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.
December 23, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples reports on ‘Mad Friday’s’ arrival in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Vomit on the pavement and kids pissed on the streets: A standard night in Newcastle on ‘Mad Friday’ but this year this horrific occurrence hit the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea with vengeance and with equal aplomb to … Continue reading “Mad K&C”
November 13, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Both Labour and the Tories get it very wrong in Kensington and disgrace themselves with their truly offensive conduct On Monday, the political blog Guido Fawkes exposed the new Member of Parliament for Kensington, Emma Dent Coad, as having viciously called a black Tory candidate named Shaun Bailey as a “token ghetto boy,” “gobby … Continue reading “Foot in Mouth in K&C”
June 10, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
As Kensington turns red, ‘The Steeple Times’ reflects on the defeat of a woman nicknamed ‘#LazyBorwick’ , a win by a hard-left Labour blogger and a need for an MP who’ll now represent all constituents Last night, in frankly the biggest shock of a shambolic and wholly unnecessary General Election, Kensington replaced one flame … Continue reading “The Peoples’ Republic of Kensington”
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”
May 29, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Kensington and Chelsea – The land of the ‘have-a-lots’ and the ‘have-nothing-at-alls’; an example of a contrast too far The mere mention of the area of Kensington and Chelsea brings all sorts of connotations: One thinks of the Albert Hall and Hyde Park, Harrods and Harvey Nicks and one imagines affluence and culture. Here … Continue reading “A Land of Contrasts”
May 18, 2017
by Mark Newton
New contributor Mark Newton shares his views on the “dubious record” of Lady Borwick, Conservative parliamentary candidate for Kensington Kensington, Kensington, its name beats the drum of the Conservative heartland of London. Tory grandees have worked long and hard to be fortified in this Bastion with greats like Alan Clark, Michael Portillo and Malcom Rifkind … Continue reading “Poore Borwick”
May 7, 2017
by Justin Downes
K&C resident Justin Downes shares his reasons for supporting Victoria Borwick, the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for Kensington It is sad that politics has become – if it ever wasn’t – such a filthy business. It is sadder still when a politician noted for integrity, hard work and compassion becomes the subject of a … Continue reading “Backing Borwick”
April 30, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Breaking News – Rachel Johnson explains why she ditched the party of her Foreign Secretary brother Boris and defected to the Lib Dems On this morning’s Andrew Marr Show on BBC1, Rachel Johnson was interviewed about her decision to defect to the Liberal Democrat Party. Explaining her rationale for ditching the Tories and … Continue reading “Breaking with Boris”
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 24, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
South Kensington flat with ‘summer house’ shed for sale for £3.25 million An apartment in Malvern Court, SW7 has gone on the market for £3.25 million ($4.2 million, €3.9 million or درهم15.3 million). It comes with an extra one wouldn’t expect to find with a pre-war mansion block flat just by South Kensington Underground … Continue reading “A Serious Shed”
April 21, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Hidden house in Knightsbridge for sale for £1.595 million; it might suit those with an aspiration to live like Julian Assange A cleverly refurbished ‘hidden house’ behind 163 Pavilion Road in Knightsbridge has been brought to the market by Savills. 699 square foot Hans Cottage has its own private front door, a patio … Continue reading “Hidden in Hans”
April 19, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Known for plaguing the streets of SW3 with her beast of a vehicle, ‘The Horror in the Hummer’ was a skeletal-like, bleach blonde haired woman. Thankfully not seen in recent times, this shockingly bad driver could not park her contraption and often blocked First Street by leaving it in the middle of the road. Of … Continue reading “The Horror in the Hummer”
by Matthew Steeples
Though never a cross word was uttered between this duo during their visits to the sadly now defunct Chelsea restaurant La Brasserie, their dislike of what they perceived as “loud music” (and other forms of noise) made them retreat to a quiet corner. Known to occasionally ‘share’ a cocktail – though firm believers in “one … Continue reading “The Cross Word Couple (AKA ‘The Crossword Couple’)”
April 17, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Custard yellow Rolls-Royce complete with ‘0800’ numberplate takes to the streets of Knightsbridge Each year a bevvy of Arab and Russian owned supercars arrives in London and each year they get more outlandish. An especially fine example has just descended in the form of a bright yellow Rolls-Royce Phantom coupé complete with the registration … Continue reading “0800 Rolls”
