The Steeple Times

Tag: 1920

  • Slashed Seven Sisters

    Slashed Seven Sisters

    Famous  ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards

    Montauk has variously been associated with part-time residents such as the playwright Edward Albee, the world’s largest Ponzi scheme operator Bernie Madoff and the artist Andy Warhol. It was a place that the Algonquian speaking Montaukett Native American tribe called home until one Arthur W. Benson (circa 1798 – 1889), the president of the Brooklyn Gas Light company, came along in 1879 and purchased 10,000 acres there for just $151,000 from the American government.

     

    “Land baron” Benson soon after sold half his acreage to the Long Island Rail Road for $600,000 and then set about turfing out the natives and creating a “playground for the rich.” As part of his plan, he ordered the construction of seven “shingle-style” homes that came to form a 100-acre compound for use as a “private hunting and fishing retreat for him and his friends.” They became known as the ‘Seven Sisters’ and one of them is currently for sale through Sotheby’s International Realty.

     

    Designed by Stanford White (1853 – 1906) – a “lauded architect” whom became more famous for being shot and killed by the deranged railroad heir Harry Thaw (1871 – 1947) – the property offered is said to be known as ‘Andrews House.’ It is more commonly listed, however, as 153 Deforest Road and its date of construction has been put at as early as 1879 and as late as 1888. The ‘cottage’ reportedly first belonged to Benson’s friend, a writer and one of the founders of both the bibliographic Grolier Club in Manhattan and the Society of Iconophiles, William Loring Andrews (1837 – 1920).

     

    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards. William Loring Andrews, architect and murder victim Stanford White and Harry Thaw in a ‘gilded’ jail cell.
    William Loring Andrews, architect and murder victim Stanford White and Harry Thaw in a ‘gilded’ jail cell.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    The Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America – a ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage that has seen its asking price reduced from £14.8 million in 2016 to £10.4 million in 2020.

    Remodeled and expanded in 1992 by the well-known Hamptons architect Francis Fleetwood (1946 – 2015) and updated yet again in the 2010s, 153 Deforest Road today extends to some 3,800 square foot in total. The house stands on a plot of 2.3 acres and accommodation includes a sunken living room, dining room, library, 4 bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and a second floor veranda “with mesmerising views that always inspire.”

     

    In 2016, when priced at £14.8 million, Mansion Global remarked: “The property comes with plans for a future expansion by [the renowned classical] architect Allan Greenberg,” but plainly such has made little difference to attracting interest. Four years later, 153 Deforest Road’s asking price has been slashed to ‘just’ £10.4 million and rather strangely its interior colour scheme is entirely in a depressing shade of grey.

     

    The artist and filmmaker Julian Schnabel, comedian and talk show host Dick Cavett are amongst others to have lived in ‘Seven Sisters’ houses. One, Tick Hall, was destroyed by a fire in 1997 and then completely rebuilt; what happens to the ‘Andrews House’ remains to be seen.

     

    The Names & Numbers – The Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954

     

    July 2019 – It is further reduced to £10.4 million ($12.995 million, €11.9 million or درهمX47.7 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty.

     

    June 2018 – It is reduced to £12 million ($14.995 million, €13.7 million or درهم55.1 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty.

     

    February 2018 – It is relisted for £13 million ($16.25 million, €14.9 million or درهم60 million) with Sotheby’s International Realty.

     

    August 2016 – The house is listed for sale for £14.8 million ($18.5 million, €17 million or درهم67.9 million) with Douglas Elliman.

     

    2012 – 153 Deforest Road is sold to a limited liability company for £5.6 million ($6.995 million, €6.4 million or درهم25.7 million).

     

    1992 – 153 Deforest Road is renovated and remodeled by the Chilean born architect Francis Fleetwood (1946 – 2015) – a man described as a “popular East Hampton, New York–based architect [of] romantic country houses” by Architectural Digest in April 2015. Fleetwood’s well-known clients numbered Lauren Bacall, Calvin Klein and Paul McCartney and of them, he once told The New York Times: “They’d all love to be born into a grand old house that had been handed down through the generations… [And, he added, surely with a grin]… So would I.”

     

    1976 – The ‘Seven Sisters’ – including 153 Deforest Road – and two other neighbouring properties are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

     

    Between 1879 and 1888 – 153 Deforest Road was built as a home for the writer and librarian William L. Andrews (1837 – 1920). It formed part of a group of houses known as the ‘Seven Sisters’ and was known as ‘Andrews House.’

