Tag: London

A Missing Mockery

As a further £154,000 is handed to the police, is it right that £11 million has been allocated to searching for Madeleine McCann whilst the searches for other missing people get little to nothing?

A child supposedly disappears every five minutes in the UK yet the only instance the media ever focus on is Madeleine McCann.

Having hung out with Donald Trump’s bestie Theresa May and the equally ghastly Lady Meyer in Downing Street in May 2012 plainly helped the cause of Gerry and Kate McCann. Police investigating the case have just been awarded a further £154,000 in addition to a sum of £85,000 in March this year. A total of over £11 million has been spent thus far on the unsuccessful search for the child and what has been achieved? The answer is clear: Absolutely nothing.

Whatever the merits of the suggestions of those who’ll continue to claim that any lead is worth pursuing, one needs to remember that every pound allocated to looking for one child that disappeared in 2007 is a pound that could be used to fund the search of another investigation. Undoubtedly now, given that no tangible evidence has been found that Madeleine McCann is still alive, it is time for this plainly pointless search to stop.

Missing Madeleine – Questions without Answers

Many questions about what happened on the evening of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann remain. Some that have been highlighted by the press and discussed online include:

Why did Kate McCann refuse to answer 48 questions put to her by the Portuguese police?

Why were certain records of phone calls on the evening of the disappearance “whoosh-clunked” from the memories of the phones of Mr and Mrs McCann and the ‘Tapas 9’?

Why did a British sniffer dog sense the smell of a corpse in a cupboard in the apartment from which Madeleine McCann disappeared?

Why did a sniffer dog also supposedly sense the smell of a corpse in a vehicle hired by the couple a month after the disappearance of their daughter?

Why did Mr and Mrs McCann go jogging and play tennis in the days after their daughter’s disappearance?

Was it acceptable for Mr and Mrs McCann’s mortgage to be paid by the fund established to search for their missing daughter?

September 29, 2017
Shawn Sullivan (AKA Shawn O’Suilleabhain and ‘The Putney Paedo’)

Putney based Shawn Sullivan fled America after being accused of abusing two girls aged 11 and 14 in the 1990s. He was subsequently convicted of sexually assaulting two 12 year old girls in Ireland in 1997 but then moved to London on an Irish passport. Sullivan then married a Ministry of Justice policy manager named Sarah Smith and after fighting extradition to the US claiming it would be a “flagrant denial” of his rights, has lived freely in the UK ever since. Of this monster, a neighbour remarked: “It is a pathetic joke and makes a mockery of the British justice system. He should be extradited and made to pay for his crimes. He manipulated and cheated girls out of their innocence… It is a disgrace and I fear for any children he will come across in the future.” Shame on our bankrupt lawmakers for continuing to protect this repugnant paedophile.

September 26, 2017
A Bastard of a Basement

Knightsbridge townhouse for sale for sum 11% lower than it sold for in 2011; it comes with a rather large hole in the garden that has been described as “almost as deep as the Führerbunker”

To the poet and wit Henry Luttrell (1765 – 1861) “eating pâté de foie gras to the sound of trumpets” was his idea of heaven. Now, a very wealthy buyer has the opportunity to acquire what some might consider the very opposite of such with the sale of his former home – complete with a 4-storey hole in its garden – in Knightsbridge.

Empty for many years and the subject of numerous critical articles about its dereliction in such titles as the Mirror and Daily Mail, Grade II listed 31 Brompton Square is on the market for £3 million less than it sold for in 2011. It was previously reportedly owned by the industrialist Lord Tanlaw and was also in the possession of the High Commission of Malaysia at some point.

Fraudster Achilleas Kallakis was undoubtedly the most controversial owner of the building

Philanthropists Dora and Mary de Beer (pictured with Esmond de Beer) were certainly more civilised residents

Baron Tanlaw of Tanlawhill reportedly owned the house for a period also

Aside from being home to the philanthropist sisters Dora and Mary de Beer (owners of the house between 1934 and 1981) and the Conservative Party politician the Hon. Michael Astor in addition, most controversially the property was bought by the now jailed businessman Achilleas Kallakis in the mid 2000s.

Kallakis – who in spite of demanding he be called ‘His Excellency’ and ‘The Don’ was actually simply “Britain’s biggest mortgage fraudster” – began work on a scheme to create what he termed a “pleasure palace” at 31 Brompton Square in 2005. He employed contractors to dig four levels down beneath what had been a pretty garden and commenced both authorised and unauthorised works to create what could still ultimately become a 22,000 square foot, 8-floor “trophy home.”

Construction stopped in 2008 after Kallakis’ arrest and in 2011, 31 Brompton Square was sold for £8 million more than sought to a Virgin Islands based company by receivers acting for Barclays Wealth. Said by locals to actually be owned at that time by a Dubai based businessman named Jonathan Hart, further planning schemes were submitted in October 2016 and now agents Savills seek £25 million for the unfinished building.

Of the sale, one near neighbour told The Steeple Times:

“This bastard of a basement has blighted this area of Knightsbridge for far too long.”

