Two-bedroom apartment in Chelsea, SW3 goes on sale for just £10,995 in spite of having a rental potential of £14,000 per year
In June, The Steeple Times featured a one-bedroom Kings Road, Chelsea apartment that was offered for £140,000 at auction and eventually went for just £138,000. That property’s price seemed like a bargain basement, but now we can go one better and share news of a two-bedroom property offered for just £10,995.
Marketed at a price lower than the cost of a brand new Vauxhall Corsa and situated in Dilke Street, Old Chelsea, the flat currently on the website OnTheMarket.com does have a catch – the lease term is just five years and there are additional costs attached.
Promoted by “wealth building” firm Omny Group, the particulars list a financial breakdown of the returns that could supposedly be generated from the property. They read as follows:
Figures based on an estimated annual average occupancy of 75% pcm and annual projected average daily rate of £200
Projected monthly figures:
Projected rental income = £4,550
Projected management costs (15% of rental income) = £682
Monthly lease payment = £2,225
Projected bills (a variable cost based on the property in terms of utility bills i.e council tax, water, electric, gas etc.) = £400
Potential average NET monthly income = £1,243
Potential average NET annual income = £14,196
Potential average NET income over 5 year term = £74,580
*Disclaimer – There is no option to purchase the property at the end of the term. Tenants may choose to self occupy this apartment although Omny Group would advise that this property is set up for and used as serviced accommodation utilising the corporate lets and/or the short lets model. The figures provided in the financial breakdown are potential or projected figures that have been sourced from the Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report 2019/2020; however Omny Group are not able to offer any performance guarantees.*
Chinese billionaire gets planning permission to expand a £210 million Knightsbridge house to create a ludicrously large single family 62,000 square foot ‘McMansion’
This morning the Guardian reported that the most expensive house ever sold openly in the UK is to be visited by a wrecking ball and reconstructed after Westminster city council granted planning permission to extend it from 60,000 square foot to 62,000 square foot.
2 – 8a Rutland Gate in Knightsbridge, SW7 first featured on our pages in May 2013 when offered for sale unofficially for the extraordinary sum of £300 million.
Rivalled only by the likes of The Old Rectory in Old Church Street, Chelsea, SW3 in terms of its stature as an ultimate ‘McMansion’ in central London, the gargantuan house was originally created between 1985 and 1987 at the behest of Rafic Hariri, a billionaire former Prime Minister of Lebanon.
Described in a recent planning application as currently “heavily dilapidated,” Cheung sought and gained permission to “undertake works of repair, refurbishment and alteration to return the building into beneficial use as [his] London family home.”
Presently a 7-storey building, 2 – 8a Rutland Gate consists of 45 rooms, a swimming pool, underground parking and several lifts. It has bulletproof windows, views of Hyde Park and has been empty for over ten years.
Redevelopment will result in the creation of an extra floor and in spite of the disruption construction will no doubt cause in the neighbourhood, the Guardian remarked: “Cheung [will] not be obliged to contribute to the construction of any affordable homes in the borough.”
When completed Cheung’s “palazzo palace” will be 8,405% larger than the average UK home – which measures just 729 square foot.
The 62,000 Square Foot McMansion – 2 – 8a Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1AYThe 62,000 Square Foot McMansion – The mansion was stripped of its contents in 2015.The 62,000 Square Foot McMansion – Amongst items removed were 24 marble bathrooms and Murano glass chandeliers.
The Names & Numbers – 2 – 8a Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1AY, United Kingdom
July 2020 – After planning is secured for redevelopment of the buildings into a single-family ‘McMansion,’ estimates are suggested that the eventual value of the finished building will be as high as £500 million ($687 million, €582 million or درهم2.5 million).
January 2020 – Sold to Hong Kong based property tycoon Cheung Chung-kiu (張松,nicknamed in China as ‘Chongqing’s Li Ka-shing’) for £210 million ($289 million, €245 million or درهم1.1 billion), a sum 30% lower than the original asking price.
July 2015 – 1,323 items from the house – including everything from gold-plated waste paper bins to bidets – sold at auction by ProAuction.
Commenting at the time in response to a ludicrous claim by the Daily Mail that the sale would achieve £50 million ($68 million, €58 million or درهم252 million), auctioneer Mark Flynn remarked: “At the end of the day, my perspective is that this is second-hand furniture, albeit very luxurious furniture, and where it comes from is neither here nor there… We would be disappointed if we didn’t achieve £450,000 ($618,000, €524,000 or درهم2.3 million) in total.”
