The Steeple Times

Tag: society

  • Mapping Trump

    Mapping Trump

    The world according to Donald Trump (and where to watch the US elections in London)

     

    According to the Bulgarian artist Yanko Tsvetkov, Donald Trump is an example of “a modern Icarus, Trump thinks he’s a butterfly that can cause a hurricane. The problem is he can’t fly”.

     

    In the latest map in his Atlas of Prejudice, Tsvetkov replaces country names with “the world according to Donald Trump”. Iceland is simply a place that supplies “cocktail ice”, South America is a “Miss Universe Farm” and Mexico is just full of “rapists”.

     

    A detailed commentary on Trump follows and at the end, Tsvetkov concludes:

     

    “If you’re a bit more sentimental and forgiving, you can picture him as that racist uncle you still care about because deep in his heart he’s a ‘good person’. Being an idiot excuses you from idiotic actions. Being a clever person acting like an idiot, doesn’t. Whatever the case, Trump is not someone who should spend even a single night at the White House. Not even if he had too much wine after Hillary Clinton’s inauguration party”.

     

    Elsewhere today, at Urbanologie, Hugo Campbell-Davys suggests six places where those in London with an interest in watching the election pan out on 8th November can enjoy the night. Amongst his suggestions of all-night parties are the K Bar at The Kensington Hotel in South Kensington and The Stafford Hotel in St James’s.

     

    Mapping Trump – The world according to Donald Trump by Bulgarian artist Yanko Tsvetkov – Atlas of Prejudice – Urbanologie guide to where to watch US elections in London

  • The New Andy Warhol

    The New Andy Warhol

    A private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea

     

    Described as “the new Andy Warhol” by the actor Michael Caine, acclaimed artist Lincoln Townley’s works were displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea on Wednesday 19th October. To welcome the exhibition, a party was held to mark the occasion and it was a rare thing – a truly genuine happening.

     

    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    One of Lincoln Townley’s paintings

     

    A select group of readers of The Steeple Times were kindly invited by Laurenzo Mefsut of Trace ART and amongst them were fashion gurus Rocky Mazzilli and his mother Louise Michielsens, art curator Chrissy Cant, financiers Michael Clark and James Moon and newly engaged PR gurus Stuart Leach and Marianne van Pelt.

     

    Others present included Townley’s actress wife, Denise Welch, as well as the Britain’s Got Talent contestant Nick Celino, the former WAG Lizzie Cundy and the socialite and event organiser Philip Sallon.

     

    Of the works, Mr Mefsut commented:

     

    “Townley’s style in oil, acrylic, and gilding is bold and modern, inspired by the psychedelia and grotesquerie of Francis Bacon and the street life of Soho. His satirical canvases send up the misplaced seriousness with which modern life sees itself, exposing the dark underbelly of finance, sex, and the concept of luxury itself”.

     

    Works offered are priced from £50,000 for limited edition prints and quickly rise to £250,000 for original paintings.

     

    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    The exhibition was held on the ground floor of the Saatchi Gallery
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Writer, art critic, and a former personal assistant to John Lennon and Yoko Ono Anthony Fawcett with Trace ART’s Laurenzo Mefsut
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Actress Denise Welch smiles proudly next to her former strip club promoter turned artist husband Lincoln Townley
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Michael Caine was undoubtedly the most famous man in the room
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Philip Sallon plainly said something that shocked this lady
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Rocky Mazzilli and Louise Michielsens were on especially good form
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Michael Clark and Ekaterina Fields with a work by Lincoln Townley
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Alexandra Naylor, Ailsa Moon and James Moon next to a work by Lincoln Townley
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Michael Clark, Denise Welch, Rocky Mazzilli and Baldassare La Rizza
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Former WAG Lizzie Cundy
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Rocky Mazzilli, Michael Clark, Alexandra Naylor, Louise Michielsens and Eve Ferret
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Former “Coronation Street” actress Sally Lindsay and her drummer husband Steve White
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    PR gurus Stuart Leach and Marianne van Pelt
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ contestant Nick Celino enthusiastically talked about his new record, “Out Of My Mind”
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    This guest chose to indulge in taking selfies
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Whilst Philip Salloon kept himself busy on his mobile device
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Though interior decorator Baldassare La Rizza was a late arrival, he found time to be photographed with Rocky Mazzilli and Matthew Steeples
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    This guest was keen to show off her glistening teeth
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Photographer Axel Bernstorff remarked that he’d “enjoyed meeting many new people”
    The New Andy Warhol – Private view of the works of Lincoln Townley at the Saatchi Gallery, Chelsea, London, SW3 on Wednesday 19th October 2016
    Marianne van Pelt, Rocky Mazzilli, Stuart Leach, Louise Michielsens and Philip Sallon

     

  • Emir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    Emir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece?

