The Steeple Times

Tag: fire

  • A £5m Roofless Ruin

    A £5m Roofless Ruin

    Fire damaged Wimbledon house with half its roof missing goes on sale for the staggering sum of £5 million; is this Britain’s most expensive roofless wreck?

    In June 2015, The Steeple Times featured the sale of a repossessed 15,453 square foot house in Cumbria without any protection from the elements. At the time, its punchy £3 million ($4.1 million, €3.5 million or درهم15.2 million) price tag seemed ludicrous, but now we can ‘rain on its parade’ as it has ‘lost its eaves’ to a £5 million ($6.9 million, €5.8 million or درهم25.4 million) house in Drax Avenue, West Wimbledon currently for sale.

     

    Britain’s now likely most expensive wreck without a roof comes in the form of a 5,000 square foot detached house – which, surprisingly is “locally listed” and thus cannot just be flattened – on a plot of one acre backing onto the Royal Wimbledon golf course.

     

    The “period” property lost half its first floor and half its roof on 10th January 2018 when it caught fire. It took six fire engines and thirty-five firefighters just over two hours to bring the blaze under control, according to the Wimbledon Guardian.

     

    James Morrison of selling agents Savills is anything but despondent about the future prospects for this currently not-so-regal residence. In typically bullish realtor fashion, he seizes an exclamation mark and begins: “[This is] a simply exceptional opportunity!”

     

    Continuing Morrison gushes: “The house requires extensive refurbishment throughout. However, there is plenty of scope to extend and renovate this wonderful period property.”

     

    Aside from “well balanced living and entertaining space across three floors with a central galleried stairwell” – and presumably a lot of charring and ingressed water damage, there is also an overgrown garden, weed infested swimming pool and a currently derelict tennis court.

     

    Buyers will no doubt be flocking round the block to move in time for the Wimbledon Championships 2021, which starts on 28th June.

     

    OTHER WRECKS WITHOUT A ROOF PREVIOUSLY FEATURED IN ‘THE STEEPLE TIMES’

    The Lilymere Estate, Killington, Cumbria, England

    Lilymere Estate

    Featured when offered as repossession from a disgraced and struck-off solicitor in June 2015, this lacking shelter from the elements, potentially 8-bedroom, house came with a price tag of £3 million ($4.1 million, €3.5 million or درهم15.2 million) and 1,530 acres of land.

     

    Of the estate, at the time, another overly optimistic estate agent, Andrew Black, also of Savills, mused: “An awful lot has been invested in it and what has been done has been done to a high standard. You can see what the vision was but they never got to complete it.”

     

    “It needs someone with the vision and the resources to finish it. Within reason, they’ve essentially got a blank canvas to put their own decorative style on. It is a one-off and a special place but it will be a challenge and require further investment.”

     

    Muness Castle, Island of Unst, Scotland

    Muness Castle

    Offered for auction in April 2021 for just £130,000 ($179,000, €151,000 or درهم659,000), this Grade A-listed castle came with with cottages, barony title, gold and copper reserves and 240 acres of land. It was bizarrely subsequently put up for auction again with just 160 acres of land a few days later after apparently selling for £184,000 ($254,000, €214,000 or درهم933,000).

     

    Knockhall Castle, Newburgh, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Knockhall Castle

    Also priced at £130,000 ($179,000, €151,000 or درهم659,000) when placed on the market in August 2017, this shell dates to 1565 and stands near the Trump International Golf Links course. The B-listed structure was accidentally burnt to the ground by Jamie Fleming, “a servant fool” of the then owners, the Udny of that Ilk family, in 1734.

     

    MORE IMAGES OF THE £5,000,000 DRAX AVENUE, WIMBLEDON, LONDON, SW20 0EH WRECK CURRENTLY ON SALE

    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 1
    Seen from the rear, the damage to the roof is more extensive than it appears from the front of the building.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 2
    From this angle, the front doesn’t look quite so bad.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 3
    An aerial view of the setting shows neighbouring houses undergoing alterations also.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 4
    The one acre plot has become somewhat neglected since the January 2018 fire and a former tennis court is now nothing but a ruin.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 5
    The current condition of the swimming pool makes the one at Katie Price’s ‘mucky mansion’ look decidedly desirable.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 6
    A lawnmower is definitely required.
    Drax Avenue Wimbledon fire damage 7
    An aerial view of the wrecked house on Drax Avenue in otherwise ritzy West Wimbledon and its environs illustrates the degree of work required to fix up this property to liveable conditions. Beyond the somewhat punchy £5 million price tag, any purchaser will have to shell out a fortune for a lot more beyond just roof tiles.
  • Deranged Dom & Bashful BoJo’s Rotten Regime

