He swam into the path of the Oxford vessel in the 2012 Xchanging Boat Race. Oldfield claimed to be protesting about “elitism” but it transpired that he was himself educated at a private school and the LSE. His hypocrisy knows no bounds and thankfully he ended up in the clink.
Tag: London
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Trenton Oldfield
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Alexander Mavros
The eldest of four brothers, Alex is a scion of the oldest family in Zimbabwe. His family’s business creates masterpieces in silver, gold and leather and brings the mystique of Africa to the West. Their patrons include HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Denzel Washington and J. K. Rowling. -
Jacqueline Branston
Former model and society hostess who is now turning her hand to helping wealthy Chinese and Russians settle into London. “Jackie” briefly dated both Warren Beatty and George Hamilton. She’s a big fan of a late night toasted cheese sandwich at Annabel’s and can be found at the smartest of gatherings. -
Edward Rigg
This former filmmaker came up with his own cloudy apple juice. Cheltenham College educated, Edward Rigg has since expanded into a whole range of juices under the brand name Eager and once even also tried to revitalise bingo. -
Rebekah Brooks
The youngest editor of a British national newspaper and a former wife of Eastender Ross Kemp. Educated in Warrington but now more likely to be found enjoying a day trip on a private jet to Venice. A true survivor who should not yet be written off. -
A fact isn’t a fact until you’ve checked it’s a fact
The case for the regulation of the UK’s property industry
Don’t get me wrong: I know many good estate agents. At the age of 15, I worked for an incredibly respectable firm based in Lancashire. My boss, a thoroughly charming individual, was one of my earliest influences and I still respect him enormously.
Equally, those who have completed the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ courses are people deserving of respect. They are individuals who are professional and knowledgeable. As their website states, over 18,000 follow them on Twitter and their expertise is second to none.
Before putting up a “to let” board, agents should check who really owns the property they are instructed on In recent days, however, after personally witnessing how one firm of agents have conducted themselves, my thoughts on the negativity that surrounds this “profession” has again been proven true. An apartment in a building I know in London has a most interesting tale. Owned by an old lady who died, it was sold on a short-lease by her executors. The subsequent owners bought this and supposedly then managed to persuade two banks to lend against fictitious longer leases on it. When, eventually, the banks repossessed, the flat remained empty for over a year but several months ago one of the individuals involved smashed down the door and effectively returned as a squatter.
The person concerned spent some time renovating the property before putting it up for rent through a local estate agent. Said agent plainly did no research into whether this person actually owned the apartment. They did not check the deeds or ask questions of their client. The reason for this, they’d argue, is that they are not required to but they were also too lazy to bother. That speaks volumes but because agents are not regulated, such conduct occurs more often than one can imagine. It should not be allowed to continue.
The River House, 435 East 52nd Street, New York, NY 10022. Well known residents of this block have included Nancy and Henry Kissinger and Susan and John Gutfreund. The building’s co-operative by-laws prevent it being named in real estate listings. If Prime Minister Cameron wants to boost his much dented popularity, he should act on this issue. Estate agents should be made, like in the USA, to qualify just as those working in financial services have to go through FSA authorisation. Purchasing or renting a home is something that consumes the majority of the income of any individual and such transactions should be better governed.
Equally, the owners of estates, such as Cadogan and Grosvenor, ought to become more selective about who they allow to take leases in their respective manors. In New York, many buildings operate by committee. The River House, designed by William Lawrence Bottomley, between 52nd and 53rd Street and the East River in New York, is a prime example of the power of co-op boards. The owners of apartments in this 26-storey landmark, built in 1931 and staffed by white gloved doormen, rejected Richard Nixon, Gloria Vanderbilt and Diane Keaton when they applied to live there. They rightly did their research on these personalities as they did not want to lower the tone of their residence or endure paparazzi intrusion. Similarly, here in London residents should be able to vote to stop noisy youngsters with more money than sense, criminals and so-called celebrities bringing havoc to the buildings where they reside.
A 14-room apartment currently available at The River House through Brown Harris Stevens at a price of $8,995,000 Regulating estate agents and residential buildings more effectively is a sure vote winner as most people I speak to tell of bad experiences. It is time the British government got to work.
For more information on the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, go to: http://www.rics.org
For more information on the apartment in The River House contact either Alexis Bodenheimer of Brown Harris Stevens on +1 212 906 9230 or email her at [email protected] or Cathy Franklin of the same company on +1 212 906 9236 or email her at [email protected], go to: http://www.bhsusa.com/manhattan/midtown-east/east-52nd-street/coop/1216446
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Blessed Clarence
The sale of the £22,500,000 Clarence House in Richmond
Built in 1696 for a haberdasher merchant named Nathaniel Rawlins, Clarence House in Richmond was subsequently extended by his daughter, Elizabeth, before it became a Catholic school in 1792.
