Combining a mix of society's last word and both wit and wisdom, The Steeple Times covers food, drink and fine dining as well as luxury, travel, the arts, individuals of influence and current affairs in the United Kingdom, America and elsewhere. We are best described as being akin to "a cross between The Huffington Post and Private Eye".
The magazine's following is affluent, engaged and international. With 41% of readers coming from the UK and 38% from America, The Steeple Times also has strong presence within Canadian, Italian, German and Australian territories.
February 5, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Rolls-Royce owned by eccentric tycoon Nubar Gulbenkian expected to sell for just £30,000 in spite of £200,000 spent on restoration to date Last August, we reported on a Mercedes-Benz 600 sedan complete with a “Jimmy Savile-esque” double bed that was sold in Paris by RM Sotheby’s. It was originally adapted for the bon viveur Nubar … Continue reading “A Cut-Price Gulbenkian”
September 10, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
As Victoria Beckham embraces being a ‘bag lady,’ one could argue she’d simply do best to keep her head inside for good On the surface, Victoria Beckham has it all: Fame, fortune and friends. In spite of this, this pop princess turned fashion fiesta never smiles and frankly seems as miserable as sin. … Continue reading “Bagging Beckham”
August 26, 2018
by General
“With champagne wishes and caviar dreams” was the famous signoff of London born Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous host Robin Leach. Harrow High School educated, this one-time Daily Mail reporter moved to the US in 1963 with $145 in his pocket and after briefly becoming a shoe salesman founded a music publication named Go … Continue reading “Robin Leach (1941 – 2018)”
December 18, 2017
by General
The richest self-made woman in the UK paid herself £217 million in 2016 and is said to have a personal fortune of circa £3.17 billion. A former betting shop cashier, Denise Coates purchased the domain Bet365.com in 2000 and has since grown the operation into one of the world’s largest online gambling companies. A Sheffield … Continue reading “Denise Coates”
November 29, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Neglected Georgian mansion that has been home to Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk for sale for 39% less than it sold for in 2014 A dilapidated Grade II* listed country house whose extensive roster of owners numbers aristocrats, rock and film stars and politicians is … Continue reading “The Stars of Beel”
July 5, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
James Stunt finds support from the aristocracy, receives a suggestion he takes to the stage from actor Steven Berkoff and issues two more YouTube video posts Update: 07:45am, Thursday 6th July – Three of the four videos by James Stunt have been removed. YouTube have replaced them with a comment: “This content is not … Continue reading “Rinder vs. Stunt”
April 20, 2017
by General
A 20-question interview with self-made businessman and star of ‘My Fat Gypsy Fortune’ Alfie Best The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force? For a man to know where he is going, he must remember where he is from. “Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a … Continue reading “Alfie Best – What’s on your mantelpiece?”
April 10, 2017
by General
A tenacious Romany Gypsy turned multi-millionaire businessman, Mayfair and Hertfordshire based Alfie Best overcame “many obstacles and prejudices” to make his fortune in cars, mobile phone stores and mobile home parks. The owner of Wyldecrest Parks also produces his own gin and claims his life philosophy is “90% perspiration and 10% inspiration”. His equally entrepreneurial … Continue reading “Alfie Best II”
February 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Belvedere, CA home of late tech billionaire and author of ‘Sex and the Single Zillionaire’ Thomas Perkins for sale; he entertained amongst others Sophia Loren and Rupert Murdoch there Thomas Perkins (1932 – 2016) had it all. Born in New York, this Harvard University and MIT graduate made his fortune in Silicon Valley, California … Continue reading “Sex and the Single Zillionaire”
September 18, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Highest penthouse in western hemisphere sells for £67.5 million On Friday, the property news site 6sqft reported that a Saudi billionaire had just paid £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) for a New York penthouse at 432 Park Avenue that is currently the highest of any in the western hemisphere. According to … Continue reading “Topping a sale”
November 16, 2015
by General
Massachusetts born and Boston based billionaire businessman Herb Chambers loves fast cars and mammoth yachts.
November 12, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Stunning 1938 Bugatti that once formed part of the collection of the heir to Macy’s to be auctioned with a guide of £1.4 to £1.6 million
September 20, 2015
by General
The younger sister of the diva-esque actress Joan Collins, “Queen of the Bonkbuster” Jackie Collins wrote 32 novels and sold over 500 million books during her lifetime.
