Tag: officer

Getting Away Scott Free – Scott Borgerson Sells Up

“Ugly memories” prompt Ghislaine Maxwell’s estranged hubby Scott Borgerson to offload his £5.4 million Manchester-by-the-Sea mansion as he moves on with a sexually saucy “yoga enthusiast” with an “ass that could crack open a walnut”

Illustrating himself as an ultimate cad-about-town and complete cowardy custard Scott Borgerson allegedly dumped his for long totally “secret wife” Ghislaine Maxwell in a telephone call to the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn where she remains “growling” and “doing monster moves” as she awaits sentencing on 28^th June.

Now after having gotten himself rather into a tizzy when snapped out and about shopping and in his Tesla, 45-year-old Borgerson – who has allegedly also started a new relationship with a sexually saucy “yoga enthusiast” with an “ass that could crack open a walnut” named Kris McGlinn – has put his Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts home on the market.

Twice thus far married Borgerson, who didn’t even bother to turn up once to support his wicked wife whilst she was on trial in December and left her soppy siblings as her lone supporters, is certainly a man of mystery. Described on Google as a “military officer,” born in Festus, Missouri and educated at Tufts University and the United States Coast Guard Academy, this clear fan of dressing in a “casual wear” style is said to be worth £3.7 million ($5 million, €4.4 million or درهم18.4 million) according to Real News – a figure which we believe far below his true worth given his spouse has likely used him as a cash transfer vehicle without doubt.

‘The Bouncing Czech’s’ deviant daughter’s first husband to date served in the US navy for four years. His US Marine officer licence expired in 2006 and in the time since he was co-founder and CEO of CaryoMetric Technologies from 2010 until his resignation in July 2020 due to “intense media interest surrounding his rumoured links with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.” Subsequently in October 2020, a spokesman for the company remarked: “[He resigned so as to] ensure his presence would not become a distraction from the work he believes in so deeply.”

Backed by amongst others Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt, Borgerson is definitely as well-connected as his in-the-pokey estranged wife and of why he is selling up, simply remarked: “[Ghislaine Maxwell] was here years ago, but actually left when this thing started to rear its ugly head – her situation from conduct decades ago.”

In typically predictable style only to be expected of an estate agent, realtor Tracy Campion of Campion and Company claimed the Maxwell connection won’t affect the saleability of the home. She brazenly enthused: “We believe the beauty of the house and the location will surpass or outweigh the connection. You drive down a long driveway, and it’s all trees. Then, it opens up on top of a bluff with mesmerizing [sic] views.”

Asked by Mansion Global about the sale, PR peddler Brian Basham – who previously has described his “close friend” Maxwell as “showing amazing fortitude” and “brave and determined beyond admiration” – was decidedly not on his usual ‘dirty tricks’ form and coyly “confirmed that Ms Maxwell had no ownership stake but declined to comment further.”

Pictured top – Now convicted mucky madam and sex offending trafficker of girls Ghislaine Maxwell (AKA Mrs Scott Borgerson) in happier times with her “secret hubby” (left), their first marital home (centre) and the cad-about-town with his new lover, Kris McGlinn.

Alleged alcoholic Scott Borgerson once reportedly said to his first wife, Rebecca Borgerson (pictured with their children, names unknown): “Don’t make me beat you in front of the children.” He truly will go down in history as “a charming chap.” They had married in Palm Beach, Flordia – where Jeffrey Epstein also kept a home – on 19th May 2001.

Ghislaine Maxwell and her one-time lover, the since croaked paedophile Jeffrey Epstein (left) and her replacement “secret” husband and fellow submarine lover (right).

Ghislaine Maxwell’s shabbily dressed husband between 2016 and now has qualities just like her. Both were interested in submarines and both were frankly a bit geeky. They clearly both had no problems with telling lies about their real names when it came to buying real estate and they equally had no qualms about not telling their respective families about their having gotten married.