The exterior of the Grade II listed Clarence House, 2 The Vineyard, Richmond Hill, Surrey, TW10 6AQ One student at the various schools that were subsequently run from the house was Bernardo O’Higgins, the liberator and founding father of Chile. Famous for his orders, which included such statements as: “Lads! Live with honour, or die with glory! He who is brave, follow me!” during the battle of El Roble, O’Higgins held office from 1817 to 1823. He was deposed by his former “closest ally” Ramón Freire in a conservative coup in January of that year, exiled to Peru and died due to cardiac problems in Lima in 1842.
Bernardo O’Higgins (1778 – 1842), 2nd Supreme Director of Chile Between 1941 and 1947, Clarence House became a storage house for Fortnum & Mason. Their plans in 1943 to demolish the building and to replace it with a bakery, chocolate manufactory, store, tailoring shop and rooms for packing tea and coffee were not executed and in 1967 the house was purchased by the actor Brian Blessed.
Actor Brian Blessed (1936 – ) Blessed, known for his “sonorous voice and hearty, king-sized portrayals,” is a prolific performer who has appeared in Z-Cars, The Avengers, Lovejoy and Flash Gordon. After a successful campaign on the social network Facebook, Blessed became a voice option for TomTom’s satellite navigation devices in 2010 and he also holds the record being the oldest man to trek on foot to the magnetic North Pole. Married to Hildegarde Neil, an actress who appeared alongside Roger Moore in the The Man Who Haunted Himself, Blessed subsequently moved to Windlesham, also in Surrey.
A reception room designed by Taylor Howes Design 
Clarence House’s dining room 
The house’s ultra modern kitchen Considered “one of the finest houses in South West London,” Clarence House has been restored by Taylor Howes Design, who also designed the Hotel Meyrick in Galway, Ireland. It now includes 6 reception rooms, a master suite of bedroom, sitting room, dressing room and bathroom and 5 further bedroom suites. An indoor swimming pool with an infinity style design, gymnasium, 2,000-bottle wine cellar, artist’s studio and 1 bedroom guest cottage complete the offering whilst landscaped gardens by Ross Allan boast magnolia trees, a terrace and water features.
Clarence House’s swimming pool Priced at £22,500,000, whoever buys this fine residence will indeed be blessed with more than 10,000 square foot of accommodation. The price, however, is a far cry from the £25,000 Blessed paid for it back in 1967.
Clarence House is for sale through the Richmond office of Savills. Contact Patrick Glynn-Jones for more information on +44 (0) 20 8614 9100 or email him at [email protected]. Further details can be viewed at: http://residentialsearch.savills.co.uk/property-detail/245686
Follow Savills on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/savillsuk
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Prospering Paris
Profile: The genius of self-promotion that is Paris Hilton
At a dinner party last week, my guests gasped in horror when I said that I view Paris Hilton to be a genius. Their faces turned ashen and one asked if I had lost the plot. In the ensuing discussion, several described her as the personification of vulgarity and tastelessness. Others complained that Hilton had achieved nothing with her life and one went as far as to say that this young lady was notable for nothing other than an appearance in a sex tape in 2003.
Paris Whitney Hilton (1981 – ) For the few who don’t know her, Miss Hilton is the 31-year old great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, the founder of Hilton Hotels. On her official Twitter account she describes herself as a: “Model, Actress, Singer, Brand, Business Woman, Fashion Designer, Author, Philanthropist and Empire.” That, indeed, is certainly quite a collection.
Paris Hilton with her parents Richard Howard and Kathy Hilton and younger brother Conrad Hilton “Life is too short to blend in,” said Hilton in an interview and her philosophy is indeed one that I’d agree with. Hilton may have done some pretty tasteless and silly things over the years and her shows Paris Hilton’s My New BFF and The Simple Life were not my kind of viewing, but her brilliance is that she knows how to turn publicity into dollar returns. Now worth some $100,000,000, she’s the one who is having the last laugh.
In a 2006 interview for Guardian Unlimited, Hilton aptly summed up the reason for her success:
“People can’t believe how hard I work…. I love it. I think it just runs through my veins. My great-grandfather was a bellboy and had a dream to do a hotel chain, so I think I get it from him.”
Conrad Nicholson Hilton, Sr. (1887 – 1979): the “Innkeeper to the World” who was also married to the actress Zsa Zsa Gabor (1936 – 1997) Like or loathe her, the determined Miss Hilton’s achievements are impressive and I’ll leave her the final word:
“I don’t think there’s ever been anyone like me that’s lasted. And I’m going to keep lasting.”
View Paris Hilton’s official website at: http://www.parishilton.com
Follow Paris Hilton on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/ParisHilton
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The worthy Mr Waites
Profile: Sculptor Edward Waites
Continuing my series of profiles of up and coming talent, it was a pleasure to recently meet the extremely talented Suffolk based sculptor Edward Waites.
Edward "Ed" Waites A specialist in animal sculpture, 24-year old Waites is largely self-taught. Leopards, lions, rhinos, horses and bulls are a firm favourite as subjects and his aim is to capture and emphasise their muscles, sinew and movement.
