Tag: 1970s

  • Rotten Rolf

    Rotten Rolf

    As convicted paedo Rolf Harris walks free from court and his nutty supporters once again reveal themselves, it must be remembered he is still a convicted abuser of girls as young as eight

     

    Rolf Harris might well have walked free from court on Monday after a jury failed to reach a verdict on historical assault charges against three teenagers, but the public should remember one thing: This monster is still a monster and he is still a man convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault on victims as young as 8 years old.

     

    Outside the court and once again failing to show an ounce of compassion to those he had previously been jailed for molesting, a spokesman for Harris read out a statement. In it, Harris remarked:

     

    “While I’m pleased that this is all I over I feel no sense of victory, just relief. I’m 87 years old, my wife is in ill health and we simply want to spend our remaining time together in peace”.

     

    Rightly stripped of his MBE, OBE and CBE, the former television presenter and shockingly bad performer – best known for now seemingly rather inappropriate renditions such as Two Little Boys – should now do the decent thing. ‘Rotten Rolf’ should simply fade into obscurity and forever be consigned to social Siberia.

     

    Elsewhere, on Change.org, loopy ‘fans’ of the paedophile took the opportunity to brag about the verdict on a page titled: “A man who is innocent and knows he is innocent”. One, Cardiff based, Milford Haven School educated Sally Roberts, ridiculously commented: “This is as good as an innocent verdict considering there was no evidence to prove either way” before delusionally adding: “And an appeal over his first trial is imminent!!”

     

    Pictured above: Paedophile Rolf Harris with his “tireless [or ‘blind to his guilt’] supporter”, niece Jenny Harris.

     

    Rotten Rolf – Paedo Rolf Harris might be free but he’s still a paedo
    Rolf Harris was mobbed by the media as he left court with Jenny Harris on Tuesday 30th May 2017
  • Geoffrey Bayldon (1924 – 2017)

    Geoffrey Bayldon (1924 – 2017)

    Wacky Leeds born actor Geoffrey Bayldon was best known for playing Catweazle in the 1970s series of the same name as the Crowman in Worzel Gummidge. Bayldon also played ‘Q’ in Casino Royale in 1967, was gay, turned down the role of Dr Who twice thinking the series “too long” and enjoyed collecting watercolour paintings, gardening and walking.

     

    Wacky, gay actor and Catweazle star Geoffrey Bayldon (1924 – 2017) – Leeds born actor Geoffrey Bayldon was best known for playing Catweazle in the 1970s series of same name. He turned down playing Dr Who twice Wacky, gay actor and Catweazle star Geoffrey Bayldon (1924 – 2017) – Leeds born actor Geoffrey Bayldon was best known for playing Catweazle in the 1970s series of same name. He turned down playing Dr Who twice Wacky, gay actor and Catweazle star Geoffrey Bayldon (1924 – 2017) – Leeds born actor Geoffrey Bayldon was best known for playing Catweazle in the 1970s series of same name. He turned down playing Dr Who twice

  • Marlene’s Motor

    Marlene’s Motor

    1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet to be auctioned; it attracted the attentions of Marlene Dietrich and has a Hermés interior

     

    In October 1949, the chameleon-like actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) was photographed “descending elegantly” from a custom-built T26 Talbot Grand Sport by coachbuilders Franay at the Paris Salon. That car subsequently won the 1er Grand Prix d’Honneur at the Concours d’Enghien in June 1950 and is now due to be sold at auction in May.

     

    The “outrageously exclusive” short-wheelbase Grand Sport, chassis 110121, was first presented in white and came with a luxurious red leather interior and fitted luggage by Hermés. It was described as “an automobile destined for the serious sportsman and chic Parisian society in equal measure”.

     

    Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)
    Marlene Dietrich “descending elegantly from the car, the crowd surrounding it completely mesmerized – a very rare instance of the occupant upstaging a Grand Sport” at the Paris Salon in October 1949
    Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)
    As it is presented today – The 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay

     

    Subsequently subject to another makeover by Franay whilst still owned by Talbot in the winter of 1950, the 4.5-litre car was presented at the Brussels Auto Show in January 1951 in black with a new, simpler grille design. After appearing at the Concours de la Grande Cascade that summer, the vehicle passed into the ownership of an unknown “manufacturer of hard candies” and was given yet another grille – this time in the style Pininfarina Ferrari 212 Inter.

