Tag: United Kingdom

A Milder May

As Theresa May’s lead in the poll halves and Jamie Oliver criticizes her policy on universal free school lunches for infants, we call on voters to act with their feet and remind the Tory leader that moderates still deserve to be heard

There’s no point denying Theresa May will win on the 8^th June and there’s no doubt she’ll win big. The ‘alternative’ – not that Jeremy Corbyn’s pathetic excuse for a party can even be called that – is beyond bad but, with news that the Conservative Party’s lead has halved to 9 points in a week, comes good news for those that do not subscribe to a desire for a one party state.

With the prospect that Mrs May – whose attempt to make her ‘Strong and Stable’ campaign about ‘Theresa’s Team’ rather than using the name of her own party is starting to backfire – will not have as big a majority as she expected, there is a chance there will be at least some form of opposition to the vicar’s daughter’s hectoring ways.

In constituencies like Kensington, for example, ‘Remain’ supporters should vote against a shown-to-be lazy MP, Lady Borwick, and back Annabel Mullin of the Liberal Democrats – a lady who issued several video messages yesterday pledging to ‘#HoldToriesToAccount’. A protest vote in this Tory stronghold would send the most powerful signal of all to Mrs May that her “red, white and blue hard Brexit” needs to be tempered and it would act as a reminder that the 48% must still be heard.

Elsewhere, food campaigner and restaurateur Jamie Oliver spoke for the majority when he put his head in his hands and told Channel 4: “Oh, it’s awful. It’s awful. She will regret that” of the Conservatives’ plan to scrap universal free school lunches for infants in their first three years at primary school. He continued:

“Well, first of all, I’m apolitical. So don’t go thinking I’m ranting about one thing or the other… As far as I see it, and I believe I’m someone that’s had my hands dirty for twelve years now and I know what I’m talking about, right? It’s completely short-sighted. It’s completely short-sighted”.

“And I want her [Theresa May] to be a brilliant Prime Minister. I want a brilliant female Prime Minister. Fundamentally, what she’s doing is taking from teachers and taking from the kids”.

“If you speak to Mark Carney and the people at the highest level of economics, if you speak to Oxford Cambridge University on the modelling, the economic modelling of public health and the cost of ill health and the investment. Like, it’s the best bang for your buck you’re going to get. Don’t take from the kids. Don’t take from the teachers”.

May 21, 2017
Faded Grandeur

Knightsbridge flat for sale for £3.75 million in spite of needing complete renovation and having a lease with just 9 years remaining

A lateral flat – with an interior that could be described as ‘Miss Havisham-esque’ in terms of its faded grandeur – at 16/17 Ennismore Gardens, SW7 has gone on sale for £3.75 million ($4.89 million, €4.36 million or درهم17.96 million).

Comprising of a first floor balcony flat of 3,111 square foot and a fifth floor staff or guest flat of 488 square foot, the 3,559 square foot property offered has a total of 3 reception rooms, 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is within a Grade II listed building and described by selling agents Hobart Slater as being “potentially one of the finest apartments in Ennismore Gardens”.

The catch? There are just nine years left on the lease and though this could be extended, purchased at asking price it effectively equates to a cost of £417,000 per year ($544,000, €485,000 or درهم2 million per year). A further expense comes in the form of a service charge of £17,672 per year ($23,033, €20,554 or درهم84,641 per year) also.

May 20, 2017
A Highly Priced Hall

Queen Anne house in South Yorkshire for sale for punchy sum of £1.2 million

An architecturally striking four-storey Queen Anne house in South Yorkshire is for sale for £1.2 million ($1.6 million, €1.4 million or درهم5.7 million) in spite of standing on a small plot that is overlooked by its now converted former outbuildings.

Originally built circa 1720 and Grade II listed since 1968, The Hall at High Hoyland, near Barnsley is built of coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and has a stone slate roof. It has many original features, provides 4 reception rooms, 7 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and has gardens to both front and rear.

The Hall is offered by the England Residential Estate Agency.

