The Steeple Times

Tag: Fulham Road

  • Bibendum & Bosi Bounce Back! Delight In SW3 As Restaurant Reopens

    Bibendum & Bosi Bounce Back! Delight In SW3 As Restaurant Reopens

    EXCLUSIVE – Matthew Steeples shares that “now is the time to drink” as Claude Bosi and Bibendum return to Brompton Cross in Chelsea in July after having been closed for a year

    On Sunday 31st August last year, the acclaimed French chef Claude Bosi “permanently” closed his Bibendum and associated Oyster Bar restaurants on Brompton Cross citing that “despite our very best efforts, we were unable to reach a resolution with our partners and landlords that would allow Michelin House to move into its next chapter.” Bosi had run the restaurant since 2017 and had been preceded by Simon Hopkinson from 1987 until 1994.

     

    Going further, in an interview for JancisRobinson.com a month later, Bosi cryptically commented: “The situation is complicated because the lease is held by members of the Conran and Hamlyn families and I do not want to jeopardise anything or antagonise anybody.”

     

    Named after Michelin’s portly mascot ‘Monsieur Bibendum’ who, in turn, took his name from the latin phrase Nunc est Bibendum – “Now is the Time to Drink” – The Steeple Times can now exclusively reveal that the Bibendum restaurant will reopen with Claude Bosi at the helm in July.

     

    Two Michelin starred Claude Bosi and his representatives were approached for comment, but had not replied by the time of publication. Meanwhile, the adjoining 31,750 square foot former Conran store remains shuttered and to let through agents Colliers. Whilst the rental figure for the space is not publicly available, the rateable value for the space alone is the astoundingly off-putting sum of £1 million per annum.

     

    Now is indeed the time to drink. We join all raising a glass and say cheers to this truly great, rare piece of restaurant news.

     

    Follow Matthew Steeples on X at @M_Steeples and The Steeple Times at @SteepleTimes.

     

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @mjs2781.

     

    If you haven’t done so already, please support keeping The Steeple Times in the business of telling the stories that the mainstream media don’t dare touch by helping fund our work via Patreon. Even a small donation will help keep us going and will be hugely appreciated.

     

    Support Matthew Steeples by buying him a tea (or better a gin) at Ko-fi.com/matthewsteeples.

     

    Restaurant ground floor
    Of the restaurant premises, in September 2025, Claude Bosi told Nick Lander of JancisRobinson.com: “Although this is a building that looks wonderful from the outside and from the interior if you are a customer, what the restaurant trade refers to as ‘back of house’ was inadequate and getting worse. The kitchen staff needed a lot more space; the restaurant staff were having to store tables in the flower shop, and because it had originally been built as Michelin House, it included a tyre-fitting bay and a place where motorists could plan their journeys. The services [for a restaurant] were inadequate. The one downpipe for the lavatories and kitchen would overflow from time to time and the electricity supply was never sufficient. We tried to negotiate but sadly that failed and when it did I had no option but to close. It’s a beautiful building and one that needs to be looked after.” These problems will hopefully have been resolved prior to July 2026’s grand reopening.
    Michelin House, 61 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6RH
    Designed by François Espinasse – who was also responsible for Michelin’s Paris headquarters – and built “as an ode to the glory of the tyre,” Grade II listed Michelin House, 61 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6RH stands at the northern end of Sloane Avenue and the start of the Fulham Road. It has a façade clad with green and white tiles and features stained glass windows based on the tyre manufacturer’s adverts of the time. The premises opened for business on 20th January 1911 and remained owned by Michelin until 1987 when it was acquired by Sir Terence Conran and Lord Hamlyn for £8 million. The pair redeveloped the site to provide retail, restaurant and office spaces and increased its size from 90,000 square foot to 118,000 square foot with the addition of a new steel and glass structure on the Sloane Avenue elevation.
    Tyre workshop 1912
    A tyre-fitting workshop within Michelin House, photographed circa 1912.
    Michelin Guide and Michelin Man
    The original Michelin Man mascot, introduced in 1898, was a slightly intimidating, mummy-like figure rather than the friendly marshmallow character known today. The design – also known as the ‘Michelin Tire Man’ or ‘Michelin Tyre Man’ and ‘Bib’ and ‘Bibelobis’ – reflected multiple stacked rings designed to resemble stacked rubber tyres. The ‘Michelin Guide’ itself was first issued in 1900 and awards up to three Michelin stars to a select few restaurants in certain geographic areas annually.
    Paris Hilton Caroline Stanbury Cash and Rocket Party 7th June 2019
    ‘The Steeple Times’ featured a party that was held at Bibendum on 7th June 2019 for a London to Monte Carlo car female only car rally that ironically sought to raise funds for victims of sex trafficking. The Cash & Rocket event in Michelin House was attended by heiresses including Paris Hilton and Chloe Green, but became infamous for being the last public sighting in the United Kingdom of the since convicted mucky madam sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell. The pension pot plundering ‘Bouncing Czech’s’ deviant daughter subsequently vanished before being located at the equally ironically named ‘Tucked Away’ on 2nd July 2020; she was then unceremoniously hurled into the clink and rightly remains there rotting.
  • No Room To Swing A Cat – £250k For Overpriced 109 Square Foot Knightsbridge Flat

    No Room To Swing A Cat – £250k For Overpriced 109 Square Foot Knightsbridge Flat

    Tiny, overpriced studio ‘flatlet’ lacking room to even swing a cat in somewhat ‘shady’ building opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge unsurprisingly remains on sale for the not so tiny sum of £250,000 after 3 years on the market reports Matthew Steeples

