Tag: United Kingdom

Heroes & Villains – The Best & The Worst People of 2020

‘The Steeple Times’ chooses the 25 best and 25 worst people of the last year and the 25 who’ll be missed and the 25 who won’t

Happy New Year to all our readers. Our ‘Heroes & Villains’ list was well received in 2019 and as we move into 2021, we join all celebrating ‘good riddance’ to the monstrous mess that was 2020.

Whilst many bombed, most especially Dominic Cummings and Donald Trump in the sphere of politics, for example, the likes of the heroic footballer Marcus Rashford and his campaign for free school meals for poor children showed that even a footballer can make a difference in a pandemic.

HEROES OF 2020

Obvious heroes of the year: Jacinda Ardern for being a leader capable of acting with good sense, Captain Sir Thomas Moore for raising £32 million for the NHS, Lord Sumption for arguing for lockdown liberty and Joe Wicks for keeping the nation healthy and turning down a £2 million deal with a supermarket.

WINNER – Bob Grace

Eternally cheerful groom Bob Grace led out his first winner after 38 years of racing at Royal Ascot in June when his trusty steed Battaash romped home in the King’s Stand. He raised the spirits of the nation and of this humble hero, one Twitter user concluded: “Bob is wonderful, be like Bob.”

Emily Bolton

One of “Britain’s most powerful civil rights lawyers,” Emily Bolton boldly fought for the likely wrongly convicted ‘Freshwater Five’ fisherman in 2020. She is tenacious and dedicated and a force for genuine good.

Steve Cotton

Alongside his cat named Hitler as his barman, “Britain’s grumpiest landlord” proved the spirit of Victor Meldrew was well and truly still alive in 2020. Summing up his approach to business and life in general, Steve Cotten remarked:

“I just make it up as I go along. I might not know how to run a pub but I know what’s wrong with every pub I’ve ever been in. There’s no landlord anywhere, nobody talks to each other. I involve the whole community – everyone knows it’s not my pub, it’s everybody’s pub… We are a dark and cold and miserable boozer – and that’s what people like about it.”

“They all know you can do what you want here, use it for what you want, come here on your own at any time of the day or night and help yourself to a tea or coffee. Everybody will talk to everybody… You can discuss any topic under the sun here, nothing is taboo… Everyone has a go serving behind the bar, we all have a laugh and everyone joins in… No one else talks to them like crap like I do.”

Bilkis Dadi (real name: Bilkis Bano)

This 82-year-old crusader and anti-Modi protester became the “voice of the marginalised” in India in 2020 and was escorted away from the farmers’ protest by the police. This heroine was included in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of the year and remarked: “We will not stand for this division.”

Alfie Diaper

Ten-year-old “little star” Alfie Diaper recovered from a ruptured spleen in 2019 and “came back fighting” with riding successes in 2020. One Scottish reader of The Steeple Times quite rightly termed this pint-sized hero a “talented, spirited wee soul.”

Julia Donaldson

The author of The Gruffalo went down in literary history as the biggest seller of the last decade in any genre in 2020 and now sells a book about every 11 seconds. JK Rowling did not even make the top five.

Hollie Doyle

Whilst she was ridiculously robbed of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2020 and came third, Hollie Doyle amazingly scored 151 wins in 2020. She also broke another record in becoming the first woman to win five races on a card at Windsor and our money is on her to become a hero of 2021 too.

Alain Ducasse

In January, Alain Ducasse spoke complete sense is echoing Iris Apfel’s “more is more and less is a bore” mantra. This culinary remarked: “I’ve noted [the Dry January] trend, but I don’t want to see or hear of it, I am opposed to it… “[I want to] rid consumers of their inhibitions [with regard to wine drinking].”

Lord Fowler

The Lord Speaker of the House of Lords quite rightly argued “there are too many Lords” in December. He added: “As we have just seen, its recommendations can be overridden by No 10. The result is that a prime minister has the power on his or her own to add peers to a house of parliament that can make and, within limits, unmake laws. Is this what the public expect in the third decade of the 21st century?”