December 2014 – Loan of £55 million ($76 million, €64 million or درهم278 million) secured to fund the cost of stripping out the property by Omni Capital Partners, a financial services company owned by favourite property developers of billionaires, brothers Christian and Nick Candy.
2012 – Offered for sale for £300 million ($412 million, €349 million or درهم1.5 billion) following the death of the Crown Prince.
2005 – “Given” to the then Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Sultan bin Abdulaziz (1928 – 2011) after the death of Hariri.
1985 – 1987 – Converted from four individual houses into one single ‘McMansion’ residence by British architectural firm Yorke Rosenberg Mardall (YRM).
1982 – Transferred into the ownership of the Yunak Corporation, registered in the Dutch Antilles tax haven of Curaçao, and subsequently used as the London residence of the billionaire former Prime Minister of Lebanon, Rafic Hariri (1944 – 2005).
Mid 19th century – Built as a terrace of four house, 2 Rutland Gate and 4 – 8a Rutland Gate, in the Italianate style.
The 62,000 Square Foot McMansion – Members of the public have been left asking: “Does one family really need a house this colossal?”
Toothy tea leaf Angela Gulbenkian admits stealing £1.1 million and pleads guilty as fellow art crook Inigo Philbrick remains in the clink also
“Grifter heiress” Angela Gulbenkian once mused “life is art” on her Instagram page, but for her, after putting in a guilty plea “to scamming collectors out of art they never received,” she might opt to change that to “life is prison.”
Branded an “ultimate deceiver” alongside the equally audacious art broker Inigo Philbrick in The Steeple Times last June after legendary Chelsea interior designer Jane Morris of Percy Bass called out the crook for conning her firm also, Gulbenkian yesterday admitted two charges of theft at Southwark Crown Court.
Married to the great-grandnephew of the British-Armenian art collector and oil baron Calouste Gulbenkian – father of the legendary Nubar – this wicked wench used her surname to give herself a “veneer of respectability in her work as an art advisor” supposedly. She even used a fake familial foundation email to back up her “shady dealings” and exploited Instagram in a manner similar to Philbrick’s dopey baby mama and Made In Chelsea whining warbler, Victoria Baker Harber.
Sadly, however, for the many victims of this bleach blonde bimbo turned art lifter, it seems that those who handed Gulbenkian over a million pounds will find it hard to recover their funds according to Artnet. In an email provided to them, Metropolitan Police officer Duncan Graham declared: “A confiscation order was made for the amount stolen. At present no assets are present within the UK to realise this confiscation.”
Speaking to The Art Newspaper, Christopher Marinello of Art Recovery International, who is representing one of private jet loving Gulbenkian’s victims, added:
“[The plea] was not too surprising to us because we had her dead to rights. She signed a stipulation of settlement in 2018 where she acknowledged owing the money that she stole, and that she was going to pay it back, but of course she defaulted, so the trial would have been very quick.”
“We pursue these fraud cases vigorously, and I think it’s the only way you can do that. The art world is seeing a rise in fraud and we went after Gulbenkian and anything and everything she touched. We think that the way to take on these fraud cases is to be relentless, and that’s what we’ve done.”
Angela Gulbenkian (née Ischwang and deservedly nicknamed ‘Awful Ange’ by a former friend) – who has been on remand since being extradited from Portugal after failing to show up at court in May 2020 – will be sentenced on 28th July. She will subsequently potentially face trial over separate charges in relation to a case involving the sale of a Warhol portrait of Queen Elizabeth II at a later date. Long may this grubby grotbag rot!
Birds of a Cell – Bearded bullshitter Inigo Philbrick, a wannabe ‘Talented Mr Ripley,’ and toothy tea leaf Angela Gulbenkian share not only a love of art, but also the pleasures of the pokey currently. Philbrick, like ‘Awful Ange,’ was quite deservedly “grabbed” after he sought to evade justice by hiding out in Port Vila, Vanuata, South Pacific in June 2020 and then flown “under instructions from the FBI” to the United States of America. He now faces charges of theft, misappropriation, borrowing money against artworks he did not even own and selling overlapping shares of artworks and has been branded a “pillock” and “Ponzi schemer.” His victims number the Reuben family and art columnist Kenny Schachter.The crimes of both Gulbenkian and Philbrick have involved the works of pumpkin sculptures designed by Yayoi Kusama.A socialite who traded on the name of the late, great Nubar Gulbenkian and the billionaire family of the same name, ‘Awful Ange’ thought declaring “life is art” appropriate. Now, though this monstrous mess will quite rightly languish in the pokey for quite some period, members of the public should be warned that she is someone to most definitely avoid. Period.
