Matthew Steeples reports on the sale of a rare 1992 Range Rover convertible created for the alleged sex pest playboy Prince Jefri of Brunei and comments on this shamed royal’s similarities to the Range Rover driving alleged sex pest formerly known as Prince Andrew
Both alleged sex pest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and alleged sex pest Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei have owned rather large and rather gaudy houses that curiously shared the same name, Sunninghill.
The first, Sunninghill Park, situated on the edge Windsor Great Park in Berkshire, England was sold by Queen Elizabeth II’s now disgraced second son in 2007 for a totally overinflated price to a Kazakh billionaire. It was mockingly nicknamed ‘South York’ and ‘Tesco Towers’ and ended up flattened. The second, plainer-without-the-‘Park’ Sunninghill, in Glen Head, Long Island, New York, escaped the wrecking ball, but sold most recently for just £5.5 million ($7.5 million) in 2024 against the £8.7 million ($11.8 million) the renegade Brunei royal had most definitely overpaid for it back in 2006. The 28-acre estate has thankfully been long stripped of the sickening ‘sex statues’ that Prince Jefri ended up in an expensive court case in regard to.
The former Sunninghill, Long Island, USA residence of Prince Jefri Bolkiah of Brunei and the since demolished Sunninghill Park, Berkshire, UK residence of the now former Duke of York and the now former Duchess of York, the money motivated proven liar Sarah Ferguson. Both homes became tainted by their associations with ostentation and grubby excess.Sunninghill, Glenhead, NY – which is just 26 miles from Manhattan – came to public attention in a 2010 court case Prince Jefri brought against former advisers when he unsuccessfully asked a judge to bar a jury from seeing photographs of pornographic statutes of himself and his former personal assistant and former fiancée, Micha Raines. Prince Jefri ultimately lost the case and had to pay out £16.5 million ($21 million) in damages.The Sultan of Brunei, Hassanl Bolkiah, with his since estranged spendaholic brother Prince Jefri.Whilst driving a green Range Rover, the then still Prince Andrew nearly ran over a dog on the Long Walk in Windsor in April 2024. ‘The Sun’ observed: “Andrew took the kerfuffle in good humour and laughed as the dog’s mortified owner sprinted to retrieve it.”On another occasion in December 2021, a woman “of no fixed abode… sprinted up to the [then still] Duke of York’s Range Rover” and “thumped on the window.”The ex-Prince Jefri of Brunei 1992 Land Rover Range Rover Chamois by Vantagefield to be offered for sale by auction by RM Sotheby’s on 23rd January 2026.
Equally, also connecting this pair of dastardly degenerates is that both have owned multiple Land Rover Range Rovers over many decades. Whilst the rotten royal formerly known as Prince Andrew’s Range Rovers have only been adapted with discrete security features such as covert police lighting, Prince Jefri and also his brother the Sultan of Brunei’s examples are on another level in terms of opulence.
Going to auction on 23rd January at the RM Sotheby’s Arizona 206 sale is a 1992 Range Rover described as a “Chamois convertible.” It was coachbuilt by Vantagefield of London – a firm that subsequently went out of business due to non-paying Kuwaitis during the Gulf War not coughing up for similarly ostentatious conversions – and is presented in black with “sumptuous” white leather. It comes with a fully lined, power-operated soft-top and a black removable hardtop also.
Of this fancy 4×4 that was supposedly delivered new to the Brunei royal family at their residence in Beverly Hills, California, RM Sotheby’s remark:
“Designed with hunting in mind, they could be fitted with hydraulic mechanisms to lift the seats above the roofline for unparalleled views of the quarry… An excellent choice for Range Rover enthusiasts seeking a unique variation of a timeless classic, this fascinating, rare convertible will surely stand out wherever it goes, be it cruising beaches or chasing quarry.”
It has 41,406-miles on the clock, but comes without any imagery of Prince Jefri ‘in-action’ in pursuit of “quarry” on the streets of Los Angeles. Offered this coming January without reserve and a guide of £74,000 to £111,000 ($100,000 to $150,000), the vehicle was last sold alongside a second similar example, a 1995 P38-A Range Rover 4.0 SE convertible coupé by German firm Styling Garage in September 1999 to a Southern Californian owner. The latter example was auctioned by RM Sotheby’s in the summer of 2025 and achieved a hammer price of £85,500 ($115,500).
The 1995 Land Rover Range Rover 4.0 SE Convertible coupé by Styling GarageThe “sexually charged” 1994 Range Rover LSE limousine by Townley Cross Country Vehicles. It was sold with a ‘Brucie bonus’ in the form of an invitation to the Cartier ‘Style at Lux’ Concours D’Elegance at the 2020 Goodwood Festival of Speed and innocently described as being perfect for simply “taking your extended family out to lunch” in.
On a flashier scale and also used by Mike Tyson in its later existence, The Steeple Times featured another of Prince Jefri’s Range Rovers in November 2019 when it was auctioned by H&H Classics in the UK. The 1994 Range Rover Classic LSE had been stretched by 40” and had its roof raised by 8” by Townley Cross Country Vehicles; it featured a lavish interior in oxblood Connolly hide, full electric centre division with glass panel; three rear seats (two electrically operated); full air conditioning; stereo/CD player and two remote control 8″ television monitors with a VHS recorder. The lavish limousine reportedly had cost £165,000 ($223,000) new or the equivalent of £351,000 ($474,000) today; it sold for just £33,200 ($45,000).
