Tag: property

Rocking with royalty

A £26 million residence with connections to rock, royalty and rectors

Built in the early 1500s, The Old Rectory is Wimbledon’s oldest house. Standing in grounds of 2.5 acres, this 16,200 square foot property was once described by a biographer of Sir Henry Cecil as being “not luxurious, but adequate” but now once again it finds itself in an entirely different league.

An image of The Old Rectory, 82 Church Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 5AA in 1978. Present day imagery has been removed at the request of agents acting for the current owners.

Priced at £26,000,000, it is almost certainly one of the most expensive homes to ever come to the market in Wimbledon and whoever moves there next will undoubtedly be either an oligarch, an A-list personality or a top achieving business person.

The purchaser will follow in the footsteps of a fascinating array of historically important residents, the first of whom was Henry VIII (1491 – 1547). The King took up residence in 1547 in the months prior to his death and is said, as he was so bloated, to have been unable to climb the stairs to his sleeping chambers. His bed was relocated to the great hall of the house and here he slept next to the fire. Historical research recounts that, with a brewhouse, beer and wine cellars, a coal cellar, meat room, buttery and two dairy rooms, this was a “house fit for a king.”

Henry VIII (1491 – 1547)

Catherine Parr (1512 – 1548)

Henry VIII gave The Old Rectory, which was originally called The Parsonage House, to his sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr (1512 – 1548). Preferring a residence in Chelsea, Parr left and the Dean and Chapter of Worcester Cathedral took possession. A lease was sold to Sir William Cecil (1520 – 1598), later Lord Burgley, and the manor then passed to his son Thomas Cecil (1542 – 1623), the 1^st Earl of Exeter.

In 1639, Charles I (1600 – 1649) bought the entire manor and gave it to Queen Henrietta Maria (1609 – 1669) but with the era of Comwell, The Old Rectory found itself occupied by General John Lambert (1619 – 1684). Shortly after, when a grander house was built next door, the property became first a laundry house and then servant accommodation and gradually fell into decline.

The Old Rectory passed next to Sir Theodore Janssen (1658 – 1748) in 1720. This French-born English financier, who was said to be worth the staggering sum of £250,000 at the time of his purchase of the house, was a founder member of the Bank of English but later disgraced for his part in the South Sea Bubble. He was expelled from the House of Commons and with his ruination, The Old Rectory saw yet another chapter of abandonment.

The garden front of The Old Rectory by Charles Henry Money Mileham (1837 – 1917)

By 1802, the house was described as an “uninhabited” ruin. A speculator credited with developing “modern Wimbledon” named John Augustus Beaumont bought it and restored and extended it but when it was sold to a Samuel Wilson in 1882 for £6,000, an era of truly comprehensive upgrades was to begin. Wilson added a pebble-dashed two-storey drawing room wing, carved oak doors and installed English, Flemish and Italian chimneypieces.

The next owner was a marine engineer named Matthias Jacobs who had been responsible for the construction of tunnels in Paris and New York. After having purchased The Old Rectory in 1909, he commissioned his brother to add a new single storey billiards room, a service wing and a study extension to mask the medieval chapel of the house. Jacobs sold up in 1923 to a Thomas Lethaby, who fitted oak paneling from Chantry House in Newark and a plaster ceiling based on the one at Knole House, Kent.

Lord Brock FRCS, FRCP (1903 – 1980)

In 1953, the eminent London surgeon and cardiologist, Lord Brock FRCS, FRCP (1903 – 1980), took possession of The Old Rectory after having paid £13,750 for it. Brock is credited as on of the pioneers of modern open heart surgery and also founded the Lord Brock Memorial Trust that to this day funds the museum he founded, The Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garret in Southwark, SE1.

Following the death of his first wife Germaine Louise Ladavèze, Brock sold to an Iraqi entrepreneur and philanthropist named Basil Faidhi in 1978. Faidhi had fled Iraq for Britain and though he spent vast sums restoring the house with assistance from English Heritage, he also created a basement discotheque for his daughter, Nina, and a bar. Aside from bringing the house into the “yuppie era,” Faidhi also commissioned a historian named Richard Milward MA to write a history of the building in 1992 entitled: The Rectory – Wimbledon’s Oldest House.