    • Prison cell-like 109 square foot ‘flatlet’ in Brompton Road, Knightsbridge for sale for staggering £250,000; national minimum allowable size for a flat since 2011 is 398 square foot.
    • Brompton Road is one of London’s most polluted roads; the Brompton Oratory, one of the highway’s main landmarks, was used as a ‘dead letter drop box’ by Soviet spies during the Cold War.
    • Nearby now defunct Brompton Road London Underground station became the control centre for the 26th(London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade during the Second World War.
    • Ritzy department store Harrods, directly opposite, stands on a 5 acre site and was sold to the Qatar Investment Authority for £1.5 billion by alleged abuser of 200 women Mohamed Al-Fayed in 2010.

    Listed initially at £275,000 in December 2022 but now slashed to a still stupendous £250,000 after failing to get flogged, Grow Portfolio estate agents are hawking a minute and clearly overpriced 109 square foot studio flat in Brompton Road, Knightsbridge as a “fantastic base” and “excellent opportunity”. If the ask price were to be achieved, the vendor would earn themselves a very punchy return of £2,294 per square foot; the median average price for this part of London, SW3 has been a significantly lower £1,610 per square foot during 2025.

     

    Offered on a lease of approximately 169 years and having a service charge of “approximately’ £1,000 per annum to include the assistance of a 24-hour concierge, a buyer will garner themselves a single room measuring 6 feet by 11’9” feet with a small adjoining shower room also. The 70 square foot room itself has tiled flooring, a window, a cupboard housing a microwave and cooking hob and a minute fold-down table also. There’s frankly nowt much else to say about it further than in November, the Evening Standard lauded its décor for being a “clinical white” achromatic scheme.

     

    A floor plan shows the very limited scope of the accommodation offered. Tax dodging tennis legend Boris Becker produced a son after a ‘bonk’ in a broom cupboard at the Metropolitan Hotel; given his size now, he might struggle with such activity in this space today.
    A floor plan shows the very limited scope of the accommodation offered. Tax dodging tennis legend Boris Becker produced a son after a ‘bonk’ in a broom cupboard at the Metropolitan Hotel; given his size now, he might struggle with such activity in this space today.
    It’s rare that a property can be entirely shown with just a single photo; in this case, it most definitely can.
    It’s rare that a property can be entirely shown with just a single photo; in this case, it most definitely can.
    In this watercolour by Cyril Farey (1888 – 1954), which Manning Fine Art describe as “capturing Princes Court at its prime”, the golden era of a building is shown. The art dealers observe: “[This] is not merely an architectural drawing it is expressing a lifestyle that only an apartment in Princes Court can provide. As such the fashionable and modern apartment block is surrounded by a Mediterranean blue sky and Hyde Park peaks out from the sides as an Eden of lush green. The smart street is punctuated by smart, friendly, yellow awnings whilst classic, stylish cars and iconic London buses pass by.” The same cannot sadly be said of the setting today given this part of Brompton Road has become better known for housing hookers, Rolex robberies and chronic pollution.
    In this watercolour by Cyril Farey (1888 – 1954), which Manning Fine Art describe as “capturing Princes Court at its prime”, the golden era of a building is shown. The art dealers observe: “[This] is not merely an architectural drawing it is expressing a lifestyle that only an apartment in Princes Court can provide. As such the fashionable and modern apartment block is surrounded by a Mediterranean blue sky and Hyde Park peaks out from the sides as an Eden of lush green. The smart street is punctuated by smart, friendly, yellow awnings whilst classic, stylish cars and iconic London buses pass by.” The same cannot sadly be said of the setting today given this part of Brompton Road has become better known for housing hookers, Rolex robberies and chronic pollution.

    Designed to “resemble an ocean liner” by architect George Valentine Myer (1883 – 1959) between 1934 and 1935, the building in which the studio flat is to be found, Princes Court at 88 Brompton Road, SW3 1ES, was originally named Knight’s Court. This large steel-framed block of 94 flats with 9 retail premises on the ground and first floors directly opposite Harrods began life as “a popular and exclusive place to live”, but in recent years has become more commonly used for Airbnbs and by ‘ladies (and gents) of a certain profession of the night’.

     

    Of the apartment complex, a past resident complained to The Steeple Times: “I did not live there long as I could not even open the windows in the summer due to the pollution and traffic noise from supercars revving in the summer on the Brompton Road. The ‘bedroom banging activity’ from my clearly-a-hooker neighbour did not help me sleep at night either.”

     

    No-longer-so-ritzy Princes Court previously hit the headlines in 2012 when an 84 square foot studio flat went on sale for £89,950, in 2021 when a 128 square foot offering sold for £325,000 and in 2022 when an 88 square foot studio – in spite of lacking even a lavatory and without any kind kitchen – was auctioned with a guide price of £175,000. A two bedroomed flat extending to 877 square feet on the ninth floor of the building is currently being touted by Harrods Estates at a guide price of £1.3 million.

     

    Given the spoof website supporting the homeless charity Shelter that is the National Institute of Feline Orbital Studies (NIFOS) calculates that 78.54 square foot is required to swing an ‘average’ cat and that it would cost £158,180 to “buy enough space to swing a cat in SW3”, the 109 square foot flat offered by Grow Portfolio has not only not enough room to swing a cat, but would not even adhere to the government’s technical housing standards if it were a new build property. The minimum today required to meet regulations is 398 square foot, meaning that this poxy pad falls 72% short of that sum; these regulations do not apply to buildings constructed prior to 2011.