Unlike with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s former Range Rovers, those owned by alleged sex pest princes most definitely are not in the top league of car porn. A 2006 Land Rover Range Rover 4.2 Supercharged Vogue SE owned by the late monarch hammered down at the Iconic Auctioneers sale at Silverstone in August 2025 for an astonishing £175,500 ($237,000); an example without royal heritage is currently worth around £10,000 ($13,500).
Bungling berk Boris Johnson is supposedly upsizing and has allegedly bought the £4 million Brightwell Manor in Oxfordshire; the lavish lush that is the former Carrie Symonds will need a big budget if she is to clad the colossal 10,508 square foot crib in £840 per roll Lulu Lytle wallpaper
In November 2019, Country Life’s longstanding property correspondent described a “rare part-moated manor house set in almost five acres of gardens and grounds at the heart of the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, on the eastern edge of the Vale of the White Horse” named Brightwell Manor as a “forever home.”
Featured in The Times in an article by Liz Rowlinson in November last year after it “had three viewings so far from Americans,” the part-Tudor, part-Georgian house and its annexe and guest cottage provides a total of 10,508 square foot of accommodation over three floors. It has a total of 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and if The Guardian is to be believed, it has just been sold to the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his considerably younger than himself wife.
Brightwell Manor has been owned by the same family since 1971, so, if indeed the Johnsons are the purchasers, the former Carrie Symonds will need to spend a hell of a lot of money on Lulu Lytle wallpaper to bring it “upto scratch.” This is a place that needs a lot of work and no doubt, ‘Carrie On Regardless’ already has plans bring in also ‘Lady Doors-To-Manual’ Carole Bamford’s JCB diggers to help install a swimming pool in the 4.88-acre grounds.
Suitably for the Brexiteer buffoon Johnson – who got paid an £88,000 advance in 2015 for a book on Shakespeare that he’s never bothered to actually write – in their marketing blurb, the selling agents predictably claimed: “Of its many owners perhaps the most notable was the Reverend Doctor W. R. Inge, Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral and Knight Commander of the Victorian Order. He was a prolific author and used the family room as his study for writing.” Maybe now, this is a room that will become the place where the “pyramid of piffle” that will be Johnson’s memoirs might finally get written.
Described as a “village of picture postcard prettiness” and as “in estate agents’ jargon, this is a sought after village, but it is much more than a pretty face” on the local community website, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell – which flooded in 2014 and has a CAMRA award-winning pub named the Red Lion where Johnson will no doubt get smashed with his wife and the likes of Henry Newman and Josh Grimstone – has a population of around 1,500 people. It lies between the towns of Didcot and Wallingford, is 55 miles west of London is and close to Didcot Parkway train station – which has trains running to Paddington in just 37 minutes.
Offered for sale in November 2019 at a somewhat punchy price of £5 million by Hamptons International, the “magnificent Grade II listed Georgian village house” stands on the likely site of the long since vanished Brightwell Castle. It was relaunched to the market subsequently for a sum £1 million lower by Andrew Russell of agents The Country House Department in October 2022.
“[This is a] properly edge-of-village house, so that you can be involved in the village community, or you can keep to yourself, depending on what you’d prefer.”
“The property used to be moated all the way around, with about two-thirds of this moat remaining today. [It was the tallest house in the area at the time of its building and it was] not good form to build a house that was taller than the local church. To rectify this, the family who built it also added a red brick tower onto the local church, St Agatha’s, which reaches just higher than the façade.”
“I believe Brightwell Manor once owned all the land around, and it was a big apple farming estate, so some of those trees may be very old.”
Johnson also currently owns a Grade II listed property in Oxfordshire, The Old Farm House at North Weston, near Thame. He bought it with his then wife Marina Wheeler for £640,000 in 2003 and most memorably came out in an ‘Xchanging’ branded hoodie to serve journalists tea in August 2018 during the scandal about him comparing Muslim women to letterboxes.
Featuring what Country Life’s Carla Passino called “true blue tiles,” Johnson – who got to keep the £1.25 million crib as part of his February 2020 divorce settlement – placed the 2,659 square foot property for rent for a sum of £4,250 per month through Strutt & Parker in April 2021. It is not known whether he intends to keep The Old Farm House or whether he’ll still be able to continue to bed down at the Knightsbridge residence of Lord and Lady Bamford that he has most recently been calling “home.”
Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.
During his time married to Marina Wheeler, Boris Johnson lived much more modestly. Clearly, his ambitious and avaricious current wife Carrie would never contemplate living in a somewhat shabby former farmhouse.During their time in Downing Street, the Johnsons lived-it-up during lockdowns with their mates. Aside from boozing and bopping to ABBA with Henry Newman and Josh Grimstone, this grasping pair grabbed at least £30,000 of organic loot from their mate Lady Bamford’s Daylesford Organic. It was delivered by bike and van and no doubt, once in residence at their new mansion, they’ll be getting a hell of a lot more dropped off from the Gloucestershire emporiums of Daylesford.The Very Reverend William Inge KCVO FBA lived in the house for 30 years. He was born in Yorkshire, nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature three times and was also a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery from 1921 until 1951. A “strong proponent of the spiritual type of religion,” Inge was nicknamed “The Gloomy Dean” because of his pessimistic views and of social welfare he claimed: “It penalized the successful while subsidising the weak and the feckless.” Boris Johnson will no doubt take inspirtation from this in his writing in what was once his study.
