Restaurateur Gavin Rankin shares his views on summer in Mayfair
August, in Mayfair, used never to be the high spot of a restaurant’s year. Tumbleweed blew about and disheveled restaurateurs roamed the streets, avoiding eye contact, and scouring the pavements for loose change. (more…)
Matthew Steeples suggests that David Cameron needs to show his hand
Yesterday, David Cameron attended the wedding of his wife’s half-brother, Jake Astor. Unlike others, we have no problem with that but at a time when Isis have beheaded a British hostage and when the Union teeters on a knife-edge, many have called for him to reassess his priorities. (more…)
This Polish born, British raised fashion icon described herself as “a natural feminist” in a 2014 interview with The Observer. As the co-founder of BIBA with her late husband, Stephen Fitz-Simon (AKA “Fitz”), Barbara Hulanicki revolutionised design and her followers included Brigitte Bardot, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Marianne Faithful. She only closed her store once – for Princess Anne – and has designed hotels for Ronnie Wood and Chris Blackwell of Island Records. Hulanicki’s diplomat father was murdered by a Zionist extremist group in 1940 and more recently she stated: “Now whenever I finish something I take some photographs and say ‘goodbye’. When you lose everything, you realise that the only thing you have is what’s in your head”.
Daimler used by Churchill to star at RM Auctions Battersea sale
Between 1940 and 1950, the Daimler Motor Company loaned a 1939 Daimler DB18 drophead coupé bodied by the Carlton Carriage Company for special occasions. Its most notable loan was to Winston Churchill in 1944 and 1949 and it heads to auction on Monday 8th September at the RM Auctions Battersea sale. (more…)
How much of every pound or dollar donated should charities be able to allocate to administration? (more…)
This British Army officer served in the Boer, First World and Second World Wars. He was shot in the face twice in WWI and lost his left eye and was shot once through the skull, hip, leg, ankle and ear. In 1915, he lost his left hand and tore off his own fingers after a doctor refused to amputate them. Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart also survived two plane crashes, escaped capture twice, was branded a “model of chivalry and honour” by Winston Churchill and won a VC in WWII. Of the 1914 – 1918 conflict, he later wrote: “Frankly, I enjoyed the war; it had given me many bad moments, lots of good ones, plenty of excitement and with everything found for us”. Aside from his military might, Evelyn Waugh modeled the character of Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in his Sword of Honour trilogy upon this twice married, Oxford educated aristocrat and in retirement he is said to have enjoyed indulging in “pursuing salmon and snipe”. In male company he is described as having been “a delightful character [who] must hold the world record for bad language”.
Range Rover Chassis #001 to be auctioned at The Salon Privé sale by Silverstone Auctions on 4th September
Today, Range Rovers are the favourite vehicles of everyone ranging from the Queen to Kim Kardashian but the first Range Rover produced was a far more simple vehicle. It is to be auctioned at The Salon Privé sale by Silverstone Auctions on the 4th September. (more…)
This Jersey born actor was educated at Stowe and has appeared in everything from Midsomer Murders to The Tudors. Henry Cavill didn’t quite beat Daniel Craig to play James Bond but as Superman he’s claimed plaudits galore. As a child he was nicknamed “Fat Cavill” but now he’s the one having the last laugh. He claims he could not live without a brown leather jacket he owns and has an interest in Egyptology.
Highlights from the second annual Christie’s South Kensington sale of unusual items and objects, ‘Out of the Ordinary’
On 3rd September Christie’s South Kensington will auction “an eclectic selection of art and ephemera celebrating the joy of the unconventional”. Here, The Steeple Times selects a few highlights (more…)
Born in Berkshire, Josh Bowman is a rugby player turned actor who briefly dated Amy Winehouse in 2009. Having spent two years in the BBC’s Holby City, he moved to Los Angeles to take up the main role of Daniel Grayson in the popular American ABC series Revenge in 2011. His co-star Emily VanCamp has been his girlfriend since soon after the drama began.