Vast Belgravia artists’ studio goes on sale for just £1.3 million, but of course, there is a catch and that is the extorionate ground rent
A 2,124 square foot artists’ studio in Belgravia has gone on sale for just £1.3 million or the equivalent of £612 per square foot. There is, of course, a catch and that is that the ground rent is a staggering sum of £58,000 per year.
Featured in The Steeple Times when last offered for sale for £995,000 in November 2017, the opulently decorated ground and first floor property available provides not only a double height 23’9” by 20’6” reception room but also a dining room and kitchen. There are also 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and the space is described as being “for those involved in arts and media.”
The lease on the space is described as having been “renewed for 15 years with the Grosvenor Estate and agents Lurot Brand remark: “The grandeur and scale of this property is extraordinary in both charm and character.”
The Numbers – Ground and First Floor Apartment, Bradbrook House, Kinnerton Street, London, SW1X 8EL, United Kingdom
August 2020 – Offered for sale for £1.3 million ($1.7 million, €1.4 million or درهم2.4 million) by agents Lurot Brand.
August 2020 – Ground rent of £58,000 per year ($76,000, €64,000 or درهم278,000 per year), an increase of 9.4% on the sum in 2017.
November 2017 – Marketed for £995,000 ($1.3 million, €1.1 million or درهم4.8 million) by Kinleigh Folkard & Hayward.
Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists
A grand Greek Revival style, 4,860 square foot house in a “quaint” part of Illinois that was originally settled by Swedish colonists has gone on sale for just £173,000 or an astonishing £35 per square foot. In Chelsea Barracks, London, to give a contrast, a 713 square foot apartment is currently on the market for £3.5 million or a staggering £4,909 per square foot.
Featured on the Facebook group For The Love Of Old Houses on Monday and built in 1856 to house offices and apartments for the Bishop Hill Colony trustees, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill is currently used as a bed and breakfast named the The Gallery Inn, but could easily be “very simply turned into a private residence” according to realtor Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty.
The L-shaped house, which is of stucco over brick construction, stands on an open plot of 0.26 acres and includes 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. There is also potential to create further accommodation on the “partially finished” third floor and at ground level there is a space that has been used both as a shop and apartment.
Presented in good condition but with a somewhat odd decorative style that might not appeal to all, the present business is described as “very successful.” It charges around £100 per room per night and of it, reviews are extremely positive on TripAdvisor. One suggests the property to be “peaceful with a calming effect” whilst another claims it to be “one of the best kept secrets in Illinois.”
Bishop Hill itself is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places and had an entirely white population of 128 according to the 2010 census. It is situated along the South Edwards River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, and finds itself with Chicago to the east, Des Moines to the west and St Louis to the south.
The settlement is described as having originally been “a utopian religious community which operated as a commune.” Its founder, Swedish pietist Eric Jansson (1808 – 1850), wanted to establish “the New Jerusalem” but was himself shot dead by another member in the local courthouse after prophesising about Jesus drinking in his father’s kingdom. Some followers expected him to rise on the third day, but, unsurprisingly, he did not.
The Numbers – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America
August 2020 – Relisted for sale for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000) through Navigate Realty, an increase of +173% on the 2008 sale price.
June 2019 – Listed for sale for £198,000 ($258,000, €219,000 or درهم948,000) through Sutton & Associates, an increase of +212.7% on the 2008 sale price.
March 2008 – Sold for £63,400 ($82,500, €70,100 or درهم116,000).
The entrance hallway of the Greek Revival style house features a staircase that features what a ‘For The Love Of Old Houses’ member described as a “craft store special feature wall.”Also in the double entrance hall is an ‘Exit’ sign.’ Some noted this to be “bizarre.”A sitting room is currently filled with Victorian furniture that would not look out of place in an episode of 1980s television series version of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ that starred the late Jeremy Brett.An empty room with a corner fireplace in the Greek Revival style house.Another room complete only with a single chair and a couple of lamps.The kitchen is also decidedly basic.Yet another empty space.Member of ‘For The Love Of Old Houses,’ Doris Collier, pointedly remarked: “What’s with the sinks being outside the bathrooms?”On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”Another bedroom.And another.A modern shower room.One Anna Lewis Joyner commented: “How stately! Reminds of a [sic] English estate.”A view of the Greek Revival building from the side with an outbuilding behind.The extent of the building is clear from this shot of the rear.The setting of the Greek Revival house on the village street.A map illustrating the location in Illinois.
