The Steeple Times

Category: OPULENCE & SPLENDOUR

Luxury and the arts From houses to cars and from Hockney to van Dyck, a profile of the best and the worst

  • Cavernous Caversham

    Cavernous Caversham

    Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot

    Situated just 40 miles from Central London, a 114,996 square foot manor house in 93 acres of formal gardens and parkland has been relisted for sale freehold at a price of £20 million.

     

    Offered on behalf of the BBC, who occupied the property between 1943 and 2018 for use as offices for BBC Monitoring and BBC Radio Berkshire, Caversham Park was built in 1850 by the architect Horace Jones. Described as “inspired by Italian baroque palace” and constructed in a “neo-Georgian style,” there is certainly potential to convert the main building back to a vast single residence suitable for an oligarch or billionaire.

     

    In comments to the Daily Mail in July 2017, of Grade II listed Caversham, Philip Hunter of selling agents Lambert Smith Hampton remarked:

     

    “This is an incredibly unique opportunity to purchase a prime site of such scale and location. It is 93 acres in the most affluent part of Reading, just two miles from the train station.’

     

    More recently, in September 2018, Hunter told Berkshire Live:

     

    “We are delighted to be advising the BBC on the disposal of Caversham Park, the former home of BBC Monitoring and Radio Berkshire.”

     

    “It offers a truly unique opportunity, with potential for a number of alternative uses (subject to planning) including; residential, retirement, hotel, education and healthcare.”

     

    As a result of there being no approved planning in place for any scheme, however, the BBC have been “slammed” by locals and experts alike and thus Caversham Park’s future continues to look perilous.

     

    The Names & Numbers – Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom

     

    September 2019 – For sale once again for £20 million ($24.5 million, €22.2 million or درهم89.9 million) complete with 93 acres of grounds through Lambert Smith Hampton.

     

    September 2018 – “Under offer” through Lambert Smith Hampton.

     

    July 2017 – Placed for sale by the BBC through Lambert Smith Hampton for £20 million ($24.5 million, €22.2 million or درهم89.9 million).

     

    1960s – Sections of the parkland sold off for housing development.

     

    1941 – Sold to the BBC and converted into the headquarters of BBC Monitoring in 1943. During this time it was used to monitor communications with Nazi Germany and

     

    1922 – Sold with 300 acres to the Oratorians and converted into a school.

     

    1921 – Estate sub-divided and sold.

     

    1914 – 1918 – Used as convalescent home for wounded soldiers during the First World War.

     

    1850 – Replacement house burnt down and was replaced with the current building, a Victorian stately home by Horace Jones. This was built for the ‘Iron King’ William Crawshay II (1788 – 1867).

     

    1780s – After the next house burnt down, it was replaced with a Greek temple style building by Major Charles Marsack.

     

    1718 – William Cadogan spent £130,000 or the equivalent of £27.9 million today ($34.1 million, €31 million or درهم125.4 million) on a building programme on the site.

     

    1660 – Elizabethan house on the site demolished and rebuilt by the architect William Winde.

     

    1633 – Sold to Lord Craven for £10,000 or the equivalent of £2.2 million today ($2.7 million, €2.4 million or درهم9.9 million).

     

    1542 – Sold to the treasurer of Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Francis Knollys.

     

    1086 – Registered in the Domesday Book as a 2,400 acre estate worth £20.

     

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    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
    Cavernous Caversham Park – £20 million for stately home Caversham Park, Peppard Road, Caversham, Reading, Berkshire, RG4 8TZ, United Kingdom through Lambert Smith Hampton – Grade II listed stately home in 93 acres of parkland in Reading, Berkshire for sale for just £174 per square foot.
  • An Oligarch’s Lair

    An Oligarch’s Lair

    Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought

    A 35,520 square foot 15th century Tuscan villa with 15 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms that was previously owned by a Russian tycoon is being offered in a fire sale for just £6.5 million.

     

    Standing on a plot of 9 acres, the Villa il Poderino in Florence is described as coming with a farmhouse, warehouses, a number of apartments and even a building to house electrical mains and switchboards. The estate also has a private olive mill, a vineyard, an ancient well, an outdoor pool and a vast underground wine cellar.

