The Steeple Times

Tag: Saudi Arabia

  • No Room To Swing A Cat – £250k For Overpriced 109 Square Foot Knightsbridge Flat

    No Room To Swing A Cat – £250k For Overpriced 109 Square Foot Knightsbridge Flat

    Tiny, overpriced studio ‘flatlet’ lacking room to even swing a cat in somewhat ‘shady’ building opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge unsurprisingly remains on sale for the not so tiny sum of £250,000 after 3 years on the market reports Matthew Steeples

    • Prison cell-like 109 square foot ‘flatlet’ in Brompton Road, Knightsbridge for sale for staggering £250,000; national minimum allowable size for a flat since 2011 is 398 square foot.
    • Brompton Road is one of London’s most polluted roads; the Brompton Oratory, one of the highway’s main landmarks, was used as a ‘dead letter drop box’ by Soviet spies during the Cold War.
    • Nearby now defunct Brompton Road London Underground station became the control centre for the 26th(London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade during the Second World War.
    • Ritzy department store Harrods, directly opposite, stands on a 5 acre site and was sold to the Qatar Investment Authority for £1.5 billion by alleged abuser of 200 women Mohamed Al-Fayed in 2010.

    Listed initially at £275,000 in December 2022 but now slashed to a still stupendous £250,000 after failing to get flogged, Grow Portfolio estate agents are hawking a minute and clearly overpriced 109 square foot studio flat in Brompton Road, Knightsbridge as a “fantastic base” and “excellent opportunity”. If the ask price were to be achieved, the vendor would earn themselves a very punchy return of £2,294 per square foot; the median average price for this part of London, SW3 has been a significantly lower £1,610 per square foot during 2025.

     

    Offered on a lease of approximately 169 years and having a service charge of “approximately’ £1,000 per annum to include the assistance of a 24-hour concierge, a buyer will garner themselves a single room measuring 6 feet by 11’9” feet with a small adjoining shower room also. The 70 square foot room itself has tiled flooring, a window, a cupboard housing a microwave and cooking hob and a minute fold-down table also. There’s frankly nowt much else to say about it further than in November, the Evening Standard lauded its décor for being a “clinical white” achromatic scheme.

     

    A floor plan shows the very limited scope of the accommodation offered. Tax dodging tennis legend Boris Becker produced a son after a ‘bonk’ in a broom cupboard at the Metropolitan Hotel; given his size now, he might struggle with such activity in this space today.
    A floor plan shows the very limited scope of the accommodation offered. Tax dodging tennis legend Boris Becker produced a son after a ‘bonk’ in a broom cupboard at the Metropolitan Hotel; given his size now, he might struggle with such activity in this space today.
    It’s rare that a property can be entirely shown with just a single photo; in this case, it most definitely can.
    It’s rare that a property can be entirely shown with just a single photo; in this case, it most definitely can.
    In this watercolour by Cyril Farey (1888 – 1954), which Manning Fine Art describe as “capturing Princes Court at its prime”, the golden era of a building is shown. The art dealers observe: “[This] is not merely an architectural drawing it is expressing a lifestyle that only an apartment in Princes Court can provide. As such the fashionable and modern apartment block is surrounded by a Mediterranean blue sky and Hyde Park peaks out from the sides as an Eden of lush green. The smart street is punctuated by smart, friendly, yellow awnings whilst classic, stylish cars and iconic London buses pass by.” The same cannot sadly be said of the setting today given this part of Brompton Road has become better known for housing hookers, Rolex robberies and chronic pollution.
    In this watercolour by Cyril Farey (1888 – 1954), which Manning Fine Art describe as “capturing Princes Court at its prime”, the golden era of a building is shown. The art dealers observe: “[This] is not merely an architectural drawing it is expressing a lifestyle that only an apartment in Princes Court can provide. As such the fashionable and modern apartment block is surrounded by a Mediterranean blue sky and Hyde Park peaks out from the sides as an Eden of lush green. The smart street is punctuated by smart, friendly, yellow awnings whilst classic, stylish cars and iconic London buses pass by.” The same cannot sadly be said of the setting today given this part of Brompton Road has become better known for housing hookers, Rolex robberies and chronic pollution.