The Queen lead vocalist and anti-badger cull campaigner Brian May CBE purchased The Old Rectory in 1994 for £4,000,000 with the intention of living there with the Eastenders actress Anita Dobson.

Brian May CBE with his second wife Anita Dobson

Dobson, who didn’t marry May until 2008, had other ideas and refused to move in. It was suggested that she preferred a smaller house the pair occupied in Kensington and, at the time, a friend commented:

“[May] begged her to move into the new house so they can make a fresh start. Nobody can believe that Anita doesn’t want to be the lady of this fabulous house. But Brian says he can’t get through to her.”

Sir Donald Insall CBE

As a result, May never properly moved into The Old Rectory and eventually decided to sell. In 2006, it achieved a record price of £16,000,000 and in the ensuing years, an Italian architect-owner named Antonella Carminati and her husband have lavished time and money on further restorations with the help of Sir Donald Insall CBE’s Insall Associates firm of architects.

The driveway that leads to The Old Rectory from Church Road gives plenty of privacy

New fittings have been installed throughout and substantial extensions to the house have included a new kitchen and breakfast room with garaging beneath. The couple have demolished an early 20^th century porch and an “unsightly” oak conservatory, remodeled the billiards room as a drawing room and removed a “bilious” blue swimming pool from the east lawn.

Now featuring 12,882 square foot of accommodation in the main house and 3,320 square foot of additional accommodation, The Old Rectory has been planned to include 8 reception rooms; a vast kitchen with La Cornue appliances and an adjoining breakfast room; master bedroom suite with two dressing rooms, his and her bathrooms and a sitting room and 7 further bedrooms.

Outside, the gardens feature an original medieval fig tree trail, shaded paths, lawns and a large pond as well as garaging for six cars. Planning permission for an indoor swimming pool complex has also been granted and ample staff accommodation is provided above one of the garages and in the gate lodge.

Given the now limited financial resources of the traditional religious houses of Britain, will it be rock, royalty or new money that next takes possession of The Old Rectory? The historians of Wimbledon will undoubtedly be watching.

The Old Rectory, 82 Church Road, Wimbledon, London, SW19 5AA is for sale through the Wimbledon office of Knight Frank. For more information call: +44 (0) 20 8946 0026.

October 14, 2012
Bravo the Beeb

Matthew Steeples reacts to the BBC quietly dropping the “Sir”

This morning when I turned on Radio 4’s Today programme, as has become customary in the last weeks, the first item on the news was about a man who will forever be associated with abuse and paedophilia, Jimmy Savile.

In recent days, as more and more allegations have surfaced against the Jim’ll Fix It presenter, politicians like David Cameron have looked to make hay by calling for Savile to posthumously lose his knighthood. They talk twaddle as such a title cannot be taken from you once you are dead as that very title actually dies with you. To actually “remove” the title would involve a costly change in the law and frankly, as disgusting as this pervert now appears to have plainly been, is it really worth the expense and parliamentary time during these times of austerity?

Plain old Jimmy Savile

When Jeffrey Archer was jailed, calls were made to strip him of his seat in the Lords. In, my humble opinion, rightly, nothing was done. Since leaving prison, Lord Archer has righted his wrongs by doing much good. Archer’s situation and crimes, I admit, were different to those of Savile but his and that of Lord Lucan should be a guide.

If Jimmy Savile were to lose his title now, should the hereditary title of Lord Lucan also be removed? Should his son lose a title because, even though never convicted, his presumed deceased father stands accused of the murder of his children’s nanny? This area of law could indeed become very complex and frankly the exploration of it is pointless.

The Today programme, however, have found a far simpler and cheaper solution. This morning, they did what we should all do. They now simply refer to this revolting individual as plain old “Jimmy Savile.” Let’s all follow this lead, drop the “Sir” and leave it at that.

October 13, 2012
Now who’d want to live in a house like this?

Matthew Steeples discovers a penthouse that even the most ambitious estate agent may struggle to flog

Estate agents are a tough breed and there are very few properties that they might admit could verge on being impossible to sell. We believe, however, that we might have found one that could be in the same league as, perhaps, the homes of Myra Hindley, Harold Shipman or John Christie. In fact, this Leeds penthouse could be even more difficult to sell given how many photographs the last owner had taken there during his lifetime.