The Names & Numbers – Brightwell Manor, off Brightwell Street, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 0RT, United Kingdom
February 2023 – Listed as “sold subject to contract” on Rightmove with the purchaser being Boris Johnson at a price of circa £4 million ($4.8 million, €4.5 million or درهم17.7 million), The Guardian reports.
November 2022 – Featured in The Times and touted as being an example as to “why Americans are buying up Britain’s country estates.”
November 2019 – Offered for sale for £5 million ($6 million million, €5.6 million or درهم22.1 million) through Hamptons International and featured in Country Life.
1971 – Sold for a sum unknown by William Inge’s sons to a family who continued to own it until its recent sale.
Of them, Penny Churchill observed: “They hadn’t been long installed in their new home when, one day, they saw walking up the drive the distinctive figure of a former Government Minister, who – figuratively if not literally – whipped out his cheque book and invited them to name their price.”
“However, having only just found the right house for them and their five children, they had little hesitation in declining their visitor’s generous offer. Now, 50 years on, a similar approach would perhaps be more favourably received.”
1954 – William Inge died at the house aged 93. He is buried in the graveyard St Agatha’s, the adjoining church to the property.
1950s – Extended by The Very Reverend William Inge KCVO FBA (1860 – 1954), its then owner. Of him, Penny Churchill observed: “[Inge was] an eminent theologian and writer, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature on three occasions. He served as Dean of St Paul’s from 1911 until 1934, when he retired to live at Brightwell Manor, dying there 30 years later.”
9th April 1952 – Listed Grade II by Heritage England.
1933 – Offered for sale for £2,000 or the equivalent of £11,300 today ($13,600, €12,700 or درهم50,000 today)
1910s and 1920s – Penny Churchill stated: “Brightwell Manor remained part of a thriving estate until the outbreak of the First World War, after which it was sold a number of times as casualties mounted. A report in Country Life on March 27, 1920, announced the sale of Brightwell with six acres of land, describing it as ‘an historical and commodious Georgian Residence of very attractive appearance, having extensive views over the famous Berkshire Downs. The pasture land here is of considerable value, letting readily at £4 an acre.’”
1600s – The earliest Tudor part of the house is constructed as a “modest farmhouse modest farmhouse on the surrounding farming estate, being gradually gentrified until, towards the end of the 18th century, the symmetrical Georgian front was added. A red-brick coach house, latterly converted to a two-bedroom cottage, was added in the 1840s,” Penny Churchill suggested.
Pictures of ‘Bungling Boris’s’ new country crib…
This ain’t Chequers, but it ain’t too shabby either.The drawing room, in its current condition, resembles something like that of the home of Polly Urquhart in the 1980s BBC bonkbusting classic ‘Howards’ Way.’ No doubt, Lulu Lytle will be drafted in to deck this room out in a somewhat more gaudy shade of gold.The dining room has tones of Liberal Democrat to it that the Johnsons will no doubt want to erase.This is presumably the room where ‘The Gloomy Dean’ wrote many of his works. Will it be the place where ‘Bosie The Clown’ is actually inspired to finally finish any of his?Perhaps the calamity formerly known as Carrie Symonds will take to the piano in this sitting room and bash out some of ABBA’s tunes when visited by the pugnacious pair she allegedly nicknamed “the gays” that are Henry Newman and Josh Grimstone.Another sitting room clearly has sofas that are more of the colour of Sir Keir Starmer currently. It also features a fireplace with a tiny painting above it that would be more at home in Phillip Schofield’s broom cupboard.The kitchen is decidedly basic and still present is a 1930s AGA stove; that presumably won’t be that off-putting to the Johnsons given that this pair of grifters can rely on Lady Bamford to supply them with freebies and ready-made organic meals from Daylesford whenever they want.This staircase hallway has been wallpapered with a print that will remind the former Prime Minister of that that adorns the Pugin-esque Palace of Westminster.If Mrs Johnson wants to inspire her husband to finally put pen to paper, she could cram these shelves with relevant literature.A bedroom for Boris? This wood-panelled sleeping chamber will likely become the ‘Baby Dada’ of children unknown’s place where he and his wife rest their wicked heads.Another of the many bedrooms features a sofa that was clearly bought at Ikea. Lulu Lytle will have that straight in the skip.The house adjoins St Agatha’s church. Will the former Prime Minister become a regular there and will he attend with a view to seek redemption for his many, many, many crimes whilst in office?The gardens are flat and vast and are noted for the apple trees planted generations ago. ‘Carrie On Regardless’ might be able to develop a sideline in making cider using them or perhaps she’ll start making apple pies.The moat of Brightwell Manor could prove useful if Boris Johnson is forced to face visits from the anti-Brexiteer Steve Bray or climate change campaigners such as Greta Thunberg.Aside from the main residence, the building comes with an annexe and cottage also. Perfect for when good old Dominic Cummings wants to come round for a weekend outing; it’d save him the drive to Durham, after all.The house, seen from the side, is all front and no trousers. The Georgian element that gives it grandeur is actually not the prime part of the property; a bit like Boris Johnson himself, in fact.Viewed from a drone, the nigh on 5-acre ‘estate’ backs onto open countryside and has a vast area of gravel to the front; perfect for visits from the convoys of limousines of oligarchs like Lord Lebedev.Set back from the village but near enough to the pub for ‘BoJo’ to escape his wine chucking wife when required, Brightwell Manor has the privacy from the press a former premier will require yet gives him the ability to walk down the drive to ‘pull a John Gummer’ with a BSE burger at the garden gate if ever that might be required.Tennis anyone? The former Prime Minister can perhaps woe his next love or lover on the property’s court.A floor plan of the new home of the most loathsome leader of the Conservative Party.Seen on GoogleMaps… This will no doubt soon get blurred for the sake of privacy.Heritage England’s map will no doubt be vamoosed also.
