The Steeple Times

Tag: diplomat

  • A Borderline Bonfire Bargain

    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain

    Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 as part of a “bankruptcy sale;” it is situated on a street featured in Billy Joel’s ‘Close to the Borderline’ that was once termed: “Bloody, Bloody Beekman Place: Where the Wealthy Wind Up Dead”

    On 10th April 1936, Good Friday, a writer named Nancy Titterton was found dead in her bathtub at the home she shared with her husband at 22 Beekman Place in Manhattan. She had been raped and strangled by an upholsterer’s assistant, John Fiorenza, who had ironically repaired a loveseat for the couple. The case of the ‘Beauty in the Bathtub’ ended with Fiorenza’s conviction and execution at Sing Sing on 22nd January 1937, but for Beekman Place this was not the first nor last murder.

     

    Aside from the killing of Dr Fritz Gebhardt, an industrialist and associate of Hermann Göring, by his lover Vera Stretz in a hotel in the street on 12th November 1935, on 4th January 2015, a Princeton graduate named Tommy Gilbert, Jr. shot his financier father in the head at his apartment at 20 Beekman Place. Prior to committing the murder, after a row about his monthly allowance, the 30-year old had sent his mother out to buy him a can of Coca Cola and a sandwich. As a result of these series of slayings, in January 2015, the Daily Beast ran an article about the street with the headline: “Bloody, Bloody Beekman Place: Where the Wealthy Wind Up Dead.”

     

    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    The naked body of 33-year-old Nancy Titterton was discovered in her bathtub at 22 Beekman Place on 10th April 1936; “Pampered Ivy-leaguer” Tommy Gilbert, Jr. was sentenced to 30 years to life in jail in September 2019 for murdering his father, Thomas Gilbert, Sr. in his apartment at 20 Beekman Place in January 2015.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    Owners of 29 Beekman Place – Mary Lasker, William S. Paley and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi.

    Now, for altogether different reasons, the street – whose more ‘happy’ residents have included variously not just the Second Lady of the United States, Happy Rockefeller, but also Prince Aly Khan and A&P supermarket heir Huntington Hartford – Beekman Place is making headlines once again.

     

    Whilst the asking prices of properties are often reduced, the case of 22 Beekman Place is an extreme one. Built in 1934 for William S. Paley, the man who “turned CBS from a small radio network into the foremost radio and television network in the United States,” and owned subsequently by a philanthropist and then the twin sister of the Shah of Iran, the house was placed for sale for the plainly extremely over-ambitious sum of £40.2 million in February 2014.

     

    In the period since, the nine floor, 12,260 square foot “trophy mansion| has yo-yoed on and off the market and now after being listed as a “BANKRUPTCY SALE!! Excellent Value – Price Reduced to Sell!!” has just reappeared for ‘just’ £9.2 million.

     

    Described by Curbed New York as having “truly lovely architectural details” and an oval-shaped dining room that has been frequented by “heads of states and foreign dignitaries from all over the world,” the red brick and limestone property has 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. Additionally, it includes 1,500 square foot of outdoor space in the form of two private terraces, a chef’s kitchen, a wine cellar, a lift and a banquet hall.

     

    Agents Compass laud 29 Beekman Place as being “designed with grand scale entertaining in mind” and suggest it “appropriate for a private mansion, live/work, a foundation, or an ideal consulate or diplomat residence.” They add: “Do not miss this opportunity to purchase a piece of New York history,” (but unsurprisingly don’t mention any of the infamous murders in the neighbouring buildings).

     

    The Names & Numbers – 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America

     

    April 2020 – Relisted for £9.22 million ($11.45 million, €10.58 million or درهم42.05 million) through Compass as a “bankruptcy sale.”

     

    September 2019 – Relisted for £11.7 million ($14.5 million, €13.4 million or درهم53.3 million) through Compass.

     

    October 2017 – Relisted for £22.5 million ($28 million, €25.9 million or درهم102.8 million) through Sotheby’s International Realty.

     

    January 2016 – Relisted for £27.4 million ($34 million, €31.4 million or درهم124.9 million).

     

    May 2015 – Relisted for £30.2 million ($37.5 million, €34.7 million or درهم137.7 million) through Douglas Elliman.