     

    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    One of the Rolls-Royces confiscated from Andrey Chernyakov in London in November 2016.
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An aerial shot of the confiscated villa.
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    Wine and olive oil made on the property were not sold commercially but instead given as gifts to guests.

    Villa il Poderino was purchased by the former head of the Kosmos Scientific Production Association Andrey Chernyakov in 2009 for £7.9 million and after he put in “considerable expense” to restore it, it was said to be worth some £16.3 million in 2014. The property has since been on and off the market but is now subject to a bankruptcy sale.

     

    Supposedly “destitute” Chernyakov was declared bankrupt at the request of the Bank of Moscow in July 2017 in London and in October that year he was sentenced to two years in prison for concealing his assets from his creditor. His wife, Anastasiya Erokhova, received a sentence of four years imprisonment for assisting him, but both fled and were reported as being in hiding in Germany in November 2017. Their debts are reported to be around £428 million and other assets previously belonging to the couple seized in the UK included Rolls-Royces, a collection of alcohol, two iPhone 6’s and even their household appliances and kitchen utensils. Elsewhere – in Austria, the British Virgin Islands, Cyprus, Dubai, Germany and Switzerland – the couple have forfeited apartments, cash and two private jets.

     

    Agents Aste Giudiziarie have set a closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids.

     

    The Numbers – Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy

     

    October 2019 – Minimum offer of £6.5 million ($7.9 million, €7.2 million or درهم29.1 million).

     

    October 2019 – For sale for a base price of £8.6 million ($10.5 million, €9.6 million or درهم38.7 million).

     

    November 2017 – Estimated value of £13 million ($15.9 million, €14.5 million or درهم58.5 million).

     

    July 2014 – For sale through Sotheby’s International Realty for circa £16.3 million ($20 million, €18.2 million or درهم73.5 million).

     

    November 2009 – Sold to Andrey Chernyakov for £7.94 million ($9.73 million, €8.85 million or درهم35.71 million).

     

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    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
    An Oligarch’s Lair – £6.5m for Villa il Poderino, Via del Giuggiolo and Via Bolognese, City of Florence, 2-4 Florence, Tuscany, Italy through agents Aste Giudiziarie – Closing date of the 19th November for sealed bids – Tuscan villa previously owned by Russian oligarch turned fugitive offered in bankruptcy sale; once valued at £16.3 million, bids of £6.5 million are now sought
  • Inching an Island

    Inching an Island

    90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London

    Though a garage not even wide enough to fit a Rolls-Royce Phantom is currently for sale for £660 per square foot or £140,000 for a 38 year lease, you could buy an entire Scottish island for £15,000 less.

     

    Priced at £125,000 or just £2.87 per square foot, Insh Island, an uninhabited 90 acre island situated 10 miles due south west of the town of Oban in Argyll, consists of rough grass, rocky outcropsand cliff faces. It even has a natural cave that was allegedly the home of a Londoner named David Brearley from 1973 to 2003 and two ruined croft cottages also.

     

    One of the Slate Islands, Insh rises to 226 feet and was originally named ‘Inis-Capul.’ Presently, it seems to be the preserve of ‘hillbaggers’ and Northern sea fan soft corals.

     

    The Numbers – Inch Island vs. Knightsbridge garage

     

    Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1

    Agents Ashdown Marks seek £140,000 ($172,000, €157,000 or درهم632,000) or £660 per square foot ($811, €741 or درهم2,979 per square foot).

     

    Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland

    Agents Dawsons seek £125,000 ($154,000, €140,000 or درهم564,000) or £2.87 per square foot ($3.52, €3.22 or درهم12.95 per square foot).

     