Kris McGinn, an Instagram and yoga enthusiast, has now got her claws into ‘Bouncing Bob’s’ deviant daughter’s hubby. No doubt, as she squirms in her cell awaiting sentencing, the mucky madam Maxwell has deep desires to chuck a dart at her rotten replacement.

https://twitter.com/KirbySommers/status/1283281840414097408

Scott Borgerson didn’t come to public attention until crusading author Kirby Sommers – author of the deservedly lauded expose ‘Ghislaine Maxwell: An Unauthorized Biography’ – brought up his name in connection with the mucky madam’s purchase of the Tuckedaway, New Hampshire estate where she ultimately got snared. That Ghislaine Maxwell didn’t even tell her own siblings she was married to Borgerson until after she was arrested is telling of the true character traits of both of these decidedly odd individuals. To purchase a copy of Kirby Sommers’s book, click here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_O29R_lI8SY

Here is a man clearly lacking in good taste when it comes to matters sartorial. In a rare interview in June 2011, he spoke about what has been described as “the race for the Arctic” on behalf of the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Names & Numbers – The Phippen-Smith House, 301 Summer Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, MA 01944, United States of America

February 2022 – 301 Summer Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea is listed for sale for £5.368 million ($7.295 million, €6.443 million or درهم26.791 million) by Campion And Company. The firm, however, do not include a public listing of the property on its site and they do not include any current photographs of the house.

29^th December 2021 – Ghislaine Maxwell is found guilty on five out of six of the charges she had faced. Her husband was not present for the verdict and left his wife to face being sent down alone and with just her brothers and sisters to support the by now convicted child sex trafficker.

29^th November 2021 – Ghislaine Maxwell goes on trial at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Her husband did not attend on a single day of that trial.

Mid to late 2020 – Ghislaine Maxwell’s “secret husband” goes off radar, but is seen occasionally “looking glum” and walking their “medium-sized pet dog” in Manchester-by-the-Sea. He had previously been seen walking the pooch in Boston in 2019.

2^nd July 2020 – Ghislaine Maxwell is arrested at Tuckedaway.

13^th December 2019 – Ghislaine Maxwell purchases Tuckedaway, 338 East Washington Road, Bradford, New Hampshire, NH 03221 for £787,953 ($1,070,750, €945,752 or درهم3.93 million) via Jennifer Johnson and Margaret Weathers of Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty. The house had been listed at a price of £879,000 ($1.195 million, €1.055 million or درهم4.389 million) in March that year and sold previously for £773,000 ($1.050 million, €927,000 million or درهم3.856 million) on 15^th December 2017.

June 2016 – The Phippen-Smith House is sold to Tidewood LLC, a limited liability company controlled by Ghislaine Maxwell’s “secret husband,” for £1.802 million ($2.450 million, €2.164 million or درهم8.998 million). The couple are said to have spent £1.8 million ($2.5 million, €2.2 million or درهم9.2 million) on renovations in the years since that included the installation of many security cameras.

April 2016 – Ghislaine Maxwell sells her Upper East Side, New York townhouse for £11 million ($15 million, €13.2 million or درهم55.1 million) and “disappeared.” She had originally bought that property in 2015 for £12.4 million ($16.9 million, €14.9 million or درهم62.1 million).

Date unknown in 2016 – Scott Borgerson marries Ghislaine Maxwell. She eventually revealed she was married to her until then “secret husband” in court in December 2020 to the surprise of the world and her own brothers and sisters even.

20^th June 2015 – Rebecca Borgerson files for divorce from her then husband. She cited “irreconcilable differences.” The couple had married in 2001 and had two children together.

15^th June 2014 – Scott Borgerson is charged with the assault and domestic battery of his then wife Rebecca Borgerson.

2014 – Ghislaine Maxwell meets her future husband at the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland whilst married to his then first wife.