Theodora Ong reports from the 2021 London Classic Car Show and suggests other automotive events for classic car enthusiasts in the coming months
This weekend, I wallowed in acres of glistening chrome and gushed over the retro appeal of heritage vehicles with their stylish and eccentric owners at the 2021 London Classic Car Show at Syon Park.
Admiring cars of yesteryear is a pleasurable pursuit of reverie; with sunshine bouncing off windscreens and the reality of raindrops causing owners and guardians to be sprightly and attentive around their cars. You get absorbed into their world of devotion. Here, in possibly the nearest meadow to central London, and next to a trout fishery, there’s no sense of sales urgency – not even on the auction stands.
Celebrating anniversaries is the thing amongst car owners’ clubs. It transports us to a distant era, but arguably it’s the cars you’ve seen on the road in your own lifetime which seduce with the greatest allure. The centenaries of the Bugatti Brescia and the Lancia Lambda and, the 60th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Jensen owners’ club were all being discreetly honoured. There is much to remind you of their design vision and construction innovation over other marques and models which fade forgettably.
When Enzo Ferrari named the Jaguar E-Type: ‘The most beautiful car in the world’, he made it immortal, and the frenzy continues to this day. When a 1975 Jensen Interceptor III starred in a later series of The Saint in the ’80s, it became synonymous with a more exotic mystery – especially as more overseas locations were used for filming. The Interceptor was upgraded with electric sunroof and phone to capture the ultimate comfort of a modern grand tourer. Regardless that it achieved just 10-14 miles per gallon, it beat Aston Martin and Bristol on the film maker’s shortlist.
Jensen, this maverick of mystery – manufactured in West Bromwich – is what we chose to track down at the show. Congratulations, Jensen owners! So, the 50th landmark celebrates the collective passion of the club, not just the car. Take three…
Jensen 541 R
The 541 was launched in 1954 and was the first time Jensen used a fibreglass shell over a tubular steel chassis, partly due to post-war restrictions over the use of steel. But this liberated the design and enabled more complex styling with curious hollows and linear layering.
The original putty and elastoplast colourway of this 1959 model is in immaculate showroom finish and was chosen by Alan Jensen himself for exhibiting at the Earls Court Motor Show. It reads just 105,000 miles, and owner Len Boulton claims a top speed of 125 mph.
Oh, and if anyone finds his petrol cap at a service station off the M25, please tell him. Remember those days when that was quite a common loss?
Jensen SP
This top of the range SP model was launched in 1971 to replace the loss-making four-wheel drive Jensen FF. This one has been technically upgraded by current owner Richard Fisher. It has a whopping 7212cc engine to deliver 0 to 60mph in 6.9 seconds and fuel consumption which ‘you don’t want to know’. Design pedants will question its apparent wonky alignment of side windows and its five sections of visible glass – but just relax and love it.
Jensen Interceptor Cabriolet
Between 1950 to 1958 only 88 of these early Interceptors were built. This particular 1954 model was the first British car to be produced with metallic paint and a vinyl roof. You thought vinyl came of age in the ’70s TV The Sweeney era? This car was painstakingly rebuilt from the chassis up over 15 years from 2000. It was rescued back from California where it was on the point of being scrapped. It has an aluminium body but the boot lid was the first panel Jensen produced in fibreglass. A 4-litre engine powers this solid-looking drive. A lighter looking version was later sold at the Austin A40 Sports.
Contrasting Characters
It’s all about appreciating diversity after all, so here is my pick of two others at the show that couldn’t be any more different.
Maserati Ghibli
It’s a while since the exclusive 96 Club – with some 150 members and 450 on the waiting list – have held a regular rendezvous for breakfast in Belgrave Square. Member Luca Pisetta brought his 1969 Ghibli here to Syon Park. It is family-owned and he is intent on it remaining so for the next generation too.