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    Inching an Island – Scottish island for sale for less than Knightsbridge garage – 90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London – Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland for sale through Dawsons for £125,000 – Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1 for sale for £140,000 through Ashdown Marks.
    The exterior of the garage on offer.
    Inching an Island – Scottish island for sale for less than Knightsbridge garage – 90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London – Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland for sale through Dawsons for £125,000 – Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1 for sale for £140,000 through Ashdown Marks.
    The interior.
    Inching an Island – Scottish island for sale for less than Knightsbridge garage – 90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London – Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland for sale through Dawsons for £125,000 – Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1 for sale for £140,000 through Ashdown Marks.
    A view of the cave on Insh Island indicates how primitive it truly is.
    Inching an Island – Scottish island for sale for less than Knightsbridge garage – 90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London – Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland for sale through Dawsons for £125,000 – Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1 for sale for £140,000 through Ashdown Marks.
    The island features varied terrain but it is unknown whether planning permission could be granted to build any kind of permanent residence there.
    Inching an Island – Scottish island for sale for less than Knightsbridge garage – 90 acre Scottish island for sale for less than the cost of a 212 square foot garage space in Knightsbridge, London – Insh Island, Firth of Lorne, Argyll, Scotland for sale through Dawsons for £125,000 – Garage, Denbigh House, Hans Place, Knightsbridge, London, SW1 for sale for £140,000 through Ashdown Marks.
    Another view of the island.
  • A Touring Tip

    A Touring Tip

    Extra-long wheelbase 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine used in Equatorial Guinea for sale for a knock down price

    Presented in “dismantled condition” and “requiring extensive work to get it running,” a 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine by H. J. Mulliner Park Ward is to be sold by Bonhams this Sunday. It comes with Equatorial Guinea registration papers and customs documents.

     

    Finished in grey with beige interior, the passenger compartment of this “rare” extra-long-wheelbase car is filled with bits and pieces and is in need of “restoration and reassembly.” No mention is made of who its owner is or was, but given its links to a country with “one of the worst human rights records in the world,” it may well have passed through the hands of someone truly tyrannical (and plainly very rich).

     

    The limousine will be offered without reserve at an estimate of £20,000 to £37,000 (CHF 25,000 to CHF 45,000, $24,600 to $45,000, €22,500 to €41,600 or درهم90,300 to درهم167,000) on 29th September at Cheserex, Switzerland. One can only imagine what it will cost to put it right.

     

    Update: Monday 30th September: The car was sold for £70,507 including premium yesterday. It transpires its now former owner was Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mague (known as Teodorin), son of Equatorial Guinea’s president. It was seized by Swiss authorities as part of a money laundering probe.

     

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    A Touring Tip – 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur limo to be auctioned – Extra-long wheelbase 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine used in Equatorial Guinea for sale for a knock down price by Bonhams on 29th September 2019 at Cheserex, Switzerland – The car will be offered without reserve at an estimate of £20,000 to £37,000 (CHF 25,000 to CHF 45,000, $24,600 to $45,000, €22,500 to €41,600 or درهم90,300 to درهم167,000).
    A Touring Tip – 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur limo to be auctioned – Extra-long wheelbase 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine used in Equatorial Guinea for sale for a knock down price by Bonhams on 29th September 2019 at Cheserex, Switzerland – The car will be offered without reserve at an estimate of £20,000 to £37,000 (CHF 25,000 to CHF 45,000, $24,600 to $45,000, €22,500 to €41,600 or درهم90,300 to درهم167,000).
    A Touring Tip – 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur limo to be auctioned – Extra-long wheelbase 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine used in Equatorial Guinea for sale for a knock down price by Bonhams on 29th September 2019 at Cheserex, Switzerland – The car will be offered without reserve at an estimate of £20,000 to £37,000 (CHF 25,000 to CHF 45,000, $24,600 to $45,000, €22,500 to €41,600 or درهم90,300 to درهم167,000).
    A Touring Tip – 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur limo to be auctioned – Extra-long wheelbase 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur armoured touring limousine used in Equatorial Guinea for sale for a knock down price by Bonhams on 29th September 2019 at Cheserex, Switzerland – The car will be offered without reserve at an estimate of £20,000 to £37,000 (CHF 25,000 to CHF 45,000, $24,600 to $45,000, €22,500 to €41,600 or درهم90,300 to درهم167,000).
  • Superlative Stedcombe

    Superlative Stedcombe

    Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale; Stedcombe House for sale for £4.5 million

    An “outstanding” William and Mary country house built with the profits from the slave trade by one Richard Hallett (died 1747), whose “Black Negro servant called Ando” was accused of rioting in the streets of Lyme Regis in December 1702, has come to the market for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million).

     

    Standing on the site of a manor house destroyed in the Civil War in 1645, Grade I listed Stedcombe House was built in 1697 by the Hallett family on their return from Barbados. It was occupied by them until their bankruptcy in 1889 and passed to the Stephens family, whom remained resident until 1960.

