Tag: Kensington & Chelsea

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

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

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

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

    Subscribe to our YouTube channel at @mjs2781.

     

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

     

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

     

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

    A Faithfull Flat

    Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million

    Marianne Faithfull has been recuperating in London after being treated for coronavirus in April, but even with her wealth the singer-songwriter is unlikely to be able to afford to return to where she lived at 29 Lennox Gardens in Knightsbridge for several years from 1967. An apartment that forms the majority part of that Grade II listed building is now for sale for the staggering sum of £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million).

     

    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    Marianne Faithfull pictured in her apartment in the building in 1967. She lived there with her then husband John Dunbar and their son, Nicholas, but left to live with Mick Jagger. At the time, she told ‘New Musical Express’: “My first move was to get a Rolling Stone as a boyfriend, I slept with three and decided the lead singer was best.”
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    Residents of Lennox Gardens have access to its private communal gardens. They were laid out on the site of the Prince’s Cricket Ground – the location of the famed Gentlemen of England vs. Australians and Players vs. Australians game in 1878. In 2017, we featured another £35 million flat overlooking this garden square also.

    Spread over three floors and extending to 5,280 square foot, the triplex is a complete contrast to the ordinary “white suburban bedroom” Faithfull imagined in her song The Ballad of Lucy Jordan. A far-cry from the drug riddled existence she subsequently slipped into, the ground floor, basement and first floor apartment includes a large formal drawing room, a family dining kitchen and a separate chef’s kitchen, a media and wine room, five bedroom suites and two courtyard gardens.

     

    The leasehold with share of freehold property – redeveloped by London Land Asset Management and designers 1508 London “on behalf of a private investor” – is offered by agents Strutt & Parker. The building was in recent years primarily home to the socialite-philanthropist Pia Hahn Marocco and its top floors offered to rent at a sum of £15,167 per month ($18,357, €16,966 or درهم67,416 per month).

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

    Instagram: @TheSteepleTimes

    Twitter: @SteepleTimes

     

    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
    A Faithfull Flat – Triplex apartment in Knightsbridge building once home to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull for sale for the astounding sum of £25 million – Strutt & Parker seek £24.75 million ($30 million, €27.7 million or درهم110 million) for Basement to First Floor Triplex, 29 Lennox Gardens, Brompton and Hans Town, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0DE, United Kingdom.
  • Supporting Giovanni

    Supporting Giovanni

    Matthew Steeples criticises the ‘Evening Standard’s’ Benedict Moore-Bridger for his unjustified attack on the Knightsbridge restaurant Giovanni

     

    Benedict Moore-Bridger is an Evening Standard journalist who has been criticised for his “lazy work” and described as “[not] the most popular chap at the office.” Of his writing style, one Twitter user remarked: “[He makes me] sigh” whilst another commented that an article he wrote about a hit-and-run was “shameful.” Here, it seems, is a writer capable of causing unnecessary annoyance and here yesterday was a journalist who sought out a cheap headline at the expense of a decent, hardworking Knightsbridge restaurateur.

     

    In picking up and exaggerating on information no doubt fed to him by a disgruntled busybody resident of Yeoman’s Row – where Adriano Basha runs the delightful Italian eatery Giovanni – Moore-Bridger decided to highlight irrelevant details about the businessman and his country of origin. His article contained a veiled hint of anti-immigrant sentiment and suggested local residents “regular[ly]” complain about the establishment. In response, the paper further stoked this matter in allowing the most inappropriate and bigoted reader comments to be published underneath the online version of the piece.

     

    The Evening Standard and Mr Moore-Bridger should be ashamed of themselves. Local residents love Giovanni; it is a fine restaurant and one most ably run. We urge all our readers to support Adriano and Giovanni.

     

    Giovanni, 6 Yeoman’s Row, London, SW3 2AH. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7591 0210.

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

    Instagram: @TheSteepleTimes

    Twitter: @SteepleTimes and @M_Steeples

     

  • McMoneya

    McMoneya

    London has simply become a money park for dodgy money and though ‘McMafia’ reflected elements of that, the truth is far more depressing

     

    Since the 1st January, the nation was engrossed (though many were also totally bored) by the BBC’s eight-part drama series McMafia.