April 11, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
As 50% of care homes in Kensington & Chelsea are rated “inadequate”, we suggest this reflects what the area has become: A money park for the selfish rich A society that does not care for its elderly is, as the Pope pointed out in 2015, a “perverse society” and bizarrely, it has just been … Continue reading “K&C Doesn’t Care”
April 10, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
1996 Mercedes-Benz SL500 that has been driven just 81 miles and stored in a Knightsbridge garage since new to be auctioned for 1,000% more than a normal example of its age A Mercedes-Benz with a difference is to be auctioned on its twenty-first birthday on 12th April. The car to be offered is an … Continue reading “81 Miles From New”
April 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Former Toto’s site in Lennox Gardens Mews, Knightsbridge to become a “contemporary Japanese” restaurant named Dinings In April 2014, just off Walton Street in Knightsbridge’s Lennox Gardens Mews, Toto’s prepared to reopen after a £3 million makeover at the behest of a new Indian owner. In spite of serving the most delicious Italian food, … Continue reading “Dining without Toto”
March 31, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Chelsea “studio with living rooms” built for Augustus John and later owned by Dame Grace Fields DBE available to rent Though the Pembrokeshire born artist, bohemian and pacifist Augustus John (1878 – 1961) was best known for his portraits of Lawrence of Arabia and Dylan Thomas, he is also said to have fathered as … Continue reading “A Blank Canvas”
December 1, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
More pictures from Matthew Steeples and Rowena Romulo’s party at Romulo Café Today, we share a further selection of images from the party Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times co-hosted with Rowena Romulo at Romulo Café in Kensington High Street. Guests on the night numbered the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom H.E. … Continue reading “Returning to Romulo”
November 30, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
An evening of cocktails and fine Filipino food at Romulo Café On 23rd November in London, Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times co-hosted a party with financier turned restaurateur Rowena Romulo at her recently opened Café Romulo – the fourth outpost of a family owned and managed group of restaurants and the first outside … Continue reading “Raising the Roof to Romulo”
March 26, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples reviews the Kensington West Hotel – an ideal hotel for travellers seeking value in a convenient location in London
March 20, 2016
by General
A lover of parties in Central London, little else is known of The Ranting Crasher.
March 17, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Gold Rolls-Royce Phantom convertible hits the streets of London and illustrates a new level of vulgarity
August 21, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Playboys swarming the streets of SW3 have turned Brompton Cross into the Arabian answer to Oxford Circus
May 20, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
A £1.15 million ex-council flat sums up just how bonkers the Chelsea property market truly is
February 9, 2015
March 28, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
A golden Ferrari is symbolic of the money park that is K&C Today, financier and philanthropist Alan Miller spotted a gold metallic Ferrari in Pelham Street. This shiny hunk of metal is symbolic of what a ludicrous money park Kensington and Chelsea has become and of how utterly lacking in taste some of the … Continue reading “The gold park”
February 10, 2014
December 19, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A £6 million mews house on the site of Henry VIII’s manor house Cheyne Walk in Chelsea has long been a favourite address of Russians, rock stars and royalty. Cheyne Mews, situated to the rear of it, is built on the site of King Henry VIII’s manor house and with the sale of a … Continue reading “Russians, rock stars and royalty”
November 9, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Our agony aunt doesn’t mince her words and makes The Sun’s “Dear Deidre” seem tame. She whips those who write to her into submissiveness and believes that whilst Essex girls are “like mopeds: you may not like to be seen with them but they are much more fun to ride” Chelsea girls are “like cream: … Continue reading “Mrs MILF”
August 16, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Chelsea’s answer to John Lennon adapts a Nissan Primera A recent addition to the streets of Chelsea is a Nissan Primera whose owner plainly took inspiration from John Lennon’s customised Rolls-Royce Phantom V.