    Deranged Dom & Bashful BoJo’s Rotten Regime

    Nikolay Kalinin concludes that both Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson’s rotten regime come out of this week disgraced

    Dominic Cummings’ questioning at the COVID select committee has undoubtedly provoked a tsunami of responses. Cummings branded the PM he once advised as “unfit for job” and condemned Matt Hancock by saying that he “should have been fired for at least 15, 20 things, including lying to everybody on multiple occasions.”

     

    Cummings claimed during questioning that Hancock lied about people getting treatment during the summer and stated: “We were told explicitly people did not get the treatment they deserved, many people were left to die in horrific circumstances.”

     

    Not only that, but Cummings also stated that Johnson did indeed say that he would rather “let the bodies pile high in their thousands” that enforce another lockdown. If true, this demonstrates that the Prime Minister is absolutely not fit to rule a country whose people he has put in peril as a result of his continued incompetence.

     

    There is no denying that the response of government officials to Cummings’ accusations has been plainly childish, including the response of Liz Truss, who stated that she “hasn’t had time to look at it yet” but also then stated: “I’m not going to engage with the false claims that are being made today.”

     

    Meanwhile, Peter Kyle, Labour MP for Hove has decided to try to kill two birds with one stone by releasing a PMQ video from 25th March 2020 where he told the PM about the lack of COVID tests available in his constituency and how long it took to deliver them, captioning it with the words “They knew. THEY KNEW!”

     

    Not only has Cummings’ dropped a bomb on the government but on ‘Costly Carrie’ too. In stating that his resignation from the role of Chief Adviser was linked “to the fact that the prime minister’s girlfriend was trying to change a whole bunch of different appointments at Number 10 and appoint her friends to particular jobs” – which sounds like a totally legitimate claim, especially considering how desperate ‘BoJo’ was to defend Carrie’s friend Henry Newman who got exposed as the man who leaked info about a second lockdown.

     

    A YouGov poll conducted after the questioning concluded that although 55% of people do not trust Boris Johnson and how he has painted the government’s handling of the pandemic, a whopping 75% do not trust Cummings’ claims. This is not surprising considering the fact that he was responsible for the deceptive propaganda of Vote Leave and its “£350 million for NHS” claim.

     

    Another poll conducted by Survation has concluded that even after Cummings’ revelations, the Conservatives extended their lead over Labour by 11 points, which is extremely concerning, because this shows that more people would rather trust the words of a man who throughout this pandemic has demonstrated barely any decent leadership and whose utter idiocy has destroyed the lives of many.

     

    Not only that, but this poll shows that the people of Britain seem more likely to support a man whose fiancé wants to undermine the democratic process on which this country stands on and replace it with a rotten regime and controlled cronyism.

     

    It truly feels as if most of Britain’s population are in the ‘Cult of BoJo’ and cannot stop ignoring all the terrible things he and his lackeys have done. If this is the kind of country that we are destined to live in for the next few years, then I’d argue that we are truly doomed.

     

    Deranged Dom & Bashful BoJo’s Rotten Regime 2021 – Nikolay Kalinin concludes that both Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson’s rotten regime come out of this week disgraced.
    Dominic Cummings’ grilling this week told the public what they already knew about Boris Johnson’s rotten regime.
    Deranged Dom & Bashful BoJo’s Rotten Regime 2021 – Nikolay Kalinin concludes that both Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson’s rotten regime come out of this week disgraced.
    Boris Johnson comes out of this sorry saga looking more and more like a puppet and one formerly controlled by Cummings and now most definitely in the clutches of his latest ‘baby mama,’ Carrie Symonds.
    Deranged Dom & Bashful BoJo’s Rotten Regime 2021 – Nikolay Kalinin concludes that both Dominic Cummings and Boris Johnson’s rotten regime come out of this week disgraced.
    The court of Carrie Symonds (pictured with her “chatty rat” bestie Henry Newman) holds more sway than anything else currently in the ear of our laughable, not laudable Prime Minister.
  • The Fake News of Love Yourself

    The Fake News of Love Yourself

    PR peddler Ivy Holt of Media PR makes a prized pillock of her client Love Yourself by trying to spread unentertaining fake news; all she achieved was to prove herself to be a wannabe Brian Basham

    At 11:55am yesterday, a prattling PR peddler named Ivy Holt of Media PR Limited – a firm we’d thankfully never heard of or knowingly dealt with previously – had the gall to send The Steeple Times fake news on the very day we’d joined those respectfully marking the 20th anniversary of the tragic murder of Stuart Lubbock at the home of the disgraced entertainer Michael Barrymore.