Meanwhile, despite the absence of breakfast, his fellow 96-er Paolo Callea poured a blushy pinot grigio natural wine from his family’s estate in northern Italy. When under the influence of drink, any admirer would surely enjoy an enhanced vision of the Ghibli’s bold angles and shark-like nose hiding those pop-up head lamps.
At the time, over its six years of production, it was one of the fastest and most expensive cars in the world. It cost more than and even outsold the Ferrari Daytona. About 700 Ghiblis survive today from the 1,170 produced. This particular one had a complete restoration with full engine rebuild over four years, which took some 2,000 hours.
96-ers Luca Pisetta and Paolo Callea.
Salveson Wagonette
Can a vehicle dating from 1893 really be a car at all, if it’s proud to be powered like a coal-fired steam train? With its ‘60s yellow submarine-style paint over, this is positively agricultural looking. It was designed and built at the Salvesen company’s Grangemouth shipyard in 1893, making it the first car to be manufactured in Scotland. A refusal to be influenced by the new generation of oil essence engines led to its distinctive construction with a vertical tube boiler. And yes, it goes, it drives fine – but any guesses for 0 to 60mph?
Classic Dates For Your Summer Diary
Silverstone Classic, Northamptonshire, 30th July to 1st August 2021, combines historic motor racing with displays from 130 car clubs and an auction. It expects to feature 10,000 classic cars over the weekend.
The annual Jensen meeting at The Ace Café, Wembley, 14th August 2021, should be teeming with Jensens. Rock up for a full English and a cup of Ace Café own tea.
Salon Privé, Blenheim Palace, 1st to 5th September, is the hub for 500 classics rolling in. The event is considered one of the big three internationals alongside Pebble Beach Concours and Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Concours D’Elegance, Hampton Court Palace, 3rd to 5th September 2021, serenely gathers a core of 60 of the world’s rarest classics, plus some 300 further astonishing cars.
The Goodwood Revival, 17th to 19th September 2021, is the only historic race meeting to be staged entirely in period outfits, on a classic circuit which remains unchanged since its heyday.
The2021 London Classic Car Show took place 25th to 27th June. This year it was at Syon Park, and it is usually an annual event.
The 96 Club Breakfast Rendezvous. We vote to bring them back please.
Kings Road, Chelsea, SW3 flat goes on sale for just £40,000 in an area where a house has been offered for £200 million
Whilst most consider Chelsea – the heart of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea – ritzy, in March 2014, realty firm Beauchamp Estates bizarrely declared it “a place where servants live.”
Now, contrasting with the sale of what potentially could be “Britain’s most expensive home” in the same area – the £200 million plus ($278 million, €233 million or درهم1 billion) The Old Rectory, Old Church Street, featured in The Steeple Times in May 2019 – a comparative bargain basement property has gone on sale in the vicinity.
Set to be offered in an online auction on Wednesday 14th July with an estimate of just £40,000 ($56,000, €47,000 or درهم204,000), Flat 10, Blenheim House at 180 Kings Road most certainly must be the cheapest one bedroom flat currently available in the Royal Borough.
Described as “requiring modernisation,” the third floor flat includes an entrance hall, small kitchenette, sitting room, bedroom and en-suite shower room. It is situated at the corner with Burnsall Street and above the Snappy Snaps shop.
The catch? The property is on a lease that has just five years remaining that expires on 16th September 2026. Unlike with many other properties with such short tenures, however, agents McHugh & Co. state: “If requested by the purchaser prior to completion, the sellers solicitor at the expense of the purchaser will serve notice on the freeholder pursuant to a Section 42 Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and assign the benefit of that notice to the purchaser.”
Curious Facts About The Kings Road
The 1.9-mile long road was the king’s private road until 1830 and thus some people refer to it as ‘King’s Road’ whilst others simply reference it ‘Kings Road.’
The World’s End estate takes its name from King James II, who considered the area to be the end of the world when he used to ride down Kings Road.
Famous residents have included Sir Arthur and Lady Colefax, Ellen Terry and Peter Ustinov.
Argyll House (213) is undoubtedly the road’s grandest house. It has been home to the 4th Duke of Argyll and the 5th Marquis of Normanby amongst others.
‘The Pheasantry’ (152) is now a Pizza Express, but was originally the site of a business breeding exotic pheasants, cattle and foxes. It later became the residence of Eleanor Thornton – who became the inspiration for the Rolls-Royce mascot, the Spirit of Ecstasy – and as “bohemian apartments” housed Eric Clapton, Anthony Haden-Guest and Germaine Greer.
