The Steeple Times

Tag: drinks

  • Daniel Rosenfeldt: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Daniel Rosenfeldt: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks the magician and musician Daniel Rosenfeldt: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Stephen Fry.

     

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

    Madonna has a great one: “Don’t cheat”. You can do what you like in life but you have to put in the work.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?

    The fighting happening in the Middle East. People in this day and age killing each other over religious beliefs. How thick do you have to be to kill another person because they choose to believe in something different to you? It blows my mind.

     

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

    Tony Blair being Prime Minister… Not. ”Me?” Nothing at all. I’m rocking a fairy tale. Great childhood, great friends and family, I live in Copenhagen and I play guitar and perform magic for a living. What’s to miss?

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    Peace of mind is priceless stuff.

     

    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?

    If this is the case, then the Greeks would be laughing, but they don’t look so happy to me so maybe Donald got it wrong. And it wouldn’t be the first time: he also backed Romney.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    When people say: “To be honest”. It implies that they lie most other times.

     

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

    I think we should help where we can. I perform magic in hospitals and for charity events. Everyone loves magic. Please look on my website to book me for this. I do it for free and it’s a big part of the reason I do what I do. I’m planning a tour through the hospitals in Copenhagen which starts in February.

     

    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?

    That judge had it coming. Anyone against Gerard Butler is toast! Have you seen 300?

     

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

    The entire cast of QI, Rune Klan and his dog Balthazar, Benjamin Earl, Klaus Mulbjerg and Roland Rudd who would naturally start the speeches.

     

    Daniel Rosenfeldt

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

    Steak béarnaise at home with my parents and brothers.

     

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

    I put beer in pancake batter and it’s never too early for pancakes 🙂

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    An ice cold beer, please.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    I like the ones that sneak up on you, you’re busy having fun and then all of a sudden Dario is dancing on the couch with a sheepskin and a lampshade on his head, air drumming.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    I don’t feel guilty about things that please me. Except maybe Dario dancing on the couch with a sheep skin and a lamp shade on his head…

     

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

    Dario dancing on the couch… Nah!

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Rune Klan.

     

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

    I would like to imagine myself as a vintage Rolls but I think I’m more of a husky drawn sledge.

     

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

    I’m constantly surprised that I surprise people for a living. My parents are even more surprised!

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    I look forward to having my own mantelpiece.

     

     

    Daniel Rosenfeldt is a magician and musician. His website can be viewed at: http://www.danielrosenfeldt.com Follow him on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/danielrrosenfeldt?ref=ts&fref=ts

     

    Watch a YouTube video of Daniel Roesenfeldt’s “A Christmas in South Africa” at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxvK7ZYn69I and an example of his magical talents at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUydpcbb_lo

     

  • Shia LaBeouf

    Shia LaBeouf

    This Californian became a child star to help solve the financial woes of his family. He excelled in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and received a $15 million cheque for Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Aside from acting, he’s been in relationships with Carey Mulligan, Isabel Lucas and Megan Fox but it is bar brawls that seem to form a staple of his existence. LaBeouf was questioned by the Los Angeles Police Department after one at the Mad Bull’s Tavern in February 2011, thrown out of another called the Cinema Public House in Vancouver in October 2011 and lost his hat during another at the Hobgoblin in London, SE14 in November 2012. We somehow doubt this wild child will be transforming into a reformed citizen any time soon but we’re also betting his career will rocket.

  • Ecstasy and Babycham

    Ecstasy and Babycham

    A marine residence with a history tied to the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy, the Special Operations Executive and Babycham

     

    The House on the Shore on Thorns Beach at Beaulieu in Hampshire is a home that wouldn’t look out of place in the Hamptons or Rhode Island. Dramatically situated next to the Solent waters to the north of the Isle of Wight, this suitably named building wouldn’t have been out of place in the 1980s BBC series Howards’ Way. It could. Indeed, have been an ideal home for Gerald and Polly Urquhart. (more…)

  • Jax Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Jax Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks the financier turned fashion designer Jax Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Love.