The house where Ghislaine Maxwell began her “hideout” in 2019 is in a seaside setting that is undoubtedly idyllic.

The rear of the house in June 2016 prior to Scott Borgerson and Ghislaine Maxwell making alterations to it. Amongst the changes they made were to replace the first floor balcony balustrades.

The entrance to the ‘Phippen-Smith House’ at 301 Summer Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, MA 01944, United States of America is quite anonymous. It is the kind of “anonymous” that Ghislaine Maxwell would no doubt have very much liked prior to her arrest.

Miss Maxwell bought Tuckedaway, 338 East Washington Road, Bradford, New Hampshire, NH 03221 for £787,953 ($1,070,750, €945,752 or درهم3.93 million) via Jennifer Johnson and Margaret Weathers of Four Seasons Sotheby’s International Realty on 13th December 2019. To do so, she pretended to be called ‘Janet Marshall’ and ‘Jen Marshall’ and her husband Scott pretended to be British in the process too. He faked an English accent and frankly showed his true colours as a deceiver like her in the very process.

February 19, 2022
Watching Ghislaine

EXCLUSIVE – Neighbour reveals Ghislaine Maxwell was under surveillance in 1994 over her “mucky madam” activities at her South Kensington mews house by Met Police officers; Why didn’t they stop her?

As Ghislaine Maxwell’s person-still-unknown “new husband” offers to put up £23 million in bail money and PR peddler Brian Basham spins crazily on her behalf also, we can today reveal that Ghislaine Maxwell was unbelievably under surveillance by British police as early as 1994.

Aside from her residence in Kinnerton Street, Belgravia, Maxwell owned another house in Stanhope Mews East from circa 1989 until 1997. During this period a neighbour – whom wishes to remain anonymous for their personal security – has exclusively revealed to The Steeple Times that their home opposite was used by the police to conduct a surveillance campaign on a woman they believed to be a madam.

The businesswoman concerned told us: “I was visited by officers from the Met Police in 1994 whom asked to use a bedroom in my property and to install a camera at the window to monitor the house diagonally opposite, 69 Stanhope Mews East.”

“I was not told at the time who the person concerned was, but I now realise it was Ghislaine Maxwell who was the owner of that house. I recall seeing very young girls coming and going from that building very often.”

“The officers remained for a week and then I heard no more about what happened next. All I knew was that a brothel was being operated from there and that the police wanted to close it down. They could have caught this evil woman then, but maybe her friendships with powerful people like Prince Andrew helped ensure her criminality was swept under the carpet.”

According to a report, Maxwell “cared for and befriended Minor Victim 3 in London, England, between about 1994 and 1995” and it was at 69 Stanhope Mews East that she shockingly supposedly groomed this unfortunate youngster.

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Watching Ghislaine – The cameras were on Ghislaine Maxwell’s house in 1994; they’re now on her constantly whilst she remains in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Watching Ghislaine – 69 Stanhope Mews East, London, SW7 5QT. Whilst living there, Miss Maxwell was a director of Oxford Football Club Limited from 19th June 1991 to 5th December 1991 and she was subjected to covert police surveillance there in 1994.

Watching Ghislaine – The lights are on, but who is home? Who is living in 44 Kinnerton Street, Belgravia, London, SW1X 8ES – a property still owned by Ghislaine Maxwell – currently? Picture taken on Wednesday 9th December 2020.

December 11, 2020
Dopey Derbyshire Dunces

Derbyshire Police yet again show themselves inept at the art of public relations in tweeting about trying to locate a man who kissed a woman on the cheek to thank her for helping him with his lorry

The “busybodies” of Derbyshire Police will forever be remembered as the dunces of the 2020 coronavirus lockdown.

In a post shared on their own website and online via social media also on Friday, the plainly inept manager of communications for this force shared an appeal. Its wording was beyond weak and its content laughable. The text read:

We are appealing for help to identify a man who kissed a woman on the cheek to thank her for helping when his lorry became stuck under a low bridge.