Cheapest, smallest house on the best side of one of London’s most sought after streets, The Boltons, comes up for sale; the tardis like building was home to novelist-politician Jeffrey Archer and his scientist wife Mary in the 1970s
No. 24a The Boltons is one of the smallest houses on “the fourth most expensive street in Britain,” but it is still anything but insubstantial at 3,123 square feet.
The tardis-like Victorian townhouse is wedged between two mansions and was converted from a coach house for Aston Martin racing team driver Noël Cunningham-Reid in 1960.
Novelist-politician Lord Archer and his scientist wife Dame Mary owned the property between 1972 and 1976.
The couple were forced to sell the house after Jeffrey Archer supposedly “lost over £400,000 in a bad investment” in the summer of 1974.
Jeffrey Archer subsequently made a fortune as a novelist and then after a glittering career in politics, was jailed in 2001 for perjury and perverting the course of justice.
The house was sold again subsequently for £3.8 million in 2007 and is now for sale for £6.5 million; the average price of houses on the street is £32.5 million according to Zoopla.
Other residents of The Boltons have variously included Arab royals, Madonna and Sir William Gilbert, one half of Gilbert and Sullivan.
In May 2017, we featured 6 The Boltons after its asking price was slashed from £39.5 million to ‘just’ £30 million, whilst in April 2015, a more modern house at the upper end of the street named One Boltons Place sold for £51 million on an asking price of £55 million. More recently in January 2018, when 22 The Boltons was sold to a British family for £40 million that sale was described as “one of the biggest deals in the last 12 months… a notable one.” Its asking price had been an even more punchy £57.5 million.
The Boltons was developed in the 19th century by the architect George Godwin (1813 – 1888) on 11.5 acres of land previously used as market gardens. The oval shaped street consists of 13 Italianate style houses on the “favoured” western crescent and 15 more in addition on the “less sought after” eastern side. In the centre, there is a communal garden and the church of St Mary The Boltons and whilst many residents employ private security, a number of the mansions are locked up, unloved and unoccupied also.
Now, an opportunity has arisen for someone to not “buy the worst house on the best street,” but instead “buy the cheapest house on the best side of the best street” in the form of what initially appears as a narrow townhouse wedged between two very much larger semi-detached villas. No. 24a The Boltons is actually deceptive as it not only widens as it goes backwards, but also provides a very surprising 3,123 square foot of usable accommodation over four floors.
The entrance hall opens into a library area and a feeling of space is provided by a glass enclosure around the upward staircase.The drawing room space beyond has a vast window looking out westwards onto the gardens of the houses of The Little Boltons beyond.The lower ground floor dining kitchen is surprisingly bright and has a double height ceiling in part.
Laid out currently to give 3 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, the “highly unusual house with off-street parking” includes a 50-foot long interconnecting entrance hall, library and reception space on the ground floor. At the rear, that opens to a partially double height dining kitchen below measuring 36-feet in length.
No. 24a was home to Jeffrey and Mary Archer in the 1970s and the street features in the spectacularly successful novelist’s 2008 bestselling work A Prisoner of Birth and his 2015 ‘Clifton Chronicles’ series novel Mightier than the Sword. It was whilst living here that the couple’s two sons were born and they supposedly only sold what Dame Mary later described to a court in 2001 as their “lovely” home after “hugely incautious” investments almost bankrupted them. “We’ve explored the further reaches of ‘for better and for worse’ than most couples,” the solar power conversion expert subsequently added.
Agents Knight Frank seek £6.5 million or £2,081 per square foot for 24a The Boltons and whomever buys it will certainly be able to laud that they live in one of the best addresses in London without it being a work of fiction. In Hyacinth Bucket-esque fashion, however, they won’t, of course, bring up that they actually live in the cheapest and smallest house there.
The Names & Numbers – 24a The Boltons, London, SW10 9SU, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, United Kingdom
July 2020 – For sale for an asking price of £6.5 million ($8.2 million, €7.3 million or درهم30 million) through estate agents Knight Frank, a figure 71.1% higher than the 2007 sale price.
March 2007 – Sold for £3.8 million ($4.9 million, €4.2 million or درهم17.6 million).
1972 to 1976 – Home to Lord Archer and Dame Mary Archer DBE, then known as Mr Jeffrey and Dr Mary Archer. Their sons, James and William, were born during this period in 1972 and 1974.
