Wishing our readers a very Merry Christmas
As we all head home for the holidays, may we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. We’ve had a busy year at The Steeple Times and below we highlight some of our favourite stories as a collage. (more…)
Homes perfect for those who love messing about in boats
The Water Rat in Wind in the Willows famously stated:
“There is NOTHING – absolute nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats”.
Here, we share five homes that would suit him perfectly as a base for such activity (more…)
The sale of The Duchess of Cambridge’s uncle’s holiday villa, La Maison de Bang Bang
Just as it is reported that the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge is said to be furious about photographers having managed to capture her in a bikini on a beach on the private island of Mustique, another of her previous holiday destinations has come to the market.
The Duchess, as Kate Middleton, stayed with Prince William at the holiday home of her uncle, Gary Goldsmith’s in Ibiza in 2006. During the break at the exotically named La Maison de Bang Bang, the Prince and Miss Middleton were photographed on a motor launch, Tapeka Point, that was subsequently put up for auction in April 2012 for £120,000.
The 4 double bedroom villa, named according to its official website, after “Ibiza’s famous banging house music”, is just five minutes from the Cala Jondal beach and the “hip” Blue Marlin beach bar. The house stands on a plot of 23,850 square metres and includes a large reception room, 4 dining areas and a fully equipped gym. In addition there is a staff bungalow, swimming pool and tennis court.
In a statement to the Daily Telegraph’s “Mandrake”, Goldsmith, who was subject to a News of the World sting at La Maison de Bang Bang in 2009, commented:
“I’m looking to buy a bigger house in London, given that I have only been there myself once in the last two year… After what seems like a million years of fun, fun, fun, I’m selling Bang Bang, folks”.
Of the house itself, Mr Goldsmith told the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay:
“It’s on for 6.5 million Euro. Despite the Spanish economy, it’s a good time to sell because the Euro is very strong at the moment, plus Ibiza isn’t like mainland Spain. It has a micro-economy all of its own”.
Knight Frank’s particulars for La Maison de Bang Bang were prepared last September and though Mr Goldsmith, who made £275 million selling his recruitment business in 2005, may be a canny businessman, it seems as if he may have to wait some time before someone else decides to put their bucks into the Bang Bang.
For more information on La Maison de Bang Bang, contact Knight Frank on +44 (0) 203 641 5161.
To view particulars on the house, go to: http://content.zoopla.co.uk/a6420c8137a5d9f4e81b6c108c398e4bf467c6ed.pdf
To view the official website for the house, go to: http://www.rentibizavilla.com
The story of a 1929 bi-plane with a truly fascinating pedigree
Britain’s best-known wartime Prime Minister piloted a Gipsy Moth aeroplane that will be sold by auctioneers Bonhams in February 2013 at a guide of £120,000. The same craft was also featured in an iconic 1980s film and was also supposedly flown by a member of the Fiennes family who mysteriously disappeared in 1998.
Piloted several times by Sir Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965) and used in the Oscar award winning Out of Africa, this 1929 De Havilland Gipsy Moth bi-plane is 24-foot long and has a 30-foot wingspan. It is capable of a maximum speed of 105mph and “wears” a yellow and black livery. It’s registration is G-AAMY in homage to the pioneering English aviatrix Amy Johnson (1903 – 1941).
In the film, the plane was flown by Robert Redford but though the life of the big game hunter Denys Finch Hatton he played is intriguing; the exploits of Redford’s aviator double are just as fascinating a story.
Few outside of the aviation world will have heard of Tom Danaher (1929 – ) but aside from Out of Africa, he’s pretty much done it all. After graduating from a high school in Dallas in 1941, he became a Marine Corps fighter pilot. Stationed on Okiwana in August 1945, he shot down the last Japanese bomber on the final night of the Second World War and also made history, aged 21, for downing three other Japanese “Betty” bombers in the eight nights before the ceasefire.
