The sale of a Purdey gun engraved with a portrait of Baroness Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher had many devoted followers and fans in her time as Prime Minister. Coal miners, in general, were not amongst them but some like Jimi Heselden OBE (1948 – 2010) used their redundancy payouts to make vast fortunes.
A happy hour with a difference launches at The Palm in London’s Belgravia
Opened in May 2009, The Palm replaced the legendary restaurant Drones of Pont Street. Amongst the original backers of Drones were David Niven Jr. and Sir Roger Moore. Nicky Kerman, a titan of the restaurant world, was another part owner. A later reincarnation was the brainchild of television chef Antony Worrall Thompson. Of the décor of this era, critic Nick Foulkes described it as: “Daphne’s meets The Magic Roundabout with a touch of Swedish sauna”. Next came a lady named Annie Foster Firth and most recently it opened as Marco Pierre White’s Drones in 2001.
He parties here, he parties there, he parties absolutely everywhere. Some say he looks like Julian Assange and others comment on his champagne loving companion. (more…)
The Steeple Times asks TV presenter and model Hofit Golan: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Know what makes you happy and build your life around that. People will always offer their opinion so know how to take the advice you need without compromising your own ambitions, dreams and drive. Where there is a will, there is a way, and the journey to your destination is the fun part. Finally, learn to be present in the moment.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Mine is: “Actions speak louder than words”.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
I don’t think its fair on Kerry to even start the question that way, but what’s unacceptable for me these days is the horrible biotech company Monsanto and the poisonous GMO foods they have given the world. They have a disregard for mother-nature, to livestock and to peoples’ health. Its truly sad they are even allowed to exist. I think everyone has the right to clean organic food and water. We shouldn’t be messing with nature and DNA
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I don’t miss anything. If I feel like something is missing, I do something about it. I find it, work for it, create it or replace it.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
The health and happiness of the people I love and even strangers if it came down to it. If I could keep them safe, it would be priceless to me.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Greed: Corruption and carelessness have influenced the long-term economic effect that this greed has and will cause.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“No. It’s not possible”.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Charity starts in your heart, then should grow and spread into everything we do. If you can help your local community you can see your work have an effect. Find small organisations you trust and support them. Kindness and love is the beauty of our human nature. We should try to spread as much of that and help people in need every chance we get.
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?
Appropriate usage of a mobile phone? A camera, a video phone, a mirror, for text, BBM, Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Oh and yeah, you can use it to call people.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
An eclectic mix of everyone from every walk of life, every class group. I would be a fly on the wall and just be interested to see how people that normally don’t interact would react to one another. It would be so interesting.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
My last meal? So morbid. I don’t think I would have much of an appetite, maybe a dish from home that my mom made me while growing up. I guess I would eat it in jail.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
I am teetotal. I’ve never drunk.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A cup of organic herbal jasmine green tea.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
I can’t really answer that as every event is lovely and every party has someone working hard to please their guests. They all have their charm. The people you know make a party fun, not the party itself.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My brother, Dror Golan. He always makes me laugh
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Dark chocolate.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
I’m not that easy to sum up.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
I’m a girl… I don’t even understand this question… For women, make it about shoes!
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am passionate about the environment, animal rights, organic clean living. I live a very glamourous life but love the most simple basic things like a good walk in the park and a yummy cup of tea.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Which one? … Photos of family and friends, Ralph Lauren candles and magazines.
Hofit Golan is a TV presenter and model. She is a brand ambassador for a number of companies and consults on media and press strategies for luxury goods brands.
Follow her on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/hofitgolan
Author Sarah Tucker shares her thoughts on the reaction to the death of Margaret Thatcher
I can’t really remember much about when Maggie Thatcher was in power. I know my parents were full of praise for her because our country was almost third world when she became PM, strikes crippling industries, rubbish being left on the streets and she broke the unions – something that was thought impossible. She stood up to them and it took a lot of courage to do so.