    Designed to “resemble an ocean liner” by architect George Valentine Myer (1883 – 1959) between 1934 and 1935, the building in which the studio flat is to be found, Princes Court at 88 Brompton Road, SW3 1ES, was originally named Knight’s Court. This large steel-framed block of 94 flats with 9 retail premises on the ground and first floors directly opposite Harrods began life as “a popular and exclusive place to live”, but in recent years has become more commonly used for Airbnbs and by ‘ladies (and gents) of a certain profession of the night’.

     

    Of the apartment complex, a past resident complained to The Steeple Times: “I did not live there long as I could not even open the windows in the summer due to the pollution and traffic noise from supercars revving in the summer on the Brompton Road. The ‘bedroom banging activity’ from my clearly-a-hooker neighbour did not help me sleep at night either.”

     

    No-longer-so-ritzy Princes Court previously hit the headlines in 2012 when an 84 square foot studio flat went on sale for £89,950, in 2021 when a 128 square foot offering sold for £325,000 and in 2022 when an 88 square foot studio – in spite of lacking even a lavatory and without any kind kitchen – was auctioned with a guide price of £175,000. A two bedroomed flat extending to 877 square feet on the ninth floor of the building is currently being touted by Harrods Estates at a guide price of £1.3 million.

     

    Given the spoof website supporting the homeless charity Shelter that is the National Institute of Feline Orbital Studies (NIFOS) calculates that 78.54 square foot is required to swing an ‘average’ cat and that it would cost £158,180 to “buy enough space to swing a cat in SW3”, the 109 square foot flat offered by Grow Portfolio has not only not enough room to swing a cat, but would not even adhere to the government’s technical housing standards if it were a new build property. The minimum today required to meet regulations is 398 square foot, meaning that this poxy pad falls 72% short of that sum; these regulations do not apply to buildings constructed prior to 2011.

     

    Fair warning to whoever purchases this ‘flatlet’ suitable only for someone seriously slim: In February 1988, an actual broom cupboard measuring 5’6” feet by 11 feet “with not even a cooker” in Princes Court sold for £36,500 (the equivalent of £102,500 today) during what Pete May termed an “obscene property boom” in his 2012 book Rent Boy. The self-professed “punk-turned-journalist who spent 20 years falling off the property ladder’ added: “Even I wouldn’t live in that. Yet it was recommended as a purchase for ‘those who like eating out’.”

     

    Within months of the cupboard sale, the economy tanked and studio flats, given their limited appeal, were the very first properties to see their values plummet. In 2025, with Rachel Reeves ‘Queen of Thieves’ having her grubby mitts on the nation’s tiller, this is probably not the time to be shelling out £250,000 for what the “honest estate agent” and Brothel in Pimlico author Roy Brooks would have likely marketed as a ‘broom cupboard in a brothel building in Knightsbridge’. At this time, perhaps, ‘buyer best beware’ would better be borrowed.

     

