Whilst the Miss Havisham-esque eccentric Huguette Clark (1906 – 2011) spent 81 years of her life on her lonesome in spite of being worth £294 million ($400 million, €353 million or درهم1.5 billion), Ken Smith is a recluse of much more modest means.
Unlike the doll doting American who lived out her days in palatial splendour with just staff for company and spoilt heiresses like over-Botoxed birdbrains such as Tamara Ecclestone, 72-year-old Derbyshire born Smith is someone who has been content to have spent around 46 years alone with nature in the Scottish Highlands.
Beaten to a pulp and left with a brain haemorrhage and unconscious for 23 days after a vicious assault by a gang of thugs, this former fire station builder decided that he “would never live on anyone’s terms but my own.” He headed to Yukon – the Canadian territory bordering Alaska – and walked a staggering 22,000 miles before returning home.
Sadly, in his absence, his parents had both died and feeling “nothing,” Ken Smith found solace in walking the length of Britain. In a November 2021 BBC Scotland documentary, he remarked: “I cried all the way while walking… I thought where is the most isolated place in Britain? I went around and followed every bay and every Ben where there wasn’t a house built. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of nothingness. I looked across the loch and saw this woodland.” He has remained there ever since.
To this day, Britain’s ultimate hermit has lived in a log cabin he built himself that includes a log fire, but lacks electricity, gas, running water and any form of communications techologies. He lives off foraged berries, vegetables he grows and fish he catches from Loch Treig – known as “the lonely loch” – and also makes his own wine. At the time of the filming, he had over 70 gallons of hooch on the go.
Speaking of his modest lifestyle, this simple but satisfied sort – who has to complete a 54-mile round trip just to post a letter – added:
“I think if you love the land, it sort of loves you back. It loves you back in all the things it produces for you… Do you think I could live in a house? No, I’d spend most of the time in the pub… They wanted me to move into ‘civilisation’… Well I wasn’t going to have any of that.”
“When I die, instead of everyone moaning and being sad, I want everybody to be merry, getting pissed up on all on my wine… Anybody can come that I know and they’ll know me, so they’ll come.
“I have had lots of incidents and I seem to have survived them all and I know one thing, for sure, no matter what, I am bound to go ill again sometime. Something will happen to me that will take me away one day as it does for everybody else, but I’m hoping that I’ll get to 102.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwUockt4D28
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muYP8S-YO6k
Modest to his core Ken Smith is content with living a solitary life in the cabin he built with his own hands in spite of having suffered a stroke and been injured by a pile of logs falling on him. In spite of being offered alternative accommodation in Fort William, he prefers to continue as he has done for four decades thus far. Though, he entertains himself by listening to a radio and keeps a small library of books, he does not have and does not want a mobile telephone device.The resourceful Derbyshire born hermit lives mainly off foraged food and fish he catches, but gets up once a month at 4am to hike for three hours to the nearest railway station. He then makes an hour long journey to Fort William to fill his 70-litre rucksack with provisions and medical supplies that last him for the following weeks. He draws sap to make his ‘hooch’ and has also invented a compostable waste system that he calls “the bottomless pit.”
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.
The last sighting of Andrew Gosden was at King’s Cross railway sation on the 14th September 2007.A tweet shared about this missing person case yesterday.
Vast Scots Baronial mansion Carbisdale Castle – nicknamed ‘The Castle of Spite’ – goes on sale for sum 97% lower than it cost to build in the 1900s and 25% less than the sum spent on its 2010 renovation
A mega-mansion termed “the last grand castle built in Scotland” that cost £62 million to build between 1905 and 1917 has gone on sale for just £1.5 million in spite of developers having spent a small fortune on its renovation to date.
Extending to 41,433 square foot, category B-listed Carbisdale Castle in Sutherland is gargantuan in size compared to an average 818 square foot British home. Its construction began after the resolution of the then Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, Mary Caroline’s dispute with her late husband’s children from his first marriage, but ultimately the palatial pad was not completed until five years after her own demise.
