Lansdowne House, Berkeley Square 1976

During the 1960s this was known as George Raft’s Colony Sports Club, an upmarket casino owned by American mobsters – Raft was the friendly public face. it was frequented by many famous names of the day including Frank Sinatra, Charlie Chaplin and Richard Burton. George Raft was kicked out of the country in 1967. It was later known as the International Sporting Club.

This bit of Lansdowne House was built in the 1930s and occupied the entire southern end of Berkeley Square. It was demolished in 1988 and replaced by a new building. This new building was demolished in 2o24 and replaced yet again.