Recalled to active service in 1951, Danaher flew one of the earliest jets, the F3D Skynight, with the Marines in Korea on night combat patrols and then was part of the last combat mission on a high altitude bombing strike over Pyongyang, North Korea in July 1953.
Danaher’s passion for flying continued after the war and in 1954 he flew his own plane, a 1948 Bonanza, to England to visit friends he’d made from the RAF whilst in Korea. To make the journey, he built a 109-gallon auxiliary fuel tank so that he could fly straight across the Atlantic. On the way home he called in for an audience with Pope Pius XII in Rome.
Danaher’s visits to England led to him becoming involved in a pirate radio station in from 1944 to 1967 named Wonderful Radio London. Like many others, Danaher was not impressed by the BBC’s monopolistic attitude to radio programming and so helped build a 17,000-watt station on a surplus Second World War minesweeper. It was anchored three and a half miles off the English coast and outside of Britain’s territorial limit. Of the experience, Danaher told Airport Journals:
“We had someone in Dallas who would record KLIF, a top 40 station, and we put it right on the air… The Englishmen over there just ate it up… The station programmed news and top 40 music and was very successful. It had the largest listening audience of any of any commercial broadcast station at the time.”
Back in America, Danaher owned three car dealerships in Wichita Falls, Texas but sold them in 1972 to open his own airport, the Tom Danaher Airport. Lake Wichita Airport (7TXO), as it was also known, kept the aviator busy but he has also piloted in films numbering Empire of the Sun, Sky Bandits, Air America, Bad Medicine, The Pleasure of Love, White Hunter Black Heart, Cliffhanger and Goldeneye.
In 1985, Danaher was recruited to fly Gipsy Moth G-AAMY by Sydney Pollack (1934 – 2008), the American director of Out of Africa. He recounted his six week experience on set in Masai Mara, Kenya in an interview for his local Texan newspaper, the TimesRecordNews, in 2008. Here, he highlighted the problems of trying to film with a vintage plane that “has no brakes and is difficult to steer”:
“Robert Redford couldn’t make the thing turn. It took considerable finesse to turn it on the ground… The third time, he gave it full throttle… The left wing contacted a thick thorn bush and it tore some of the fabric off the lower left wing of the plane. We couldn’t fly it the rest of the day.”
Other dramas arose with G-AAMY in terms of Meryl Streep’s body double refusing to fly in it and the craft struggling to reach the high altitudes necessary to film a sweeping shot of the plane flying past a waterfall. Danaher took charge stating: “If I can get a piece of string and a ruler, I can fix this.” He found just such, cleverly installed them and Pollack: “got every single shot he wanted.”
Another person to have piloted the Gipsy Moth G-AAMY, according to a comment left in the PPRuNe Professional Pilots Rumour Network forum, was a man named Roger Fiennes. Whether this “rumour” is true or not, the cousin of the actor Ralph Fiennes and the explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, is another character with a flying history as fascinating as his true family name – which turns out to be “Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes” when presented in full. Of why he did not use this lengthy and historic surname, Fiennes is said to have once commented:
“You try writing that signature on a 6 foot long cheque book.”
Fiennes flew many hours in a variety of planes and one of the best documented was an expedition supported by the Daily Mail from White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire to Sheremetyevo Airport in the Soviet Union in April 1989 and back. He flew one of three Tiger Moth bi-planes with a Russian navigator named Alexy Zaitov. The journey took three weeks to complete, involved 33 perilous stops and covered 5,000 miles.
On 19th April 1998, Fiennes was piloting a 1941 DH82A Tiger Moth, G-BALX, from Dieppe to Headcorn Aerodrome in Kent but he failed to reach his destination. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the disappearance concluded:
“Although the pilot contacted Paris Information by radio, in the absence of a specific request, the flight plan was not activated. Lashenden was therefore unaware of the flight’s departure and ETA. When the aircraft was reported missing overdue action, and the subsequent Search and Rescue operation, which was activated on the morning of 21 April 1998. Since then there has been no sign of the aircraft or pilot.”