Other Notable Residents of The Boltons
Between 1999 and 2006, Madonna owned a house in The Boltons and other well-known residents have included Sir Julian and Dame Paddy Ridsdale.
8 The Boltons – Douglas Fairbanks Jr. KBE (1909 – 2000), actor, lived there in the 1950s with his wife Mary Lee Hartford, former wife Huntington Hartford, the A&P supermarket heir.
14 The Boltons – Otho Stuart (1863 – 1930), Shakespearean actor-manager, lived there, exact dates unknown.
19 The Boltons – The Rt. Hon. Anthony Crosland (1918 – 1977), Labour Party politician, author and one-time lover of Roy Jenkins, lived there, exact dates unknown.
20 The Boltons (also known as ‘The Grove’) – Colin MacInnes (1914 – 1976), author, lived there, exact dates unknown. For a time in the 20th century, the building also served as Our Lady’s Convent along with 21 The Boltons.
24 The Boltons – Sir William Gilbert (1836 – 1911), playwright and one half of Gilbert and Sullivan, lived in the house between 1877 and 1884 and wrote six of his best known comic operas there beginning with The Sorcerer in 1877, HMS Pinafore in 1878, The Pirates of Penzance in 1879, Patience in 1881, Iolanthe in 1882 and Princess Ida in 1884. Gilbert moved from No. 24 The Boltons in 1884 to a newly built house nearby at No. 39 Harrington Gardens.
29 The Boltons – Used as an infant school for fifteen years after the Second World War.
The kitchen itself is dominated by a central island unit.A lower ground floor room described as a “snug” is used presently as a space to watch television.The first floor consists of a master bedroom suite with a bedroom with an undemised balcony, a dressing room and a shower room.The dressing room itself.One of two bedrooms on the second floor.The other second floor bedroom.There are two bathrooms and two shower rooms in the house.The floor plan shows how the tardis like building gets bigger as you go further back into it.The situation of 24a The Boltons is on the “favoured” western crescent of this ritzy street.
Iceberg home formed in part from the former Chelsea studios of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife for sale for sum 1,178% higher than in 2012
The grand location used as Uncle Monty’s London home in Withnail & I – the 1987 classic dark comedy starring Richard E. Grant – was West House at 35 Glebe Place in Chelsea. That building was sold to François Pinault, the owner of amongst other things Christie’s, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, for £20 million in 2011, whilst last month we featured an equally fabled residence in a street once home to artists, but now the preserve of billionaires – the £6.95 million former residence of the now in exile oligarch Sergei Pugachev at 53 and 54 Glebe Place.
Yesterday, the Daily Mail reported that Pugachev’s publicity craving ex-partner and mother of three of his children, ‘Karen-esque’ Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, had finally been evicted from that property. “It’s not our choice to leave, it’s painful and oh so sad” blubbed this batshit bonkers woman on Instagram, but now there’s another house for sale in the street that will make headlines and this time because of its connections to an esteemed art nouveau architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 – 1928).
Glasgow born Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his Black Country born wife Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (top) and a replacement plaque commemorating their association with the building that is located on the garage door at 43 Glebe Place. A plaque was first erected to mark the centenary of the Glasgow School of Art in 2009, but was “removed at some point between 2009 and 2015.”
Bizarrely sold in November 2012 for a sum £55,000 lower than in February that year, 43 Glebe Place has just come to the market for £14.95 million through agent Johnny Turnbull of The London Broker – a sum 1,178% higher than eight years ago.
Now vastly larger due to the fact that it has been ‘iceberged’ with the addition of an entirely new ‘mega-basement’ level (of similar concept to that created under the five houses opposite during their controversial merger by Monsoon and Accessorize owner Peter Simon in 2015), 43 Glebe Place is formed from the merger of a simple cottage and two artists’ studios. It now extends to 3,871 square foot in total over three levels.
One section of the property formed from the artists’ studios – known at that time as 43a Hans Studio – was used by Mackintosh from August 1915 to circa 1923 whilst his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (1864 – 1933), occupied the adjoining space.
The studios were entered through “a small high walled courtyard” which now forms the garden of the newly created house and during this period, the couple lived nearby in Oakley Street, SW3 also. They had been forced to move to London after being banned from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk, where they had previously lived, as Mackintosh had been suspected of being a German spy due to his “affinity with Austria.”
Of their time there, writing in 2016, Mackintosh expert Sheila Harris remarked:
“As with most studios the ceilings were high, in order, most probably, to capture as much as light as possible and although they were fairly austere, with the furniture, artefacts and decorative panels originally housed in their Glasgow home, the place would soon have become an extension of their artistic lives.”