Bryony Frost

Rising-star jockey Bryony Frost became the first woman ever to win the King George VI at Kempton on Boxing Day. This true heroine of the year is undoubtedly going to break many other glass ceilings in 2021.

Lady Glenconner

The former lady-in-waiting to the late Princess Margaret declared of coronavirus: ““I’ve been through the second world war and lived with someone with Aids at the beginning [of the Aids crisis]. I’m not scared of a little virus, you know.”

Agnes Gund (AKA ‘Aggie’)

A “put-your-money-where-your-mouth-is” philanthropist, Agnes Gund was described as “the last good rich person” by the New York Times in 2018 and in 2020 used money from the sale of one the most valuable artworks from her collection, a Roy Lichtenstein worth £120 million, to fund US prison reform. She has also given more than 900 significant works to the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the last 50 years.

Anders Holch Povlsen

Asos billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen led the way in rewilding in 2020. He also paid back the government £300,000 of furlough money during the year voluntarily and thus made a mockery of the likes of Sir Richard Branson and Sir Philip Green.

Patrick Hutchinson

Compassionate “fitness buff” Patrick Hutchinson carried an injured far-right racist protestor to his safety in spite of being himself black in June. Sensibly, he remarked: “Living with the image of a man being beaten to death isn’t something I could stomach. How do the police do that? They just seemed to be standing there watching it and filming with their selfie sticks. One of them said ‘well done’ to me, but I couldn’t really comprehend it.”

Jeremy King

The co-owner of The Wolseley rightly slammed Boris Johnson repeatedly during 2020. He rightly described lockdown Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions as “another knee jerk, ineffective, window-dressing, butt-covering initiative that hasn’t been thought through properly.”

Abdulkareem Musa Adam

This child refugee from a war zone in Darfur shone at Royal Ascot 2020. Accompanied by Shadn, this 22-year-old’s story was described by Clare Balding as “[showing] the incredible power of sport to bring people together and help them to heal, even after the most appalling suffering.”

Dolly Parton

In 2020, Dolly Parton gave £733,000 to fund a COVID-19 vaccine. The Guardian rightly said of her: “She understands that money is something you do, rather than something you have.”

Sister Norma Pimentel

Described as the “pope’s favourite nun,” Sister Norma Pimentel featured on Time magazine’s “100 most influential people of 2020” list. She has supported over 100,000 people seeking refuge at the border between Texas and Mexico and of her Julián Castro, former United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, remarked: “Sister Pimentel will keep changing the world, one act of kindness at a time.”

Dr. Ugur Sahin and Dr. Özlem Türeci

The “dream team” husband-and-wife team behind the leading vaccine to solve COVID-19 were amongst the ultimate healthcare heroes of 2020.

MacKenzie Scott

The ex-wife of Jeff Bezos gave £4.3 billion of her fortune to charity during 2020. In doing so, she became one of the biggest single donors to charity in a single year ever.

Santosh Shah

He didn’t win, but the unlikely star of MasterChef Professionals 2020 was this Nepali chef. He was eternally positive and widely lauded as the “people’s champion.”

Shirley Sherwood OBE

Britain’s leading botanist, after losing her tycoon husband at the age of 87, has become an unlikely star of Facebook with her videos sharing positivity and her passion for plants. She has rightly been described as the “driving force behind a revival of interest in botanical art.”

Micheline Stephen

A martini drinking 90-year-old and Dame Maggie Smith-lookalike, Micheline Stephen fought off a burglar and told him: “You’re a wee shite” in 2020.

‘Window Twerky’

Spotted on both the Fulham Road and Kings in Chelsea, this unknown woman amused many with her maniac moves during Lockdown 1.0. Her Fifty Shades of Crazy antics during that Strictly insane time were batshit bonkers but brilliant.

Tobias Weller (AKA ‘Captain Tobias’)

This heroic 9-year-old with cerebral palsy and autism raised over £150,000 for a children’s hospital during Lockdown 1.0 by completing marathons. He remarked: “It feels amazing to have completed both marathons. I feel fantastic. Thank you for clapping and cheering me every step of the way. You are all awesome. I love doing challenges so who knows what will be around the next corner?”

