A review of The New Inn at Roborough, North Devon
The New Inn at Roborough in North Devon isn’t the easiest place to find. It’s hidden away in a rural backwater, so be sure not to rely on your Sat-Nav to get you to this traditional Devonshire pub. If you do, you’ll be taken on a wild goose chase up hill and down dale but when you eventually arrive you’ll find a warm welcome and a menu that’s a little out of the ordinary.
Images of Rolls-Royce’s latest model, the Wraith, are leaked ahead of its Geneva debut
When someone “incurs your wrath”, they make you angry but with the addition of an ‘I’ the word comes to be a Scottish dialectal word for “ghost” or “spirit”.
Today, 5th March 2013, Rolls-Royce launch their latest model, an elegant fastback based on the Rolls-Royce Ghost. Named the Wraith, the car was to be unveiled this morning at the Geneva International Motor Show but pictures were leaked onto the Internet late last night and we reveal them for you here.
The stylish Wraith is the most powerful Rolls-Royce ever with a delivery that is said to be “effortless, but dramatic”, thanks to a 6.7 litre V12 engine and 8-speed automatic ZF transmission. A phenomenal 624 bhp / 465kW is available to the driver while the 0-60 mph can be achieved in just 4.4 seconds, compared with the Ghost’s 4.7 seconds.
With a stiffened suspension, the Wraith is said to be “distinctly on the sport[s] side” and a “Rolls-Royce to drive, not be driven in”. Of it, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, suggested:
“[The Wraith coupé] has a hint of menace in the design that is new to the brand, but with the driving experience and performance to live up to that promise”.
As is to be expected from this iconic brand, styling, finish and attention to detail have also been given utmost consideration during the Wraith’s development. The interior of this four seat vehicle, for example, features Starlight Headliner technology which consists of 1,340 fibre optic lamps hand-woven into the roof lining to give the impression of a glittering, starry night sky.
In his statement about the Wraith, Müller-Ötvös concluded:
“Today we launch the ultimate gentlemen’s gran turismo, a car that embodies the spirit of Charles Stewart Rolls… The most powerful Rolls-Royce in history, Wraith promises the sense of adventure and speed that drove our founding forefather. But of course, Wraith’s starting point is luxury, refinement and quality, traits that remain as important to Rolls-Royce customers today as they were more than a century ago”.
First deliveries of the Wraith will be made in the final quarter of 2013 and prices are expected to start at around £225,000.
Rolls-Royce may feel a little peeved that images of the Wraith have bolted from the stable a little early but, instead, we would suggest, they should be extremely proud of what they have let loose. Wraith not wrath is what is required.
For more details about the Rolls-Royce Wraith, go to: http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com
Some say he died in 2009, others, including the Serious Fraud Office, suspect he’s hiding out in the rainforests of Borneo. This bankrupted businessman was best known for drinking red wine from a teapot at breakfast and for his public spats with Egon Ronay, Richard Desmond, Lord Rothschild and Ernest Saunders. He met his wife, Nicola, in a nightclub. When asked what she’d require to move in with him, she asked for £5,000 a month. He organised it that very night and though most of his assets have been seized, she continues to drive a top of the range Mercedes and lives in comparative luxury on the island of Labuan, Malaysia. The investigators are still watching.
The Steeple Times asks the journalist and equestrian expert Victoria Spicer: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
Sat nav, usually.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
I’m stealing my motto from someone else – “Don’t gamble with what you can’t afford to lose.” Wise words, and not just applicable to my fairly lamentable betting technique.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?
Animal suit onesies.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I’m in the process of moving to the Surrey countryside so I dare say I’ll miss London, easy commutes, a plethora of restaurants, twice weekly trips to the cinema and the Canary Wharf skyline.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
I’d gladly swap my wealth for somebody else’s. I doubt they’d be delighted with the deal though.
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?
I blame Kerry Katona.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“At the end of the day.” Ghastly.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I ran the London Marathon in 2008 in aid of World Horse Welfare so that’s a biggie.
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?
As my friends will tell you, I never look at my phone, and I certainly don’t pounce on it the second I see that little red flashing light.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Scotland’s rugby team, Andy Murray, Daniel Craig, Elbow, Ross Noble, Ryan Gosling, and a handful of my closest female friends to redress the balance.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Fillet steak, on the run.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
12.01.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
Can’t I have a cold glass of Pinot Grigio instead?
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
The post-show parties during Olympia Horse Show are usually pretty memorable.
Who is the most positive person you know?
Not sure I know many – or if they start off positive, I soon drag them back down to earth with a healthy dose of cynicism.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Made in Chelsea.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
Snow Fairy. Class mare. Unfortunately for her, I can’t stand pain and have no desire to get a tattoo.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
I’m quite like my own car – an MX5. Looks like it could be fun to drive but is actually rubbish at getting up hills and handles terribly. Plus it’s either boiling hot or freezing cold, never in between.