     

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

    “If the glove don’t fit, you must acquit.”

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?

    Reality TV personalities are unacceptable in any year (but to be clear Kerry Katona is still unacceptable).

     

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

    Sleep.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    High quality education for all children.

     

    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?

    Bankers who created complex financial instruments should not receive the brunt of the blame. Let us not forget the inept regulators who permitted these activities to flourish, causing the crisis to become much worse than it might have been.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “Reaching out.”

     

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

    Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others.” Plato. I anonymously support several charitable causes related to: education, medical research, the arts and women’s and children’s issues.

     

    The judge in “Law Abiding Citizen” states: “I can pretty do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    You can’t live with them and you can’t live without them. But, I have no interest in listening to other people’s loud conversations on their mobiles.

     

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

    Oscar de La Renta, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Mao Tse Tung, Madonna and Ronald McDonald.

     

    Fashion designer Jax Martin

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

    I LOVE to eat; I would have a very large meal comprised of chateaubriand with shallot sauce, Cajun chicken and fries from Le Bilboquet and a bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions from Corner Bistro. All of the aforementioned would be served with a bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin. For dessert, I would have a slice of mille-feuille with fresh cut strawberries on the side. If I were allowed to dine outside of death row, I would have the meal served in either Trancoso in Bahia, Brazil or José Ignacio in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

     

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

    This question makes the assumption that somehow one has stopped partying from the previous evening.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A martini.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    It doesn’t matter who throws the party, it’s the company you carry that makes the party.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Lucy.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Can’t say.

     

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

    A phoenix.

     

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

    A Koenigsegg Agera R.

     

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

    While I was in engineering school, I was also a professional dancer.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    An antique Buddha, candles and a couple of black and white family photographs.

     

     

    British designer Jax Martin is a former financier and professional dancer. A graduate of Columbia University, Martin also has an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and began her career in the hedge fund business. She now creates “chic clothing for today’s woman” and states: “I live to make women feel great and look fabulous”.

     

    For more information about Jax Martin, go to: http://jaxmartin.co.uk

  • Fry's delight

    Fry's delight

    Andreas Kirchberger captures the atmosphere at a private view of the works of Robert Fry

     

    On Thursday 25th October, Ilona Pacia and Jesper Thomsen of Mews42 Gallery hosted a private view of the works of Robert Fry in Princes Gate, South Kensington.

     

    Artist Robert Fry pictured with exhibition sponsor Andrew Harding of Qube Property Management
    The exterior of Mews 42 Gallery, 42 Princes Gate Mews, London, SW7 2PR
    Robert Fry’s works on display at Mews42 Gallery

     

    Andreas Kirchberger was on hand on behalf of The Steeple Times and captured an exotic array of guests who numbered Bianca Boscu Brandinelli, Esther Osorio, Ivan Rosenschein, Alexander Batchvarov, David Stoddart, Marco Calmisani Calzorali, Zuqiang Lin, Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo, Aurelia Bonito, Wendy Coumantaros, Klas Nilsson, Georgina Budge and Robin Dutt.

     

     

    For those yet to discover his works, Robert Fry is a London based painter with an impressive CV. Born in 1980, he has already exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery and Alexia Goethe Arts & Co. in his home city, Moscow’s Atelier 2 and Los Angeles’s François Ghebaly Gallery.

     

    Fry is described as having an “obsession with the concepts of form and norm, symmetry and deformation and that of mutation and maturity.” Martin Coomer of Time Out suggests he leads us “back to Picasso via the spatial experiments and fine line of David Hockney” and adds that he has: “Found a fruitful way of using the traditional skills shunned by most artists of his age.”

     

    Robert Fry’s works are on show at Mews42 Gallery, 42 Princes Gate Mews, London, SW7 2PR until 2nd December 2012.