Matthew Steeples questions if it is right for the former Prime Minister Theresa May to presumably taking wads of wonga to give a speech to the World Travel & Tourism Council in Saudi Arabia given the World Economic Forum ranked the country 141 out of 149 countries on gender equality
On Thursday, an email pinged into my inbox from a London based organisation I’d never previously heard of – the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
In it, the WTTC bragged that they were announcing she who viewed it naughty to go “wandering in wheat fields,” Theresa May, as its “keynote speaker for its Global Summit in Saudi Arabia.”
Of the presence and participation of Lady May – as the queen of “Brexit means Brexit” is now known after her “I do the traditional boy jobs by and large” husband was made Sir Philip for being “her rock” and “political services” – at this event in a country known best for its appalling human rights record, the WTTC did not declare what she would be paid or who was paying her.
Neither also did this organisation reference their thoughts on the regime running Saudi Arabia but instead, Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, pontificated:
“Theresa May has a long-standing interest in the environment and as Prime Minister, she launched the ‘25 Year Environmental Plan’ to tackle issues such as plastic waste. In 2019 she formally committed the UK to achieving ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050, making Britain the first major economy to do so.”
“During the pandemic, Theresa May was concerned about the uncoordinated global response, and she showed great political leadership calling for international cooperation based on evidence.”
“Our event will bring together many of the world’s most powerful leaders in our sector to discuss and secure its long-term future, which is critical to economies and jobs around the world.”
Between 1st February 2021 and 31st January 2022, Lady May unabashedly claimed £143,008.98 ($168,982, €165,017 or درهم620,587) in expenses on top of her MP’s salary and in July 2021, Insider reported that she had earned £1,861,776 ($2.2 million, €2.1 million or درهم8.1 million) for speeches since leaving Downing Street in July 2019. Who’d have thought that anyone would want to give money to hear this “wandering warbler” bang on about anything, but hey, quitting frontline politics has most certainly brought this bland, boring woman a very, very pretty pay packet.
By email to the communications manager for the World Travel & Tourism Council, Felix Parker-Smith, whose contact details were listed alongside the press release, I subsequently requested clarification. My brief missive read:
“My questions are: 1. What fee is Lady May being paid for this appearance/speech and by what means will she be travelling to give this speech? Who is paying her fee and travel expenses?”
“2. What is the view of Lady May on human rights issues and abuses in Saudi Arabia?”
“3. Will Lady May be raising these well documented abuses in Saudi Arabia during her speech?”
“4. Does Lady May view it to be ‘sustainable’ to be travelling, presumably by aircraft, to give such a speech? Could she not have given such a speech via Zoom?”
“I would most certainly write about this and will look forward to answers to all four of my questions prior to doing so.”
Parker-Smith, without acknowledging who is actually giving the former Prime Minister a bag of cash, curtly answered:
“As these are questions for Mrs May, I’ve forwarded your email to our contact.”
By return, given Parker-Smith’s clear lack of willingness to address the issues raised, I responded:
“Thank you for forwarding on to Lady May’s representatives though surely the World Travel & Tourism Council must be the body that hired Lady May (I believe that to be her correct title given her husband’s elevation).”
“I would like to ask your organisation directly: 1. Does the World Travel & Tourism Council have any statement to make about the matter of Lady May being hired and why they chose her?”
“2. Given the then Mrs May’s involvement in bringing about the disaster for British tourist businesses that is Brexit, what influenced your organisation’s choice of the very woman who implemented ‘Brexit means Brexit’?”
“3. If the WTTC is not paying Lady May, who is funding this Member of Parliament on a trip outside of her constituency remit?”
Tellingly in his next email, Parker-Smith attempted to dodge another bullet and concluded:
“We will not be making further statements beyond our press release.”
“However, on background, I can confirm that previous Summits have attracted world leaders such as Barack Obama, Tony Blair and Emmanuel Macron. Alongside Ban Ki-Moon, Theresa May has held a prominent role on the world stage and has been invited in this capacity to speak about her experiences and insight for the global travel and tourism industry.”
As of 10.30am on Monday 21st November, no reply explaining who would be paying Lady May had been received by The Steeple Times from utterly anybody.
Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.
In May 2018, Theresa May was quite rightly slammed by ‘The Sun’ for elevating Lady Meyer, the wife of the now croaked cretinous creep and well-known “red socked fop” Sir Christopher Meyer, to Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The paper raged of the appointment of her “best pal” and quoted Darren Hughes of the Electoral Reform Society as calling her appointment “beyond a joke.” The “Chanel-clad” old boiler with a love of charity cash collecting tins got a jolly lovely bonus – peers get around £30,000 in expenses and attendance fees annually; nice work if you can get it.Lady May MP is often to be found dining with her ‘Garden Gnome-like’ hubby Sir Philip in Malik’s Tandoori House in Cookham, Berkshire. Here, the owner, is pictured serving her and also posing with another regular, her constituent and convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and his wicked wife Alwyn Hughes. Whether she’s ever invited her mate Baroness Meyer down for a ‘nosh-up’ there remains unknown.In February 2019, ‘The Steeple Times’ reported that a “plainly insane Tory donor” had spent £75,000 to spend an evening with Theresa May. Worse still, someone paid £175,000 for a set of four posters signed by this tedious twerp.