    Curious facts about Brompton Road

    Landmarks of Brompton Road Knightsbridge
    • The area of ‘Brompton’ dates to the 15th century and originates from the name ‘Brokendon’ – meaning “a place near a brook”.
    • The road itself starts at Knightsbridge Underground station and ends at the crossroad intersection known as ‘Brompton Cross’ where Fulham Road begins. It is thought to have ‘officially’ first been designated as ‘Brompton Road’ in 1863 on land originally owned by the Moreaus, a wealthy French Huguenot family.
    • Brompton Road is one of London’s most polluted highways due to heavy traffic, especially from diesel vehicles. In 2013, the London Assembly claimed pedestrians were being “showered in dangerous airborne particles” on this road identified as having NO2 levels massively exceeding World Health Organization guidelines.
    • Between 1906 and 1934, passengers on the Piccadilly London Underground line were able to alight at Brompton Road tube station. It was closed due to being surprisingly little used, but served as the command centre of the 26th (London) Anti-Aircraft Brigade during the Second World War. During this period, the tunnels, subways and lift-shafts were adapted to provide bomb-proof accommodation and in 2014, the site was sold to Dmytro Firtash, a billionaire Ukrainian businessman for £53 million. His plans to convert the 28,000 square foot site into residential accommodation have still not come to fruition.
    • The best-known retail landmark on Brompton Road is Harrods department store. It stands on a site that covers an astounding 5 acres in total and includes 1.1 million square feet of retailing space.
    • Famous customers of the store, which first opened in its present form in 1894, have included Agatha Christie, Beatrix Potter, Oscar Wilde and Asma al-Assad, the wife of the former President of Syria. She used an alias to shop there in order to get around European Union sanctions that froze the assets of her and her husband.
    • In 1898, Harrods debuted Britain’s first ‘moving staircase’ (or what we now term an ‘escalator’). At the top, “nervous” customers were offered brandy to revive them from the “ordeal” of their ride, The Drapers’ Record reported at the time.
    • Harrods was bombed by the IRA in 1983 and 1993. The first attack killed 6 people and the second injured 4.
    • The store was bought by the now late alleged serial sex offender Mohamed Al-Fayed in 1985. The ‘Phony Pharaoh’, as the Egyptian was nicknamed, is said to have abused at least 200 women on the premises during his ownership. He sold the business to the Qatar Investment Authority for an astounding £1.5 billion in 2010 and died in 2023 without ever having been brought to justice.
    • In 2022, Apple opened a store on the road in what was once the Brompton Arcade. It is staffed by over 200 employees, or as the tech giant prefers to call them – team members.
    • Another major landmark, and a building like Harrods complete with a dome, is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This Catholic parish church is better known as the Brompton Oratory and also referenced as the London Oratory.
    • Consecrated in 1884, the church was where ‘Master of Suspense’ Sir Alfred Hitchcock married Alma Reville in 1933 and it is said to have inspired Nick Cave to write the song Brompton Oratory in 1997.
    • During the Cold War, this ornately decorated church was used as a ‘dead letter drop’ (or ‘DLD’ to those in the know) by Soviet agents in Britain. Spies would visit the church and place documents and microfilm behind one of the pillars for later collection by their compatriots; the location suited given the building’s proximity to the Russian embassy and as Harrods was a suitable rabbit warren for losing a tail if they thought they were being followed.
    • Standing behind the Brompton Oratory and accessed from Brompton Road is Holy Trinity Church, Brompton. ‘HTB Brompton’, as it is now generally referenced, stands on a site of 3.5 acres and is now one of the primary sites for the teaching of the Alpha course programme that focuses on “the evangelization of the nations, the revitalization of the church and the transformation of society.’

     

    Further photographs of the £250,000 Princes Court flatlet

    The kitchen facilities would not exactly excite Gordon Ramsay.
    The kitchen facilities would not exactly excite Gordon Ramsay.
    The shower room is modern and clean; there’s not much further to say further than that.
    The shower room is modern and clean; there’s not much further to say further than that.
    Both the shower room and ‘studio’ room have windows; a ‘Brucie bonus’ for sure.
    Both the shower room and ‘studio’ room have windows; a ‘Brucie bonus’ for sure.
    A view of the ‘studio’ towards the door; most prison cells are bigger than the space offered here.
    A view of the ‘studio’ towards the door; most prison cells are bigger than the space offered here.
    If you bought the studio offered and needed to host a visitor, you could do so in the lobby of Princes Court. It’s got seating and space aplenty in comparison to the ‘flatlet’ itself.
    If you bought the studio offered and needed to host a visitor, you could do so in the lobby of Princes Court. It’s got seating and space aplenty in comparison to the ‘flatlet’ itself.
    Princes Court (here partly shrouded in scaffolding) is literally opposite Harrods, undoubtedly one of the most famous department stores in the world.
    Princes Court (here partly shrouded in scaffolding) is literally opposite Harrods, undoubtedly one of the most famous department stores in the world.
    The rear of Princes Court with Harrods department store behind and the store’s former depository, now apartments also, to the right.
    The rear of Princes Court with Harrods department store behind and the store’s former depository, now apartments also, to the right.
  • Theresa May’s Wads Of Saudi Wonga – WTTC Speech in Saudi Arabia