Cash Consuming Carbisdale Castle – Mary Caroline, Dowager Duchess of Sutherland (1848 – 1912) and George Sutherland-Leveson-Gower, His Grace The 3rd Duke of Sutherland (1828 – 1892). According to one source, the “deviant duchess” enjoyed an astonishing income of £100,000 per year until her death and married her third husband, a politician and businessman, Sir Albert Rollit (1842 – 1922) in 1896.Cash Consuming Carbisdale Castle – The castle was used as a youth hostel for 66 years from 1945 until 2011.Cash Consuming Carbisdale Castle – Its vast size made it ideal for institutional usage.
Featured on these pages in August 2014 and April 2016 after it was placed for sale after being used for 70 years as a youth hostel, the allegedly haunted building was sold to a London based investment firm now known as Faro Capital after being reduced in price from £1.2 million to £900,000. At this stage, £2 million had already been spent on renovations due to extensive water damage in 2010.
In the years since, Faro Capital have cleared Carbisdale Castle of its institutional contents and put in place plans to return the structure to use as what they term a “world class single family residence.” Now, of its current condition, a surveyor recently remarked: “The building offers a superb blank canvas,” according to current selling agents Strutt & Parker.
Speaking to The Scotsman late last week, Robert McCulloch for Strutt & Parker remarked of the sale of Carbisdale Castle:
“Already there has been interest. The property is in a state of partial renovation so it lends itself to being either a private residence or a commercial venture.”
“There has been interest in it as a hotel and also those who are interested in its charitable use. With its proximity to the North Coast 500 driving route and the rise in domestic tourism, I am sure people will see a lot of opportunity in this property.”
Carbisdale Castle, however, is still not without problems. Aside from its vast size and the associated costs of maintaining such a white elephant, it comes with a mere 20 acres of land and that is split into various spread-apart parcels. Thus, for a likely oligarch or business titan buyer – who will have to be someone with very, very deep pockets – privacy and security will remain an obvious issue.
The Names & Numbers – Carbisdale Castle, Culrain, Ardgay, Sutherland, IV24 3DP, Scotland, United Kingdom
May 2021 – Placed for sale with Strutt & Parker for £1.5 million ($2.1 million, €1.7 million or درهم7.6 million) or the equivalent of just £36.20 per square foot.
2017 onwards – Of progress since purchase by Faro Capital, Strutt & Parker remarked in 2021: “The current position is that, since 2017, significant works have been carried out to the castle pursuant with the approved consent but the works required to complete the project have been put on hold.”
“This provides the flexibility to purchasers to either complete the development of the castle as a private home, or seek to vary the Listed Building Consent to include the development of the building for commercial use or the subdivision of the building as residential apartments.”
“The intention of the project was to combine all of the decorative features and grandeur of the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland’s original creation with services, systems, fixtures, fittings and layout of the highest contemporary quality together with reorganisation of the existing accommodation to suit 21st Century living and the development of a spa and swimming pool as complementary features.”
Works to Carbisdale Castle have included the stripping down of the building, the removal of redundant items, the excavation of a proposed swimming pool and the replacement of heating systems and lighting circuits.
September 2016 – Sold to Sloane Street, London based Faro Capital Limited (formerly known as the FCFM Group), who planned to turn the building into a “world class residence.”
April 2016 – Reduced in price to just £900,000 ($1.2 million, €1 million or درهم4.6 million) or the equivalent of just £21.70 per square foot.
August 2014 – Offered for sale by Savills for £1.2 million ($1.7 million, €1.4 million or درهم6.1 million).
2010 onwards – After extensive water damage caused by frost, £2 million ($2.8 million, €2.3 million or درهم10.1 million) is spent on renovations.
1945 – 2011 – Used as a youth hostel.
1944 – Gifted to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association (SYHA) by Colonel Salvesen’s son, Captain Harold Salvesen.
