The sale of a Purdey gun engraved with a portrait of Baroness Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher had many devoted followers and fans in her time as Prime Minister. Coal miners, in general, were not amongst them but some like Jimi Heselden OBE (1948 – 2010) used their redundancy payouts to make vast fortunes.
At the funeral of her grandmother, Baroness Thatcher, this young lady from Texas showed herself to be a “chip off the old block”. Her reading was composed and faultless and impressed the nation. She’s also said to be a talented sportswoman and there’s a most definite possibility she’ll take up the Iron Lady’s mantle in due course.
A monthly round up of the moves of the newsworthy
Fishing around 
Poissonnerie on Draycott Avenue, popular with the likes of Sir Michael Caine and Sir Roger Moore, is for sale through Miles Commercial. The 6,700 square foot property, owned by respected restaurateur Peter Rosignoli, has a price tag of £14,000,000 and the agents state that it “has good redevelopment potential”. Meanwhile, around the corner in Walton Street, the same firm seeks £90,000 per year for the former Baity Kitchen premises.
Living like Lilly
The “Queen of Prep” Lilly Pulitzer’s realtor daughter, Liza, is marketing her late mother’s former home at 710 South County Road in Palm Beach, Florida at a price of £5,500,000. Originally marketed at £7,500,000, the fashion titan told the New York Times recently that the house is “just magnificent, but I’m old and I’m cranky and I can’t keep it up the way it should be”. She now rests in peace but with the “cabana inspired” property being marketed as a “tear-down” or for subdivision into two lots, it looks like the bulldozers will be on the way.
Meyer’s kebabed
Sir Christopher Meyer was recently spotted on the steps of 17 Lincoln Street in Chelsea with a group of men who looked like builders. The same property, for which offers in excess of £2,650,000 were sought, is now “under offer/sold” on the Primelocation.com website. If indeed the former ambassador and his wife, who was described as being “Chanel-clad” by the Daily Telegraph in May 2011, have bought the house, they’ll quickly have to get used to the smell of kebabs. The 4-storey unmodernised end of terrace is right next to the Al Dar restaurant.
Monckton moves on
The house where financier John Monckton was tragically murdered in November 2004 in Upper Cheyne Row, Chelsea has recently come on the market with W. A. Ellis. Monckton’s killer Damien Hanson and his accomplice Elliott White were rightly jailed and now, his widow, Homeyra, is selling the 5-bedroomed house at a guide price of £5,500,000.
If you know of a story about someone newsworthy who is changing jobs, setting up a new business or selling an existing one or moving home, do email us at: [email protected]
The Steeple Times asks actor Jules Knight: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Vino, feminae et Carmen.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Ask, believe, receive”.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
I find the fact that we make celebrities of people in reality TV shows unspeakably depressing.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I miss my father who died a few years ago.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
If I had a choice between being wealthy and alone or poor and in love, I’d definitely choose the latter. Preferably someone like Mila Kunis if you can arrange it.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
I think a lot of people and companies made mistakes driven by greed and no one seemed to learn from historical mistakes. I’m not against big bonuses if they reward success. I believe in a meritocracy.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“We are experiencing high call volumes (today, yesterday and every other day you’ve called). Your call is important to us (so important that we have 2 non English speaking people working to answer 5000 calls a day). Please Hold (whilst you are charged 50p per minute so that when we answer we can tell you that what you want us to do is not possible”.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Over the years I’ve performed at a lot of charity events and helped them raise money in all sorts of ways. On a personal level, I think the British Heart Foundation is a great charity and I have a soft spot for WWF. But aside from wrestling, that wildlife charity is good too.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
They’re a blessing and a curse. I use mine to run my whole life. It practically brushes my teeth for me. But when I lose it or it breaks I feel completely helpless. Sad really.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Ricky Gervais, Stephen Fry, Anthony Hopkins, Christian Bale and Jennifer Aniston. A few drinks, a few laughs and then perhaps make love. Not all together. There isn’t room in that bar.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
I have a feeling they’d make me have it in prison but if they were foolish enough to allow me to have it in, let’s say, The Fat Duck, I’d do that and then have a couple of pints in a pub in Bray, chill out for a few hours and then, well, go home and relax. Phew that was close.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
I never really drink before 6pm unless there is a plan to start early. In which case, I can be persuaded.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A vodka martini with Grey Goose and a twist. That gets things started nicely.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
There is a yearly polo party that Audi put on for about 200 people that is the best of the year. Talented, interesting guests from the world of sport, acting and music, lots of champagne, cocktails, amazing food. It turns into one big house party in a field.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My old boss, Nigel Evans MP. He’s a lovely chap.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Pickled eggs.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
“Get it Here”.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Range Rover Evoque. A fusion of classic and contemporary, urban and rural.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I wanted to be in the army. Now I prance around treading the boards.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
My Classical Brit is wedged between my two degree certificates: a woeful 2:2 MA in Art History from St Andrews and my MA in Acting for Screen from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Jules Knight is an actor and former member of the Blake, the vocal group widely known for having been formed on Facebook in 2007. He appears in BBC1’s Holby City from 14th May 2013 as Dr Harry Tressler.