“Let’s not forget that whilst Mackintosh was working quietly in his studio another, completely different, scenario was unfolding outside his studio door. A resident of Glebe Place wrote: ‘Never shall I forget how suddenly Chelsea seemed to become an armed camp… Army motor lorries were rattling noisily along the normally quiet Embankment, and those hot nights we lay awake listening to the heavy rumble of laden troop-trains, all night long… It was a heart-rending sight to see the young men of all ranks going up the steps of Chelsea Town Hall to enlist.’”
“Clearly Mackintosh and Margaret embraced life in Chelsea and made the very best of their new-found circumstances. They adopted their new surroundings, making their studios an inviting, hospitable place to spend their days, often in the company of like-minded people. They certainly faced up to the challenges of living in the capital city which was the target of so many bombing raids.”
“Whilst little evidence can be found on the daily routine of the Mackintoshes’ life in London, we know that they… spent their days in the adjoining studios in Glebe Place, and many evenings were enjoyed at the Blue Cockatoo [a long since gone local hostelry in Oakley Street that was popular also with Augustus John and other “artistic Chelsea denizens”] meeting friends and colleagues for dinner… We do know that Margaret held parties, including children’s parties, at the studios.”
Given what the estate agent Turnbull terms a “three year, multi-million pound rebuild by the current owners, creating an exquisite and self-indulgent London home for themselves,” it is doubtful that the Mackintoshes would now recognise their former home. It now provides a 21-foot by 16-foot reception room with a ceiling heght of 14-feet and a study area with a mezzanine beyond, a 30-foot long dining kitchen, 3 bedroom suites, a wine cellar and a gym with a steam room. There is a somewhat narrow garage, off-street parking for an additional car, a 24-foot by 23-foot garden and a 22-foot long roof terrace also.
In their marketing literature, The London Broker interestingly point out also of the freehold house: “This property currently has mixed use. The buyer should speak to their solicitor and seek advice to confirm that this could significantly reduce SDLT.” Who said the rich don’t like a bargain?
The Numbers – 43 Glebe Place, Chelsea, London, SW3 5JE, United Kingdom
July 2020 – For sale for £14.95 million ($18.90 million, €16.67 million or درهم69.40 million) through agents The London Broker.
November 2012 – Sold for £1.17 million ($1.48 million, €1.30 million or درهم5.43 million)
February 2012 – Sold for £1.225 million ($1.548 million, €1.366 million or درهم5.687 million).
A large entrance hall is formed out of the majority of the ground floor of the original, surprisingly unlisted cottage.Out of one of the studio spaces, a vast dining kitchen with doors to the courtyard garden has been created. It is bright and airy as a result of its ceiling lights.Beyond is a reception space, again with studio windows above.Another view of the room.A dividing glass partition leads to a space intended as a study. It has a mezzanine above.The master bedroom suite is to be found in the original cottage. It has its own terrace.The bathroom of the master bedroom also has a door onto the terrace.In the newly recreated ‘iceberg mega-basement’ daylight is brought in courtesy of a lightwell. A most useful wine cellar can be seen at the end of this corridor.The other two bedroom suites are located on the lower level.Also below ground is a large gym. It seems an ideal space for health conscious super-rich yummy mummy types to work out their frustrations in.The courtyard garden (looking towards the original house and garage) is quite charming and restful.The courtyard garden (looking towards the studio conversion section).A floor plan of the very much enlarged property.
A BBC video briefly mentioning Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s time at 43 Glebe Place. Video courtesy of The 78 Derngate Northampton Trust.
Flamboyant Uncle Monty plied Withnail and Marwood with booze in his drawing room at 35 Glebe Place in the film. His intentions were less than decent. In 2011, the house was sold for £20 million to the billionaire businessman François Pinault – reportedly the 27th richest man in the world as of October 2019.
‘The Steeple Times’ reports on anything but a ‘Super Saturday’ at The Botanist on Sloane Square; we share here imagery and a video of a thieving woman whom must be caught
It was sadly anything but a ‘Super Saturday’ for one loyal reader of The Steeple Times yesterday after her designer handbag was stolen in plain sight at The Botanist on Sloane Square.
Captured on camera with security guards on the premises also, the brazen thief – a black woman with black hair with a white stripe accompanied by a white woman with black hair and a colourful coat – helped herself to what she was not entitled at around 3.45pm.