     

    Fair warning to whoever purchases this ‘flatlet’ suitable only for someone seriously slim: In February 1988, an actual broom cupboard measuring 5’6” feet by 11 feet “with not even a cooker” in Princes Court sold for £36,500 (the equivalent of £102,500 today) during what Pete May termed an “obscene property boom” in his 2012 book Rent Boy. The self-professed “punk-turned-journalist who spent 20 years falling off the property ladder’ added: “Even I wouldn’t live in that. Yet it was recommended as a purchase for ‘those who like eating out’.”

     

    Within months of the cupboard sale, the economy tanked and studio flats, given their limited appeal, were the very first properties to see their values plummet. In 2025, with Rachel Reeves ‘Queen of Thieves’ having her grubby mitts on the nation’s tiller, this is probably not the time to be shelling out £250,000 for what the “honest estate agent” and Brothel in Pimlico author Roy Brooks would have likely marketed as a ‘broom cupboard in a brothel building in Knightsbridge’. At this time, perhaps, ‘buyer best beware’ would better be borrowed.

     

    Curious facts about Brompton Road

    Landmarks of Brompton Road Knightsbridge
    • The area of ‘Brompton’ dates to the 15th century and originates from the name ‘Brokendon’ – meaning “a place near a brook”.
    • The road itself starts at Knightsbridge Underground station and ends at the crossroad intersection known as ‘Brompton Cross’ where Fulham Road begins. It is thought to have ‘officially’ first been designated as ‘Brompton Road’ in 1863 on land originally owned by the Moreaus, a wealthy French Huguenot family.
    • Brompton Road is one of London’s most polluted highways due to heavy traffic, especially from diesel vehicles. In 2013, the London Assembly claimed pedestrians were being “showered in dangerous airborne particles” on this road identified as having NO2 levels massively exceeding World Health Organization guidelines.
    • Between 1906 and 1934, passengers on the Piccadilly London Underground line were able to alight at Brompton Road tube station. It was closed due to being surprisingly little used, but served as the command centre of the 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade during the Second World War. During this period, the tunnels, subways and lift-shafts were adapted to provide bomb-proof accommodation and in 2014, the site was sold to Dmytro Firtash, a billionaire Ukrainian businessman for £53 million. His plans to convert the 28,000 square foot site into residential accommodation have still not come to fruition.
    • The best-known retail landmark on Brompton Road is Harrods department store. It stands on a site that covers an astounding 5 acres in total and includes 1.1 million square feet of retailing space.
    • Famous customers of the store, which first opened in its present form in 1894, have included Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, Oscar Wilde and Asma al-Assad, the wife of the former President of Syria. She used an alias to shop there in order to get around European Union sanctions that froze the assets of her and her husband.
    • In 1898, Harrods debuted Britain’s first ‘moving staircase’ (or what we now term an ‘escalator’). At the top, “nervous” customers were offered brandy to revive them from the “ordeal” of their ride, The Drapers’ Record reported at the time.
    • Harrods was bombed by the IRA in 1983 and 1993. The first attack killed 6 people and the second injured 4.
    • The store was bought by the now late alleged serial sex offender Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985. The ‘Phony Pharaoh’, as the Egyptian was nicknamed, is said to have abused at least 200 women on the premises during his ownership. He sold the business to the Qatar Investment Authority for an astounding £1.5 billion in 2010 and died in 2023 without ever having been brought to justice.
    • In 2022, Apple opened a store on the road in what was once the Brompton Arcade. It is staffed by over 200 employees, or as the tech giant prefers to call them – team members.
    • Another major landmark, and a building like Harrods complete with a dome, is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This Catholic parish church is better known as the Brompton Oratory and also referenced as the London Oratory.
    • Consecrated in 1884, the church was where ‘Master of Suspense’ Sir Alfred Hitchcock married Alma Reville in 1933 and it is said to have inspired Nick Cave to write the song Brompton Oratory in 1997.
    • During the Cold War, this ornately decorated church was used as a ‘dead letter drop’ (or ‘DLD’ to those in the know) by Soviet agents in Britain. Spies would visit the church and place documents and microfilm behind one of the pillars for later collection by their compatriots; the location suited given the building’s proximity to the Russian embassy and as Harrods was a suitable rabbit warren for losing a tail if they thought they were being followed.
    • Standing behind the Brompton Oratory and accessed from Brompton Road is Holy Trinity Church, Brompton. ‘HTB Brompton’, as it is now generally referenced, stands on a site of 3.5 acres and is now one of the primary sites for the teaching of the Alpha course programme that focuses on “the evangelization of the nations, the revitalization of the church and the transformation of society.’