     

    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The house in 1961; note the 19th century porch (which was later removed). The house has the typical William and Mary look; we featured another example of such when we featured the sale of Oswaldkirk Hall in Yorkshire in October 2013.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The front elevation of Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom today (without the porch).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A painting of Richard Hallett at Stedcombe House with his black servant Ando by Julie Hine (painted 1992).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A birthday party with “exotic performers” at Stedcombe House in March 1907 (again, note the later removed 19th century porch).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    This grand reception room in the house provides indication of the quality of the refurbishment carried out since 1988.

    Left vacant and rotting subsequently, the house became infected by “serious dry rot,” but upon purchase by the current owner it was subject to a “meticulous and sympathetic renovation” according to selling agents Savills.

     

    Described as a “large house overlooking the Axe valley” of “red brick in Flemish bond with Beer and Portland stone dressings” by Historic England, Stedcombe is a four storey symmetrical residence with a belvedere crowning its pinnacle. It is grand yet manageable and features 4 reception rooms, 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and comes with a 3 bedroom gate lodge, a stable block and “numerous outbuildings” requiring renovation also.

     

    Standing on a plot of 20 acres that includes three walled gardens, pastureland and woodland, the only limitation of this home is that its once vast estate is now separate from it. Otherwise, here is probably the quintessential example of one of Britain’s most stunning homes.

     

    Of the 8,039 square foot main house, Savills note: “Several things about it are unusual, but its most significant characteristics are its easy flow of rooms and the quality of design. In keeping with its era, all the rooms benefit from high ceilings and excellent proportions.” Pevsner and Cherry (1988) add: “[Stedcombe House is] an exceptionally fine and complete example of this type of small late 17th Century country house, the compact and centralised plan being an early example.”

                                      

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    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The house viewed from the garden elevation; the grounds are laid out formally, but plainly are ready for a new owner with deep pockets to lavish attention on them.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The decorative style of the current owner is simple, but tasteful.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A room for reflection.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The dining room.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A more informal sitting space is to be found at basement level.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    One can imagine hosting similar kitchen table suppers in this room very easily.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    One of the grand bedrooms of the house.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Guests would not fail to be impressed by this canopy.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Even the bathrooms at Stedcombe House are grand.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The outbuildings at Stedcombe provide potential for conversion to other uses; office space, staff or guest accommodation or for use to provide a cinema room, games room or gym perhaps.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The sale price includes this gate house. It was built at a much later date, but is of a reflective architectural design.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The setting is unspoilt and the gardens roll into the countryside beyond.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Stedcombe’s acreage is split into gardens, woodland and parkland.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The entrance to the property is simple, but could be improved by a new owner.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A site plan of Stedcombe indicates its proximity to a neighbouring farm and other properties.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A glorious view of this stunning house from its gardens.
  • Highlights of LAPADA 2019

    Highlights of LAPADA 2019

    Matthew Steeples picks his highlights at the LAPADA 2019 art and antiques fair in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square on its penultimate day

    Today is the penultimate day of a somewhat different to previous LAPADA art and antiques fairs in London’s Berkeley Square in that I noted a dominance of smaller stands with ‘more’ affordable items than in times past.

     

    Perhaps a sign of the times with Brexit uncertainty, there were still a number of ‘significant’ items on offer and amongst them a ‘star’ was undoubtedly a French musical automaton by Jean Phalibois (1835 – 1900). This whimsical Gothic creation features amongst other things two moving steam trains, a water wheel and a hot air balloon and dates to circa 1880. It is offered by Butchoff of Kensington and housed within a swept gilt rectangular frame.

     

    This masterpiece by Jean Phalibois can be found at the entrance to the fair.
    Highlights of LAPADA 2019 – Berkeley Square, Mayfair, London, W1 – Matthew Steeples picks his highlights at the LAPADA 2019 art and antiques fair in Mayfair’s Berkeley Square on its penultimate day.
    MacConnal-Mason’s stand is dominated by both Churchill and Thatcher.