A monthly round up of the moves of the newsworthy
Fishing around 
Poissonnerie on Draycott Avenue, popular with the likes of Sir Michael Caine and Sir Roger Moore, is for sale through Miles Commercial. The 6,700 square foot property, owned by respected restaurateur Peter Rosignoli, has a price tag of £14,000,000 and the agents state that it “has good redevelopment potential”. Meanwhile, around the corner in Walton Street, the same firm seeks £90,000 per year for the former Baity Kitchen premises.
Living like Lilly
The “Queen of Prep” Lilly Pulitzer’s realtor daughter, Liza, is marketing her late mother’s former home at 710 South County Road in Palm Beach, Florida at a price of £5,500,000. Originally marketed at £7,500,000, the fashion titan told the New York Times recently that the house is “just magnificent, but I’m old and I’m cranky and I can’t keep it up the way it should be”. She now rests in peace but with the “cabana inspired” property being marketed as a “tear-down” or for subdivision into two lots, it looks like the bulldozers will be on the way.
Meyer’s kebabed
Sir Christopher Meyer was recently spotted on the steps of 17 Lincoln Street in Chelsea with a group of men who looked like builders. The same property, for which offers in excess of £2,650,000 were sought, is now “under offer/sold” on the Primelocation.com website. If indeed the former ambassador and his wife, who was described as being “Chanel-clad” by the Daily Telegraph in May 2011, have bought the house, they’ll quickly have to get used to the smell of kebabs. The 4-storey unmodernised end of terrace is right next to the Al Dar restaurant.
Monckton moves on
The house where financier John Monckton was tragically murdered in November 2004 in Upper Cheyne Row, Chelsea has recently come on the market with W. A. Ellis. Monckton’s killer Damien Hanson and his accomplice Elliott White were rightly jailed and now, his widow, Homeyra, is selling the 5-bedroomed house at a guide price of £5,500,000.
If you know of a story about someone newsworthy who is changing jobs, setting up a new business or selling an existing one or moving home, do email us at: [email protected]
Essex born journalist Richard Littlejohn claims that the Royal Family are a “bunch of tax-evading adulterers” (more…)
Sarah Tucker tries out Britain’s scariest new attraction
80mph, approximately a mile long, 700 foot above a mountain lake, under clear blue skies in Snowdonia: Today, I became Wonder Woman for 55 seconds.
The Steeple Times asks bass-baritone singer Stephen Bowman: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Gravity mainly, followed by a healthy fear of dying young. Avoiding skydiving tends to keep both of those fears at bay.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day” – I’m very sure it’s a brilliant ancient proverb, but I stole it from Withnail and I.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
Kerry Katona has redeemed herself greatly since 2007, so I’d say that after his little tantrums in London recently, Justin Bieber is the next in line who needs a little humility injected into his life.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
I miss long misspent summers in the south of Spain. Long, lazy, hazy days of doing nothing more than sleeping off hangovers and chasing girls. Both were far less painful as a teenager and much less expensive.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A trip to the moon. I wanted to be an astronaut just before I wanted to be a rock singer; 4-year old children can be so flippant about career choices.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
The stupidity and greed of the few created a bed that the rest of us sleep in every day. It’s affected every industry, including music. We now perform most of our big private shows overseas, the UK is very slow and no one wants to be seen spending money on entertainment.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“It’s like…”: Massively overused and makes it near impossible for half the population to explain what a simile is.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Once you have a smidgen of public profile you have the opportunity to help charities with fundraising and it’s something I jumped at. Over the last 6 years of Blake we’ve got behind many amazing charities, including the British Legion, Variety the Children’s Charity, War Widows’ Association, Help For Heroes, Make A Wish and Nordoff Robbins to name a few. It’s great to think you can make any difference.
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?
I travel by tube quite a bit, where you regularly see the scary sight of an entire carriage of commuters with heads bowed in deep reverence to their ‘iThingamajigs’. The art of conversation on the tube has all but been lost. No one ever looks up long enough to make eye contact. Sad.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
I’d invite the top 50 speakers from TED, the best panel from QI and Emma Thompson. Between them I’d have enough fantastic conversation to last a train journey to the moon and back, although I’m sure at least a few of the TED company would quickly explain that said journey wouldn’t be technically impossible.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
The finest meal I’ve ever had was at a restaurant in the Philippines called Antonio’s. It’s up in the jungle surrounding a mighty volcanic crater in the Tagaytay region about an hour from Manila. The owner is obsessed with sourcing the best meat and vegetable produce in the world. A meal is in the region of £120 a head in a country where £120 rents a room for a year. If it was my last meal though, what the hell!