What else has Theresa been pocketing from her ‘Magic Money Tree’?
An MPs salary of £84,144 ($99,400, €97,100 or درهم365,100) plus expenses “to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.”
An £85,000 per year ($100,400, €98,070 or درهم368,800 per year) salary from the Office of Theresa May Limited “until further notice” for just 24 hours work per month or just 288 hours work per year.
Honorary life membership of the Carlton Club.
‘VIP treatment’ at Heathrow Airport, valued at £4,200 a pop, at least 14 times totalling at least £58,800 ($69,500, €67,900 or درهم255,100).
Substantial rental income from a flat in London owned jointly with her husband.
A discount card from Amanda Wakeley, “which has the potential to be of registrable value.”
Detached partly converted Victorian chapel in quaint Hampshire village goes to auction for 25% less than it sold for in 2018; it seems like a bargain, but there is, of course, a “but”…
Vernham Dean – also known as Vernhams Dean – is a quaint village in the Test Valley in Hampshire. Nine miles south of Hungerford, Berkshire, it is best known for its well thought of pub, The George, and was the place name the controversial ex-Labour minister of state for the Middle East Elizabeth Symonds added to her name when she became Baroness Synmonds PC of Vernham Dean in October 1996.
Given its sought after situation, news that a detached, freehold 562 square foot Victorian chapel is to be auctioned this week by Savills for just £75,000 initially seems surprising, but, as is often the way with “auction bargains,” comes with a number of catches.
Opened originally as a chapel in October 1845 seating 108 with standing room for 12, the current structure served as a chapel from 1869 onwards. Closed for worship now for a number of years, the building was sold at auction in 2017 for an undisclosed sum and then for £99,000 a year later.
In the years that followed subsequent owners have attempted to convert the building into first a two-bedroom and then a one-bedroom dwelling whilst various villagers repeatedly objected. It is now described as being “in need of modernisation” but complete with “extensive plans and reports… for change of use to a residential dwelling.”
Curiously, during the Black Death in 1665, the village’s then pastor is said to have fled leaving his villagers to die. His “guilt ridden ghost” reportedly still to this day haunts the Chute Causeway, a Roman road that runs from Winchester to Cirencester, but whether the Primitive Methodist Chapel is haunted also is unknown.
The double height space inside the Victorian building has been stripped bare in preparation from conversion from D1 usage to residential. It sadly retains few original features.The original mezzanine seating area of the chapel remains in situ.
The Names & Numbers – Vernham Dean Primitive Methodist Chapel, Back Lane, Vernham Dean, Andover, Test Valley District, Hampshire, SP11 0LE, United Kingdom
2nd March 2021 – To be offered for sale at auction for £75,000 ($104,000, €87,000 or درهم384,000) by Savills, a sum 32% lower than the last asking price and 25% lower than the 2018 sale price.
10th February 2021 – Offered for sale at auction for £110,000+ ($153,000, €127,000 or درهم563,000) by Auction House London.
December 2019 – New plans were submitted to convert the building according to the Andover Advertiser. They reported that the application stated: “The property is in shell condition and requires a full programme of works. It has electricity and water supplies. The property is situated in the heart of the picturesque area of Vernham Dean in Andover close to local amenities. There is pedestrian access to the left-hand side of the property but it is possible to park at the front of the chapel.”
August 2019 – Then owner Gurdarshan Mandan told the Andover Advertiser: “We want to live there peacefully and we really don’t want to upset anyone, after all we all are neighbours and want to create a peaceful environment” after many Vernham Dean residents objected to his and his wife’s plans to first turn the building into a two-bedroom and then a one-bedroom residence.
11th April 2018 – Sold for £99,000 ($138,000, €114,000 or درهم506,000) by Auction House London.
The staircase and entrance area. The building has mains water and electricity, but no sewage system is currently in place.The mezzanine includes the only original remaining pews from the chapel.A floor plan shows the current configuration of the detached chapel building.
82-year-old granny Pauline Bridge gets up at 5am daily to deliver newspapers on her bicycle; she’s quite the contrast to bicycling pensioner and funeral crasher Theresa Doyle
In September 2017, we featured a pitiful pensioner exposed for bicycling to funerals and their subsequent wakes with Tupperware boxes to raid buffet tables. At the time, Theresa Doyle’s atrocious antics were quite rightly slammed as “shameless,” but today we can share the story of an all-together better granny on a bike.
Lauded as “Super Gran” in The Sun this morning, grandma of six Pauline Bridge gets up at 5am six days per week to deliver newspapers on her bicycle.
Pauline Bridge, 82, took over the round, which encompasses 32 houses in Southampton, Hampshire from her grandchildren ten years ago and reckons to have covered around 5,000 miles on her 40-year-old bicycle.
Cheerfully, of why she does it, this spirited lady stated she aims to carry on until she turns 90 and remarked:
“I love it and I find it keeps me fit. I start at half six and it’s about a mile and a half. I deliver to 32 houses. I cycle every day, I always cycle.”
Of her, one of her granddaughters, Megan, 17, added:
“She gets up so early every day, Monday to Saturday without fail, in all weather conditions.”
“We can’t believe what she is still achieving and she puts us youngsters to shame. She is an amazing mum and grandma – and we are all very proud of her.”