     

    Returning to the Concours d’Enghien in June 1952 and then having its final appearance on the Franay stand at the 1953 Paris Salon, the Grand Sport was sold to a butcher from Versailles. It was bought for just $800 (the equivalent of £5,100, $6,600, €6,100 or درهم24,200 today) in 1960 by Jim Bandy, an American military officer stationed in France, and then taken by him to Baltimore, Maryland in 1963. Sold on several times and subject to an engine swap with a Talbot Grand Sport Saoutchik coupé, chassis 110101, the car was partially dismantled in the 1970s and it was not until 1992 that its restoration was to properly begin under the guidance of the highly regarded Austrian restorer Egon Zweimüller.

     

    Completed in 2010, the restored “one-off cabriolet” is now described as “compelling and unprecedented”. It again has a Hermés interior and luggage – this time in black – and has been verified by the Talbot-Lago and Saoutchik authority Peter M. Larsen.

     

    Offered with an unsurprisingly punchy estimate of £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) by RM Sotheby’s, the 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay will be sold at Villa Erba on Lake Como on the 27th May.

     

    Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) Marlene’s Motor – 1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet by Franay – Estimate £1 million to £1.3 million ($1.3 million to $1.6 million, €1.2 million to €1.5 million or درهم4.8 million to درهم6 million) – To be sold by RM Sotheby’s on 27th May 2017 at Villa Erba, Largo Luchino Visconti, 4, 22012 Cernobbio CO, Italy – Actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992)

  • A Kinky Car

    A Kinky Car

    1960 Bentley S2 currently owned by musician Sir Ray Davies to be auctioned; he wrote the hit song ‘Apeman’ on its back seat

     

    A 1960 Bentley S2 owned but rarely used by Sir Ray Davies CBE – best known for hits with The Kinks that included You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night – is to be sold at auction in May.

     

    Presented in unrestored condition after having been left in storage since 1991, the 6.2-litre car was purchased by the musician in 1970 and previously belonged to George Greenfield – agent to Enid Blyton, John le Carré, Sir Francis Chichester, Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE, Sir Rex Harrison, Sir Stirling Moss and David Niven.

     

    Of the black with red leather interior car, the musician once remarked:

     

    After success the success of ‘Lola’ I was persuaded by my family to invest in a big car, which was unusual for me because I did not drive. However, I succumbed to the pressure and purchased a second-hand Bentley from Hadleigh Green Garage in Barnet… My (then) wife drove it on my behalf because as I previously mentioned I was unable to drive.


    We lived in a little semi in Muswell Hill and the neighbours were in shock and awe when they saw this huge black Bentley drive up along the narrow shingle path to the house. We subsequently went on a family holiday in the Bentley to Cornwall. While on our holiday in Mullion I sat in the back seat of the Bentley and wrote a follow up to Lola called ‘Apeman’ on the Spanish guitar which I carried in the back.


    The Kinks used it in a photo shoot for the ‘Preservation’ album and it still exists in some old black and white footage of us posing as gangsters outside KONK studios.


    When I moved to Surrey in the 1970s the car came down with me, I still could not drive and I was forty-four before I tried for my licence. It was occasionally taken out for special events like weddings and family outings. The Kinks took it on the road in England but the fans started writing on the car with lipstick and our (then) manager Ken Jones promptly retired my car to the garage.

     

    Silverstone Auctions have placed an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000 to درهم142,000) on the vehicle. They will sell it at Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire on 13th May.

     

    Of the classic car, Arwel Richards of Silverstone Auctions told ClassicCars.com: “It is rare to auction a car direct from rock royalty, and this Bentley offers an incredible opportunity for rock ‘n roll fans and Bentley aficionados alike”.

