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.
April 4, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Converted church in Knightsbridge has its asking price cut by £11 million during the coronavirus lockdown; its price is still 340% higher than it sold for in 2003 In December, we featured the launch to the market of a £55 million property in Walton Street, Knightsbridge. Now, in the midst of London’s coronavirus lockdown, just … Continue reading “A Corona Cut Church”
March 29, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum In March 2015, The Steeple Times featured a Texan mansion described by some as “more iconic than Southfork.” Back then this “replica of George Washington’s Virginia estate” had been for … Continue reading “A Bowled Down Price”
March 27, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Second apartment in South Kensington’s famous ‘Thin House’ comes to the market after another has languished for sale for four years; the two could potentially be merged to make a truly spectacular artist’s studio in the sky In May 2016, The Steeple Times featured a 603 square foot third floor artist’s studio flat in a … Continue reading “Going Thin – Two Into One?”
March 25, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years Estate agents like to make things sound grander generally and often give a house a name rather than a number. In the case of ‘Orpheo House’ in Belgravia, they’ve done … Continue reading “A Belgravian Yo-Yo”
January 23, 2019
by Matthew Steeples
Grade II* listed Cumbrian mansion built by opium dealer and once marketed for £1.5 million for sale for just £460,000; it was also the scene of the UK’s biggest ever cannabis raid in 2012 A 23,000 square foot, 52 room, mid-19th century Palladian mansion in the Westmorland Dales National Park is to be sold … Continue reading “Falling Down Flass”
September 10, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Chelsea estate agent optimistically markets an £850 per week house with unpainted walls and an exposed gas meter by announcing: “It does have a new boiler” Other than the legendary Roy Brooks, the only honest man in his game, estate agents will be optimistic about just about anything. A bit of damp: “no problem”; … Continue reading “A Rental Ruin”
September 8, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Derelict Uncle Monty-esque farmhouse in the countryside of the Lake District National Park World Heritage Site for sale for a staggering sum Described as “one of the most stunning sites in the Lake District National Park” by selling agents Michael C. L. Hodgson, the Hard Crag farmstead above High Brow Edge at Backbarrow in … Continue reading “A Pricey Doer-Upper”
August 16, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Highest asking price ever for a property on Lake Tahoe is sought for a compound complete with two glass funiculars; it could be yours for £60 million Situated on 5.14 acres and having 525-foot of frontage to Lake Tahoe in Nevada, a 16,232 square foot mansion complete has gone on sale. Built between … Continue reading “A Funicular Feat”
March 4, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Britain’s weirdest home for sale for a sum 61% lower than the £13 million sum asked for it in 2016; it has been repossessed and comes with a 69-foot long indoor beach In October 2016, The Steeple Times featured what could quite possibly be Britain’s weirdest home. Offered then for £10 million, The Chalet … Continue reading “A Cut Cost Chalet”
December 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Thames houseboat moored at Cadogan Pier in Chelsea goes on sale for extraordinary sum of £2.5 million What could likely be Britain’s most expensive houseboat has gone on sale for £2.5 million ($3.3 million, €2.8 million or درهم12.3 million) – or the same sum as a 9-bedroom Queen Anne house in Wiltshire. … Continue reading “Britain’s Priciest Houseboat”
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”
November 26, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Vast Greek Revival style Pennsylvania mansion for sale for 56% less than it was marketed for in 2014; it comes with a pub in the basement An extravagant and somewhat over the top estate in Pennsylvania is on sale for £2.96 million or 56% less than the £6.75 million sum it was listed for … Continue reading “The Finery of Fatland”
November 19, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Former Wiltshire home of ‘Lord of the Flies’ author Sir William Golding for sale for 562% more than he sold it for in 1985 The one-time home of the author and Nobel Prize in Literature and Booker Prize winner Sir William Golding, CBE (1911 – 1993) has gone on sale for £795,000 ($1.1 million, … Continue reading “Lord of the Thatch”
November 18, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Holmby Hills estate owned variously by Sonny and Cher and Tony Curtis for sale for double what it sold for in 2016 A 12,201 square foot mansion on 10.1 acres in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles is on sale for £136 million or double the sum it sold for just a year ago. Featuring … Continue reading “Double Cher”