Follow him on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/MrJulesKnight
The Steeple Times asks bass-baritone singer Stephen Bowman: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Gravity mainly, followed by a healthy fear of dying young. Avoiding skydiving tends to keep both of those fears at bay.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day” – I’m very sure it’s a brilliant ancient proverb, but I stole it from Withnail and I.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
Kerry Katona has redeemed herself greatly since 2007, so I’d say that after his little tantrums in London recently, Justin Bieber is the next in line who needs a little humility injected into his life.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I miss long misspent summers in the south of Spain. Long, lazy, hazy days of doing nothing more than sleeping off hangovers and chasing girls. Both were far less painful as a teenager and much less expensive.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A trip to the moon. I wanted to be an astronaut just before I wanted to be a rock singer; 4-year old children can be so flippant about career choices.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
The stupidity and greed of the few created a bed that the rest of us sleep in every day. It’s affected every industry, including music. We now perform most of our big private shows overseas, the UK is very slow and no one wants to be seen spending money on entertainment.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“It’s like…”: Massively overused and makes it near impossible for half the population to explain what a simile is.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Once you have a smidgen of public profile you have the opportunity to help charities with fundraising and it’s something I jumped at. Over the last 6 years of Blake we’ve got behind many amazing charities, including the British Legion, Variety the Children’s Charity, War Widows’ Association, Help For Heroes, Make A Wish and Nordoff Robbins to name a few. It’s great to think you can make any difference.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
I travel by tube quite a bit, where you regularly see the scary sight of an entire carriage of commuters with heads bowed in deep reverence to their ‘iThingamajigs’. The art of conversation on the tube has all but been lost. No one ever looks up long enough to make eye contact. Sad.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
I’d invite the top 50 speakers from TED, the best panel from QI and Emma Thompson. Between them I’d have enough fantastic conversation to last a train journey to the moon and back, although I’m sure at least a few of the TED company would quickly explain that said journey wouldn’t be technically impossible.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
The finest meal I’ve ever had was at a restaurant in the Philippines called Antonio’s. It’s up in the jungle surrounding a mighty volcanic crater in the Tagaytay region about an hour from Manila. The owner is obsessed with sourcing the best meat and vegetable produce in the world. A meal is in the region of £120 a head in a country where £120 rents a room for a year. If it was my last meal though, what the hell!
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Sadly alcoholism runs in my family, so when it comes to how early in the day you can drink, I’m rather conservative on the subject. As a rule I’d say that a gin and tonic at 6pm is a safe start. Earlier, not so.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
I’d be lying if I said I knew what either was, showing my lack of knowledge in both classic cocktails and speciality teas. I must study harder in both areas, but never before 6pm for the former of course.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Over the last 6 years with Blake I’ve been to some truly wonderful parties, including film premieres, summer car festivals and polo days a plenty. The best yearly event for me is the Audi Royal Polo. We watch the Audi team lose to William and Harry (every year, strangely), Blake perform a cappella on the mainstage (a yearly tradition now, always after a few drinks and with a few slight ‘alterations’ to the lyrics of our songs) and finally dance till 1am. We go all topped and tailed with a private chauffer from Audi there and back. I have an Audi S8 as my personal ride and these parties alone warrant the investment into their fine automobiles.
Who is the most positive person you know?