VILLAINS OF 2020

Previous list makers, but repeat offenders included Sir Philip Green, Sir Richard Branson, Tim Martin, Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson, Darren Grimes, David Starkey, Sir Cliff Richard, Prince Andrew, Matt Hancock, Ghislaine Maxwell, Larysa Switlyk, Liz Hurley, Owen Jones, Richard Madeley, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Michael Barrymore, Vivienne Westwood, Rudy Giuliani, Donald Trump and Ferne McCann, but our winner just had to be:

WINNER – Priti Patel

When she wasn’t “minglin’” and “movin’” and misusing the English language, Priti Patel was angling for a return to the death penalty in the UK in 2020. Asked what kept her going in 2020, when even Emily Thornberry declared “gin,” the most awful Home Secretary in generations ridiculously responded: “Showing the perpetrators of crime that they have nowhere to hide and joining our police on early morning raids – reminding the criminals that we’re coming after them.”

James Abbott-Thompson

The son of calculator lacking Diane Abbott MP appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in January after “spitting at a police officer and biting his colleague.” He’d previously exposed himself on a hospital ward and had crystal meth delivered to his mother’s £1.2 million home.

Victoria Baker Harber and Inigo Philbrick

Though ‘Mini Madoff’ Inigo Philbrick was deservedly was dragged to the clink by the FBI in June and remains in custody, his latest ‘baby mama,’ Victoria Baker Harber, couldn’t keep her almightily large trap shut. Shortly afterwards, she turned on one of his many victims, Kenny Schacter, and crudely tweeted: “Are you crying about cash or cock?”

Brian Basham

Bombastic PR peddler Brian Basham didn’t manage to get the mucky madam Ghislaine Maxwell out of jail in 2020. In response he angrily ranted to his friends at the Daily Mail and called Finding Ghislaine podcast host John Sweeney a drunk and someone he “despises.”

Scott Borgerson (AKA ‘Scott Marshall’ and ‘Mr Ghislaine Maxwell’)

This tech company CEO was revealed to be Ghislaine Maxwell’s “secret husband” in December. He then tried and thankfully failed to use their millions to get her out on bail in time for Christmas.

Benjamin Clark

After attacking the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square in September, son of a pastor Benjamin Clark deservedly got fined. His solicitor’s attempts to try to defend him quite rightly fell on deaf ears.

Lizzie Cundy

Desperate-and-will-do-anything-for-attention Lizzie Cundy, 52, turned coronavirus into a photo opportunity in a bikini made out of face masks in October. For her, nothing isn’t worth using for self-publicity.

Ellen DeGeneres

The wheels fell off for goody two shoes Ellen DeGeneres when she was shown to be anything but nice. Her attempt at an apology for allowing workplace bullying was mocked as “underwhelming.”

Alan Dershowitz

Having defended multiple rapist Harvey Weinstein in 2018, Alan Dershowitz went one stage further in 2020 when he leapt to the defence of Ghislaine Maxwell and trashed the reputations of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.

Tamara Ecclestone Rutland (AKA ‘Miss Piggy’)

Banshee-like billionairess Tamara Ecclestone Rutland appeared on ITV1’s This Morning in April. This daughter of a man whom once disgustingly described Hitler as someone who “was able to get things done” pestered people far poorer than her to donate to the NHS. Of this shameless attention seeker, a Twitter user remarked: “No offence but this feature on #ThisMorning is embarrassing. Trying to raise £1m but they have a family net worth of almost £4bn? Good publicity stunt though…”

Charlie Elphicke and Natalie Elphicke OBE MP

Ex-MP turned sexual predator and “Naughty Tory” Charlie Elphicke and his replacement MP wife Natalie got caught out after urging fellow parliamentarians to pester the judiciary after he got sent down. She was also very nasty about immigrants.

Laurence Fox

Actor Laurence Fox morphed from a housewives favourite and telly box treasure into a tedious twerp in 2020. His Reclaim Party became a laughing stock online and his decision to tattoo “freedom” and “space” on his hands was mocked unsurprisingly.