The exterior of Lake View Court, Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2TX gives little a way other than the resemblance to a Soviet apartment block

The penthouse enjoys superb views across Roundhay Park and the Waterloo Lake

The split-level 33ft reception offers a vast entertaining space and comes complete with a shagpile carpet that Austin Powers would be proud of

In view of their tiling advertisement, perhaps the owner did a deal with Callerton Kitchens (http://www.callerton.co.uk)

A bedroom gives further indication that this place hasn’t had much done to it since the 1970s

On first inspection, this 3-bedroomed £325,000 top floor flat in Lake View Court at Roundhay in Leeds sounds like it could be a bargain. It includes a 33ft by 13ft split-level living room, a large balcony, a fitted kitchen (that bizarrely features tiling prominently displaying the name of the kitchen’s manufacturer, Callerton Kitchens), 2 bathrooms, a single garage and a double parking space in an underground garage.

Though the agents, Alan Cooke, give a hint that it needs a complete makeover when they state that the apartment is “now ripe for improvement,” it has a “security entry phone system, an automatic lift giving private access, gas central heating system and double glazing.” They also add that it features a “magnificent outlook” across Roundhay Park and the Waterloo Lake and is on a lease of 125 years from 1971. The ground rent is just £60 per annum and a maintenance charge of £2,000 per annum doesn’t seem to be too bad either.

“And here, for our home and studio audience, here’s who house it was…” Jimmy Savile

This image of Savile in a state of undress might indeed have put off a few buyers

Savile pictured in the reception room of the penthouse

Now what could be wrong with this pad and why has it languished on the market since the summer? Well, it turns out that this is the former main home of the late Jimmy Savile. Though his possessions were removed and auctioned some months ago, the disgraced television presenter’s tawdry style of décor remains as a legacy of his occupation of the flat. One simply would not want to think of what the Jim’ll Fix It presenter got upto in this place and frankly, who’d want to move into this poisoned chalice?

Equally, we don’t think Loyd Grossman will be calling round at any point in the near future to ask: “Now, who’d want to live in a house like this?”

For more information on The Penthouse, Lake View Court, Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS8 2TX, contact agents Alan Cooke Moortown, Moortown, Leeds, LS17 6PY on +44 (0) 113 288 8666.

See full details of the property at: http://www.alancooke.co.uk/property_details.php?id=116111

October 13, 2012
Don't duck, duck

Matthew Steeples discovers the truth about the origins of the Gressingham duck

I grew up in North Lancashire and spent much time in the Lune Valley. Here, I was regularly told, in the 12^th century village of Gressingham, a staple of the menus many English restaurants and the most common farmed duck had originated: the Gressingham duck.

Recently, whilst chatting to a restaurateur, the subject of Gressingham duck came up for some bizarre reason. When I told him of the bird’s Lancastrian origins, he firmly disputed this and told me that they were actually of East Anglian extraction.

Gressingham ducks

The Loyn Bridge crosses the River Lune close to Gressingham, near Lancaster

Gressingham duck features on many restaurant menus

Having chatted with several other foodies, they, equally, were of his opinion. After then having spotted it on yet another restaurant menu last week, I decided I simply had to establish the true origin of this bird before I went, excuse the pun, quackers.

A Google search didn’t come up with a great deal but it did produce the required evidence. As I believed, he Gressingham duck was first bred in Gressingham, Lancashire in 1980 by crossing a Pekin duck with a wild mallard.

The result was a succulent, tender bird with a high breast meat yield and a gamey flavour. Of it Delia Smith comments: “It’s the very best type of duck available… Because of it’s smaller frame, [it gives] more meat.”

A Suffolk based couple named Maurice and Miriam Buchanan began rearing and processing Gressingham ducks in 1989 and then bought the exclusive rights to breed them in 1996. Their company, Green Label Foods, now Gressingham Foods, are now the only firm licensed to produce the “Gressingham Duck®” and now employ over 500 people on their farms in East Anglia.

Gressingham Hall, Gressingham, Lancaster, LA2 8LP

A view of Gressingham Hall from the road

Separately in my Google search I also discovered that the main house in the village of Gressingham has recently come to the market through agents Fine & Country. 7-bedroomed Gressingham Hall, a Grade II* listed 17^th century former farmhouse comes complete with 3 reception rooms, a Jacobean staircase and 10 acres of grounds.