August 25, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Michelle Young’s ‘Evening Standard’ interview proves that she is nothing but egocentric and fame obsessed
June 3, 2015
by General
With over 66,000 followers on Twitter, Stinson Hunter is a self-styled online crime fighter.
May 29, 2015
by General
Termed “the first female oligarch”, Goga Ashkenazi made her first fortune in oil and gas before moving into fashion after buying Vionnet in 2012.
May 19, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Wayne and Coleen Rooney buy a caravan – They should have bought the entire park
April 4, 2015
by General
The fund founded by “The Black Madoff” was bankrupted in 2012 after Alphonse Fletcher, Jr.’s firms, Fletcher Asset Management and Fletcher International, failed to meet redemption requests of £97 million ($144 million).
March 9, 2015
by General
‘The Steeple Times’ asks behaviour expert, consultant, writer and speaker Jon Levy: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
March 8, 2015
by General
Palo Alto, California based Elizabeth Holmes quit Stanford University and made a $4.5 billion fortune as a health technology entrepreneur.
March 3, 2015
by General
In her 2010 novel, The Recessionistas, this esteemed Jewish mother of three chronicled the consequences of economic collapse for a wealthy New York investment banker and his socialite wife.
February 22, 2015
by General
Aged just 17, Yorkshire born Sam Cook borrowed £2,000 from his father and allegedly turned it into £21.2 million in less than 12 months.
December 26, 2014
by General
One of the most famous kidnap and Stockholm syndrome victims ever, Patty Hearst is the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst
December 23, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
John Goodman models the “Dr Evil” look in as he checks in at the South Florida Reception Center prison
November 5, 2014
by General
A somewhat secretive billionaire who wants to go bust in his lifetime
October 24, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Gareth Southgate markets his £3.25 million Grade I listed Yorkshire home Footballers are not generally noted for living in tasteful homes so it is somewhat surprising to find that the former England player turned Middlesborough manager Gareth Southgate’s current home is a Grade I listed “Elizabethan style” hall on the banks of Swinsty Reservoir, nine … Continue reading “Fortunes and footballers”
September 8, 2014
September 5, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Michael Bloomberg back at the helm at Bloomberg Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg is to unexpectedly resume control of his eponymous financial data and media company at the end of the year just eight months after ending his final term as New York’s mayor.
August 11, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
An opportunity to buy an American equivalent of Downton Abbey Downton Abbey returns to our screens this autumn and one has to ask whether its writer Julian Fellowes was at all influenced by the story of the story of Peter Widener of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania whose son and grandson both died in the sinking of … Continue reading “America’s Downton”
December 24, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Red Bull founder’s grandson remains subject to an arrest warrant In a case that echoes that of Florida’s John Goodman trial, 28-year old Vorayuth Yoovidhya – the grandson of the founder of Red Bull – remains subject to an arrest warrant for reckless driving, causing death and failing to stop at the scene of … Continue reading “Bullish bravado”
September 23, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Stonebrook Court Manor: The sale of a Californian mansion where it’s more about patience than price Stonebrook Court Manor in California’s Los Altos Hills has been on and off the market since January 2008. Its owner, a “television executive turned Internet investor” and investment banker named Kelly Porter, though said to be “in no … Continue reading “Price vs. Patience”
August 27, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
This heiress daughter of a Montana “robber baron” mining and railroad tycoon was a hence unseen recluse from 1930 until her death in 2011 following a painful divorce from the son of one of her father’s business associates after just two years of marriage.