22nd June 1941 – Used as the location to host the Carbisdale Conference at which it was “agreed that that the Russian forces, should they enter Norwegian territory, would not stay there after the war.”
1933 – Sold to Norwegian shipping and whaling tycoon Colonel Theodore Salvesen and used during the Second World War as a “safe refuge” for King Haakon VII of Norway and Crown Prince Olav, later King Olav V, during the Nazi occupation of Norway.
The Dowager Duchess (better known as ‘Duchess Blair’) had been jailed for 6 weeks after being found guilty of stealing documents during her divorce and when that was eventually finalised, it was agreed that a castle would be built for her just outside the Sutherland lands.
She intentionally chose – supposedly to spite them – a prominent hillside site visible from the very railway line the Sutherlands used to travel south and insisted that the clock tower of the house only had three clock faces. On the side facing Sutherland, the face is blank as “the Duchess did not wish to give the time of day to her former relatives.” As a result, Carbisdale Castle gained the nickname ‘The Castle of Spite.’
Jockey who “died for six seconds” in 2013 Brian Toomey set to make a remarkable return to racing as a trainer in 2021
Given only a 3% chance of survival after falling from his mount Solway Dandy “with such force that he was left clinically dead for six seconds before being resuscitated on course” at Perth in 2013, jockey Brian Toomey revealed to The Sun yesterday that he intends to become a trainer in 2021.
Mistakenly declared dead by the British Horseracing Authority after the fall three flights from the finish, Toomey was put in an induced coma and had part of his skull removed to make way for a titanium plate.
Though nicknamed the ‘Miracle Man’ after remarkably returning to the track after regaining his jockey licence in 2015, his comeback was short-lived as few “trainers were willing to give him rides over concerns for his welfare in the event of another fall.”
Speaking to the paper yesterday, Brian Toomey remarked:
“I’m always going to be known as the ex-jockey with the injury but I want to be known for my hard work and my racing mind – rather than a broken brain.”
“I had a titanium plate put in my head. It doesn’t stop me doing anything – apart from being a professional sportsman – but I have been very lucky.”
“I was put in an induced coma. I had to have part of my skull removed. I shouldn’t be alive and I feel lucky to have made the recovery I have.”
“What I’m going through now is not very tough but it’s frustrating how long it’s taking for a dream to come true.”
“My bank balance isn’t where it should be – as a jockey you drive round in flashy cars like a footballer – I would have been more mature if I thought the second part of my career was going to come this soon. But I’m keen to get started.”
“I have been assistant trainer to Dr Richard Newland and learned a lot, but now actions must speak louder than words. I want to do it and prove to people I can do it.
“Back when I spoke about becoming a trainer for the first time I was still feeling sorry for myself. I wasn’t as focused as I wanted to be. I am way more focused and mature now.”
“I have been on every TV show bar Jeremy Kyle feeling sorry for myself. I’ve only got one life left now and I’m focused on it. I have a dreaBm to sell. Before when I was talking about going into training it was a case of ‘what if’… I never had an idea. Now, I have an idea.”
“It’s hard to sell the dream to owners now because they’re not even allowed to go the races due to the pandemic. But if you are focused and being a realist, you have more of a chance.”
“The guys I have learned from, Clive Cox and John Francome are legends, but they started out just like me.”
“Obviously you need luck but I’m now more focused and have more of a chance. When I do find a small yard where I can make a start… in my mind you get one chance at this and I want to have everything right and give it my best shot.”
Here is an example of positivity that deserves to be celebrated and for that reason, today we make Brian Toomey our ‘Hero of the Hour’ and wish him all the best with his quest.
Hero of the Hour 2021 – ‘Miracle Man’ Brian Toomey was riding the 11-4 favourite Solway Dandy when he fell and suffered life-threatening head injuries in July 2013. His remarkable recovery defeated all odds and today he joins the ranks of our ‘Hero of the Hour’ alongside the likes of the remarkable child refugee turned groom-rider Abdul Musa Adam.
Clinically, @@BrianToomey15 was dead after a fall at Perth six years ago.