Articles at the time and forums since are sparse in detail but several forum posters and articles suggest that Mr Fiennes had “mounting debts and a string of business collapses.” Whilst some go as far as to suggest a “Lord Lucan” style disappearance and make references to “paddling canoes” and “check[ing] the Panamanian register,” others remember a “nice guy, sadly missed.” Whatever really happened that fateful day, though, will probably never be solved.
G-AAMY, which was marked G-AAMT for the filming of Out of Africa, is a plane with a remarkable past. We suspect there’ll be a few more dramas for this craft yet.
The 1929 De Havilland DH 60 GMW Gipsy Moth bi-plane G-AAMY will be sold by Bonhams at the Grand Palais in Paris, France sale during Rétromobile week (6th to 7th February 2013). For more information telephone +33 1 42 61 10 11 or go to: http://www.bonhams.com
To learn more about Tom Danaher’s experience flying G-AAMY in Out of Africa, read the full TimesRecordNews report by Lara K. Richards at: http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/jun/08/fly/?print=1
To read the AAIB account of the disappearance of Roger Fiennes and DH82A Tiger Moth, G-BALX, go to: http://www.aaib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/dft_avsafety_pdf_502449.pdf
A marine residence with a history tied to the Rolls-Royce Spirit of Ecstasy, the Special Operations Executive and Babycham
The House on the Shore on Thorns Beach at Beaulieu in Hampshire is a home that wouldn’t look out of place in the Hamptons or Rhode Island. Dramatically situated next to the Solent waters to the north of the Isle of Wight, this suitably named building wouldn’t have been out of place in the 1980s BBC series Howards’ Way. It could. Indeed, have been an ideal home for Gerald and Polly Urquhart. (more…)
Thomas James on the playground of the rich and famous that is The Hamptons
One of the most popular guest features on the blog that preceded The Steeple Times was this article by Thomas James. The summer may well have passed along with Sandy and her might but as the article continues to attract vast numbers of hits, we thought we’d share it with you again this autumn day.
The Hamptons is a beautiful coastal retreat with sandy beaches and vineyards, is home to premier pieces of real estate, and is known as the playground of the rich and famous.
Generally speaking, it is an area of concentrated Manhattan wealth, as many New Yorkers have second and third homes there that are most commonly occupied during the summer months. The differing hamlets that create this wondrous land of lush gardens and luxury real estate possess a distinct atmosphere and attract different types of individuals.
East Hampton is the most coveted hamlet as it is dotted with world-class restaurants, well-known art galleries, and boutiques such as Blue and Cream. It is also home to the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The residents of East Hampton are a culmination of celebrities, fashionable, and chic individuals such as Kelly Bensimon and Russell Simmons as well as those who are more traditional or preppy in nature – who tend to belong to the Maidstone Club. Models, celebrities, and socialites from Linday Lohan to Lauren Conrad flock to Lily Pond, a trendy nightclub in East Hampton featuring French crystal chandeliers and it becomes a massive VIP lounge for today’s youth to celebrate.
Art For Life is an annual benefit held at the home of Russell Simmons. The proceeds of Art For Life support art programs for New York City students. This soiree is a grand event as Russell Simmons has no limitations to his imagination and often amazing performance artists entertain guests. The event attracts celebrities, philanthropists and lovers of art.
As one strolls down Main Street after enjoying a memorable cup of coffee at Sant Ambroeus, one may bump into Ina Garten purchasing fresh vegetables at Citarella or a socialite shopping at Hermes.
Southampton is similar to that of East Hampton as it is home to many chic restaurants and boutiques such as Stubbs and Wootton. Southampton has many social events throughout the year and is very Waspy in nature.