     

    1879 – Arthur W. Benson (circa 1798 – 1889) successfully bids $151,000 or the equivalent of £3.2 million today ($4 million, €3.7 million or درهم14.7 million today) for 11,000 acres of land around Montauk in an auction. He then cleverly sold half the land for $600,000 or the equivalent of £12.8 million today ($16 million, €14.7 million or درهم58.8 million today) to the Long Island Rail Road and kept the remainder as his “private playground.” The legitimacy of the ownership of Benson and others of Montauk remains the subject of legal actions by the Montaukett Native Americans to this date.

     

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    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    Slashed Seven Sisters – £10.4 million or $12.995 million for Andrews House, 153 Deforest Road, Montauk, New York, NY 11954, United States of America through Sotheby’s International Realty, down from £14.8 million or $18.5 million in 2016 – Famous ‘Seven Sisters’ cottage in Montauk for sale for 30% less than in 2016; the ‘Gilded Age cottage’ was designed by Stanford White, an architect whose murder famously led to the ‘Trial of the Century’ from 1907 onwards.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OofTAtdlGzw
  • Rule, Britannia!

    Rule, Britannia!

    “Famously haunted” Chelsea townhouse once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry for sale

     

    A Grade II* listed Georgian house on Kings Road in Chelsea, London that has gone on sale comes with links to not only the composer Thomas Arne (1710 – 1778) but also the Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry, GBE (1847 – 1928).

     

    Spread over five floors and extending to 3,179 square foot, the renovated Georgian property provides 3 reception rooms, a vast dining kitchen created out of a former artists’ studio space, 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It has a garden to the front and a courtyard also.

     

    Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry.
    Dame Ellen Terry and Thomas Arne

     

    Though only briefly home to Thomas Arne – a Roman Catholic and Freemason best known for both Rule, Britannia! and A-Hunting We Will Go – in 1771, actress Dame Ellen Terry lived in 215 Kings Road from 1904 to 1920. It is reported that her possessions there were sold off in 1921 as part of “an attempt to fend off bankruptcy” and of it, a newspaper article titled ‘The Ghosts of Ellen Terry’ reported:

     

    “Surely civilisation was never responsible for the invention of the auction sale. It is such a heartless proceeding. Even a barbarian chief, waving a fierce spear, could not look more relentless than the auctioneer with the dull thud of his cruel little hammer. And surely no barbaric women with palm-leaves and fuzzed hair ever wore harder expressions than the crowd of modern sisters gathered yesterday in Ellen Terry’s old home in Chelsea, as they watched the exquisite china and other mementos of a great artist whisked off by sharp bidders for ridiculously small sums.”

     

    Knight Frank seek £6.45 million ($8.30 million, €7.15 million or درهم30.47 million) for the now “famously haunted” freehold house.

     

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     Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry. Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry. Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry.Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry.Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry.Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry. Rule, Britannia! £6.45 million for 215 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 5EH, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank and once home to ‘Rule, Britannia!’ and ‘A-Hunting We Will Go’ composer Thomas Arne and later Shakespearean actress Dame Ellen Terry.

  • The Stars of Beel

    The Stars of Beel

    Neglected Georgian mansion that has been home to Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk for sale for 39% less than it sold for in 2014

     

    A dilapidated Grade II* listed country house whose extensive roster of owners numbers aristocrats, rock and film stars and politicians is on sale for £3.95 million or 39% less from the £6.5 million sum it sold for in 2014.

     

    Built for the Duke of Buckingham in the 1600s and extending to 10,743 square foot, Beel House in Little Chalfont, near Amersham in Buckinghamshire stands in 13.5 acres of land. It comprises of a 7 reception room, 8 bedroom, 6 bathroom main house and also comes with an indoor swimming pool complex, a tennis court and garaging for 5 cars.

     

    Home to The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish in the 1830s and Colonel Abram ‘Arthur’ Lyle of the Tate & Lyle dynasty from 1909 to 1920, Beel House was bought by the actor Sir Dirk Bogarde in a “dilapidated state” in 1954. Of discovering it, Bogarde, who had been renting a cottage in the close vicinity on the Bendrose Estate, stated:

     

    “[The actress Kay Kendall and I] walked across muddy fields from my rented home to look at Beel House. It was a horror. Bleak and empty, few of its twenty-six rooms caught the sun, and the garden surrounding it was a tangle of overgrown rosebeds.  Inside it seemed a labyrinth of corridors and stone passages. It was painted throughout in dejected yellow and brown and each room had a rusty gas fire in it.”

