Combining a mix of society's last word and both wit and wisdom, The Steeple Times covers food, drink and fine dining as well as luxury, travel, the arts, individuals of influence and current affairs in the United Kingdom, America and elsewhere. We are best described as being akin to "a cross between The Huffington Post and Private Eye".
The magazine's following is affluent, engaged and international. With 41% of readers coming from the UK and 38% from America, The Steeple Times also has strong presence within Canadian, Italian, German and Australian territories.
January 3, 2019
by Matthew Steeples
‘Tables d’Exception’ launched at Rolls-Royce in Mayfair On 29th November 2018, the extremely connected and delightfully affable Alexandra Foley organised a party for her client the French interior architect and antique tableware collector Hubert de Vinols at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London’s Berkeley Square showroom in Mayfair. Showcasing Mr de Vinols’ ‘Tables d’Exception’ concept … Continue reading “The Art of The Tablescape”
December 3, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Superb example of the “world’s ultimate limousine” to be auctioned; the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman was the favourite of dictators across the globe Produced from 1963 to 1981 with a run of 2,677 units made, the Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman – also known as the ‘Grosser’ or ‘Grand Mercedes’ – is undoubtedly a star amongst cars. … Continue reading “A Dictator Rides”
February 24, 2018
by Matthew Steeples
Quirky 1995 Rolls-Royce estate car for sale for just shy of £100,000; it’s perfect for picnics and conveying posh pooches A 1995 special edition Rolls-Royce Flying Spur converted to an estate car in recent years from a Silver Spur III with just 25,000 miles on the clock is currently for sale for £99,000 ($138,000, … Continue reading “A Rolls for an Estate”
September 26, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Tower house on Isle of Man that was home to the Romantic artist John Martin for sale for £3.95 million Described as “the most sublime and extraordinary pictures in the world” by critic Simon Wilson and “the most popular painter of his day” by fellow artist Sir Thomas Lawrence, English Romantic painter John Martin … Continue reading “A Romantic’s Tower”
July 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Former Liberal Democrats headquarters for sale for somewhat reduced but still anything but liberal sum of £36 million (to include a Rodin) A building that was originally the London office of the North Eastern Railway Company and the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party and then their successors, the Liberal Democrats, between 1982 and … Continue reading “Anything But Liberal”
June 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Artist Enzina Fuschini showcases her take on Theresa May at an exhibition in Chelsea; the work is supposedly anything but political Italian artist and designer Enzina Fuschini held a press preview for her ‘Impact’ exhibition at Chelsea’s 508 Gallery on the Kings Road last night. Aside from eleven 100cm by 100cm oil on … Continue reading “A Take On Theresa”
May 23, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Grand Belgravia apartment – complete with a garden that wouldn’t look out of place at the Chelsea Flower Show – for sale As thousands of garden lovers visit the Chelsea Flower Show this week, an individual with £8.95 million ($11.63 million, €10.39 million or درهم42.71 million) to spare could acquire a more permanent horticultural … Continue reading “Belgravia in Bloom”
May 8, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
Apartment in mansion block in Sloane Square for sale for £6.2 million in spite of needing updating; it is within the building from which a Mayor of Chelsea lived and departed to his death on RMS Titanic A third floor flat in a portered mansion block on Sloane Square has gone on sale for … Continue reading “Take Me To The Titanic”
May 7, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
12th century castle and romantic ruin in Herefordshire for sale for £1.495 million; a title to go with it is available also A part restored castle on the English-Welsh border is back on the market after its buyer pulled out at the end of last year. Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye at at Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire’s story … Continue reading “I Capture the Castle”
May 4, 2017
by Matthew Steeples
17th century Buckinghamshire farmstead requiring complete renovation for sale for £5 million A 17th century farmhouse just 28 miles from Central London has gone on sale for £5 million ($6.5 million, €5.9 million or درهم23.7 million) in spite of being “in need of updating” through agents The Frost Partnership. Dean Farm at Jordans, … Continue reading “A £5 Million Fixer-Upper”
November 27, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
1957 Bentley S1 Continental sports saloon that has been owned by both Sir Elton John and Lord Sugar for sale for a 243% higher sum than it achieved in 2007 Owned by the temper tantrum prone Sir Elton John – a character known for his fondness for visits to the land of olive oil … Continue reading “Sugaring a Price”
May 22, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Future classic Jaguar XJS Celebration convertible offered for sale
by Matthew Steeples
1964 Mercedes-Benz 600 originally owned by a classier forerunner to James Stunt for sale
