Tag: Houston

  • Word of the Week 2021 – Going to the Polls

    Word of the Week 2021 – Going to the Polls

    Susie Dent shares the fascinating origin of “going to the polls” just as Count Binface looks to get more votes than Laurence Fox in spite of the latter having a ludicrous £5 million campaign pot

    With voting underway across the country, “that woman in Dictionary Corner” Susie Dent this morning shared with her 753,000 followers on Twitter the origin of “going to the polls” this morning:

     

    Origin of the day: the ‘poll’ in ‘going to the polls’ originally meant ‘head’, referring to the counting of heads or votes. A ‘noddypoll’ was an incompetent fool, a ‘clod-poll’ a blockhead, and a ‘tadpoll’ (later ‘tadpole’) a ‘toad-head’.        

     

    Referencing what a lacklustre bag of bilge Londoners have been offered by the mainstream parties and echoing Nikolay Kalinin’s analysis of Labour’s national multifaceted mess for The Steeple Times yesterday, Inside Croydon declared of the campaign:

     

    “It has been a very long, and very tedious, London election campaign, but for some of the capital’s voters, perhaps bewildered by the multitude of different voting systems employed and vast number of candidates for Mayor or the London Assembly, there has been one bright spot: Count Binface.”

     

    “In elections that were postponed from 2020, among the various races-within-the-race for City Hall, there is a fascination among those who long ago tired of the lies of Tory Shaun Bailey or the deadly dull platitudes of Sadiq Khan (did you know: his father was a London bus driver?), the idea that a geezer with a bin on his head could attract more votes than the spittle-flecked campaign of Laurence Fox has lightened the mood these past couple of weeks.”

     

    “And what’s more, unlike so much of so many of the pointless political campaigns, Binface is actually doing some good, by raising thousands of pounds for homelessness charities.”

     

    Elsewhere on social media yesterday, Count Binface himself shared an amusing video based on Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody asking his followers to make him their first choice today. The Steeple Times’ editor Matthew Steeples duly obliged when he headed to St Columba’s Church of Scotland in Pont Street, SW1 this morning and casted a protest for Max Fosh as his second choice also.

     

    Going to the Polls – Count Binface morphed into Whitney Houston to share his final pitch to be the next Mayor of London “and/or the UK’s next Eurovision entry.” He urged: “Make me your first choice vote, and together we will crush the loopy candidates. (You know who I mean.)”
    Going to the Polls – Susie Dent, as ever, brought a bit of insight on polling day 2021.
    Going to the Polls – Boris Johnson was escorted to vote in Westminster by his latest baby mama Carrie Symonds at just before 8am this morning. Whether she had to help the ‘noddypoll’ PM mark his voting card or not is unknown.
    Word of the Week 2021 – Going to the Polls – Fox v Binface – Susie Dent shares the fascinating origin of “going to the polls” just as Count Binface looks to get more votes than Laurence Fox in spite of the latter having a ludicrous £5 million campaign pot.
    Going to the Polls – Many Twitter users mocked the ex-actor Fox and remarked of their desire for Count Binface to actually be his ex-wife Billie Piper in disguise.
    Word of the Week 2021 – Going to the Polls – Fox v Binface – Susie Dent shares the fascinating origin of “going to the polls” just as Count Binface looks to get more votes than Laurence Fox in spite of the latter having a ludicrous £5 million campaign pot.
    Going to the Polls – The parody Boris Johnson account went further and declared: “To be honest, I don’t care if we take Hartlepool, as long as Count Binface beats that streak of piss, Laurence Fox.” 1,200 clicked “love” in response. Author Emma Kennedy added: “When Count Binface gets more votes than Waitrose Tommy Robinson tomorrow, I look forward to the 3682 5k thinkpieces/profile articles in The Telegraph and Sunday Times telling us what a brave visionary Count Binface is. Also: BBCQT AHOY!” and got 1,600 “loves” also.
    Word of the Week 2021 – Going to the Polls – Fox v Binface – Susie Dent shares the fascinating origin of “going to the polls” just as Count Binface looks to get more votes than Laurence Fox in spite of the latter having a ludicrous £5 million campaign pot.
    Going to the Polls – John O’Connell announced: “Duty done. I voted. Now I can freely spend the rest of the day taking the piss out of Shaun Bailey and Laurence Fox, and cheering on Count Binface.”
  • The World’s Most Flirtatious Car

    The World’s Most Flirtatious Car

    Off-the-wall 24-carat gold 1958 Austin Healey that would appeal to Liberace to be sold at auction in New York with an estimate of £420,000

     

    A truly bonkers one-off 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six that was given the monikers ‘Goldie’ and ‘The Golden Child’ is to be sold at auction in December.