    Theresa May’s Wads Of Saudi Wonga – WTTC Speech in Saudi Arabia

    Matthew Steeples questions if it is right for the former Prime Minister Theresa May to presumably taking wads of wonga to give a speech to the World Travel & Tourism Council in Saudi Arabia given the World Economic Forum ranked the country 141 out of 149 countries on gender equality

    On Thursday, an email pinged into my inbox from a London based organisation I’d never previously heard of – the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).

     

    In it, the WTTC bragged that they were announcing she who viewed it naughty to go “wandering in wheat fields,” Theresa May, as its “keynote speaker for its Global Summit in Saudi Arabia.”

     

    Of the presence and participation of Lady May – as the queen of “Brexit means Brexit” is now known after her “I do the traditional boy jobs by and large” husband was made Sir Philip for being “her rock” and “political services” – at this event in a country known best for its appalling human rights record, the WTTC did not declare what she would be paid or who was paying her.

     

    Neither also did this organisation reference their thoughts on the regime running Saudi Arabia but instead, Julia Simpson, WTTC president and CEO, pontificated:

     

    “Theresa May has a long-standing interest in the environment and as Prime Minister, she launched the ‘25 Year Environmental Plan’ to tackle issues such as plastic waste. In 2019 she formally committed the UK to achieving ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050, making Britain the first major economy to do so.”

     

    “During the pandemic, Theresa May was concerned about the uncoordinated global response, and she showed great political leadership calling for international cooperation based on evidence.”

     

    “Our event will bring together many of the world’s most powerful leaders in our sector to discuss and secure its long-term future, which is critical to economies and jobs around the world.”

     

    Between 1st February 2021 and 31st January 2022, Lady May unabashedly claimed £143,008.98 ($168,982, €165,017 or درهم620,587) in expenses on top of her MP’s salary and in July 2021, Insider reported that she had earned £1,861,776 ($2.2 million, €2.1 million or درهم8.1 million) for speeches since leaving Downing Street in July 2019. Who’d have thought that anyone would want to give money to hear this “wandering warbler” bang on about anything, but hey, quitting frontline politics has most certainly brought this bland, boring woman a very, very pretty pay packet.

     

    By email to the communications manager for the World Travel & Tourism Council, Felix Parker-Smith, whose contact details were listed alongside the press release, I subsequently requested clarification. My brief missive read:

     

    “My questions are: 1. What fee is Lady May being paid for this appearance/speech and by what means will she be travelling to give this speech? Who is paying her fee and travel expenses?”

     

    “2. What is the view of Lady May on human rights issues and abuses in Saudi Arabia?”

     

    “3. Will Lady May be raising these well documented abuses in Saudi Arabia during her speech?”

     

    “4. Does Lady May view it to be ‘sustainable’ to be travelling, presumably by aircraft, to give such a speech? Could she not have given such a speech via Zoom?”

     

    “I would most certainly write about this and will look forward to answers to all four of my questions prior to doing so.”

     

    Parker-Smith, without acknowledging who is actually giving the former Prime Minister a bag of cash, curtly answered:

     

    “As these are questions for Mrs May, I’ve forwarded your email to our contact.”

     

    By return, given Parker-Smith’s clear lack of willingness to address the issues raised, I responded:

     

    “Thank you for forwarding on to Lady May’s representatives though surely the World Travel & Tourism Council must be the body that hired Lady May (I believe that to be her correct title given her husband’s elevation).”