     

    Beginning, as if to be clever with an ‘embargo’ and really just sharing a rotten attempt to promote her client Love Yourself – a Park Royal, NW10 based flogger of overpriced dieting regimes – Ms Holt (who is listed as Ivy Elizabeth Barbara Elsby by Companies House) attempted to make light of those suffering during the pandemic with cheap throwaway lines. She supplied a completely invented tale about a non-existent bean and spuriously claimed it could cause “excess lockdown weight” to be lost “quickly.”

     

    Having written back to this not-so-clever practitioner of piffle at 12:38pm to point out that her press release wasn’t exactly witty, the mendacious minx tried to justify her stupid stunt on behalf of Love Yourself, a company that plainly has no honest story of its own to tell.

     

    At 12:47pm, proving she’s as much use as a chocolate teapot when it comes to marketing might, Holt bleated:

     

    “Fake Fun [sic] news in a fun on April the 1st, It is called April Fools day [sic].  This is 100% positioned for that. Tomorrow brands like Heinz, Apple, Tesla will all have April fools [sic] jokes in national papers. Yet, no-one will complain about their ‘Fake news’ as they are big brands.”

     

    Going further and turning on the inevitable wokeness of Oprah loving private profiteers ‘Ginge and Cringe,’ Covent Garden and Bridlington, East Yorkshire based Holt then just had to come back with more. That came in the form of a tediously tepid “I’d also like to point out” in spite of her having been sent no further correspondence.

     

    Choosing to slam the very publication she’d minutes earlier tried to feed her fake news to, at 12:57pm definite never to be a winner of a spelling bee Holt returned and barked:

     

    “You must be very proud to work in an organisation that dismisses new stories for April Fools day [sic] and instead write harmful articles on people [such as Lindsay Lohan] who have been in rehab, This is what is wrong with society. Too eager to point the finger and call, rathe [sic] than look inside. Keep up the ‘good’ work.”

     

    If you’re after a PR to make a prat of you or your company, do drop aspiring successor to Jo Moore, the world’s leading “burier of bad news,” Ivy Holt of Media PR a line. She won’t fail to disappoint and plainly is the kind of fake news spreader who’d also prove a useful addition to Brian Basham’s team helping Ghislaine Maxwell as she faces trial for trafficking minors in July.

     

    As for Love Yourself, we today urge our readers to boycott their bilge until they appoint a more intelligent marketing department.

     

    Next!

     

    The Fake News of Love Yourself – Ivy Holt’s supposed creation of ‘Lipra Sloof’ is actually nothing new. In 2015 on April Fool’s Day, Laser Hack posted the musings of a fake doctor of that name who claimed to be able to turn fire to ice.
    The Fake News of Love Yourself – Ivy Holt, Agility PR fake news – PR peddler Ivy Holt of Media PR makes a prized pillock of her client Love Yourself by trying to spread unentertaining fake news; all she achieved was to prove herself to be a wannabe Brian Basham.
    The Fake News of Love Yourself – Another example of this kind of marketing campaign came in 2017 in time for April Fool’s Day, in the form of a promotion by FootAsylum in 2017 of a range of trainers called ‘Sloof Lirpas.’
  • A Highway Ponzi House

    A Highway Ponzi House

    Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009; its asking price seems crazy given it could be washed away by erosion

    Built to the designs of the architect Gene Futterman on what Forbes disparagingly termed a “wind-swept, isolated” plot “on the easternmost edge of New York State, [where] the next stop is Portugal, about 4,500 miles across the Atlantic,” a beach house originally owned by Bernie and Ruth Madoff is once again for sale.

     

    Described once by a Hamptons broker as “a 1980s dump set in a fabulous location,” 216 Old Montauk Highway in Montauk at the tip of New York was sold in 2009 by U.S. Marshalls Services after the sentencing of the orchestrator of the largest ever Ponzi scheme in world history.

