An esteemed antiques dealer and television personality has shuttered his London shop after more than five decades in business, citing Mayor Sadiq Khan’s inadequate response to rising violent crime as the reason for his decision.
Ian Towning, well-known from his appearances on Dickinson’s Real Deal and Channel 4’s Posh Pawn, expressed his disappointment with the London mayor, claiming Khan has “royally let us down.” Towning’s Chelsea-based store has been the target of two armed robberies in recent years, both incidents resulting in him suffering head injuries from a hammer attack.
At 78, Towning has also faced increased incidents of shoplifting and fraud, which he says have pushed him to his “breaking point.”
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, following the closure of his store, Towning declared he has no plans to return to London, citing the escalating violence as a primary concern.
“I believe Sadiq Khan has been disastrous for London,” Towning remarked. “Where are the police patrolling our streets? This is the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Our so-called Mayor has completely let us down.”
He continued, “All he seems to focus on are bike lanes, and when someone is tragically stabbed, he responds by proposing more funding for youth clubs. It’s scandalous. He’s a joke.”
Mr Towning, who was brought up in Lucknow, India, has appeared regularly as an antiques and jewellery expert on several television shows, and has run the Bourbon-Hanby emporium, an arcade off the King’s Road in Chelsea, with his husband Les Barrett since 1997, but has been selling treasures at the Chelsea Antiques Market since the 1970s.
He added that, because Mr Khan also came from Lucknow, he had initially thought he would be ‘good news’ for London.
Antique jewellery expert Ian Towning (left) pictured with his partner Les Barrett after their store was robbed in Bourbon Hanby Arcade, on Kings Road, Chelsea
Mr Towning was left with head injuries after he was attacked at his Chelsea store by robbers armed with hammers
‘I thought when he was elected, “Great, he might have the same priorities as me, you know, safety on the street, a tough stance on crime,” but I couldn’t have been more wrong.
‘People are being robbed in Chelsea all the time, handbags grabbed, watches being snatched, theft from shops, and women are too scared to wear even the smallest pieces of jewellery.’
In 2024, Mr Towning was left bloodied during a violent raid on his emporium when he was hit over the head with a hammer, and up to £365,000 of jewellery was taken.
His security guard, Mark Simmons, was also left bleeding after being struck.
Mr Towning, who lives with Mr Barrett in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, said: ‘They chucked me down to the floor, and kicked all my left-hand side. I couldn’t walk. The pain was horrendous.
‘I am nearly 80 now and it’s hard to recover from such a trauma. I was crying and having flashbacks. I couldn’t sleep.
‘Les and all my friends and family and colleagues were really worried about me. They thought I had reached breaking point… and I had.’
Describing the decision to give up the emporium, he added: ‘I had always said I would be carried out in a box from the arcade. But I don’t think I ever truly recovered from the last vicious raid.
‘How much can you take? How much are you going to put up with?’
Pictured: Footage obtained exclusively by the Mail on Sunday showed the moment Mr Towning was attacked by balaclava-clad robbers
Mr Towning said: ‘I think Sadiq Khan has been a disaster for London.’ Picture: Mr Khan at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2026
Mr Towning was held at gunpoint during a previous raid and struck with a sledgehammer, which left him deaf in one ear and with broken teeth.
Recently, shoplifters have stolen a Michael Jackson signed gold disc, as well as a diamond ring from a display case.
The 2024 attack also took a financial toll, as insurance would not cover all the extra security costs needed to keep the arcade, which also rented space out to other vendors, open.
‘We had to cease trading for quite some time because of the damage the robbers did,’ Mr Towning said. ‘Everyone lost out due to the spiteful greed of these savage robbers.’
James Dixon and Thomas Loring were jailed for 17 years and 14 years respectively for the raid.
Both had previously been in prison for similar offences, and Dixon’s return to violent crime came only seven months after he last left jail.
Despite the setbacks, Mr Towning has still not turned his back entirely on the career he loves.
‘I may have shut up the arcade but I am still working, consulting and helping people to source goods,’ he said. ‘I am not going to let violent, greedy criminals win the day.
‘And I am still hoping for the days when we will be safe to walk down Chelsea’s King’s Road again.’