The incident occurred between 12pm and 4pm on Tuesday, 28 April, in Dale Road, Matlock.

The heavy goods vehicle had become stuck and the woman, who is in her 70s, helped the men to ensure the lorry did not hit the bridge.

After the lorry became unstuck one of the men in the lorry left the vehicle, thanked the woman and kissed her on the cheek.

Officers want to speak to anyone who was in the area at time and may be able to help our enquiries into the incident – of particular interest are any drivers who were in the area at the time and may have captured the lorry on dashcam.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Derbyshire police.

Slammed previously by amongst others Lord Sumption for their “hysteria” during lockdown, Derbyshire Police subsequently were inundated by Twitter users astounded that this ‘matter’ was being shared publicly.

In response, the force’s Twitter manager announced: “This would be classed as a sexual assault as the woman did not want the man to kiss her on the cheek… We’d just like to identify and speak to the man we’ve described at this moment in time.”

Without explaining how a kiss could have lasted from 12pm to 4pm and whether they’d caught the lorry driver who likes to thank with a kiss, Derbyshire Police subsequently deleted their original tweet about the matter. They did not, however, manage to delete the thousands of outraged and mocking responses.

Pictured top: A young man kissing and an older woman. We cannot confirm whether or not the young man in the image committed a crime or not or whether the older of the pair was a willing participant.

Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

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The ‘kiss’ occurred within a window of a four-hour time period on Dale Road, Matlock, Derbyshire in the vicinity of this bridge allegedly.

Derbyshire Police’s appeal was issued on their website (left) and online via Twitter (right) also.

In response to mockery and outrage from Twitter users, the force used their own account to attempt to justify their actions. Their strategy was subsequently met with further derision.

May 16, 2020
His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud

Oxford educated petrolhead HRH Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan al-Saud is married to the Duke of Northumberland’s niece and counts Jeremy Clarkson amongst his friends. (more…)

May 24, 2015
Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart VC, KBE, CB, CMG, DSO (1880 – 1963)

This British Army officer served in the Boer, First World and Second World Wars. He was shot in the face twice in WWI and lost his left eye and was shot once through the skull, hip, leg, ankle and ear. In 1915, he lost his left hand and tore off his own fingers after a doctor refused to amputate them. Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart also survived two plane crashes, escaped capture twice, was branded a “model of chivalry and honour” by Winston Churchill and won a VC in WWII. Of the 1914 – 1918 conflict, he later wrote: “Frankly, I enjoyed the war; it had given me many bad moments, lots of good ones, plenty of excitement and with everything found for us”. Aside from his military might, Evelyn Waugh modeled the character of Brigadier Ben Ritchie Hook in his Sword of Honour trilogy upon this twice married, Oxford educated aristocrat and in retirement he is said to have enjoyed indulging in “pursuing salmon and snipe”. In male company he is described as having been “a delightful character [who] must hold the world record for bad language”.

August 26, 2014
Dan Bilzerian (AKA “Blitz”)

A true player, this Floridian professional gambler and venture capitalist suffered three heart attacks by the age of 30. Thrown out of the US navy for swearing at an officer, Dan Bilzerian is a badboy who now wants to rebrand himself as “the gentleman of poker”. He has a colossal 4 million followers on Instagram and regularly uses the site to post images of himself with female fans and of his extensive gun collection. In one, he commented: “My greatest fear is that someone will break in and I won’t be able to decide what #gun to shoot them with”. Bilzerian’s cars feature the number plates “SUCK IT” and “MR GOAT”.

August 15, 2014
Spying bees

A review of the St. Ermin’s Hotel

I first visited the St. Ermin’s Hotel close to Scotland Yard in St James’s in June 2012 for the first Intelligence Book of the Year Awards. Today, I will return there to attend a reception to announce the second winner of this annual prize by judges Andrew Lownie, Dan Mulvenna, Glenmore Trenear-Harvey, Michael Smith and Nigel West.

