“I’m sorry I still love him” unabashedly declared author, journalist and “stationary addict” Susie Steiner of Tony Blair on Twitter during the coronavirus lockdown whilst amusingly adding of Boris Johnson: “If only I could retreat to Chequers.” Registered fully blind and a mother of two, this former Guardian commissioning editor did a “little one-page feature, showing the ‘Keep Calm’ poster as one of her favourite things” in 2005. “After that, all hell broke loose,” according to Stuart Manley, co-owner of Barter Books of Alnwick, and what Steiner terms a “message of stoicism and patience” went viral. She thinks “it’s had its day now” and after publishing her first novel, Homecoming, in 2013, this West Hampstead based Londoner signed “significant six-figure” deals for her subsequent works. “Susie is a joy to publish” remarked Suzie Dooré of Borough Press, whilst she herself gave away the secret to her much deserved success in a 2016 interview with TheHampstead & Highgate Express: “I’m very disciplined about my work… The daily-ness is what matters; it’s being in contact with it all the time that keeps the work alive in your mind. Your mind is doing it even when your trogging up the hill from school or waiting in the hairdressers. It fingers it like a pebble in your pocket.”
John Simpson marks the publication of his novel ‘Moscow Nights’ at Daunt Books in Marylebone
Described as: “An engaging yarn with a strong, sometimes mischievous autobiographical element” by The Sunday Times, esteemed foreign correspondent John Simpson launched his second novel at Daunt Books in Marylebone last night.
John Simpson and Claire Rubinstein
Amongst those present to celebrate the occasion were – in from New York – financier Marcel Croome, Brexit campaigner Gina Miller and her hedge fund titan husband Alan, the Daily Mail’s Alexis Parr and social media guru Claire Rubinstein. As drinks flowed, guests admired Daunt Books’ clever displays and many copies of Simpson’s book – a topical tale based around espionage and skulduggery titled Moscow, Midnight – were sold to a most enthusiastic gathering.
Alan Miller, Gina Miller, Claire Rubinstein and Matthew Steeples
Daunt Books was packed for the occasion
Claire Rubinstein and Marcel Croome
Matthew Steeples, Claire Rubinstein and friends
Marcel Croome, Claire Rubinstein and Alexis Parr
Description – MP Patrick Macready has been found dead in his flat. The coroner rules it an accident, a sex game gone wrong.
Jon Swift is from the old stock of journos – cynical, cantankerous and overweight – and something about his friend’s death doesn’t seem right. Then days after Macready’s flat is apparently burgled, Swift discovers that his friend had been researching a string of Russian government figures who had met similarly ‘accidental’ fates.
When the police refuse to investigate further, Swift gets in touch with his contacts in Moscow, determined to find out if his hunch is correct. Following the lead, he is soon drawn into a violent underworld, where whispers of conspiracies, assassinations and double-agents start blurring the line between friend and foe.
But the truth will come at a price, and it may cost him everything.
Long Island mansion with links to ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘The Big Short’ for sale for £13.1 million (or 152% more than it sold for in 2011)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940) set his ‘Roaring Twenties’ classic The Great Gatsby in the fictional locations of East Egg and West Egg on Long Island and now one of the homes that inspired him is available for sale.
Owned by Cornwall Capital founder James Mai – a man whose firm ironically made over 80 times its capital by buying credit default swaps on CDOs prior to the 2008 financial crisis – and his wife Chiara since 2011, 235 Middle Neck Road at Sands Point on Long Island’s Gold Coast was built in 1926 and home to the Rumsey-Harriman railroad dynasty from 1929.
Fitzgerald is said to have spent time at the residence learning about “the lifestyle of the moneyed aristocracy of Old Westport, Long Island, and their involvement in the movement of eugenics” from the Rumseys and ironically, James Mai, is also representative of a clash between ‘old’ and ‘new’ money. In 2008, he and his partner are said to have been the ones “screaming about [the coming crash] as loud as they could, but everyone turned a deaf ear.” The character Jamie Shipley, played by Finn Wittrock in the 2015 film The Big Short, is loosely based upon him.
Current owners Chiara and James Mai are said to have spent vast sums on the renovation of the estate
Featuring 11,955 square foot of renovated accommodation that includes formal and informal entertaining spaces, 13 bedrooms and 8 bathrooms. There is also a 6-car garage with a 3-bedroom caretaker’s cottage, a 4-bedroom beachside cottage and a boat house.
Outside, on a plot of some 5.3 acres, there is a 391-foot private beach, a tennis court and in spite of its seeming isolation, the property is situated just 29 miles from Downtown Manhattan and 25 minutes by boat.
235 Middle Neck Road is listed by Nava Mitnick of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International. In December 2016, of it, she commented: “Obviously, it’s so imposing – you drive down and see the sweeping views. But when we entered the house, I described it as a ‘glorified cottage’, because it’s so homey.”
For sale with agent Malin Giddings, the 5,490 square foot, 4-storey detached house offered includes not only 4 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms, but also a bar, wine room, exercise room, elevator and barbecue. It comes with a 2-car garage, two balconies and a garden and is curiously described as having a “re-scripted aesthetic” that “caters to the 21st century family while incorporating the best finishes of yesterday and today”.