     

    Based on a fictional – though plainly inspired by the likes of the late Boris Berezovsky – Russian mafia family relocated to London, the TV adaptation of this thriller was filmed primarily in Knightsbridge, Mayfair and South Kensington. It showcased what many might consider the extreme wealth of Central London, but, in fact, was presented a little bit amateurishly.

     

    Of the show, Carol Midgley in The Times summed it up well. She remarked: “If this is how miserably the super-rich live, I’d take a semi in Swindon any day” and equally now, if you wander the streets of SW1, SW3, SW7 and W1, you’d not disagree with her.

     

    Recent news that the Fine Art Society is closing in Bond Street after 140 years due to “soaring rents” and “an influx of wealthy international fashion houses” illustrates the effect of the arrival of uncultivated new wealth in that sector, but equally sad is the demise of local restaurants and shops that actually provide things that genuine, full-time residents actually need.

     

    Boarded up in Belgravia this month, after 44 years in operation, the Ebury Wine Bar closed supposedly due to the retirement of its owner, Nigel Windridge. Also gone – aside from the key loss of the much loved La Brasserie in Brompton Cross – are restaurants like Itsu in Walton Street and Racine in Brompton Road. Replaced by shisha bars and other businesses aimed at wealthy Gulfies and oligarchs, the streets of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea are increasingly becoming utterly devoid of character.

     

    Follow The Steeple Times on Twitter at @SteepleTimes.

     

  • Viscount Porridge

    Viscount Porridge

    Thrice bankrupt bigot Viscount St Davids banged to rights and set to be jailed Thursday; he blames Gina Miller as “untruthful” and Matthew Steeples as “an eavesdropper” and accepts utterly no blame for what he did

     

    On Thursday, if he doesn’t turn up at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on time, justice will come knock, knock, knockin’ on Baron Strange of Knockin’s door.

     

    Donald Trump supporter and serial bankrupt Rhodri Philipps (AKA 4th Viscount St Davids, Lord St Davids, Baron Hungerford, Baron de Moleyns, Baron Strange of Knockin and, to the public and no doubt his new jailbird chums, plain old Mr Philipps) – a bigot whose insistence on being called anything other than Mister sealed his fate as the real life representation of Paul Whitehouse’s Rowley Birkin QC – was found guilty Tuesday of two counts of sending menacing messages on a public electronic communications network. After convicting him, chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot warned the aristocrat: “The first port of call will obviously be a prison sentence.”

     

    She added:

     

    “I have no doubt the first post was menacing, you were offering money to have [Gina Miller] killed. A reasonable person reading the post would have felt a sense of apprehension at least, if not fear.”

     

    “I don’t accept you didn’t understand the post could be shared. On Facebook users share and have shared any number of others’ posts – nothing is private about a Facebook post.”

     

    “They were not funny, not a joke, they were sent when Lord St Davids was infuriated – they were not meant to be light-hearted comment, they were intended to cause apprehension among some of your Facebook acquaintances, not all as some clearly shared his views.”

     

    “I find you knew when you posted these messages they might create apprehension in a reasonable person reading them in the multi-racial country we live in.”

     

     Viscount Porridge – Mr Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids, Lord St Davids, Baron Hungerford, Baron de Moleyns, Baron Strange of Knockin – Racist – Gina Miller and Matthew Steeples – Tariq Siddiqi and Councillor Andrew RinkerViscount Porridge – Mr Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids, Lord St Davids, Baron Hungerford, Baron de Moleyns, Baron Strange of Knockin – Racist – Gina Miller and Matthew Steeples – Tariq Siddiqi and Councillor Andrew Rinker Viscount Porridge – Mr Rhodri Philipps, 4th Viscount St Davids, Lord St Davids, Baron Hungerford, Baron de Moleyns, Baron Strange of Knockin – Racist – Gina Miller and Matthew Steeples – Tariq Siddiqi and Councillor Andrew Rinker

     

    Represented initially by a chubby dimwit American and Conservative councillor for Kensington (yes, one of them, a member of the worst council in Britain) named Andrew Rinker – a curious creature commonly known as ‘Rinker The Stinker’ in even the most polite circles – Philipps proved himself nothing but a nasty piece of work and a fool in the dock. He tried to blame me for “stalking” and “trolling” him and referenced me “a professional eavesdropper.” He claimed his trial was “political” and motivated because of his multiple titles and whilst his scumbag chum and cohort Tariq Siddiqi targeted me also via social media throughout the period, he was ultimately convicted simply because the Crown was able to prove he is nothing but an inept racist incapable of covering his own vile tracks.

