Party politics

And nowhere was that style more obvious than at the London Architecture Festival party on Friday night when festival founder Peter Murray and his crew took over the crescent outside the Building Centre in the capital’s Store Street and converted it for the evening into a ‘pocket park’. Turf and planting appeared miraculously for the duration, a timber ‘landmark’ structure by Moxon Architects and Price & Myers was erected, a hog roast installed and the beer and prosecco flowed. A nice touch was signage inviting people to ‘Please keep on the grass’.

And that was only the older brigade. Bright younger things from the profession and attendant media were there in force.

Across town in Clerkenwell, meanwhile, an altogether grittier event was taking place, with designers among its instigators. Sadly though, while participants no doubt enjoyed their Friday night drink, the Great Sutton Street Party didn’t match up to the Store Street event.

With the usual pubs spilling out on to an only partially closed road, revellers found themselves vying with the traffic on occasions. Nor did the presence of the odd cupcake stall make it that special.

Edgier? Maybe. On the edge, certainly. Cool idea, but a bit more finesse is needed.