The Steeple Times

Tag: London

  • Lady Ridsdale DBE (1921 – 2009, née Victoire Bennett)

    Lady Ridsdale DBE (1921 – 2009, née Victoire Bennett)

    Dame Paddy Ridsdale, as she generally known, was an intelligence operative, secretary to Ian Fleming during WW2 and the inspiration for the Bond character Miss Moneypenny.

     

    A Conservative Party stalwart and married to Member of Parliament for Harwich from 1954 to 1992 Sir Julian Ridsdale CBE (1915 – 2004), Dame Paddy – or Vicky, as she was known to some – is best known for her role in ‘Operation Mincemeat’, a “famous caper” concerning a “man who never was” in 1943.

     

    In the war, Dame Paddy wrote love letters and telegrams that were planted on the body of ‘Major William Martin’, an invented, drowned naval officer, that was floated in the ocean off Spain. The body carried fictitious plans of a purported Allied invasion of Sardinia and Greece and formed part of a plot designed to deflect attention from the Allied landings in Sicily. Of it, she later remarked: “I was sent to buy clothes in all the best men’s shops and had to pose as his girlfriend. I had to go to post offices and rather loudly send this telegram to ‘my boyfriend’, hoping of course that somebody would overhear me”. In due course, the body was indeed found, the Axis powers completely taken in and “Mincemeat swallowed whole, hook, line, and sinker”. A BAFTA winning film directed by Ronald Neame, The Man Who Never Was, made about the deceptive scheme in 1956.

     

    Dame Paddy was known as a “political hostess in the style of a bygone era”, lived in a mansion “sandwiched between a sheikh and a Saudi prince” in The Boltons for the majority of her adult life and is buried in the grounds of the church there. She had one daughter, became Lady Ridsdale when her husband was knighted in 1981 and was appointed Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in her own right, for political services, in 1991.

     

    Of her relationship with her one-time employer Fleming, she concluded: “Ian had so many girlfriends that I was not tempted to become one of them”.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xemGlAV6TAw

     

  • Rich Pickings

    Rich Pickings

    Trophy house with a “dictator interior” in The Boltons has nearly £10 million sliced off its asking price; iceberg home behind reduced by £5 million

    A house in London’s second most expensive street has returned to the market at the much reduced price of £30 million ($38.8 million, €35.5 million or درهم142.6 million) in spite of having an interior that would only appeal to the likes of Bashar al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein.

     

    Previously marketed at £39.5 million ($47.1 million, €47.1 million or درهم188.3 million) in 2015 through Russell Simpson and now offered by Knight Frank, semi-detached 6 The Boltons extends to 9,781 square foot and comes with a 2,469 square foot mews house to the rear in Creswell Place.

    Both buildings are described as “requiring modernisation throughout” and in total provide 5 reception rooms, 16 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The main house has a lift to all floors, air conditioning and as well as parking for 5 cars, there is an internal garage and an interconnecting garden.

     

    For those with another £32.5 million ($42.1 million, €38.5 million or درهم154.5 million) to spare, Knight Frank also offer another house adjoining the Cresswell Place mews house. Featured in The Steeple Times last May, that house, Cresswell House, has also had a rather punchy £5 million ($6.5 million, €6 million or درهم23.8 million) sliced off its asking price. A super-compound anyone?

    Rich Pickings – 6 The Boltons, London, SW10 9TB, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank for £30 million ($38.8 million, €35.5 million or درهم142.6 million) – Adjoining Cresswell House, 5 Creswell Place, London, SW10 9RD for sale for £32.5 million ($42.1 million, €38.5 million or درهم154.5 million) Rich Pickings – 6 The Boltons, London, SW10 9TB, United Kingdom – For sale with Knight Frank for £30 million ($38.8 million, €35.5 million or درهم142.6 million) – Adjoining Cresswell House, 5 Creswell Place, London, SW10 9RD for sale for £32.5 million ($42.1 million, €38.5 million or درهم154.5 million)

  • Tito’s Toy

    Tito’s Toy

    Ex-President Josip Broz Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly by Ghia to be sold at auction in London

     

    Josip Broz Tito liked cars. It appears he didn’t care if they were little or large and someone without the means to purchase his £2.5 million ($3.1 million, €2.9 million or درهم11.4 million) 1971 Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman Landaulet – featured on these pages in April – could acquire a 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly by Ghia owned by him for the lower, yet still somewhat punchy, sum of £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) at an auction in London in May.