The courtyard entrance to the St. Ermin’s Hotel, 2 Caxton St, London, SW1H 0QW

The grand entrance lobby of the hotel

As I reported in my last article on this Victorian property, the St. Ermin’s Hotel’s links with the worlds of politics and espionage are indeed strong. Built in the Queen Anne revival style to the designs of Edwin T. Hall (1851 – 1923) in 1887 and completed in 1889, the horse-shoe shaped building was originally a mansion block prior to being converted to a hotel that opened in 1899 after a major refurbishment by the theatre architect J. P. Briggs (1869 – 1944). Briggs remodeled the public areas and created a spectacular neo-Baroque entrance with balconies, ornate plasterwork and a double staircase.

Due to the building’s proximity to the powerhouses of government, the St. Ermin’s Hotel became a meeting point for officers of the Secret Intelligence Service and, as a result, various traitors and spies. Some worked from offices in the building and amongst them were Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Laurence Grand and Eric Maschwitz. Others came there to be interviewed and the hotel’s bar, The Caxton Bar, is renowned as having been a noted meeting place for secret intelligence officers.

Intelligence officer turned Cambridge Five spy ring member Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess (1911 – 1963)

One of the most notable meetings at the St. Ermin’s Hotel was held in 1940 when Winston Churchill brought together a group to join him in “Setting Europe Ablaze”. These founding members of what was to become the Special Operations Executive (SOE) took over an entire floor of the hotel and carried out covert operations from there throughout the Second World War. MI6 were stationed two floors above and then in the 1950s, the hotel’s bar was the meeting point of Guy Burgess and his Soviet counterpoint when he passed intelligence to the USSR.

A typical bedroom

A luxuriously appointed shower room

Following on from a £30 million refurbishment to designs by Dayna Lee of Los Angeles-based Powerstrip Studio, the 331 rooms and suites at the St. Ermin’s Hotel are now comfortable, well appointed and decorated in a contemporary style. The two that I inspected, whilst perhaps lacking the charm of a boutique hotel such as Blakes, are absolutely ideal for a business traveller or tourist given the location close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. They are well worthy of their four star rating and I slept well given how centrally located the hotel is.

The Caxton Grill

The Caxton Bar

The Caxton Grill, the hotel’s restaurant, continues the traditions of the St. Ermin’s in that it plainly is the haunt of politicians and policeman. Whilst dining there, I met an officer from Scotland Yard who was involved with Operation Yewtree. I can report that, though I had a most fascinating conversation with him about Savile, Davidson and Clifford, I did not leave with any state secrets that I could share here. The restaurant also featured on a recent episode of the BBC One’s MasterChef with Gregg Wallace and John Torode and frankly one could also imagine Hercule Poirot having taken rather a liking to it also. It is modern in style and features wooden flooring, bright décor and snazzy seating.

The restaurant features a menu that focuses on a Josper grill. This £17,000 hybrid barbeque–oven, which I saw so cleverly used by Chris Golding at Beauchamp Place’s Galoupet, allows a chef to cook, barbeque and roast at the same time over charcoal embers at temperatures of upto 600 degrees. Filled with Kentish hardwood every morning, the Josper recirculates smoke via adjustable draughts and, for example, as a result, it takes only about a minute to char infuse lamb and thick-cut beef sirloins. The real thrill of it, though, is that the Josper process ensures that none of the flavor or natural moistness of whatever is cooked in it is lost.

I began with a salad of soured plums, gorgonzola and blackberries (£8) that was colourful and most welcome on a grim winter’s day. My companion tried a roast celeriac and truffle veloute (£7) that though perfectly adequate, did not truly excite.