May 19, 2017
Fergus and Judith Wilson

Fat former boxer and Toad of Toad Hall-like figure of fun Fergus Wilson and his equally badly dressed Hyacinth Bucket-like wife, a former maths teacher named Judith, banned “coloured people” from renting the 1,000 properties they own in Kent “because of the curry smell at the end of the tenancy”. They were also revealed to refuse to let housing to “battered wives”, single parents and zero-hours workers in March 2017 and of them, the advocacy group Hope Not Hate remarked: “It’s almost as if [they have] taken a tick box to offend every vulnerable group in Britain”.

When taken to trial for using a mobile phone whilst driving, racehorse owning Mr Wilson – who also has a conviction for assaulting an estate agent – was fined £565 after ridiculously trying to claim he “was singing into a drinks carton that he was holding to the side of his head”.

The name of one of their horses – ‘Gone Too Far’ – sums up the most recent actions of this widely disliked duo perfectly.

May 18, 2017
Spirit & Speed

Chelsea studio house built for “spiritual artist” Arild Rosenkrantz and later home to the extremely eccentric lesbian heiress and powerboater ‘Joe’ Carstairs for sale for £8.95 million

“Spiritual seeker” and artist Baron Arild Rosenkrantz (1870 – 1964) was born in Denmark, studied in Rome and married his Scottish cousin, Louise Mackenzie, in 1901. His commissions included ceiling panels at Claridge’s Hotel in Mayfair and illustrating the Danish edition of Edgar Allen Poe’s Tales of Mystery Adventure and now a Chelsea home built for him is for sale for £8.95 million ($11.5 million, €10.6 million or درهم42.4 million).

Designed by the Maidenhead based architect Clifton Robert Davy (1879 – 1929) and Grade II listed since 1997, red brick built, 4-storey 5 Mulberry Walk is described as being of a “stripped Classical Mannerist style”. It features the artist’s initials on the rectangular profile downpipe and was his home from when it was finished until 1922.

Baron Arild Rosenkrantz and one of his works

Marion ‘Joe Carstairs’ once remarked: “I was never a little girl. I came out of the womb queer”; of her biographer Kate Summerscale added: “She was blithe, bold, courageous, unself-conscious, imperialist, impervious to social change”

Subsequently sold to the eccentric and extremely masculine heiress Marion Barbara ‘Joe’ Carstairs (1900 – 1993) for £3,000 in the early 1920s (the equivalent of just £167,000, $215,000, €197,000 or درهم791,000 today), 5 Mulberry Walk became the party venue for the “fastest, artiest, gayest, not to mention the most alcoholic and drug-addicted set in London at the time”. Carstairs – a lesbian described as “usually dressed as a man, having tattooed arms, and loving machines, adventure and speed” – remained there well into the 1930s and even had a name plaque for a doll she was obsessed with, ‘Lord Tod Wadley’, placed on the building’s door.

Extending to 3,163 square foot in total, 5 Mulberry Walk is currently divided into two apartments. The first, a ground floor studio with a 32-foot wide garden, has 1 bedroom whilst the second covers three floors and has 4 bedrooms. Each has a large artist’s studio space and in total there are 2 kitchens, 3 bathrooms and a roof terrace as well.

5 Mulberry Walk, which is most definitely ready for modernisation and reconfiguration internally, is offered by Russell Simpson.

May 14, 2017
Quote of the Week – Beasts & Crooks

Dennis Skinner on the now rejected Tory election fraud allegations

Yesterday, the Electoral Commission astonishingly rejected all but one of the allegations of electoral fraud against Conservative Party candidates and officials in relation to activities during the 2015 General Election campaign. A potential charge, against Craig MacKinlay, the MP for South Thanet, is all that now “remains under consideration”.

A quote and image shared on Twitter by writer Marcus Chown summed up the reaction of many to the news perfectly. It featured a picture of ‘The Beast of Bolsover’ Dennis Skinner MP and the following text:

Dennis Skinner: “Half the Tories opposite are crooks”.

Speaker: “Please retract”.

Dennis Skinner: “OK, half the Tories opposite aren’t crooks”.

In text accompanying what he shared, Chown added: “Whether it was Skinner who said this or someone else, it seems apt. #ToryElectionFraud”.