     

    Bogarde made significant changes to the building and pulled down a wing of 11 rooms. In their place, he built a swimming pool and a 30-foot long conservatory in the grounds – which Kay Kendall later described as looking like “an out patients’ department” – and it seems he spent several happy years there. He moved to another property nearby named Drummer’s Yard in 1960 and sold Beel House to Basil Dearden, the director of The Assassination Bureau, Khartoum and The Man Who Haunted Himself.

     

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    An aerial photo of Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Images of the exterior of Beel House in the 1950s

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Actor Anthony Forwood, Sir Dirk Bogarde’s eventual “life partner,” at Beel House with his dogs Sinuhe and Bogie; Sir Dirk Bogarde in his study at the house

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Sir Dirk Bogarde outside Beel House with one of many Rolls-Royces he owned and inside on the house’s main staircase

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Film director Basil Dearden, owner of Beel House between 1960 and 1966, worked with Sir Dirk Bogarde on the controversial film ‘Victim’ in 1961; it was the first English language film to use the word “homosexual” and of it one Italian critic remarked: “At last the British have stopped being hypocrites”

     

    Dearden sold up in 1966 and the next famous owners were Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne in the early 1980s. It was whilst here that Mr Osbourne “decided to murder his wife” and of the ensuing incident on 3rd September 1989, the Amersham Museum’s website reports:

     

    “Ozzy Osbourne put the house up for sale after he had been arrested for the attempted murder of his wife whilst living at Beel House. After taking a cocktail of drugs and drinking heavily during a family meal at the Chinese restaurant at Nightingales Corner he attacked his wife and was subsequently arrested. He had no memory of the attack but the conditions of his bail were that he entered a rehab centre, did not contact his wife and did not return to Beel House.”

     

    Marketed for £1.75 million in 1991, unsurprisingly Sharon Osbourne, herself, did not have much positive to say about her time at Beel House either. In her 2006 autobiography, Extreme, she remarked:

     

    “I decided I wanted to go back to England. By this time we had already sold Beel House. I had enough bad memories not to be too sorry to see it go. Also it had reached what the builder called the domino point: mending one thing only triggered something else that needed to be done.”

     

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Ozzy Osbourne, photographed by Conrad Rickenbacker, sitting on his four poster bed at Beel House in the 1980s

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Images of Beel House during the ownership of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne (photographs by Conrad Rickenbacker)

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    Robert Kilroy-Silk at Beel House prior to his appearance on ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’ in November 2008

    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk
    The house as furnished by Robert Kilroy-Silk and his wife Jan Beech, circa 2014

     

    Matt Aitken, the composer of chart toppers for Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and Bananarama, supposedly lived at Beel House for a period subsequently and in the 1990s, the property was sold to the “exotically handsome man, with a very un-English facial glow and ice blue eyes” Robert Kilroy-Silk and his wife, Jan Beech.

     

    Controversial television personality Mr Kilroy-Silk, an MP from 1974 to 1986 and an MEP from 2004 to 2009, brought with him a herd of fallow deer as well as Vietnamese pheasants and bantams to Beel House. He lived between there and his home in Spain and then sold up for the staggering sum of £6.5 million in 2014 to an “international buyer” who, according to Country Life’s Penny Churchill, immediately found “it ‘surplus to requirements’ and put it straight back on the market” through Savills.

     

    Of the estate, which by then had been for sale for three years, in October 2017, then selling agent Hugh Maconochie told the Bucks Free Press:

     

    “In many respects Beel House is the archetypal country residence: a Grade II* listed home in the heart of the Chilterns, beautiful grounds and easy access to London by both rail and road. Yet, while it was completely refurbished in the 1980s – new garaging, games block and swimming pool complex included – its current state necessitates a complete restoration project.”

     

    “For those seeking a country residence to move straight into, Beel House is not the home for them. Instead it would appeal to a buyer looking to restore and revive a Georgian gem. A reduction in price over the years reflects the refurbishment that’s required.”

     

    Empty and plainly somewhat neglected, Edward Welton of Knight Frank’s Baker Street office is now marketing the property. His firm describes Beel House as: “An exciting opportunity for a full restoration project, giving someone the chance to create their own style on a private estate, so close to London.”

     

    Beel House – The Names and Numbers

     

    November 2017 – Further reduced to just £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank.