    MacConnal-Mason of St James’s stand features two historically important political sculptures. The first, of Margaret Thatcher by Antony Dufort, was cast in 2007 and priced at £65,000 ($80,600, €73,200 or درهم296,100). It comes from the collection of the late Sir Edward du Cann, Conservative Party chairman from 1965 to 1967, whilst the second is of Sir Winston Churchill. Priced at the staggering sum of £200,000 ($248,100, €225,300 or درهم911,200), this bronze by Ivor Roberts-Jones (1916 – 1996) on a concrete base was conceived in 1971 and last sold at auction in September 2018 for £78,000 ($96,800, €87,900 or درهم355,400). I somehow doubt sculptures of Boris Johnson will be achieving such sums in years to come.

     

    To book tickets to the fair, click here.

     

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  • A Bigmouth’s Castle

    A Bigmouth’s Castle

    Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons

    Sporting estates in Scotland often sell for big numbers and amongst their largest scale purchasers is the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen, a man who now owns and is rewilding an astonishing 221,000 acres of land.

     

    Whilst some estates go for bargain basement prices – take for example American billionaire Brendan Clouston’s 546 acre Eilean Aigas estate (sold for just £3 million in 2015 against an original asking price of £20 million in 2012) – bidding wars on some estates, especially where Holch Povlsen has been involved, have seen prices of in excess of £15 million achieved.

     

    Now, a different kettle of fish – a building considered to be Scotland’s most expensive private house – has come to the market (along with three Highland Cattle) and though it may be grand, Seton Castle at Longniddry, near Edinburgh stands in just 13.4 acres of land.

     

    Built on the grounds of Seton Palace, described as “the preferred retreat of Mary Queen of Scots, in the 1700s as Robert Adam’s final project in Scotland, neoclassical Seton Castle was owned by the Wemyss family from the 18th century to 2003. It was then sold to a property developer for £1.3 million, whom despite ambitiously tried to sell it for £15 million, managed to sell it on for £5 million in 2007.

     

    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A view of the castle from its entrance drive illustrates the scale of this Robert Adam designed building.
    Stephen Leach and Heather Luscombe - A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    Tech tycoons Stephen Leach and Heather Luscombe have owned Seton Castle since 2007.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    The castle during renovation works.

    From then until now, this Grade A listed building has been owned by Internet entrepreneurs and co-founders of the Bigmouthmedia group, Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe (AKA ‘Mr & Mrs Bigmouth’). In the time since their purchase, the couple have lavished vast sums “richly refurbishing” the building in an “eccentric style” and now alongside there being 6 bedrooms in the main castle, there are two 3 bedroomed wings.

     

    Of its more unusual features, the castle includes a grand hall, a “classical” library and a 10,000 bottle wine cellar. There are also secret staircases, hidden doors, a traditional oak paneled bar, a cinema and an essential for any tycoon – a helicopter pad.

     

    Of why he is selling, in August 2019, Stephen Leach – who sold 50% of the company he co-founded with his wife for £60 million in 2006 – told the BBC:

     

    “We are privileged to have had a very special time at Seton, it’s a truly magnificent place to live, entertain and to bring up a family.”

     

    “Even after 12 years there, it still takes our breath away to drive into the courtyard and remember we are retracing the steps of Mary Queen of` Scots.”

     

    “As our children get older, we find ourselves spending more time at our homes overseas and therefore it’s time to hand over the keys for the next chapter of Seton.”

     

    Rettie & Co. seek £8 million for Seton Castle.

     

    The Numbers – Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom

     

    September 2019 – For sale for £8 million ($9.8 million, €8.9 million or درهم35 million). Contents, fixtures and fittings and vehicles, machinery and equipment are available by separate negotiation.

     

    April 2007 – Sold to Stephen Leach and Heather Luscombe for a reduced asking price of £5 million ($6.1 million, €5.7 million or درهم22.6 million).

     

    2005 – For sale for £15 million ($18.4 million, €16.7 million or درهم67.7 million).

     

    2003 – Sold to developer Mary McMillan by the Wemyss family for £1.3 million ($1.6 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.9 million).

