Tag: 2015

Over-Engineered

Essex “neo Georgian Palladian” residence created from an ordinary detached house marketed for £5.4 million; it is a bit of a mish-mash and described as “over-engineered”

Estate agents normally wax lyrical about properties they are marketing but in the case of £5.4 million ($6.7 million, €6.3 million or درهم24.8million) Threshers House at Threshers Bush, near Harlow in Essex, Beresfords bizarrely go as far as to describe it as “over-engineered”.

Situated on a plot of 11.5 acres and redeveloped and extended since 2010 by an “award winning builder” named Paul Pickering, the 7,409 square foot main residence offered is described as being “neo Georgian Palladian” in style. Given such an architectural period doesn’t exist as a sole entity, it is a bit of a mish-mash but given the new building is an improvement on the plain house that it has been created from, one can be forgiving of the result.

The old Threshers House, Hobbs Cross Road, Threshers Bush, Harlow, Essex, CM17 0NP

The new Threshers House, Hobbs Cross Road, Threshers Bush, Harlow, Essex, CM17 0NP

The old interior of the building and the new interior

A proposed design that was ultimately rejected by planning officials at Epping Forest District Council

Aside from a somewhat ostentatious South Fork-esque portico entrance, Threshers House is presented without kitchens and bathrooms so as to allow “incoming purchasers to design to their own requirements”. It includes 5 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms and a 2-bedroom first floor flat and comes with planning permission for a 1,400 square foot orangery and underground leisure facility. Within the grounds is a completed 1,988 square foot 3 bedroom cottage, a 886 square foot bungalow, a 768 square foot bungalow and a 1,386 square foot six car garage.

Elsewhere and benefitting from separate access, a tiled stable and thatched barn complex provides accommodation for 14 horses and was previously run as a business named Threshers Equestrian. It comes with a horse walker, floodlit manège, lunging room and hard standing as well as a number of paddocks.

Threshers House – which is situated about 40 minutes drive from Canary Wharf – is also available for £3.25 million ($4.06 million, €3.81 million or درهم14.92 million) with just 5 acres of land and minus the ancillary accommodation.

April 3, 2017
A Treble Two

Miss Marple-esque thatched cottage for sale for a sum 129% higher than it achieved in 2014; it has 2 reception rooms, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

Sold last in October 2014 for £175,000, Fussells Cottage in the “unspoilt” Wiltshire village of Wedhampton is again for sale for £400,000 ($497,000, €460,000 or درهم1.8 million).

Named after the occupational description for a spinner and situated next to an old mill, the 1,167 square foot, Grade II listed house on offer had its roof rethatched in January 2015. It consists of 2 reception rooms, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

Offered to market by agents Hamptons, the extended cottage retains many period features and comes with an oak framed car barn in its grounds.

March 29, 2017
A Right to Rape

That a man who raped a 12-year old child has walked free is an utter disgrace

Daniel Cieslak met a 12-year old child in a taxi queue in Edinburgh city centre at 4am on 31^st July 2015. He took her to a friend’s flat, had sexual intercourse with her and on being arrested “became distressed” and told detectives he had been led to believe she was 16.

On the 17^th March, Cieslak, a Polish born, 21-year old student at Napier University, pleaded guilty to rape but was shockingly discharged without sentence and without requirement to sign the sex offenders’ register at the High Court in Glasgow.

The judge in the case, Lady Scott, took what she described as the “wholly exceptional” decision to “discharge [Cieslak] absolutely” despite the fact that she accepted that a victim under 13 years is “deemed incapable of consent”. She remarked: “Whilst there is no defence to this offence because of strict liability, the fact is that you would have had a defence if the victim had been a few months older”.

That Daniel Cieslak escaped punishment is an utter disgrace. It is true that the girl he raped lied to him and told him she was far older than her years, but that he claimed he did not know the true age of what essentially is a child seems a little far-fetched. In response, Isabelle Kerr, manager of Glasgow’s Rape Crisis Centre told The Scottish Sun:

“The law really can’t be any clearer. If someone is under the age of 16 they cannot give consent – therefore a 12-year old is not able to consent”.