     

    Viewing is by appointment and can be arranged by telephoning +44 (0) 798 000 0264 or emailing Ilona Pacia at [email protected]. Website: http://www.mews42.com

     

    All images © Andreas Kirchberger/Photo-Factory 2012

  • Put a sock in it

    Put a sock in it

    Matthew Steeples takes a look at the farcical results of the PCC elections

     

    A former ambassador to the US undiplomatically Tweeted the following an hour or two ago: “Prezza beaten. Humberside policing saved.” His dovetailed stooge, one Mowbray Jackson, added: “Tiresome tub thumper ‘Lord’ Prescott rejected in PCC election. There is a god.”

     

    Lord Prescott faces defeat in the PCC elections like all great men: He proudly holds his head up and heads straight to the bar.
    Sir Christopher Meyer and his sidekick Mowbray Jackson share their somewhat predictable views about Lord Prescott’s defeat.

     

    The first of this pair of social elevators loves a good old Ralph Lauren sofa and the second is often to be found lizard-like with a carafe swilling partner at the bars of London’s Hollywood Road. One stood accused by Prescott of doing “nothing” over phone-hacking whilst chair of the PCC, which probably explains his bitterness, but the other has little connections to the former Deputy Prime Minister other than a picture of himself posing outside 10 Downing Street on his Twitter handle. This image was taken at an event that a certain Lady Meyer hosted with “she so enthusiastic for PCC’s,” our “esteemed” Home Secretary, Theresa May. Dogs, fleas and all that.

     

    From the start, I was very vocal in my view that the PCC elections were a waste of time. I personally couldn’t see the point of them but the one person I thought deserved to win was John Prescott. The right-wing columnist Peter Oborne agreed and summed up my views perfectly in a Daily Telegraph column on Wednesday:

     

    “Most members of the Labour Cabinet [Prescott] served in are now off doing rather grubby jobs in the private sector and feathering their nest, whereas John Prescott, well into his 70s, is still filled with the desire to serve. Good luck to him tomorrow. It would be a magnificent thing for British politics if he wins.”

     

    A Conservative government, though, should not have advocated this additional layer of bureaucracy and all the Police and Crime Commissioners will be is just such. Conservatives are meant to be about “less” rather than “more” government and that one polling station in Wales had a ballot box that, when opened, contained zero papers speaks volumes. It’s been a dismal day for democracy and frankly the government should “sock” the lot of these bureauprats before they have chance to do an iota of damage.

     

    Read Peter Oborne’s article, “Why I hope John Prescott wins in Humberside tomorrow,” at: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/peteroborne/100189605/why-i-hope-john-prescott-wins-in-humberside-tomorrow/

  • Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

    Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

    She owns a controlling interest in the world’s third largest brewer and is married to the child star of Lawrence of Arabia, Michel de Carvalho. They live together in London with their five children, are said to be worth £5.5 billion but live “quite modestly.” Of meeting his wife, de Carvalho commented: “I met the girl of my dreams, complete with free beer. I didn’t realise then that marriage is not just about free beer.”

  • Bond's base

    A home suitable for James Bond

     

    The latest James Bond film Skyfall is the talk of the town and it’s received many a rave review. The fictional James Bond allegedly lived in Royal Avenue, off the Kings Road in SW3, but if he were looking for a house today, we think 9 Hillgate Street would be the perfect pad.

     

    The entrance and garage at 9 Hillgate Street, London, W8 7SP. Sadly the Aston Martin isn’t included in the £7,950,000 asking price.
    Daniel Craig in a promotional shot for “Skyfall”
    The unasuming exterior of 9 Hillgate Street gives little away about what lies behind it

    Utterly unassuming from the street, what lies behind the exterior of this four-storey building is deceptively a new build house constructed in 2010. Designed by Seth Stein Architects, the property is only 18ft wide but an amazing 85ft in length.