     

    Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)
    Josip Broz Tito, born Josip Broz (1892 – 1980), President of Yugoslavia (1953 – 1980)

     

    To be offered by Coys of Kensington at their forthcoming Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster on 18th May, the ‘Economical’ converted Fiat 500 was owned from new by the 1st President of Yugoslavia. He was pictured using it on numerous occasions.

     

    Subsequently part of the Classic Automobile Museum collection in Belgrade for a number of years, the white runaround – chassis number 1100271507 – has covered just 12,500 miles and is described as “driving like new”. It comes with a certificate of authenticity and would make the perfect accessory for the owner of a super yacht, seaside estate or golf course.

     

    Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800) Tito’s Toy – Ex-President Tito 1964 Fiat 500 Jolly Economical by Ghia to be auctioned on 18th May 2017 by Coys of Kensington at their Royal Horticultural Halls sale in Westminster, London, SW1 – Estimate £70,000 to £100,000 ($90,500 to $129,300, €83,200 to €118,900 or درهم332,400 to درهم474,800)

  • Moving Jobs

    Moving Jobs

    Your Move estate agency employee sues firm for constructive dismissal and sexual harassment after boss allegedly offered him a blowjob if he hit targets

     

    An estate agency firm took rewards for good performance to another level if allegations made in a Croydon courtroom this week are to be believed.

     

    According to The Sun, Sarah Thompson, 51, who works at Your Move’s regional headquarters in Chessington offered to perform a sex act on a national financial services director at the same firm if he hit his targets.

     

    Paul Elworthy, 45, alleges Miss Thompson stated: “If you bank £180,000, I’ll give you a blowjob” at a boozy senior consultants’ reward lunch. He added: “This was said to me in the presence of a number of people. It made me feel very uncomfortable”.

     

    Giles Barrett, a fellow employee at Your Move – a firm that describes itself as “Britain’s most visited estate agent” – has backed up Elworthy’s claim and though the company and Miss Thompson strenuously deny the claims, a judgement is expected shortly.

     

  • Take Me To The Titanic

    Take Me To The Titanic

    Apartment in mansion block in Sloane Square for sale for £6.2 million in spite of needing updating; it is within the building from which a Mayor of Chelsea lived and departed to his death on RMS Titanic

     

    A third floor flat in a portered mansion block on Sloane Square has gone on sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons in spite of being decorated like a relic from the 1980s. It is situated above Hugo Boss’ flagship store and within Grade II listed Wyndham House, the building from which a former Mayor of Chelsea went to his untimely death aboard the RMS Titanic in 1912.

     

    Previously priced at £6.5 million ($8.4 million, €7.7 million or درهم30.9 million) when marketed by Russell & Simpson in February 2016, the 2,684 square foot lateral apartment includes a 30-foot long reception room, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and features such details as ornate ceiling friezes and plasterwork and working fireplaces. A larger 5 bedroom flat within Wyndham House sold for the staggering sum of £12 million ($15.5 million, €14.2 million or درهم57 million) in July 2015 according to Land Registry records.

     

    Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912
    Wyndham House resident and Mayor of Chelsea from 1909 to 1911 Charles Head (1869 – 1912) perished aboard RMS Titanic, his body was never recovered but a sundial was erected in his memory in nearby Cadogan Place Gardens

     

    Aside from being one of Chelsea’s grandest residential blocks, Wyndham House was at home to one of the victims of the Titanic maritime disaster in the early 1900s and it was from here that Charles Head, Mayor of Chelsea between 1909 and 1911, went to his death in April 1912. Head, a Cambridge educated barrister turned director of Head & Co. insurance brokers and underwriters at Lloyds of London, was a well known supporter of the arts, a councilor from 1906 and had only married 18 months earlier. He travelled alone on a £42 first class ticket (the equivalent of £4,400, $5,700, €5,200 or درهم20,900 today) on the Titanic’s maiden voyage and bizarrely had taken out a £25,000 insurance policy “against ocean accidents”. His precaution left his widow very well provided for given such a sum was the equivalent of £2.6 million today ($3.4 million, €3.1 million or درهم12.4 million).