     

    Further photographs of the £250,000 Princes Court flatlet

    The kitchen facilities would not exactly excite Gordon Ramsay.
    The kitchen facilities would not exactly excite Gordon Ramsay.
    The shower room is modern and clean; there’s not much further to say further than that.
    The shower room is modern and clean; there’s not much further to say further than that.
    Both the shower room and ‘studio’ room have windows; a ‘Brucie bonus’ for sure.
    Both the shower room and ‘studio’ room have windows; a ‘Brucie bonus’ for sure.
    A view of the ‘studio’ towards the door; most prison cells are bigger than the space offered here.
    A view of the ‘studio’ towards the door; most prison cells are bigger than the space offered here.
    If you bought the studio offered and needed to host a visitor, you could do so in the lobby of Princes Court. It’s got seating and space aplenty in comparison to the ‘flatlet’ itself.
    If you bought the studio offered and needed to host a visitor, you could do so in the lobby of Princes Court. It’s got seating and space aplenty in comparison to the ‘flatlet’ itself.
    Princes Court (here partly shrouded in scaffolding) is literally opposite Harrods, undoubtedly one of the most famous department stores in the world.
    Princes Court (here partly shrouded in scaffolding) is literally opposite Harrods, undoubtedly one of the most famous department stores in the world.
    The rear of Princes Court with Harrods department store behind and the store’s former depository, now apartments also, to the right.
    The rear of Princes Court with Harrods department store behind and the store’s former depository, now apartments also, to the right.
  • Reader Event – Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?

    Reader Event – Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?

    ‘The Steeple Times’ invites you to a discussion dinner with ‘The Truth Will Out’ filmmaker Amanda Eliasch, filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and actor Ron Destro on Thursday 23rd October 2025; the question proposed will be “Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?”

    • Join Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times on 23rd October for a conversation with Amanda Eliasch, director of the forthcoming feature documentary The Truth Will Out.
    • Also on the panel will be the filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro, an actor and founding director of the Oxford Shakespeare Company.
    • A discussion and questions focused on “Will the REAL William Shakespeare please stand up?” shall be followed by a 3-course dinner at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, London, SW3.

    Matthew Steeples invites you to PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie in London for an evening where director, writer and producer Amanda Eliasch, filmmaker Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and actor and founding director of the Oxford Shakespeare Company, Ron Destro, will discuss two enduring myths crafted to serve political and cultural agendas: that of the virginity of Queen Elizabeth I and the true authorship of William Shakespeare’s works.

     

    Amanda Eliasch is an English artist whose career has spanned photography, poetry, film and theatre. She champions the theory that Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford authored Shakespeare’s works and explores such in her forthcoming documentary film The Truth Will Out. Eliasch’s fellow panellists for this event, themselves both respected experts in this field, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro, will join her to discuss the ‘elephant in the room’ that has intrigued many for so long; did William Shakespeare actually pen the plays attributed to him or was the real writer hiding under the radar?

     

    On 23rd October at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie – following on from evenings with amongst others Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York author Andrew Lownie and Manhunt and Crime Suspect host Peter Bleksley – guests will get to enjoy a delicious 3-course dinner after 45-minutes of conversation and questions about the enigma best known as the ‘Bard of Avon’. The £75 per person ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival and half a bottle of either red or white wine per person also.

    Amanda Eliasch with Peter Bleksley at ‘The Steeple Times’ discussion dinner with Peter Bleksley in November 2024; Matthew Steeples.
    Amanda Eliasch with Peter Bleksley at ‘The Steeple Times’ discussion dinner with Peter Bleksley in November 2024; Matthew Steeples.
    Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro.
    Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro.

    To book your tickets…

    TIMINGS

    • The event will be held on Thursday 23rd October 2025.
    • Arrivals for Prosecco in a private setting on the first floor of PJ’s from 6.30pm.
    • Matthew Steeples in conversation with Amanda Eliasch, Cheryl Eagan-Donovan and Ron Destro at 7pm prompt with audience questions to follow for 45 minutes.
    • 3-course dinner, with options for those with particular dietary requirements, with wine to follow.
    • After dinner, guests will be welcome to continue discussions downstairs at the legendary PJ’s bar for further cocktails and conversation.

     

    ADDRESS

    • The event is to be held at PJ’s Chelsea Brasserie, 52 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HH.
    • The nearest London Underground station is South Kensington (District, Circle and Piccadilly lines); it is located just 5 minutes away on foot.
    • The event is to be held on the first floor of the building; access is by staircase only.

     

    PAYMENT FOR TICKETS AND BOOKING QUERIES

    Deadline for booking – Wednesday 22nd October 2025 at 6pm; tickets can only be purchased in advance and guest names must be supplied for allocated place settings.

    Tickets can be purchased at a rate of £75 per person. Please make payment by bank transfer to:

    • Bank: Barclays Bank
    • Account Name: Longreach Publishing Limited
    • Sort Code: 20-90-74
    • Account Number: 63608697
    • IBAN: GB13BUKB20907463608697
    • SWIFTBIC: BUKB
    • Please reference payments “SHAKESPEARE” and include your surname also to aid our record keeper.

    Should you have any queries of questions, please contact Jane Monckton at [email protected]

     

    SET MENU – 3 course dinner, Thursday 23rd October 2025

    The ticket price includes a glass of Prosecco on arrival, ½ a bottle of either red or white wine per person and a choice of one of each of the following:

    STARTERS

    SEARED TUNA wasabi & avocado purée, toasted sesame seeds, yuzu and soy dressing

    SCOTCH BEEF CARPACCIO wild rocket, parmesan, mustard dressing

    BURRATINA shaved truffle, baby plum tomatoes, rocket, toasted focaccia

    CRISPY FRIED ARTICHOKES caper and herb mayonnaise

    MAINS

    THE PJ’S BURGER 8oz patty, mature cheddar cheese, bacon, iceberg lettuce, pickle, smoked crackling mayonnaise, fries

    CHICKEN MILANESE wild rocket, artichoke & Reggio cheese salad, toasted sesame, tahini honey dressing