“It’s a concern to be talking about someone of that age as an ‘active participant’. It’s going down the road of victim blaming, something we’ve been working to tackle”.

“I would be concerned that young women might be deterred from reporting rape if they feel they are not going to be believed or not taken seriously”.

Whilst Lady Scott may be of the view that “justice [has been] best served” by her judgment, we agree with those who say that she got it wrong. That Daniel Cieslak walked free is entirely wrong and that a website named Tabloid Corrections claimed that he is an “innocent man” is even worse. As with the case of the convicted but not jailed paedophile Andrew Picard, all this result does is to bring shame on Britain’s legal system.

March 21, 2017
Bring Back Abdulhak

Father of Martine Vik Magnussen again calls for his daughter’s wealthy Arabic suspected killer to face justice nine years after her death

Nine years have passed since Martine Vik Magnussen, after being caught on camera leaving Mayfair’s Maddox Club, was raped and murdered in Great Portland Street, London. Her suspected killer, a wealthy brat named Farouk Abdulhak has never been caught and, to this day, lives in luxury with his family in Yemen.

On Wednesday, Miss Magnussen’s Norwegian father, Petter, issued yet another appeal for justice through The Mirror. In his statement, he remarked:

“We never imagined nine years ago that we would be in this position today”.

“We had hoped that Farouk Abdulhak would by now have had the courage to return to the UK and allow for the legal processes to proceed”.

“Sadly that is not the case, he remains at large, hiding from justice and putting myself and my family through intolerable pain”.

“Martine was a beautiful daughter and our search for justice will never cease”.

Suspected killer and rapist Farouk Abdulhak continues to live a playboy lifestyle thanks to the wealth and connections of his family

The son of a wealthy businessman named Shaher Abdulhak, Farouk Abdulhak remains at large and due to Britain having no extradition agreement with Yemen continues to do as he pleases. It is shameful and wrong and despite repeated calls for him to return to the UK to face justice, he will likely never give himself up.

Those with information should contact the police on +44 (0) 20 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers on +44 (0) 800 555 111.

March 15, 2017
Nelson & Nintendo

Georgian mansion, where Admiral Lord Nelson lived with his lover and her husband, for sale for £4.25 million; it was renovated by a former Nintendo executive

One would expect a senior executive of a tech company to live in a slick, modern home in Silicon Valley, but since 2004, Matthew Hill, for many years a senior manager at Nintendo, has called a Grade II listed manor house named Fir Hill in Hampshire’s Meon Valley home.

Built in 1765 and the scene of one of the most famous ménages à trois in history when home to Sir William Hamilton, his wife Emma and Admiral Horatio, 1^st Viscount Nelson in 1801 to 1802, the 7,905 square foot “Georgian masterpiece” includes 3 reception rooms, 7 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. It stands in 5.2 acres of land and comes with a two-storey stable block with potential for secondary accommodation.

Mr Hill purchased the property from Mrs Vida Schreiber, previously Lady Clive, after the death of her husband, Brigadier Schreiber. He met intellectual property lawyer Georgy Evans in 2007 and married her in St Mary and All Saints church in Droxford in 2012 and in the time since, aside from completing the renovation of Fir Hill, the couple have worked together creating a website that comprehensively details the entire history of the building.

Of the renovation and why they are now selling, Matthew Hill told Hampshire Life:

“The renovation work took us 10 years on and off. Our architect said, you either have a big bang and not live here for two years or work in phases. We decided to do the work in four phases which meant we could live here, moving around the house as each phase was completed. The experience of living in the house helped with the restoration… It’s a lovely house, with a lovely feeling, but too big for the two of us now”.

Fir Hill is for sale for £4.25 million ($5.17 million, €4.87 million or درهم19.07 million) through Christie’s Real Estate.