     

    January 2017 – Reduced to £4.95 million ($6.63 million, €5.61 million or درهم24.37 million) through Savills.

     

    November 2015 – For sale again for £6.5 million ($8.7 million, €7.4 million or درهم32 million) through Savills.

     

    2014 – Sold to “an international buyer” by Robert Kilroy-Silk for “close to” the £6.5 million ($8.7 million, €7.4 million or درهم32 million) asking price.

     

    June 1991 – For sale for £1.75 million (the equivalent of £3.45 million, $4.62 million, €3.91 million or درهم16.98 million today).

     

    October 1989 – Placed for sale by media personalities Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.

     

    1966 – Placed on the market by Basil Dearden for £66,000 (the equivalent of £1.1 million, $1.5 million, €1.2 million or درهم5.4 million today).

     

    Circa 1960 – Sold to film director Basil Dearden (1911 – 1971).

     

    January 1954 – Sold to actor Sir Dirk Bogarde (1921 – 1999) for £4,000 (the equivalent of £101,000, $135,000, €114,000 or درهم497,000 today).

     

    1836 to 1954 – Part of the estate of the Lowndes family, largescale landowners in the Chesham, Buckinghamshire area. During this time tenants included The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish and from 1909 to 1920 by Colonel Abram Lyle (of the Tate & Lyle dynasty).

     

    1730 – Valued at £500 (the equivalent of £99,000, $133,000, €112,000 or درهم487,000 today) by Sun Insurance whilst home to Thomas White of Middle Temple.

     

    1672 to 1682 – Home to Mary Pennington, the mother-in-law of the Quaker founder of the State of Pennsylvania, William Penn.

     

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    The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk The Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-SilkThe Stars of Beel – Beel House, Little Chalfont, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP7 9QP, United Kingdom – For sale for £3.95 million ($5.29 million, €4.47 million or درهم19.44 million) through Knight Frank – Former home of The Hon. Lady Caroline Cavendish, Colonel Abram Arthur Lyle, Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk

  • The Commerce of Selfies

    The Commerce of Selfies

    A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition

     

    The first ever ‘selfie’ was supposedly taken on the roof of the Marceau studio on Fifth Avenue in New York. Featuring a photographer named Joseph Byron and his colleagues, the image was captured in December 1920 and now, an exhibition at London’s Saatchi Gallery examines the story of what has become a modern day social phenomenon.

     

    The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.
    The first ever selfie

     

    Aside from images of Hillary Clinton during the 2016 American election and lookalikes of the British royal family by Alison Jackson, this exhibition – sponsored rather appropriately by a mobile phone manufacturer plainly desperate to get its product into the public eye in England named Huawei – features everything from selfies taken with selfie sticks to selfies taken underwater. It is an array of ridiculousness and most definitely a display of extreme vanity that is present here, but with opportunities for visitors to participate, it is also something that anyone except a true killjoy will have a little fun with.

     

    The word ‘selfie’ was announced as the Oxford English Dictionary “word of the year” in 2013 and subsequently, Business Insider, published a story that referenced selfies of groups as “usies”. Huawei Technologies, it transpires, trademarked the word “groufie” around the same time and thus it’s no wonder they managed to cut a deal with the ever-so-commercial Charles Saatchi.

     

    ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ is on display at the Saatchi Gallery, Duke of York’s Headquarters, Kings Road, London, SW3 4RY until 30th May. The exhibition is free and open seven days a week, 10am to 6pm.

     

    #SaatchiSelfie

     

    The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017. The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017. The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017. The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.The Commerce of Selfies – Selfie to Self-Expression, Saatchi Gallery – A review of the showcase of vanity that is the Saatchi Gallery’s ‘Selfie to Self-Expression’ exhibition. Open until 30th May 2017.

  • Five of the Best – Auctions America Auburn Spring

    Five of the Best – Auctions America Auburn Spring

    Five of the best lots on offer at the Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale of classic and modern cars and military lots

     

    From 11th to 13th May at the Auburn Auction Park in Auburn Spring in Indiana, USA, Auctions America will sell a vast range of cars and military lots. Here, we choose our five favourite lots on offer:

     

    1920 Ford Model T Coupé – £6,500 to £8,100 ($8,000 to $10,000, €7,600 to €9,400 or درهم29,400 to درهم36,700)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeWith over 16.5 million built between 1908 and 1927, the Ford Model T stands at the eighth most sold cars of all time. Undoubtedly the first affordable car produced, an example from 1920 provides an affordable way to start a classic car collection. The example offered also reflects the sentiments of Henry Ford (1863 – 1947), whom once said: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”.