     

    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million).
    A Highway Ponzi House – As it was in 2009 when the U.S. Marshalls Services seized the Ponzi schemer’s house: 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America.
    A Highway Ponzi House – The house in its current form.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    A Highway Ponzi House – The house’s former owner Bernie Madoff and its current owner Steven Roth (pictured with all-round wrong ‘un Jared Kushner).
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    A Highway Ponzi House – Current owner Daryl Roth bears a remarkable resemblance to Ruth Madoff. You could easily mistake one for the other.

    Whilst Bernie Madoff rots on a 150-year prison term and his wife exists in relative poverty, his 3,000 square foot former getaway was bought by Broadway producer Daryl Roth and her billionaire real estate investor husband Steven, a man described as a “close confidant of Donald Trump.”

     

    The Roths hired “world renowned architect” Thierry Despont to rid all traces of the Madoffs in 2011 and the resulting creation is a 3,000 square foot home with a two-storey ‘great room,’ 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It has a free form gunite pool, cabana and 180-foot of direct frontage to the Atlantic ocean.

     

    Offered for sale again in 2018 for the ludicrous figure of £16.5 million, realtors Out East now seek just £14.1 million, but reaction to the listing has been less than enthusiastic. Dealbreaker described the bedrooms as “still prison-sized” whilst Guest of a Guest added: “You can’t get more on the beach than this… But with beach erosion escalating all over Long Island, and Dune Road basically about to fall into the sea, you’d better be okay with the big possibility of losing all your money on this short-term investment.”

     

    The Names & Numbers – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America

     

    September 2020 – For sale at a reduced price of £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million) through Out East.

     

    May 2019 – Reduced in price to £15.6 million ($19.9 million, €17 million or درهم73.1 million).

     

    April 2018 – Listed for sale for £16.5 million ($21 million, €17.9 million or درهم77.1 million) through the Corcoran Group, a sum 140% higher than the 2009 sale price.

     

    2011 – Renovated by “Manhattan’s most in-demand architect,” Thierry Despont. Of his work, Forbes remarked: “The Frenchman whose clients include Bill Gates, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, ripped out everything – right down to the studs – to turn the floor plan of the 1982 house upside down. He moved the front entry from the second floor to the first by tearing out a catwalk from the driveway and replacing it with mahogany steps sloping down to the home’s first level. He moved the master bedroom to the second floor. The living room was more of a challenge. The house was built with a vaulted ceiling in the main room that in those big-shouldered, big-haired 1980s years would have been called the ‘great room.’ Despont turned the sharp angles of a cathedral ceiling into a giant curve by creating a barrel vault covered in oak planks that look a bit like a weathered boat hull. The exterior he left much as he found it – contemporary lines, but with a traditional cladding of cedar shingles.”

     

    November 2009 – Sold for 7% above asking price at £7.4 million ($9.4 million, €8 million or درهم34.5 million) to Vorando Realty Trust founder and chairman Steve Roth and his award-winning theatre producer wife Daryl Roth.

     

    September 2009 – Listed for sale for £6.87 million ($8.75 million, €7.47 million or درهم32.13 million), a punchy sum 192% higher than the appraisal figure.

     

    September 2009 – U.S. Marshalls Services appraised the house at £2.4 million ($3 million, €2.6 million or درهم11 million) leading to a mocking New York Post article suggesting: “Those who see Bernard Madoff as an evil purveyor of excess might be disappointed by his beach house: It’s not that palatial. At 3,014 square feet, the home is cottage-size by superrich standards. Its faded furnishings look as old as Madoff’s epic fraud. There’s no garage. Not even a walk-in closet.”

     

    1979 – 1.5-acre site purchased by Bernie and Ruth Madoff for circa $250,000 or the equivalent of £703,000 ($895,000, €764,000 or درهم3.3 million) today.