In 2017, we featured the story of another bicycling pensioner, Theresa Doyle (AKA ‘The Grim Eater’ and ‘The Phantom Mourner’). Whilst 82-year-old pensioner Pauline Bridge cycles daily to deliver newspapers, Doyle, at the time 65, was exposed for bicycling to funerals of people she didn’t know to raid the buffets at the wakes that followed six-times-per week. Of her, Margaret Whitehead of Wargrave, Berkshire told ‘The Sun’: “She got my son Kevin to give her a lift from the church to the Irish Centre for the wake [for her deceased 42-year-old daughter, Catherine]. There were a lot of people at the funeral from Catherine’s work so I just assumed she was a colleague. When I spoke to her though she told me she used to work with Catherine as a waitress. My daughter never worked as a waitress. She was eating from the buffet like there was no tomorrow.”
Sadly, with the news moving online and print paper sales hugely down, the number of paperboys and papergirls in Britain is fast coming towards its end. Pauline Bridge claims she intends to carry on as a ‘papergran’ for at least another eight years, but will her services actually still be required?
Tea leaf Theresa May lookalike goes on the rampage in Hereford and robs a purse; at least she didn’t grab ‘The Donald’s’ hand this time round (or have to share a curry with rotten paedo Rolf Harris)
Featured in the Mirror this morning, it transpires it’s actually not the real Theresa May who has been on the rob in Whitecross Road, Hereford, but in fact just a body double of the ‘Boys Jobs and Girls Jobs’ loving ex-Prime Minister.
According to the paper, “cops are searching for a grey-haired ‘Theresa May lookalike’ after a woman’s purse was taken from a shop” on 11th December 2020. Going further, they added:
“The force released a CCTV image of a middle aged-looking woman wearing a red jacket similar to the one regularly donned by the ex-Prime Minister.”
“Web users were quick to point out the ‘striking resemblance’ to the current Tory MP for Maidenhead after police began circulating the photo.”
Elsewhere, LADbible reported the story had gone viral on social media with one user commenting:
“Looks like Theresa May fell on tough times after the Brexit fallout.”
Another added:
“Oh Theresa, surely times aren’t that hard. I’m sure Boris and his chums would lend you a fiver.”
Theresa The Tea Leaf – This purse stealer was widely described as a “Theresa May lookalike” after West Mercia Police released a CCTV image of her following a theft inside a Hereford store at around 10.30am on 11th December 2020. Of the theft a spokesperson for the force stated: “It is believed another woman put a newspaper on top of the wallet and then took both the paper and wallet. She then left the shop.”Theresa The Leaf – Lady May MP, herself, is often to be found dining with her ‘Garden Gnome-like’ hubby Sir Philip in Malik’s Tandoori House in Cookham, Berkshire. Here, the owner, is pictured serving her and also posing with another regular, her constituent and convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and his wicked wife Alwyn Hughes.
As groom-rider Abdul Musa Adam leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot today, he will inspire many on the eve of World Refugee Day and illustrate the positives of welcoming child refugees
Described as a “remarkable young man” by Racing TV’s Nick Luck in February, Abdulkareem Musa Adam was raised by a tribe of nomads in Darfur. When he was just 7 years old, the Sudanese army killed his entire family and burnt his home to the ground, but now, this afternoon, this groom-rider will lead out Shadn at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup.
After escaping by donkey with his 3-year old brother Yusuf, the pair survived refugee camps in Chad and then in Libya, he tried to find work aged 12. Parted from his sole surviving relative, he was captured by Colonel Gadaffi’s forces and after refusing to join his ‘child army,’ was imprisoned and tortured.
Next, after a ‘Guardian Angel’ Russian doctor helped him by disguising him as a hospital cleaner and smuggled him out via a bin and in the boot of a car, Musa Adam travelled to France aged 13. He thought he would be safe there, but ended up sleeping in industrial bins to keep warm. With no identification papers, this teenage refugee struggled for 18 months, but after being discovered by a man in a church named Antonio was not only fed tuna sandwiches daily, but also given hope for the future. Antonio ultimately helped Musa Adam in his successful attempt to smuggle himself to Britain in the wheel arch of a lorry.
Believing he was going to “England [a place that] means peaceful, you can study, you can improve your life,” the youngster spent what must have been a terrifying 15 hours in the most perilous of conditions. He totally randomly ended up “dumped at a petrol station” near Swindon in Wiltshire and was picked up by the police.
Here, granted asylum as a refugee and with the help of Social Services and then Greatwood, “a charity which uses horses to help young people facing difficulties and challenges,” Musa Adam was provided with assistance and ultimately a foster home. His “childhood passion for horses” was reignited whilst recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a “most remarkable journey in sport” commenced.
Musa Adam spent time with Niki Evans in Abergavenny and attended the Northern Racing College in Doncaster in 2016 subsequently. He progressed to a full-time job as a stable lad with Andrew Balding at his Kingsclere Park House Stables yard and amazingly won the ‘Young Achiever’ at the Mirror’s‘Pride of Sport Awards’ in 2016.
Referencing the “friend” whom she has “been writing a book together [with] for three years,” in the Mirror this morning, journalist Ros Wynne-Jones declared: “[Abdul Musa Adam] couldn’t be a better example of what safety and kindness can give to a human being who has escaped war, torture and trafficking after becoming a refugee at the age of eight. Britain is lucky to have him, and he is grateful to have a safe home.”
Speaking of him also, racing legend Clare Balding added: “His story shows the incredible power of sport to bring people together and help them to heal, even after the most appalling suffering.”
