The Steeple Times

Tag: inspiration

  • Positivity From Pleurat

    Positivity From Pleurat

    Refugee turned “one-man vodka band” Pleurat Shabani shares a message of positivity (and a reminder that we’ll all be having a martini or three together again soon)

    Having escaped the civil war in Croatia, Kosovo born Pleurat Shabani headed to London in 1994. He, unlike Dick Whittington, did not find streets paved with gold but ended up working as a lavatory cleaner and kitchen porter.

     

    Later, forced onto the streets after losing his job at Soho House, Shabani “hit rock bottom” but did not give up. He found a job as a glass washer at Oliver Peyton’s Atlantic Bar & Grill – which ironically was later ‘sunk’ by Marco Pierre White’s Titanic restaurant – and after being promoted to a role as a bartender, began a journey that ultimately resulted in the creation of his own vodka, Konik’s Tail.

     

    Shabini, without the big money backing most spirits brands garnered in the early-to-mid 2000s, is a surprising success story. We reported on it back in 2014 and in spite of his shoestring budget – and the fact he literally had to glue his own footwear together (he considers them “ part of his journey”) – Konik’s Tail is now stocked in everywhere from Dukes Hotel to Waitrose.

     

    Now, at this time of lockdown, the notoriously shy luddite Shabani has taken to social media and on Instagram, a place he’s only posted once before, shared a message of positivity that we should all heed. It follows in full below:

     

    “First of all, I hope this finds you well in these increasingly challenging times of disruption and enormous changes to the daily lives of all of us. Together, we have learnt that passion, optimism and community will help us all come out stronger.”

     

    “The pride of who we are as a community is not part of our past, it defines our present and our future. You have inspired me. Your presence has inspired me. Your friendship has inspired me. And, your stories have inspired me.”

     

    “Together we will succeed and that success will belong to everyone of us. Better days will return. Stools behind the bar might be empty, no late nights, no last calls, but this – you are not forgotten. Our hearts are full of love until we are reunited again. I know we will be with our friends again, with our families again and I know we will share a Konik’s Tail martini again.”

     

    “Spread the love and positive energy, help a friend, even a stranger. Until we meet again, be well, be safe and love each other. My warmest wishes to you all and thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

     

    Konik’s Tail Vodka is available from Waitrose for £38 for a 70cl bottle. Thankfully they can still deliver it – so have your chilled martini glasses at the ready.

     

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  • TIGing a Drunken Duchess

    TIGing a Drunken Duchess

    The boozy bird the Duchess of Sussex and the newly formed The Independent Group have something in common; this “TIG moment” lover should become their leader

     

    The former Meghan Markle – a bizarre woman who ludicrously  likes to create “spaces to share” and “breeding grounds for ideas and excitement” – once had a blog called ‘The Tig.’ It was supposedly about matters “lifestyle” and on it she created “a hub for the discerning palate – those with a hunger for food, travel, fashion [and] beauty.”

     

    On this oracle of wisdom the busybody ‘Murky Mucky’ shared information that the world simply shouldn’t be without. On the now defunct site’s ‘About’ section, she bizarrely stated:

     

    “Several years ago I had a sip of wine called Tignanello (pronounced “teen-ya-nello“). But let’s be real – in the states most people said “tig-na-nello“…or just plain old “Tig.” The Italiano of it all gets a little tricky, so the bartender kept it simple; it was a glass of “Tig.“ So there I am, with very minimal wine knowledge and I take a sip of this wine. It wasn’t just red or white – suddenly I understood what people meant by the body, legs, structure of wine. It was an ah-ha moment at its finest. For me, it became a “Tig” moment – a moment of getting it.”

     

    “From that point on, any new awareness, any new discovery or “ohhhhh, I get it!” moment was a “Tig” moment. At New York Fashion Week understanding that clothes aren’t just pieces of fabric, but that they can be art. So Tig. Traveling off the beaten track and hand diving for sea urchin in Jamaica – understanding that travel is adventure and discovery, culture and surprise. A Tig moment, indeed. And the same could be said for my love of cooking & dining, for cultivating friendships that inspire you, for the idea of “beauty” and what that means to us. An understanding that comes with living your life to the fullest so that it bursts at the seams. An unbridled joy. An insatiable curiosity. That’s what Tig means to me.”

     

    We won’t bore you with the rest of this right royal pest’s drivel but yesterday, in Westminster, seven now ex-Labour MPs quit their party. They formed a group called ‘The Independent Group’ or more simply ‘TIG.’ Perhaps it might be appropriate that their fellow ‘Tigger’ The Duchess of Sussex become their leader.