A video of the event, later shared on Twitter by Matthew Steeples of ‘The Steeple Times’ attracted comments including: “Absolute scum” and “Lock her up!” of the perpertrator.Another added: “Those braids are very distinctive.”
Disappointingly for the victim, aside from the theft of an item worth several thousand pounds, the attitude of the management of The Botanist was not especially sympathetic.
Lamenting how she was treated after the crime had been identified, the victim told The Steeple Times: “I didn’t expect much, but they had a security guard and he didn’t even notice what was going on. They may as well have a Pug guarding their door. One of them would have been far more effective than the short-sighted beefcake they had there yesterday!”
Do you know this woman? If so, please report her to the Metropolitan Police or send her name to us at [email protected] and we will be sure to pass it on.
The sequence of events of the theft in the order it was caught on camera (left to right, from top left) at The Botanist at 7 Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8EE on 4th July 2020 at around 3.45pm.
As a poll reveals the public believe Ghislaine Maxwell will ‘suicide herself’ in a similar manner to her former master Jeffrey Epstein, the Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ unbelievably announce they are going ahead with another rally in 2021
Though one thing is for sure and that is that Ghislaine Maxwell will not be returning to her 156 acre “retreat” in Bradford, New Hampshire this weekend, a Twitter poll conducted by The Steeple Times’ Matthew Steeples has revealed that the public believe she’ll go the same way as Jeffrey Epstein.
In a question posed Thursday, a reasonable (though we’ll admit far from scientific) sample of 73 answers came in response to the question: “Will Robert Maxwell’s daughter and Jeffrey Epstein’s child procurer madam Ghislaine Maxwell last the week in custody?”
Response options and votes were as follows:
She’ll get COVID and die – 19.2%.
She’ll suicide herself – 34.2%.
She’ll be off to Israel – 20.5%.
She’ll be out on bail – 26%.
Whilst Mark Seal of Vanity Fair yesterday recounted what he had discovered about where ‘Bouncing Bob’s’ daughter had been for the last year, we again share with readers our picture of the last car that ‘Mucky Madam Maxwell’ was known to have driven when she was in London for her most recent visit to Prince Andrew and for the 2019 Cash & Rocket ‘charity’ rally.
Whilst Ghislaine Maxwell quite deservedly won’t be riding quite so nicely again anytime soon, it seems Cash & Rocket think they can move on regardless on and forget about their links to a facilitator of female abuse. Founder Julie Brangstrup recently announced that her organisation is unbelievably going ahead with another glitzy car tour in 2021.
53.4% of respondents to our Twitter poll do not believe Ghislaine Maxwell will be alive much longer.The house to where the paedo procurer will not return – Ghislaine Maxwell bought 338 East Washington Road, Bradford, New Hampshire, NH 03221 for £858,000 ($1.07 million) on 13th December 2019. It had been listed for £ million ($1.195 million) on 12th April that year and was marketed as a 4 bedroom, 3.5 bathroom, 4,365 square foot “custom designed timber frame house” with 156 acres by Coldwell Banker Homes. The agents bizarrely lauded the “fabulous barn for square dances and hoedowns,” but it is doubtful that ‘Mucky Madam Maxwell’ had chance to hold any of those during her tenure at the house quaintly known as ‘Tuckedaway.’
Totally Tuckedaway – A video of the house illustrates how secluded the estate truly is and this is plainly why Miss Maxwell chose it.Amongst those that partied with Ghislaine Maxwell during the last Cash & Rocket rally were Paris Hilton and ‘Queen of #JustSaying’ Caroline Stanbury. ‘The Steeple Times’ snapped the duo at a launch event for that ‘charity’ car tour at Bibendum on London’s Fulham Road on the evening of 6th June 2019.
A 1-minute “trailer” video about Cash & Rocket describes it as being about “women making change.” Founder Julie Brangstrup unsurprisingly decided not to include their 2019 participant and multiple women enslaver Ghislaine Maxwell in this marketing material.
Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot
A 7,072 square foot Dutch colonial mansion set on a plot of 1.38 acres in Watseka, Illinois that appears to be in surprisingly good condition has had its priced halved from £281,000 to £141,000.
Built in 1912, this Edwardian “turn of the century” four-storey house has 3 reception rooms, an “enormous” kitchen, 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, but what sets it apart is a huge former ballroom on the top floor that is currently used as a basketball court.