May 11, 2017
Rich Pickings

Trophy house with a “dictator interior” in The Boltons has nearly £10 million sliced off its asking price; iceberg home behind reduced by £5 million

A house in London’s second most expensive street has returned to the market at the much reduced price of £30 million ($38.8 million, €35.5 million or درهم142.6 million) in spite of having an interior that would only appeal to the likes of Bashar al-Assad, Muammar Gaddafi or Saddam Hussein.

Previously marketed at £39.5 million ($47.1 million, €47.1 million or درهم188.3 million) in 2015 through Russell Simpson and now offered by Knight Frank, semi-detached 6 The Boltons extends to 9,781 square foot and comes with a 2,469 square foot mews house to the rear in Creswell Place.

Both buildings are described as “requiring modernisation throughout” and in total provide 5 reception rooms, 16 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms. The main house has a lift to all floors, air conditioning and as well as parking for 5 cars, there is an internal garage and an interconnecting garden.

For those with another £32.5 million ($42.1 million, €38.5 million or درهم154.5 million) to spare, Knight Frank also offer another house adjoining the Cresswell Place mews house. Featured in The Steeple Times last May, that house, Cresswell House, has also had a rather punchy £5 million ($6.5 million, €6 million or درهم23.8 million) sliced off its asking price. A super-compound anyone?

May 10, 2017
The Busy Borwicks

Son of Kensington MP Lady Borwick’s curious connections to the people who ensured both Brexit and the election of Donald Trump revealed

On Sunday, Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer published a lengthy and well researched article that, amongst other things, examined the connections between The Hon. Thomas Borwick – the son of the Conservative hereditary peer The Rt. Hon. The Lord Borwick and Kensington’s Member of Parliament Lady ‘Call me Victoria’ Borwick – and the controversial US hedge fund titan and backer of Donald Trump, Robert Mercer.

A director of a multitude of companies, in spite of being just 29 years old, “new media expert” Thomas Borwick – whose mother was forced to apologise “after using City Hall resources to promote her husband’s [now defunct] electric vehicle business” in 2009 – it now transpires, was not only Vote Leave’s chief technology officer but previously worked with SCL/Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ. Borwick currently touts himself to his 202 followers on Twitter as the founder of a political canvasing consultancy named Kan.to, an organisation that he boldy claims “will out-organise, out-plan, out-leaflet, out-twitter, out-work and out-vote all of its opponents”.

Mercer, one of the owners of the far-right Breitbart News Network as well as being a major shareholder in Cambridge Analytica, is a man whose “sinister” connections to both Trump and Nigel Farage have rightly been widely criticised. On that basis, that the son of fervent Brexiteer Lady Borwick – a woman whose constituents voted 69% to ‘Remain’ and whose domain was home to a greater proportion of EU nationals than any other London borough in 2016 – has links to this billionaire and his activities should only encourage the voters of Kensington to ditch her and her out-of-touch party.

We urge Kensington based readers to support Annabel Mullin of the Liberal Democrats on 8^th June. This principled lady is the only person who can realistically unseat Lady Borwick and she is the only candidate who will support the beliefs the majority in this constituency continue to hold dear.

#DumpLadyBorwick #VoteAnnabelMullin

May 7, 2017
I Capture the Castle

12^th 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 somewhat echoes that of the fictional castle in the 1949 novel I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith – adapted to a film starring Bill Nighy and Henry Cavill in 2003 – and now, it presents an opportunity for someone wanting to own either a truly unique private home or somewhere to create a most romantic boutique hotel and events venue.

Now offered for £1.495 million ($1.94 million, €1.77 million or درهم7.12 million) and providing a total of 4,036 square foot of internal accommodation, Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye dates to the 12^th century but was largely destroyed in the English Civil War (1642 – 1651).