He got back in the saddle and is now is set for the training ranks.
Quirky Aston Martin DB6 Vantage shooting brake goes to auction with a reserve of just under £1 million
1966 is best remembered as the year that England won the World Cup, but now someone with very deep pockets has the chance to acquire one of that year’s finest vintage cars.
Offered by Bonhams at the Quail motorcar auction in Los Angeles, California on 14th August with an estimate of £780,000 to £930,000 ($1 million to $1.2 million, €850,000 to €1 million or درهم3.7 million to درهم4.4 million), an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage shooting brake is one of only six ever built by Harold Radford.
Commissioned new for a gentleman realtor named Middleton George Charles Train – “Middy” to his mates – the example offered suited its owners passions for duck hunting and golf. With its commodious boot, the car most certainly provided ample space to accommodate clubs and guns and in addition the vehicle features the “novelty” of a Webasto sun roof and a luggage rack on the roof.
Trimmed with Connolly blue-grey leather and painted in black, the car has covered 50,000 miles and is offered from the estate of its second owner, one David L. Van Schaick. He acquired the car in October 1976 and “used it sporadically” and as a result Bonhams describe the vehicle as “running well” and “in remarkably good order for its age.”
They add: “[This car is] an absolute magnet for people of all ages, from the ‘cognoscenti’ to the ‘innocenti,’ the phrase ‘that’s cool’ [is] the most common way to describe it.”
Elsewhere, the £1.25 million ($1.63 million, €1.39 million or درهم5.99 million) 2012 Aston Martin Jet 2+2 shooting brake we featured in December 2019 has been reduced in price to £800,000 ($1 million, €888,000 or درهم3.8 million).
Luke Durbin from Hollesley, near Woodbridge went missing aged just 19 after a night out with friends in Ipswich. After after being unable to afford to pay for a taxi home at about 4am, this grocery store worker was last seen on CCTV wandering around the town centre in the early hours of the 12th May 2006.
Durbin had left his new motorbike and personal belongings, including his mobile telephone, at his friend’s house and no trace of him has ever been found since. A silver or white Volvo 440 – possibly registration M206 LYE (which was “either registered to a false name and address or on false plates” according to the ‘Missing The Missing’ YouTube channel) – seen also on camera in the close vicinity of Durbin’s last location at the time of his last sighting has never been eliminated from enquiries. Suffolk Police have stated that they “sadly believe Luke was unlawfully killed,” and though a £20,000 reward was offered and multiple arrests made, no progress has been made in solving this disappearance.
In subsequent years, Luke Durbin’s mother, Nicki Durbin, has tirelessly continued her efforts to find her son and taken a job working on the Missing People helpline to help others in similar situations. She also operates a Twitter account and an email address [email protected] highlighting the case and keeps alive the hope of one day solving what the Ipswich Star terms: “One of Suffolk’s most enduring mysteries.”
Matthew Steeples questions the validity of getting easily offended as a man “offends” a woman on the Underground by dressing as Samuel L. Jackson
People will always find reasons to be offended it seems. In the days of the overblown #MeToo movement our snowflake society cannot cope with anything that isn’t politically correct.
This morning’s Mail Online reported that a woman was outraged when she spotted a white man who’d made himself look like Samuel L. Jackson for Halloween on a London Underground train.
Whilst I personally wouldn’t do such a thing – for starters, I do not “do” fancy dress of any kind – that the bizarrely named Petra-Isabella Joli declared it “a bit racist” is a little bit ridiculous.
Why not get angry about something a little bit more serious?
A 20-question interview with economist turned real estate investor Davide Giardino
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
“The happiness and success of those closest to my heart.”
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“If you keep your destiny in mind, every moment in life becomes an opportunity to move closer to it.”
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2018?
Technocrats – as at least populists are lying most of the time.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
A simpler life. I miss the routine of going to an office every morning. Am I crazy?
What might you swap all your wealth for?
Assets? Well, in all seriousness, good health for me, my family and my friends.
