Combining a mix of society's last word and both wit and wisdom, The Steeple Times covers food, drink and fine dining as well as luxury, travel, the arts, individuals of influence and current affairs in the United Kingdom, America and elsewhere. We are best described as being akin to "a cross between The Huffington Post and Private Eye".
The magazine's following is affluent, engaged and international. With 41% of readers coming from the UK and 38% from America, The Steeple Times also has strong presence within Canadian, Italian, German and Australian territories.
April 1, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
1967 Mercedes ‘Dictator Car’ limousine owned until 1993 by the first President of Ivory Coast to be auctioned after being restored at vast expense Félix Houphouët-Boigny (whom claimed to be born in 1908, but was more likely born in 1905, and died in 1993) was known variously as ‘Papa Houphouët’ (‘The Old One’), the ‘Sage … Continue reading “A Grand Old Man’s Grand Old Merc”
February 5, 2020
by Matthew Steeples
Rolls-Royce owned by eccentric tycoon Nubar Gulbenkian expected to sell for just £30,000 in spite of £200,000 spent on restoration to date Last August, we reported on a Mercedes-Benz 600 sedan complete with a “Jimmy Savile-esque” double bed that was sold in Paris by RM Sotheby’s. It was originally adapted for the bon viveur Nubar … Continue reading “A Cut-Price Gulbenkian”
October 19, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Marilyn Monroe’s 1956 Ford Thunderbird to be auctioned A 1956 Ford Thunderbird gifted as a Christmas present to Marilyn Monroe in 1955 by her business partner, the photographer Milton Greene, is to be auctioned in November. The raven black roadster bodied automatic – dubbed a “personal luxury car” by Ford – comes with … Continue reading “Hit the Road Marilyn”
August 24, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
One-of-a-kind “big caravan-house” with patio on the roof for sale for £30,000; the current owner bought it for just £1 and spent £70,000 restoring it Believed to be the last remaining example of 99 originally made, a “revolutionary” hammer finished aluminium caravan named a Berkeley Statesman has gone on sale. Costing £1,065 when … Continue reading “The King of Caravans”
April 15, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Spectacular hacienda near Seville for sale for £3 million Anyone who has watched the somewhat cringeworthy television programme A Place In The Sun expects a Spanish holiday home to be somewhat beyond vulgar, but in The Palacio, near Seville, a buyer could purchase something truly spectacular. Restored over the last five years, this … Continue reading “A Place In Andalucia”
November 29, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Neglected Georgian mansion that has been home to Sir Dirk Bogarde, Basil Dearden, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Aitken and Robert Kilroy-Silk for sale for 39% less than it sold for in 2014 A dilapidated Grade II* listed country house whose extensive roster of owners numbers aristocrats, rock and film stars and politicians is … Continue reading “The Stars of Beel”
November 18, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Holmby Hills estate owned variously by Sonny and Cher and Tony Curtis for sale for double what it sold for in 2016 A 12,201 square foot mansion on 10.1 acres in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles is on sale for £136 million or double the sum it sold for just a year ago. Featuring … Continue reading “Double Cher”
November 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed Tudor open hall house in West Yorkshire for sale; it comes complete with a replica cabin from a 1920s ocean liner and an ‘apple and pear wheel window’ Situated in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty near the Rochdale Canal in Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire, Wood Lane Hall is a Grade … Continue reading “A Wheel Window”
October 24, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Six-storey Belgravia residence with controversial business connections goes on sale for 22% less than it was marketed for in 2015 and 3,497% more than it sold for in 1997 A 6,961 square foot freehold terraced townhouse in Belgravia has gone on sale for £25 million or 3,497% more than it was sold for in … Continue reading “Wealthy Wilton”
September 10, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Octagonal Victorian Gothic landmark in Westchester County, New York available for rent; Bono was filmed there and it includes the only domestic Egyptian Revival room in existence A Victorian Gothic house in Irvington, Westchester County, New York that resembles a wedding cake has been put on the market to rent for £30,300 per month … Continue reading “The Icing on the Cake”
August 27, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
“Ultra-rare” 1951 Invicta Black Prince to be auctioned; here is a truly astounding shooting brake complete with an incredible mascot An ultimate example of 1950s luxury, a 1951 Invicta Black Prince shooting brake with coachwork by Associated Coachbuilders – that cost £3,820 new (the equivalent of £110,000, $142,000, €119,000 or درهم521,000 today) – is … Continue reading “The Black Prince”
June 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Tiny 1965 Peel Trident to be auctioned; it is the smallest two seater car ever made, is offered without reserve but is expected to achieve upwards of £80,000 One of just sixty made and an example of the only production car the Isle of Man has ever produced, a fully restored 73-inch long, 39-inch … Continue reading “A Pint-Sized Peel”
May 30, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
“Grand” Grade II* listed Midlands manor for sale for just £350,000; it comes with a 49-seat cinema and several unexpected catches Where there’s muck, there’s money and a late 18th century Midlands manor house currently for sale for just £350,000 ($451,000, €402,000 or درهم1.65 million) provides an example of the tale of the progress … Continue reading “Mucking Up A Manor”
May 27, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
‘Refinished’ 1987 Ford Capri 280 Brooklands for sale for a sum that will wow; it’s affectionately known as ‘Oscar’ The car of choice of boy racers, the Ford Capri was dubbed ‘The Pratmobile’ by Rodney after Del Boy bought one in the BBC series Only Fools and Horses. Those that kept such vehicles, unlike … Continue reading “A Costly Capri”