     

    A Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George GreenfieldA Kinky Car – Sir Ray Davies owned 1960 Bentley S2 to be auctioned by Silverstone Auctions at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire on 13th May 2017 with an estimate of £25,000 to £30,000 ($32,000 to $39,000, €29,000 to €35,000 or درهم118,000) – Previously owned by literary agent George Greenfield

  • Wally of the Week – Sir Michael Caine

    Wally of the Week – Sir Michael Caine

    Actor Michael Caine claims to be “a socialist” in spite of having been involved in a tax avoidance scheme and previously leaving Britain to avoid the top rate of tax in the 1970s

     

    Sir Michael Caine, CBE is a man who flip-flops like no other and whose political views are best described as “chaotic”. Though a man known for fleeing Britain for America to avoid high taxes in the 1970s and a man named as an investor in a tax avoidance scheme named Liberty in 2014, the pro-Brexit actor has this week called himself a “socialist” and went as far to say: “I wouldn’t live in a country that didn’t pay income tax”.

     

    In an interview with the Catholic newspaper The Universe, Sir Michael remarked:

     

    “I’m a socialist, basically. I want as much money as possible for poor people, to help whoever’s in trouble. I wouldn’t live in a country that didn’t pay income tax”.

     

    “What you have to do is keep emotion out of it. You can’t say: ‘We hate these rich people, we’re going to tax them to smithereens’. You’ve got to have them stay in your country and pay the tax”.

     

    A public supporter of Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron and even Tony Blair, Sir Michael was forced to pay a significant sum to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs after being exposed as part of the Liberty scheme and also made a fool of himself in another regard. The actor also told The Universe:

     

    “In order to do something good, I don’t just do work which is no good. I don’t do commercials’.

     

    In 2013, he was paid a six-figure sum to film a commercial for Sky television. How conveniently the man forgets.

     

  • Billionaire Battersea

    Billionaire Battersea

    Historic Battersea mansion for sale for the same sum it was marketed for in 2011; it has been mostly empty throughout the intervening period and was renovated by the late billionaire Malcolm Forbes

    Billionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes was a man who liked to live large. He had a huge yacht named The Highlander, threw lavish parties across the globe and counted Gianni Agnelli, Gordon Getty, Calvin Klein, Robert Maxwell, Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump as friends. This “mysterious collector” also owned numerous residences and one of these, Old Battersea House in London, is for sale for the same sum as it was marketed for in 2011.

     

    Often seen with Elizabeth Taylor at his side and described as “living life in the fabulous”, Forbes purchased Old Battersea House in 1971. It had previously been home to and saved from demolition by Battersea Council by the eccentric author and ghost hunter Wilhemina Stirling. She took up a lifetime tenancy on the building in 1931 and used it to house artworks by her sister, Evelyn de Morgan (1855 – 1919).

     

    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Businessman and publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990) with seven times married actress Dame Elizabeth Taylor DBE (1932 – 2011) at his lavish 70th birthday party at the Palais Mendoub, Tangier, Morocco in 1989
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) owned the house prior to Malcolm Forbes
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Christopher ‘Kip’ Forbes (born 1951) assisted his father restore Old Battersea House and later oversaw the family selling its art collection in 2003 and 2009

     

    Grade II* listed since 1954 and adapted during Forbes and subsequently his son Kip’s ownership to showcase a vast collection of Victorian art and antiques, Old Battersea House was built on Tudor foundations in 1699 and was at first known as ‘Terrace House’. It originally had gardens extending down to the River Thames and is rumoured to have been designed by Sir Christopher Wren (1632 – 1723).

     

    Featuring “handsome classical proportions throughout” and standing within a 110-foot wide walled garden, the 10,100 square foot house includes 4 reception rooms, 10 double bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. It has off-street parking and a garden store but it is sadly overlooked by the adjoining housing estate that was built in its grounds in the 1930s.

     

    Savills seek £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) for Old Battersea House.