    GRILLED SEABASS FILLET French beans, cherry tomatoes, black olives & pesto

    ROAST CAULIFLOWER STEAK chickpeas and roasted red pepper, chipotle hummus, chimichurri

    PUDDINGS

    CLASSIC CRÈME BRULEE

    BELGIAN CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE CAKE

    CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE white chocolate sauce, mixed berry compote

    SELECTION OF SORBETS & ICE CREAMS three scoops

  • Tatler Tells Fake Tales

    Tatler Tells Fake Tales

    ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in August 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in May 2021

    A “tattler” is an “observer or spectator… a gossip who tells tales,” whilst ‘THE’ Tatler is defined by the Oxford Learners’ Dictionary as “a British magazine, published once a month and containing articles about upper-class and upper-middle-class social events, fashion and the arts.”

     

    Given the Condé Nast lifestyle publication’s staff – amongst them previously the current editor of the Daily Mail, Geordie Greig, and the ex-editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, Tina Brown CBE – have variously included many Oxbridge alumni, one would assume they’d be a little better at fact checking than the notoriously sloppy seconds employed by the MailOnline (which is rated 1 out of 5 by the Microsoft Edge browser given its propensity to share fake news), but instead a recent edition of the monthly society bible featured a complete balls-up.

     

    In an article titled: “13 Chelsea restaurant stalwarts to head to when we can eat indoors too,” an unnamed contributor banged on about where its ritzy readers could head to post the end of ‘Lockdown 3.0’ and lauded one particular Sydney Street, SW3 restaurant as:

     

    “[Brasserie Gustave at 4 Sydney Street, London, SW3 6PP is] located at the exact point where South Ken meets Chelsea (and on a site that has seen more restaurants than Ramires has had yellow cards), this French bistro is a keeper. If the art-deco posters look a bit hackneyed, not to say banal, the food is anything but. It’s fresh and lively, classic French dishes prepared with punctilious attention to detail. Confit de canard is superb and you won’t find a better plate of kidneys in London. Great wines too, managed with gusto by experienced sommelier Richard Weiss.”

     

    Whilst of their thirteen selections, the loathed by Dan Wootton magazine prattled: “We’ve eaten our way around Chelsea’s top restaurants… We’ve got you covered,” a comment on OpenTable from as long ago 22nd August 2016 reads: “I made a reservation and got there and the restaurant was closed.” Plainly, anyone with half a brain would have realised five years ago that Brasserie Gustave turned out actually to be anything but “a keeper.”

     

    In the time since, Tatler’s editorial team also missed their very own one-time contributor Giles Coren’s visit to 4 Sydney Street on 15th July 2017. At that time, he lauded “pan-Asian” Zheng Chelsea as “the sort of places foodies go in quest of the new and wonderful.”

     

    Whatever next for the society go-to bible? An-inhouse position for our least favourite fake news PR peddler Ivy Holt? Next!

     

    Pictured top: 4 Sydney Street has been various restaurants over the years including Carpaccio, Sette, Marco Pierre White’s Sydney Street Grill, Brasserie Gustave and most recently Zheng Chelsea.

     

    Tatler Tells Fake Tales 2021 – Tatler lauds Chelsea restaurant Brasserie Gustave, 4 Sydney Street, SW3 which closed in August 2016 in May 2021 – ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in 2021.
    The magazine’s May 2020 feature on Brasserie Gustave – a restaurant that closed in August 2016.
    Tatler Tells Fake Tales 2021 – Tatler lauds Chelsea restaurant Brasserie Gustave, 4 Sydney Street, SW3 which closed in August 2016 in May 2021 – ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in 2021.
    In August 2016, an OpenTable user commented: “I made a reservation for [Brasserie Gustave] on Open Table and got there and the restaurant was closed.”
    Tatler Tells Fake Tales 2021 – Tatler lauds Chelsea restaurant Brasserie Gustave, 4 Sydney Street, SW3 which closed in August 2016 in May 2021 – ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in 2021.
    The front elevation of Zheng Chelsea, 4 Sydney Street, Chelsea, London, SW3 6PP.
    Tatler Tells Fake Tales 2021 – Tatler lauds Chelsea restaurant Brasserie Gustave, 4 Sydney Street, SW3 which closed in August 2016 in May 2021 – ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in 2021.
    The interior of the restaurant as it used to be during the era that Brasserie Gustave (left) occupied the site and as it has been since circa 2016 as “pan-Asian” Zheng Chelsea (right). Of food there, in July 2017, Giles Coren remarked: “Food this good and this unusual would normally never be found in Chelsea… Chelsea is not absolutely the last place in the entire world that I would go looking for brilliant authentic Malaysian cooking, but it comes close. What with the well-upholstered complacency of the locals, the lack of any significant oriental population, the high throughput of tourists and idle shoppers in need of plasticky chain food, the sky-high rents and concomitant historical lack of any decent restaurants here at all, Chelsea is perhaps the second last place in the known universe that I would go in expectation of fiery, original, challenging but entirely successful Straits Chinese cuisine.”
    Tatler Tells Fake Tales 2021 – Tatler lauds Chelsea restaurant Brasserie Gustave, 4 Sydney Street, SW3 which closed in August 2016 in May 2021 – ‘Tatler’ magazine called out for suggesting a Chelsea restaurant that closed down in 2016 as a “hot spot” post ‘Lockdown 3.0’ ending in 2021.
    The society go-to title was previously accused of a “swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations” in May 2020 by Kensington Palace after it published an article about one-time friend of its current editor, Richard Dennen (pictured together right), the Duchess of Cambridge titled “Catherine the Great.”

