Bickenhall Mansions, W1
St John Screech lives in a spacious three bedroom flat in Bickenhall Mansions, Bickenhall Street in the heart of Marylebone. These imposing Edwardian, red-brick mansion blocks are characterised by rows of bay windows, doors framed by arches of ornate stonework, high gables and terracotta dressings combining to create a sense of grandeur and solidity. Although many of the apartments in these blocks have been renovated to a high state of luxury demanded by the very rich who now occupy the building, Screech’s flat retains many of the original features and despite its considerable size is comfortable and cosy, furnished with antique rugs and dark wood furniture. Some may think that Screech is over-housed but he feels he needs the rooms for entertaining the occasional overnight guest and to allow Potemkin, his house cat, to range freely throughout the apartment.
Screech has chosen to live on the third floor in this particular block for a reason. This block has no lift and only stairs. No one has ever discovered why. Perhaps the architects simply forgot. But the lack of a lift has a distinct advantage for the detective. Without the daily and often thrice daily walk up the stairs, Screech has not gone to fat despite his fondness for fine food and his tendency towards rotundity and he is considerably fitter than his appearance might suggest. It also means that anyone who arrives at his door is invariably out of breath and out of sorts which offers Screech an opportunity to assess them before they can present themselves in the light they wish to appear.
Cecilia, his sister, lives in a similar, equally unmodernised, two bedroomed flat in the complex of buildings opposite.
The Royal Opera House
The Royal Opera House is situated in Bow Street, Covent Garden, opposite the now no longer functioning Bow Street Magistrates Court where, some may remember, Bertie Wooster found himself for stealing a policeman’s helmet. The ROH or “Covent Garden” as it is known houses the Royal Opera, Ballet and Orchestra. It is the third theatre on the site, the previous two having been destroyed by fire in 1808 and 1856.
St John Screech has been going to the House, as it is also known, since he was a child to see ballet and opera but latterly, because of the contemporary obsession with concept productions and modern directors’ often bizarre and incomprehensible staging, prefers to stay at home to listen to his fine collection of opera recordings and now only visits to see the ballet.
As an adolescent he sat in the Lower Slips which afforded an excellent if slightly restricted view of the stage and of the goings on in the orchestra pit. Later, as he and his pay packet grew, he moved to the Stalls Circle and now, very occasionally, treats himself to a seat in the stalls.
Charing Cross Police Station
The Charing Cross Police Station, formerly the Charing Cross Hospital, is situated in Agar Street just off the Strand. Originally built in 1834 but continually extended and enlarged until its conversion to state of the art police station in the 1990s. A fine white stuccoed white building with an imposing pillared and pedimented entrance, it has been called “the poshest police station in London.”
Screech does not like visiting this police station. He is not sure why but suspects it has something to do with the fact it houses Inspector Jim Jones for whom he has little respect, believing him to be indolent and sloppy in his methods of investigation, judgemental and inclined to jump to conclusions which he will stick like glue to despite the appearance of any contradictory evidence.
New Scotland Yard
New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, is situated in Victoria Street, London. It is a massive sixties building, in Screech’s opinion of some ugliness, made of concrete, steel and glass and 20 storeys high. In front of it stands the celebrated steel and silver, revolving sign announcing its presence. Screech is not fond of this building but finds he has to visit It more often than he would like on account of it being the centre of operations of his boss Quentin Michaelfish and his sergeant, Bruce Bravo. It also houses the national policing computer system known by its acronym HOLMES.
As a result of recent fears of terrorist activity several security measures have been introduced that include a concrete wall around the entrance, a covered walkway from the street to the entrance and a concrete wall in front of the ground floor windows. The place bristles with security.
In 2013 it was announced that New Scotland Yard would be relocated to the Curtis Green Building on the Embankment, the former site of Scotland Yard, and will be renamed Scotland Yard. Screech is anticipating this move with some pleasure.
The Wigmore Hall
The Wigmore Hall is a leading international concert venue for chamber music and song, famed for its near perfect acoustic. Built in the Renaissance style, it has alabaster and marble walls, a vaulted ceiling and a small, raised stage on which a Bechstein sits under a painted cupola. Cecilia has often played here both as a soloist and with her all women Park Quartet. Screech enjoys the atmosphere of the Wigmore or the Wiggie as Cecilia slightly embarrassingly refers to it but as he prefers the big sound of the symphony orchestra to the possibly more demanding music of the chamber, he is not a frequenter visitor. The audience is largely over 60 and grey-haired.
St Petersburg
St Petersburg, the birthplace of Vladimir Vladimirov, and the city where Screech finds himself in mortal danger while rescuing a young woman from a gang of sex traffickers.
The Marinsky Theatre where Screech first meets Sasha
The interior of the Marinsky
The canal in which Stephen Bland’s body was found
The Hermitage, where Screech spent an amusing day with “the girls.”
The Smolny Cathedral where Cecilia’s recital was held and Screech narrowly escapes death