     

    Of the result, Kate Mulholland of the Crown Prosecution Service commented:

     

    This threat caused extreme concern to Gina Miller and although Lord St Davids claimed his Facebook friends would have been tolerant of his views, they were open to the public.”

     

    “No-one should have these kind of menacing comments made to them or about them and where there is evidence of an offence the CPS and police will bring a prosecution.”

     

    As I said previously, the law must now change: What goes on social media, doesn’t stay on social media. We must all be held accountable for whatever we post.

     

  • A Question of Borwick

    A Question of Borwick

    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 to voters in one of Britain’s most wealthy constituencies. I publish below her answers in full and unedited form and beneath also include the responses of the Liberal Democrat candidate, Annabel Mullin, to the same questions.

     

    Emma Dent Coad, Labour’s candidate, was also given the opportunity to answer but failed to respond to several requests.

     

    The five questions to Lady Borwick (initially and then more generally to Annabel Mullin and Emma Dent Coad) were:

     

    • Hidden homeless: “What will you do to help the ‘hidden homeless’ of Kensington?”
    • Money park Kensington: “How will you help local businesses counter such decline if re-elected?”
    • Brexit: “How, going forward, will you credibly represent the 48% who voted to ‘remain’, as someone who went on the phones to support ‘leave’?”
    • Answering constituents: “How will you improve your pathetically low 18% response rate to constituents’ correspondence, as registered on TheyWorkForYou.com if re-elected?”
    • Ivory: “Will you continue to lobby Theresa May about ivory in spite of such being highly unpopular with constituents and others such as Deborah Meaden?”

     

    Pictured above: Annabel Mullin campaigning, Lady Borwick during the Brexit referendum and Emma Dent Coad

     

     

    Pictured above: Annabel Mullin campaigning, Lady Borwick during the Brexit referendum and Emma Dent Coad

     

     

    Victoria Borwick, Conservative Party A Question of Borwick – Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times 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

     

    What will you do to help the ‘hidden homeless’ of Kensington?”

     

    In Parliament, the Homeless Reduction Bill was recently passed –which was almost the last bill to be “signed off” before Parliament broke for the election. This puts pressure on local councillors to provide a range of early intervention solutions.

     

    Current local services – There are a number of local churches who are working in this sector such as St Cuthbert’s (who I visited earlier this week) and our local charities.

    From my previous work at the GLA, I know that although there is a hostel place for everyone that is not enough. People need more and longer-term help which is why there are some good charities working locally, for example the Glass Door Project and Homeless Link. I have also worked with several of the veterans’ charities whose aim is not “no second night out” but “no first night out”.

     

    The situation with those that are “street homeless” – these are the people who, for a complex number of reasons, spend time living on the streets. Some do have somewhere to sleep at night, but spend the day on the streets and some live on the streets full time, including overnight.

     

    The first port of call for street homeless people is a hostel and these fall into two categories. “Direct access” and those that require a referral from an agency. These agencies provide not only shelter but some way to address the terrible loneliness, mental health and other problems that most street homeless people feel. We need to look at the provision of hostels, but also work with the organisations that provide longer term support, to help people get over their crisis and get back on their feet – and this can take months, and sometimes longer.

     

    There has to be short-term accommodation but also ways of dealing with the causes of street homelessness. There needs to be “move on” accommodation, for those that have managed to get themselves into a stable state, and where they are becoming independent, but may still need some ongoing support. I have visited services where they have a range of provision in the same location, I.E. those in immediate crisis and those that are more capable.