August 22, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Anthony Marshall attempts to get out of jail Anthony Marshall is a man who plainly refuses to give up. Finally jailed in June this year following his 2009 conviction for stealing tens of millions from his famous heiress mother, Marshall has put in a cynically planned bid to get out of jail on the … Continue reading “Don’t pass Go”
August 20, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Board game sets suitable for high rollers As many of our readers relax on their yachts and in villas in the South of France the Hamptons and Ibiza, many will be enjoying the odd board game of an evening. Here, we highlight five of the best sets currently available
July 28, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
This twice married, self-made billionaire publisher and philanthropist is a polarising force. Desmond’s portfolio has at various times included titles as diverse as the Daily Express, OK!, Asian Babes and Penthouse and this is used against him by enemies like Tom Bower who have also claimed that he’s “violent and dishonest”. Though some might loathe … Continue reading “Richard Desmond (nicknamed “Mr Badger”)”
May 19, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
One of the greatest traders ever to have lived. This thrice married American was famed for making and losing several multi-million dollar fortunes and once stated: “People who look for easy money invariably pay for the privilege of proving conclusively that it cannot be found on this earth”. Bankers today should pay heed. Nicknamed the … Continue reading “Jesse Livermore (1877 – 1940)”
May 7, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The sale of a £400,000 castle owned by a man who was an inspiration for the creation of James Bond’s nom de plume Sir Hilary Bray, Bt and for many elements of 007’s character also Count Robin de la Lanne-Mirrlees (1925 – 2012) is largely thought of as the man whose persona Ian Fleming … Continue reading “Lord of the Bond”
May 6, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The latest bizarre turn in the John Goodman case Rather like the twisters that often hit the coast of Florida, the story of the case of the polo mogul and multimillionaire Goodman stereo manufacturing heir John Goodman has again taken another turn. On Friday, it was revealed that a juror in the case … Continue reading “A twister of a trial”
April 18, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The sale of a Purdey gun engraved with a portrait of Baroness Thatcher Margaret Thatcher had many devoted followers and fans in her time as Prime Minister. Coal miners, in general, were not amongst them but some like Jimi Heselden OBE (1948 – 2010) used their redundancy payouts to make vast fortunes.
March 3, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A singer, actress and composer who has been a star all her life. Brought up in Epsom, Surrey and best known for Downtown, Petula Clark surprisingly made her radio debut aged just 9 and appeared at the Royal Albert Hall when she was only 11. She now lives between Switzerland and Chelsea and can occasionally … Continue reading “Petula Clark CBE”
November 25, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Of Italian-Jewish descent, Caring is of the “supermarket-sweep” school of empire building. This billionaire started out in the rag trade but now controls the majority of the top restaurants and clubs in Central London. He survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and viewed that to be a wakeup call. Since then he’s donated millions to … Continue reading “Richard Caring”
November 20, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “Ecstasy and Babycham”
November 12, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken”
October 7, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
A most curious tale of playboys, socialites, lawyers and real estate moguls This week the mystery buyer of Clarendon Court, the former marital home of Claus and Martha “Sunny” Von Bülow (1932 – 2008), was revealed as a restaurateur and real estate mogul named Paul Roiff. Separately, the New York Post reported that Mr … Continue reading “Reversing Fortunes: Tales of former home of Claus von Bulow”
October 1, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The sale of a $25 million mansion modeled on Marie Antoinette’s favourite retreat that has connections to Levi Strauss & Co., Yehudi Menuhin, the Zodiac Killer and a controversial dot-com tycoon Modeled on the Petit Trianon, a small château in the grounds of Versailles that was favoured by Louis XVI’s wife Marie Antoinette, the … Continue reading “Going under the Kosh”
September 30, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The sale of Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell’s Malibu beach house Goldie Hawn’s performance in the 1992 romantic comedy Housesitter with Steve Martin was described by the noted film critic Roger Ebert as “one of her best performances.” In the film, Martin’s character builds a dream home for himself and his girlfriend but is … Continue reading “Hawn’s Housesitter”
August 20, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
He co-founded City AM and was executive producer of the 2009 film Boogie Woogie. This Russian financier and lawyer led a closeted life and disappeared in March 2008. Elements of the Russian press suggest he’s living in California under the Federal Witness Protection Program but others argue that he was the victim of foul play … Continue reading “Leonid Rozhetskin”
June 17, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
“The Queen of Mean” was a chain-smoking hotelier and real estate tycoon with a reputation for tyrannical behaviour. She took the view that “only the little people pay taxes” but was investigated and convicted of federal income tax evasion in 1989. Sentenced to 16 years, she served just 19 months in prison and 2 months … Continue reading “Leona Helmsley (1920 – 2007)”
May 13, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
This billionaire co-founded one of Russia’s largest private banks, MDM Bank, in 1993, and has interests in companies producing mineral fertilisers and extracting coal. His £300 million yacht, “A,” named after his Serbian model wife Aleksandra, is 400ft long and designed by Philippe Starck. With 42 staff to look after the whims of just 14 … Continue reading “Andrey Melnichenko”
May 7, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Jeffrey’s invented a lot of tales but is rightly renowned for spinning them brilliantly. This former politician wrote some brilliant diaries whilst in prison and now is mostly likely to be found doing charitable deeds. His shepherd’s pie and Krug parties are still the stuff of legends.