The hamlet of Bridgehampton is known for the Hampton Classic, which is a highly anticipated equestrian riding event held annually. One may find solace venturing through Bridgehampton’s world-renowned vineyards in the early morning and later soaking up the fruity wines of Bridgehampton’s famed wineries.
Hamptonites often flock to Pierre’s with friends in Bridgehampton for ideal French cuisine. “The atmosphere is cozy and intimate, elegant but relaxed, a place to see and to be seen.”
Many artists, writers, and actors are drawn to the hamlet of Watermill. Watermill has many riding stables, golf courses, and a polo team. The Watermill Center is a haven for artists who are free to explore, experiment, and express their ideas. The glamorous Watermill Gala is an end of summer fundraiser where eccentric performance artists are on display as partygoers are sipping their champagne.
If one truly desires to step into the untouched beauty of the Hampton’s one usually ventures to Montauk. This hamlet is the farthest hamlet on the east end. The estates of prominent individuals line the shores of the Atlantic.
In 2009, Bernard and Ruth Madoff’s Montauk beach house was sold to an unidentified buyer. He and his former home penetrate one’s mind with an image of vulgar decadence. Surprisingly, the 4 bedroom, 3,014 square foot house, which sits on 1.2 acres, is a mere cottage amongst the typical mansions and estates. This classic beach house sits closer to the ocean than the neighboring homes of Ralph Lauren and Robert DeNiro, which was it’s major selling point as well as the unsurpassed views of Montauk’s untouched beauty. Bernie Madoff purchased the land and then built the home in 1979 for approximately $3 million but due to the exposure of his scam, the house was taken by the government in July 2009. Proceeds of the sale benefited victims of Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. It is now estimated to now be worth around $8 million.
From Alec Baldwin, preserving the raw beauty found here, to local artists trying to capture the indescribable beauty of the east end, the Hamptons is a truly special place where lavish individuals harmonise beautifully with the lush nature found there.
For more information on The Hamptons International Film Festival, go to: http://hamptonsfilmfest.org
For details on The Hamptons Classic, go to: http://www.hamptonclassic.com
For general information on the Hamptons, go to: http://www.hamptons.com or follow Hamptons.com on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/hamptons
Read Niche Media LLC’s Hamptons magazine at: http://hamptons-magazine.com
To read a blog dedicated to the Hamptons, go to: http://bloghamptons.com
View Thomas (T.J.) James’s blog, The Gentledaneur, at: http://thegentleman-dandy-flaneur.tumblr.com Follow T.J. on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/thomasjames124
The Steeple Times asks the chef, author and television personality Sophie Michell: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
“Independence and the life choices that come with it.”
“Never regret, never explain, never apologise” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
As Virginia Woolf once said: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Kerry Katona was unacceptable in 2007. Who is unacceptable in 2012?
Samantha Brick: She gave women a bad name by writing so many self-serving articles implying that all women are as shallow and as vacuous as she, and that we as a gender make judgements solely on looks.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
Friends and family who I have loved and lost.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A simple life living by the sea and working in a job that involved the ocean and it’s stunning environment and creatures.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
I hate the abbreviated text language that people use, it makes people sound very moronic
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I try and support charities as much as possible within my means and I think we should all do the same. Time is also as worth as much as money in many cases. I generally support Breakthrough Breast Cancer, but I am very keen to get involved in a charity that works for abused women and children. It’s a bigger issue than people think, routinely ignored and sadly it’s on our doorstep.
Have you ever been arrested and if so, for what?