May 14, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Chelsea studio house built for “spiritual artist” Arild Rosenkrantz and later home to the extremely eccentric lesbian heiress and powerboater ‘Joe’ Carstairs for sale for £8.95 million “Spiritual seeker” and artist Baron Arild Rosenkrantz (1870 – 1964) was born in Denmark, studied in Rome and married his Scottish cousin, Louise Mackenzie, in 1901. His … Continue reading “Spirit & Speed”
May 13, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
£39 million summer house on Lake Geneva that was designed by one of the architects of the Eiffel Tower to be sold at auction without reserve Built in the Belle Époque style on the north shore of Lake Geneva, Château de Promenthoux is a 13,988 square foot house on a plot of 9 acres. … Continue reading “A Fashionable Bargain”
by Matthew Steeples
Immaculate 1993 Land Rover Range Vogue for sale; its price will astound but its condition will impress An immaculately presented twenty-four year old Range Rover has gone on sale for £42,500 ($54,800, €50,100 or درهم201,200). Offered by West London based Graeme Hunt, the 1993 Land Rover Range Rover Classic Vogue LSE 4.2-litre is … Continue reading “The Best 4x4xFar”
May 8, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
1948 Talbot-Lago T26 Grand Sport cabriolet to be auctioned; it attracted the attentions of Marlene Dietrich and has a Hermés interior In October 1949, the chameleon-like actress and singer Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) was photographed “descending elegantly” from a custom-built T26 Talbot Grand Sport by coachbuilders Franay at the Paris Salon. That car … Continue reading “Marlene’s Motor”
May 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “I Capture the Castle”
May 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Restored 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 to be sold at auction; it was built for “connoisseurs of sports cars not limited by financial considerations” A left-hand drive 1954 Aston Martin DB2/4 will be sold at auction this month. The stunning sporting coupé on offer was described by Autocar in 1953 as “a car of rare … Continue reading “A Glory in Green”
May 1, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Conversion of “one of Europe’s first purpose-built office blocks” for sale; £3.5 million Grade II* listed Georgian house in Bath literally straddles a canal Some people dream of living beside a lake or a river, but a Grade II* listed detached property recently placed on the market in Bath gives anyone with £3.5 million … Continue reading “Domesticity Above A Canal”
April 23, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
New Jersey mansion, complete with 58 rooms, for sale for equivalent sum to what it cost to build in 1909; the £37 million house’s original owner was a man whose extravagance knew absolutely no bounds George Crocker (1856 – 1909) makes F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby seem like an amateur. Born in Sacramento and … Continue reading “Living Large”
March 14, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Georgian mansion, where Admiral Lord Nelson lived with his lover and her husband, for sale for £4.25 million; it was renovated by a former Nintendo executive One would expect a senior executive of a tech company to live in a slick, modern home in Silicon Valley, but since 2004, Matthew Hill, for many years … Continue reading “Nelson & Nintendo”
February 20, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Bonhams to offer what they call “the world’s most sought after Cadillac” at auction in Florida; it was originally made for the famed BROADMOOR Hotel resort in El Paso County, Colorado The BROADMOOR – a name that is unique and copyrighted due to its little raised “A” – in Colorado Springs is a vast … Continue reading “The Sky’s the Limit”
February 6, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
1959 Rolls-Royce estate car owned by late industrial tycoon Orin Smith to be auctioned; it was bizarrely designed to include beds and a loud air horn to “blast” cattle off the highway Florida based businessman and retired CEO of the Engelhard Corporation Orin Smith (1935 – 2016) was passionate about cars and next month, … Continue reading “A Working Rolls”
February 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
5,000 acre Irish estate where “anything can happen” for sale for £24.1 million; its current owner would prefer a buyer who’ll allow him to use it for three months a year Michael Jackson hid out at Luggala in County Wicklow, Ireland in 2006 for three months after being cleared of child molestation charges and … Continue reading “Anything Can Happen”
May 9, 2016
March 18, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Kid Rock to sell 1935 Hudson Terraplane featured in 2009 film ‘Public Enemies’
March 5, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times selects five of the best cars on offer at the 6th March Silverstone Auctions’ Restoration Show Sale at the NEC in Birmingham
February 6, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Washington’s oldest house – which was originally located in Massachusetts – for sale
November 12, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Stunning 1938 Bugatti that once formed part of the collection of the heir to Macy’s to be auctioned with a guide of £1.4 to £1.6 million
March 23, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
An 18th century former court house in Chelsea is for sale for £14.5 million or available to rent at £10,000 per week
September 12, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Legendary 1954 ‘Docker Daimler’ heads to auction Sir Charles Dunstone recently took to the seas in his newly refurbished 65-metre yacht, the Shemara. The vessel, which dates to 1938, was once owned by the legendarily extravagant duo Sir Bernard and Lady Docker and this weekend Dunstone has the opportunity to add one of the … Continue reading “A magical Daimler”
September 2, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times asks professional polo player Peter Webb: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
August 13, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Knight Frank take an unusual tack to promote a property Knight Frank is known as the estate agent to the rich and famous. Like other realty firms, of course, they pepper their brochures with superlatives such as “exemplary”, “spacious” and “glorious” but in the marketing of 33 Portland Place, they truly take the biscuit.