     

    Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912 Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912Take Me To The Titanic – Wyndham House, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AR – For sale for £6.2 million ($8 million, €7.3 million or درهم29.5 million) through Cluttons – Home to Christopher Head (1869 – 1912), former Mayor of Chelsea, who died on the RMS Titanic on 15th April 1912

  • Adrien Gaubert – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Adrien Gaubert – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with Adrien Gaubert, award-winning co-founder of myGwork – an inclusive LGBTI recruitment hub

     

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

    Positivity and fun. I am grateful to be alive and able to do what I do. Enjoy every moment.

     

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

    Just be yourself, be honest and work towards a goal. You’ll achieve it.

     

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

    Bashar al-Assad.

     

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

    I miss living in China. I am a great fan of Chinese culture and their way of thinking.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    To give food and shelter to everyone.

     

    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?

    Our financial system protects the wealthy and has given up on the poor.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    “God wants” – I don’t believe, if there were such a thing as God, he would expect anything from humanity.

     

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

    Whenever someone asks me for a coin in the street, I give them a smile and give them what they have asked for. I believe such people are incredible brave to ask others for help and comfort. I personally support anyone in need without distinction or judgement. I never buy sandwiches for homeless people when they ask for cash even if they might use it to buy alcohol or drugs. If I were living on the street, I might also want to get high so as to forget about my situation.

     

    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?

    Your microwave could explode anytime, but you use it everyday. I believe mobile phones are a great communication tool and I would not give mine up.

     

    myGwork co-founder Adrien Gaubert – What’s on your mantelpiece?

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

    I would take my brothers, my mum and my grandma and grandpa (with whom I watched the movie adapted from the Agatha Christie novel when I was a child).

     

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

    I would eat some really spicy Sichuan food.

     

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

    12pm if it is summer and a holiday. 7pm during the week.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    If it is just one, then tea but if I get more than one, martinis.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    Mexican weddings. Those people clearly know how to celebrate.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    Probably me.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Cigarettes.

     

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

    I have no tattoos and I am not a fan of them as a form of expression. Personally, I would not get a tattoo to remember who or what I love.

     

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

    A Jaguar. They are safe and fashionable.

     

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

    I have a twin brother.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    Flowers.

     

    Adrien Gaubert is a 29-year old Frenchman who now lives in London. He co-founded myGwork, a networking and recruitment platform to promote diversity for LGBTI professionals and graduates, with his twin brother, Pierre.

     

    Follow the Gaubert twins on Instagram at @thegaubertwins

     

  • Reader Offer – ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ by Verdi at Winslow Hall

    Reader Offer – ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ by Verdi at Winslow Hall

    Winslow Hall Opera’s ‘Un ballo in maschera’ by Verdi to be performed in Buckinghamshire in July

     

    Between 7th and 16th July, a production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera will be performed in the grounds of Winslow Hall in Buckinghamshire.

     

    The opera in three acts will be conducted by Oliver Gilmour, Winslow Hall Opera’s artistic director for the last three seasons, and directed by Carmen Jakobi. Attendees will have the opportunity to enjoy picnics before afternoon performances and supper during an 85-minute interval in the evenings.

     

    Reader Offer – Winslow Hall Opera’s ‘Un Ballo in Maschera’ by Verdi at Winslow Hall, Winslow, Buckinghamshire, MK18 3HL – 7th to 16th July 2017.
    ‘La traviata’ was performed at Winslow Hall in 2015, its set was designed by Sam Steer

     

    Grade I listed Winslow Hall itself is a fascinating house that was once described as “the Rolls-Royce of English domestic architecture”. Supposedly built to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren, the building – famed for its curiously tall chimneys – has variously been a school, an office for RAF Bomber Command and an antiques showroom.