     

    For sale for 165% less than it was offered for in 2013 but 781% more than it was valued at in 1958, ‘Goldie’ is capable of speeds of upto 120 miles per hour but what makes her unique is that all brightwork – including the trimming washers and screws, wire wheels, disc brakes, bumpers and instruments – are plated in 24-carat gold.

     

    The car’s interior is trimmed in champagne Connolly kid leather and champagne diadem mink by London furrier Lorna Doon Snow adorn the inserts and back squabs of the bucket seats and the key ring comes complete with a solid-gold scale replica of the car itself.

     

    The brainchild of Donald Healey’s then PR manager, Ken Gregory, in association with the Daily Express’s then motoring correspondent, Basil Cardew, ‘Goldie’ was the show-stopping car exhibited at the entrance to the 1958 London Motor Show at Earl’s Court. She reportedly wowed audiences and no doubt would have been dubbed a ‘dream machine’ by the motoring world’s most extravagant doyenne, Lady Docker.

     

    Sold immediately to the paper the Daily Express dedicated a page to the promotion of a reader competition to win ‘Goldie’ on 22nd October 1958. Of her, they remarked:

     

    “[This is] the world’s most flirtatious car… The Daily Express has bought it… You can win it. She’s elegant… she wears mink… and she adores champagne. No, not the girl… the car!”

     

    “The real stuff… The most sumptuous… A vintage squirt… The biggest sensation of the [Motor Show at Earl’s Court]… Yes, you could call it the car that was born with a golden spoon in its mouth!”

     

    “In the whole of the land there isn’t anything to match it.”

     

    Surprisingly, the winner of the competition decided to sell the vehicle immediately. She was first road-registered in February 1959 and then passed through various owners until being completely restored by Bruce and Inan Phillips of Healey Surgeons of Washington, D.C. between 1983 and 1986.

     

    Speaking of what the current marketing catalogue entry describes as “the most spectacular Austin Healey ever produced,” Inan Phillips is said to have remarked: “[‘Goldie’ was] one fantastic running and driving car… The smoothest driving Austin Healey we’ve ever owned.”

     

    In time sold to a wealthy businessman and Jeep restorer named Dennis Collins from Wylie, Texas, ‘Goldie’ was offered for sale first on eBay and then at auction in Houston, Texas for £758,000 in 2013 and 2014. It appears no sale went through and now an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 has been set for this striking creation.

     

    RM Sotheby’s will sell ‘Goldie’ at their annual New York ‘Icons’ sale on 6th December. They list the vehicle as being “without reserve.” If only Liberace were still around to put in a bid.

     

    ‘Goldie’ – The Numbers

     

    December 2017 – Offered for sale at auction with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million) in New York.

     

    January 2014 – Offered for sale with a ‘buy-it-now’ price of £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) on eBay.

     

    March 2013 – Offered for sale for £758,000 ($1 million, €857,000 or درهم3.7 million) in Houston, Texas by Collins Brothers Jeep owner Dennis Collins.

     

    October 1958 – Valued at £4,000 (the equivalent of £86,000, $113,000, €97,000 or درهم417,000 today) prior to being sold to the Daily Express and offered in a reader competition in London.

     

    The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017 The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017 The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017The World’s Most Flirtatious Car – 1958 Austin-Healey 100-Six ‘Goldie’ to be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s in New York with no reserve and an estimate of £265,000 to £417,000 ($350,000 to $550,000, €300,000 to €471,000 or درهم1.3 million to درهم2 million on 6th December 2017

  • Five of the Best – Auctions America Auburn Spring

    Five of the Best – Auctions America Auburn Spring

    Five of the best lots on offer at the Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale of classic and modern cars and military lots

     

    From 11th to 13th May at the Auburn Auction Park in Auburn Spring in Indiana, USA, Auctions America will sell a vast range of cars and military lots. Here, we choose our five favourite lots on offer:

     

    1920 Ford Model T Coupé £6,500 to £8,100 ($8,000 to $10,000, €7,600 to €9,400 or درهم29,400 to درهم36,700)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeWith over 16.5 million built between 1908 and 1927, the Ford Model T stands at the eighth most sold cars of all time. Undoubtedly the first affordable car produced, an example from 1920 provides an affordable way to start a classic car collection. The example offered also reflects the sentiments of Henry Ford (1863 – 1947), whom once said: “Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black”.

     

    1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse – £64,600 to £80,700 ($80,000 to $100,000, €75,600 to €94,500 or درهم293,800 to درهم367,300)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeA perfect mode of conveyance for the Addams Family or Ozzy Osbourne, this hearse was built by the James Cunningham & Sons Company of Rochester, New York. It has a cathedral like coffin compartment featuring carved wood and has been owned by three generations of the Peterson family, owners of the Howe-Peterson Funeral Home business of Dearborn, Michigan. The firm was established in 1873 but is about to close down.