     

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    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Steven and Daryl Roth with their close chum President Donald Trump.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Mrs Madoff now lives in much reduced circumstances and was spotted hauling out her own trash in 2012. One of her sons committed suicide, the other died of cancer and her moronic daughter-in-law, Stephanie Madoff Mack, wrote a ridiculous book titled: ‘The End of Normal.’
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Also seized – The Madoffs New York penthouse was sold to the creator of Cabbage Patch Kids and Pokémon Alfred A. Khan in 2010 for £6.3 million, but the “curse of Madoff” struck when it subsequently went up in flames. It was placed for sale again in 2013 when Khan split from his wife.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Then and Now – Bernie and Ruth Madoff built a quite hideous fireplace in their pompously described ‘Great Room’ using stones gathered on the beaches of Montauk (according to Hamptons.com); it has been kept by the current owners in a somewhat reduced state and the ceiling has been dramatically altered also.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – The somewhat plain kitchen of the house also serves as a dining space.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – One of three bedrooms in the property. The views do make up for them not being especially large, but if you were paying £14.1 million, wouldn’t you want more closet space?
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – One of three deck spaces overlooking the Atlantic ocean.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Then and Now – The pool and cabana remain quite unaltered.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – The entrance to the house is not especially impressive.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – A view of 216 Montauk Old Highway from the beach.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – An aerial shot from the ocean illustrating how close to the sea the building truly is.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – A general shot of the beach.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – The somewhat modest entrance gates to the property give no clue to its current or previous occupant’s financial statuses.
    A Highway Ponzi House – 216 Old Montauk Highway, Montauk, The Hamptons, New York State, NY 11954, United States of America – Montauk beach house built for Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff resurfaces for sale for double what U.S. Marshalls got for it in 2009 – Offered for sale by Out East for £14.1 million ($17.9 million, €15.3 million or درهم65.7 million). Owned currently by Broadway producer Daryl Roff and real estate billionaire Steven Roth.
    Now – An aerial shot illustrating the boundaries of the 1.5-acre plot; it’s certainly a lot more expansive than Bernie Madoff’s cell.
  • Flicka-ing off the Safety

    Flicka-ing off the Safety

    Conservative MP for Kensington Felicity ‘Flicka’ Buchan should be utterly ashamed of herself for voting against safety measures to prevent another Grenfell Tower disaster

    Last night, the Conservative Party disgracefully led the way to beat the Fire Safety Bill in the House of Commons by a margin of 318 to 188.

     

    Most surprisingly, leading the way against a proposed piece of legislation that would have put the “official fire safety recommendations made during phase of the Grenfell inquiry put into law” was Felicity Buchan MP – whose Kensington constituency includes the very same tower where 72 people died and 74 others were hospitalised as a result of a catastrophic fire exacerbated by flammable cladding.

     

    Summed up best last night by Evolve Politics, the perfectly sensible recommendations rejected by Buchan (‘Flicka’ to her friends) – a woman who previously said “up yours” to her 69% remain voting constituents – and her colleagues included:

     

    • Creating national guidelines for carrying out partial or total evacuations of high-rise buildings during emergencies.
    • Urgent inspections of fire doors contained in all multi-residential buildings.
    • A legal requirement for the owners or managers of multi-residential buildings to check fire doors at least every three months to ensure they are working effectively.
    • A legal requirement for the owners or managers of high-rise buildings to provide details of external walls and the materials used to the local fire service, and inform them of any changes.
    • A legal requirement for the owners or managers of high-rise buildings to provide paper and electronic versions of building plans to local fire services.
    • A legal requirement to ensure all high-rise buildings have a premises information box which includes a copy of floor plans.
    • Regular inspections of lifts required for use by firefighters and the mechanism that allows them to take control of it.

     

    The Steeple Times contacted Miss Buchan for comment via Twitter early Tuesday. Tellingly, ‘Flicka’ has yet to respond as to why she failed to support measures that – if they had been in place on 14th June 2017 – could most definitely have saved her constituents’ lives.

     

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    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Felicity Buchan votes against safety – Conservative MP for Kensington Felicity ‘Flicka’ Buchan should be utterly ashamed of herself for voting against safety measures to prevent another Grenfell Tower disaster.
    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Twitter users unsurprisingly rounded on Felicity Buchan and her Conservative colleagues over the outcome of the vote.
    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Felicity Buchan votes against safety – Conservative MP for Kensington Felicity ‘Flicka’ Buchan should be utterly ashamed of herself for voting against safety measures to prevent another Grenfell Tower disaster.
    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Nick Thomas-Symonds MP described ‘Flicka’s’ decision to vote against the recommendations as “appalling” and suggested: “Many of her constituents will feel let down and have serious questions to ask.”
    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Felicity Buchan votes against safety – Conservative MP for Kensington Felicity ‘Flicka’ Buchan should be utterly ashamed of herself for voting against safety measures to prevent another Grenfell Tower disaster.
    Flicka-ing off the Safety – Another Twitter user named Nile pointed out her behaviour was that “of a sociopath.”