     

    “I would like to ask your organisation directly: 1. Does the World Travel & Tourism Council have any statement to make about the matter of Lady May being hired and why they chose her?”

     

    “2. Given the then Mrs May’s involvement in bringing about the disaster for British tourist businesses that is Brexit, what influenced your organisation’s choice of the very woman who implemented ‘Brexit means Brexit’?”

     

    “3. If the WTTC is not paying Lady May, who is funding this Member of Parliament on a trip outside of her constituency remit?”

     

    Tellingly in his next email, Parker-Smith attempted to dodge another bullet and concluded:

     

    “We will not be making further statements beyond our press release.”

     

    “However, on background, I can confirm that previous Summits have attracted world leaders such as Barack Obama, Tony Blair and Emmanuel Macron. Alongside Ban Ki-Moon, Theresa May has held a prominent role on the world stage and has been invited in this capacity to speak about her experiences and insight for the global travel and tourism industry.”

     

    As of 10.30am on Monday 21st November, no reply explaining who would be paying Lady May had been received by The Steeple Times from utterly anybody.

     

    Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party.

     

    In May 2018, Theresa May was quite rightly slammed by ‘The Sun’ for elevating Lady Meyer, the wife of the now croaked cretinous creep and well-known “red socked fop” Sir Christopher Meyer, to Baroness Meyer of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Wandsworth. The paper raged of the appointment of her “best pal” and quoted Darren Hughes of the Electoral Reform Society as calling her appointment “beyond a joke.” The “Chanel-clad” old boiler with a love of charity cash collecting tins got a jolly lovely bonus – peers get around £30,000 in expenses and attendance fees annually; nice work if you can get it.
    Rolf Harris curry
    Lady May MP is often to be found dining with her ‘Garden Gnome-like’ hubby Sir Philip in Malik’s Tandoori House in Cookham, Berkshire. Here, the owner, is pictured serving her and also posing with another regular, her constituent and convicted paedophile Rolf Harris and his wicked wife Alwyn Hughes. Whether she’s ever invited her mate Baroness Meyer down for a ‘nosh-up’ there remains unknown.
    In February 2019, ‘The Steeple Times’ reported that a “plainly insane Tory donor” had spent £75,000 to spend an evening with Theresa May. Worse still, someone paid £175,000 for a set of four posters signed by this tedious twerp.

    What else has Theresa been pocketing from her ‘Magic Money Tree’?

    • An MPs salary of £84,144 ($99,400, €97,100 or درهم365,100) plus expenses “to cover the costs of running an office, employing staff, having somewhere to live in London or their constituency, and travelling between Parliament and their constituency.”
    • An £85,000 per year ($100,400, €98,070 or درهم368,800 per year) salary from the Office of Theresa May Limited “until further notice” for just 24 hours work per month or just 288 hours work per year.
    • Honorary life membership of the Carlton Club.
    • ‘VIP treatment’ at Heathrow Airport, valued at £4,200 a pop, at least 14 times totalling at least £58,800 ($69,500, €67,900 or درهم255,100).
    • Substantial rental income from a flat in London owned jointly with her husband.
    • A discount card from Amanda Wakeley, “which has the potential to be of registrable value.”
  • Titles for the Boys and Girls – Elevation of Sir Philip May

    Titles for the Boys and Girls – Elevation of Sir Philip May

    Giving a knighthood to Philip May for “political services” is absolutely preposterous given his firm’s dubious connections; instead Count Binface would have been a better recipient

    One can assume ‘Brenda from Bristol’ will not be amused at news that Theresa May’s garden gnome-like husband has been given a knighthood and Twitter users reacted similarly.