Hardworking Abdul Musa Adam – who is now a British citizen and whose day begins at 6am and finishes at midnight – himself concludes:
“Racing, riding, horses… After more riding, I feel more happy… I am so grateful I have found safety… I feel that this is my home now. I believe I can find [my brother] one day; I hope, I can.”
Now and still only 22 years old, today horse loving Abdul Musa Adam’s spectacular journey will continue when he leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot. We join all celebrating his remarkable progress to the paddocks of Royal Ascot.
‘The Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Courage and Hope,’ co-authored by Abdul Musa Adam with Ros Wynne-Jones, is available to pre-order on Amazon priced at £8.99.
RUNNERS & RIDERS – Day Four, ‘Royal Ascot At Home’ – ‘The Steeple Times’ analyses the selections for Day Four at ‘Royal Ascot at Home’
After delighting readers yesterday in calling both Stradivarius first (for the third time) in the Gold Cup and a place for Cross Counter also, today we are looking at:
3.00pm – Hardwicke Stakes
WIN – Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Anthony Van Dyck at 11/4 (The Sun NAP, Daily Mail ‘Danger’, Sporting Life, Racing Post ’Spotlight Nap’, GG.co.uk).
Racing Post says: “Very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago; big chance on that form.”
For them, Ben Hutton ’Spotlight Nap’ adds: “Back on track with very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago and big chance on that form on this relatively quick return.”
Templegate, The Sun adds: “Ran his best race since winning the Derby when chasing home potential superstar Ghaiyyath in the Coronation Cup last time. That race was moved from its usual Epsom home to Newmarket and the Aidan O’Brien-trained four-year-old was gaining with every stride at the line. He beat some fair yardsticks like Defoe there and it’s hard to see last year’s winner of this race turning that form around. This trip is ideal for AVD and he goes on fast or slow so the weather isn’t a worry either.”
3.35pm Commonwealth Cup (16 runners)
EACH WAY – Magnier, Smith and Tabor owned Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Lope Y Fernandez at 4/1 (Radio 4, The Telegraph).
Racing Post says: “Third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last Friday; effective at 6f last year; not dismissed.”
Templegate for The Sun adds: “Lope Y Fernandez ran a cracker when third to Siskin in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and warrants respect.”
It’s a longshot, but with the inspirational Abdul Musa Adam leading him out, we suggest also:
EACH WAY – Oisin Murphy-Andrew Balding combo Shadn at 20/1.
Racing Post says: “Needs improvement on the figures but worth noting that she’s 3-4 over 6f.”
4.10pm – Queen’s Vase (9 runners)
EACH WAY – William Haggas trained Born With Pride at 5/2 from 3/1 earlier (Radio 4, Daily Mail Gimcrack ‘Danger’, The Telegraph).
Racing Post says: “Listed winner on debut last season and not seen to best effect on her comeback; respected.”
Daily Mail adds: “Born With Pride, a winner on heavy ground on her Newmarket debut last autumn, was a non-runner earlier this week and connections appear to have done the right thing with the ground sure to suit.”
4.40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (18 runners)
EACH WAY – William Buick-Mark Johnston combo West End Charmer at 6/1 (The Sun, At The Races – Kevin Blake).
Racing Post says: “Stamina still to prove at this trip but lightly raced colt is 5lb well-in under a penalty.”
Templegate for The Sun says: “West End Charmer was impressive when running away with a hot handicap at Newmarket 12 days ago. He was coming back from a year off so, provided that hasn’t taken too much out of him, he should improve again for this step up in distance. He is well handicapped under a 4lb penalty.”
Abdul Musa Adam celebrating becoming a British citizen and out enjoying his passion for riding.Abdul Musa Adam will lead Shadn out today at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup at 3.35pm. The horse is owned by Katsumi Yoshida, trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.
‘The Steeple Times’ analyses the selections for a somewhat damp Gold Cup Day at ‘Royal Ascot At Home’ – very much a day to stay indoors and watch Stradavarius, Frankie Dettori and Sir John Gosden
Rain could shake everything up today at ‘Royal Ascot At Home’ – as this year’s closed doors meeting has been branded – and though Stradivarius will not especially love any significant downpours, he is the horse that will surely be the highlight of Gold Cup day.
Trained by the Sir John Gosden, ridden by Frankie Dettori and owned by Bjorn Nielson, here is a horse seeking to secure a Royal Ascot hat-trick. Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Marcus Townend, Sir John commented: “He is in good form” whilst GG.co.uk concluded: “Stradivarius, and Frankie Dettori of course, are the undoubted top bill on day three of Royal Ascot 2020.”
Obvious Options
1.50pm – Wolferton Stakes (15 runners) – Ryan Moore and A. P. O’Brien’s Sir Dragonet at 12/5 has been branded as “among Thursday’s worthy support acts” (GG.co.uk).
Racing Post not especially enthusiastic: “Shade disappointing since close fifth in last year’s Derby but still has time on his side.”
3.35pm – Gold Cup (8 runners) – The horse of the day is Stradivarius at 8/11 (The Telegraph, The Sun TREBLE).
Racing Post concludes: “Top-class stayer, including winning this race for the last two years; hard to beat.”
4.40pm – Sandringham Stakes – Sir John Gosden’s African Dream at 13/8 (The Telegraph, Guardian). As Simon Rowlands of At The Races sensibly concludes: “The very short price makes him unplayable to me.” Watch and enjoy.
Chris Cook of the Guardian comments: “It is hard to resist the claims of African Dream, who ran way above her rating when second at Newbury last week. Whether she can reproduce that effort in these very different circumstances is a fair question but her connections give her every chance.”