  • A Chelsea Essential

    A Chelsea Essential

    Management of Fulham Road Italian The Chelsea Corner share their anger at the British government with protest posters against Lockup 3.0 and restaurants being branded “non-essential”

    Deservedly featured as one of our ‘Five Stalwart Restaurants for your Rolodex in The Royal Borough’ in May 2019, the management of The Chelsea Corner on Fulham Road, SW10 have quite rightly taken a stand against the latest ludicrous government rules that categorise them as “non-essential.”

     

    Echoing our sentiments last September when ‘Bosie The Clown’ brought in his stupid 10pm bar, pub and restaurant curfew, hardworking Jonny Lekaj has decided to put a number of posters in his windows slamming the blanket closure of restaurants nationwide as an “attack on small businesses.”

     

    Aside from highlighting the fact that multi-national, big businesses like Starbucks and McDonald’s are allowed to continue to operate, Mr Lekaj sensibly argues: “If you can close businesses at will, without a though for anyone’s livelihood, why not close junk food producers? If junk food, alcohol and cigarettes kill 21 million people ever year… Why are those items constantly available?”

     

    He is also correct to highlight the greed of landlords at this time and the uselessness of the government and of them remarked: “Landlords aren’t negotiating with us in RENT, open or closed they want their money! Neither is the GOV helping us with it.”

     

    We salute the management of The Chelsea Corner and urge our readers to stand with them and other small businesses against this shameful business wrecking Tory government.

     

    The Chelsea Corner, 451 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UZ remains open for takeaway. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3055 0088.

     

    Pictured top: One of The Chelsea Corner’s notice with, rather ironically, a police car to the left on Sunday 10th January.

     

    A Chelsea Essential – The Chelsea Corner protests against Lockup 3.0 – Management of Fulham Road Italian The Chelsea Corner share their anger at the British government with protest posters against Lockup 3.0 and restaurants being branded “non-essential.” The Cheslea Corner, 451 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UZ.
    Jonny Lekaj, manager of The Chelsea Corner, is right to make a stand against the ludicrous decision to force restaurants to close nationwide in Lockdown 3.0.

    The signs at The Chelsea Corner read:

    This is an attack to small businesses, our hard work and the people of this country. When is enough enough?

     

    If you are not going to pay my rent, why should I close?

     

    Closed because you’re unsafe in a restaurant where tables get cleaned for every person, where staff uses masks, where everyone uses hand sanitizers… But you are safe to shop at a big company where a product has been touched by thousands and cleaned by no one.

     

    We have a choice to make Eating and having a Place To Live or “Staying Home” as the Gov says. We can’t all do Zoom calls, we aren’t all rich and this shouldn’t be a choice we have to make.

     

    We are all essential businesses as long as we are out here trying to make a living for our children.

     

    Everyone at the Parliament got a raise of £3,000 for doing what? Zoom calls and misleading this country into depression but we the ones fighting to keep food in table are being shut down while following every GUIDELINE that came from them.

     

    Landlords aren’t negotiating with us in RENT, open or closed they want their money! Neither is the GOV helping us with it.

     

    You can go shopping in a supermarket or in a shopping centre with more than 200 people, but you can’t come and eat with your family at a restaurant with a max capacity of 50 people.

     

    Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Costco, McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks etc can stay open. Only small businesses need to shut down because the highest risk to get infected is inside a small business.

     

    If you can close businesses at will, without a though for anyone’s livelihood, why not close junk food producers? If junk food, alcohol and cigarettes kill 21 million people ever year… Why are those items constantly available?

     

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    A Chelsea Essential – The Chelsea Corner protests against Lockup 3.0 – Management of Fulham Road Italian The Chelsea Corner share their anger at the British government with protest posters against Lockup 3.0 and restaurants being branded “non-essential.” The Cheslea Corner, 451 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UZ.
    The Chelsea Corner is a popular neighbourhood Italian restaurant situated at the corner of Fulham Road and Gunter Grove in London, SW10.
    A Chelsea Essential – The Chelsea Corner protests against Lockup 3.0 – Management of Fulham Road Italian The Chelsea Corner share their anger at the British government with protest posters against Lockup 3.0 and restaurants being branded “non-essential.” The Cheslea Corner, 451 Fulham Road, London, SW10 9UZ.
    In another image, captured yesterday, the same police car appears to the left of yet another of The Chelsea Corner’s protest signs.

  • Will Ghislaine Maxwell Motor On?

    Will Ghislaine Maxwell Motor On?

    As a poll reveals the public believe Ghislaine Maxwell will ‘suicide herself’ in a similar manner to her former master Jeffrey Epstein, the Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ unbelievably announce they are going ahead with another rally in 2021

    Though one thing is for sure and that is that Ghislaine Maxwell will not be returning to her 156 acre “retreat” in Bradford, New Hampshire this weekend, a Twitter poll conducted by The Steeple Times’ Matthew Steeples has revealed that the public believe she’ll go the same way as Jeffrey Epstein.

     

    In a question posed Thursday, a reasonable (though we’ll admit far from scientific) sample of 73 answers came in response to the question: “Will Robert Maxwell’s daughter and Jeffrey Epstein’s child procurer madam Ghislaine Maxwell last the week in custody?”