May 15, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed Sir John Soane designed country house Tyringham Hall reduced in price by 30%
May 6, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Grade I listed 40,000 square foot Oxfordshire stately home on the market for just £3.6 million – but inevitably there’s a catch
May 3, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Modern Georgian style country house for sale for £19.5 million – complete with bowling alley and ‘Indian room’ with LED ‘night sky’ ceiling
March 28, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Gold cars appear to be all the rage with London’s visiting Arabs this season
March 26, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Two extremely opulent ex-Sultan of Brunei Rolls-Royces offered for sale
March 24, 2016
March 20, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times’ Matthew Steeples and ‘photographer to the stars’ John Stoddart review South Kensigton’s The Adria Hotel and are pleasantly surprised (despite the lack of alcohol)
March 16, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
1997 Bentley Turbo R long wheelbase offered for sale for just £5,000
February 9, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Muscular 1990 Mercedes-Benz offered for sale for a higher price than when new
January 30, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
One of America’s naffest houses returns to the market at a much reduced price of £11.9 million (down from £17.6 million) and with the neighbouring £5.6 million house thrown in as an extra
January 10, 2016
by Matthew Steeples
Small studio flat overlooking Britain’s most expensive street for sale for a staggering £2,300 per square foot
December 9, 2015
November 23, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Rare 1963 Aston Martin built with a view to be “equally suitable to drive or be driven in” to be auctioned with an estimate £377,000 higher than its 2006 £23,000 selling price
November 17, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Aston Martin to be sold in New York could fetch in excess of £10 million and become the highest priced British car ever to be hammered down at auction
September 4, 2015
August 21, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Playboys swarming the streets of SW3 have turned Brompton Cross into the Arabian answer to Oxford Circus
July 25, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Asking price of Californian estate cut by £37.8 million; condition of owner being allowed to live there until he dies removed
July 8, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Unusual Aston Martin estate car owned by Richemont director Alain Dominique Perrin heads to auction
June 30, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Most expensive house to be publicly offered for sale in the UK to be stripped of everything including the kitchen sink
June 7, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
A 39th floor apartment in The Pierre Hotel in New York becomes the city’s priciest rental at a staggering £327,000 per month
June 6, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Tiny converted hut in the Lake District placed on the market for the same price as a flat in Kensington, London
June 5, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Former home of Ian Fleming that is currently owned by Sol Campbell for sale for £6.75 million
May 18, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
A £7.975 million apartment above Colbert on Sloane Square provides indication of the playground for the international super-rich that Chelsea has become
April 25, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Suite at New York hotel The Plaza available for £2.6 million – the catch: you can only use it 120 days per year
April 17, 2015
by General
Described by Gotham Magazine as “the go-to-man for super yachts” and listed by them as one of their ‘Most Eligible Bachelors’ in 2014, Crispin Baynes is a British expat
March 29, 2015
by Matthew Steeples
Dallas mansion with a prayer room and the largest private bowling centre in America that was previously owned by a billionaire oil baron remains for sale despite a price cut of £7 million
March 5, 2015
November 1, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Cielo de Bonaire: A vast £39 million villa that has failed to sell in three years that truly must have been built with a dictator or drug dealer in mind
October 18, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Britain’s tackiest car, a crystal covered Mercedes, sells for just under £155,000 A previous Wally of the Week, Daria Radionova, might not be such a fool after all given that she has just sold her Swarovski crystal covered Mercedes CLS 350 for the astonishing figure of £154,600.
September 22, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times asks writer, poet and photographer Amanda Eliasch: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
September 20, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Matthew Steeples reviews Chelsea townhouse hotel San Domenico House San Domenico House is a hidden secret; a small hotel that’s physically minutes from the bustle of Sloane Square yet literally a world away from it.
September 19, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
1989 ‘Prince of Wales’ specification Aston Martin V8 Volante for sale for £450,000 In 1987, an Aston Martin V8 Volante was built to the personal specifications of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. It proved so popular with Aston Martin fans, that the company decided to build a further twenty-one cars to the … Continue reading “POW!”