     

    February 2014 – Listed for £40.2 million ($49.9 million, €46.2 million or درهم183.3 million) through Brown Harris Stevens.

     

    Mid 1970s – Sold to Princess Ashraf Pahlavi (1919 – 2016), the twin sister of the Shah of Iran.

     

    1940s – After Mr and Mrs Paley divorced, the house was first rented to and then bought by the philanthropist Mary Woodward Lasker (1900 – 1994). She lived there with her second husband, advertising executive Albert Lasker (1940 – 1952), and remained there after his death until circa 1975.

     

    1934 – Built for the “notorious womaniser” and first CEO of Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), William S. Paley (1901 – 1990) and his first wife Dorothy Hart Hearst (ex-wife of John Randolph Hearst).

     

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    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
    A Borderline Bonfire Bargain – 77% off 29 Beekman Place, NYC – Manhattan mansion listed for 77% less than in 2014 in “bankruptcy sale;” £9.22 million ($11.45 million) for 29 Beekman Place, Midtown East, Manhattan, New York, NY 10022, United States of America through Compass in 2020 down from £40.2 million ($49.9 million) in 2014. Built in 1934 for CBS chief executive William S. Paley. Home to Albert and Mary Lasker and Princess Ashraf Pahlavi. Murders of Nancy Titterton, Dr Fritz Gebhardt and Thomas Gilbert, Sr.
  • The Blatancy of Banks

    The Blatancy of Banks

    The National Crime Agency’s investigation into and that Theresa May stopped a previous inquiry into Arron Banks’ activities is proof that he must now be properly questioned

     

    Arron Banks looks like the kind of a man who’d have been a bully at school. He was actually expelled from two schools – once for stealing the lead off a roof – and was incensed that William Hague effectively termed him a “nobody.”

     

    Named after the Scottish island of Arran (though his parents bizarrely got the spelling wrong), Banks is undoubtedly wealthy but that he likely provided money of dubious source to the Leave.EU campaign is definitely worthy of detailed examination.

     

    Married to a Russian he met at a Britney Spears concert and the driver of a ghastly purple Range Rover – complete with the equally pretentious numberplate “X MI5 SPY” – Banks also co-owns the ridiculous website Westmonster with the “remarkably unpleasant child” and “milk bottle white” Michael Heaver. He hangs around mostly with a supposed “diplomat from Brazil” named Andy Wigmore, hands out diamonds like confetti and is a “man of many legends” according to The Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce.

     

    Now, however, this ‘Bad Boy of Brexit’s’ business affairs may very well be his undoing.

     

    Pictured: Arron Banks with Andy Wigmore.

     

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  • The Mugging of Meyer

    The Mugging of Meyer

    ‘Red socked fop’ Sir Christopher Meyer’s “mugging” was supposedly just “a fall”

     

    Sir Christopher Meyer was allegedly “attacked” at Victoria Station on 11th July and a great fuss ensued. The media – encouraged by this opinionated former ambassador’s “Chanel clad” wife (and BFF of Theresa May) – printed stories of how he was “beaten” by two teenagers because he’d said “nice” (a frankly meaningless word) things about Donald Trump. Something did not quite make sense.

     

    It has now been revealed by “Celebrity Jack” (Jack Malvern of The Times) that the “red socked fop” (as John Prescott so accurately christened him) supposedly just “fell” over.

     

    After leaving his diplomatic post, Meyer became head of the now rightfully defunct “toothless poodle” that was the Press Complaints Commission in 2007. In the wake of The Times’ revelations, he has now become nothing but an originator of #FakeNews.

     

    Matthew Steeples, a longtime adversary of the Meyers, comments: “It is an honour to return to our roots with our first story in some time. I started The Steeple Times in 2012 after exposing dodgy charities and I now return to expose the very same people we first started with.”

     

    #FakeNews #MeyerFakeNews

     

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  • A Bigoted Bash

    A Bigoted Bash

    Marie-Claire, Baroness von Alvensleben starts (yet another) racist tirade at a party in London and launches a website where she brands herself ‘Incredible Marie-Claire’

     

    Last night, at a party in London, a bigoted baroness launched into a racist tirade about immigration and the European Union.