“We have feared subsidence might cause the hole to cave in since 2005 and now hope a new owner will rectify the mess left by the conman Kallakis. We simply want to be able to live out our years in peace and would like a nice, quiet family rather than a brash billionaire be the purchasers.”

31 Brompton Square – The Numbers

September 2017 – For sale for £25 million ($33.9 million, €28.4 million or درهم125 million).

June 2016 – Predicted to be worth £50 million ($67.8 million, €56.9 million or درهم249 million) if iceberg extension were to be completed.

March 2011 – Sold for £28 million ($38 million, €31.9 million or درهم139.5 million) after a bidding war on an asking price of £20 million ($27.1 million, €22.7 million or درهم99.6 million).

An aerial view of the giant hole behind 31 Brompton Square

A closer view of the dormant site

The front elevation of 31 Brompton Square

A proposed floor plan for the building

A CGI image of a proposed design for a reception room within the existing building

A CGI image of a proposed design for a reception space in the proposed extension of the house

A CGI image of a proposed design for a reception space backing onto the garden

A CGI image of a proposed design for a swimming pool within the extension

A CGI image of the proposed garden

Another view of the space

A drawing of the proposed redevelopment

September 25, 2017
Pauline Amos – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with Liverpool born artist Pauline Amos; one of her works is for sale for £1.3 million

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

Myself.

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

“If you hesitate, you’ve lost.”

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

Abū Bakr al-Baghdadi.

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

My dad.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Ending cruelty to animals and children.

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

A disgrace.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

Trump.

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

Being charitable is being a good human being. I support Coram children’s charity, Stop Ivory, the RNLI and charities that support war veterans.

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

Use if necessary.

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

Shakespeare, Winston Churchill, Stephen Fry, Oscar Wilde, my husband, my dogs, Hunter S. Thompson and Maya Angelou.

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

Caviar. On the outside.

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

Blackwell Rum on porridge for breakfast. Every hour is acceptable.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A martini.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

My own: I choose the guests and the music.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Myself.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Charbonnel & Walker salt caramel chocolates.

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

An angel.

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

A Bentley Land Rover hybrid.

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

One of my paintings is on sale for £1.3 million.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

Two silver candlesticks, some invitations and a sign that reads: “Scouse and Proud.”

Born in Liverpool, Pauline Amos is a creative performance painting artist with a unique style of work combining painting, performance and music. Amos has a PhD from Dartington College of Arts and has drawn international acclaim for her provocative, powerful and bold works.

Follow Pauline Amos on Twitter at @paulineamos99 and like her page on Facebook by clicking here.

September 20, 2017
Moron of the Moment – Killer Cyclist Charlie Alliston

Irresponsible cyclist whose out-of-control fixed gear bike killed a mother of two in London deserved to be jailed; the law must now change

Perhaps also an ‘Aggressor of our Age’, our ‘Moron of the Moment’ just had to be a reckless cyclist whose actions resulted in the death of a mother of two.

On 12^th February 2016, former McDonald’s worker Charlie Alliston chose to ride an illegal for road use Olympic style fixed gear track bike with no front brake on Old Street, East London. He crashed, at a speed of 18 miles per hour, into 44-year-old Kim Briggs causing “catastrophic head injuries” that resulted in the human resources executive’s death a week later.

Jailed on Monday for a paltry 18 months after being convicted of causing bodily harm by wanton and furious driving under an archaic piece of legislation used to prosecute horse and carriage drivers in the 19^th century, what is especially shocking is that this 20-year-old showed utterly no remorse.

In various online posts after the accident, Alliston also wrote such heartless and disgusting comments as:

“That in way whatsoever was this my fault… She ignored me… I can put my hands up and say this was not my fault.”

“I warned… Get the f**k outta [sic] my way, which she didn’t.”

“Yes it is her fault… Hopefully it is a lesson learned on her behalf… She put not only hers, but my life in danger. But as usual theres [sic] always the odd w**er that has to blame the cyclist.”

“I’ve already had a lot of s**t from it already.”

“Eventually she got carted away, I had to sit in the van for several hours waiting for an officer to come and take pictures of the situation.”

“I was not recklessly riding, riding fast.”

“F**k me and my health, I can heal and recover. The bike cannot!”

“At the end of the day if you know the flame will hurt you, you still proceed to put your hand over it and get burnt. Its [sic] your fault, I refused to accept any responsibility in this whatsoever. She saw me and acknowledged my presence yet still carried on it. Its [sic] not my fault people think they’re invincible or just have zero respect for cyclists… Why the f**k did she stop in the middle?”

We very much hope this vile and callous horror has a most pleasant time in prison. Charlie Alliston also provides an example as to why cyclists should be forced to be insured and the outcome of this case also provides proof as to why the law should be updated to reflect the damage and destruction that cyclists do sometimes wreak.

September 19, 2017
A Big House

Vast Georgian village house in Oxfordshire for sale for £4.25 million

A Grade II* listed, mid-18^th century village house in Adderbury, Oxfordshire has just gone on sale for £4.25 million ($5.74 million, €4.79 million or درهم21.10 million) after fifty years in the same family.