I continued with a half Temple Farm chicken (£20) that was cooked on the Josper Grill. Well presented and served with a green peppercorn sauce and some garlic and parsley French fries (£4), the cooking process was clearly illustrated. The meat was tender and I must say it was one of the best pieces of chicken I have eaten in years. My companion, an Icelandic financial titan, maxed out on a 300g vintage dry aged sirloin steak (£30) served with béarnaise sauce. Again, cooked to perfection, he was impressed.

Though more than amply fed, we finished by sharing a chocolate fondant (£7). This simple dish melted in the mouth and the accompanying ice cream was just superb.

Wines in the restaurant start at a very reasonable £19.95 for the house white and rise upwards to the £300 a bottle range. A Chablis is priced at £41 and a Gavi di Gavi at £33. The restaurant’s bar, the Caxton Bar, offers a huge array of cocktails but I must say I was rather sad that none of them were spy themed.

The hotel’s rooftop is home to 200,000 Buckfast bees

The honey they produce is truly delicious

The most quirky thing about the St. Ermin’s Hotel is that it has its own colony of bees. “Bees… In Wesminster?”, I hear you cry. Yes, indeed, 200,000 of them prosper on the roof of the hotel and produce the most delicious honey that is available to guests. From three hives, the Buckfast bees, described as being “good tempered”, have fantastic access to London’s parks and travel within a three mile radius collecting pollen and nectar. “London”, states the hotel’s website, is “a perfect environment for bees as… cities actually trap heat, which means they can start foraging earlier in the year than rural bees and continue later into the autumn”. Who’d have thought it? Where once lived spies, now prospers a colony of bees.

St. Ermin’s Hotel, 2 Caxton Street, London, SW1H 0QW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7222 7888. Website: http://www.sterminshotel.co.uk

Follow the St. Ermin’s Hotel on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/sterminshotel

Read our report on the first Intelligence Book of the Year Awards at: http://thesteepletimes.com/da-steeps-speaks/long-live-the-spies

March 19, 2013
We're still at The Sherry

The $95 million apartment of the world’s richest travel agent remains for sale after six months of marketing

The Sherry-Netherland is one of New York’s finest skyscraper apartment-hotels and one of the city’s best known landmarks. The world’s richest travel agent and co-founder of Liberty Travel, Gilbert Haroche, who occupies the entire 18^th floor with his wife Charlene, put his apartment there on the market for $95,000,000 in September 2012 but six months later it remains for sale.

(more…)

March 15, 2013
Boujis in the basement?

Matthew Steeples explores the story of an empty Kensington mansion

A multi-million pound 8-bedroomed house in Kensington isn’t anything unusual. In fact, rather, they’re ten a penny. In this, one of the wealthiest boroughs in the land, large, expensive homes are just the norm.

An image of the existing exterior of No. 1 Campden Hill, London, W8 7AD

A rendered image of how the exterior of the renovated property might look

The plans show a vast subterranean development that will vastly increase the size of No. 1 Campden Hill

No. 1 Campden Hill, which is being marketed for an undisclosed eight-figure sum, is in a quite different league. Here is a detached Edwardian house in an acre of grounds just to the north of Kensington High Street. It’s an unrenovated property but it attracted much press attention in October 2011 because it was place on the market in October 2011 at a price of £75,000,000. Yes, you heard it right: £75 million for a fixer-upper. Last week, Radio 4 made a hell of a fuss about a derelict semi-detached house in Newcastle selling for just £14,000 so this truly must be something special.

Architect Edward P. Warren (1856 – 1937), far right, in the offices of Bodley & Garner, 14 South Square, Gray’s Inn, London

The architect of the house Edward Prioleau Warren (1856 – 1937), a Bristol born architect and archaeologist, was best known for “Oxford colleges and minor country houses” but also designed the War Cemetery at Basra. He was a friend and adviser to the American novelist Henry James and in addition to building No. 1 Campden Hill in 1915, he also designed a house at 5 Palace Green in 1906 and another, Estcort House in Kensington Palace Gardens, in 1904. Warren’s guiding style is described as having been to recreate an “understated revival of English late 17th century” architecture and at No. 1 Campden Hill he created just that.