March 14, 2017
Power Pays

That a convicted paedophile is able to avoid a jail sentence is an utter disgrace especially given pensioners get locked up for non-payment of TV licence fees; Old Etonian Andrew Picard shouldn’t be on the streets, he should be in the clink

Andrew Picard (AKA Andrew Laurence and Andrew Boeckman) was caught with 1,185 indecent images of children as young as eight on his computer. He admitted to possessing videos of a three year old being raped, children being forced to have sex with dogs and sharing indecent images on Skype with an undercover policeman yet he was spared jail and handed a derisory non-custodial sentence late last month.

Eton College, Berkshire and Williams College, Massachusetts educated former USA swimmer Picard – who changed his name from Andrew Boeckman to protect the supposed “good reputation” of his wealthy family during his trial – received a sentence of just 10 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months for ten counts of possessing child pornography in late February and thus, one must ask: “Why wasn’t he locked up?”

Justifying why he spared Picard of Probyn House, Page Street, Westminster jail and why he also decided not to place this privileged pervert and predator on the sex offenders’ register, Judge Peter Ross remarked:

“It has been said that you and your family have suffered deeply as a result of your arrest and public exposure. Your family didn’t deserve that… [Prison] would undo the counseling you have undergone”.

Sallie Bennett-Jenkins QC, defending, added:

“This is a young and very able man who has hopes for the future… He was able to have this opportunity [to seek help] and this was something Andrew sought for himself, by himself”.

In a country where our government actively pursues jail sentences for pensioners refusing to pay their TV licence fees, it is a disgrace that the son of a prominent American lawyer named Philip J. Boeckman manages to avoid prison in spite of the seriousness of his offences. This utterly contemptible decision is something that brings only shame on Britain.

March 12, 2017
An Economical Plate

Rare 1952 Austin A90 Atlantic to be auctioned complete with plate ‘GDP 137’; it is a fine example of an affordable and quirky classic

Described as an “unrestored oily-rag example”, a 1952 Austin A90 Atlantic saloon to be offered for sale by Classic Car Auctions has a design that echoes a 1946 Pininfarina bodied Alfa Romeo and comes with a number plate – GDP 137 – that might appeal to an economist.

The rare 2.6-litre car is said to be one of just thirty left in Britain and was used by present and previous owners in a number of UK rallies and driving tours on the continent also. It was given replacement brakes in 2014, had its engine professionally rebuilt in 2016 and was converted to unleaded at the same time.

CCA have set an estimate of £8,500 to £10,500 ($10,300 to $12,800, €9,700 to €12,000 or درهم 38,000 to درهم 46,900) for this quirky little Austin. It will be sold at their Practical Classics Car & Restoration Show sale at The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham on 1^st April.

March 12, 2017
Barbed Manors

Grade II* listed Kent manor house for sale for £3.95 million; the purchaser will get a controversial £107.9 million EuroMillions jackpot winner as their neighbour

Sold last in 2009 for £1.9 million (the equivalent of £2.3 million, $2.8 million, €2.2 million or درهم 10.3 million today), Waystrode Manor at Cowden, near Edenbridge in Kent is a Grade II* listed manor house.

For sale currently for £3.95 million ($4.81 million, €4.56 million or درهم 17.65 million) through Savills, the main 4,435 square foot house dates back as far, perhaps, as 1208. The present Tudor residence includes 4 reception rooms, 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, but aside from that there is a 3 bedroom cottage, a converted oast house providing a recreation space, a Grade II listed double vaulted timber frame barn, an orangery and a coach house.

Within the 7.8 acres of formal and informal gardens and grounds of this attractive, restored property – which has been offered as a film and photo shoot location through the JJ Media agency – there is also an outdoor swimming pool, a hard tennis court, three ponds and an orchard.

Though the eventual purchaser of Waystrode Manor will of course be a multi-millionaire, they will most likely not be nearly as rich as their controversial neighbours, Neil Trotter and his partner Nikki Ottaway. Mr Trotter won £107.9 million ($131.4million, €124.6 million or درهم 482.4 million) on the EuroMillions lottery in 2014 and subsequently bought the adjoining 423-acre estate, Leighton Manor, for £5 million ($6.1 million, €5.8 million or درهم 22.4 million). In 2016, Trotter and Ottaway were “slammed” in the national press by locals after installing what was termed an “unsightly” barbed wire fence.