     

    An internal lightwell and four terraces are amongst the features of the house
    A reception room in the house
    A bright walkway allows light to flood into the building
    The master bedroom suite includes a bedroom, study, dressing area and bathroom
    Seth Stein Architects have developed a vast residence out of the tiniest of spaces

    Bond would greatly appreciate the lower ground media room and gym with plunge pool and with a staff suite, there’s room to house someone to mix his martinis. A vast 29ft by 16ft living room is open plan to the kitchen and perfect for entertaining but it is most certainly the master bedroom suite that would make the perfect spot for his extra curricular activities. Four terraces arranged around a courtyard provide ample outdoor space and with all manner of techonological gadgets, 9 Hillgate Street most certainly would make an ideal bachelor pad.

     

    What truly would suit Bond perfectly, though, in this 4,286 square foot £7,950,000 house is the garage. Cleverly disguised and decorated as a normal room, there’s even an Aston sat waiting parked there. Daniel Craig should put in a bid.

     

    9 Hillgate Street, London, W8 7SP is on the market with Domus Nova. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7727 1717. For more details, go to: http://www.primelocation.com/for-sale/details/16234784?search_identifier=1dc68e7f093f381788be3dda54be33ed

     

    For more information about Seth Stein Architects, go to: http://www.sethstein.com

  • Boujis in the basement?

    Boujis in the basement?

    Matthew Steeples explores the story of an empty Kensington mansion

     

    A multi-million pound 8-bedroomed house in Kensington isn’t anything unusual. In fact, rather, they’re ten a penny. In this, one of the wealthiest boroughs in the land, large, expensive homes are just the norm.

     

    An image of the existing exterior of No. 1 Campden Hill, London, W8 7AD
    A rendered image of how the exterior of the renovated property might look
    The plans show a vast subterranean development that will vastly increase the size of No. 1 Campden Hill

    No. 1 Campden Hill, which is being marketed for an undisclosed eight-figure sum, is in a quite different league. Here is a detached Edwardian house in an acre of grounds just to the north of Kensington High Street. It’s an unrenovated property but it attracted much press attention in October 2011 because it was place on the market in October 2011 at a price of £75,000,000. Yes, you heard it right: £75 million for a fixer-upper. Last week, Radio 4 made a hell of a fuss about a derelict semi-detached house in Newcastle selling for just £14,000 so this truly must be something special.

     

    Architect Edward P. Warren (1856 – 1937), far right, in the offices of Bodley & Garner, 14 South Square, Gray’s Inn, London

    The architect of the house Edward Prioleau Warren (1856 – 1937), a Bristol born architect and archaeologist, was best known for “Oxford colleges and minor country houses” but also designed the War Cemetery at Basra. He was a friend and adviser to the American novelist Henry James and in addition to building No. 1 Campden Hill in 1915, he also designed a house at 5 Palace Green in 1906 and another, Estcort House in Kensington Palace Gardens, in 1904. Warren’s guiding style is described as having been to recreate an “understated revival of English late 17th century” architecture and at No. 1 Campden Hill he created just that.

     

    Colonel Edmond Grove-Hills (1864 – 1922), born Edmond Hills, and his wife, Juliet Spencer-Bell, were the architect’s clients. A plaque on the building bares their names and the following dedication:

     

    This House I built for Me & Mine

    May it be of Peace A Shrine

    And no Enmity or Sin

    Ever find its way therein

    AD 1915

     

    Sadly for the Grove-Hills, the following year, their son, Second Lieutenant Charles Herbert-Hills (1895 – 1916) was killed on the Somme aged just 21. His father, meanwhile, was awarded a CBE in 1918 after having served as the Assistant Chief Engineer of Eastern Command during the war.

     

    Aside from his military exploits, Edmond Grove-Hills is best known for his role as president of the Royal Astronomical Society. He took part in observations of eclipse of the sun in Japan in 1896, India in 1898 and Russia in 1914 and contributed papers analysing both this and the causes of the irregular movements of the earth’s axis of rotation.

     

    In 1951, No. 1 Campden Hill was purchased by the government of Uruguay and it became the residence of their ambassador to the United Kingdom. For the next fifty years the building was barely altered but when the lease from the Phillimore Kensington Estate came to an end, there were legal problems as the 1951 transfer had never been stamped. Of this, Sharon Mulroney of Forsters, the legal representatives of Phillimore, commented:

     

    “It is highly unusual to be faced with complications of this kind when dealing with a registered London title, but this made the transaction all the more fascinating. Even the decision to allow ambassadorial staff to return to the property for security purposes after completion was fraught with potential problems about security of tenure, employment and tax.”