by Matthew Steeples
21st century gauche replaces 20th century elegance A hidden enclave opposite the V&A museum in South Kensington was home to two of the twentieth century’s most fascinating individuals. London club owner and arbiter of good taste Mark Birley lived at Thurloe Lodge for nearly thirty years until his death in 2007 and for a … Continue reading “All hail vulgarity”
July 28, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Chelsea’s Conservative Club closed and up for rent Someone once said if they put up a pig with a blue rosette as the candidate in Kensington and Chelsea, it would win. This might now be in question given that the bastion of Conservatism that was the Chelsea Conservative Club is closed, up for rent … Continue reading “Out blue”
March 4, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
An evening of fondue at Bodo’s Schloss in Kensington Bodo’s Schloss, a restaurant, bar and disco reminiscent of an Austrian alpine lodge, opened late last year and became an instant hit with the Chelsea set. For them and personalities such as Cameron Diaz and Gwyneth Paltrow, in fact, it’s rather like a little slice … Continue reading “The Royal Borough is alive with the taste of fondue”
February 4, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples exposes the hypocrisy of Kensington & Chelsea Council The Royal Borough’s announcement that they plan to remove rubbish bins in the area because they view them to “attract the wrong kind of rubbish” received much news coverage last week. This ludicrous idea is supposedly part of the council’s attempts at money … Continue reading “Banish the Bentley not the bins”
January 14, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Five of the best places to enjoy a great lunch deal in The Royal Borough It being January, we’re all after a deal. Here are a few places that you can enjoy on a budget in the country’s most expensive borough. Sette, 4 Sydney Street, SW3, 6PP Situated in the heart of Chelsea, … Continue reading “Five of the best: Lunch deals in The Royal Borough”
November 5, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples explores the story of an empty Kensington mansion A multi-million pound 8-bedroomed house in Kensington isn’t anything unusual. In fact, rather, they’re ten a penny. In this, one of the wealthiest boroughs in the land, large, expensive homes are just the norm. No. 1 Campden Hill, which is being marketed for … Continue reading “Boujis in the basement?”
November 4, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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, … Continue reading “Tom Ford”
November 3, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “Post-Fordism”
October 19, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The latest sale of 32a Ovington Square I first visited 32a Ovington Square in September 2009. At the time, this “hidden house” was the home of Lord Carrington and it had just come on the market at a price, if I recall correctly, of circa £3,000,000. A friend was looking for somewhere … Continue reading “First Among (Not So) Equals”
October 4, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
An opportunity for readers based in Kensington & Chelsea to take part in the cult television series “Come Dine With Me” Many of you will have watched an episode of Channel 4’s Come Dine With Me or at least glimpsed five minutes of this car crash television series. For those who do not … Continue reading “Come Dine With Me in K&C”
April 28, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
She sings about celebrities, the credit crunch and carbon footprints and has appeared on Radio 4 with Barry Humphries. She filmed a video about “Fred the Shred getting in over [his] head” at the Brompton Bar & Grill and though Mr Goodwin may have lost his knighthood, Miss Hughes’ star is definitely on the ascent. … Continue reading “Melinda Hughes”
April 27, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Former restaurateur whose family are city legends. His pride and joy is a classic Mercedes-Benz Grosser and he’s often to be found propping up the bar at La Brasserie teaching Cockney rhyming slang. A maestro in the kitchen, feasts by him are hugely sought after.
March 16, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The nuisance conman who pounds the streets of Kensington & Chelsea When an old man approaches you in the street complaining he’s lost his wallet or can’t afford a bed for the night, no decent person would disbelieve him or begrudge him a few pennies. On the streets of Knightsbridge, Kensington and Chelsea, … Continue reading “K&C’s £50 grifter”