The Water Rat (383) – now a restaurant named Chicama – was the haunt of the actor and gangster John Bindon in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A one-time “squeeze” of Princess Margaret, Bindon was known for being able to hang five half-pint beer glasses on his penis.
In 1876, the world’s first artificial ice rink opened just off the road.
Sir Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirt movement had a barracks on the road in the 1930s.
In his 1955 thriller Moonraker, Ian Fleming describes his legendary spy James Bond as residing in “a comfortable flat in a plane tree’d square off the Kings Road.” Another of fiction’s most famous spies, George Smiley (created by John le Carré), lived just off the Kings Road at 9 Bywater Street.
Dame Mary Quant OBE – inventor of the miniskirt – opened her first boutique in the Kings Road in 1955. It was named Bazaar and now features a blue plaque dedicated to her.
In the 1960s, the road was the centre of mod culture and later, in the punk and hippie eras, it was dominated by counterculture.
In 1969, a lion named Christian was purchased from Harrods by John Rendall and Anthony Bourke. He went to live in their furniture store on the Kings Road before later being taken to live in the wild in the Kora National Reserve in Africa.
Led Zeppelin’s record label Swan Song Records was based at 484 Kings Road from its inception in 1974 until the company closed in 1983.
The Pet Shop Boys met in an electronic store on the road in 1981.
The first UK branch of Starbucks opened on the road in 1998.
Fire damaged Wimbledon house with half its roof missing goes on sale for the staggering sum of £5 million; is this Britain’s most expensive roofless wreck?
Britain’s now likely most expensive wreck without a roof comes in the form of a 5,000 square foot detached house – which, surprisingly is “locally listed” and thus cannot just be flattened – on a plot of one acre backing onto the Royal Wimbledon golf course.
The “period” property lost half its first floor and half its roof on 10th January 2018 when it caught fire. It took six fire engines and thirty-five firefighters just over two hours to bring the blaze under control, according to the Wimbledon Guardian.
James Morrison of selling agents Savills is anything but despondent about the future prospects for this currently not-so-regal residence. In typically bullish realtor fashion, he seizes an exclamation mark and begins: “[This is] a simply exceptional opportunity!”
Continuing Morrison gushes: “The house requires extensive refurbishment throughout. However, there is plenty of scope to extend and renovate this wonderful period property.”
Aside from “well balanced living and entertaining space across three floors with a central galleried stairwell” – and presumably a lot of charring and ingressed water damage, there is also an overgrown garden, weed infested swimming pool and a currently derelict tennis court.
Buyers will no doubt be flocking round the block to move in time for the Wimbledon Championships 2021, which starts on 28th June.
OTHER WRECKS WITHOUT A ROOF PREVIOUSLY FEATURED IN ‘THE STEEPLE TIMES’
The Lilymere Estate, Killington, Cumbria, England
Featured when offered as repossession from a disgraced and struck-off solicitor in June 2015, this lacking shelter from the elements, potentially 8-bedroom, house came with a price tag of £3 million ($4.1 million, €3.5 million or درهم15.2 million) and 1,530 acres of land.
Of the estate, at the time, another overly optimistic estate agent, Andrew Black, also of Savills, mused: “An awful lot has been invested in it and what has been done has been done to a high standard. You can see what the vision was but they never got to complete it.”
“It needs someone with the vision and the resources to finish it. Within reason, they’ve essentially got a blank canvas to put their own decorative style on. It is a one-off and a special place but it will be a challenge and require further investment.”
Muness Castle, Island of Unst, Scotland
Offered for auction in April 2021 for just £130,000 ($179,000, €151,000 or درهم659,000), this Grade A-listed castle came with with cottages, barony title, gold and copper reserves and 240 acres of land. It was bizarrely subsequently put up for auction again with just 160 acres of land a few days later after apparently selling for £184,000 ($254,000, €214,000 or درهم933,000).
Knockhall Castle, Newburgh, Aberdeen, Scotland
Also priced at £130,000 ($179,000, €151,000 or درهم659,000) when placed on the market in August 2017, this shell dates to 1565 and stands near the Trump International Golf Links course. The B-listed structure was accidentally burnt to the ground by Jamie Fleming, “a servant fool” of the then owners, the Udny of that Ilk family, in 1734.