     

    We need to provide services to help people with drug and alcohol problems which causes so many people to become street homeless, and also with the mental health problems that afflict so many of these people. The council’s Public Health Department has made this a high priority. I particularly welcome the changes to our mental health laws that the Prime Minister has pledged to bring in. These should make a big difference for homeless people with mental health problems.

     

    Money park Kensington: “How will you help local businesses counter such decline if re-elected?”

    I have grown up in Kensington and lived here all my life, with my family.

    Supporting our small and medium sized local businesses is very important for all of us in Kensington. Local businesses are the backbone of our economy and provide employment and opportunities in our community.

    Firstly we have to stop losing small independent businesses, as you have refereed to, so that people do not lose their opportunity to be working locally and also to start business locally. RBKC has continued with our planning exemptions, otherwise across London small businesses were being turfed out of their premises. Many local restaurants have sadly closed.

     

    I have lobbied the Chancellor, and if re-elected will continue to lobby the Chancellor against the rash of additional regulations for small business – the proposed quarterly reporting, the apprenticeship levy – should be for larger firms, the pensions levy and of course the revaluation which has negatively impacted on our shops – and not on the out of town warehouses for mail order.

     

    I recently undertook a survey of many local shops and businesses, either in writing or by visiting in person. On the basis of the response, I wrote to the Treasury, as indeed did the Borough, and also raised it personally with the Chancellor to see if there is any other way of looking at the rates – so that rateable value could be examined to take into account factors such as turnover, size of premises, whether the shop is independent or a chain of premises and so on. If re-elected, I shall continue to raise these concerns with other central London MPs as they affect us all.

     

    I will continue to support local businesses by supporting any legislation in Parliament which will promote businesses and support our local economy.

     

    Buy to Leave – This is a real issue in Central London, and this is something that, as an MP, I discussed with other Central London MPs from all parties. As we are aware this is “investment purchasing” where investors buy, usually a new property, and then do not live in it, and treat it as “money in the bank” which is why they don’t want it to be lived in as they want to keep it new.

     

    When discussing this and researching what is actually happening – RBKC undertook a survey, as have Westminster Council on this topic. There is a pocket of properties where this is very prevalent, however there is not overall interest in this because it affect so very few nationally.

     

    That does not make it any less of a problem – the previous Mayor tried to address this by saying that properties have to be marketed in the UK first, but we are often used to getting a mortgage first and these overseas buyers are cash buyers so naturally they can jump in. The new Mayor is also examining what measures can be taken.

     

    There are examples in Switzerland and Australia where they have tried to tackle this issue. Buy to leave homes have a very negative effect on the community as there are less “eyes on the streets” less community activity and it is difficult for local business to survive.

    By continuing to have schools and local amenities it brings together a community and encourages homes for families.

     

    Brexit: “How, going forward, will you credibly represent the 48% who voted to ‘remain’, as someone who went on the phones to support ‘leave’?”

     

    I previously worked for Open Europe which was working with the previous administration on renegotiation, which was my preferred stance. I had hoped that the EU would and could use this time to examine its own processes and undertake reform. I realise the result of the referendum is not the outcome for which everyone might have hoped. My chief concern was accountability, and it became clear there was little that could be done to persuade the Commission towards greater transparency.

     

    As a country we voted to leave the EU. Parliament has voted on two occasions to implement the result, with cross-party support. All sides have agreed to respect the referendum and to get on with the re-negotiations. The Lib Dems may have also offered a second referendum on the result of the negotiations. Theresa May has said she will bring the final agreement to Parliament for a vote.

     

    For Kensington, if re-elected, my role will be to lobby for reciprocal rights for all our long-term residents. Over 50% of the residents in Kensington were not born here and many have made Kensington their home for many years. We should continue to make sure they are welcomed and can continue to play an active part in our community. Many are also great contributors to voluntary and charitable works.

     

    I will represent the views of Kensington in Westminster if I am re-elected; working closely with Ministers to make sure they understand the complexity of Kensington.

    The choice for everyone is: “Who should be leading the Brexit negotiations?” Which team do you want? I am supporting Theresa May and her team. I support the PMs ambition to strive for a good outcome for the country.

