AS TOLD TO
Each one no bigger than a horse and cart, London’s 13 Victorian cabmen’s
shelters are wooden, green and all Grade II listed. Chris Henneville has run
the Pont Street shelter for 15 years – and ran the one in Hanover Square,
Mayfair, for 12 years before that
“
When I came to this shelter 15 years ago, the cab drivers actually
queued up to get in here. I would say on average that there was 50 or
60 customers a day – all cab drivers. Now I should think we’ve got ten.
They can’t get rid of the shelters because they’re all protected – they’re
more than 100 years old – but basically every one of them is supported by
the take away trade.
We get here at 3.30am and we’re usually ready by 6.30. You can then sit
down and have your own cup of tea and sandwich or toast and read the
paper. It’s the preparation, the rolls that we have to cut and butter. The
bread. Once that window’s open, you can’t stop. You can’t cut the tomatoes
or slice all the cucumber, so everything has to be ready and to hand. You
have to be organised.
We finish about half past two. The girls work four days a week and I come
in and do the other two. Luba has been here for four years and she more or
less takes control of it now. She’s from Bulgaria. You wouldn’t be able to
spell her second name.
When I was in Hanover Square, the Hilton Hotel had to have a very secret
board meeting and they were frightened it was going to be bugged, so they
came down to Hanover Square and asked if they could use the shelter.
And I’ve had posh women who’ve had their dinner parties in here, that’s
been very funny.
You wonder what the fascination with them is really.
One day I was working with Luba and Hugh Grant came to the window.
He’d got his collar up and he says to Luba, ‘can I have an egg and bacon
sandwich please?’ Luba’s going, ‘Chris, Chris, Chris …’ But I didn’t know
what she was saying.
Frankie Dettori used to pop over when he stayed at the Carlton Tower.
And James Hewitt came and asked for some water one day when his old
“
Range Rover broke down.
But it has changed. We used to do two or three plats du jour and the
standbys were lamb chops, pork chops, gammon.
I’ve never been a greedy person so far as money goes, and a lot of our
customers are builders or they’re the kids that work in the hairdressers. So
you try and work it out so it’s a fair deal, and I won’t go buying crap
stuff. We only have back bacon, smoked. And a bacon roll costs
£1.80.”
80
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