Colonel Edmond Grove-Hills (1864 – 1922), born Edmond Hills, and his wife, Juliet Spencer-Bell, were the architect’s clients. A plaque on the building bares their names and the following dedication:

This House I built for Me & Mine

May it be of Peace A Shrine

And no Enmity or Sin

Ever find its way therein

AD 1915

Sadly for the Grove-Hills, the following year, their son, Second Lieutenant Charles Herbert-Hills (1895 – 1916) was killed on the Somme aged just 21. His father, meanwhile, was awarded a CBE in 1918 after having served as the Assistant Chief Engineer of Eastern Command during the war.

Aside from his military exploits, Edmond Grove-Hills is best known for his role as president of the Royal Astronomical Society. He took part in observations of eclipse of the sun in Japan in 1896, India in 1898 and Russia in 1914 and contributed papers analysing both this and the causes of the irregular movements of the earth’s axis of rotation.

In 1951, No. 1 Campden Hill was purchased by the government of Uruguay and it became the residence of their ambassador to the United Kingdom. For the next fifty years the building was barely altered but when the lease from the Phillimore Kensington Estate came to an end, there were legal problems as the 1951 transfer had never been stamped. Of this, Sharon Mulroney of Forsters, the legal representatives of Phillimore, commented:

“It is highly unusual to be faced with complications of this kind when dealing with a registered London title, but this made the transaction all the more fascinating. Even the decision to allow ambassadorial staff to return to the property for security purposes after completion was fraught with potential problems about security of tenure, employment and tax.”

The proposed site plan shows the addition of a garden pavilion, staff/security cottage and a tennis court

Eventually, without issue, the Phillimore Estate sold on the house in 2001 for a price of approximately £17,000,000. In the years since, the property was effectively mothballed as all the purchasers have done is to have obtained planning permission to redevelop the building into a mammoth mansion of epic proportions.

A computer rendered image of how the drawing room might look

The “leisure area” is reminiscent of the entrance to The Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel

The private home cinema would be the envy of any movie buff

The swimming pool

The wine cellar is rather like a contemporary take on Berry Bros. & Rudd’s flagship store in St. James’s Street

And to complete it all… The plans include your own version of Boujis in the basement

The approved plans show designs for something quite remarkable. Warren’s “understated” residence will be replaced with 8 vast bedroom suites, grand entertaining spaces, a lift and even bedrooms for 5 staff. In addition to a full-scale renovation of the original freehold house, there is scope to provide a total of 30,000 square feet of accommodation by adding a huge subterranean complex that will include a 25-metre swimming pool, court, squash court, gym, sauna, steam room, function room, entertainment room, home cinema, wine tasting room and even a nightclub to rival any of Kensington’s trendiest haunts.

On that basis alone, No. 1 Campden Hill is surely the ideal residence for Prince Harry: “Who needs Boujis?” we hear him cry.

No. 1 Campden Hill, London, W8 7AD is for sale through Knight Frank. For more details contact Roddy Craggs on +44 (0) 20 7938 4311 or go to: http://search.knightfrank.com/ken100161 to download a brochure.

For more information about The Phillimore Estate, go to: http://www.phillimore-kensington-estate.co.uk

November 5, 2012
Video of the Week: The Queen morphs

The Queen’s life in 3 minutes and 24 seconds

This week we must thank Dan Large for having alerted us to an amazing YouTube video showing Her Majesty The Queen’s life in 3 minutes and 24 seconds.

Elizabeth II

Created by “an old retired guy who likes to play with computers” named “HerBunk” and using the technological wizardy of FantaMorph, the video has attracted nearly 6,000 likes and 300 dislikes. We look forward to hearing what readers of The Steeple Times make of it.

Watch the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nJhG1xE5o&feature=share

October 25, 2012