     

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    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
    A Bigmouth’s Castle – £8 million for Seton Castle, Longniddry, East Lothian, Scotland, EH32 0PG, United Kingdom – For sale through Rettie & Co. – Scotland’s most expensive private residence for sale for 47% less than its 2005 asking price; it was designed by Robert Adam and is currently owned by self-made tech tycoons Stephen Leach and his wife Heather Luscombe.
  • Motoring Elegance

    Motoring Elegance

    Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace

    Today marks the final day of what has become one of the most elegant of events for car lovers in Britain, the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace in East Molesey, Surrey.

    Established in 2012, the 2019 event includes 60 of the rarest cars from around the world and amongst them are some stunners. Aside from a celebration of Aston Martin Zagatos, four examples of the most significant Ferraris ever, the 166MM Barchetta, are displayed alongside one of two Bentley State Limousines specially made for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002.

    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    HRH Prince Michael of Kent is the event’s patron.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times alongside his colleague Navjot Dhanoa.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    1938 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    1919 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost complete with shotguns. It was created for a Maharaj who owned around fifty similarly extravagant vehicles.

    To my mind, however, the finest car on display is a silver 1919 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost owned by the Edwardian Rolls-Royce (1994) author John Fasal. Complete with two shotguns on each side of its front driver and passenger doors, this gleaming beast is undoubtedly a true show stopper.

     

    Other highlights include the world’s first production minivan, an art deco inspired 1936 Stout Scarab that was used for a meeting between General Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle during the Second World War and a glorious vision in blue, a 1938 Bugatti Type 57 cabriolet that was rebodied on a standard type 57 saloon body in the style of a cabriolet originally made for the Shah of Persia.

     

    Elsewhere and offered for sale by Yorkshireman Simon Thornley of Thornley Kelham is a ‘Janis Joplin-esque’ 1953 Porsche 356a coupé requiring a full restoration. Presented alongside another example restored by this Cirencester based firm, this right-hand drive barn find was bought in America after languishing in storage for over 30 years.

     

    Tickets for the event cost £40 per adult. Concessions: £25 for over 60s, £18 for students.

     

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    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    One of two 2002 Bentley State Limousine featuring the Queen’s personal English mascot made by Edward Seago of Saint George slaying the dragon. The cars run on biofuel and are reportedly worth £10 million each.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    1936 Stout Scarab. It was used to house monkeys by a circus keeper in the 1950s whilst they toured the continent.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    1953 Porsche 356a coupé offered by Thornley Kelham.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    Hampton Court Palace is the setting for the 2019 Concours of Elegance.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    A somewhat curious Hampton Court Palace resident.
    Motoring Elegance – Matthew Steeples selects highlights from the 2019 Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace.
    1930 Bentley Speed Six Gurney Nutting Sportsman’s Coupé ‘Blue Train.’
  • Five of the Best – Places to Buy Gifts

    Five of the Best – Places to Buy Gifts

    Marketeer Branka Virily selects five of the best places to buy gifts

    Buying gifts can sometimes be a challenge.  Even if you know the type of gift you want, finding something that is exactly right can be difficult. Here we look at five of the best places to buy gifts.

     

    Online

    Flowers are a gift that is perfect for so many occasions, and many people are gifting trees as gifts, with fruit trees popular for their seasonal produce over the years. Red roses, symbolic of love and passion, have become a traditional gift for those choosing the right present for Valentine’s day, for example. However, since these blooms fade within a week, an eternity rose preserved at the peak of its natural beauty makes a stunning piece of home décor for you to enjoy for a lifetime.

     

    With so many online stores, your gift options are almost limitless, though most offer support to help you find your best options. With free delivery on offer, online shopping also is a great idea if you are short of time or may not be with the person on the day of celebration.

     

    Bookstores

    Bookstores no longer just sell books they sell a lifestyle. For those who love to read, any gift that creates a contemporary library will be appreciated. This can include books in a quilted leather slipcase from Chanel, large glossy coffee-table books or quality scented candles to create a relaxed atmosphere as well as other objects d’art for the library.

     

    Some luxury bookstores sell furniture, helping to keep the ambience and beauty of books in spite of the digital age. In St James’s, London, Assouline have a bookstore that also creates books that are as informational as they are beautiful works of art. These books have traditionally crafted hand-bound covers, stunning pictures that have been hand-tipped on luxuriously thick pages. Maison Assouline sell the highest quality books in the world.

