Celebrity antiques dealer Ian Towning has closed his Chelsea emporium after 50 years of trading, blaming London Mayor Sadiq Khan for failing to address rising violent crime. Towning, 78, a regular expert on television shows such as Dickinson's Real Deal, said he will not return to the capital after his store was targeted in two armed robberies. In the most recent incident, he was hit over the head with a hammer and up to £365,000 of jewellery was stolen, according to the report.

Two armed robberies and a hammer to the head: the incidents that pushed Towning out

Towning's Bourbon-Hanby emporium on Chelsea's King's Road was hit twice by armed robbers, as the source detailed. In both incidents, the 78-year-old was struck over the head with a hammer, leaving him bloodied. his security guard, Mark Simmons, was also injured and left bleeding. The second robbery saw thieves make off with jewellery worth up to £365,000, a sum that represented a devastating financial blow. Towning described the decision to close as "breaking point," vowing not to let violent criminals win.

His experience echoes a broader unease among London small-business owners who cite crime as a factor in closures,though few have placed blame so squarely on the mayor. Towning has been a fixture in the Chelsea Antiques Market since the 1970s and ran the Bourbon-Hanby emporium with his husband Les Barrett since 1997 — a 50-year legacy now ended.

£365,000 in stolen jewellery and a bloodied security guard: the costs of doing business

The financial toll of the robberies is staggering: up to £365,000 in jewellery taken from the store, alongside repeated shoplifting and fraud that plagued the business. Towning told the source that the violence is getting "bigger and bigger" in London. He has vowed never to return to the city, saying that he still hopes for the days when people can safely walk down Chelsea's King's Road. The closure marks the end of a 50-year presence at the Chelsea Antiques Market and 27 years running the Bourbon-Hanby emporium.

A fellow Lucknow native who became a 'disaster'

Towning was raised in Lucknow, India, and initially thought Sadiq Khan — who also comes from Lucknow — would be "good news" for London. Instead, according to the report, he now calls Khan a "disaster" who has prioritized bike lanes over street safety. The mayor has "royally let us down," Towning said. The personal connection between the two men adds a layer of disappointment: a shared hometown raised expectations that were shattered by the reality of violent raids on his business.

What remains unknown: the mayor's response and official crime data

The source offers no statement from Mayor Sadiq Khan or the Metropolitan Police. It is unclear whether Khan has responded to Towning's accusations, or whether overall crime statistics in Chelsea support the dealer's narrative. shoplifting, fraud, and armed robbery are cited, but official figures were not provided. The reader is left with only one side of the story — a powerful anecdote, but not yet a complete picture of crime trends in the area.