An aerial view of Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye, Wilton, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6AD, United Kingdom with the River Wye beyond

The castle as a ruin

Kestrels are amongst those that make Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye their home

Subsequently abandoned until 1731, when bought by the trustees of Guy’s Hospital, the castle was bought by the legendary retail and property magnate Sir Charles Clore (1904 – 1979) in 1961 and then restored from 2002 onwards. It includes elements of architecture from the Norman, Tudor, Elizabethan, Georgian and Victorian periods and is Grade I listed Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Standing in 2 acres of gardens, primarily within the rampart walls themselves, the castle house comprises of 4 reception rooms, a galleried former chapel, 2 kitchens, 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. There are three original towers (out of the five originally built inside a now dry moat) and whilst two are already back in use, the third, ‘The Great Tower’ could potentially be converted to provide 3 bedroom suites, a new glass entrance and a drawbridge.

In March, of his eccentric home, current owner Alan Parslow told the Evening Standard: “It was a bit of a wreck when we bought it, but after ten years of restorations it’s a lovely family home. We’ve loved living here. It’s a delight to wake up to, surrounded by history”.

Of the future, Parslow added: “We haven’t enough money or time to do The Great Tower up so we’d like to pass it on to someone else”.

Previously, his wife, Sue, was interviewed by The Ross Gazette about the sale. She remarked: “It is quite different from other ruined castles as it is really a garden around a castle”.

Wilton Castle-on-the-Wye is on the market through Jackson-Stops & Staff. The title ‘Lord of Wilton Castle’ is available by separate negotiation.

Namesake Wilton Castle, Bree, Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland has similarities in that it is also part-home, part-ruin

Curiously, an unconnected Irish castle of the same name, Wilton Castle in County Wexford has had a similarly chequered history. Built first in 1247, expanded into a mansion in 1847 and burnt to the ground in 1923, this vast landmark has, like its Ross-on-Wye namesake been subject of a major renovation project since 2004 by its owners, farmers Seán and Antoinette Windsor.

May 7, 2017
Bored of Black Tie, Crushed by ‘The Club’

As black tie bonanzas deservedly take a bashing, we ask: “What’s next for Britain and America’s party paraders?”

Last May, the acerbic Spectator columnist Taki wrote a brilliant opinion piece bemoaning the ghastly affair he believed New York’s Metropolitan Museum Gala had become. It perfectly summed up the vulgarity of an age where Kardashians have replaced Vanderbilt Sloanes and where Anna Wintour and her condescending ‘club’ have seized the mantle. This week, Primates of Park Avenue author Wednesday Martin took the debate one stage further and asked: “Is it time to say bye-bye to the black tie charity ball?” in an article for Town & Country magazine.

Whilst Martin quoted a “titan of finance” as saying: “No one really wants to attend a gala”, she also suggested that “showing up feels somehow retro, tangible, genuine”. Society is still forced into the routine of putting on black tie and parading out in both America and Britain yet in reality, everyone would most likely rather be down their local spit-and-sawdust.

Aside from the rubber chicken (and vomit inducing wine), the likelihood of being stuck with nine crushing bores and the inevitable raffle of rubbish, such affairs are now mostly the preserve of a club of Z-listers and desperados. At such gatherings, you’ll find trolleyed trailer trash like Dawn Ward of The Real Housewives of Cheshire clucking with titleless tosspot twits like David Furnish and each and every Friday’s ES Magazine bears testimony to this fact. The black tie bash deserves to come to its natural end, but what on earth will replace it?

The inevitable rent-a-crowd that now dominates at black tie gatherings in Britain these days is focused on daytime TV presenters and obscure reality wannabes

Tamara Ecclestone and husband Jay Rutland (pictured with Donna Air behind them) might be moneyed, but where’s the class?

Stephen Fry and husband Elliott Spencer are a duo willing to turn up to the opening of an envelope

If you really want to lower the tone, invite champagne swiller Dawn Ward and her ex-footballer husband

Alexa Chung is the ultimate guest if you want to make it to the ‘ES Magazine’s’ party pages (in spite of the fact she’s actually pretty pointless)

No party is complete without legendary crasher and shopping aficionado David Pun; last night he was spotted lingering outside the entrance to the opening night of the 2017 London Motor Show and given his antics he even has a Twitter account named in his honour

Anthea Turner and Grant Bovey used to host an annual ball in their garden; their marriage is now toast and the ball, for them at least, is most definitely over

May 5, 2017