    A 20-question interview with 25-year old New York based BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm founder Emir Bahadir

     

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

    My driving force is being able to bridge the gap between international investors and local markets. Being a member of the fifth generation of my family, my guiding force is maintaining the business standards set forth by my ancestors.

     

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

    ‘More is more, work smart not hard’ and ‘Well done is better than well said’.

     

    Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

    This is relative depending on the realm of the industry you are in. Two of the things that I find unacceptable are dishonesty and lack of communication.

     

    Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

    I miss my high school days when I had no responsibility and was surrounded by intellectual people. Maybe this has a lot to do with my young age and my active business life, even then. I feel I never got to be reckless after graduating from high school in Switzerland and became very responsible and focused instead.

     

    What might you swap all your wealth for?

    I would swap my wealth for helping end hunger and poverty throughout the world. Most people don’t have awareness of what the world’s real needs are.

     

    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 state of the financial system?

    Based on that comment, that statement is truthful. Based on that statement, today the banking system is changing for the better. I believe in the short-term we will see a lot of improvements.

     

    What phrase or word do you most loathe?

    I used to think: “The worst thing in life is to end up alone”. It’s not: “The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel alone”. The reason why I hate this phrase is because it is so true.

     

    In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

    Charity does start at home. Growing up, my parents emphasised the importance of charity and then it became a way of life, a routine. I have volunteered in Zambia to help build schools and teach kids. Whilst there, we also took 500 mattresses to the schools in different tribes. Today, my family’s foundation helps hundreds of children with scholarships to study and become successful members of their communities.

     

    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?

    There is always a risk using any kind of technology regardless if it is security based or not. However, I think there is a strong need for technology, especially with the fast pace of the business world these days.

     

    If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

    Benjamin Franklin, Steve Jobs, Abraham Lincoln, Mozart and Picasso.

     

    If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

    I hope that won’t be my reality ever. However, to answer your question, I would like to eat the judge who sentenced me to death.

     

    What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

    Lunchtime usually is the time to start. However, at weekends, noon bellinis are acceptable.

     

    A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

    A martini; a very, very dirty martini.

     

    Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

    I do enjoy my own parties because I pay so much attention to the details prior. It means that, during the event itself, I can put all my energy and efforts into entertaining my guests.

     

    Who is the most positive person you know?

    My grandmother is one of the most positive people I know and my COO, Tanya, always calms me down when I get a little wound up.

     

    What’s your most guilty pleasure?

    Eating chocolate late at night.

     

    If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

    Even though I have a tattoo of the OHM sign, it does not really sum me up. I wish it did. My other one, Dum Spiro Spero (When I Breath I Hope), would be the one to describe me. I tend to hope and dream and work hard to make my dreams come true.

     

    If you were a car, what marque would you be?

    A Bentley – Fast and furious, yet classy and comfortable.

     

    Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

    That I am humble and relatable to is a surprise to most people. Considering my background and my current motivation to succeed on another level, people don’t expect it.

     

    What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

    I have a small sculpture by Jeff Koons.

     

    Emir Bahadir is a 25-year old entrepreneur based in New York. He was educated at the American School in Switzerland and New York University. Bahadir is the founder and CEO of the BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm, invests in tech startup firms and is also an art collector.

     

    Follow him on Instagram at @emirbahadir and use his own hashtag, #bahadiring

     

    Emir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece? The Steeple Times conducts a 20 question interview with 25-year old New York based BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm founder Emir Bahadir – He is also a star of the website Rich Kids of InstagramEmir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece? The Steeple Times conducts a 20 question interview with 25-year old New York based BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm founder Emir Bahadir – He is also a star of the website Rich Kids of Instagram Emir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece? The Steeple Times conducts a 20 question interview with 25-year old New York based BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm founder Emir Bahadir – He is also a star of the website Rich Kids of InstagramEmir Bahadir – What’s on your mantelpiece? The Steeple Times conducts a 20 question interview with 25-year old New York based BHDR real estate brokerage and development firm founder Emir Bahadir – He is also a star of the website Rich Kids of Instagram

  • Jeffrey Slonim (1960 – 2016)

    Jeffrey Slonim (1960 – 2016)

    America’s answer to Nigel Dempster went to school with Julianne Moore and later attended Yale University. A preppy entertainment reporter, Jeffrey Slonim was considered to be “a walking Ralph Lauren ad” and a “throwback to a gentler time”. He wrote for amongst others Allure, Gotham, People and The New York Post. An all-round good guy and extremely well-connected, Slonim also worked with P.Diddy Marathon Diaries with Sean Combs and co-hosted parties with the likes of Hamish Bowles, Zac Posen, Sharon Stone and Blaine Trump. His life was tragically cut short in October 2016 in an accident.