     

    The proposed site plan shows the addition of a garden pavilion, staff/security cottage and a tennis court

    Eventually, without issue, the Phillimore Estate sold on the house in 2001 for a price of approximately £17,000,000. In the years since, the property was effectively mothballed as all the purchasers have done is to have obtained planning permission to redevelop the building into a mammoth mansion of epic proportions.

     

    A computer rendered image of how the drawing room might look
    The “leisure area” is reminiscent of the entrance to The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel
    The private home cinema would be the envy of any movie buff
    The swimming pool
    The wine cellar is rather like a contemporary take on Berry Bros. & Rudd’s flagship store in St. James’s Street
    And to complete it all… The plans include your own version of Boujis in the basement

    The approved plans show designs for something quite remarkable. Warren’s “understated” residence will be replaced with 8 vast bedroom suites, grand entertaining spaces, a lift and even bedrooms for 5 staff. In addition to a full-scale renovation of the original freehold house, there is scope to provide a total of 30,000 square feet of accommodation by adding a huge subterranean complex that will include a 25-metre swimming pool, court, squash court, gym, sauna, steam room, function room, entertainment room, home cinema, wine tasting room and even a nightclub to rival any of Kensington’s trendiest haunts.

     

    On that basis alone, No. 1 Campden Hill is surely the ideal residence for Prince Harry: “Who needs Boujis?” we hear him cry.

     

    No. 1 Campden Hill, London, W8 7AD is for sale through Knight Frank. For more details contact Roddy Craggs on +44 (0) 20 7938 4311 or go to: http://search.knightfrank.com/ken100161 to download a brochure.

     

    For more information about The Phillimore Estate, go to: http://www.phillimore-kensington-estate.co.uk

  • Robin Sheppard: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Robin Sheppard: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks hotelier and chairman of Bespoke Hotels Robin Sheppard: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Hunger.

     

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

    “While I breath, I hope.”

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?

    Piers Morgan.

     

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

    The ability to fit into non-elasticated trousers.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    I might swap it for anything. However, I would swap it for nothing.

     

    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 it’s a great shame that people no longer consider their bank manager to be a friend. We’ve lost the trust. It’s very different now to how it once was.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

     “At this moment in time”: What a waste of words.

     

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

    I am affiliated with the Guillan-Barre Syndrome Support Group.

     

    The judge in “Law Abiding Citizen” states: “I can pretty do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    Turn them off when you’re on the loo. Or at least try not to use them.

     

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

    Are we murdering or sightseeing? Either way, the answer’s probably family.

     

    Hotelier Robin Sheppard

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

    Presumably I’d have to eat it in the prison  I doubt they’d let me go on a picnic. I think I’d have spaghetti bolognaise with a robust Chianti.

     

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

    Immediately after you finish work. Whichever time that may be.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    Cup of tea.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    If I remembered them, they can’t have been that much fun, can they?

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    My golf instructor. He’s always laughing whenever I take a shot.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Pork scratchings.

     

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

    That festival in Edinburgh.

     

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

    A monster truck.

     

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

    I’m an only child.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    A handful of birthday cards.

     

    Robin Sheppard is a classically trained hotelier and chairman of Bespoke Hotels. He is also managing director of Alfresco, designed the iconic bottle for Ty-Nant mineral water and is the author of A Solitary Confinement (2007).

     

    To purchase a copy of Sheppard’s book, A Solitary Confinement, go to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Solitary-Confinement-Robin-Sheppard/dp/1905823258. Watch a video interview with him about Guillan-Barre Syndrome at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9SQKayEQEo

     

    For more information about Bespoke Hotels, go to: http://www.bespokehotels.com and for information on Alfresco: http://www.alfresco.co.uk