September 14, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Travelex founder puts the childhood home where Daphne du Maurier allegedly conducted two of her most illicit relationships on the market for £32 million
September 13, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Aston Martin to launch a new ‘super-sedan’ (but only to an elite few)
September 7, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Daimler used by Churchill to star at RM Auctions Battersea sale Between 1940 and 1950, the Daimler Motor Company loaned a 1939 Daimler DB18 drophead coupé bodied by the Carlton Carriage Company for special occasions. Its most notable loan was to Winston Churchill in 1944 and 1949 and it heads to auction on Monday … Continue reading “Churchill’s ride”
September 1, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
‘The Steeple Times’ chooses five unusual objects that will prove to be conversation pieces in any home This week sees Christie’s South Kensington auction a selection of “unconventional” items in their second annual Out of the Ordinary sale. With the help of them, Salvage Europe and Bonhams, here we choose five of the best … Continue reading “Five of the Best: Conversation pieces”
August 12, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Rolls-Royce hunting vehicle for sale for £198,000 Today marks the start of the grouse season and whilst the BBC gave far too much airtime to those who are anti this fine sport, we very much join with those celebrating the Glorious Twelfth. Suitable for someone heading off to the moors is an amazing Rolls-Royce … Continue reading “A Glorious Roller”
August 9, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Confused.com founder puts castle on market for £1.5 million less than she spent on it “Wild haired” Kate Armstrong, the Australian founder of Confused.com, bought the medieval Scottish castle Cassillis House in Ayrshire from the Kennedy clan in 2009 for £3 million. She spent four years and £3.5 million updating and improving it but is … Continue reading “Confusing a castle”
August 2, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
A gold and black Bugatti Veyron has eclipsed the gold Ferrari owned by Iraqi kick-boxer named Riyadh Al-Azzawi in terms of being the most gaudy car on the roads in London this summer This summer Iraqi kick-boxer Riyadh Al-Azzawi has reveled in the attention he’s received as he drove around the streets of Chelsea … Continue reading “Picture of the Week: As bold as gold”
July 29, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
A £6.9 million home in “Britain’s Monte Carlo” Whilst London has “Billionaires Row” in the form of Kensington Palace Gardens, the coastal county of Dorset has an equivalent in the form of the Sandbanks Peninsula – known locally as “Millionaires Row”. Property prices here are said to be the fourth highest on the planet
July 24, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
15 more of the best plates spotted by readers of ‘The Steeple Times’ Continuing our series, below we feature 15 more unusual, laughable and entertaining number plates
July 23, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
A studio apartment with a difference in Mayfair’s Mount Street Estate agent Roy Brooks became famous in the 1960s for the derogatory descriptions he gave to the properties he marketed and such phrases as “not enough room to swing a cat” were amongst his most frequently used. His advertisements were chronicled in two books, … Continue reading “Throttling a cocktail”
July 11, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
A Cumbrian mansion built by opium traders and more recently used by cannabis growers comes to the market for just £1.5 million Built by the well-known Dent family, who made their fortune trading both tea and opium, Flass is a vast 23,000 square foot Palladian mansion on the outskirts of the village of Maulds … Continue reading “Drugs and Dents”
July 5, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Petra Stunt flies in mature trees from Holland for the grounds of her new London mansion The daughter of billionaire F1 mogul Bernie Ecclestone, Petra Stunt, is never one to do things by halves and in her alterations to the £70 million Sloane House in Old Church Street, Chelsea she’s certainly pulled the stops … Continue reading “Flying trees”
June 25, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
The Steeple Times chooses six of the best items on display at Masterpiece 2014 Thursday marks the official opening of the fifth annual Masterpiece art and antiques fair featuring over 150 leading galleries from across the world. To accompany today’s preview, The Steeple Times asked six of the exhibitors to choose their highlight from … Continue reading “Masters of Masterpiece”
June 2, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Former home of film director Richard Attenborough for sale for £12.75 million The Academy Award winning actor, producer and director Lord Attenborough is best known for his roles in such hits as The Great Escape, Gandhi and 10 Rillington Place but it was at Old Friars, his home of many years in Richmond, Surrey, … Continue reading “Cinematic bliss”
April 9, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Lamborghini LM 002 4×4 heads to auction The Lamborghini loving Arabs who frequent Sloane Street could save themselves from having to purchase a Range Rover for their entourage by bidding on a baby blue Lamborghini LM 002 at Bonhams’ 28th April sale at London’s RAF Museum at Hendon.
February 27, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
1964 Bentley S3 Continental coupé to be auctioned by Bonhams The late Alan Whicker numbered amongst those to have owned a Bentley S3 Continental coupé and now a fine example is to be auctioned by Bonhams
January 2, 2014
by Matthew Steeples
Bentley owned by Gregory Peck for 34 years goes to auction Gregory Peck loved his 1961 Bentley S2 Continental Flying Spur so much that he kept it for 34 years. The very same car is set to be auctioned on 17th January by RM Auctions.
December 15, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
My Travel tycoon puts Jersey mansion on the market for £19 million David Crossland is a fine example of a “Northern lad done good”. Starting out in the 1970s he turned two small travel agencies into a package tour empire and now with the sale of his Jersey mansion, one can see how truly … Continue reading “My Mansion”
November 11, 2013
by General
The wife of the biggest Ponzi schemer in history claims she had no knowledge of what her husband – whom she’s since disowned but not divorced – did as chairman of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC
November 9, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Galerie Dumonteil’s ‘Splendor on the Riviera’ exhibition The opening of Galerie Dumonteil’s latest exhibition, Splendor on the Riviera, in New York was very much an Anglo-American affair.