     

    Response options and votes were as follows:

     

    • She’ll get COVID and die – 19.2%.
    • She’ll suicide herself – 34.2%.
    • She’ll be off to Israel – 20.5%.
    • She’ll be out on bail – 26%.

     

    Whilst Mark Seal of Vanity Fair yesterday recounted what he had discovered about where ‘Bouncing Bob’s’ daughter had been for the last year, we again share with readers our picture of the last car that ‘Mucky Madam Maxwell’ was known to have driven when she was in London for her most recent visit to Prince Andrew and for the 2019 Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ rally.

     

    Whilst Ghislaine Maxwell quite deservedly won’t be riding quite so nicely again anytime soon, it seems Cash & Rocket think they can move on regardless on and forget about their links to a facilitator of female abuse. Founder Julie Brangstrup recently announced that her organisation is unbelievably going ahead with another glitzy car tour in 2021.

     

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    Will Ghislaine Maxwell Motor On? As a Twitter poll reveals the public believe Ghislaine Maxwell will ‘suicide herself’ in a similar manner to her former master Jeffrey Epstein, the Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ unbelievably announce they are going ahead with another rally in 2021.
    53.4% of respondents to our Twitter poll do not believe Ghislaine Maxwell will be alive much longer.
    Will Ghislaine Maxwell Motor On? As a Twitter poll reveals the public believe Ghislaine Maxwell will ‘suicide herself’ in a similar manner to her former master Jeffrey Epstein, the Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ unbelievably announce they are going ahead with another rally in 2021.
    The house to where the paedo procurer will not return – Ghislaine Maxwell bought 338 East Washington Road, Bradford, New Hampshire, NH 03221 for £858,000 ($1.07 million) on 13th December 2019. It had been listed for £ million ($1.195 million) on 12th April that year and was marketed as a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 4,365 square foot “custom designed timber frame house” with 156 acres by Coldwell Banker Homes. The agents bizarrely lauded the “fabulous barn for square dances and hoedowns,” but it is doubtful that ‘Mucky Madam Maxwell’ had chance to hold any of those during her tenure at the house quaintly known as ‘Tuckedaway.’
    Totally Tuckedaway – A video of the house illustrates how secluded the estate truly is and this is plainly why Miss Maxwell chose it.
    Will Ghislaine Maxwell Motor On? As a Twitter poll reveals the public believe Ghislaine Maxwell will ‘suicide herself’ in a similar manner to her former master Jeffrey Epstein, the Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ unbelievably announce they are going ahead with another rally in 2021.
    Amongst those that partied with Ghislaine Maxwell during the last Cash & Rocket rally were Paris Hilton and ‘Queen of #JustSaying’ Caroline Stanbury. ‘The Steeple Times’ snapped the duo at a launch event for that ‘charity’ car tour at Bibendum on London’s Fulham Road on the evening of 6th June 2019.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rczeRCtrOqk&feature=emb_logo
    A 1-minute “trailer” video about Cash & Rocket describes it as being about “women making change.” Founder Julie Brangstrup unsurprisingly decided not to include their 2019 participant and multiple women enslaver Ghislaine Maxwell in this marketing material.

  • A Really Useful Angelis

    A Really Useful Angelis

    Matthew Steeples remembers the Liverpudlian actor and voice of ‘Thomas & Friends’ Michael Angelis who sadly passed away yesterday

    Screen and voice actor Michael Angelis was the narrator of Thomas & Friends for twenty-one years. He took over the role from Ringo Starr and in tribute, following his death, Doctor Who writer Harry Draper remarked of him on Twitter: “Thank you, Michael. You were far more than just Really Useful.”

     

    Born in Liverpool in 1952, Angelis appeared in everything from A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square to Boys from the Blackstuff and Lovejoy. He was subsequently married to his Coronation Street co-star Helen Worth from 1991 to 2001 and other credits included Bergerac, Crown Court, Hazell, Midsomer Murders, Minder and Z-Cars.

     

    An amiable sort and often spotted socialising in Chelsea at such places as The Sydney Arms, Angelis lived for many years just to the south of Albert Bridge. More recently, this lively Liverpudlian moved to the countryside with his delightful second wife, Jennifer, and after passing away suddenly yesterday will be missed by many. As a fan concluded: “He was the voice of my childhood… He brought us all a lot of happiness.”

     

    Pictured top: Thomas The Tank Engine, Michael Angelis (18th January 1952 – 30th May 2020) and his wife Jennifer.

     

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    A Really Useful Angelis – Michael Angelis (18th January 1952 – 30th May 2020) – Matthew Steeples remembers the Liverpudlian actor and voice of ‘Thomas & Friends’ Michael Angelis.
    On Twitter, actor and comedian Matt Lucas paid tribute by remarking: “Michael Angelis was one of the greatest TV actors I’ve ever seen. His work with Alan Bleasdale was tremendous. What a loss.” Here he is pictured in a scene from the BBC’s ‘Single Voices’ in the monologue ‘The Last Supper’ in 1989.
  • Who is Chelsea’s ‘Window Twerky’?

    Who is Chelsea’s ‘Window Twerky’?

    ‘The Steeple Times’ asks readers to name the brilliantly batshit bonkers bird spotted gyrating in front of Chelsea shop windows during the coronavirus lockdown

    Spotted on both the Fulham Road and Kings in Chelsea in recent days, a sometimes lycra-clad lady has been spotted by beady eyed readers gyrating in the glistening windows of empty shops. In days of old, we had ‘Widow Twanky’ and in days of coronavirus lockdown, we’ve got ‘Window Twerky.’