  • A Fire Sale

    A Fire Sale

    Repossessed Grade I listed Dorset mansion once worth circa £15 million for sale for £3 million; the catch? It’s burnt to the ground

     

    An “exceptionally important,” Grade I listed, 38,000 square foot, 16th century country house in Dorset with 131.6 acres for just £3 million is certainly something that sounds like a bargain. Sadly, however, Parnham House, near Beaminster comes with a catch: it burnt to the ground in April 2017 and doesn’t even have a roof.

     

    Remodeled by the architect John Nash in 1810 and subject to a costly renovation – sadly now obviously gone – since being bought by the late financier Michael Treichl and his wife Emma in 2001 for £4 million, Parnham House has variously been a family home, was requisitioned during World War II by American troops and was the School for Craftmanship in Wood from 1976 to 2001.

     

    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.
    Michael and Emma Treichl

    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.
    The front elevation of Parnham House before the fire

    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.
    The front elevation of Parnham House after the fire

    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.
    The fire in full force

    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.
    The aftermath

     

    Now listed on the Heritage at Risk Register and likely to cost millions to restore, Parnham House’s destruction came about as a result of an arson attack on the property. The wealthy financier Treichl, who subsequently strangely left just £10,000 in assets in his will after drowning himself on Lake Geneva in June 2017. He is said to have suffered severe depression and possibly suffered catastrophic losses after betting on Brexit.

     

    Offered for sale by Sanderson Weatherall, the estate also includes an undamaged dower house, an undamaged cottage and equestrian facilities. In addition there is a mature park, formal gardens, a lake, walled gardens, a deer park, a tennis court, a bowling green, a swimming pool, fields, woodland and a stream.

     

    Parnham House – The Numbers

     

    2018 – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million).

     

    2017 – Said to be worth £15 million ($18.8 million, €16.6 million or درهم69.1 million).

     

    2001 – Sold to Michael and Emma Treichl for £4 million ($5 million, €4.4 million or درهم18.4 million).

     

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    A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl. A Fire Sale – Parnham House, Beaminster, Dorset, DT8 3LZ, United Kingdom – For sale for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.3 million or درهم13.8 million) through Sanderson Weatherall; former home of the late Michael and Emma Treichl.

  • Caught on Caramel

    Caught on Caramel

    Fire at Caramel restaurant in South Kensington suspected to be arson

     

    Now, in the wake of the fire at Caramel restaurant on Brompton Road, South Kensington last week, police have released images of two men they wish to question in regard to what they now suspect to be arson.

     

    Caught on Caramel – South Kensington restaurant fire was arson
    One of the men police wish to question

    Caramelized – Former La Brasserie (now Caramel) suffers fire – Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp on morning of 6th December 2018.
    The damage to the restaurant was extensive

     

    Damage to both the restaurant and four floors above the building as a result of the “deliberately lit” fire is now reported to be “serious” though thankfully there were no injuries. Around 30 people had to be evacuated at around 3am and the blaze was contained eventually at 4.30am after the arrival of 6 fire engines and 40 firefighters.

     

    One of the men is described as wearing a black/navy blue parker jacket with lighter coloured fur-like lining around the hood, dark jogging bottoms with lighter coloured horizontal lines on the rear, a round-neck dark-coloured sweatshirt and black trainers. The other is described as wearing a light coloured brown jacket, dark coloured trousers and black shoes.

     

    Witnesses and those who know the identities of the men are asked to call 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

     

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  • Caramelized

    Caramelized

    Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp

     

    Last night, at around 3.30am, the frontage of Caramel on Brompton Road in South Kensington went up in flames.

     

    Situated on Brompton Cross within the former premises of the much loved and now much missed La Brasserie, the new restaurant’s Christmas decorations, awnings and entrance door suffered the brunt of the damage. Flames, however, also caused further damage to the exterior of apartments on the four floors of the building above – where occupants include the Bullitt actress Jacqueline Bisset.