     

    Restored as a private house by a former British ambassador to the Netherlands in the 1950s, Winslow Hall was sold to the former restaurateur Christopher Gilmour and his delightful Australian wife, Mardi, in 2010.

     

    Details:

    Tickets are priced between £75 and £95 per person (with a discount of £10 per ticket on bookings made before 15th May). For further information and to book, telephone +44 (0) 754 472 6501 or email [email protected]

     

    Performance dates:

    7th July at 6pm

    9th July at 3pm

    11th July at 6pm

    13th July at 6pm

    15th July at 5pm

    16th July at 3pm


    Dress:

    Black tie is optional.

     

    Address:

    Winslow Hall, Winslow, Buckinghamshire, MK18 3HL. Parking is available in the field opposite. Trains from London Euston to Milton Keynes take 30 minutes.

     

  • Backing Borwick

    Backing Borwick

    K&C resident Justin Downes shares his reasons for supporting Victoria Borwick, the Conservative Party Parliamentary Candidate for Kensington

     

    It is sad that politics has become – if it ever wasn’t – such a filthy business. It is sadder still when a politician noted for integrity, hard work and compassion becomes the subject of a barrage of lies and politically motivated vilification.

     

    Reading some of the remarks about the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Kensington Victoria Borwick in the comments section of a recent article in The Steeple Times, I wondered whether the individual referenced could possibly be same person I have known for so many years.

     

    Could I be prejudiced because I vote Tory? That is doubtful: I haven’t voted Tory for many a year. Maybe, it is because I don’t think I have the political agenda that those attacking Victoria seem to and maybe it is because I believe I actually take people as I find them.

     

    Like many thousands of other residents, I have always found Victoria Borwick ready to help anyone at any time, irrespective of who they might be. Have those authoring these derogatory comments ever met her? I doubt it.

     

    In a world of boring conformity Victoria stands out as her own person. Many will remember the time RBK&C proposed destroying Sloane Square. Victoria – a lady I’ve never known to use the title ‘Lady Borwick’ – stood side by side with residents to the detriment of her political career. It was made clear to her by the then leader of the council, the hideous Sir Merrick Cockell, she would be out in the cold for years to come.

     

    If Victoria faces one criticism, in my view, it’s that she gets over-involved in cases where an overbearing council is bullying the weak. I particularly remember the case of an old soldier, living in the most terrible of conditions, with developers harassing him at every turn. Victoria fought for him like a lioness. She would even pop by to ensure he had food for the weekend.

     

    On a separate but connected note, I have recently been advising a very bright young Conservative candidate (yes, I am politically indifferent). He is facing selection for a Midlands seat: one that overwhelmingly voted ‘Leave’. He, himself, was a dogged and campaigning ‘Remainer’.  He asked me, if asked, whether he should deny the fact.

     

    My question to him was this: “Are you, or are you not, a conviction politician?” He replied he hoped he was. He answered his own question, took his chance and got selected. So, integrity does count in politics.

     

    Justin Downes is a resident of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. He has been a reader of The Steeple Times for a number of years.

     

    The Steeple Times welcomes well-reasoned and contrasting contributions from readers on all subjects as long as they comply with our editorial guidelines. Should you wish to contact us in such regard, please email [email protected]

     

  • The Busy Borwicks

    The Busy Borwicks

    Son of Kensington MP Lady Borwick’s curious connections to the people who ensured both Brexit and the election of Donald Trump revealed

     

    On Sunday, Carole Cadwalladr of  The Observer published a lengthy and well researched article that, amongst other things, examined the connections between The Hon. Thomas Borwick – the son of the Conservative hereditary peer The Rt. Hon. The Lord Borwick and Kensington’s Member of Parliament Lady ‘Call me Victoria’ Borwick – and the controversial US hedge fund titan and backer of Donald Trump, Robert Mercer.