A price of £1,350,000 is sought for Gressingham Hall whilst a separate cottage across the drive, Garden Cottage, has a guide price of £350,000. Whoever purchases it had better had get a Gressingham Duck® in the oven for their first night in residence.

Gressingham Hall, Gressingham, Lancaster, LA2 8LP is for sale through Fine & Country, 19 Castle Hill, Lancaster, LA1 1YN. Telephone: +44 (0) 1524 380560. View a brochure for Gressingham Hall at: http://media1.fineandcountry.com/v3/clients/171/properties/50018185/MED_50018185_50031560.pdf

For more details about Gressingham Duck® and Gressingham Foods, go to: http://www.gressinghamduck.co.uk

October 8, 2012
Going under the Kosh

The sale of a $25 million mansion modeled on Marie Antoinette’s favourite retreat that has connections to Levi Strauss & Co., Yehudi Menuhin, the Zodiac Killer and a controversial dot-com tycoon

Modeled on the Petit Trianon, a small château in the grounds of Versailles that was favoured by Louis XVI’s wife Marie Antoinette, the Koshland Mansion at 3800 Washington Street in Presidio Heights, San Francisco, California was built between 1902 and 1904 for a pioneer wool, hide and fur merchant named Marcus S. Koshland and his wife, Corrine.

The Washington Street elevation of the former Koshland Mansion at 3800 Washington Street, San Francisco, California, CA 94118

An aerial view of the 18,000 square foot property and the 2,600 square foot guest accommodation

The inspiration for the Koshland Mansion: The Petit Trianon, Château de Versailles, Place d’Armes – 78000 Versailles, France

The Koshlands, whose son Daniel (1920 – 2007) was to become a president of Levi Strauss & Co., commissioned an architect named Frank S. Van Tree to design a replica of the Petit Trianon after having admired it whilst on holiday in France. The front of the building, facing onto Washington Street, is considered such a faithful representation of the neoclassical building the Koshlands copied and as a result the house is now designated a San Francisco Designated Landmark.

Daniel E. Koshland, Jr.

Some 20,000 square foot in size and set on a 2/3^rd acre plot, the completion of this sandstone faced “single family residence” was celebrated by the Koshland family with a Marie Antoinette themed ball in 1904. The invitations to this legendary event were purchased and printed in Paris and hand delivered to the guests.

The Koshland Mansion survived San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake with only a little damage to the front elevation

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, just two years after they’d completed the building, somewhat interrupted the Koshlands hectic party schedule at 3800 Washington Street. Though the disaster caused the front columns and roof balustrade to collapse, the couple generously opened the otherwise undamaged property to some 60 to 80 displaced family and friends. With no mains water, the guests had to fetch water from Fort Mason but they were no doubt happy to have had somewhere to take refuge.

During subsequent renovations, as well as restoring the façade, a 5-car garage was added in 1909 and a greenhouse and extension in 1912. In the ensuing years, until her death in 1953, Corrine Koshland, better known as Cora, opened up 3800 Washington Street as a venue for concerts. A founder of the San Francisco Symphony Association and one of the first directors of the San Francisco Opera Company, Koshland invited music critics to review the performances and gave both Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern their musical debuts at the house as child prodigies. Amongst the other big names to play in the masnion were Igor Stravinsky, Jascha Heifitz and Leonard Bernstein.

Sir Yehudi Menuhin KBE (1916 – 1999) pictured in his youth

In 1953, the Koshland Mansion was sold for $100,000 by the estate of Cora Koshland. The purchaser was Walter E. Buck (1884 – 1966), president of the American Distilling Company. Buck and his wife Emily, who were well known for “Gatsby-esque parties” at their 1,300 acre estate, Woodside, redecorated 3800 Washington Street by “painting the mahogany library white, removing the dark green, gold-tooled leather from the dining room and developing small card rooms in the basement.” It seems likely that the era of parties at 3800 Washington Street continued during their occupancy.