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

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    Twitter: @SteepleTimes

     

    TIGing a Drunken Duchess – Meghan Markle should go into politics – The boozy bird the Duchess of Sussex and the newly formed The Independent Group have something in common; this “TIG moment” lover should become their leader
    The Independent Group announced their creation in Westminster yesterday; they came across as a bunch of attention seekers.

    TIGing a Drunken Duchess – Meghan Markle should go into politics – The boozy bird the Duchess of Sussex and the newly formed The Independent Group have something in common; this “TIG moment” lover should become their leader
    Meanwhile, elsewhere, in New York, ‘The Modern Day Mrs Simpson’ couldn’t help but don the look of an extra from ‘Last Of The Summer Wine’ in wearing a flat cap. Here indeed was a right royal embarrassment.

  • More on Menéndez

    More on Menéndez

    As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ and brands their conviction for killing their wealthy parents “imperfect self-defence”

     

    Renewed interest in the 1989 murders of the multi-millionaires José and Mary ‘Kitty’ Menéndez by their sons, Erik and Lyle, has accompanied NBC’s screening of their fascinating new eight-part Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders.

     

    Consequently discussion has intensified and aside from Lyle Menéndez creating a Facebook page this month where interested parties can read about the slayings and the alleged abuse he and his brother were subjected to, a juror in the first trial contacted The Steeple Times to share her thoughts on the eventual outcome.

     

    In an email to editor-in-chief Matthew Steeples, a juror in the first case brought against Erik Menéndez and author of Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror Hazel Thornton remarked:

     

    We were given the choice of:

    – First degree murder (what the men wanted)

    – Second degree murder

    – Voluntary manslaughter (what the women wanted)

    – Involuntary manslaughter

     

    It was widely reported that the women were 1) in love with the M brothers, 2) enamored with defense attorney Leslie Abramson (that part is true; I consider her to be a hero and am thrilled that LOTC [Law & Order True Crime] Menendez is focused on her character), 3) voting emotionally, not logically, and 4) too stupid to understand the jury instructions.

     

    Also, that we wanted to let them go free. No one voted to acquit. Acquittal was not on the table. We didn’t even vote for Involuntary manslaughter.

     

    But we did think the defense was strong enough that it may have happened exactly as they said –that they were in fear of their lives, rightly or wrongly, at the very moment of the killings. It’s called ‘imperfect self-defense’.

     

    Elsewhere in today’s The Steeple Times, we interview Zach Tinker – the actor who plays Erik Menéndez’s classmate, Craig Cignarelli.

     

    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    Lyle Menéndez (left) and Erik Menéndez (right) in prison photographs in more recent years

    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    The brothers continue to allege they were abused by the wealthy parents they slayed, Kitty and José Menéndez

    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    722 North Elm Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 – The home where the Menéndez brothers committed their crimes on 20th August 1989; the house had previously been the residence of both Elton John and Prince in years prior

    More on Menéndez – As Lyle Menéndez creates a Facebook page about the case against him and his brother Erik, a juror contacts ‘The Steeple Times’ to comment on their conviction for killing their wealthy parents
    A tweet by juror in first trial Hazel Thornton containing a Facebook post by Lyle Menéndez about his views on her book

     

    Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders is available to watch in the UK on Sky Living and below an unedited Facebook post from Lyle Menéndez follows:

     

    I thank my family for helping me with this page. I don’t have internet access so this site depends on them. I have been told that setting up this page will open me up to ridicule and criticism. That’s probably true, but it’s something I’m already used to. It is very hard to accept that sexual assault can be the punchline of jokes or the subject of ridicule, but it has occurred–to me–and to many others. If I am mocked for this page, the shame of that belongs on the mocker and not on me or anyone who shares their story here. There is, quite simply, nothing funny about child rape or other abuse.

     

    The purpose of this page is not to debate the clearly wrong actions that I took. The purpose is to provide a safe place for people to talk about their similar experiences and find comfort in others who have suffered in silence in the same way. Those of us who have suffered abuse understand the healing power of sharing our experiences.

     

    I have received thousands of letters from people all over the world who have heard about my experiences and connected with them or simply had empathy for me and my brother. When I first started to receive the letters, I answered every one. But, eventually, I became overwhelmed. Still – whether I answered them or not – I read all the letters and my heart ached for each person brave enough to share, and I was inspired by the strength it took every person to take pen to paper and pour out their hearts.