Mark Francois MP

This tedious Tory was pilloried online when he “disappeared” after an MP was accused of rape. He returned just-in-time to bang on and bore about the brilliance of Brexit in December. We can only hope he’ll “disappear” again in 2021.

Lady Green (AKA ‘Lady Greed’)

This very, very, very, very rich woman did nothing for the 13,000 dismissed workers of her husband’s failed companies. Instead, she sat on one of her £100 million yachts and moaned about not being able to sail away due to her crew getting coronavirus.

Angela Gulbenkian (AKA Angela Ischwang)

Art fraudster Angela Gulbenkian attempted to flee to Portugal to escape going on trial in June. She was quite rightly extradited back to the UK and victims including Percy Bass of Walton Street should finally get justice against this blonde bimbo in 2021.

Julia Hartley-Brewer (AKA ‘Julia Heartless-Brouhaha’)

She’s awful every year without a doubt and will never be a hero to anyone, but in ignorantly defending a right-wing thug who’d relieved himself on a memorial to murdered constable Keith Palmer, this tedious twerp made a total prat of herself. In response, one Twitter user asked her: “Why do you as a woman think it is ok for a bloke to expose himself by getting his dick out and urinating in a public place?”

Michael Heaver

In blubbering like a baby after Nigel Farage failed to make the New Year’s Honours List, “milk bottle white” Westmonster co-owner Michael Heaver again showed himself as just one thing: “A remarkably unpleasant child.”

Lady Victoria Hervey (AKA ‘Toff Totty Vicky’)

Accurately described by the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson as “unpleasant” and “a right snob,” dimwitted dope Lady Victoria Hervey defended Prince Andrew in 2019 and then stated: “Fuck BLM [Black Lives Matter]” in 2020 on her Instagram page. The world hope she remains silent in 2021.

Eamonn Holmes

Crackpot conspiracy theorist Eamonn Holmes morphed into the David Icke of 2020 when he declared that the “mainstream media’ was hiding a link between 5G technology and coronavirus. Him and his wife were unsurprisingly subsequently dropped from their weekly presenting roles on ITV1’s This Morning.

Dr. Walter Palmer (AKA ‘The Driller Killer’)

Having slayed ‘Cecil the Lion’ in 2015, deranged dentist Dr. Walter Palmer returned to his barbaric ways when he massacred an endangered ram in July 2020. Though he claims to be “looking forward” to his next “adventure,” one can only hope that this monster meets a sticky end in 2021.

Stephanie Pratt (AKA ‘Shady Steph’)

One-time crystal meth addict demanded shoplifters be shot in May 2020 on Twitter. Unfortunately for her, the public were on hand to remind her she’d been arrested for stealing a £1,000 of clothing from Neiman Marcus in May 2006.

Phillip Schofield

Aside from “claiming to have been murdered in a past life because of a debt” in October, Phillip Schofield attempted to rival Sir Cliff Richard and launched quite possibly the most loathed collection of boxed wines ever in September. What a plonker!

Carrie Symonds (AKA ‘Carrie Not On Regardless’ and ‘The Duchess of Downing Street’)

Boris Johnson’s wine chucking puppet mistress proved herself to be a total busybody in 2020. Despite not being elected herself, that the PM’s latest ‘baby mama’ got her own cronies into Downing Street during the year was a total disgrace.

Alexandra Tolstoy

Miserable moaning Minnie Alexandra Tolstoy bleated about not being able to live on £10,000 per week before getting £606,000 for a few of her possessions in a Christie’s auction in November. Loopy to her core, she remarked: “We’re just surviving.”

Dominic West

Aside from being caught kissing actress Lily James in October, actor Dominic West got caught breaching social distancing rules on a shoot in Wiltshire in December. He also claimed to have “jumped for joy” when he found out Donald Trump had coronavirus.

Heroes & Villains 2020 – Lizzie Cundy (left) and Inigo Philbrick and Victoria Baker Harber (right) – Examples of the worst people of 2020 without a doubt.