Cilla Black presented “Surprise, Surprise.” Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’m related to Cilla Black… And I’m a compulsive liar.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
I’m about to move house so I currently have no mantelpiece – but I’m working on it.
Victoria Spicer is a freelance journalist. She is also press officer for the All England Jumping Course at Hickstead and web editor for Horse & Country TV.
View Victoria Spicer’s website at: http://www.victoriaspicer.co.uk
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 the dollar has brought much success. He supposedly even named his Gulfstream G650 “George” as “ultimately it was Bush who paid for it.” Whilst Schwarzenbach’s Grand Hotel Dolder in Zurich wins plaudits galore. an investment in Mayfair’s Café Grand Prix was less successful. It is, however, for philanthropy and discretion that Schwarzenbach and his wife, a former Miss Australia, are known best.
Charles Mitford Cust asks: “Do the clocks really need to go back?”
Yesterday, once again, the clocks went back and now we are officially in winter. As is always the case on this sad annual occasion, I am left asking myself why we have do something so apparently illogical and what are the origins of this extraordinary ritual.
I used to think it all started in World War Two but, in fact, having done some research, it transpires that we very sensibly did the exact opposite during the war years. Between 1940 and 1945 and also in 1947, we actually switched to “British Double Summer Time” (BDST). Why? We did so to save precious fuel as it was in limited supply. That should strike a chord today, don’t you think?
You bet it should. Supporters of BDST point out that 500,000 tonnes of CO2 would be saved this year if instead of putting the clocks back yesterday, we’d left them alone and then put them forward one further hour in the spring, thereby achieving British Double Summer Time (BDST). Half a million tonnes of CO2… Wow! That is the equivalent of permanently removing 185,000 cars from the road. Hang on, aren’t we meant to be concerned about the environment these days or am I missing something?
Where are the eco-warriors? Surely they should be screaming from the rooftops about CO2 savings like this. This makes all their bleating about wind turbines and solar panels seem stupid. Unlike these alternative energy sources, which we all know are only viable thanks to taxpayer subsidies, putting the clocks forward is free, and you can’t get anything greener than a free CO2 reduction. Yet strangely there is barely a whisper from the normally most vocal section of the green orchestra. Now, I am no conspiracy theorist, but I cannot help but feel that this is highly odd if not darn right suspicious.
There have always been myths concerning BDST, including strong if vague references to the requirements of farming being the reason for us being plunged into darkness earlier than necessary. This is something that, as a countryman, I have always found puzzling.
Farmers do not rely on the time indicated on their watches to go about their business. They do what their ancestors have done for thousands of years: they operate from first light to last light. The time that happens to be recorded on a watch face is all but irrelevant to them because unlike 90 per cent of the population, they do not have to catch trains or commute to work. What’s more, cows don’t wear watches, they just know when they want to be milked and they don’t care what Mr Rolex has to say about it.
Interestingly though, even this well used excuse seems to have been run off the road. In March 2010, in a survey of their membership, the National Farmers Union found that most respondent farmers were neutral about BDST and actually the only strong representation was from members supporting longer daylight in winter.
Another long-term excuse is that children in the north of Britain would be in more danger walking to school in the mornings if it were dark. “Walking to school?” When was the last time a kid walked to school in this country? 1951? Seriously though, with traffic density as it is today, no responsible parent would let their child walk to school even if they could do so. As Lord Archer has pointed out, this is outdated nonsense and therefore not a viable excuse for rejecting BDST.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the RAC and the AA have campaigned for years to reintroduce BDST as they argue that police accident records clearly indicate that more accidents occur in the dark evenings during rush hour when tired commuters are returning from work than when they are fresh in the mornings. According to their research, they estimate 600 lives per year could be saved. 600 lives: that’s the equivalent of a bloody massacre. The government moved heaven and earth to ban competitive handgun target shooting when 30 people were killed but have routinely ignored 600 lives per year for decades? What are these politicians doing?
A Conservative Member of Parliament, Rebecca Harris, put forward the Daylight Saving Bill 2010-12. It was debated in November 2011 and January 2012, but despite being supported by “Call Me Dave” himself, it was filibustered out of Parliament by largely Scottish based members who argued it would disadvantage Scotland.
These politicians used this argument despite a 2010 survey of 3,000 Scots indicating that they were actually in favour of BDST. I guess Scots like to save money on their heating bills too: oh, there’s a surprise. Anyway, the efforts of these objectors were enough to ensure that the bill’s time was used up and it will now proceed no further.
What? That’s it? 500,000 tonnes of CO2 and 600 lives a year swept under the carpet because a couple of whingeing Scottish MPs are out of touch with their the views of their own constituents? Does that sound right to you? Even if they didn’t vote for BDST, which with fuel prices the way they are, being canny Scots, they almost certainly would, why can’t Scotland have it’s own time zone? Many of them want independence, so here’s a good start. As an aside, evidence also shows that if Scots did adopt BDST, their suicide rate would drop dramatically as the statistics show this is clearly linked to long dark winter nights.