Hahaha, nope! But that could just mean that I’ve never been caught… Only joking.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Definitely Marie Antoinette as she knew how to party and I love the clothes of that era. Cleopatra was a glamorous and formidable woman so she must come too. I’d also like Gregory Peck as he seemed like a real gentleman and my great grandfather Admiral Godfrey, who was head of Naval Intelligence in World War II. Ian Fleming was his PA and apparently the James Bond books were based on Ian Fleming’s time working with him. In fact, the character ‘M’ was based on my great grandfather and I would just love to hear the stories in person. There are many more people too, but those four would make an interesting start.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
It would be a classic seafood platter by the sea somewhere possibly on the French Riviera. I suggest this mainly because with all the shells you have to crack open to extract the tasty morsels taking such a long time to get through, it would give me time to plan my escape.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Any time after noon if on holiday. Any time after 6pm if at home. Failing those terms, you can always bend the rules by proclaiming loudly that it is always cocktail hour somewhere in the world at any given time. This works for me.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A dirty martini every time.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
I love private house parties as they are personal and always great fun. I entertain a lot when I can for both work and pleasure. I think it enables one to be quite creative and I love seeing an event come off well. I also love really chilled out beach parties, when everyone is glowing from a day in the sunshine and you can hear the sea.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My darling friend Miss Emma Nettleton. Nothing seems so serious after some dancing and giggles with her.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Ha ha ha: Guilt is a pointless emotion, so a pleasure should be left at that and basically if you feel guilt creeping in, then just don’t do it.
What was the first bone that you broke?
An ankle bone due to my first foray into ridiculously large platform shoes, aged 14. I haven’t stopped wearing large heels, but I have since mastered the art.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
Probably a dolphin. I am happier in the sea than anywhere else. Although for the record I think tattoos are vile.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
God knows. I don’t drive and have never tried. I am not adverse to beautiful cars, but also not attached to them either.
Cilla Black presented “Surprise, Surprise.” Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am actually quite shy and have faint OCD according to my friends. I think it’s otherwise known as being tidy.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
A French antique mirror, a beautiful fluorite crystal, a Dyptique blackberry leaf candle and a couple of out of date invites that will soon be removed.
Sophie Michell is a chef with a true passion for nutrition and healthy eating. She was the private chef for Claudia Schiffer for two years and has cooked for various other famous names including Leonardo DiCaprio and David Cameron. She has presented and appeared on a number of television shows including Cook Yourself Thin, Market Kitchen and Ready Steady Cook.
Sophie Michell’s official website can be viewed at: http://www.sophiemichell.com and information about her latest show, BBC America’s Chef Race: U.K. vs. U.S., can be seen at: http://www.bbcamerica.com/chef-race
Purchase Sophie Michell’s latest book, Love Good Food, at: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Love-Good-Food-Sophie-Michell/dp/1848990103/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
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?
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.
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.
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 18th 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
Edward Kay examines the latest offering from Arcadia Yachts
Hidden among a huge choice of white multi-tiered yachts that look like wedding cakes are the new award winning range of Arcadia ecological yachts. The “Marmite” design is certainly eye catching but it certainly won’t be to the taste of everybody.
The ‘half gliding’ hull is designed for economical cruising and the hybrid motors mean at 8 knots they run in absolute silence. The eco friendly theme continues with solar panels on the roof that recharge the batteries and there is also a water and sewage treatment plant so as not to pollute the sea.
Arcadia Yachts have huge fully opening windows and terraces that fold out of the hull to the sea and make them all about outdoor living. The minimalist Francesco Guida interiors are stunningly designed with Italian flair mixing the mediums of wood, carpet, leather, marble and glass effortlessly.
The latest yacht to be delivered from the Naples yard is the 115 (35 metre) “M Ocean” which displaces 180 tonnes and her twin MAN V12, 1,224hp engines give her a cruising speed of 16.5 knots and a top speed of 18.5 knots. At 16.9 knots she burns 386 litres per hour however at 10 knots that drops to just 77 litres per hour and gives her a range of 2,160 nautical miles.
The range currently comprises of 85 foot at €4.5 million, a 100 foot at €7 million, and a 115 foot at €10 million (excluding VAT). There are also 135-155 foot boats planned.
For more information on Arcadia Yachts, go to: http://www.arcadiayachts.it