     

    At the event in St James’s, Marie-Claire von Alvensleben – a woman previously sentenced to a six week suspended jail sentence for amongst other things stating “brown people are ruining London” in 2014 – waved her fingers wildly whilst ranting about Gina Miller and told guests that she thought Brexit to be “a wonderful thing.”

     

    Elsewhere, this unhinged madwoman has now created her own website. On it she shares information about her “glamour and sophistication” and claims to have “learnt English” in Cambridge. She bizarrely expresses (given her sheer lack of such qualities) that she wished to have become a diplomat and adds: “I was very spoilt indeed.”

     

    Immodest to her core, von Alvensleben also reports on her attempts to launch a Swiss version of Vogue – “despite her resilient efforts… [it] did not bear any fruit and folded” – and concludes:

     

    “Marie-Claire has her own ‘Coat of Arms’. Her ex-husband, Baron Bodo von Alvensleben used to call her IMC ‘Incredible Marie-Claire’. Maybe because she believes nothing is impossible … She can arrange “almost” everything… It can all be arranged.”

     

    Bigoted Bash – Racist bigot Marie Claire, Baroness von Alvensleben launches into a racist tirade and launches a website where she brands herself ‘Incredible Marie-Claire’
    Marie-Claire, Baroness von Alvensleben rolling around on the floor at another party with the equally awful former entertainer Michael Barrymore.

  • Reviewing Romulo

    Reviewing Romulo

    Matthew Steeples reviews Romulo Café in Kensington; it serves the finest Filipino cuisine and is well worth trying

     

    Romulo Café bills itself as providing “a taste of the Philippines in the heart of Kensington” and that it certainly does. Here you’ll find not only authentic cuisine but also a truly warm and welcoming atmosphere and an experience that is genuinely unusual.

     

    One of four restaurants – the other three being in the Philippines – owned by the same family, Romulo Café is inspired by the owner’s late grandfather, Carlos P. Romulo, a Pulitzer Prize winner, president of the United Nations General Assembly and ambassador to the United States of America. Framed portraits of “Mr United Nations”, as he was affectionately known, guide the décor of the building and a neon caricature of him stands proud at the entrance.

     

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    Carlos P. Romulo with his Lincoln in Washington

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    Rowena Romulo

     

    Owned by former Citibank and J. P. Morgan banker turned restaurateur Rowena Romulo, Romulo Café seats 70, is situated close to the newly opened Design Museum and opened in March 2016. It serves food that combines the culinary traditions of Spain, America, Malaysia and China and aside from the pork and rice dishes one links Filipino cuisine to normally, there are such things as Lola Virginia’s chicken relleno (£14) – roasted chicken stuffed with ground pork, raisins, chorizo and peas; Tito Greg’s Kare-Kare – beef (£16) or seafood (£18) stewed in a peanut based sauce with steamed vegetables and artisan shrimp paste. Homemade Filipino ice cream is a must try for dessert and for those looking to sample a selection of starters, be sure to go for ‘The General’s Combo Platter’ (£17.50). It features barbecued pork, chicken inasal, tinapa rolls, camaron rebosado and patotim with atchara.

     

    Aside from a substantial and varied wine list, it is for cocktails that Romulo Café excels. One, ‘Imelda’s High Heels’ pays homage to Imelda Marcos and thus, naturally, comes served in a vessel shaped as a shoe; another, the ‘Batangas Bad Boy’, is accompanied by a cigar. Filipino spirits including Don Papa Rum, made from cane sugar from Negros plantations; Calamancello, homemade limoncello made with Philippine lime, and San Miguel Beer Pale Pilsen, the “original Philippine beer” are also available.

     

    Of the restaurant, Rowena Romulo concludes:

     

    “We set up Romulo Café as a way to honour and help continue my grandfather Carlos P. Romulo’s legacy through food, as he and my family have always been so proud of Filipino cuisine and how food forms such a central part of Philippine culture, transcending class or creed. It’s true that every single Filipino loves to eat”.

     

    “Now that we have expanded Romulo Café to London, we hope it will help to raise the profile and appreciation of the Philippines through our cuisine. And maybe it will also help to introduce my grandfather and his amazing work to a new generation”.

     

    Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390.