A half price mansion with a full size basketball court – 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois may be on sale for half price and offered as “sold as is,” but it does include some vast spaces including this former ballroom turned basketball court.
With garaging for 4 cars also, the property is located in a city that is 15 miles west of the Illinois-Indiana state line and that has a population of around 5,255 according to the 2010 census. “Notable people” from there, according to Wikipedia, number the Beauty and The Beast voice actor Rex Everheart (1920 – 2000) and John Allhands, the current mayor and a man credited with “pushing out drug activities and adding a marijuana dispenser and factory.”
The Numbers – 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America
July 2020 – Price reduced to £141,000 ($175,000, €156,000 or درهم643,000) through agents Berkshire Hathaway, a 49.8% reduction on the sum in March 2016.
April 2020 – Relisted for £161,000 ($200,000, €178,000 or درهم735,000) through agents Coldwell Banker Residential.
December 2018 – Relisted for £213,000 ($265,000, €236,000 or درهم973,000) through agents McColly Rosenboom.
March 2016 – Listed for sale for £281,100 ($349,900, €312,000 or درهم1.3 million) through agents Rosenboom Realty.
An aerial image showing the house on its 1.38-acre plot and its proximity to neighbours. It is described by agents Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago as “feeling like a country estate, but right in town.” Notably, they point out, it is not on a flood plain.The entrance hall is described as “impressive” whilst in addition there is a second service staircase elsewhere in the building.This reception room is currently used as an office. Plainly, the owner is not exactly inspired when it comes to furnishing choices, but the built-in bookcases are original.The drawing room is currently dominated by a rather unappealing leather ‘couch’ and a coffee table featuring two rather strange images.The room also includes an original fireplace.The large dining room is paneled and has a beamed ceiling.The kitchen is lauded as “enormous” and has new fittings. It is adjoined by a butler’s pantry.There are five bedrooms in total. The agent remarks that they are “nice” and points out that the master suite includes a private bathroom and a dressing room that could be used as a “lounge.”Another bedroom, this time currently dominated by a rather large bed.A space described as a “bonus room.”There are various cellar rooms beneath the house.The front elevation of 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America gives indication of the Edwardian “grandeur” of the building. The agents suggest the house offers: “Tonnes of opportunities.”An aerial shot of the rear showing the large garage and the in-and-out driveway.The half price mansion is located in Watseka, Illinois. The small ‘city’ is situated south of Chicago and north of Indianapolis.
Acclaimed restaurateur Philip Lawless to reopen Square Mile institution and haunt of city financiers the Bow Wine Vaults on Monday
Situated next to the Sir Christopher Wren designed church of St Mary-le-Bow, the Bow Wine Vaults on the corner of Bow Churchyard and Bow Lane in EC4M has long been a favoured haunt of City titans.
Like all restaurants and bars in the UK, it was forced to close for the first time ever for a significant period because of the coronavirus lockdown, but on Monday it will reopen once again.
Proprietor since 1987, Philip Lawless – a well-known personality in hospitality in Belgavia, the City of London and Mayfair since he came to London in the 1950s – told The Steeple Times:
“It’s going to be exciting to reopen after three months and to welcome back both our regulars and new faces.”
“We have put in place careful measures to meet government requirements, but we’re glad to report we’ve got bookings for the whole week.”
“In a funny way, I’m looking forward to seeing how this new experience will work.”
With a bar, bistro and outdoor dining terrace, here is a place that will once again resound with the sound of City sorts at work and at play. They will be a little more socially distanced than before, but those craving the best comfort food post-lockdown will certainly be delighted that the Bow Wine Vaults will be once again be back to business.
Proprietor Philip Lawless looks forward to welcoming customers old and new to the Bow Wine Vaults from Monday 6th July. The bar of the Bow Wine Vaults has been a renowned haunt for City dealmakers for generations.
The Bow Wine Vaults stand next to the church of St Mary-le-Bow, a famous City landmark. Its bells are referenced frequently in the story of ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat’ and in the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’ whilst, if tradition is to be believed, a ‘true Cockney’ must be born within earshot of the sound of the bells.
Rolls-Royce owned by “maverick” Demon Internet dot-com millionaire Cliff Stanford to be auctioned; an au pair he employed was tragically murdered by a British serial sex offender in Spain; he was convicted of “email spying” in a scandal featuring gerrymanderer Dame Shirley Porter
Cliff Stanford is best-known for having established the early dot-com success story Demon Internet in 1992. He had a (boom, boom) “demon touch” and sold the company for £66 million in 1998.
