The Steeple Times

Tag: Shropshire

  • Where Did Andrew Gosden Go?

    Where Did Andrew Gosden Go?

    Elizabeth Bond highlights the case of the mysterious disappearance of Andrew Gosden; last seen in London in 2007 aged just 14

    Yesterday marked the 28th birthday of Andrew Gosden. He did not, however, celebrate the day with his immediate family as he vanished in September 2007.

     

    It’s a case that has received relatively little media coverage – at least in comparison to that of Madeleine McCann, who went missing the same year – but now it’s an appropriate time to rectify this and appeal for anyone with information to come forward.

     

    What makes this story so baffling is that there has been no explanation for what happened. At the time of his disappearance, Andrew Gosden was a promising 14-year-old student from a happy, loving home in Doncaster. He had a 100% attendance record at school and was expected to score straight A grades in his exams. There is no evidence that he was being bullied or suffering from depression of any kind.

     

    Yet on the morning of 14th September 2007, Andrew did not catch the bus to school as usual. Instead, he waited in a nearby park until his parents had gone to work. He then returned home, changed out of his school uniform, and put on a black Slipknot T-shirt and a pair of jeans. He left the house, taking only a black canvas bag and a portable games console with him, and went to a local cashpoint where he withdrew £200.

     

    At around 9:30 am, Andrew made his way to Doncaster Station and bought a one-way ticket to London. He refused the offer of a return ticket, despite it costing less than a pound more. He then boarded a train, and two hours later was pictured on CCTV leaving King’s Cross Station and heading out onto the streets of London. This was the last confirmed sighting of him, and there has been no trace of him since. His bank account has also remained untouched since that day.

     

    Unfortunately, due to errors on the part of the school, the Gosden family did not realise that Andrew had gone missing until later that evening. In addition, it took a few days for the lady who sold Andrew the ticket for London to come forward, and several weeks before police identified Andrew on camera at King’s Cross. All these delays meant that other potential CCTV street footage of Andrew was wiped.

     

    The Gosden family has searched tirelessly for Andrew and tried to ascertain the reasons for his disappearance. It has been suggested that Andrew may have met someone online who persuaded him to come to London. However, there is nothing to support this theory. Andrew did not have a mobile phone or an e-mail address, and his family has said that he did not even seem particularly interested in the Internet.

     

    To date, nothing has come from appeals or supposed sightings of Andrew. Nevertheless, the Gosden family has not given up hope of ever hearing from him one day. An age-progressed image of Andrew was released in 2019. The family has also set up a website which includes a personal message for Andrew, as well as contact details. If Andrew should read this, they say that they do not care about the past or any decisions he may have made. They simply love and miss him, and hope to hear from him, so they can support him in any way.

     

    If anyone else believes they have information about Andrew, they can contact South Yorkshire Police on 0114-220 2020 or Missing People on 116 000.

     

    Follow the efforts to find Andrew Gosden on Twitter by clicking here.

     

    Pictured top: Andrew Gosden (left) and an age-progressed image of how he might now look that was released in 2019.

     

    Andrew Gosden King's Cross
    The last sighting of Andrew Gosden was at King’s Cross railway sation on the 14th September 2007.
    Andrew Gosden tweet
    A tweet shared about this missing person case yesterday.
  • Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks

    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks

    Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres

    Last week, The Steeple Times featured the sale of the vast, Grade I listed, 33,106 square foot treasure Kinlet Hall and now, for the same sum, we share news of the sale of a 713 square foot apartment in London where you’d barely have enough room to swing a cat.

     

    Priced at £3.5 million ($4.4 million, €3.9 million or درهم16.3 million) and situated within the controversial Chelsea Barracks development on the borders of Belgravia, the ground floor space offered consists of a 20-foot by 17-foot open-plan kitchen and reception room, a 12-foot by 11-foot bedroom and a shower room. Aside from that, you do get access to the 12.8-acre grounds and use of a residents’ ‘club’ where facilities number a swimming pool, gym, spa and cinema room.

     

    Chelsea Barracks attracted public attention in a 2010 court case after Prince Charles termed a previous scheme for it by Lord Rogers “awful.” As a result of the royal’s “hand grenade,” that was dropped and now, instead, the developers, Qatari Diar Europe, somewhat ostentatiously laud their project as: “A city home… with the facilities of a country estate.”

     

    For £4.85 million ($6.02 million, €5.36million or درهم22.10 million), an-ever-so-slightly larger 1,023 square foot ground floor apartment is offered also by agents Savills. It has a dressing room and an additional lavatory, but your extra wonga doesn’t get you much else. We’ll take two; NOT!