A colt by Edward Waites: edition of 9 in bronze and priced at £4,200 Passionate about his craft, Waites, who lives near Newmarket, has already made impressive inroads into his chosen profession at such a young age. He has produced works for Lady Bamford and Ivan Massow and his sculptures can also be found in several royal collections around the world. Represented primarily by the W. H. Patterson gallery in Mayfair’s Albermarle Street, Waites also works on a commission basis.
A 95mm high bronze of an elephant, part of an edition of 95 and priced at £180 that is available in both polished and patinated finishes Recently Waites has expanded into creating miniatures of birds, bovine animals, dogs, domestic animals, horses and wild animals. Produced as limited editions and very reasonably priced between £80 to £180, these represent an easy way to begin collecting and great value for money.
A 75mm high bronze of a whippet, part of an edition of 150 and priced at £120 each From May 16th to 20th, Edward Waites will be exhibiting at the Animal Art Fair on the River Side Walkway on the South Bank in London. Don’t miss it.
Contact Edward Waites by telephone at +44 (0) 1638 721275 or on email at [email protected]. View his website at: http://www.edwardwaites.co.uk
Follow Edward Waites on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/Edward.Waites.Sculpture12
Follow Edward Waites on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/EdwardWaites
For more information on the Animal Art Fair, go to: http://www.animalartfair.com
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Keep your oar out Oldfield
Profile: Trenton Oldfield: the man who temporarily halted the 2012 Boat Race
“Why are the right such angry people?” asked @NotAGateway, the shared Twitter account of Deepa Naik and her boyfriend Trenton Oldfield yesterday afternoon.
In this comment, Oldfield, who had just managed to swim into the path of the Oxford boat in the 2012 Xchanging Boat Race, is revealed as nothing other than a delusional moron. The Boat Race has nothing to do with politics. It’s simply an event that is enjoyed by the thousands who watch it and one for which the contestants train long and hard.
Trenton Oldfield pictured disrupting Oxford’s vessel At circa 2.21pm, Oldfield, a campaigner who runs a blog named Elitism Leads to Tyranny, swam out into the course of the 4 ¼ mile course in a wetsuit in a bid to protest against what he describes as: “a pseudo competition” where:
“… elitists and those with elitist sympathies have come together every year but one for the last 158 years to perform, in the most public way, their ambition for the structures and subsequent benefits from elitism and privilege to continue.”
Oldfield is lucky that Oxford’s Zoe de Toledo, who also played a cox in the 2010 film The Social Network, spotted the danger in time and stopped her crew as this nitwit could have so easily been badly injured by the oars he swam into.
A smiling Trenton Oldfield pictured as he is led away by police from Chiswick Pier and taken to Chiswick Police Station This self-proclaimed Emily Davison inspired “activist,” in an essay he posts on the blog, describes the “guerilla tactics” that he successfully used to create “embarrassment, … frustration and manifesting a vulnerability” for the “elitist” organisers of the event. In the same document, he goes on to suggest actions of civil disobedience that others could use in the future. These include:
• “Setting off Fire Alarms in buildings where we work, perhaps at strategic times, when a particular meeting is meant to happen that will agree the cutting of services.”
• “If you are a taxi driver can you take the passenger the slowest possible and most expensive route?”
• “If you work in a restaurant where elitists eat, can you serve the food once it is cold or cook the wrong food?”
• “If you are a builder repairing the house of an elitist can you also bug it and share the footage and audio online?”
• “Can you take up the time of a ‘VIP’ you work for by arranging time consuming meetings, asking as many questions as possible? Can you make them late?”
Oldfield is a man who was educated at a private school and the LSE. He states on his Twitter account that he worked at the Financial Times whilst at university and is therefore “#notatrustafarian.” His childish comments prove that his education was wasted and he was rightly arrested and charged for a section 5 public order offence once taken out of the water. Bailed last night, he will appear at Feltham Magistrates’ Court on 23rd April.
Trenton Oldfield emerges from Chiswick Police Station last night following being charged with a section 5 public order offence One of the Oxford crew, William Zeng, rightly summed up the thoughts of many when he used his Twitter account to respond to the actions of Oldfield:
“When I missed your head with my blade I knew only that you were a swimmer, and if you say you are a protester then no matter what you say your cause may be, your action speaks too loudly for me to hear you… I know exactly what you were protesting. You were protesting the right of 17 young men and one woman to compete fairly and honourably, to demonstrate their hard work and desire in a proud tradition… You, who would make a mockery of their dedication and their courage, are a mockery of a man.”
Equally, for once, I find myself agreeing with the television presenter Richard Madeley who tweeted:
“God, the monumental ego and selfishness of the swimmer who screwed the Boat Race. Imagine sharing living space with someone like that.”
Trenton Oldfield is a man who plainly needs help. I hope he gets it.
For more information on the 2012 Xchanging Boat Race, go to: http://www.theboatrace.org
View Trenton Oldfield’s Elitism Leads to Tyranny blog at: http://elitismleadstotyranny.squarespace.com
View Trenton Oldfield’s Royal Society of Arts Fellow Network page at: http://rsafellowship.com/profile/TrentonOldfield
Follow Trenton Oldfield and his colleague Deepa Naik on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/NotAGateway