Answer to “Where am I?”: Varun is on Jermyn Street in the City of Westminster, London!

Occasionally, I spend a week at home. This proves to be quite stressful for friends, family and even the Pooch. My inability to successfully use a toaster, washing machine or dishwasher, pick up wet towels off the bathroom floor or make my own bed have created “issues”. When I am on the road staying at lovely hotels & resorts I have no such worries as there is housekeeping … at home, it’s just real life.

I was born and brought up in a suburb of London. As a teen I used to travel into the city to take in the amazing sights, scenes and smells. It was only when I moved into Pimlico (home to the Tate Gallery) did I actually discover Jermyn Street.

As a cub news reporter for a national radio station, the way I dressed never seemed an issue. When I got into television,  all that changed. It was suggested that I walked down Jermyn Street to “get some ideas”. In the space of one Saturday morning, I had my first open razor wetshave (Geo F Trumper), ordered my first  tailor-made shirt (Herbie Frogg), ate oysters & drank champagne (Wiltons), and bought a very expensive pair of shoes (John Lobb) and my first Italian non-school-uniform suit (Simpsons). It was a costly but highly satisfying few hours.

When a few years later I took up smoking cigars and discovered Davidoff, Jermyn Street became my favourite and most visited street in the world.

The street itself takes its name from Henry Jermyn, the 1^st Earl of St. Albans. He developed the whole area (which included Pall Mall, Haymarket & St James’s Street and Square)  in 1664 and Jermyn Street was  originally made up of “taverns, lodging-houses, hotels and private residences”.

It was only in the mid-19^th century that it started taking shape as centre for men’s high-fashion in London.

Jermyn Street is located one road south of Piccadilly. It “shares” buildings like Fortnum & Mason, St. James’s Church and the book-mega-shop Waterstone’s (formerly Simpsons).  It’s home to the nightclub Tramp (frequented by The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Prince and Lindsay Lohan), Paxton & Whitfield (oldest cheese shop in England), shirtmaker to the stars – Turnbull & Asser and the list goes on …

So do yourself a favour- next time you are in my part of the world, head down to Jermyn Street  for not only a historical journey through London but also a wonderful and unique shopping experience.

-Varun Sharma

Varun Sharma is the host of Inside Luxury Travel – a television show that focuses on high-end travel. The show airs in over 160 countries, in 18 languages and is beamed into 390 million homes worldwide. He has now stayed in over 500 luxury hotels & resorts … and has in the past year flown in a fighter jet, gone diving – without a cage – in Tiger Shark infested-waters, had dinner with a dingo and has cooked with over 50 Michelin-starred chefs! He likes nothing better than playing a round of golf with his pooch Gemima by his side, cigar in mouth and flask of single malt Scottish whisky to hand!