Darker Horses
1.15pm – Golden Gates Handicap (16 runners) – Sticking with the combo of the Dettori-Gosden dream team, Hypothetical is an appealing each way at 9/2 from 4/1 earlier (Radio 4).
Racing Post says: “Opening mark is reasonable and profile points to strong potential for improvement” with their verdict being: “Despite the big field Acquitted makes a good bit of appeal. Hypothetical may be next best, ahead of Maori Knight.”
‘Templegate’ for The Sun adds: “Hypothetical comes from John Gosden and Frankie Dettori and is dropping in class after a solid fourth in the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown on comeback. He went well until the lack of a recent run appeared to take its toll. It would be a surprise if he doesn’t take a step forward from that.”
3.35pm – Gold Cup (8 runners) – An each way on the James Doyle-Charlie Appleby combo Cross Counter could be a more appealing each way at 11/1 (The Sun ‘Next Best’).
Racing Post says: “Held behind Stradivarius when in the frame in this (4th) & at Goodwood (3rd); could be 2nd.”
4.10pm – Britannia Stakes (24 runners) – An each way on Ralph Beckett’s Great Ambassador at 12/1 (Guardian NAP, At The Races) could be worthwhile.
Chris Cook of The Guardian says: “His final outing as a juvenile suggested Great Ambassador was in line for a big three-year-old season. From a hot yard and drawn on the favoured side, he is on a handy rating in view of some of his form, which includes a close second in Pyledriver’s maiden.”
Hugh Taylor for At The Races says: “Great Ambassador had five runs as a 2yo and might look too exposed for a race like this, but those runs really do stand up to close inspection… I think he’s capable of proving much better than his current mark when everything drops right, and although he lacks a recent run, he looks well worth chancing on his reappearance, especially from a potentially handy draw… He carries a 5lb penalty here, but goes up 12lb from Saturday, and given he’s a keen-going type who promises to be well suited by the demands of a big-field handicap, he has clear claims here.”
Racing Post adds: “Hacked up on final 2yo start; should stay 1m; enters calculations.”
Also in the 4.10pm – Britannia Stakes (24 runners) – Our wildcard is Richard Hannon trained Ziggle Pops at 22/1 from 20/1 earlier (Radio 4).
Racing Post says: “Came home strongly to beat a few of these in 7f AW handicap; up 5lb; should stay 1m.”
With no Ladies Day fashion parade due to lockdown, today is one to stay indoors, pour yourself a glass of something special and enjoy a happy afternoon’s racing. Cheers to y’all!
Sarah, Duchess of York sticks her oar in over coronavirus, but makes no mention of the benefit the outbreak has given her husband in relation to the Jeffrey Epstein ‘problem’
On Monday, the child-like ex-wife of the Duke of York – a cowardly creature whom the FBI would like to speak to about his links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – took to Instagram. This pyramid of virtuosity announced:
“Mother Nature has sent us to our rooms.. like the spoilt children we are. She gave us time and she gave us warnings. She was so patient with us. She gave us fire and floods, she tried to warn us but in the end she took back control. She has sent us to our rooms and when she is finished clearing up our mess. She will let us out to play again. How will we use this time? Xxxx”
Whilst Sarah, Duchess of York plainly means well with her piffle, she should realise that the nation’s patience with her and her grasping family has worn thin. When her husband was not hanging out in Pizza Express (Woking branch) or not-sweating with potential sexual conquests at Buckingham Palace, he was spending time in New York and elsewhere with the mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell and a now presumed dead sex offender. Now, when American authorities want to question the royal about such, coronavirus has most helpfully limited the potential for Prince Andrew to travel and ever so conveniently sidelined this ‘problem’ (for now).
Before she next takes to social media, the ‘Duchess of Dork’ – whose own dodgy looking business dealings via Grade Ventures rightly remain under scrutiny – should take some advice. And what should that advice be? Well, put simply: “Shut up.”
That Prince Andrew decided to share his birthday with the diminutive skinflint Bernie Ecclestone shows the new low he has reached
‘Randy Andy’ has never been considered capable of carefulness in his choice of company, but in opting to have one of the stingiest billionaires on the planet round for a spot of dinner (and a “few high-spirited games” afterwards according to The Sun) shows this alleged groper’s demise is nearly complete.
This morning, the paper reported the Duke of York and his family had the poisonous dwarf Bernie Ecclestone round to his Royal Lodge, Windsor home last Wednesday to celebrate his birthday. That they couldn’t get a better quality of guest given the scandals they’re engulfed in is not surprising, but one is only left asking: “What did this reprehensible bunch consume?”
Given tax careful Bernard – a man with qualities that would make Leona Helmsley look generous – is renowned for his meanness with money, most likely he brought with him the cheapest margherita from the Woking branch of Pizza Express. Undoubtedly nobody sweated either and one can likely predict that ‘The Coffin Dodger’ opted to take the takeaway cardboard box home with him for re-use later.
Prince Andrew is plainly a man who’ll hang out with anyone – as long as they are rich and/or powerful. He had no qualms in staying with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein after he got out of jail.He’s spent time with the alleged procurer of underage girls Ghislaine Maxwell as recently as last summer.He’s a friend of Donald and Melania Trump. The President is well-known for tax evasion and many other nefarious activities.He and his wife spent time holidaying at the expense of the alleged paedophile Peter Nygard.The Duke and Duchess of York also associated with the convicted paedophile Stuart Hall. Shame on the pair of them.