     

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    Lola Virginia’s chicken relleno

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    Imelda’s High Heels cocktail

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    Batangas Bad Boy cocktail

    Reviewing Romulo – Romulo Café, 343 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3141 6390 – Filipino cuisine
    A caricature of Carlos P. Romulo welcomes diners at the restaurant’s entrance

  • A Soho Secret

    A Soho Secret

    Matthew Steeples meets Christopher Flourentzou, a little-known tailor but one well worth knowing

     

    There are tailors and then there’s Christopher Flourentzou. Described as a “master of copying a pattern” by the well-known hairstylist Luke Hersheson and originally from Liopetri, Cyprus, this talented Soho craftsman has made suits for many a Savile Row firm.

     

    Charging around half the price of the Mayfair institutions he’s worked for (at an average of around £2,500 for a suit compared to say Huntsman’s £7,500 average), Flourentzou operates from a tiny space in Berwick Street, W1 and claims to have “never been a single day without work”.

     

    His most enjoyable time, he remarks, was working with Morris Angel of the world’s longest established costume suppliers Angels Costumes: “I love making period clothing and working with this 176-year old firm taught me so much”.

     

    Flourentzou’s client list numbers royalty, business titans, diplomats, politicians and pop stars and though he’s naturally discreet about their names, this talented gent’s focus is creating garments that “fit like a glove and are proportionately balanced to complement the client”. He concludes: “My style is all about the individual” and with that, he is straight back to work at his cutting table.

     

    Christopher Flourentzou, 1st Floor, 72 Berwick Street, London, W1F 8TD. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7439 1633.

     

  • Nolan Browne – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Nolan Browne – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with Nolan Browne, manager of London’s Taschen store and Gallery Nolan Browne

     

    The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

    Ambition.

     

    “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

    Rubbish in, rubbish out.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

    Homelessness and Donald Trump.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    A couple of people.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    I wouldn’t.

     

    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?

    Is there still a crisis?

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    ‘Take care’.

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    I detest chuggers and I’m running the Royal Park Half Marathon in October for Shelter, who help the homeless.

     

    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?

    Don’t text while driving or cycling. Remarkable that people do it.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    Woody Allen and Magritte and a billionaire, just to find out exactly how you get that rich.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    I doubt you could wander too far, so maybe a nice Harrods hamper in the prison yard.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    Anytime depending on the occasion.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A martini.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Arty ones – always full of characters and great chat.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Both of my sisters are very positive.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Thomas Pink shirts.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    No answer.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    Any kind of Ferrari.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    I was born in Bangkok.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    A wedding invitation and some art related postcards.

     

    Nolan Browne is the manager of London’s TASCHEN Store and Gallery Nolan Browne. Travel and art are in his blood and he is the son of a diplomat and an art collector. Browne was born in Bangkok, grew up in New York, Somalia, Ukraine and Rwanda and went to school in the UK. While at university, he founded Unscene Art, a pop-up platform for emerging artists. It was dubbed “The student Turner Prize” by i-D magazine. Pitstops at White Cube and Phillips Auction House led him to TASCHEN – where he is fast turning the London store into one of the capital’s art destinations.

     

    Follow him on Instagram at @nolanbrowne.

     

     

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  • His Excellency Nunzio Alfredo D’Angieri and sons Stefan and Teava

    His Excellency Nunzio Alfredo D’Angieri and sons Stefan and Teava

    His Excellency Nunzio Alfredo D’Angieri and sons Stefan and TeavaThis dandy dynasty of diplomats and collectors of motoring marvels are renowned on the international jet set. Diplomat H.E. Nunzio Alfredo D’Angieri was once termed “Arafats’s banker” (more…)

  • Pictures of the Week: Blinging a Roller

    Pictures of the Week: Blinging a Roller

    Two Rolls-Royce Phantoms blinged beyond belief

     

    It’s the ‘Silly Season’ and this week we have two Pictures of the Week. One is of an American Rolls-Royce Phantom and the other is of a similarly ridiculous car in London. (more…)

  • The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG PC

    The Rt. Hon. the Baroness Neville-Jones DCMG PC

    Pauline Neville-JonesThis real life ‘M’ is a former Minister of State for Security and Counter Terrorism and has also been a BBC Governor and Chairman of the British Joint Intelligence Committee. Oxford educated Neville-Jones is said to be “sparky” and collects antiques and enjoys cooking and gardening. Dame Judi Dench could quite easily be her body double.