     

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    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks – £3.5m for minute apartment at Whistler Square, Chelsea Barracks, London, SW1W 8BT through Savills – Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres.
    The floor plan clearly illustrates that £3.5 million here buys you anything but a mansion. The asking price equates to a very punchy £4,909 per square foot.
    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks – £3.5m for minute apartment at Whistler Square, Chelsea Barracks, London, SW1W 8BT through Savills – Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres.
    The apartment is certainly compact and though lavishly appointed and “dressed by the renowned interior design studio Albion Nord,” has just one entertaining space (that is also merged with the kitchen).
    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks – £3.5m for minute apartment at Whistler Square, Chelsea Barracks, London, SW1W 8BT through Savills – Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres.
    There is one (just about) double bedroom. It does have views of a garden, but not much else.
    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks – £3.5m for minute apartment at Whistler Square, Chelsea Barracks, London, SW1W 8BT through Savills – Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres.
    There is a shower room, but not enough space for a bath. Those millionaires that love a long soak would do well to take their property search elsewhere.
    Bonkers at Chelsea Barracks – £3.5m for minute apartment at Whistler Square, Chelsea Barracks, London, SW1W 8BT through Savills – Minute apartment in Chelsea Barracks with barely enough room to swing a cat goes on sale for the same price as a massive mansion in Shropshire with 102 acres.
    Residents do, however, have access to a swimming pool and other leisure facilities. Whether anyone will actually use them is another thing, given most buyers will likely hardly ever be in residence.
    A ‘brand film’ for the Chelsea Barracks development was uploaded to YouTube a year ago. It is quite beyond beyond bizarre and lauds the scheme as: “A heritage. A destiny. A legacy.” No mention of the likely ‘McMoneya-esque’ occupants the punchily priced properties will attract is, however, mentioned.
    A video tour of ‘The Residences’ at Chelsea Barracks bangs on about the benefits of living in Belgravia and suggests the scheme to be inspired by “traditional garden squares” and that it will become a location of “future heritage.”
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yajs2gIB6Gc
    Another gushing video gives a tour of the Chelsea Barracks spa facilities. They have named it ‘The Garrison Club’ in homage to the site’s military past.
  • Kingly Kinlet

    Kingly Kinlet

    Grand Grade I listed Shropshire mansion Kinlet Hall for sale after coronavirus forced the closure of its wedding venue and summer school

    • Striking Grade I listed Palladian mansion in Shropshire for sale.
    • Kinlet Hall is priced at £3.5 million or just £104 per square foot.
    • The house has until recently been a school and wedding venue, but this usage has been stopped because of the coronavirus lockdown.
    • A cricket ground included with the property was lauded as one of “Britain’s most scenic” by ‘The Telegraph’ whilst HRH Princess Anne has competed in horse trials in the parkland.

    Coinciding with the partial relaxation of the coronavirus lockdown, the ‘trophy country house’ market seems to be revving up with the commencement of marketing of several historically significant residences.

    Now, following on from our feature on Saturday on the £10 million crumbling Jacobean gem Lilford Hall Estate in Northamptonshire, the same agents, Savills, have now introduced the sale of another treasure – the utterly stunning Palladian architectural treasure that is Kinlet Hall in Shropshire.

    Significantly cheaper at £3.5 million or £104 per square foot and in far better condition than 33,406 square foot Lilford Hall, the 33,609 square foot Grade I listed Kinlet Hall comes with less land – 102 acres as opposed to 321 acres. It is further from London, which may limit its appeal to wealthy city sorts, but given it has been used as both a school and wedding venue until lockdown, it is in actual “working condition” as opposed to the perilously falling down state that Lilford is sadly currently in. That is, indeed, a major plus.

    Featuring a seven-bayed central block of three storeys plus cellars, the hall is flanked by two two-storey wings. Presently configured to provide 5 reception rooms and 15 bedrooms, there are classrooms, gyms and flats also. Surprisingly, unlike with many residential to school conversions of mansions in the 1940s where ugly modern extensions were distastefully tacked on, damage to the integrity of the original structure has been minimal.

    In addition, to a 5-bedroom detached house named ‘The Old House’ and a range of farm buildings within the grounds, there is a cricket pavilion and a cricket pitch. The Telegraph named its runner-up for “Britain’s most scenic cricket ground” in 2008 and interestingly amongst the many established plant and tree species in the grounds is a Wellingtonia that allegedly came as a seed in a matchbox from the Americas.

    Of Kinlet Hall, Tony Morris-Eyton of Savills comments: “[This is] an exquisitely beautiful Palladian country house, formerly a prep school, awaiting its next chapter with enormous potential as either a private home or [for] other uses.”

    The village of Kinlet is situated on the northern edge of the Wyre Forest about 18 miles from Telford and 23 miles from Birmingham.