     

    Answering constituents: “How will you improve your pathetically low 18% response rate to constituents’ correspondence, as registered on TheyWorkForYou.com if re-elected?”

     

    I have always prioritised urgent casework when responding to the vast amount of correspondence my office receives. I receive referrals and pleas for help from individual constituents, charities, churches, the mosque and other religious groups, along with organisations such as the Citizens Advice Bureau and free legal advice clinics. We have helped several thousand families over my time in Parliament. These referrals, usually from someone in crisis, do not come through “They Work for You” thus they are not logged in this way.

    People tend to write to us on “They Work for You” if they are asking for our views on a particular campaign. If the campaign has nothing to do with Kensington residents, then I put my views on the website, so that people can see my opinion. However, I try not to comment on things that are not directly relevant to the majority of Kensington residents.

     

    As a team – my priority is casework and dealing directly with residents, and meeting residents each week. I try to avoid “lobbying emails”. Obviously with complex cases we need to see the residents a number of times, and help them with their various meetings with officers or officials and if appropriate I also work with their local councillors (from any party) to make sure they are not left without support.

     

    A Member of Parliament is often the last resort for people on housing, immigration and benefits. I have been able to help a great many residents since elected and I hope to continue to do this if re-elected.

     

    Ivory: “Will you continue to lobby Theresa May about ivory in spite of such being highly unpopular with constituents and others such as Deborah Meaden?”

     

    I supplied a full response to Deborah Meaden who said she was content with my response and why I am representing the antiques trade in Kensington and our great museums. She kindly offered to send my response to others who were concerned. I have offered to meet her should I get re-elected.

     

    I support the current proposals which are to make sure we enforce the ban on trading in modern ivory.

     

    No antique dealer wants to kill elephants; no antique dealer supports poaching. The only ivory that can be sold in this country is antique and carved. However, there are countries, including those in Europe who still permit the trading of tusks, although this is shortly to be outlawed – not before time.

     

    We can and should preserve works of art that are our shared cultural inheritance for future generations, while at the same time doing everything in our power to ensure that these terrible assaults on wildlife do not continue. The next generation need to be able to grow up in a world with healthy herds of elephants. However, these are not mutually exclusive positions. This is a view expressed by some of our leading museums, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum.

     

    As you will be aware many musical instruments contain ivory “tinkling the ivories – playing the piano” comes to mind as well as significant treasures in our churches. In our area we have three magnificent museums – the Natural History, V&A and Science Museums – and they all have ivory – antique and old ivory.

     

    Both elephants and our shared cultural inheritance are there for us all; we need to work together to look after both, and I have no doubt that this is possible.

     

    Annabel Mullin, Liberal Democratic Party

    A Question of Borwick – Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times 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 

    What will you do to help the ‘hidden homeless’ of Kensington?”

     

    Rough sleepers and the homesless have had a very tough time of late. Funding has dried up, centres have closed and specialist help has become less frequent. We need to provide holistic care – that means that we must look at social care with mental health for these individuals alongside.

     

    Money park Kensington: “How will you help local businesses counter such decline if re-elected?”

     

    I would like to bring a private members’ bill to fundamentally change business rates as they are killing our local businesses.

     

    Brexit: “How, going forward, will you credibly represent the 48% who voted to ‘remain’, as someone who went on the phones to support ‘leave’?”

     

    As a passionate European and Remainer who feels we are best placed in the European Union, I will fight especially for being in the single market (not just access) and to protect the rights of all EU citizens and their freedom of movement.

     

    Answering constituents: “How will you improve your pathetically low 18% response rate to constituents’ correspondence, as registered on TheyWorkForYou.com if re-elected?”

     

    It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know people in and around Kensington over the last nearly seven weeks. It would be a privilege to serve Kensington and communicate with everyone.

     

    Ivory: “Will you continue to lobby Theresa May about ivory in spite of such being highly unpopular with constituents and others such as Deborah Meaden?”

     

    I find it incredible that China has a ban but the current MP for Kensington does not support it.

     

    Emma Dent Coad, Labour Party

    A Question of Borwick – Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times 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
    Emma Dent Coad (pictured with Gina Miller of Best For Britain)

     

    Ms Dent Coad failed to respond to repeated requests from The Steeple Times to answer the five questions. They were put to her via email.