July 23, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
The perfect English country house comes to the market for £11 million complete with its own cricket pitch A house that has been in the same ownership for 30 years normally would be described by estate agents as “requiring some updating”. Stanton Court in the north Cotswolds is an exception.
May 8, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
£8 million Morley Hall combines traditional style with a home fit for modern living Morley Hall is a Georgian country house to the east of Ware in Hertfordshire. This fine residence is worthy of note as it was remodeled in the Palladian style by the renowned classical architect Raymond Erith
February 28, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
One of Britain’s finest Queen Anne residences comes to the market On the market for the first time in 600 years, Grade I listed Malmesbury House in Salisbury, Wiltshire has rightly been described as a “jewel box” of a house.
November 21, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Repossessed Somerset mansion goes to auction for just £250,000 It’s rare to find Grade I mansions in the hands of the receivers, but Halswell Park in Somerset is an exception to that rule. Now, Clive Emson auctioneers on behalf of Citi Private Banking, seek just £250,000 to £500,000 for the main house and £635,000 … Continue reading “An orgy of a mansion”
September 14, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A Cadillac that may or may not have belonged to Liberace comes to auction without much evidence of its provenance In The Talented Mr Ripley, the detective appointed to discover what happened to Dickie Greenleaf states: “In America we’re taught to check a fact before it becomes a fact”. In the case of a … Continue reading “Being Liberace with the facts”
March 12, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The future for red telephone boxes The red telephone box is something that tourists often cite as being symbolic of Britain. Just like the red London bus and the red pillar box, though, these Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed kiosks are sadly disappearing from our streets. Killed by the mobile phone revolution, … Continue reading “BT phone home”
November 5, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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. No. 1 Campden Hill, which is being marketed for … Continue reading “Boujis in the basement?”
November 1, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
This Swiss born son of a printer has spent over £85 million buying up properties in the Henley-on-Thames area of Oxfordshire. Schwarzenbach also owns 123,000 acres in Australia, 26,000 acres in Scotland and has his own polo team, the Black Bears. This financier’s foreign exchange dealership, Interexchange, is the biggest in Switzerland and betting against … Continue reading “Urs Schwarzenbach”
October 29, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples compares two comparable examples of motoring excess: the “Golden Zebra” and the Fulda Maybach Exelero In recent weeks I’ve received a number of messages about an $8,000,000 car named a Fulda Maybach Exelero. One of them referred to it as “one of the most over the top cars on the planet” and … Continue reading “Docked excess”
October 14, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “Rocking with royalty”
October 1, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
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 … Continue reading “Going under the Kosh”
May 25, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
Could 100 Park Lane become the property that achieves the accolade of being Britain’s highest priced private residence? Occupied by property giants Hammerson since 1969 as their corporate headquarters, the 44,000 square foot Grade II* listed Dudley House is one of Park Lane’s finest landmark properties. It is supposedly about to come to the … Continue reading “A Monopolistic mansion”
May 10, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
London’s most successful restaurateurs. This dynamic duo have been partners in business for over 30 years and acquired Le Caprice in 1981. They sold Caprice Holdings in 1998 and opened The Wolseley in 2003. That’s now London’s busiest restaurant and again they are empire building with the launch of The Delaunay and imminently a brasserie … Continue reading “Chris Corbin OBE & Jeremy King OBE”
April 15, 2012
by Matthew Steeples
The sale of the £22,500,000 Clarence House in Richmond Built in 1696 for a haberdasher merchant named Nathaniel Rawlins, Clarence House in Richmond was subsequently extended by his daughter, Elizabeth, before it became a Catholic school in 1792. One student at the various schools that were subsequently run from the house was … Continue reading “Blessed Clarence”