November 17, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Circular shaped Scottish holiday cottage with just one room for sale for staggering sum of £250,000 A five-star holiday cottage on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula on Scotland’s west coast with just one room has gone on sale for offers over £250,000 ($331,000, €281,000 or درهم1.2 million). Shaped like a seashell and of a style … Continue reading “The Seashell”
November 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed Tudor open hall house in West Yorkshire for sale; it comes complete with a replica cabin from a 1920s ocean liner and an ‘apple and pear wheel window’ Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, Wood Lane Hall is a Grade … Continue reading “A Wheel Window”
October 22, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
C-shaped glass and stone house complete with a Grade II listed set of Druid stones for sale for £7 million; it sits next door to the £140 million home of the fugitive billionaire financier Andrey Borodin A C-shaped 20th century house in 43 acres of parkland has gone on sale for £7 million ($9.2 … Continue reading “In the Round”
October 16, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Belgravia apartment for sale for £27.5 million in spite of being a 1980s timewarp; the Sloaney home forms part of a building at one-time home the residence of one half of Gilbert and Sullivan A penthouse on the “favoured northern side” of Belgravia’s Eaton Square is on sale for £27.5 million ($36.6 million, €31 … Continue reading “A Sloane Home”
September 25, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Knightsbridge townhouse for sale for sum 11% lower than it sold for in 2011; it comes with a rather large hole in the garden that has been described as “almost as deep as the Führerbunker” To the poet and wit Henry Luttrell (1765 – 1861) “eating pâté de foie gras to the sound of trumpets” … Continue reading “A Bastard of a Basement”
September 17, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Former San Francisco home of actor Nicolas Cage for sale for £11.4 million or 660% more than it sold for in 1996 Thrice married and an Academy Award winning actor Nicolas Cage is also known for lavish spending. Aside from once buying twenty-two cars in one hit – including a “squadron” of nine Rolls-Royce … Continue reading “A Caged Crib”
September 11, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Detached Grade II listed Georgian cottage in London, E13 for sale for just £180,000 What could be one of London’s cheapest detached Georgian houses is headed to auction. Built in 1836 as the gate lodge to a now demolished mansion known as Bedfords and later The Willows, Grade II listed Willow Lodge in … Continue reading “A Cheap Cottage”
by Matthew Steeples
Part refurbished Irish Georgian stately home for sale for just £136,000; it was originally built by the Fry family What could be one of the cheapest Georgian stately homes ever has been placed on the market for just £136,000 ($179,000, €150,000 or درهم658,000). Three storey, five bay, mid-18th century Frybrook House in the … Continue reading “A Cheap Mansion”
September 10, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Octagonal Victorian Gothic landmark in Westchester County, New York available for rent; Bono was filmed there and it includes the only domestic Egyptian Revival room in existence A Victorian Gothic house in Irvington, Westchester County, New York that resembles a wedding cake has been put on the market to rent for £30,300 per month … Continue reading “The Icing on the Cake”
August 21, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed house in Richmond Old Deer Park, Surrey that is owned by the Crown Estate and was originally a royal observatory to rent for £450,000 per year A Grade I listed house set on 6.6 acres of World Heritage Site and Grade I listed land in the middle of the Royal Mid-Surrey … Continue reading “Rent Like A Royal”
August 18, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Orange County mega-estate sold last for £14 million on an original asking price of £67 million offered for sale again for £43 million after death of owner The largest residential estate on the Newport Coast of California is back on the market. One Pelican Hill Road North in Newport Beach – alternatively known as … Continue reading “Flying a White Elephant”
August 17, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Scottish castle on sale for just £130,000; it comes without a roof and is located near the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire A castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland is for sale for £130,000 ($168,000, €143,000 or درهم616,000) in spite of being nothing other than a roofless shell. Reduced in price from £150,000 ($193,000, … Continue reading “A Castle for £130k”
August 15, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Two and apartments and a bothy within one of Britain’s remotest lighthouses in Sutherland for sale for £371,500 Two apartments and a bothy that form part of a lighthouse designed by the acclaimed author Robert Louis Stevenson’s (1850 – 1894) designer father Thomas (1818 – 1887) and his brother are for sale. Stoer … Continue reading “Let There Be Light”