THOSE WHO’LL BE MISSED

Sadly, many great people were lost in 2020 and amongst those most widely mentioned were Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Honor Blackman, Chadwick Boseman, Kobe Bryant, Jack Charlton, Sir Sean Connery, Des O’Connor, Kirk Douglas, George Floyd, Dame Olivia de Havilland, Eddie Van Haylen, Irrfan Khan, Dame Vera Lynn, Diego Maradona, David Prowse, Gene Reynolds, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sachs, Jackie Stallone, Larry Tesler and Bill Withers.

WINNER – John le Carré (born David Cornwell)

Having sensibly summed up Donald Trump’s election and the banality of Brexit, novelist John le Carré died from pneumonia aged 89 in December. Of his passing, his agent Johnny Geller remarked: “[He was] an undisputed giant of English literature. He defined the cold war era and fearlessly spoke truth to power in the decades that followed… We will not see his like again.”

Michael Angelis

Liverpudlian actor Michael Angelis brought happiness to many. He was the narrator of Thomas & Friends for 21 years and also appeared in Bergerac and Z-Cars. He died in May aged 76.

Lady Elizabeth Anson CVO (married named Lady Elizabeth Shakerley)

This first cousin-once-removed of Queen Elizabeth II was “discreet and professional.” She observed that “the very rich, the very idle, the very busy and the ones who simply haven’t a clue what to do” didn’t have the skills to organise events, so set up a party planning business. She died in November aged 79.

Sir Terence Conran

Multi-skilled and described as “the most passionate man in Britain when it comes to design,” Sir Terence Conran died in September aged 88. He once remarked: “It’s thrilling as a designer when you see something you’ve designed and built actually being used. Seeing a shop filled with people, or a restaurant with people smiling away happily, it’s like, gosh, all my dreams have come true.”

Alan Davidson

This legendary newspaper photographer captured stars at play from 1969 until his death in March aged 70. Of him, the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay remarked: “No event was off limits to Alan.”

Sir Harold Evans

Described in an obituary in the Guardian as “the most admired newspaper of his generation,” Sir Harold Evans died aged 92 in September. He will be best remembered for exposing Robert Maxwell as a fraudster and Kim Philby as a traitor. In doing so, he became the first editor to order a D-notice and summing him up, here was someone who’ll be remembered as someone “loved by his staff.”

Lynn Faulds Wood

The wife of fellow television presenter John Stapleton was best known for co-hosting the BBC’s Watchdog with him. She died after a stroke in April aged 72.

Derek Fowlds

Affable actor Derek Fowlds was best known for his roles in Yes Minister and The Basil Brush Show. He died as a result of complications from pneumonia in January aged 82.

Desmond Guinness

Brewing heir Desmond Guinness was an author and expert on Georgian architecture. He will be remembered as a “great dandy of his generation” and saved countless buildings from the wrecking balls of property developers. He died in August aged 88.

John Hays

Having doubled his workforce and saved thousands of jobs when him and his wife bought Thomas Cook in 2019, “high street hero” John Hays died suddenly at his offices in November aged 71. He considered his workers “family” and laughed off people comparing him to a “country bumpkin.”

Shere Hite (born Shirley Gregory)

Twice married sex educator and feminist Shere Hite renounced her US citizenship in 1995, was briefly stateless and then became German. She posed in the nude for Playboy whilst at university and died of corticobasal degeneration in September aged 77.

Thomas Hoare (AKA ‘Mad Mike Hoare’)

This fervently anti-communist British mercenary leader died in February having led campaigns in the Congo and a failed “package-holiday coup” in the Seychelles. Of him, his son remarked: “Mike Hoare lived by the philosophy that you get more out of life by living dangerously, so it is all the more remarkable that he lived more than 100 years.”

Tony Hooper

A founder member of the Strawbs, singer and guitarist Tony Hooper died in December aged 81. He left the band after argument over whether they should be more folk or rock in 1972 and became an educational author and book jacket designer in the 1990s.

Knut Kloster

With a name that sounded like a brand of breakfast cereal, “visionary” cruise line king Knut Kloster died in September aged 91. He was best known for co-founding the hugely successful Norweigan Caribbean Line in 1966, but his attempt to build a “world peace boat” eventually came to nothing.

