This Kentuckian buccaneer founded Sea Containers in 1965. He is best known though buying the Hotel Cipriani in Venice for less than £1 million “on a whim” and reviving the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express. A true perfectionist with an attention to detail unlike any other, Sherwood was victorious in 2010 in a battle with the Cipriani family over their using his hotel’s name in London and also founded Harry’s Bar in Mayfair with Mark Birley. He is married to the leading expert on botanical art, Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE, and was once stranded at 16,000 feet in the Andes with Princess Michael of Kent after his helicopter had to make an emergency landing.
Nicky Haslam is a man of many parts. He’s best known as an interior designer and author but over the years, in chameleon like fashion, he’s variously styled himself as Liam Gallagher, bought a house in Transylvania on the net and once told Vanity Fair he’d rather meet Kim Jong Il than Nelson Mandela. Whether he’s partying with Paris Hilton or working with a Russian oligarch, Haslam’s character and charm always shine through and for good reason he tops the list of the most invited in the land.
Nicky Haslam’s “Total Control”
Nicky Haslam’s life has been well documented in many a column but his latest move, recording a debut album entitled Midnight Matinée, can certainly be described as a bold departure. Yes, he did cabaret at Bellamy’s in 2009 and The Savoy in 2010 but having heard the first song, this truly does represent something akin to Kevin Spacey’s Beyond the Sea. I must admit that I thought it vastly superior.
Produced by David Ogilvy, who wrote the music for a BBC film about the interior designer, Total Control is the first in the series of songs to be released. It is accompanied by a video by a Canadian filmmaker named Douglas Arrowsmith.
We at The Steeple Times very much like Haslam’s “highly individual” foray into the “contemporary music scene” and for that reason make it our video of the week.
This stylish Anglo-Italian entrepreneur was one of the founders of Quintessentially. Charm personified, Del Bono now assists wealthy foreigners invest in London’s finest homes and businesses. His most talked about venture is a £100 million project that will turn 50 St James’s Street into a member’s club, spa and hotel. In the residential sector, he represented a Ukranian who purchased Hanover Lodge in Regent’s Park for £120 million: Britain’s most expensive single family residence. His is a Rolodex that is second to none.
This Mayfair based property tycoon was born in Tehran and owns a Mangusta motor yacht named “Veni Vidi Vici” (“I came, I saw, I conquered”). His Rolls-Royce Phantom, numberplate “2V,” is often spotted outside London’s finest establishments and an SFO investigation into his business affairs has now been sensibly put to bed.
He’s the gent who successfully led the campaign against Westminster Council’s ludicrous attempt to expand parking charges in the West End. He’s also Mayfair’s leading estate agent and the man credited with bringing residential life back to the area. He’s well known for wearing red socks and for his love of cigars.
“Britain’s ultimate interior designer” is a man of many talents and guises. Haslam flits from party to party by night, but by day writes, edits and designs. He’s performed cabaret at The Savoy and Bellamy’s and interior watercolour renderings by him are held by the Victoria & Albert Museum. This trendsetter’s life is indeed summed up by the title of one of his books: Sheer Opulence.
This Old Etonian describes himself on Twitter as an optimist, libertarian and cyclist. Warrender co-founded the Knightsbridge School and has been involved in wealth management and investment banking for several decades. He claims the new club he raised funds for in Mayfair will “put the heart” back into Hertford Street. With him and Robin Birley at the helm, no one is doubting it.
Drummond Money-Coutts is an English magician and card sharp whose name could also be taken to mean “Bank Money Bank”. One of the Coutts family, Money-Coutts shares his Christian name with Drummonds Bank and is the grandson of Lord “Bill” Deedes, the inspiration for Evelyn Waugh’s William Boot. He has performed for HM The Queen, holds private residences at Annabel’s and George and even has a pair of slippers named after him.
Profile: The very well connected Jacqueline Branston
Jacqueline, Jackie to her friends, Branston is a lady described by the Who’s Really Who author Richard Compton-Miller as being one that: “hears, sees and says nothing.” Discretion is a key part of her makeup and with the launch of her new concierge business, many others will undoubtedly benefit from her access to the highest echelons.
Jacqueline "Jackie" Branston
Aged 15, Branston was discovered by a talent scout whilst on a secretarial course. She appeared in an advertisement for The Cutty Sark clipper ship in Time Magazine and was then headhunted by the Lucie Clayton modeling agency.
In turn, huge success followed. Branston starred in commercials for Cadbury’s, Fry’s Turkish Delight, Bisto and Peter Stuyvesant cigarettes and was photographed by Patrick Anson, the 5th Earl of Lichfield. She dated both Warren Beatty and George Hamilton.
A move to New York followed and Branston became friends with Andy Warhol, who sketched her, and involved in all manner of activities in the arts. A career change after gaining an art degree from the Institute of Contemporary Art led her into organising exhibitions for emerging artists. These became renowned not only because of the quality of the works of those she represented but also due to the gravitas of those who attended them.
In the social whirlwind that ensued, Branston was even kidnapped by the Berber tribe whilst at the 50th birthday party of publisher Malcolm Forbes in Tangiers. She successfully turned her hand to charitable fundraising as well, helping Helen de Rothschild with the restoration of Versailles and in raising funds for statues of Mozart in Orange Square, SW1 and Raoul Wallenberg in Great Cumberland Place, W1.
Back in London, today, Branston is utilising her connections to help visitors from China, Russia and the Middle East. With her chauffeur driven Mercedes, she offers access to the best events, restaurants and clubs. She can secure access to the most elusive theatre tickets or provide introductions to personalities and most of all show you a London that you never new existed.
Jacqueline Branston is truly a lady for all seasons. Make sure you’ve got her details in your Rolodex.
For more information on Jacqueline Branston’s concierge service, email her at:[email protected]
This Kentuckian buccaneer founded Sea Containers in 1965. He is best known though buying the Hotel Cipriani in Venice for less than £1 million “on a whim” and reviving the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express. A true perfectionist with an attention to detail unlike any other, Sherwood was victorious in 2010 in a battle with the Cipriani family over their using his hotel’s name in London and also founded Harry’s Bar in Mayfair with Mark Birley. He is married to the leading expert on botanical art, Dr Shirley Sherwood OBE, and was once stranded at 16,000 feet in the Andes with Princess Michael of Kent after his helicopter had to make an emergency landing.