     

  • Picture of the Week – Tailgating Par Excellence

    Picture of the Week – Tailgating Par Excellence

    An image of quite possibly the best tailgate bar ever (and two images of the consequential behaviour)

     

    On Monday, Guest of a Guest featured what could quite possibly be the finest tailgate drinking setup ever.

     

    In a series of slides about the 96th Far Hills Running Race Meeting in New Jersey on Saturday, the paper included one of a Range Rover complete with what can only be described as the best mobile bar we’ve seen in ages. It features a bar stocked with gin, whisky, wine, vodka and all manner of bar accoutrements and paraphernalia and is nothing but spectacular.

     

    If they’d been there, Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone of Absolutely Fabulous and dear old Withnail and I’s Withnail and Marwood would never have got near the horses as this was a bar that just had to be emptied.

     

    The following two pictures show the result of what the real guests subsequently got upto:

     

    Picture of the Week – Tailgating Par Excellence – 96th Far Hills Running Race Meeting in New Jersey – Guest of a GuestPicture of the Week – Tailgating Par Excellence – 96th Far Hills Running Race Meeting in New Jersey – Guest of a Guest

  • Topping a sale

    Topping a sale

    Highest penthouse in western hemisphere sells for £67.5 million

     

    On Friday, the property news site 6sqft reported that a Saudi billionaire had just paid £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) for a New York penthouse at 432 Park Avenue that is currently the highest of any in the western hemisphere.

     

    According to the site, the 8,255 square foot full-floor penthouse retail magnate Fawaz Al Hokair has bought is 1,936 feet up the tower and “offers unparalleled views… through the tower’s signature 10-foot-by-10-foot windows as well as six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a wood-burning fireplace and heated bathroom floors”.

     

    The asking price for the apartment had been £73.1 million ($95 million or €85.1 million).

     

    Topping a sale – 423 Park Avenue penthouse sells for £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) – New York, NY 10022 – Fawaz Al HokairTopping a sale – 423 Park Avenue penthouse sells for £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) – New York, NY 10022 – Fawaz Al Hokair Topping a sale – 423 Park Avenue penthouse sells for £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) – New York, NY 10022 – Fawaz Al Hokair Topping a sale – 423 Park Avenue penthouse sells for £67.5 million ($87.7 million or €78.6 million) – New York, NY 10022 – Fawaz Al Hokairoutside

     

     

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  • An unlucky mansion

    An unlucky mansion

    Unlucky mansion in Yorkshire with 13 bedrooms for sale for a lower sum than it was marketed for in 2007 – despite having been renovated internally in the time since

     

    Offered for sale for less than it was last marketed in a “dilapidated condition” in 2007, Whinburn Hall in the gritty West Yorkshire mill town of Keighley has now been largely restored internally but is still surrounded by neglected yet Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments Act 1953 protected grounds.

     

    Described as a “fine country house… contrasting with the cramped rows of terraces in the streets behind them” according to Wikipeda, this Grade II listed Victorian Arts and Crafts mansion was built in 1897 for Prince Smith III (1869 – 1940), an exotically named gentleman who later renamed himself Prince Prince-Smith before becoming Sir Prince Prince-Smith on the death of his father in 1922.

     

    Constructed from wealth generated by the Prince-Smith family’s textile machinery manufacturing business, Prince Smith & Son, the house was redesigned and extended in 1912 – 1913 and became a training centre for the National Institute of Houseworkers in 1940. Sold again in 1950 to the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, the “modern manor house” was run as a residential school and special referral unit until 2008 and then, after a period of dilapidation and the rejection of plans to turn Whinburn Hall into flats, was bought by a 35-year old businessman named James Sheldon in 2008.

     

    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    An unlucky mansion – James Sheldon purchased Whinburn Hall at the age of 35 and died there aged just 42

     

    Sheldon, who worked as a lifeboat coxswain in Southport for 18 years, restored Whinburn Hall to use as a family home and also based his business Nav-comm, a specialist in the design of LED lighting systems for emergency vehicles, there.