MORE IMAGES OF THE £5,000,000 DRAX AVENUE, WIMBLEDON, LONDON, SW20 0EH WRECK CURRENTLY ON SALE
Seen from the rear, the damage to the roof is more extensive than it appears from the front of the building.From this angle, the front doesn’t look quite so bad.An aerial view of the setting shows neighbouring houses undergoing alterations also.The one acre plot has become somewhat neglected since the January 2018 fire and a former tennis court is now nothing but a ruin.The current condition of the swimming pool makes the one at Katie Price’s ‘mucky mansion’ look decidedly desirable.A lawnmower is definitely required.An aerial view of the wrecked house on Drax Avenue in otherwise ritzy West Wimbledon and its environs illustrates the degree of work required to fix up this property to liveable conditions. Beyond the somewhat punchy £5 million price tag, any purchaser will have to shell out a fortune for a lot more beyond just roof tiles.
Tardis-like Grade II listed lodge house currently for sale could be Britain’s smallest detached house; it measures 10-foot by 8-foot and today also we feature some other examples of the nation’s smallest character packed homes
Whilst the Mirror wrote of what they called “Britain’s smallest detached house” in April – measuring 12-foot by 26-foot and priced at £140,000 – we can go one better and today feature a Grade II listed detached house in North Yorkshire measuring just 10-foot by 8-foot.
More practical than the £810,000 2.5-foot by 65-foot Knightsbridge “corridor” mews houseThe Steeple Times included in March 2017, 481 square foot Sunset Lodge forms one of a pair of symmetrical lodges standing either side of decorative wrought iron gates to Grimston Park, near Tadcaster – a Grade II* listed Georgian mansion of the Italianate style that has now been converted into thirteen individual residences.
Sunset Lodge forms one of a pair of symmetrical gate lodges at the entrance to Grimston Park in North Yorkshire.Grimston Park has been occupied as a grand country residence, was used by the RAF in the Second World War and subsequently became an events venue. It was converted into 13 residences more recently.
Tardis-like internally in that it actually extends over 2 floors with a mezzanine sleeping platform also, the majority of the living space is actually underground. Featuring a kitchen with an “orangery style roof” with a sunken patio beyond, there is also a living area, a “barrel ceilinged” shower room and a dressing room also.
Parking is provided outside for two vehicles and lawned gardens extend beyond. The estate beyond includes a stud-livery, parkland and buildings occupied on both a residential and a commercial basis.
Agents Carter Jonas initially marketed the property at £299,950 in March 2020, but have since reduced that sum to £250,000. The present owners, Tom and Rebecca Hallisey, paid just £85,000 for the building 15 years ago and thus stand to return an increase of +194% if they sell at asking price.
Speaking of the property to the Yorkshire Post in March 2020, Rebecca Hallisey remarked: “It was in a poor state of repair but [when we first saw it, but] we fell in love with it and we could see it had potential.”
She continued: “We moved a lot before we came here but we have stayed because we love the building and it is such a beautiful, peaceful place to live. We wish we could stay forever and we are only moving for health reasons as we need a single-storey home.”
The Numbers – Sunset Lodge, Grimston Park, Grimston, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, LS24 9DB, United Kingdom
May 2021 – Reduced in price to £250,000 ($355,000, €291,000 or درهم1.3 million) or £520 per square foot ($738, €605 or درهم2,700 per square foot) with Carter Jonas.
March 2020 – Placed for sale for £299,950 ($425,700, €349,100 or درهم1.6 million) with Carter Jonas.
June 2006 – Sold for £85,000 ($121,000, €99,000 or درهم443,000).
Some Other Examples of Britain’s Smallest Homes
Starborough Castle, Dormsland, Lingfield, Surrey
Featured in The Steeple Times in April 2017, this Grade II* listed scheduled ancient monument stands in 10 acres and has a 44 million gallon moat. It features a mini great hall and was offered for sale for £1.75 million.
20 Britten Street, London, SW3
Also featured in The Steeple Times when for sale in 2017 for £600,000, this 290 square foot detached house measured 8.5-foot by 14-foot. Estate agents estimated it could be worth £1 million when renovated, but as of May 2021, it remains in unloved condition.
The Round House, Stanton Drew, Somerset
In December 2016, we wrote about this Grade II listed former toll house that extends to just 146 square foot. The 18th century, detached, thatched property was priced at just £110,000 at the time.