Providing a total of 11,290 square foot of accommodation and including 5 reception rooms, a 38-foot long kitchen, 4 cellar rooms, 10 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms, Cross Hill House is built of Horton stone and has a Welsh slate roof. It is described as being of “the mid-Georgian style” and as “a big house” by Country Life’s Penny Churchill.

Formerly owned by Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Everard Du Cane Norris (1869 – 1960), Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire in 1939 and a significant freehold property owner in Hackney, London until the 1930s, the house comes with 5.98 acres of formal and informal gardens, 2 Victorian walled gardens and 3 large garages.

Cross Hill House – which is 3 miles from Banbury and 18 miles from Oxford – is listed by Damian Gray of Knight Frank LLP.

September 19, 2017
Hero of the Hour – Farhad Neda

Farhad Neda rescued his disabled mother from the 23^rd floor of the Grenfell Tower; they are the only survivors from the penultimate level of the building

Whilst others headed upwards tragically wrongly thinking a helicopter would rescue them, 23^rd floor resident of the Grenfell Tower 24-year old Farhad Neda realised the best course of action was to get his disabled mother out.

Ignoring the advice of his neighbours, Neda – a mechanical engineering graduate and former hotel receptionist originally from Kabul, Afghanistan – hoisted his mother above his shoulders and completed a 240-foot descent to safety. He had to negotiate bodies in the stairwell and on reaching safety, both he and his mother lapsed into comas.

Neda – whose father sadly died after jumping from the burning inferno – told Channel 4 News last night that it was a “miracle” that he and his mother were the only people to survive from the level of the 24-floor building where they lived. He is a genuine hero and should be saluted as such.

September 14, 2017
A Cheap Cottage

Detached Grade II listed Georgian cottage in London, E13 for sale for just £180,000

What could be one of London’s cheapest detached Georgian houses is headed to auction.

Built in 1836 as the gate lodge to a now demolished mansion known as Bedfords and later The Willows, Grade II listed Willow Lodge in Willow Grove, Plaistow, E13 was itself originally thatched but now has a slate roof.

The rendered and whitewashed single storey freehold cottage, which provides one reception room, a kitchen, one bedroom and a bathroom, looks idyllic in close-up pictures but actually, sadly, adjoins a rather grim looking 1950s/1960s housing estate to the rear and a playground named the Valetta Grove open space to the front. It comes with a private rear garden and is described as “in need of modernisation.”

Plaistow London Underground Station is just two minutes away and a guide price of £180,000+ ($237,000+, €198,000+ or درهم871,000+) has been set by auctioneers Savills. They will sell the property on Monday 25^th September at the Marriott Hotel in Grosvenor Square, Mayfair, W1.

September 11, 2017
Dwarfing Misogyny

Rising star female racing driver Jamie Chadwick puts ‘Bungling Bernie’ Ecclestone in his place and dismisses his ridiculous misogynist views

The first ever female and youngest ever winner of the British GT Championship Jamie Chadwick was interviewed in The Guardian last weekend.

Speaking to the paper’s Giles Richards, 19-year-old Chadwick criticized Bernie Ecclestone’s 2016 remarks at an advertising conference about female participation in F1 in London. At the time ‘Bungling Bernie’ remarked: “I don’t know whether a woman would physically be able to drive an F1 car quickly, and they wouldn’t be taken seriously.”

In response, Chadwick candidly stated: “[Ecclestone’s views are] not based on any fact. If I can prove him wrong that’s just added motivation… Everywhere I have gone everyone has respected that I am there to do a job. If I don’t do it I get the same bollocking a male driver would get and if I do I get the same praise.”

She added: “You don’t want a female to be there as a token effort. You have to have made it on merit. The worst thing that could happen would be if you put someone in who could not compete. It would make a mockery of those who are trying to achieve good things.”

Back in 2016, at the same conference, Ecclestone shared other views that were not exactly considered logical. He also bizarrely suggested that Vladimir Putin “should be running Europe” and expressed his support for Donald Trump to become 45^th POTUS. In his dotage, one is left wondering if this little dwarf-like man has been spending too much time watching One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

September 8, 2017
Little Nigella

Clubbable sorts will love the opportunity to live like Nigella Lawson above Little House Mayfair

When the flatform trainer loving cook Nigella Lawson first split up with Charles ‘The Throttler’ Saatchi back in 2013, she took up residence in an apartment above the Little House private members’ club in Mayfair’s Queen Street.

Nigella Lawson arriving at her apartment at Little House Mayfair in 2013

Now, one of the club’s four apartments has recently become available to rent at price of £6,600 per week ($8,600, €7,200 or درهم31,800 per week) or £28,600 per month ($37,500, €31,100 or درهم137,600 per month). Featuring two bedroom suites and a third ‘bunk room’ that could be converted to provide a gym, the second floor space on offer also has a double aspect reception room, is accessed by lift and comes with full club access.

Savills have the listing and the website for the apartment complex and club – which was previously used as a bank – notes it comes with a “fully stocked kitchen or we’ll do it for you.” No wonder Nigella felt at home.

September 7, 2017