     

  • Breaking with Boris

    Breaking with Boris

    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 the party of her Brexit supporting Foreign Secretary brother, Boris Johnson, Rachel Johnson commented:

     

    “This is single issue election. We could be going over a cliff on a hard Brexit… Everything on the table from last June is now off the table. Business needs to stay in the Single Market. It’s all lose, lose, lose… A second referendum gives the country another go”.

     

    Answering a question about whether she plans to stand as a candidate herself, Johnson, a columnist for the Mail on Sunday, remarked:

     

    “This is my paper making mischief to embarrass me… [But I am] not ruling anything out”.

     

    Later, in the segment, she tempered this further by adding:

     

    “I am very tempted to campaign in my constituency of Kensington and Chelsea”.

     

    Given her comments, The Steeple Times urges Rachel Johnson to join with us to support Gina Miller’s Best for Britain tactical voting campaign and suggests she also throws her campaigning efforts behind the Liberal Democrats’ Annabel Mullin for Kensington and Louise Rowntree for Chelsea & Fulham.

     

    #BritainDeservesBetter #MakeJuneEndOfMay

     

    Breaking with Boris – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel Johnson defects to the Lib Dems – The Steeple Times urges her to support Gina Miller’s Best for Britain campaign and Liberal Democrat candidates Annabel Mullin for Kensington and Louise Rowntree for Chelsea & Fulham
    Louise Rowntree (left) pictured with Matthew Steeples of The Steeple Times and Annabel Mullin in Chelsea last week

    Breaking with Boris – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel Johnson defects to the Lib Dems – The Steeple Times urges her to support Gina Miller’s Best for Britain campaign and Liberal Democrat candidates Annabel Mullin for Kensington and Louise Rowntree for Chelsea & Fulham
    The Johnson clan – Stanley Johnson (far left) with his children: Rachel, Boris and Jo

  • A Big Priced Basement

    A Big Priced Basement

    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 درهم14.1 million) in 2013, a basement apartment in Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge has gone on sale for the staggering sum of £6.25 million ($8.01 million, €7.35 million or درهم29.42 million).

     

    Possibly one of the most expensive subterranean homes in London, if not the world, the 2,933 square foot remodeled apartment comes with a Moroccan themed courtyard garden and includes not only 2 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, but also a coffee bar, a television room and a steam room. It is described as providing a “flexible living” space.

     

    The share of freehold property is offered by Strutt & Parker and situated within a Grade II* listed building designed by the Scottish architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831 – 1912) in 1883.

     

    A Big Priced Basement – Basement flat at 62 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0EA – £6.25 million ($8.01 million, €7.35 million or درهم29.42 million) through Strutt & ParkerA Big Priced Basement – Basement flat at 62 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0EA – £6.25 million ($8.01 million, €7.35 million or درهم29.42 million) through Strutt & ParkerA Big Priced Basement – Basement flat at 62 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0EA – £6.25 million ($8.01 million, €7.35 million or درهم29.42 million) through Strutt & ParkerA Big Priced Basement – Basement flat at 62 Cadogan Square, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0EA – £6.25 million ($8.01 million, €7.35 million or درهم29.42 million) through Strutt & Parker

  • Hidden in Hans

    Hidden in Hans

    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 garden and features an open plan reception-kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a utility room. It is available on a leasehold basis with approximately 99 years remaining.

     

    £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) is sought for the property – which is just a few hundred metres from the hideout of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. It was previously marketed for £1.25 million ($1.60 million, €1.49 million or درهم5.88 million) in an unrenovated state in May 2012.

     

    Hidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through SavillsHidden in Hans – Hans Cottage, 163 Pavilion Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 0BJ – For sale for £1.595 million ($2.044 million, €1.906 million or درهم7.507 million) through Savills

  • The Cross Word Couple (AKA ‘The Crossword Couple’)

    The Cross Word Couple (AKA ‘The Crossword Couple’)

    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 between two will do” – ‘The Cross Word (or Crossword) Couple’ enjoy puzzles but intensely dislike pointless chit-chat. Cross them at your peril.