24a The Boltons, London, SW10
At the other end of the price scale, but still the cheapest, smallest house on one of London’s smartest streets, The Boltons in London, this £6.5 million terraced residence was home to novelist Jeffrey Archer from 1972 to 1976. Surprisingly due to it widening as it goes back, it actually provides 3,123 square foot of accommodation over 4 floors – so is not as quite as small as it initially seems.
As decidedly dippy Dame Esther Rantzen calls for tyrannical twerp Sir Philip Green to hand over his behemoth boat to the Queen, we suggest Sir James Dyson or Sir Charles Dunstone’s gin palaces as other options that could be commandeered
This morning on Radio 4’s Broadcasting House, Dame Esther Rantzen, for once in her somewhat curious career, made a valid suggestion when discussing the current hullabaloo over whether or not the nation should spend £200 million on a new royal yacht.
Commenting to the programme’s Paddy O’Connell of a “pomp and ceremony” focused proposal that the Conservatives are plainly using to wind up Labour, Dame Esther remarked:
“This is to me a crazy idea at a time when our economy has been obviously dealt something of a death blow by COVID, when we have no plans for social care, when food banks are thriving. Do we really think that the taxpayer, let alone the royal family, want £200 million spent on a royal yacht?”
“I think it’s an example of a newspaper starting a campaign which is so out of touch. However, perhaps, I have the solution: Sir Philip Green, do you remember him? He has a knighthood – which some people have questioned. He lives in Monaco, where there’s plenty of other people with yachts. Why doesn’t he donate his boat to the royal family?”
“If he’s got monograms with the words ‘Philip’ on it, that would be suitable for those who feel that the yacht should be named after Philip, Duke of Edinburgh… Prince Philip, you could just add a few, a few, you know…”
Pictured top: The late Sir Donald Gosling’s former yacht Leander and its owner with the Queen and her late husband in 2012.
Option 1 – Sir Philip Green’s ‘Lionheart’
Pros – The disgraced businessman’s gin palace is definitely big at 295-foot and can accommodate 12 guests with a crew of 30. It’d probably also appeal to ‘Randy Andy’ given his liking for living it large and there is plenty of space on the boat’s deck for the ‘Duchess of Dork’ to engage in a bit of toe sucking as well.
Cons – This boat’s décor would likely be considered a bit ‘lowbrow’ by the Queen given “Call Me Lady Tina” – the rotten retailer’s wife – is known more for brass than class. The tacky tub might need a bit of a clean also as in September 2020, the vessel was impounded in Monaco due to two of its staff contracting coronavirus.
As was reported in the Guardian yesterday, this steam yacht has also been subject to a £25 million restoration and has ‘previous royal form’ in that it housed the then King Edward VIII and Mrs Wallis Simpson just prior to the 1936 abdication crisis. Perhaps that might attract that devious duo’s modern day equivalents, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, onboard for peace talks.
Cons – The Queen could find herself like the majority of the population, who’ve wasted money on his frankly mostly useless products, a little frustrated with the vessel’s hypocritical Brexiteer owner and we don’t think she’d like ‘Dreary Deirdre’s’ appalling rug designs either.
Option 3 – Sir Charles Dunstone’s ‘Shemara’
Pros – The 210-foot motor yacht Shemara is a favourite of all at The Steeple Times. Built by Sir Bernard Docker at the behest of his brilliantly batty wife, ‘Lady Nora,’ in 1938, this vessel has played host to everyone from King Farouk of Egypt to coalminers.
Cons – If the Queen took over this boat, she might find herself a little beholden to the ‘Chipping Norton set’ given Sir Charles Dunstone is considered one of that group’s most illustrious members. Conversations with Rebekah Brooks about her thoughts on her wayward grandchild and his money grabbing wife might not prove easy, but Jeremy Clarkson could break the ice with a drink or five.
1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé owned by Golden Globe award winning actor Ron Moody – best known as ‘Fagin’ in ‘Oliver!’ – for sale for 329% more than it sold for in 2014 after restoration
Described on their Instagram page with the quip: “After some time behind the wheel of this beautiful Bentley, you may well find yourself saying: ‘Please, sir, I want some more,’” by acclaimed Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealership Frank Dale & Stepsons, a 1961 Bentley S2 Continental drophead coupé by Park Ward owned by the late actor Ron Moody from 1968 until 2014 is currently for sale for £295,000.