     

    Aside from some highlighting the newly elevated Sir Philip’s company’s shareholding in arms manufacturers that sold £15 billion worth of weaponry to Saudi Arabia during the merciless Yemen assault, it should be recalled that this relationship manager at Capital Group was criticised last September by the father of a Kingsman killed in Iraq. Of the then plain old Mr May, Bill Stewardson remarked:

     

    “Leaving aside my son’s death, which is difficult, how the hell can we have a Prime Minister whose husband directly profits from companies that avoid paying tax and make a huge profit from selling arms to Saudi Arabia? How can that be? Why is that fair?”

     

    With a vast shareholding in the aiders of electoral manipulation that is Facebook and billions in Russian companies also, many of the Capital Group’s other connections are equally questionable. With some of these organisation’s having been involved in subverting the EU referendum result, the conflict of interest between Sir Philip’s business life and role as spouse of the former Prime Minister has been quite rightly questioned.

     

    During the 2017 general election campaign, May himself declared: “I get to decide when I take the bins out. Not if I take them out. I do the traditional boy jobs by and large.” Whilst that just made him sound like an oddball, him now receiving an honour is nothing but rubbish.  Frankly, his wife’s one-time fellow candidate in Maidenhead, Count Binface (formerly Lord Buckethead), would have been more deserving of the knighthood.

     

    Pictured top: Theresa May and her husband kissing and waving and the former prime minister with the former Lord Buckethead.

     

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    Titles for the Boys and Girls – Elevation of Sir Philip May – Giving a knighthood to Philip May for “political services” is absolutely preposterous given his firm’s dubious connections; instead Count Binface would have been a better recipient.
    ‘To Thyself Be True’ – Sir Philip and Lady May (as they must now be called) are akin to characters from ‘Wallace and Gromit’ and now they have a strange coat of arms which features a design that contains what looks like two sheaves of wheat.
    Brenda from Bristol will unlikely be amused at news of Mr Philip May being elevated to Sir Philip May.
  • A Price-Cut Penthouse

    A Price-Cut Penthouse

    Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than in 1999

    Constructed between 1961 and 1962 by builders Gilbert Ash, Collier House is not the most attractive structure in Knightsbridge externally. Whilst retailers Reiss and Nespresso – lucky residents get George Clooney’s ugly ‘mug’ stuck on the façade as a bonus (excuse the pun) – occupy the ground floor, the top floor ‘space’ was sold for the creation of a two-storey penthouse in 1999 for £230,000.

     

    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    The exterior of the building in which the sixth and seventh floor penthouse is situated – Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    The ground floor of the building is occupied by Reiss and Nespresso. A large image of actor George Clooney dominates the frontage of the latter.

    Developed to provide a 4,615 square foot duplex over two floors, the apartment is currently on the market for the considerably higher figure of £16 million through agents Merchants Row. It includes 2 reception rooms that are some 70-foot in length in total, a bar area, a media room, 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and comes with wrap-around terraces with skyline views towards Harrods and the Brompton Oratory.

     

    From October 2014 to July 2019, the penthouse was the registered office of Elaph Publishing Limited. Founded in 2001 by Othman Al Omeir – a man “considered close to King Salman of Saudi Arabia” – Elaph is described as “the first daily Arabic independent online newspaper.” It has at various times been banned in both Saudi Arabia and Yemen and its former managing director was the EMMY award winning producer Nicholas Claxton.

     

    The long leasehold penthouse, which was offered for the even more outrageous sum of £22 million in November 2012, has direct lift access to the sixth floor and comes with secure underground parking. It is subject to a service charge of £10,800 per year, has been offered to rent for £10,000 per week previously and what the agents neglect to mention is that it is situated directly above one of London’s most polluted stretches of road.

     

    The Numbers – Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom

     

    April 2020 – For sale for £16 million ($20 million, €18.4 million or درهم73.4 million) through agents Merchants Row.

     

    November 2012 – For sale for £22 million ($27.5 million, €25.3 million or درهم101 million) through agents Wilfords.

     

    July 1999 – “As then was” space for penthouse sold for £230,000 ($287,000, €264,000 or درهم1.1 million) according to Land Registry records.