     

    1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse – £64,600 to £80,700 ($80,000 to $100,000, €75,600 to €94,500 or درهم293,800 to درهم367,300)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeA perfect mode of conveyance for the Addams Family or Ozzy Osbourne, this hearse was built by the James Cunningham & Sons Company of Rochester, New York. It has a cathedral like coffin compartment featuring carved wood and has been owned by three generations of the Peterson family, owners of the Howe-Peterson Funeral Home business of Dearborn, Michigan. The firm was established in 1873 but is about to close down.

     

    1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin – £302,800 to £343,200 ($375,000 to $425,000, €354,300 to €401,500 or درهم1.4 million to درهم1.6 million)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeFinished in cream over saddle leather with a dark chocolate canvas top and period-appropriate wide whitewall tyres, this striking convertible is described as being in “excellent driving condition”. It was delivered new to Houston, Texas and was the creation of Howard ‘Dutch’ Darrin (1897 – 1982), a polo playing airline owner turned automotive designer.

     

    1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé – £80,700 to £100,900 ($100,000 to $125,000, €75,600 to €118,100 or درهم293,800 to درهم459,100)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeAuctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee“One of the most special Corvettes ever made”, this Marlboro Red coupé is presented in original and unrestored condition. It has only had two owners from new and has covered just 27,000 miles in its fifty year life.

     

    1992 AM General M998 Humvee – £12,100 to £16,200 ($15,000 to $20,000, €14,200 to €18,900 or درهم55,100 to درهم73,500)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeFeaturing a 6.5-litre engine and definitely something Arnold Schwarzenegger would love, this cargo-troop carrier has a gross vehicle weight rating of 3.9-tonnes. It certainly could go anywhere and requires “no further demilitarization”.

     

  • Quote of the Week – A Moron in the White House

    Quote of the Week – A Moron in the White House

    Donald Trump’s presidency was worryingly first predicted in July 1920

     

    In ten days time, on 20th January 2017, the world will watch in horror as a reality television “star” is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America.

     

    Bizarrely, this was predicted in July 1920 by H. L. Mencken, a journalist known as the ‘Sage of Baltimore’, in a column for the city’s Evening Sun newspaper. He wrote:

     

    The larger the mob, the harder the test. In small areas, before small electorates, a first-rate man occasionally fights his way through, carrying even the mob with him by force of his personality. But when the field is nationwide, and the fight must be waged chiefly at second and third hand, and the force of personality cannot so readily make itself felt, then all the odds are on the man who is, intrinsically, the most devious and mediocre – the man who can most easily adeptly disperse the notion that his mind is a virtual vacuum.

     

    The Presidency tends, year by year, to go to such men. As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. We move toward a lofty ideal. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.

     

    Mencken plainly foresaw the Presidency of Donald Trump and he equally surmised how Twitter would play its part in his rise. America has ditched reason and its chosen deviousness and mediocrity. God help us all.

     

  • Love at first sight

    Love at first sight

    Stunning 1938 Bugatti that once formed part of the collection of the heir to Macy’s to be auctioned with a guide of £1.4 to £1.6 million (more…)

  • The Worst Marriage in Georgetown

    The Worst Marriage in Georgetown

    Story of the 2011 murder of 91-year old socialite Viola Herms Drath by her 47-year old bisexual fraudster husband Albrecht Gero Muth to be made into a film produced by Christoph Waltz (more…)

  • Her Grace Deborah Cavendish, The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire DCVO (1920 – 2014; née The Hon. Deborah Freeman-Mitford)

    Her Grace Deborah Cavendish, The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire DCVO (1920 – 2014; née The Hon. Deborah Freeman-Mitford)

    Duchess of DevonshireThe last surviving Mitford sister, the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire was nicknamed “the housewife duchess” (more…)

  • Price vs. Patience

    Price vs. Patience

    Stonebrook Court Manor: The sale of a Californian mansion where it’s more about patience than price

     

    Stonebrook Court Manor in California’s Los Altos Hills has been on and off the market since January 2008. Its owner, a “television executive turned Internet investor” and investment banker named Kelly Porter, though said to be “in no hurry to sell”, has reduced his asking price from £28.1 million ($45 million) to £16.8 million ($27 million) through Arthur Sharif & Associates. (more…)