Restored two years ago after having been sold at Bonhams for £68,700 in June 2014, Moody – born Ronald Moodnick (1924 – 2015) – the stunning car offered is one of sixty cars built in right hand drive. Finished in ‘Valentine’s Blue’ with an off-white leather interior and blue everflex hood, the car was clearly much loved by the Oscar nominated actor given he kept it for 46 years.
Of it, Frank Dale & Stepsons comment:
“The current owner began improving the car in 2014 following several years of limited use by Mr Moody.”
“The mechanical works in recent years include but are not limited to the brakes being rebuilt, overhauling the fuel system including the carburettors, a new exhaust system, overhauling the power steering, a new propshaft, restoration of the radiator and overhauling the heating system, restored rear springs as well as general servicing and maintenance.”
“The cosmetics have also been hugely improved with the car benefitting from coachwork structural repairs and a bare metal re-paint in the cars original colour as well as restoration to the chrome. The power hood was also recently retrimmed in blue everflex as per the original specification from 1961.”
“The finished car presents and drives beautifully following these works and is complete with two large binders covering the history, one dedicated to the cars life up until 2014 and one covering the significant improvements over the past few years with invoices and photographs documenting the process. Chassis No BC6CZ comes complete with its original handbook and a wonderful back story having been owned and cherished by Mr Fagin himself for so many years.”
Ron Moody is best remembered as Fagin in Lionel Bart’s stage and film musical ‘Oliver!’ – based on Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ – and of it commented: My proudest moment was the number ‘Reviewing the Situation.’ I suspect that, because I gave my all to the role, and because I was working with such a fine team of people, it inhibited my future career. I turned down quite a few offers afterwards because I thought the people didn’t come close to those I’d worked with on ‘Oliver!’ –which in retrospect was a mistake.”Fagin’s Bentley – In January 2014, ‘The Steeple Times featured the sale of another acclaimed actor’s Bentley S2 – this came in the form of a Continental Flying Spur, also produced in 1961, that had been owned by Gregory Peck. At the time it was guided at a price of between £137,000 and £182,000.
The Numbers
May 2021 – Offered for sale by Frank Dale & Stepsons for £295,000 ($413,000, €339,000 or درهم1.5 million).
27th June 2014 – Sold at auction by Bonhams for £68,700 ($96,000, €79,000 or درهم353,000).
Former church hall on the Isle of Lewis to be sold for just £34,000 in spite of the fact that it could earn the buyer £300 per night
Lionel (Gaelic: ‘Lìonal’) forms part of the Barvas (‘Barabhas’) civil parish on the Isle of Lewis, the largest island of the Outer Hebrides archipelago in Scotland. Like the castle we featured last month, it is extremely isolated but unlike that white elephant, it is situated on an island that has a population of some 20,000 and where the main industries are crofting, fishing, peat cutting and weaving.
Accessed by a daily ferry from Ullapool on the Scottish mainland that takes 2 hours and 30 minutes and served by an airport also, Lewis remains an extremely religious island and though the Sabbath is still observed mostly, the sale of a church hall is indicative that change is perhaps on the way.
Offered by Future Property Auctions this week, the non-listed former church hall at Lionel is described as a “super investment opportunity” with “development potential” as an Airbnb that could rent for “upto £300 per night ($417, €347 or درهم1,500 per night) at peak times.”
Extending to 820 square foot in total currently with a large, double height single room and entrance vestibule, the detached building has been listed with a remarkably low guide price of just £34,000 ($47,300, €39,400 or درهم173,600) and is described as potentially also being capable for use as a permanent home, creche, museum or public library with “super income earning potential.”
Bidding online for the church hall opens at 10am on the 7th May 2021 and closes at 4pm on the same day on the Future Property Auctions website.
The interior of the building is watertight but in need of renovation. Sadly, character features including pews have been removed, but there is clearly potential to create a two-storey single dwelling house with earning options as a holiday home within the space.Viewed from the rear and side, the plot on which the former Lionel Mission Hall is clearly not large, but it is surrounded by farmland.For someone seeking peace and quiet, the location would be ideal. Equally, given tourism is a source of local income, the earning potential of the building once renovated as a holiday let is clear.A view of the former church hall from the road.A site plan shows the limited land that surrounds the building.Clearly, as shown by this map, the property is certainly remote.