     

    In the years that followed, Mr Sheldon developed what he claimed to be a new form of “anti-terror security equipment” to detect explosives and drugs from 50 metres and took a stand at a trade show in London in 2013 to showcase this. It was later described as being like “an experiment a first year university student would have tried, but which failed” and in due course West Yorkshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit placed Sheldon and his father, Anthony, under investigation.

     

    Both were arrested on allegations of fraud and on 23rd June 2015, after two police officers visited Whinburn Hall to inform the duo that they were to be rebailed for three months, 42-year old James Sheldon tragically jumped to his death from the fourth floor tower of the hall. It later transpired he had been served with an eviction order due his non-payment of the mortgage on the house and faced debts of some £1.25 million ($1.62 million or €1.45 million).

     

    The main property, which is now for sale through agents Dacre Son & Hartley for just £1.45 million ($1.87 million or €1.68 million), currently – rather unluckily, some might also argue – features 13 bedrooms and 7 reception rooms. It comes with a detached bungalow and a dilapidated gatehouse and stands in 7 acres of protected gardens that includes a folly designed by the renowned Lancastrian garden designer and landscape architect Thomas Mawson. Hopefully the next owner, aside from tackling this “overgrown jungle”, will also bring with them better luck.

     

    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    This ‘baronial hall’ is used as a dining room and is dominated a truly tasteless purple ceiling
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    The purple theme continues in this gallery
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    And there’s more of it in this corridor
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    A drawing room complete with ‘classy’ DFS style furniture and a huge television set could be somewhat improved
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    A striking fireplace in another room is surrounded by some pretty hideously coloured leather sofas
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    A staircase with a resemblance to something from a fun fair
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    Another staircase is a little more traditional
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    One of thirteen bedrooms
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    The house is surrounded by 7 acres of overgrown grounds
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    A somewhat amateur attempt at creating a helipad is located close to the house
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    The entrance gates
    An unlucky mansion – Whinburn Hall, Hollins Lane, Utley, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 6LU – On the market for £1.45 million in 2016; marketed in 2007 for £1.5 million (or the equivalent of £1.88 million today)
    The roof of the adjoining gatehouse is literally caving in

     

     

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  • The Duke of Westminster

    The Duke of Westminster

    A tribute to Gerald Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Westminster (1951 – 2016)

     

    Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6th Duke of Westminster was a man of duty dedicated to his country, its military and to the countryside he so loved.

     

    Described in a poignant tribute on the Grosvenor Estate’s website as “distinctly down-to-earth” and “rarely seen without a Diet Coke and a cigarette (later electric)”, the Duke – one of the country’s finest shots – was not one to mince his words and not one to shirk from a row. He took Westminster Council to court when they proposed selling off a housing estate in Pimlico intended by his ancestors specifically for the use of the working classes and won and then subsequently quit the Conservative Party in 1993 after a row with John Major over his leasehold reform legislation. At the time, he stated: “I had to leave because of my own conscience. I took a moral stand”.

     

    Not without his flaws – including a little bit of a scandal in 2008 involving a New York escort service – and someone prone to sleepless nights and depression, the Duke may have been a billionaire but he also had the common touch. Though he made the founding gift of £50 million to the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in 2011 and supported farmers hit by the 2001 foot and mouth crisis with a £500,000 donation, he was just as likely to be found offering words of encouragement and sharing laughter in the communities he so especially treasured in Cheshire and at Abbeystead in Lancashire.

     

    In 1995, appearing on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, the Duke remarked:

     

    “In the context of eternity, if I am lucky I might live 70 years, but this estate has been with us for 3, 4, 5, 600 years. I am only a mere flicker in the process of time. It is what I do with it, rather than what I am worth, that I believe is more important”.

     

    Modest to his core and a man with a loathing for such tags as “environmentalist” and “philanthropist”, the Duke left the Grosvenor Estate in a far better state than he found it in 1979. He may have been born with a silver spoon, but he understood that with rights came responsibilities.

     

     

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  • Reducing a stately

    Reducing a stately

    Grade I listed Sir John Soane designed country house Tyringham Hall reduced in price by 30% (more…)

  • Quote of the Week – Annoying Anna

    Quote of the Week – Annoying Anna

    Oliver Estreich perfectly sums up Anna Wintour’s gathering of the brazen and the not so bashful (more…)