Either way, we have reached a point where political correctness simply has to be outweighed by common sense. You cannot let 85 per cent of the UK population suffer for the sake of the other 15 per cent. What of the adverse affect this is having on GNP at a time when the economy is struggling so much?
The thing about this clock moving business is that the more you search for answers, the more questions you are left asking. One is forced to conclude that it is either a deeply sinister conspiracy involving multi-billion pound energy companies who would rather we carried on paying for an extra half a million tonnes of unnecessary smog, or simply an old fashioned British farce of monstrous proportions.
All in all, I’m left rather perplexed. What’s your view? Isn’t it time that something changed?
J.K. Rowling sells the home where she first moved after the initial success of her “Harry Potter” series
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling is a lady said to be worth some $1 billion. Her path from “rags to riches” is well documented but the announcement of the sale of the Edinburgh home she first bought after the initial success of the books gives an insight into how she is also financially shrewd when it comes to property investment.
Having paid £425,000 for a first floor flat in a 2-storey Victorian house at 1 Abbotsford Park in Edinburgh’s Merchiston neighbourhood, 2 miles from the city in 1999, Rowling bought the other half of the building in 2003 for £375,000. In turn, the property was converted back into an 8 bedroomed single family residence and became one of several residences the author lived in with her second husband, Dr. Neil Murray, and their children.
As well as extensively refurbishing and extending the property, in a submission to Edinburgh Council in December 2003, in the names of Mr. and Mrs Murray, the couple sought permission to install five CCTV cameras inside mock lamps at 1 Abbotsford Park. Though a neighbor objected on the grounds of invasion of privacy, the application was approved.
J.K. Rowling also built a detached 656 square foot office complex in the grounds of the 3,240 square foot house during her occupation. Additionally, as well as a library, she fitted out a study where she wrote many of the series of books that have now sold more than 400 million copies.
Though Rowling permanently moved into another Edinburgh home she purchased for £2 million in December 2009 last year, whoever purchases 1 Abbotsford Park will have other authors to call neighbours. Ian Rankin and Alexander McCall Smith both live locally.
Rettie and Co. seek £2,250,000 on behalf of Dr. Murray and J.K. Rowling. Even allowing for their extensive renovations, the author’s initial £800,000 investment appears to have certainly paid off if this price is achieved.
For more information on 1 Abbotsford Park, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH10 5DX, contact James Whitson of Rettie & Co. at 11 Wemyss Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6DH or telephone: +44 (0) 131 624 9068. View full details including a PDF brochure at: http://www.rettie.co.uk/sales/EDI121294
J.K. Rowling’s official website can be viewed at: http://www.jkrowling.com. Her first adult book, The Casual Vacancy, is published by Little Brown on 27th September 2012.
“Dictatorship tempered with an amount of human decapitation” was his style as Director-General of the BBC. This Presbyterian didn’t get on with Churchill as he felt he could have done a better job himself. John Reith was emancipated by a booze fuelled sailing trip with the governor of the Bank of England without his wife and subsequently encouraged drinking in the offices of the BBC. When he left the corporation, he vented his outrage whenever they played jazz music.
The Steeple Times asks John King, the sales manager for No. 11 Cadogan Gardens: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
My parents.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Don’t get mad, charge more.”
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2012?
Victoria Beckham. The woman is despicable and the unhappiest celebrity there is.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
My business: a lettings agency in Brixton.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
An island, a super yacht and a supermodel.
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?
Coca Cola was once funded by the bank. We all need banks.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“In’it.”
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
When I have enough to give, I won’t discriminate.
The judge in “Law Abiding Citizen” states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
Anywhere except the dinner table.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My parents, Nelson Mandela, Bill Clinton, Muhammad Ali and Sir Alex Ferguson.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Mince and tatties in my mum’s living room.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Any time after 12, I’m not declaring which 12 I mean.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
None of the above. I like a champagne cocktail at the bar at No. 11 Cadogan Gardens.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
My own because my closest friends are with me.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My five year old nephew, Charlie.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Glenmorangie 18 years old.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A motto which says: “What’s for you, will not go past you.”
If you were a car, what marquee would you be?
A Porsche 911 Carrera in red.
Cilla Black presented “Surprise, Surprise.” Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’d say that it is that I have managed to live in London for 9 years.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
My watch. I stupidly left it at home.
John King is the sales manager for No. 11 Cadogan Gardens, London, SW3 2RJ. Website: http://www.no11cadogangardens.com
A fearless child who set about improving school meals by posting photographs and rating the junk she was fed. Her blog, NeverSeconds, became an internet sensation and even Jamie Oliver backed her. Subsequently, bureaucrats at Argyll and Bute Council banned her from taking photographs but all that did was make her more famous. Good for her.