    Kingly Kinlet – £3.5 million ($4.4 million, €3.9 million or درهم16.3 million) for Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, Bewdley, Shropshire, DY12 3AY, United Kingdom through agents Savills – Grand Grade I listed Shropshire mansion Kinlet Hall for sale after coronavirus forced the closure of its wedding venue and summer school. HRH Prince Anne has competed at horse trials in its parkland.
    Design Maestros – Villa Pisani, Montagnana (top left) by Andrea Palladio (lower centre) inspired both Francis Smith of Warwick (lower left) in his designs for Kinlet Hall and William Buckland (lower right) in his creation of the Hammond-Harwood House (top right).

    The Names & Numbers – Kinlet Hall, Kinlet, Bewdley, Shropshire, DY12 3AY, United Kingdom

     

    June 2020 – Put up for sale for £3.5 million ($4.4 million, €3.9 million or درهم16.3 million) through agents Savills. Orchard Lodge, a 4-bedroom cottage with an acre of paddock, is available by separate negotiation.

     

    July 2017 – Moffats School closes for the final time citing financial pressures. Of the decision, school chairman Julian Engleheart told the Shropshire Star: “We have always been a small school by choice, maintaining the family ethos of our founders. However, the current financial climate is putting enormous pressure on small schools and we have decided that it would be unwise to commit to a new year this September. However, we will continue to run educational activities in our lovely house and grounds, which provide such a wonderful environment for learning.”

     

    1946 – Moffats School (founded in 1934 by the children’s writer Natalie Engleheart in a Hertfordshire house called Moffats) is relocated to Kinlet Hall.

     

    1939 – 1945 – The house was temporarily home to a school for the blind; the parkland became a camp for the US army as part of their preparations for the Normandy Landings.

     

    1827 – Ballroom added to the designs of Sir Jeffrey Wyattville (1766 – 1840) trained architect Edward Haycock (1790 – 1870) for William Baldwyn Childe. He died three years before it was completed and “this is the only significant part of the house not dating from 1729.”

     

    1727 – 1729 – Kinlet Hall is “built in a classic early Georgian style with the symmetry and grand elevations synonymous with [the English master-builder and architect] Francis Smith of Warwick (1672 – 1738)” for Tory politician William Lacon Childe (1700 – 1757) close to the site of an older Tudor manor house.

     

    Other notable works by Smith and his family include Calke Abbey, Fawsley Hall, Kirtlington House, Ombersley Court and Stoneleigh Abbey. His design was said to be inspired by Andrea Palladio’s (1508 – 1580) Villa Pisani at Montagnana – which also reportedly was the influence for the ‘Anglo-Palladian’ Hammond-Harwood House by the English architect William Buckland (1734 – 1774) in Annapolois, Maryland, USA.

     

    During construction, the old village was removed to “improve” the setting. Only the original church, St. John the Baptist, which contains monuments dating to the 1580s, was left as a “remnant.” It was restored subsequently in 1892.

     

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  • A ludicrous Land Rover

    A ludicrous Land Rover

    Land Rover Series I diesel for sale for the ludicrous sum of £200,000 (more…)

  • Colditz comes to Shropshire

    Colditz comes to Shropshire

    Shropshire cottage with a most unusual secret for sale for just shy of £200,000 (more…)

  • Reverend Robert Parker

    Reverend Robert Parker

    Reverend Robert Parker (AKA “Squire Parker” and “Britain’s richest vicar”)A controversial, twice-married, former parish priest turned multi-millionaire businessman, Derbyshire born Robert Parker left the Anglican church in 1984 and set up a chain of care homes. (more…)

  • Wally of the Week: Reverend Patricia Jackson

    Wally of the Week: Reverend Patricia Jackson

    A vicar who claims wearing a poppy “advocates war”

     

    A Methodist minister named the Reverend Patricia Jackson from Telford, Shropshire is refusing to wear a poppy to a Remembrance Day service because she believes they “advocate war”. For that reason, she simply had to be our Wally of the Week. (more…)

  • Notorious addresses

    Notorious addresses

    Can the former homes of notorious criminals ever really be ‘bargains?

     

    In recent days many newspapers have featured the sale of the apartment where Dennis Nilson committed several murders. Most refer to it as a ‘bargain’, but are such places truly really the deals they’re made out to be? (more…)

  • John Armstrong

    John Armstrong

    CVB0081O_02.tifThis poet and artist was born in Consett, County Durham and began writing aged just 13 during his time studying at a monastery in Shropshire. Famed for his amazing head of a hair and a regular at the Chelsea Arts Club, amongst Armstrong’s most poignant verses is one from his poem Who Am I in which he states: “I am the thin red line that will not yield, I am that far off corner of a foreign field, I am an Englishman!”

  • Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

    The Steeple Times asks Welsh National winning racehorse trainer Michael Scudamore: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”

     

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

    Grandad Scu, a tough man when he was riding and an absolute gentleman. He is the person that dad, Tom and I look up to the most.

     

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

    “Keep a leg either side and his head off the floor” – Michael Scudamore Snr.

    (more…)