Sir Stirling Moss OBE

“Who do you think you are? Stirling Moss?” will go down in history as a much-quoted punchline of policemen, but this racing driver will be remembered for two other quotes also: “If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?” and “There are two things no man will admit he cannot do well: drive and make love.” He died in April aged 90 having survived falling down the lift shaft of his Mayfair home in 2010.

Geoffrey Palmer OBE

As Time Goes By star Geoffrey Palmer died in November aged 93. Of him, his co-star Dame Judi Dench concluded: “Geoffrey was master of comedy.”

Julia Peatling

This Stockwell based medical secretary loved a gin and tonic at PJ’s on Fulham Road and her Downton Abbey star dog, Poppy.

Margarita Pracatan (born Margarita Figueroa)

Cuban novelty singer Margarita Pracatan, who died in June in New York aged 89, was best-known for performing on Clive James’ television show Saturday Night Clive in the 1990s. Of her, he remarked: “She never lets the words or melody get in her way. She is us, without the fear of failure.”

Carl Reiner

Born in The Bronx, actor, author and comedian Carl Reiner joined Twitter at the ripe old age of 90 in 2012. Two days before he passed in June, he tweeted: “Nothing pleases me more than knowing that I have lived the best life possible by having met and marrying the gifted Estelle (Stella) Lebost – who partnered with me in bringing Rob, Annie & Lucas Reiner into to this needy & evolving world.”

Michael Russell

“Publisher, wit and author” Michael Russell was the creator of the spoof memoirs of J. R. Hartley, he of Yellow Pages fame. He also published Richard Spitzy’s How We Squandered the Reich – a book that described Hitler as being “like a cross between a head waiter and a chimney sweep.”

James Sherwood

Buccaneering American businessman James Sherwood revived the Orient Express, built up a chain of hotels and created the Sea Containers empire. He died in May aged 86 having once been stranded at 16,000 feet in the Andes with Princess Michael of Kent after his helicopter had to make an emergency landing.

Barbara Smoker

This “promoter of many causes now take for granted” died in April. Barbara Smoker will be best remembered for saying: “Don’t always be obedient. Obedience is overrated. You’ve got to work out your morality for yourself, not do everything you’re told. Obedience can be more of a vice than a virtue.”

Alexandra Sykes (born Alexandra Sotomayer)

The third wife of businessman Mark Sykes was vivacious and bubbly. “Wise and kind” Alexandra Sykes loved to keep fit and at a party, hers was always the liveliest voice in the room.

Helen Taylor-Thompson OBE

After having worked as a spy in occupied France in the Second World War as part of Churchill’s “secret army,” Helen Taylor-Thompson co-founded Europe’s first AIDS hospice. She died in September aged 96.

Alexander Thynn, 7^th Marquess of Bath

Polygamous Lord Bath was as famed for his ‘wifelets’ as he was for his erotically styled paintings. He played an aristocrat in the 1987 video for the Pet Shop Boys song ‘Rent’ and died of COVID-19 in April aged 87.

The late Margarita Pracatan is exactly the kind of person we could do with now.

THOSE WHO WON’T BE MISSED

WINNER – Peter Sutcliffe (AKA ‘The Yorkshire Ripper’)

This evil HGV driver claimed he’d “heard voices that ordered him to kill prostitutes while working as a gravedigger” as an excuse for slaughtering at least 13 women and attempting to murder 7 more between 1975 and 1980. He died as a result of complications from COVID-19 in November.

Tariq Aziz

Saddam Hussein’s principal spokesman died in June aged 79. He had been found guilty of “deliberate murder and crimes against humanity” in October 2010.

Donato Bilancia (AKA ‘The Liguria Monster’ and ‘The Killer on the Trains’)

This Italian serial killer murdered 17 people between October 1997 and April 1998 on the Italian Riviera. A compulsive gambler with a passionate hatred for night watchmen and sex workers, Bilancia died of COVID-19 in Due Palazzi prison in Padua in December.

George Blake

This remorseless British MI6 officer turned double agent for Soviet Union believed he was not a traitor and once remarked: “To betray, you first have to belong. I never belonged.” He died on Boxing Day having caused the deaths of at least 40 British agents in Russia as a result of his treachery.