On 11th October 1969, a murder occurred on the block where 3800 Washington Street stands when the Zodiac Killer, a to this day unidentified serial killer who operated in Northern California in the 1960s and 1970s, shot and killed a cab driver named Paul Stine. Stine had collected his passenger one block west of Union Square and had, as requested, driven him to the intersection of Washington and Maple Streets in Presidio Heights. Once there, the cab driver was shot once in the head with a 9mm before the killer, observed by three teenagers across the street, took his wallet and car keys. The Zodiac Killer tore off a section of Stine’s bloodstained shirt, wiped the cab clean and walked off into the night before the police could arrive.

A sketch of the Zodiac Killer

Subsequently, on the 14^th October 1969, the San Francisco Chronicle were mailed a swatch of Stine’s shirt to prove he was the killer and then on 9^th November 1969, a 7-page letter followed. Excerpts from it were published from it in the newspaper on 12^th November which revealed that a police officer, Don Fouke, who had responded to the teenager’s call, had actually encountered the killer for 5 to 10 seconds on a stairway of a house close to the murder scene. Fouke had been told to look for a black suspect and on seeing a white man going into the yard of a house, had discounted the individual and drove on. The Zodiac Killer, in his letter, detailed the encounter but claimed that two policemen had actually spoken with him 3-minutes after he’d shot Stine.

In 1975, a neighbour, Paul Renne purchased 3800 Washington Street for $675,000, supposedly to prevent it being acquired by property developers, but having been used as the 1982 San Francisco Decorator Showcase house, it was placed on the market and sold to a gallery owner named Heidi Betz and her business partner, an art collector named Charles Pankow. They paid $1.5 million for the house but failed in their bid to turn it into an art gallery due to objections from neighbouring residents.

Halsey Minor

In the two decades that followed 3800 Washington Street was sold several more times but finally it’s glory days looked set to return in 2007 when it was purchased by an “internet titan” named Halsey Minor and his second wife, Shannon. Having paid approximately $22 million for what essentially was going to be a very expensive renovation project, Minor supposedly assigned a further $15 million towards renovations and hired Michelle Obama’s favourite designer, Michael S. Smith, to oversee the project.

Minor founded CNET, a tech media website that published news, articles, blogs and podcasts on technology and consumer electronics, in 1992 after leaving Merrill Lynch and built it into one of the first internet companies to achieve profitability. CNET was sold for $1.8 billion in 2008 and is now CBS Interactive. Another of the companies he co-founded in 2000, salesforce.com, was “one of the most successful companies of the decade” and achieved a market capitalisation of in excess of $15 billion.

Having made a small fortune from his dot-com success, Minor diversified into investments that brought with them a lifestyle that would later be described as “a multi-millionaire who lived life as a billionaire.” In 2007, he began construction of a hotel in his hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia and announced this would be part of a series he’d open as part of the Minor Family Hotel group he planned. The hotel has never been completed.

Carter’s Grove, 8797 Pocahontas Trail, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, VA 23187: considered to be one of America’s finest and most historic residences. It was bought by Halsey Minor in 2007 and has fallen into significant decline in the years since.

The 1983 Group of Seven (G7) meeting at Carter’s Grove. Pictured outside the house are: Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister, Canada; François Mitterrand, President, France; Helmut Kohl, Chancellor, West Germany; Amintore Fanfani, Prime Minister, Italy; Yasuhiro Nakasone, Prime Minister, Japan; Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister, United Kingdom; Ronald Reagan, President, United States of America and Gaston Thorn, President, European Commission

In the same year, he also bought the Koshland Mansion and purchased 400 acres of land and a residence on the James River, the Carter’s Grove Plantation, for $15.3 million. Here, he planned a centre for thoroughbred horse breeding and at around the same time he attempted to buy both the Hialeah Park Race Track in Hialeah, Florida and the Pimlico Track in Baltimore. Both bids failed.

Minor’s investments were not just limited to property and the equine sector. In 2006, he placed a $3 million deposit on a $59 million Gulfstream G650 and at Sotheby’s in 2008, he was the winning bidder on a painting by Edward Hicks, The Peaceable Kingdom, at a hammer price of $9.6 million and also bought paintings by Andy Warhol and Childe Hassam.

Around this point, however, this dot-com tycoon’s fortune began to unravel when Merrill Lynch called in a $25 million loan and various legal suits connected to his art collection, investments and properties commenced. Several of his homes were repossessed and at a court hearing in August 2011, he claimed to have just $112,643 in cash and owned no publicly traded securities. Minor claimed to be majorly broke but the declaration did not cover illiquid assets such as art, real estate and shares in non-public companies. To this day, Minor remains listed in first place on the State of California’s Franchise Tax Board’s top 500 delinquent taxpayers owing some $10,455,580.69.