After pocketing £30 million personally, one of Stanford’s first moves was to buy a private plane and “one of the most lavish Rolls-Royces then available.”
He paid the equivalent (with a discount) of £265,000 today for the opulent Rolls-Royce and declared it: “My favourite present to myself.”
The 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur is now to be auctioned for less than a tenth of that price with a lower estimate of just £18,000.
Stanford’s Spanish au pair was tragically murdered in 1999 and subsequently in a totally unconnected series of events, he was convicted of “email spying” on notorious Conservative politician and gerrymanderer Dame Shirley Porter and her son.
According to his personal Twitter account, Stanford is now based in Tallinn, Estonia; he recently tweeted in support of Dominic Cummings, but neglected to mention if he would have loaned his motor for the spinner’s infamous Barnard Castle drive.
In 1998, “flamboyant” Internet pioneer Cliff Stanford paid the equivalent of £265,000 in today’s money for a brand-new motor. He did not opt for the eco-friendly kind-of-car that today’s tech titans drift around in, but instead slam dunked and went for the ultimate symbol of flash – a Rolls-Royce Silver Spur with every conceivable extra.
Stanford’s long wheel base ride – a vehicle that would have been the envy even of Charles Frere, the business tycoon bounder of Howards’ Way, in terms of its lavishness – personified excess and reflected the persona of a man whom “laughingly” considered getting the numbers ‘666’ incorporated into the dial-up for his Demon Internet company’s software.
The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit and the longer wheelbase Silver Spur (and their Bentley equivalents) were the favoured mode of conveyance of business moguls in the 1980s and 1990s. Charles Frere (played by the late Tony Anholt, died 2002), a stereotypical example of such a character, was regularly seen in such motors in the BBC classic ‘Howards’ Way’ also.
Born in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Clifford Stanford started his career as an accountant, but “found his way to the Internet via a love of computers.” He hit the jackpot with Demon Internet in 1992 and after selling that company to Scottish Telecom for £66 million, claimed his empire would be “bigger than Branson’s” according to the Guardian.
Speaking to the paper in December 2001, he continued: “I always wanted to be wealthy. Money doesn’t buy happiness but lack of it can lead to misery. Now I really enjoy my life, I do whatever I like and no-one tells me otherwise” and next he set up another venture, Redbus Investments, with Dame Shirley Porter’s son, John, as chairman. It listed on the stock exchange in March 2000 and the company’s activities included not only Internet hosting, but also a landmine disposal system and forays into football and popular music.
Redbus, according to ZDNet in Sept2005, was where “Stanford’s trouble seemed to start.” Kiss-and-tell scandals involving a “champagne fueled romp” at Claridge’s and his being banned from the hotel ensued, whilst in 1999 his Spanish au pair was murdered by a serial British sex offender named Tony King – who was only jailed in 2006 after a previous wrongly convicted suspect was cleared in 2002.
In 2001, the Guardian reported on the tycoon’s associations with Max Clifford – with a plainly hoodwinked Stanford remarking: “Max always has loads of really interesting people at his events” of the long since disgraced and now thankfully dead paedophile – and mentioned an unsuccessful investment of £1 million in a “badly managed” girl band called Girls@play. It had The Apprentice’s Alan Sugar’s niece as its lead singer, but ultimately was “a complete disaster really,” the businessman lamented.
By 2005, Redbus had unraveled spectacularly and in September that year, Sandford was convicted of intercepting emails belonging to his former friend John Porter. He tried to claim his actions were legal, but after being given a suspended sentence and ordered to pay a fine of £20,000 and £7,000 in prosecution costs, a later appeal was denied.
Divorced, a father of two and reinvented as an “innovation strategist” according to his LinkedIn.com page, Stanford is now is based in Tallinn, Estonia with his American-German science fiction writer partner Sylvia Spruck Wrigley. Aside from a website named May.be that lists their many projects, the tech expert is an enthusiastic chess player and user of Twitter.
As well as tweeting enthusiastically about a “clean break Brexit” and complaining about Amazon, Turkish Airlines and the Estonian take on fish and chips on the social media site, he recently came out in support of Dominic Cummings. Of Boris Johnson’s puppet master’s recent problems, Stanford surmised: “Witch hunt.”