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Sadly alcoholism runs in my family, so when it comes to how early in the day you can drink, I’m rather conservative on the subject. As a rule I’d say that a gin and tonic at 6pm is a safe start. Earlier, not so.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
I’d be lying if I said I knew what either was, showing my lack of knowledge in both classic cocktails and speciality teas. I must study harder in both areas, but never before 6pm for the former of course.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
Over the last 6 years with Blake I’ve been to some truly wonderful parties, including film premieres, summer car festivals and polo days a plenty. The best yearly event for me is the Audi Royal Polo. We watch the Audi team lose to William and Harry (every year, strangely), Blake perform a cappella on the mainstage (a yearly tradition now, always after a few drinks and with a few slight ‘alterations’ to the lyrics of our songs) and finally dance till 1am. We go all topped and tailed with a private chauffer from Audi there and back. I have an Audi S8 as my personal ride and these parties alone warrant the investment into their fine automobiles.
Who is the most positive person you know?
A rather wonderful lady who works as both celeb booker for Variety the Children’s Charity and as Mike Oldfield’s personal PA. Caroline Monk can giggle you out of the worst depression and bring sunshine to your dullest day, a great friend and an amazing lady with many stories to tell. She’s battled many things in life and will help you find some perspective on those days when all seems against you.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Have you ever stumbled across one of those really old episodes of Top Gear on YouTube, with a silly number of views and thought: “Who the hell watches this stuff”? It’s me. I’ve got this thing about watching old car reviews, convincing myself that it’s developing ‘automotive knowledge’ when in fact it’s as pointless as watching ‘talking cats’. Although I can tell you what Jeremy Clarkson’s hair looked like in any year of the last two decades, admittedly a skill in short demand.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
Probably the Maserati or Alfa Romeo badges. I’ve almost got petrol running through my veins, such is my love for engines and speed. I might as well wear the permanent mark of the two marques who in my opinion and have made the most beautiful machines ever to live.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
I’d love to be a Maserati, but in reality I’d be one of those cars made in a barn by an eccentric German, using English body parts and a teutonic engine; generally reliable but with occasional breakdowns.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’m no where near as ‘British’ as the PR and marketing of Blake would have you believe. My father is German, my mother is English but descended from the family which Napoleon married into. I got married to a Guatemalan girl when I was 21, divorced when I was 26 and have only dated 2 English girls in my life. All the others were Latino. I almost turned full-tilt ‘Eurotrash’ in 2004 when my hair reached my shoulders in a swept back slick hairdo, a style low point!
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
As I travel the world singing with Blake (we’ve sung in 22 countries to date) we meet fans who present us with ever more unique personal presents. On my mantelpiece I currently have a Russian Babushka doll with my face painted on it, alongside a crystal reproduction of my Honda Fireblade superbike. Both were given to me by a fan from Russia. I also have ‘fans’ from fans in China and Japan, along with a wooden ‘love spoon’ from the Mayor of Cardiff. It’s useful for tossing salad apparently.
Stephen Bowman is a member of the Blake, the vocal group widely known for having been formed on Facebook in 2007.
View Blake’s official website at: http://www.blakeofficial.com
Follow Blake on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/TheBandBlake
Follow Stephen Bowman on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/StephenBowman
‘Like’ Blake on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/TheBandBlake
The Right Honourable The Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven LG, OM, PC, FRS; Margaret Thatcher (1925 – 2013)
She cleared our rat-infested streets and she beat the unions. She taught people that “anything was possible” and redefined the role of the state in our lives. Britain’s first female Prime Minister stood firm in the Falklands and she came of age there. “No surrender” was her guiding force both in that war and in Europe and to this groundbreaking pioneer “rights” were inextricably linked with “responsibilities”.