     

    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    The impressive hallway of Old Battersea House
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Another entertaining space
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Elizabeth Taylor and her then husband Larry Fortensky at Old Battersea House in 1992
    Billionaire Battersea – Old Battersea House, 30 Vicarage Crescent, Battersea, London, SW11 3LD, United Kingdom – Formerly Terrace House – For sale through Savills for £12 million ($15 million, €14 million or درهم54.9 million) – Former home of eccentric author and ghost hunter A. M. D. Wilhemina Stirling (1865 – 1965) and billionaire publisher Malcolm S. Forbes (1919 – 1990)
    Images of the house as it was furnished during the ownership of the Forbes family

  • Reducing a Kennedy

    Reducing a Kennedy

    Former home of Jacqueline Kennedy in Georgetown, Washington reduced in price by £600,000; she lived there in 1964 before moving to Manhattan

     

    Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) and the first home of Jacqueline Kennedy post the assassination of her husband, 3017 N St NW in Georgetown, Washington first went on the market in June 2016.

     

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    Jacqueline Kennedy leaving the house in 1964

     

    Offered by Washington Fine Property, the 6 bedroom, 5.5 bathroom, 7,000 square foot residence dates to 1794 and features “extraordinary proportions and entertaining spaces”. It was home to Secretary of War, Newton D. Baker, during the First World War and was owned by a former Miss America, Yolande Betbeze Fox, from the 1970s until her death in February this year.

     

    Now in need of some renovation, Mrs Kennedy bought the house in late 1963, moved in in February 1964 and moved out later that year. According to <em>The Wall Street Journal, she is said to have left because the property was “too exposed to tourists and the press, with tour buses stopping outside the house throughout the day and sightseers peering into the windows”.

     

    Also featuring an elevator to link its five floors, Kennedy sold to her stepsister Nina Auchincloss Steers and her husband, Michael Straight.

     

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    From the front

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    The drawing room

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    The dining room

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    The staircase

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    From the rear

    Reducing a Kennedy – 3017 N St NW, Washington, DC 20007 – Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم‎‎35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم‎‎33.038 million) – Home of Jacqueline Kennedy in 1964
    Yolande Betbeze Fox

  • A Tremendous Triangle

    A Tremendous Triangle

    Iconic modernist house in Connecticut by renowned architect John Black Lee reduced in price by 60%

     

    Award winning architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) was born in Chicago and took influence from the ‘Harvard Five’ architects Marcel Breur and Philip C. Johnson. He built, for his own occupation, a house 48 miles outside of New York at 160 Mill Road, New Caanan in Fairfield County, Connecticut and now, following his death at the age of 91, it is for sale.

     

    A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)

     

    A Quaker and Brown educated, Black Lee, is often referenced as the ‘Sixth of the Harvard Five’ and is best known for the ‘Desilver House’ he built in 1961. He worked as an apprentice carpenter for Walter Gropius, was a father of three and also wrote a book about free diving.

     

    Construction of 160 Mill Road – or the ‘Triangle House’ as some have referenced it – commenced in 1990 and though it is “unfinished”, Black Lee lived there for 25 years. It stands above the Silvermine River and is built on its banks and into the hill. Made entirely from concrete, the 1,980 square foot property features an open floor plan with a cantilevered terrace, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

     

    Of the property, which stands in 2.54 acres of land, Black Lee once remarked: “This house is the only one in New Canaan that you enter through a skylight” and amongst its features are a massive triangular brick fireplace that anchors the building, a skylight that floods light throughout and views across the surrounding wilderness.

     

    In August 2016, selling agent Susan Blabey of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty spoke about the house to The Hour. She commented:

     

    “You could never duplicate this house, but it could be finished. They wouldn’t let you build it like this today, this close to the water. It just needs someone who wants to roll up their sleeves and polish the apple”.

     

    On the market for at least 138 days and close to the Silvermine Golf Course, 160 Mill Road was originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million). Taxes stand at £9,028 ($11,409 or €10,740 or درهم‎‎41,900) per year – which will unlikely trouble the eventual purchaser: New Canaan has the highest median family income in the United States.

     

    The likely buyer? A modernist design fan looking for a truly unique weekend retreat.

     

    A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million) A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million) A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)

  • The VIP abuse of VIP abuse

    The VIP abuse of VIP abuse

    Investigation into VIP abuse must continue suggests Matthew Steeples (more…)

  • Bonded to a Rolls

    Bonded to a Rolls

    1959 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I drophead coupé owned by Bond set designer Sir Ken Adam to be auctioned at RM Sotheby’s Battersea sale tonight (more…)