     

    1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin£302,800 to £343,200 ($375,000 to $425,000, €354,300 to €401,500 or درهم1.4 million to درهم1.6 million)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeFinished in cream over saddle leather with a dark chocolate canvas top and period-appropriate wide whitewall tyres, this striking convertible is described as being in “excellent driving condition”. It was delivered new to Houston, Texas and was the creation of Howard ‘Dutch’ Darrin (1897 – 1982), a polo playing airline owner turned automotive designer.

     

    1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé £80,700 to £100,900 ($100,000 to $125,000, €75,600 to €118,100 or درهم293,800 to درهم459,100)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeAuctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 Humvee“One of the most special Corvettes ever made”, this Marlboro Red coupé is presented in original and unrestored condition. It has only had two owners from new and has covered just 27,000 miles in its fifty year life.

     

    1992 AM General M998 Humvee£12,100 to £16,200 ($15,000 to $20,000, €14,200 to €18,900 or درهم55,100 to درهم73,500)

    Auctions America Auburn Spring, Indiana sale – 11th to 13th May 2017 – Classic and modern cars and military lots – Five of the best lots on offer including a 1920 Ford Model T Coupé, a 1930 Cunningham V8 33286 Hearse, a 1941 Packard One-Eighty Convertible Victoria by Darrin, a 1967 Chevrolet Corvette 427/390 Coupé and a 1992 AM General M998 HumveeFeaturing a 6.5-litre engine and definitely something Arnold Schwarzenegger would love, this cargo-troop carrier has a gross vehicle weight rating of 3.9-tonnes. It certainly could go anywhere and requires “no further demilitarization”.

     

  • A house for Trump

    A house for Trump

    Replica of the White House in Texas for sale for a record sum – it’d be the perfect plaything for ‘bored of the race for president’ Donald Trump

     

    Last week, Michael Moore suggested Donald Trump doesn’t really want to end up in The White House. For the media loving mogul it’s all about ‘the game’ and as he looks increasingly bored with a campaign he’s ended up railroaded into, he could choose an alternative in the form of a replica of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Texas and take life a little easier on a beach created by the current owner there.

     

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A house for Trump – A genuine White House replica at 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    The house was built for Governor Ross S. Sterling and his family

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    It is currently owned by Dr. Marcos Masson

     

    Offered for sale for £4,584,000 ($5,995,000 or €5,293,000) – an extraordinary sum in a location where there are very few properties priced over $1,000,000 – 515 Bayridge Road at Morgan’s Point on Galveston Bay was designed by a respected architect named Alfred E. Finn for Ross S. Sterling (1875 – 1949), founder of Humble Oil and 31st Governor of Texas (1931 – 1933), after the politician and businessman handed his architect a $20 bill in 1924 and said: “Build that for me”.

     

    Completed in 1927 and significantly smaller than the 55,000 square foot “real thing” according to The Wall Street Journal, the 20,689 square foot limestone house – known as The Governor Ross Sterling Mansion – was the largest property in Texas when it was built and now includes 9 bedrooms, 15 bathrooms and a 43-foot long great room with a Gone with the Wind style staircase. Its most notable feature is a columned portico flanked by two sets of stairs and topped with a flagpole that resembles the South Portico at the White House.

     

    Donated to charity by Sterling in 1946, 515 Bayridge Road was used as a juvenile home by the Houston Optimist Club until 1961 and purchased in 2013 by Dr. Marcos Masson, an orthopedic surgeon, for £2,447,000 ($3,200,000 or €2,825,000). He claims to have spent £1,147,000 ($1,500,000 or €1,325,000) on renovations and brought in sand and palm trees to create a small private beach on the 6.365 acre plot.

     

    The house is offered by Lin E. Neese and Chris Foster of John Daugherty Realtors.

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    This double reversed Gone with the Wind style staircase frames the entrance

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    The grand salon doubles as a ballroom and is 43 foot long

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    Whilst this dining room could be a little more tastefully decorated

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A reception room with a somewhat ill-coordinated colour scheme and a truly hideous corner sofa

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A library without many books

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    Questionable decoration has also been introduced in this morning room

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    The kitchen looks as if it belongs in the 1970s

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    Especially attractive lighting has been used in this media room

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A games room featuring a barbers chair antique bar and an Artex ceiling

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A gym with yet more Artex

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    Another reception room

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    The master bedroom

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    A somewhat antiquated bathroom complete with a rusty radiator

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    The rotunda portico rises 22 feet above the bay

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    From the rear at night

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    From the front at night

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    From the road

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    From the beach

    A house for Trump – White House replica – 515 Bayridge Road, Shoreacres, Morgan’s Point, La Porte, Houston, Southern Texas, TX 77561, United States of America
    An aerial shot of the house and its plot

     

     

    Subscribe to our free once daily email newsletter here:[wysija_form id=”2″]

     