October 1, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A collector of English drawings and watercolours since the age of 14 and second to none as an auctioneer, Eton educated Wyndham hammered down Giacometti’s Walking Man sculpture for £65 million in 2010 and Rubens’ Massacre of the Innocents for £49.5 million in 2002. His glasses saved his sight in a shooting accident in Scotland … Continue reading “Henry Wyndham”
September 30, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
WPP backed CHI&Partners acquires stake in Halpern The world of public relations can be fickle and few who work in it command the level of respect that Jenny Halpern Prince has built up since she founded Halpern on her kitchen table in 1992. Today, in an email newsletter, it was announced that a stake … Continue reading “Halpern gets a little more CHI”
September 23, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Stonebrook Court Manor: The sale of a Californian mansion where it’s more about patience than price Stonebrook Court Manor in California’s Los Altos Hills has been on and off the market since January 2008. Its owner, a “television executive turned Internet investor” and investment banker named Kelly Porter, though said to be “in no … Continue reading “Price vs. Patience”
September 18, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
1928 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 shooting brake comes to the market Here at The Steeple Times we love unusual shooting brakes and in a 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom 1, we’ve discovered an especially fantastic one.
September 15, 2013
by General
A talented lady with a knack for being in the right place at the right time. When the founder of The Steeple Times first encountered her, Wickstead was a little known fashion designer who was part of a charity fashion event in Chelsea organised by a Russian with a boutique in Essex. This Auckland born … Continue reading “Emilia Wickstead”
September 7, 2013
by David Kerr
David Kerr captures an evening showcasing the craftsmanship of Theo Fennell It was not only the silver in Theo Fennell’s Fulham Road showroom that glistened on Thursday 5th September.
September 2, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A preview of this week’s Salon Privé at Syon Park Many would suggest that the “must attend” events of the season number Royal Ascot, Henley Royal Regatta and such things as The Serpentine Gallery’s annual Summer Party. A more recent addition to that list is Salon Privé at Syon Park, an event that is … Continue reading “Previewing Privé”
by Matthew Steeples
Record price set for a mansion in San Francisco by Yahoo! chief San Francisco’s Pacific Heights is best known for its extremely expensive properties and as home to the likes of novelist Danielle Steele, SKYY vodka tycoon Maurice Kanbar and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison. With the sale of 2950 Broadway for the record breaking price … Continue reading “Meyer and Mayer”
September 1, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A Daimler previously owned by The Queen goes for £25,000 more than its lowest estimate A Daimler formerly owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II that we featured last month was auctioned yesterday by Historics at Brooklands. It was expected to go for £20,000 to £30,000 but went under the hammer for £45,360.
by Matthew Steeples
Sir David Frost dies With the death of Sir David Frost, a true great has passed.
August 31, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A Brit who redefined the concept of supper clubs in London, L.A., Miami and New York, Tasmin Lonsdale is the dynamo daughter of the jeans tycoon Tony Lonsdale and model Chekkie Maskell. An Edinburgh graduate who also does event planning, Lonsdale states that what makes for the best parties is a “great mix of people from … Continue reading “Tamsin Lonsdale”
August 30, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
The daughter of the billionaire publishing magnate and politician Michael Bloomberg and his Yorkshire born wife, this passionate equestrian divides her time between New York and Florida. A New York University graduate and generous philanthropist, Bloomberg has written three “young adult” novels: The A Circuit, My Favorite Mistake and Off Course. She featured in Jamie … Continue reading “Georgina Bloomberg”
August 27, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
This heiress daughter of a Montana “robber baron” mining and railroad tycoon was a hence unseen recluse from 1930 until her death in 2011 following a painful divorce from the son of one of her father’s business associates after just two years of marriage.
August 22, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
A one off Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé available only in Abu Dhabi We recently featured a special edition Bentley Mulsanne created in honour of the 90th anniversary of the first Le Mans 24 Hours race. With the announcement of a one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé, we thus thought it timely to feature it too.
by Matthew Steeples
Anthony Marshall attempts to get out of jail Anthony Marshall is a man who plainly refuses to give up. Finally jailed in June this year following his 2009 conviction for stealing tens of millions from his famous heiress mother, Marshall has put in a cynically planned bid to get out of jail on the … Continue reading “Don’t pass Go”
August 20, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
Board game sets suitable for high rollers As many of our readers relax on their yachts and in villas in the South of France the Hamptons and Ibiza, many will be enjoying the odd board game of an evening. Here, we highlight five of the best sets currently available
August 17, 2013
by Matthew Steeples
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?