     

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    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
    A Price-Cut Penthouse – £16 million for Sixth and Seventh Floor Penthouse at Collier House, 163 – 169 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 1PY, United Kingdom through Merchants Row – Vast Knightsbridge penthouse for sale for 27% less than the £22 million sum in 2012 but extraordinarily 6,900% more than the £230,000 sum in 1999. Near Harrods and Brompton Oratory.
  • Mad Cats

    Mad Cats

    That a Conservative MP is bringing a bill to force drivers who hit cats to go to the police at this time is quite ludicrous

     

    Rehman Chisthi, the Conservative MP for Gillingham and Rainham, is a man who likes to champion the most odd causes.

     

    A Brexit enthusiast and frequently criticised for “advancing Saudi Arabia’s interests while at the same time being on the pay-roll of a Saudi think-tank,” Chisthi is currently sponsoring what is known as the Cats Bill 2017 – 2019.

     

    In summary, the Bill seeks to “require the driver of a mechanically propelled vehicle involved in an accident resulting in injury or death to a cat to stop and give information or report the accident to the police; to require the keepers of certain cats to ensure they are microchipped; and for connected purposes.”

     

    Aside from being bizarre, is this really something that Parliament – at time when our nation is in crisis – should be prioritising? We most definitely think not.

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

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  • The Arab Arrival

    The Arab Arrival

    As Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road is invaded by Arabs, The Steeple Times finds that there is both good and bad in their number

     

    Last night, it was a party of two halves on Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road.

     

    At one end, close to the Caramel restaurant, a gaggle of vulgar Chanel handbag wielding Arab women (pictured top right) showed their low class ways when approached by an Englishwoman who simply asked them to let her pass. One remarked: “We have more money than you and we do what we want, whenever we want. You walk in the road. This pavement is our space.”

     

    Elsewhere, closer to the Brompton Road hoards of young Saudis and Kuwaitis gathered on the pavements. Asked why they were there, two Qatari men (pictured top left) politely explained that they would actually like to integrate with locals. They claimed they didn’t know where to find such but apologised profusely for others in their number blocking the streets.

     

    As is often the case, here was illustration that generalisations are never fair. There is good and bad in every part of society and we would all do well to remember that.

     

    Facebook: @TheSteepleTimes

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    The Arab Arrival – As Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road is invaded by Arabs, The Steeple Times finds that there is both good and bad in their number. The Arab Arrival – As Knightsbridge’s Brompton Road is invaded by Arabs, The Steeple Times finds that there is both good and bad in their number.

  • Bozos, Burkas and Farage

    Bozos, Burkas and Farage

    Matthew Steeples suggests Nigel Farage is wrong about Boris Johnson’s latest gaffe about burkas in Britain

     

    On Wednesday morning, on Sky News, Nigel Farage was interviewed about what he thinks about Boris Johnson – a self-serving man who simply loves to stay in the headlines – comparing women in burkas to “bank robbers” and suggesting they “look like letter boxes.”

     

    Farage argued that “Joe Public is not interested” in this story and went as far to suggest: “This is just for the Westminster bubble… Politics is way to PC… You have to accept that sometimes people will be offended.”

     

    Clearly, Farage has misjudged the interest in Johnson’s clearly provocative comments. This may be the ‘Silly Season’ but wherever I go in the UK and whenever I am in a situation where there are burka wearers, people – of all backgrounds – have something to say. Some are of the opinion that we must be respectful of such whilst others are of the mind that the burka is nothing but inappropriate in a modern, Western society.

     

    In such places as Iran and Saudi Arabia, females, foreign and local, are forced to conform to the dress codes of those countries. Many here in Britain consider such “medieval” and “backward” and I, for one (as much as I personally loathe the bozo Johnson), certainly don’t believe anyone should be silenced from sharing their views for or against a ban on the burka in Britain.