A rather wonderful lady who works as both celeb booker for Variety the Children’s Charity and as Mike Oldfield’s personal PA. Caroline Monk can giggle you out of the worst depression and bring sunshine to your dullest day, a great friend and an amazing lady with many stories to tell. She’s battled many things in life and will help you find some perspective on those days when all seems against you.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Have you ever stumbled across one of those really old episodes of Top Gear on YouTube, with a silly number of views and thought: “Who the hell watches this stuff”? It’s me. I’ve got this thing about watching old car reviews, convincing myself that it’s developing ‘automotive knowledge’ when in fact it’s as pointless as watching ‘talking cats’. Although I can tell you what Jeremy Clarkson’s hair looked like in any year of the last two decades, admittedly a skill in short demand.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
Probably the Maserati or Alfa Romeo badges. I’ve almost got petrol running through my veins, such is my love for engines and speed. I might as well wear the permanent mark of the two marques who in my opinion and have made the most beautiful machines ever to live.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
I’d love to be a Maserati, but in reality I’d be one of those cars made in a barn by an eccentric German, using English body parts and a teutonic engine; generally reliable but with occasional breakdowns.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’m no where near as ‘British’ as the PR and marketing of Blake would have you believe. My father is German, my mother is English but descended from the family which Napoleon married into. I got married to a Guatemalan girl when I was 21, divorced when I was 26 and have only dated 2 English girls in my life. All the others were Latino. I almost turned full-tilt ‘Eurotrash’ in 2004 when my hair reached my shoulders in a swept back slick hairdo, a style low point!
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
As I travel the world singing with Blake (we’ve sung in 22 countries to date) we meet fans who present us with ever more unique personal presents. On my mantelpiece I currently have a Russian Babushka doll with my face painted on it, alongside a crystal reproduction of my Honda Fireblade superbike. Both were given to me by a fan from Russia. I also have ‘fans’ from fans in China and Japan, along with a wooden ‘love spoon’ from the Mayor of Cardiff. It’s useful for tossing salad apparently.
Stephen Bowman is a member of the Blake, the vocal group widely known for having been formed on Facebook in 2007.
View Blake’s official website at: http://www.blakeofficial.com
Follow Blake on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/TheBandBlake
Follow Stephen Bowman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/StephenBowman
‘Like’ Blake on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/TheBandBlake
Forthcoming restaurant openings in Chelsea
The restaurant business is a transient place and it seems no more so than in Chelsea.
Places come and go here and though there are a number of mainstays that have lasted for a considerable length of time, some last barely even two years. Beauchamp Place, commonly known to many as “bankrupt alley” is a prime example and despite rave reviews, venues such as Galoupet lasted less than a year. Equally, Farhad Farman-Farmaian’s Beauchamp Club, lauded as a rival to Annabel’s by Vanity Fair and W Magazine, is now empty and elsewhere on Sydney Street, Frankie Dettori’s Sette has now become Marco Pierre White’s Sydney Street Grill.
Cambridge County Council create Britain’s shortest set of double yellow lines
A Liberal Democrat councilor named Damien Tunnacliffe has to be the most idiotic person we’ve come across this week and an image of him beaming proudly with Britain’s shortest set of double yellow lines just had to be our picture of the week.
The double yellow lines on Humberstone Road in Cambridge are 33cm in length and parking on either of them will result in a fine of £70. Of them, a resident of the street, Liz Hazell, told the Mail Online:
“It’s the craziest set of double yellow lines I have ever seen. It just defies logic as to why they bothered painting them on the road”.
A former mayor of Cambridge, Councillor Rob Dryden added:
“Perhaps a toy car could park there, but nothing else could”.
Meanwhile, Mr Tunnacliffe bizarrely stated that he was “tickled pink” with the “quirky” lines. In their praise, he stated:
“Cambridge has a reputation for breaking records and this is another one. We’re claiming it as a record for the shortest double yellows until we’re told otherwise… I think they’re cute and could be on the tourist trail. We should get the blue badge tour guides onto it”.
Elsewhere, a biography of the councillor reveals that he wishes to encourage closer cooperation between Cambridge and France in his role as head of the Alliance Française de Cambridge. No doubt Mr Tunnacliffe will be getting a call of congratulation from tax loving President Hollande shortly.
The Steeple Times asks thrice Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Sir Winston Churchill and all he stood for and to win an Oscar for the best “song” as a songwriter.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Immediately forget timewasters.
Most recognised for having played Uncle Monty in Withnail and I and Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, this Yorkshireman truly was a larger than life actor. (more…)
The Steeple Times asks concierge Jackie Branston: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Inner strength.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Fair play.