     

    Eccentric gift store

    Eccentric gift stores offer wonderful gift ideas, great for those you may be struggling to find a gift for. Percy Bass in Walton Street, Chelsea is one such store, full of wonderful gift ideas, including desk trays and paper bins, behind which are a vast array of artists, craftsmen and dealers offering a diverse selection of gift ideas for even the most difficult person to buy for.

     

    Percy Bass also offers handbags, purses and clutch bags from favoured brands for women. These act as a statement to any outfit in this season’s shades and shapes to suit every style. Eccentric gift stores are worth spending a little more time perusing so that you find exactly what you want.

     

    The world’s most delightful corner shop

    Perhaps the world’s most famous corner shop is Fortnum & Mason in St James’s, though Harrods in Knightsbridge may also claim that title. Over five floors, Fortnum’s offers original and luxurious gift ideas, from a crafted pebble-grain Italian leather wireless charging station through to their famous hampers of food and wine.

     

    Whilst based in Piccadilly, London for 300 years, worldwide stockists for the company can be found in Australia, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, France, Germany, Switzerland and Ireland.

     

    Interior design studio

    An interior design studio offers accessories and furniture that can be designed to suit an individual’s taste and style. If you are looking for something quintessentially British, David Linley in Belgravia has in-store exhibitions as well as interior design teams for something extra special. These designs are inventive, show meticulous attention to detail, ingenuity, creative spirit, eccentricity, sophistication, wit and charm. From a Union Jack cufflink box to a Trafalgar straight whisky tumbler, there are some beautiful items to consider.

     

    Branka Virily is a marketeer with a passion for seeking out the very best luxury goods on the planet.

     

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  • Beautiful Butlins

    Beautiful Butlins

    Much photographed North Norfolk windmill that was the childhood home of the crooner James Blunt for sale for £2.9 million

    Known for his directness on Twitter and either loved or loathed for his 2004 debut song You’re Beautiful, the Norfolk childhood home of James Blunt has recently been placed for sale for £2.9 million.

     

     

    Described as “absolutely appealing to English eccentricity” by Country Life’s Penny Churchill and a holiday destination that is “even better than Butlins” by the Daily Telegraph’s Hattie Garlick, Cley Windmill at Cley-next-the-Sea operated as a mill from the 1820s until 1921. It was then converted into a private residence and subsequently a guesthouse and wedding venue in 1983. It stands on a ½ acre plot and has been owned and managed by Dr Julian and Carolyn Godlee since 2006.

     

     

    Offering 3,745 square foot of space within the five storey windmill itself and 1,605 square foot of ancillary accommodation in two outbuildings, the property has a total of 11 bedroom suites. It can accommodate upto 24 guests, has a dining room that can cater for 32 covers and a licence for upto 50 wedding and house parties per year.

     

    Featured as a channel indent for the BBC from 1975 to 1982, Cley Windmill has also been used by the corporation as a location in CBeebies’ Grandpa in My Pocket and in Conspirator starring Elizabeth Taylor in 1949. Other television appearances have included in the Ruth Rendell Murder Mystery An Affair in Mind in 1989, A Natural History with David Bellamy in 1986, Homes By The Sea with Charlie Luxton in 2016 and Coastal Villages with Penelope Keith in 2018.

     

    Of the Grade II* listed Georgian windmill, Tom Godley of selling agents Strutt & Parker told the Eastern Daily Press:

     

    “The new owner will become a custodian of the mill, but it really belongs to Norfolk. If you were to ask someone to pick a building that represents north Norfolk, it would be this. There’s nothing else like it, even if you go further along the coast.”

     

    The Numbers – Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom

     

    September 2019 – For sale for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.

     

    2006 – Offered for sale for £1.5 million ($1.8 million, €1.7 million or درهم6.7 million).

     

    1921 – Sold for £350 or the equivalent of £16,830 today ($20,470, €18,630 or درهم75,190).

     

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    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    Beautiful Butlins – £2.9 million childhood home of singer James Blunt Cley Windmill, The Quay, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7RP, United Kingdom – For sale through Strutt & Parker for £2.9 million ($3.5 million, €3.2 million or درهم13 million) as a whole or £2.3 million ($2.8 million, €2.5 million or درهم10.3 million) for just the windmill alone.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=UplEytPOhWY