     

    A director of a multitude of companies, in spite of being just 29 years old, “new media expert” Thomas Borwick – whose mother was forced to apologise “after using City Hall resources to promote her husband’s [now defunct] electric vehicle business” in 2009 – it now transpires, was not only Vote Leave’s chief technology officer but previously worked with SCL/Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ. Borwick currently touts himself to his 202 followers on Twitter as the founder of a political canvasing consultancy named Kan.to, an organisation that he boldy claims “will out-organise, out-plan, out-leaflet, out-twitter, out-work and out-vote all of its opponents”.

     

    Mercer, one of the owners of the far-right Breitbart News Network as well as being a major shareholder in Cambridge Analytica, is a man whose “sinister” connections to both Trump and Nigel Farage have rightly been widely criticised. On that basis, that the son of fervent Brexiteer Lady Borwick – a woman whose constituents voted 69% to ‘Remain’ and whose domain was home to a greater proportion of EU nationals than any other London borough in 2016 – has links to this billionaire and his activities should only encourage the voters of Kensington to ditch her and her out-of-touch party.

     

    We urge Kensington based readers to support Annabel Mullin of the Liberal Democrats on 8th June. This principled lady is the only person who can realistically unseat Lady Borwick and she is the only candidate who will support the beliefs the majority in this constituency continue to hold dear.

     

    #DumpLadyBorwick #VoteAnnabelMullin

     

  • Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’

    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’

    As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?”

     

    Last May, the acerbic Spectator columnist Taki wrote a brilliant opinion piece bemoaning the ghastly affair he believed New York’s Metropolitan Museum Gala had become. It perfectly summed up the vulgarity of an age where Kardashians have replaced Vanderbilt Sloanes and where Anna Wintour and her condescending ‘club’ have seized the mantle. This week, Primates of Park Avenue author Wednesday Martin took the debate one stage further and asked: “Is it time to say bye-bye to the black tie charity ball?” in an article for Town & Country magazine.

     

    Whilst Martin quoted a “titan of finance” as saying: “No one really wants to attend a gala”, she also suggested that “showing up feels somehow retro, tangible, genuine”. Society is still forced into the routine of putting on black tie and parading out in both America and Britain yet in reality, everyone would most likely rather be down their local spit-and-sawdust.

     

    Aside from the rubber chicken (and vomit inducing wine), the likelihood of being stuck with nine crushing bores and the inevitable raffle of rubbish, such affairs are now mostly the preserve of a club of Z-listers and desperados. At such gatherings, you’ll find trolleyed trailer trash like Dawn Ward of The Real Housewives of Cheshire clucking with titleless tosspot twits like David Furnish and each and every Friday’s ES Magazine bears testimony to this fact. The black tie bash deserves to come to its natural end, but what on earth will replace it?

     

    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    The inevitable rent-a-crowd that now dominates at black tie gatherings in Britain these days is focused on daytime TV presenters and obscure reality wannabes
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    Tamara Ecclestone and husband Jay Rutland (pictured with Donna Air behind them) might be moneyed, but where’s the class?
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    Stephen Fry and husband Elliott Spencer are a duo willing to turn up to the opening of an envelope
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    If you really want to lower the tone, invite champagne swiller Dawn Ward and her ex-footballer husband
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    Alexa Chung is the ultimate guest if you want to make it to the ‘ES Magazine’s’ party pages (in spite of the fact she’s actually pretty pointless)
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    No party is complete without legendary crasher and shopping aficionado David Pun; last night he was spotted lingering outside the entrance to the opening night of the 2017 London Motor Show and given his antics he even has a Twitter account named in his honour
    Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’ – Death of Black Tie Balls – As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?” – Sir Elton John and David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Tamara Ecclestone, Jay Rutland, Dawn Ward, Ashley Ward, Elliott Spencer, Stephen Fry, Alexa Chung, Esther Rantzen, Anthea Turner, Grant Bovey
    Anthea Turner and Grant Bovey used to host an annual ball in their garden; their marriage is now toast and the ball, for them at least, is most definitely over