     

    In fact, I testified every day at my trial in 1993 with a letter of an abuse survivor in my pants pocket to give me courage. The letters I receive to this day continue to give me courage and strength.

     

    With the resurgence of interest in our case and the prevalence of social media, I’m now in a better position to be able to create a place for those of you who want to reach out to me. Even more, this format gives us all the opportunity to create a community of compassion, empathy, inspiration and strength. I hope you will share your stories here and that we can build something positive from something so negative. I hope that we can all be survivors, lift each other up when we need it, and show everyone that by supporting each other, we can not just survive but thrive.

     

    If you write to me here, I will be read your posts, through my family, and I will respond sometimes. We can help each other. But this page is less about me and more about all of us helping each other. There is a community here. But please keep in mind that neither I nor anyone in my family is a professional counselor, therapist, or any type of professional equipped to deal with the psychological and/or emotional issues that child abuse causes. I will be offering my support and advice as a fellow sufferer and survivor and not as any type of expert.

     

    Like I said, I do not have the internet. This site depends on my family. If you see an “-a” after a comment that means that the administrator is the one commenting. And many conversations will be started by the administrator.

     

    One final note: I have heard that social media can be the opposite of what I just described. Please know that hateful posts will not be approved and hurtful/hateful comments will be deleted by an administrator. Let’s make this a safe space.

     

    For more information Hung Jury: The Diary of a Menendez Juror about by Hazel Thornton, click here.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVcw6H2MA8E

     

  • Big Shorting Gatsby

    Big Shorting Gatsby

    Long Island mansion with links to ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Big Short’ for sale for £13.1 million (or 152% more than it sold for in 2011)

     

    F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) set his ‘Roaring Twenties’ classic The Great Gatsby in the fictional locations of East Egg and West Egg on Long Island and now one of the homes that inspired him is available for sale.

     

    Owned by Cornwall Capital founder James Mai – a man whose firm ironically made over 80 times its capital by buying credit default swaps on CDOs prior to the 2008 financial crisis – and his wife Chiara since 2011, 235 Middle Neck Road at Sands Point on Long Island’s Gold Coast was built in 1926 and home to the Rumsey-Harriman railroad dynasty from 1929.

     

    Fitzgerald is said to have spent time at the residence learning about “the lifestyle of the moneyed aristocracy of Old Westport, Long Island, and their involvement in the movement of eugenics” from the Rumseys and ironically, James Mai, is also representative of a clash between ‘old’ and ‘new’ money. In 2008, he and his partner are said to have been the ones “screaming about [the coming crash] as loud as they could, but everyone turned a deaf ear.” The character Jamie Shipley, played by Finn Wittrock in the 2015 film The Big Short, is loosely based upon him.

     

    Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
    Current owners Chiara and James Mai are said to have spent vast sums on the renovation of the estate

     

    Featuring 11,955 square foot of renovated accommodation that includes formal and informal entertaining spaces, 13 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. There is also a 6-car garage with a 3-bedroom caretaker’s cottage, a 4-bedroom beachside cottage and a boat house.

     

    Outside, on a plot of some 5.3 acres, there is a 391-foot private beach, a tennis court and in spite of its seeming isolation, the property is situated just 29 miles from Downtown Manhattan and 25 minutes by boat.

     

    235 Middle Neck Road is listed by Nava Mitnick of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International. In December 2016, of it, she commented: “Obviously, it’s so imposing – you drive down and see the sweeping views. But when we entered the house, I described it as a ‘glorified cottage’, because it’s so homey.”

     

    235 Middle Neck Road – The Numbers

     

    August 2017 – Relisted for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million).

     

    December 2016 – Listed for sale for £15.4 million ($19.8 million, €16.6 million or درهم72.7 million).

     

    June 2011 – Sold for £5.2 million ($6.675 million, €5.6 million or درهم24.5 million).

     

    February 2011 – Listed for sale for £7.7 million ($9.9 million, €8.3 million or درهم36.4 million).

     

    Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.Big Shorting Gatsby – The Rumsey-Harriman Estate, 235 Middle Neck Road, North Shore, Long Island, Sands Point, NY 10050 – For sale for £13.1 million ($16.88 million, €14.2 million or درهم62 million) through Compass and Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty – Owned by James and Chiara Mai of Cornwall Capital and said to be inspiration for Egg Point in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

  • Alfie Best – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Alfie Best – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with self-made businessman and star of ‘My Fat Gypsy Fortune’ Alfie Best

     

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

    For a man to know where he is going, he must remember where he is from.