Historics Classic and Sportscar Auctioneers will sell Cliff Stanford’s Rolls-Royce Silver Spur on the 18th July and have set an estimate of just £18,000 to £22,000. They describe the vehicle as “one of the highest specified cars we have seen and presents well in black with black leather seats, carpets and headlining,” but neglect to detail any of the high jinxes that this larger-than-life character no doubt conducted from its rear seating area.
Cliff Martin Stanford (born 1954) – The Names & Numbers
18th July 2020 – Cliff Stanford’s one-owner-from new 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur – registration S110 NGN – to be auctioned by Historics Classic and Sportscar Auctioneers with an estimate of £18,000 to £22,000 ($22,200 to $27,100, €19,800 to €24,200 or درهم81,600 to درهم99,700) at their Windsorview Lakes sale.
June 2009 – Co-founded Power Ethernet. He describes this firm as bringing “disruptive technology to fruition.”
September 2005 – Convicted and given a suspended sentence of 6 months and a fine of £20,000 ($24,700, €22,000 or درهم90,600). A later hearing denied leave to appeal in February 2006.
2003 – Charged under the Computer Misuse Act and the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 with the interception of emails between Jonathan Porter, one-time chairman of Redbus Interhouse, and his disgraced mother, Dame Shirley Porter – a woman best known for the “homes for votes” scandal in Westminster.
March 2000 – Floated Redbus Interhouse on the stock market.
October 1999 – Stanford’s Dutch-Spanish au pair, Rocío Wanninkhof (1979 – 1999), is abducted and stabbed to death. He offered a £50,000 ($61,000, €54,000 or درهم224,000) reward immediately and then doubled the sum in September 2003 “to anyone who could provide information” according to The Independent. After the estranged female lover of Wanninkhof’s mother was wrongly convicted for the murder in 2001 and subsequently cleared, a British sex offender, Tony King, was jailed for the killing in 2006 for 19 years.
1998 – Cliff Stanford paid £150,000 ($185,000, €165,000 or درهم680,000) for a 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Spur, the “last production chassis number for UK sale.” He supposedly secured a discount of £20,000 ($24,700, €22,000 or درهم90,600) on the list price from dealers Jack Barclay and added extras including “a wine cooler to rear armrest, centenary door panels, picnic tables with separate stowage compartment, TV monitor/video to rear compartment and electrically adjustable lumbar support.”
1998 – Founded Redbus Investments four days after the sale of Demon Internet.
1998 – Sold Demon Internet to Scottish Telecom for £66 million ($81 million, €73 million or درهم299 million) with 172,000 subscribers. Stanford became an early dot-com multi-millionaire, personally netted £30 million ($37 million, €33 million or درهم136 million) and moved to Brussels “to avoid capital gains tax” according to the Guardian.
June 1992 – Cliff Stanford founded Demon Internet with 200 subscribers. He had been brought up in Southend-on-Sea, Essex by his single-parent mother and began his career in accountancy.
The turbo-charged long wheelbase Rolls-Royce Silver Spur is described as a “classic machine.”The interior is in as new condition.The black leather seats have been well-cared for.The model was the first Rolls-Royce to feature a retractable Spirit of Ecstasy mascot on its bonnet.Rolls-Royce gave the car a 6.75-litre V8 engine.
Victoria Baker Harber has sent Kenny Schachter a “cease and desist” letter in the wake of her on-off conman lover Inigo Philbrick being snared by the FBI
Asked by The Steeple Times on Friday evening on his Instagram TV channel about Miss Baker Harber having turned her social media channels ‘private’ and ‘off’ in some instances, very wealthy art collector and writer Schachter responded: “She’s sent me a letter about memes.”
Poor dear Vicky might do better to do something else: The simple, dear darling could go and pleasure herself with a colouring book; she might actually do less damage in that department.
The Odd Art Couple – Inigo Philbrick pictured with the mother of his daughter, fellow art dealer Francisca Mancini. Their relationship did not last and subsequently conman Philbrick moved on to attention-seeker Baker Harber.Sexing It Up – Victoria Baker Harber posing provocatively with her now in-the-clink lover Inigo Philbrick at the C London restaurant in Davies Street, Mayfair, W1.
Kenny Schachter having a chat about Inigo Philbrick amongst other things. One thing is for certain about the husband of Ilona Rich Schachter (daughter of the late Marc Rich and Denise Eisenberg Rich) – he’s anything but reticent about sharing his opinions about his former friend.
In an episode of ‘Made In Chelsea,’ a ‘participant’ labelled Victoria Baker Harber “a prostitute.” She then went a bit mental (unsurprisingly).