Neil Trotter was a garage mechanic before he won a EuroMillions jackpot

Waystrode Manor, Spode Lane, Cowden, Edenbridge, Kent, TN8 7HW

A sitting room in the main house

A drawing room with an equally imposing fireplace

This hallway is used as a dining space

Whilst this is described as a breakfast room

The kitchen is one of the few “modern” rooms in the main building

The master bedroom has its own bathroom

This barn is Grade II listed

It features a double height, vaulted interior

An oast house stands in the grounds also

The interior of the building

A view of the gardens

This orangery is quite impressive from the outside

As is its interior

There is a tennis court

And a swimming pool

A further outbuilding

The setting

Another view of the main house

March 9, 2017
Warring Ward

Champagne swiller Dawn Ward “at war” with one-time friend and fellow WAG and cast member of ‘The Real Housewives of Cheshire’ Leanne Brown

Yesterday, The Sun on Sunday reported that a favourite of all at The Steeple Times, Dawn Ward, is “at war over a £500,000 loan”.

43-year old Mrs Ward, whose attempts at interior design at her naff Cheshire mansion have left it lingering on the market at the overly ambitious price of £12 million since 2015, is said to have borrowed the cash from Leanne Brown, a fellow footballer’s wife, in 2013 and hasn’t paid it back.

Dawn Ward (right) and Leanne Brown in happier times

A “source” close to 40-year old Mrs Brown and her husband, Wes, 37, told The Sun on Sunday:

“Dawn asked to borrow the cash. They agreed, but with interest payable after six months”.

“It seems to them she took advantage of their kindness and has no intention of giving it back”.

“They spoke to solicitors and sent a legal letter spelling out their intention of taking her to court”.

“Leanne and Dawn used to be great friends, so it is a shame things have reached this point”.

“But her failure to pay back the loan has really soured their friendship, and now they feel they have no choice if they want to see their money again”.

“The tension between the pair during filming is palpable. Last week tempers flared [on the set of The Real Housewives of Cheshire] again and a glass was smashed”.

A spokesperson for champagne obsessed, Prosecco hating Mrs Ward, whose 2016 conviction for assault also made headlines, remarked:

“We have been friends for years and have completed many business deals together and everybody is aware that money is owed on both sides. We have tried to arrange a meeting to clear this up but the offer has not been accepted”.

February 13, 2017
Rumblings in Pont Street

Scene of a Dawn Ward shoving match Salmontini closes to makes way for a new restaurant by chef Nuno Goncalves; next door, hotel The Hari replaces its Pont Street restaurant too

Opened in September 2014, Salmontini was a restaurant in Belgravia’s Pont Street that was never going to be a hit. Aside from its weird name, it was the scene of a fish fuelled fight between the former pop singer Sinitta and the champagne loving, Prosecco hating Real Housewives of Cheshire “star” Dawn Ward in September 2015. Mrs Ward, a balayage haired woman with an attitude to social media usage similar to Donald Trump, was subsequently convicted of assault in June 2016.

On Thursday on Facebook, former 12 Hay Hill chef Nuno Goncalves announced that he is to take over Salmontini’s premises as chef-patron. He stated:

“1 Pont St. House will be my new venture, where you can expect a relaxed atmosphere, classy fine dining where the emphasis is on the best quality farm and urban farm to table produce, the season’s best foraged ingredients cooked with an array of old meets new cooking techniques”.

The double-fronted building, which was previously occupied by amongst others The Palm and Drones, stands next to The Hari (formerly the Belgraves London hotel). Its strangely decorated restaurant, Pont Street by Sophie Michell, closed recently too and will be replaced in February by an Italian bar and restaurant named Il Pampero.

Salmontini has now closed down

Pont Street at the former Belgraves London hotel is currently undergoing renovation

February 3, 2017