In response to his supposed progression from riches to rags, Minor wrote an article for The Huffington Post in July 2012 entitled “Why I Fight”:

“I often wonder what Thomas Jefferson would think of today’s America, a nation that is rapidly but silently abandoning the individual in favour of faceless corporations, rapacious banks and a collusive, unresponsive government… The simple answer is that someone must [fight] or we will emerge from this recession with wealth and power concentrated in a few tiny financial institutions representing a new ruling elite, not unlike the one that inspired Thomas Jefferson’s generation to revolution.”

Somehow, in spite of his changed circumstances, Minor has managed to hold on to 3800 Washington Street. Though, during his tenure, the house has fallen into decline and is now half covered in ivy, it is still one of San Francisco’s finest properties and it is still situated in one of the city’s best neighbourhoods. It is still an asset of considerable value and Minor’s decision to sell may well help him rake back some of what he has lost.

The hallway at 3800 Washington Street

A drawing room at 3800 Washington Street

One of the property’s dining rooms

The opulent ballroom at 3800 Washington Street

Steven Mavromihalis of Pacific Union International launched 3800 Washington Street onto the market in May 2012 for $25,000,000. This move came just after two Abandoned Building Notices had been issued on the property by the City and County of San Francisco Department of Building Inspection. On offer is the 18,000 square foot main house at 3800 Washington Street, a 2,600 square foot 3-bedroom house at 3810 Washington Street and a vacant lot at 125 Maple Street. Though the agents don’t give much more in the way of details, they do refer to the house having a double marble Palladian staircase, 22 rooms, a “spectacular ballroom,” 8 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 9 fireplaces, 3 kitchens, an elevator and three original stained glass windows by the San Francisco poet, writer sculptor and artist Bruce Porter (1865 – 1964).

According to the agents, 3800 Washington Street is second only to Danielle Steele’s 55-room residence, The Spreckels Mansion, at 2080 Washington Street in the rankings of the largest homes in San Francisco. This is most certainly a mansion with a fair few tales to tell but whoever buys it will need both Steele’s wealth and imagination to get it back into good order. Dot-com tycoons and serial killers need not apply.

Read more about the Zodiac Killer at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_Killer

A profile of Daniel E. Koshland, Jr. is available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_E._Koshland,_Jr.

Read more about the downfall of Halsey Minor at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2154564/Halsey-Minor-tech-guru-files-bankruptcy-ruined-Carters-Grove-estate.html

All enquiries about 3800 Washington Street, Presidio Heights, San Francisco, California, CA 94118 should be directed to Steven Mavromihalis of Pacific Union International on +1 (415) 345 3030 or email him at: [email protected].

More details are available at: http://www.pacunion.com/homes/CA/San_Francisco/94118/3800__Washington_St/AGT-107397278-685992/ whilst a video tour of the property can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/42775765

October 1, 2012
Prince Lorenzo Borghese: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

The Steeple Times asks the businessman, philanthropist and reality television star Lorenzo Borghese: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

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

Beer and bacon. I need both to function.

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

“No one sues a homeless man.”

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?

Kerry Katona: Who is she anyway?

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

My black Labrador, Belle, who died of cancer in 2005.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Someone else’s wealth, someone who has more wealth than I have.

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 banking crisis?

Plant more trees.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

LOL.

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

Charity begins with a problem that needs a solution. Helping others is our responsibility as the dominant beings on this planet. My favorite charity is Animal Aid USA not just because I co-founded it, but because all of it’s members are volunteers and love animals.

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

They say: “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Being blown up kills you, so that’s where I draw the line.

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

My family, close friends and a little band called The Rolling Stones – there’s never a good party without good music.

Prince Lorenzo Borghese

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

Three bacon cheeseburgers in the middle of the Amazon jungle. I think they would provide me with enough energy to sneak away and get lost forever.

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

That all depends what one is drinking.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

Why do I have to choose? I’ll take all three.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

The one’s I have because I tend to know more people at those.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Mickey Mouse: That guy is always waving and dancing.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

I don’t have one. What pleases me doesn’t make me feel guilty.

