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Vasily Livanov in the Holmes-themed carriage |
Holmes carriage ban is ‘a mystery’
Owner’s fury as famous detective-themed horse-drawn carriage is banned from royal parks
FOR 15 years a horse-drawn carriage has carried the great and good around central London on the trail of the world’s greatest super-sleuth.
But this week the historic hansom cab, run by the Sherlock Holmes Museum in Baker Street, has ground to a halt for good following a baffling row with the Royal Parks Agency.
Its owner John Aidiniantz, also a curator at the Sherlock Holmes Museum, has pleaded: “Can anyone help me solve the mystery?”
The carriage has been banned from taking shortcuts through Hyde, St James’s and Regent’s parks – a route taken freely London’s fleet of black cabs – because it is not suitably licensed.
Mr Aidiniantz blasted park bosses as “despotic bigwigs” and said the decision was like “banning gondolas from Venice”.
He said: “The horse-drawn carriage is a symbol of London and the only working vehicle of its kind in the world. No one is able to explain to me why they are so keen to stop us using the roads that taxis freely take. It’s a mystery.”
The £100,000 Forder cab, built in 1899, is the same model used by Sherlock Holmes in Arthur Conan Doyle’s mystery series.
Dustin Hoffman regularly takes trips in the VIP ride, according to Mr Aidiniantz.
In January last year, it carried Russian actor Vasily Livanov, who was recognised in the New Year Honours List with an OBE for his portrayal of Holmes in a Russian adaptation.
“We had to stop at the park gates and ask him to walk,” said Aidiniantz. It proved the final straw and this week Mr Aidiniantz decided to suspend the service.
“It’s a royal park regulation from 1977,” he said.
“It is there to prevent people from driving vehicles along park roads that are constructed or adapted for trade or business. But that’s not what we use it as.
“The royal parks allow pop and rock concerts and all sorts of events with advertising, but they won’t allow our historic cab. Where is the sense in that?
He added: “I’ll go to the palace if I have to.”
A spokesman for the royal parks said: “Managing the parks is about balance and we seek to limit commercialisation and advertising where we can. Anyone wanting to run a private business in the parks needs to get a licence from the agency.
“Licensed taxis have a particular status and are permitted in the park and provide a valuable service to park users.” |
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