     

    Caramelized – Former La Brasserie (now Caramel) suffers fire – Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp on morning of 6th December 2018.
    The restaurant’s Christmas decorations prior to the fire

     

    A police officer guarding the exterior of the building on Monday morning told The Steeple Times: “We do not yet know what started the fire and are awaiting investigators to arrive.”

     

    A passerby added: “We all miss La Brasserie but this is tragic for a new business at this time of year.” Another, in contrast, remarked: “It’s rather ironic that Caramel’s mission statement is: ‘Have you been Caramelized?’ isn’t it? This place certainly has.”

     

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    Caramelized – Former La Brasserie (now Caramel) suffers fire – Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp on morning of 6th December 2018.Caramelized – Former La Brasserie (now Caramel) suffers fire – Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp on morning of 6th December 2018.Caramelized – Former La Brasserie (now Caramel) suffers fire – Frontage of former La Brasserie premises in South Kensington – now Caramel – burnt to a crisp on morning of 6th December 2018.

  • Grenfell Ineptitude

    Grenfell Ineptitude

    Matthew Steeples suggests it is time to bring down the Grenfell Tower in the wake of news that £30 million has been spent on temporary accommodation for survivors

     

    Today The Independent revealed nearly £30 million had been spent on hotel rooms for surviors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Whilst this is utterly shocking – and also indicative of the fact that not nearly enough has been done to rehouse residents – it also acts as a reminder that whilst the tower remains standing, further costs rack up from bills associated with stopping it collapsing.

     

    Whilst some might argue the case for the 24-floor structure not being demolished as it serves as a ‘memorial’ to the 72 people who lost their lives there, others are, in my view rightly, calling for it now to be brought down. The possibility of replacing it with, say, a garden of remembrance seems one of the better options on offer but what should be the priority first is that the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea council do more to help the 150 households still waiting to move into permanent homes. Shame on them for their ineptitude to date.

     

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  • Davide Giardino – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Davide Giardino – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with economist turned real estate investor Davide Giardino

     

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

    “The happiness and success of those closest to my heart.”

     

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

    “If you keep your destiny in mind, every moment in life becomes an opportunity to move closer to it.”

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2018?

    Technocrats – as at least populists are lying most of the time.

     

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

    A simpler life. I miss the routine of going to an office every morning. Am I crazy?

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    Assets? Well, in all seriousness, good health for me, my family and my friends.

     

    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 state of the financial system?

    Who is richer and who is poorer from the latest financial crisis? You’ve got my answer…

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “I am saying it for your sake.”

     

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

    Charity often substitutes for the lack of adequate government or international policy which is disappointing. I support a variety of causes including helping children born with congenital diseases and homeless children.

     

    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?

    Shut them off at night.

     

    Real estate investor Davide Giardino – What’s on your mantelpiece? A 20-question interview with Beverly Hills and Greater LA based economist turned real estate investor Davide Giardino.

     

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

    My twin brother, a bunch of friends, Isabelle Huppert, Glenn Close and probably Angelina Jolie.

     

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

    Bucatini with lobster (I always liked bucatini more than spaghetti), gâteau de pommes de terre (cooked the Neapolitan way), a large portion of figs and a torta caprese chocolate cake. I woiuld probably eat it at the Villa San Michele in Capri, Hotel Bel Air or Cliveden House – all places close to my heart for different reasons.

     

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

    11am, though not every day.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A Negroni.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    A dear friend of mine throws the most memorable dinner parties. I love how he always selects a group of diverse people who do not know each other, but will create an incredible energy together by the end of the night. It always helps that I’m always the guest of honour!

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Maybe me.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Buying French pâtisserie and flowers for myself many times each week.

     

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

    “I want it all.”

     

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

    A vintage Fiat 500 with a new engine. They are so cute and practical and I don’t need a Maserati to compensate for a lack of personality or something else.

     

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

    I am still trying to figure myself out.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    Fresh flowers.

     

    Davide Giardino is the founder of DGC-Luxury Homes and a licensed realtor at Rodeo Realty – Beverly Hills and Greater LA. He has extensive experience in the real estate advisory and investment business and previously was an economist at several global finance institutions. He describes himself as “a multi-lingual globetrotter” and holds a double degree from Bocconi and USC, an MSc in European political economy from the London School of Economics and a masters in finance from LBS.

     

    Follow Davide Giardino on Facebook at @dgcluxuryhomes and on Instagram at @dgc_la

     

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