     

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

    Life is a light, it is your job to make it shine brighter.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2017?

    Internet trolls who are brave behind keyboards.

     

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

    Time.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    More time.

     

    Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the state of the financial system?

    If you treat the bank as a bank, they will treat you as a customer but if you treat the banks as a partner within your business and build your relationship with the management of the bank, they will consider you as a partner and offer much more insight and help which it is own way, is free to you as a business.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “We have a problem”; one man’s problem is another man’s opportunity.

     

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

    I do believe charity begins at home but I also believe giving is not as good as teaching. If you give a man a fish, he will feed his family for a night, show the man how to fish and he will feed his family for a lifetime.

     

    We’re actually setting up own charity – Wyldecrest Parks Charity – which hopefully we’ll be able to help vulnerable people in need.

     

    The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

    Connection is unbelievable and the forward bounds it has given us a society is unprecedented but we have to remember not to become disconnected from society.

     

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

    I would fill the carriage with my family and friends and invite Tracy Chapman and the musical artist Rodriguez; I would look for them to enjoy the ride and party whilst it lasted.

     

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

    Pie, mash and liquor at the White House with the President to try and get a reprieve whilst eating my last meal.

     

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

    6:30am with a nice cup of lemon tea.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A cup of tea.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    I enjoy my son’s parties because the charisma he brings to the room is like a ray of sunshine on the beach.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Me.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Chocolate.

     

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

    If I were to have a tattoo, it would state ‘BEST’ across my back because it would mean the best is behind me and there is even better to come.

     

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

    A black Lamborghini.

     

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

    After becoming a millionaire at 20, I nearly went bust and slept in my car for 3 months.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    A backward clock – it confuses everyone!

     

    Alfie Best is a successful entrepreneur driven by tenacity. With humble origins, born and raised in a Romany Gypsy family, this self-made man started his professional path totally from scratch. Alongside Wyldecrest Parks, Alfie Best also owns other very successful businesses within the hospitality and leisure, events, trading and finance industries including Vinyl Bar, Kyoto Furniture, Axiom Uno and Wylde Event Management.

     

    Follow him on Twitter at @alfiebest33.

     

  • Alfie Best II

    Alfie Best II

    A tenacious Romany Gypsy turned multi-millionaire businessman, Mayfair and Hertfordshire based Alfie Best overcame “many obstacles and prejudices” to make his fortune in cars, mobile phone stores and mobile home parks. The owner of Wyldecrest Parks also produces his own gin and claims his life philosophy is “90% perspiration and 10% inspiration”. His equally entrepreneurial son, Alfie Best III, appeared with him on Channel 4’s My Big Fat Gypsy Fortune.

  • Living Eyre

    Living Eyre

    “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 it a picturesque look” in Jane Eyre, Thornfield Hall was where Jane Eyre became a governess and where she fell for Mr Rochester. The 16th century building that is said to have been Brontë’s primary inspiration, North Lees Hall, is now available to rent and is offered for the same sum as a poky 179 square foot studio in Chelsea Cloisters in London, SW3.

     

    Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum
    North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR is owned by the Peak District National Park and available to let after the Vivat Trust, that managed it as a holiday rental from 1988, ceased trading in 2015

    Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum
    A first floor studio – 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR – is available through JLL for the same sum but is hardly as imposing

    Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum
    Ruth Wilson played Jane Eyre with Toby Stephens as Edward Rochester in the 2006 TV adaptation of Jane Eyre; part of the series was filmed at North Lees Hall

     

    Supposedly designed by Robert Smythson (1534 – 1614), the architect of Hardwick Hall, Grade II* listed North Lees Hall features a tower and turrets and comprises of 2 reception rooms, 3 double bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It also has a large breakfast kitchen and basement but the panoramic views from the castellated roof terrace are what will most likely impress potential tenants.

     

    North Lees Hall is available through Saxton Mee for £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month). Tenders to rent it on a furnished basis for a minimum of twelve months must be submitted by Friday 28th April.

     

    Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sumLiving Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sumLiving Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sumLiving Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum Living Eyre – North Lees Hall, Birley Lane, Hathersage, Derbyshire, S32 1BR, United Kingdom – £1,200 per month ($1,484, €1,402 or درهم5,453 per month) or alternatively take 154 Chelsea Cloisters, Sloane Avenue, Chelsea, London, SW3 3DR for the same sum

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