Built in 1940 and completely reconfigured by Ken Fulk – an “incredible… sprightly… design guru” with a client list ranging from Napster’s Sean Parker to Bebo’s Michael and Xochi Birch, according to Vanity Fair – £8.40 million ($10.75 million, €9.62 million or درهم39.50 million) is sought for the house.
Indicative of the sharp rise in prices in the neighbourhood since it became popular with the titans of Silicon Valley, 1994 Jackson Street sold for $6.25 million in 2008 (the equivalent of $7.10 million, £5.55 million, €6.35 million or درهم26.09 million today) and $1.43 million in 1994 (the equivalent of $2.36 million, £1.84 million, €2.11 million or درهم8.67 million today). Plainly, now, this is a house that’s anything but a steal.
Prior to renovation – 1994 Jackson Street, Pacific Heights, San Francisco, California, CA 94109, United States of America as it was presented when sold in 2008
1994 Jackson Street today
The house is set just beneath Danielle Steele’s ‘Spreckels Mansion’ (2080 Washington Street)
Danielle Steel and her palatial home
1994 Jackson Street (viewed from the side)
The house has been made-over by San Francisco “man-about-town” Ken Fulk
He is famed for having designed homes for amongst others Michael and Xochi Birch
The staircase of 1994 Jackson Street
The house’s main reception space
The dining room
The kitchen
A colourfully carpeted entertaining area
A recreation room with a bar
The master suite has a bedroom area, sitting area, dressing room, balcony and bathroom
A “libertarian-left” Labour MP between 1997 and 2010, distinguished barrister and novelist Bob Marshall-Andrews defected to the Liberal Democrats in 2017. Described as “an irritant” to his former party whilst they were in government, multi-millionaire Marshall-Andrews built and owns “one of the most innovative houses of the 20th century – the famed ‘Teletubby House’ in Druidston, Pembrokeshire – and is chairman of the George Adamson Wildlife Trust. In 2013, of him, Chambers Legal Directory remarked: “Juries love him… I’ve never seen a jury eat out of anyone’s hand as much” whilst he amusingly references himself as “the complete antidote to political humbug”. Of Labour, this “intellectually brilliant” individual added: “They’re a basket case…They effectively abdicated all responsibility [on Brexit]”.
12th century castle and romantic ruin in Herefordshire for sale for £1.495 million; a title to go with it is available also
A part restored castle on the English-Welsh border is back on the market after its buyer pulled out at the end of last year. Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye at at Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire’s story somewhat echoes that of the fictional castle in the 1949 novel I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – adapted to a film starring Bill Nighy and Henry Cavill in 2003 – and now, it presents an opportunity for someone wanting to own either a truly unique private home or somewhere to create a most romantic boutique hotel and events venue.
Now offered for £1.495 million ($1.94 million, €1.77 million or درهم7.12 million) and providing a total of 4,036 square foot of internal accommodation, Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye dates to the 12th century but was largely destroyed in the English Civil War (1642 – 1651).
An aerial view of Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye, Wilton, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6AD, United Kingdom with the River Wye beyond
The castle as a ruin
Kestrels are amongst those that make Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye their home
Subsequently abandoned until 1731, when bought by the trustees of Guy’s Hospital, the castle was bought by the legendary retail and property magnate Sir Charles Clore (1904 – 1979) in 1961 and then restored from 2002 onwards. It includes elements of architecture from the Norman, Tudor, Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian periods and is Grade I listed Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Standing in 2 acres of gardens, primarily within the rampart walls themselves, the castle house comprises of 4 reception rooms, a galleried former chapel, 2 kitchens, 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. There are three original towers (out of the five originally built inside a now dry moat) and whilst two are already back in use, the third, ‘The Great Tower’ could potentially be converted to provide 3 bedroom suites, a new glass entrance and a drawbridge.
In March, of his eccentric home, current owner Alan Parslow told the Evening Standard: “It was a bit of a wreck when we bought it, but after ten years of restorations it’s a lovely family home. We’ve loved living here. It’s a delight to wake up to, surrounded by history”.
Of the future, Parslow added: “We haven’t enough money or time to do The Great Tower up so we’d like to pass it on to someone else”.
Previously, his wife, Sue, was interviewed by The Ross Gazette about the sale. She remarked: “It is quite different from other ruined castles as it is really a garden around a castle”.
Namesake Wilton Castle, Bree, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland has similarities in that it is also part-home, part-ruin
Curiously, an unconnected Irish castle of the same name, Wilton Castle in County Wexford has had a similarly chequered history. Built first in 1247, expanded into a mansion in 1847 and burnt to the ground in 1923, this vast landmark has, like its Ross-on-Wye namesake been subject of a major renovation project since 2004 by its owners, farmers Seán and Antoinette Windsor.
The younger sister of the diva-esque actress Joan Collins, “Queen of the Bonkbuster” Jackie Collins wrote 32 novels and sold over 500 million books during her lifetime. (more…)
Michael Bloomberg offers £2 million above the £15 million asking price to see off three other bidders and buys George Eliot’s house by the River Thames(more…)