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

A tiny freckle: I’m not a fan of tattoos, so the smaller the better.

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

Any electrical car as long as it’s yellow, has four wheels and a great sound system.

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

I don’t wear underwear – I never understood the purpose.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

Several pictures of my family, a lighter and an empty pack of matches.

Prince Lorenzo Borghese is the founder and president of Royal Treatment, a high-end bath, body and skin care line for pets. He is also the founder and president of Animal Aid USA, a not-for-profit focusing on saving animals and changing laws to stop animal cruelty. In 2006, he starred in ABC’s reality show, The Bachelor, and in summer 2012, he was one of the housemates in Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother in the UK.

For more information on Royal Treatment, go to: http://www.getroyaltreatment.com

For more information on Animal Aid USA, go to: http://animalaidusa.org

September 26, 2012
No man is an island

The joys and pitfalls of island life

Living on a private island would, to many, seem like a dream. The prospect of being able to do what you want, when you want and without having to pander to rules and regulations indeed does sound appealing. Swapping the rat race and daily commute for white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters and peace and tranquility would undoubtedly tempt huge numbers of us. Taking up the mantle of Robinson Crusoe certainly has it’s merits, but what are the perils of owning an island and what is currently available?

The Greek island of Patroklos

On the leading website for the sale of islands, Private Islands Online, the most expensive undeveloped island on offer is the island of Patroklos in Greece. This relatively flat 643-acre undeveloped island boasts a “mild and pleasant” climate and 275-acres of cultivable land. It has about 150 goats and 5,050 olive trees and the agent suggests now is the perfect opportunity to exploit and develop tourism there. A price of £120 million is sought. So much for Greek austerity as whoever buys it will still have to shell out further to construct at least one residence.

The Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Massaro House on Petra Island

An especially spectacular option, also available through Private Islands Online, is Petra Island, just 15 minutes by helicopter from New York City on Lake Mahopac. The island itself, which is said to have been for sale for a number of years, is 11 acres in size and is currently owned by Joseph Massaro, a sheet metal tycoon. The highlight here is a 1,200 square foot cottage designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a 5,000 square foot residence, Massaro House, built to the same architect’s designs in 2008. Though the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation state of the latter: ““It’s not a Frank Lloyd Wright house, because it hasn’t been certified by the foundation,” this is a home that would certainly suit any James Bond villain. The agent declines to share the asking price, but it certainly at the higher end of the scale.

At a more modest price is Nautilus Island, off Brooksville in Maine. This 37-acre island was in the ownership of the same family for 130 years until 2004 and is named after the British war sloop “Nautilus,” that engaged the American vessel “Hazard” in battle in it’s waters during the American Revolutionary War.

An aerial view of the island of Nautilus

The main residence on Nautilus Island

The island of Nautilus’s boathouse now serves as a stylish private bar

The island includes a renovated 6-bedroomed main house, a farmhouse and a guest cottage. It also boasts open fields, perennial and kitchen gardens and a seaside vineyard for wine production. There is a protected harbour with a pier and moorings and over one mile of rocky coastline with gravel and shell beaches. A price of approximately £4.9 million is sought prior to auction on the 18^th October through John Saint-Amour of LandVest.

Returning to Europe, Knight Frank offer a 65-acre island off Ireland’s west coast named Inishturk Beg at a price of £2.85 million. Sitting in Clew Bay, County Mayo alongside 364 other islands, receivers of an Egyptian-Irish businessman named Nadim Sadek are trying to find a buyer for a property that includes a main 7-bedroom house, 4 smaller properties, various outbuildings and an AstroTurf sports pitch.

An aerial view of Inishturk Beg Island

The main residence on Inishturk Beg, The Island House, comes complete with extensive leisure facilities

Singing the praises of Insishturk Beg, Harriet Grant of Knight Frank comments:

“It is an easily accessible island and although it’s in the Atlantic it is very sheltered. And the island itself has plenty of natural shelter. It is an extraordinary development in which no expense has been spared. The electricity and water come straight from the mainland and it also has broadband access.”

