Today, for the first time, a picture was published of the young man who ten days ago fell to his death from the terrace of a notorious rooftop restaurant in the City of London.
He is the sixth person to have committed suicide by jumping from the roof. The first case was in 2007; the two most recent incidents happened despite the installation of high security barriers.
This tragic case has reminded me of some things I learned on the previous occasion.
The exclusive Coq d’Argent, address No. 1 Poultry, occupies part of a site bought by property developer Peter Palumbo, a friend of Princess Diana.
The whole area was previously occupied by old buildings in the ‘Victorian Wedding Cake’ style, and Palumbo was obsessed with getting hold of the site and replacing "those wretched buildings" with something in the Post-modern style, designed by an architect of his choice.
He had to fight a 25-year battle to get hold of the site and obtain planning permission for his new buildings. It seems a very strange obsession. He no longer owns the site.
The Coq d’Argent restaurant has been described as cursed.