August 8, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
A rare thing – A Pacific Heights, San Francisco house with a 9-car garage that has been dramatically reduced in price by £1 million Extending to 7,580 square feet in total and on a corner plot, 2190 Vallejo Street in San Francisco is a detached 5-storey residence with a private garage with space for … Continue reading “Parked in Pacific Heights”
July 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Former Liberal Democrats headquarters for sale for somewhat reduced but still anything but liberal sum of £36 million (to include a Rodin) A building that was originally the London office of the North Eastern Railway Company and the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party and then their successors, the Liberal Democrats, between 1982 and … Continue reading “Anything But Liberal”
June 23, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
130 acre Surrey estate with gardens by Arabella Lennox Boyd for sale for £28 million (or £13 million more than it was marketed for in 2013) A Surrey estate has gone on sale for 87% more than in was offered for four years ago. Featured in Country Life in 2013 whilst for sale … Continue reading “Pricey Pickhurst”
June 8, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples asks Conservative candidate for Kensington Lady Borwick five questions; he put the same to the Liberal Democrats Annabel Mullin also whilst Labour’s Emma Dent Coad failed to respond In the final hours of the 2017 General Election campaign, I asked the Conservative candidate for Kensington, Lady Borwick, five questions I considered relevant … Continue reading “A Question of Borwick”
June 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Grade II* listed Kent townhouse for sale for just £166 per square foot; a similarly sized property in Knightsbridge would set you back £2,000 per square foot A freehold 2,500 square foot detached 15th century timber framed house just 23 miles south of London has gone on sale for the lowly sum of £166 … Continue reading “A House of Hide”
June 5, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Vast “Italian style” oceanfront mansion in Orange County, CA relaunched for sale for £42.7 million; it has failed to sell at prices as high as £53 million An 18,000 square foot barn of a residence described as “the finest oceanfront home in SoCal” has been relaunched to the market this month at a price … Continue reading “Not So Little Italy”
June 1, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Georgian house in Emsworth, Hampshire complete with its own private dock for sale for £3.4 million A symmetrical, yellow brick early 19th century house complete with its own private dock has gone on sale for £3.4 million ($4.4 million, €3.9 million or درهم16.1 million). Grade II listed Wharf House in the small town … Continue reading “Sail Away”
May 30, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
“Grand” Grade II* listed Midlands manor for sale for just £350,000; it comes with a 49-seat cinema and several unexpected catches Where there’s muck, there’s money and a late 18th century Midlands manor house currently for sale for just £350,000 ($451,000, €402,000 or درهم1.65 million) provides an example of the tale of the progress … Continue reading “Mucking Up A Manor”
May 13, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
£39 million summer house on Lake Geneva that was designed by one of the architects of the Eiffel Tower to be sold at auction without reserve Built in the Belle Époque style on the north shore of Lake Geneva, Château de Promenthoux is a 13,988 square foot house on a plot of 9 acres. … Continue reading “A Fashionable Bargain”
May 12, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
£144,000 per year sought for Oxfordshire mansion that was the scene of a most curious ménage-a-trois; it is owned by the writer Sofka Zinovieff “Tall and willowy” writer Sofka Zinovieff inherited Faringdon House in Oxfordshire at the age of 25 from her eccentric, bisexual uncle, Robert ‘The Mad Boy’ Heber-Percy, partner of the owner … Continue reading “Fun at Faringdon”
May 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
12th century castle and romantic ruin in Herefordshire for sale for £1.495 million; a title to go with it is available also A part restored castle on the English-Welsh border is back on the market after its buyer pulled out at the end of last year. Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye at at Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire’s story … Continue reading “I Capture the Castle”
May 1, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Conversion of “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” for sale; £3.5 million Grade II* listed Georgian house in Bath literally straddles a canal Some people dream of living beside a lake or a river, but a Grade II* listed detached property recently placed on the market in Bath gives anyone with £3.5 million … Continue reading “Domesticity Above A Canal”