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?
Who is richer and who is poorer from the latest financial crisis? You’ve got my answer…
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“I am saying it for your sake.”
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Charity often substitutes for the lack of adequate government or international policy which is disappointing. I support a variety of causes including helping children born with congenital diseases and homeless children.
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?
Shut them off at night.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My twin brother, a bunch of friends, Isabelle Huppert, Glenn Close and probably Angelina Jolie.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Bucatini with lobster (I always liked bucatini more than spaghetti), gâteau de pommes de terre (cooked the Neapolitan way), a large portion of figs and a torta caprese chocolate cake. I woiuld probably eat it at the Villa San Michele in Capri, Hotel Bel Air or Cliveden House – all places close to my heart for different reasons.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
11am, though not every day.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A Negroni.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
A dear friend of mine throws the most memorable dinner parties. I love how he always selects a group of diverse people who do not know each other, but will create an incredible energy together by the end of the night. It always helps that I’m always the guest of honour!
Who is the most positive person you know?
Maybe me.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Buying French pâtisserie and flowers for myself many times each week.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
“I want it all.”
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A vintage Fiat 500 with a new engine. They are so cute and practical and I don’t need a Maserati to compensate for a lack of personality or something else.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am still trying to figure myself out.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Fresh flowers.
Davide Giardino is the founder of DGC-Luxury Homes and a licensed realtor at Rodeo Realty – Beverly Hills and Greater LA. He has extensive experience in the real estate advisory and investment business and previously was an economist at several global finance institutions. He describes himself as “a multi-lingual globetrotter” and holds a double degree from Bocconi and USC, an MSc in European political economy from the London School of Economics and a masters in finance from LBS.
Extending to 919 square foot and situated on this delightfully eccentric seaside town’s High Street, the two-storey maisonette is presently arranged to provide a sitting room, dining kitchen, utility room, bedroom, bathroom and archive-studio room (that could easily revert to a second bedroom).
Stoddart was born in Liverpool and joined the Grenadier Guards at fifteen. He has worked with everyone from Tony Blair to Catherine Zeta-Jones and even captured Daniel Craig on the day before it was announced he’d be the next James Bond.
Agents Miles and Barr seek £235,000 ($306,000, €262,000 or درهم1.1million) for the apartment and with trains from Whitstable to London Victoria taking just 1 hour 30 minutes, this could be just perfect as a holiday bolthole.
A 20-question interview with Oliver Ouboter; the co-founder of the imminently launching innovative Swiss ‘bubble car’ – the Microlino
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
Passion.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Just do it! (Thanks Nike).
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2018?
SUVs.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
Having the curiosity of a child.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
My family’s health.
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?
It’s as fucked up as the Donald himself.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
‘Trivial’ as in German nobody uses it and most people don’t understand it. I loathe ‘trivial’ for being a ‘non-trivial’ word to describe something ‘trivial.’
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I support mainly environmental causes. It is not that I think that humans deserve it less, I just think sending money to developing countries won’t solve the problem and is just an easy fix for many people to feel good about themselves.
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?
Try to use it less, fail miserably in doing so and then tell yourself you’re gonna do better next year.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My family and Barack Obama and Steve Jobs and Nelson Mandela if they were still alive.
Oliver Ouboter pictured with a Microlino (as featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ earlier this month) and his brother Merlin and father Wim.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
A special home-made roast.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
It depends on the situation.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A Negroni of course.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Parties of friends that I don’t spend too much time with. There are always new people to get to know.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My dad.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Chocolate of course. I’m Swiss.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
It would be a Kickscooter, of course.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
What a question: I’d be a Microlino!
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I cannot operate a washing machine but that’s not surprising though.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Big companies and governments. They are slow and inefficient in dealing with global warming.
Oliver Ouboter is the co-founder of a start-up alongside his father and brother that has developed a small electric city-car named Microlino. He is considered one of the best guinea pigs as his dad invented the world-famous Kickscooter in 1999.
