Langan and he had both been drinking at the time he sketched them. He wrote the words ‘Drunkenly’ (both) in the corner. It had been expected to fetch up to £500 but actually sold for £2,500
These two depictions of Green’s, sketched by artist Michael Stiff, were among a set which was expected to fetch up to £300 but actually sold for £340
This depiction of the dining room at Green’s, again by Michael Stiff, was among a set which are expected to fetch up to £300
Stiff’s depiction of the exterior of Green’s also once hung on the wall at the famous venue and is among those which were up for sale
“Fortunately, it was not just me who felt this way. Green’s had everything I loved: it is simple and straight-forward with great ingredients. It also offers good customer service.
“The pictures are the most important element.” When you are sitting having a boring lunch… you do tend to gravitate to look at what is on the walls.
“We requested Sue Macartney Snape to conduct a wine tasting. It’s hilarious, delicious and tastes remarkably like many characters that visited Green’s.
When asked about stars that visited his home, Parker Bowles stated: “My favorite visitor was Ronnie Corbett. He was very close to my heart.” Ronnie Corbett was very shy. He used to sneak up on my table, hoping no one saw him. Corbett is pictured centre with Mr Parker Bowles (left) and Lord King of Wartnaby
According to Mr Parker Bowles, he started the restaurant after London venues became’very fussy’.
Parker Bowles said that Green’s is exactly what he liked. It was simple, straightforward, delicious, and full of good food. Above: Green’s wait staff.
As they remove an oyster from the shell, Mr Parker Bowles and a Green’s employee are seen together. Dreweatts, an auctioneer, is going to sell the restaurateur’s artworks.
In 2016, when the restaurant was forced to close, Parker Bowles stated to Sebastian Shakespeare that he had been forced to close Duke Street because of an insatiable desire by the Crown Estate to rebuild. Above: Waiter at Green’s Bar
The artwork, which was once displayed at Green’s from December 15 to 15, is now available for online bidding. Above: Mr Parker Bowles in front of the bar at his restaurant
According to him, the paintings contributed to the clubbie and foodie atmospheres he tried to cultivate at the venue.
Dreweatts’ Senior Valuer Will Porter stated after today’s auction: “This nostalgic online sale celebrated the colorful history of St. James’s along with Green’s Champagne, Oyster Bar.
It is amazing to see the old maps and cartoons showing the location being offered for competitive bids, as well as restaurant signs and cut lobsters, how deeply ingrained the history of St. James’s Green’s.
“You can’t take St. James’s Green’s without St. James’s. However, you can’t get St. James’s Green’s without St. James’s!”
“It was a pleasure to meet so many former customers who still have fond memories of Simon Parker Bowles, his staff and the restaurant itself.
“The auction sold all of the work offered, exceeding the estimate at the time. This is a testament to people’s love for the wonderful institution and their desire to preserve those fond memories.
When the restaurant closed, Parker Bowles said to Sebastian Shakespeare in 2016, “It is true that we have to close Duke Street to satisfy the Crown Estate’s insatiable desire to redevelop.”
The estate, which belongs to the Queen but is run independently, was redeveloping the premises as part of its £500million ‘investment strategy’ for the area.