April 27, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Attractive Grade II listed riverside residence at Marlow goes on sale A charming Grade II listed 19th century riverside townhouse at Marlow in Buckinghamshire has been put on the market just before the 162nd annual Marlow Regatta. The Lodge on St Peter Street boasts what selling agents Hamptons refer to as “one of … Continue reading “A River Runs Through It”
April 26, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Cadogan Square flat for sale for a sum that, if achieved, could make it the most expensive subterranean home in London; it is offered at a price that equates to £2,130 per square foot Created from the merger of two flats, one of which was marketed for £3 million ($3.8 million, €3.5 million or … Continue reading “A Big Priced Basement”
April 21, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Herefordshire fruit farm for sale for £2.25 million A 47.6 acre organic Herefordshire fruit farm is for sale for £2.25 million ($2.88 million, €2.69 million or درهم10.58 million). Situated in the Malvern Hills, Hermitage Court at Canon Pyon, near Hereford has fruit orchards and a walnut grove and also comes with grazing land, … Continue reading “Finding Fruit”
April 15, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Picturesque watermill used in ‘The Witchfinder General’ and ‘Dad’s Army’ for sale Witches and water don’t have an affinity – with dunking being a common form of punishment for suspects in the 16th and 17th centuries – and at The Watermill on the River Black Bourn at Ixworth in Suffolk, just such activity occurred … Continue reading “Witchfinders and Watermills”
April 9, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
“Gentleman’s manor house” that inspired Charlotte Brontë’s Thornfield Hall in ‘Jane Eyre’ available to rent for just £14,400 per year; alternatively you could take a tiny studio in SW3 for the same sum Described by Charlotte Brontë (1775 – 1817) as being “three storeys high; a gentleman’s manor house; battlements round the top gave … Continue reading “Living Eyre”
April 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Historic Battersea mansion for sale for the same sum it was marketed for in 2011; it has been mostly empty throughout the intervening period and was renovated by the late billionaire Malcolm Forbes Billionaire publisher Malcolm Forbes was a man who liked to live large. He had a huge yacht named The Highlander, threw … Continue reading “Billionaire Battersea”
April 2, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
New York’s “most impressive” Dutch colonial house for sale for £2.59 million in spite of needing updating Built in 1735 and listed as a designated New York landmark in 1966, 126 West Drive in Douglaston, Queens is considered to be New York’s “most impressive architectural remnant of the early Dutch Culture”. It has just … Continue reading “A Dutch Delight”
March 30, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Tiny 2.5-foot deep Knightsbridge “corridor house” sells for £810,000 at auction Yesterday, at an auction in London, a 2.5-foot deep (at its minimum) and 3-foot deep (at its maximum) mews house sold for £810,000 ($1 million, €936,000 or درهم3.7 million) despite being nothing more than a very long corridor. Extending to 275 square … Continue reading “Narrow in Knightsbridge”
March 29, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Miss Marple-esque thatched cottage for sale for a sum 129% higher than it achieved in 2014; it has 2 reception rooms, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms Sold last in October 2014 for £175,000, Fussells Cottage in the “unspoilt” Wiltshire village of Wedhampton is again for sale for £400,000 ($497,000, €460,000 or درهم1.8 million). … Continue reading “A Treble Two”
March 23, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
North Yorkshire mill house complete with its own valley for sale; Wordsworth waxed lyrical about its setting and Turner painted it Described as “a delightful and delicious valley” by the Romantic poet William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850) in 1799 in a letter to his friend and fellow poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772 – 1834), … Continue reading “Painting & Poetry”
March 12, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Vast Knightsbridge penthouse with two terraces and a double garage for sale for a sum 478% higher than it achieved in 2000 A penthouse across three buildings in Knightsbridge that sold for £5.1 million (the equivalent of £7.9 million, $9.6 million, €9 million or درهم 35.3 million today) in November 2000 has gone on … Continue reading “Large in Lowndes”
January 22, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Berkshire country house named “Gays” for sale Not connected with the LGBT community in any way, but in fact named after a man named John Gays, “Gays” at Holyport, near Maidenhead in Berkshire dates to around 1456 and is currently for sale for £5.95 million ($7.36 million, €6.88 million or درهم27.05 million). … Continue reading “A Happy House”