     

    Instagram: @TheSteepleTimes

    Twitter: @TheSteepleTimes and @M_Steeples

     

  • Mugged by Mrs May

    Mugged by Mrs May

    Updated: Theresa May forges a new career in post-Brexit Britain: Flogging tea towels and mugs

     

    Theresa May, a woman who should be busy sorting out the mess that is her “red, white and blue Brexit”, is in Saudi Arabia insulting the locals and refusing to wear a headscarf. She’s also been meddling in the affairs of the National Trust, moaning about Easter eggs and on Tuesday night an email pinged into our inbox from her “nattering” registered treasurer and director general of the Conservative Party, Alan Mabbutt.

     

    Mugged by Mrs May – Theresa May forges a new career in post-Brexit Britain: Flogging tea towels and mugs
    Update, 6th April, 4pm: A reader submitted an edited version of the mug; it portrays Mrs May’s plan a little more accurately

     

    In it, hapless Mr Mabbutt – a man once forced to apologise for sending dodgy emails – emphasised he has an OBE and asked: “My ‘Plan For Britain’ mug and tea towel have just arrived, have you ordered yours yet?” He then shamelessly urged supporters to donate £35 to get these limited edition items also and ridiculously claimed “supplies are running low”.

     

    Just as Lloyds of London plans to relocate much of their operations to Brussels and Bentley talk of escaping tariffs by moving to mainland Europe, plainly Mabbutt and May think tea towels and coffee cups are our future. God help once Great Britain.

     

    Mugged by Mrs May – Theresa May forges a new career in post-Brexit Britain: Flogging tea towels and mugsMugged by Mrs May – Theresa May forges a new career in post-Brexit Britain: Flogging tea towels and mugs

  • Picture of the Week – Come Fly With Hawks

    Picture of the Week – Come Fly With Hawks

    Saudi royal buys plane tickets so his hawks can fly (first class, of course)

     

    Nothing is insurmountable it seems: A Saudi royal, according to a Reddit user named @lensoo, was told a maximum of 6 birds of prey were allowed in the cabin on a Qatar Airways flight this week.

     

    His response? He bought tickets for all 80 of his hawks. He even went as far to pay for them to go first class. You couldn’t make it up.

     

  • Panic Over The Price

    Panic Over The Price

    Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor?

     

    In 2012, a Saudi royal placed a fifth, sixth and seventh triplex he “rarely uses” on the market for £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million). It didn’t sell and now it’s back for sale for just £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million) through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk.

     

    Featuring three bullet-proof panic rooms and extending to a total of 10,500 square foot over three levels, #6A at 240 Riverside Boulevard – alternatively known as The Heritage at Trump Place – is a combination of six units in what is described as “one of New York’s finest full-service condominiums”. It is currently configured to provide 3 bedrooms but comes with plans to turn it into a 5-bedroom home.

     

    Enjoying 120 foot of “contiguous, unobstructed park and Hudson River views”, the Upper West Side property – which is within a building that was completed in 2005 – features three private terraces, a restaurant quality kitchen with a sushi bar, a billiards room, a hair salon, a ventilated cigar room, a six-person Jacuzzi and a saltwater aquarium. Two adjacent units that currently provide staff accommodation can be included in the sale for an additional sum.

     

    The current owner, Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, is 82 years old and said to be confined to a wheelchair. He was Director General of Saudi Intelligence from 2001 to 2005 and is described as “a close ally of the late King Abdullah”.

     

    One has to ask: “With Donald Trump’s name associated with the building, will panic set in and will the price drop further?” We’re guessing the answer is “yes”.

     

    Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million) Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million) Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million) Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million) Panic Over The Price – Vast New York triplex with three bullet-proof panic rooms at The Heritage at Trump Place reduced in price by 47%; Is the Trump connection a factor? 240 Riverside Boulevard #6A Upper West Side, New York, NY 10069, United States of America – Owned by Prince Nawaf bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud – For sale through Elizabeth Mercedes Berk of Mercedes/Berk at a price of £32.9 million ($40 million, €37.9 million or درهم147 million), reduced from £61.7 million ($75 million, €71 million or درهم275.5 million)