     

    Presumably using said elevations as the mirror in which she can celebrate her very own maniac moves, little else is known about this non-conformist. Today, therefore, we ask anyone in the know to send in this wonderfully wacky woman’s name. We would like to contact her and push her forward to Simon Cowell for an audition as he will undoubtedly join in giving an almighty ‘YES!’

     

    The Steeple Times joins those suggesting that this wacky wonder deserves wider public accolade and also a thank you for bringing joy to all who’ve witnessed her Fifty Shades of Crazy antics during this Strictly insane time. Bring on yet more batshit bonkers as, after all, that’s what the Kings Road was always meant to be all about.

     

    Rock on ‘Window Twerky’ – Your nation needs you!

     

    With thanks to Claire Rubinstein and Tom Griffiths for first sharing ‘Window Twerky’ at-work on their Instagram stories.

     

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  • Riccardo’s Responds

    Riccardo’s Responds

    Riccardo’s restaurant in Chelsea leads the way in showing community mindedness during the coronavirus outbreak

    Across the land small businesses are doing their bit for their communities and a case in point in Chelsea comes in the form of Riccardo’s, the popular Tuscan style Italian restaurant on Fulham Road.

     

    Riccardo’s Responds – Riccardo’s in Chelsea helps during coronavirus – Riccardo’s Italian restaurant in Chelsea leads the way in showing community mindedness during the coronavirus outbreak. 126 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HU.

    Owner Riccardo Mariti, having had to close for seated lunch and dinner service, has most helpfully turned his premises into a deli and is offering a delivery service also. Not only is the restaurant selling standard items such as pizza and organic chicken from the Rhug Estate in North Wales, but they also offer lavatory roll at £2 per pack (limited to one per order), fresh milk, mixed fruit and vegetables, fresh meat and wine also. Food and other items can either be delivered or collected.

     

    Whilst many others are providing such, Riccardo’s is going one stage further and is also offering use of their maintenance crew to help with shopping and emergency repairs in the locality as well. Here, indeed, is a fine example of selflessness and here is a business that deserves to be saluted. If you’re nearby, here’s a far better solution than facing the queues at Sainsbury’s.

     

    Riccardo’s, 126 Fulham Road, Chelsea, London, SW3 6HU. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7370 6656. To see what is available and order, click here.

     

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  • Punish Pavement Pests

    Punish Pavement Pests

    In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned from spaces meant for pedestrians

     

    ‘Pavement pests’ – adults on both pavements and roads on such things as children’s pavement scooters and rollerblades and people capable of walking on ‘body snatcher’ mobility scooters – truly get my goat.

     

    Having spent a considerable period of the year with my arm in a sling, I was naturally cautious as I wandered about. People with rucksacks were naturally a hazard to keep clear of, but what truly became a danger were those I mentioned above. Each and every time I was bashed into by one, I came to realise what a menace these contraptions and those that use them truly are to anyone who gets in their way.

     

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    The author, Matthew Steeples, tries out a mobility scooter with a lady who genuinely needs one; they do have their place.

     

    This week, proof of the true impact of such was provided when a French-born male model, Patrick Nodanche, 28, received a suspended prison sentence of fifteen months. He caused severe head injuries to an investment expert, Jean Hu, 35, when he smashed into her at high speed on rollerblades in Haymarket, London. The consequences for Ms Hu were severe: Since the incident in October last year, she has spent eight days in hospital, has needed specialist home care and has had to abandon her six-figure job at Goldman Sachs as “her injuries make long-distance travel impossible.”

     

    It is now time that the government tightened up legislation in this area. Whilst Nodanche was rightly prosecuted, nothing can currently be done about adults knocking over old ladies on pavement scooters. Whilst one could argue, the populous should just behave responsibly, the images below prove many simply don’t. It is time to push pavement pests into the gutter and it is time to remember pavements are for pedestrians.

    #PavementsAreForPedestrians #PunishPavementPests

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

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    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    The face says it all – This grimacing brat plainly knows she’s doing wrong; I’d send her off to pick litter.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    A woman with an electric pavement scooter and a dog in a harness: A danger both to humans and animals.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    Headphones, rollerblades and sunglasses – What a truly stupid creature.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    A middle aged man who simply looks like a dunce.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    Katie Price may be capable of “getting her tits out” but she’s also capable of using her legs; she does not need a mobility scooter and should get off and walk.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    This chubby man should follow the lead of the lady on the left and ride the bicycle he has hired on the road; pavements are for pedestrians.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    A body snatcher and a bum – This woman should act her age, not her knicker size.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    This woman not only is a plague on the pavement because of her pavement scooter, she also has headphones on and thus is an even greater danger.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    A prat scoots on.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    This woman should remember that the Kings Road is a shopping street; it is not a scooting destination.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    At least this fool is wearing a helmet but readers should remember that if you injure him in your car, he’ll still no doubt try and blame you. Get him off the road.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    Two electric pavement pests in a cemetery – If they carry on this conduct, there could indeed be further bodies headed there.

    Punish Pavement Pests – Ban rollerblades and pavement scooters – In the wake of a rollerblader causing a woman severe head injuries, Matthew Steeples demands ‘pavement pests’ – including those blessed scooters – be banned.
    Snapped in Walton Street, Knightsbridge – Where does this bozo think he’s headed? Heathrow Airport?