British TV presenter Ben Fogle, who starred in the BBC reality show Castaway 2000, set on the Scottish island of Taransay, warned of the dangers of island ownership in an article in The Times recently when he commented: “A lot of people get seduced by the island dream without thinking of the realities.” Taransay came up for sale in 2011 and though Fogle put together a consortium that raised £1.5 million, he was beaten off by a landowner from the neighbouring island of Harris.

Television presenter Ben Fogle pictured on Taransay during the filming of the BBC’s “Castaway 2000” reality show

The Barclay brothers, owners of amongst other things The Ritz and The Telegraph Group, have had their fair share of trouble since purchasing the sister island of Sark, Brecqhou, in 1993. They have rowed with Sark’s government over everything from inheritance law to property taxes and whether they should or should not be allowed to use motor vehicles. Their case illustrates the perils of upsetting the locals.

Issues such as electricity provision, sanitation, the delivery of food supplies and how one would cope with an emergency may seem more mundane but also must be considered by those purchasing an island. Sir Richard Branson found this to his cost when the 8-bedroomed Great House on his £60 million Necker Island in the Caribbean burnt to the ground in August 2011. If he’d been on the mainland, his residence would most probably have been saved.

The remains of The Great House on Sir Richard Branson’s Necker Island

On this morning’s Desert Island Discs, Hollywood actress Goldie Hawn requested that the luxury she would like to take would be lip-gloss. Presenter Kirsty Young said she could have two tonnes of the stuff. Frankly, in reality though, anyone buying into island life would have to have a lot more practical things higher up their lists.

For more information on Inishturk Beg Island, Westport, County Mayo, Ireland, go to: http://search.knightfrank.com/gwr120043

For more information on the islands of Patroklos, Greece and Petra, New York, go to: http://www.privateislandsonline.com

For more information on Nautilus Island, Brooksville, Maine, go to: http://nautilusisland.landvest.com

September 23, 2012
Trevor Abrahmsohn: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

The Steeple Times asks Trevor Abrahmsohn, the founder and managing director of Glentree Estates: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

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

Knowledge and charm.

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

The ninth ‘no’ is a precursor to yes!

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?

Vince Cable.

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

Making money more easily.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

Good health if mine were failing.

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 banking crisis?

An accident that was waiting to happen. No surprise there.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

‘Elf’ and Safety!

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

A multiplicity of good causes with a significant percentage of our turnover donated to children’s cancer charities, Make A Wish Foundation and Jewish Care.

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

They are one of the most important building blocks in the post Thatcher liberated society and are responsible for the explosion of the service industry amongst others. It is one of the most important innovations for both business and pleasure.

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

Peter Ustinov, Frank Sinatra, Stephen Hawkins, Margaret Thatcher, John Barry, Ernie Bilko and Arthur Lowe.

Trevor Abrahmsohn of Glentree Estates

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

A mighty New York strip steak with Idaho potato and salad in Palm Beach, Florida, looking at the sea.

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

7.30pm.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A Martini.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

The fun and informal ones with lots of laughter and cheer.

Who is the most positive person you know?

My wife and mother.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Too much good food.

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

99% good 1% bad!

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

A classic Aston Martin.

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

My 14 handicap.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

A father’s day card from my children.

Trevor Abrahmsohn is best known for selling “trophy” homes and has dealt with the majority of the sales on London’s “Billionaire’s Row,” The Bishop’s Avenue. His firm, Glentree Estates, is situated at 698 Finchley Road, London, NW11 7NE. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8458 7311. Website: http://www.glentree.co.uk

September 4, 2012
Luca Del Bono

This stylish Anglo-Italian entrepreneur was one of the founders of Quintessentially. Charm personified, Del Bono now assists wealthy foreigners invest in London’s finest homes and businesses. His most talked about venture is a £100 million project that will turn 50 St James’s Street into a member’s club, spa and hotel. In the residential sector, he represented a Ukranian who purchased Hanover Lodge in Regent’s Park for £120 million: Britain’s most expensive single family residence. His is a Rolodex that is second to none.

July 21, 2012
Raffaele Mincione

He was once engaged to Heather Mills but had a very lucky escape when she chose to marry Sir Paul McCartney instead. This Italian banker got the bargain of the century when he purchased 25 Lennox Gardens in Knightsbridge for just £18 million. The asking price had been set at £40 million and a previous offer of £34 million had been rejected.

May 23, 2012