  • Lynn Wyatt (née Lynn Sakowitz)

    Lynn Wyatt (née Lynn Sakowitz)

    Texan socialite Lynn Wyatt - A Black Belt First Degree in TaeKwonDo and generous “old school socialite” philanthropist, Lynn Wyatt describes her personal style as: “Class with a bit of dash and never trash” The Houston home of the “ageless wife” of the once jailed Texan oil baron Oscar Wyatt became known as the “Wyatt Hyatt” after becoming a “home away from home” for everyone from Mick Jagger to Princess Margaret (more…)

  • Overheard: 11th March

    Overheard: 11th March

    Classic clangers from the last week (more…)

  • Peck’s ‘Mockingbird Bentley’

    Peck’s ‘Mockingbird Bentley’

    Bentley owned by Gregory Peck for 34 years goes to auction

     

    Gregory Peck loved his 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur so much that he kept it for 34 years. The very same car is set to be auctioned on 17th January by RM Auctions. (more…)

  • Lauren Bush Lauren (nickname: “LBL”)

    Lauren Bush Lauren (nickname: “LBL”)

    Lauren Bush Lauren 500President George H. W. Bush’s model and designer turned philanthropist granddaughter became “Lauren Lauren” when she married David Lauren, son of Ralph Lauren, in 2011. The union was described as the merger of two families who are “public but private” and of why she named her own fashion label “Lauren Pierce”, Princeton educated Bush Lauren commented: “Obviously my last name is associated with politics. But Pierce is my grandmother’s maiden name and my younger brother’s name. It’s not about downplaying my last name as much as it is about loving Pierce. And my brother is very flattered”. It’s most definitely all in the name.

  • Tom Ford

    Tom Ford

    This Texan born designer and film director turned around the fortunes of Gucci and YSL and had a huge success with A Single Man. A fixture at New York’s Studio 54, his designs are hugely influenced by the club’s disco-era glamour and his love of all things black and square. Ford met his journalist partner, Richard Buckley, at a fashion show in 1986. They share a love for smooth fox terriers and announced the birth of their son, Alexander Buckley Ford, in September 2012. Of being “gay,” he comments: “I hate that word” but declares that he’ll marry when same-sex marriage is legalised in California. Of Ford, his partner, Buckley, adds: “There’s only one Tom for me.”

  • Post-Fordism

    Post-Fordism

    The flexible £12.75 million former home of Tom Ford

     

    Number 26 Gilston Road in London’s SW10 is a property that has been on and off the market repeatedly in recent years. On each and every occasion it has been promoted as the “former home of the fashion icon Tom Ford” and though he hasn’t lived there in years, it is still just as he left it.

     

    Designer and film producer Tom Ford

    “The former home of design icon Tom Ford”: 26 Gilston Road, London, SW10 9SS

    Situated at the end of a terrace on the corner of Priory Walk, one can see why the house appealed to the Texan born designer credited with turning around the fortunes of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Hidden behind a high wall and hedging, 26 Gilston Road is private yet minutes from the restaurants of Old Brompton and Fulham Roads.

     

    This 4-storey townhouse was sold in June 1997 for £2,250,000 and again marketed in 2009 for £8,500,000 through Aylesford. In the time since, it has been available to let at prices ranging from £5,500 to £7,500 per week, but is now back for sale at the extraordinary figure of £12,750,00 through Russell Simpson.

     

    One of the reception rooms, just as Tom Ford left it

    Another of the Tom Ford styled rooms

    A Tom Ford designed bedroom

    The garden of the property is extremely private

    What explains such a rise during a period of economic downturn? Well, it’s because developers Equilibrium have gained permission to “de-Ford” the house. As is now the trend in London, they have planned a total redesign. Their illustrations incorporate a new sub-basement and as a result the gross internal area will increase from just over 3,700 square feet to just under 5,300 square feet.

     

    Equilibrium’s plans include a vast living-dining-kitchen with a study in the void over. The space is lit by a skylight.

    A cutaway shows the extent of the redevelopment planned

    A view of 26 Gilston Road from the corner of Priory Walk

    Whilst the layout Tom Ford, himself a graduate in architecture from Parsons The New School of Design, created at 26 Gilston Road was ideal for A Single Man; the new floor plan with 4 bedrooms is much better suited to a family. Ford and his partner, Richard Buckley, announced the birth of their son, Alexander, in September. Perhaps they should put in a bid.

     

    For more information about 26 Gilston Road, London, SW10 9SS, contact Russell Simpson, 5 Anderson Street, London, SW3 3LU. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7225 0277. View a brochure for the property at: http://www.russellsimpson.co.uk/assets/12/06/15/5081/pdf_archive-1.pdf

     

    View Equilibrium’s website at: http://www.equilibriumlondon.com

     

    View Tom Ford’s website at: http://www.tomford.com