A walk through Lights-out London

Taking a turn off Piccadilly (below), away from cacophony... and into Mayfair, with son Eddie to take a stroll through Lights-out London.

Mayfair - the most expensive piece of real estate on the British Monopoly board since 1935, and the most expensive in reality. Reading The Inequality Paradox piqued my curiosity about this part of London, where oligarchs, oil sheikhs and ultra-high net-worth individuals (deserving or not) have brought their money and their London homes. Few actually live here, and this Saturday evening stroll confirmed that. House after house with not a single light switched on.

Below: corner of Chesterfield Hill and Charles Street, W1 (as in 'double you won'). A single dog-walker passed us on the pavement. Cars too were rare. Mansions with the occasional light on in a window. A deserted part of London. And yet London is home to more of the world's super-rich than any other city on earth...

Left: the corner of South St and South Audley St. Now, if New Bond St is posher than Regent St, then South Audley St is even more exclusive. Shops with Royal Warrants proudly displayed. This is where the super-rich buy clothes and interior furnishing. But where are they? The shops are all empty - just a few bored employees standing around... This is Saturday, late afternoon - nearby Oxford Street is heaving with shoppers.

Below: Woods Mews looking towards Park Lane. The West End is a busy place - turn off Piccadilly, turn left off New Bond St, turn left off Oxford St, turn right off Park Lane and step away from the crowds.

The concentration of the world's super-rich in London has consequences for the rest of the country. It has made London off-limits to young people wanting to come here to better themselves - they will not be able to get onto the housing ladder. My son's lucky that his grandparents bought a nice house in Ealing 50 years ago, for this where he'll be living as he establishes himself in the London economy.

This time last year:
Mid-Jan pictorial round-up

This time five years ago:
UK migration and the NHS

This time eight years ago:
Miserable depths of winter

This time nine years ago:
From - a short story (Part 1)

This time ten years ago:
A month until Lent starts

This time 11 years ago:
World's biggest airliner over Poland

This time 12 years ago:
More pre-Lenten thoughts