January 11, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Unlisted 18th century Georgian residence near Badminton for sale; ideal for those looking to quit the rat race City dwellers and commuters regularly dream of quitting the rat race for a life in the country and when they watch programmes like Escape to the Country and Downton Abbey, they see an idealised vision of … Continue reading “A Village Ideal”
December 5, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Former home of Jacqueline Kennedy in Georgetown, Washington reduced in price by £600,000; she lived there in 1964 before moving to Manhattan Reduced from £7.677 million ($9.750 million or €9.109 million or درهم35.811 million) to £7.075 million ($8.995 million or €8.403 million or درهم33.038 million) and the first home of Jacqueline Kennedy post the … Continue reading “Reducing a Kennedy”
December 1, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Iconic modernist house in Connecticut by renowned architect John Black Lee reduced in price by 60% Award winning architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) was born in Chicago and took influence from the ‘Harvard Five’ architects Marcel Breur and Philip C. Johnson. He built, for his own occupation, a house 48 miles outside … Continue reading “A Tremendous Triangle”
October 26, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Former residence of sculptor with Liz Hurley as a neighbour for sale in Chelsea The self-described ‘actress’ and diva Liz Hurley is probably the most famous ‘name’ living in cherry tree lined Redcliffe Road, SW10 but a slightly more talented former resident was a sculptor named Alice Lindley-Millican (married in 1917, died November 1930). … Continue reading “Sculpting a Residence”
October 7, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Grade II* listed North Yorkshire hall for sale; it comes with a converted chapel and a converted pigeon loft £925,000 ($1.14 million or €1.03 million) will barely buy a broom cupboard in Kensington and Chelsea, but for the same sum a 3,893 square foot Grade II* listed medieval hall in the Yorkshire Dales National … Continue reading “Religious Pigeons”
May 15, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed Sir John Soane designed country house Tyringham Hall reduced in price by 30%
May 11, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
£6.4 million San Francisco house complete with an accessory perfect for any ‘tech boomer’
May 3, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Modern Georgian style country house for sale for £19.5 million – complete with bowling alley and ‘Indian room’ with LED ‘night sky’ ceiling
May 1, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
House in The Boltons goes on the market for £27.5 million more than it was marketed for in 2012 complete with an extra four levels of accommodation
April 3, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Georgian house in Lancashire will appeal to George Osborne’s new northern wealth
February 6, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Washington’s oldest house – which was originally located in Massachusetts – for sale
December 11, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Low-built £11.95 million Belgravia residence created by merging two properties into one is illustrative of how the total housing stock in the city’s most elite areas is being depleted
December 9, 2015
July 28, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Michael Bloomberg offers £2 million above the £15 million asking price to see off three other bidders and buys George Eliot’s house by the River Thames
July 26, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Pioneer of pizza in Britain places £1.15 million Lancashire home on the market
July 21, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Despite a Málaga villa built by the musician Prince remaining on the market a year after it was put up for sale, bizarrely its asking price has been increased by £1 million
June 30, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Most expensive house to be publicly offered for sale in the UK to be stripped of everything including the kitchen sink
June 13, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Tony Blair’s former home heads to auction for £35,000 less than he sold it for in 2010
June 5, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Former home of Ian Fleming that is currently owned by Sol Campbell for sale for £6.75 million
June 3, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Calvin Klein is bored of living in the “resort” of Miami Beach and has placed his £10.4 million home on the market
June 1, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
A Shelter Island Heights home with quite possibly the best home bar ever comes to the market for £1.2 million
May 28, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Minute 1-bedroom Knightsbridge mews house comes to the market for an astounding £3.75 million
April 25, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Vast Victorian Isle of Wight mansion connected to The Charge of the Light Brigade for sale – Only those with large cheque books need apply
by Matthew Steeples
Suite at New York hotel The Plaza available for £2.6 million – the catch: you can only use it 120 days per year