Alfred Bourgeois

This trucker molested and murdered his 2-year-old daughter and then joked about it. He was given a lethal injection of pentobarbital in December at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Anthony Casso (AKA ‘Gaspipe’)

An American mobster and serial killer considered a “homicidal maniac.” He confessed involvement in upto 36 murders and was imprisoned for 455 years in 1998. Casso died from complications related to COVID-19 in December.

Brian Daniels

A bus driver turned paedophile serial rapist, Daniels was approaching the end of an 18-year sentence for attacks on four young girls in May when it was discovered he had further victims. He died in prison in October having remarked: “I did something against kids and I was punished. I don’t deserve to live. My final punishment will be death.”

Roy Den Hollander

This American lawyer shot himself in July after being made a suspect in the murder of fellow lawyer Marc Angelucci in California and the son of Judge Salas in New Jersey earlier that month. He had been a member of the National Coalition for Men, but after being kicked out called them “wimps and whiners.”

Terry Dicks (AKA ‘Phil’)

Possibly the most bigoted ex-Conservative MP ever, Dicks termed Nelson Mandela a “black terrorist” and ridiculed a Somali refugee family buying water in a supermarket by saying “where they come from they’re happy to drink out of puddles.” He referenced himself as a “spastic” due to his cerebal palsy and said of an Observer journalist sentenced to death by his hero Saddam Hussein: “He deserved to be hanged.” He loathed gay people and was nicknamed ‘Phil’ – for “elevating Philistinism to an art form.”

Vikas Dubey

An Indian gangster and history-sheeter turned murderer, Dubey was “killed” in July after “the police vehicle carrying him met with an accident and overturned.” He snatched a pistol from a policeman trying to fix a flat tyre, tried to run away and was then shot by another officer.

Scott Erskine

This American serial killer and rapist was responsible for the death of at least 3 child victims. He died in July after contracting COVID-19 in July.

Lonnie Franklin (AKA ‘The Grim Sleeper’)

This LA born serial killer committed at least 10 murders between 1984 and 2007. The majority of his victims were black women.

Dustin Honken

This serial killer was responsible for the murders of 3 adults and 2 children in Iowa in 1993. Before being executed in July, his last words were: “Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for me.”

William LeCroy

This former soldier murdered a woman he believed was a witch in Georgia in 2001. He never showed any remorse for his actions and his last words were to his “spiritual adviser.” He remarked: “Sister Battista is about to receive in the postal service my last statement.”

Daniel Lewis Lee

This American white supremacist murdered a gun dealer and his family in Arkansas in 1996. He claimed to be innocent until the end.

Samuel Little

An American serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 60 women, Little claimed to have killed as many as 93 between 1971 and 1997. He died in a Los Angeles County area hospital in December.

John Lowe (AKA ‘Keepers Cottage Stud Murderer’)

This puppy farm owner fatally shot his partner and her daughter in February 2014. He claimed he wanted them “put down” and himself died in a hospice in August.

Ba Ag Moussa

A Malian militant and jihadist, Moussa was shot and killed by French Armed Forces in November.

Roy Norris (AKA ‘The Toolbox Killer’)

Along with Lawrence Bittaker, Norris kidnapped, raped, tortured 5 teenage girls in 1979 in Southern California with pliers, ice picks and sledgehammers. He died of natural causes in February.

Abel Ochoa

High on crack, Ochoa killed five members of his family and tried to justify it due to being “intoxicated and in a delirium.” His final words were: “I would like to thank God, my dad, my Lord Jesus savior for saving me and changing my life. I want to apologise to my in-laws for causing all this emotional pain. I love y’all and consider y’all my sisters I never had. I want to thank you for forgiving me.”

Gordon Pinkerton

An RAF serviceman turned child abuser, Pinkerton sexually abused 6 young girls between 1963 and 2011. He was jailed in 2013 and died of coronavirus in prison in April.

Wesley Ira Purkey (AKA ‘The Claw Hammer Killer’)

Executed by lethal injection in July, Purkey raped and killed a teenager in 1998 and beat an 80-year-old to death with a claw hammer later that year.

Omar Sadiq (AKA ‘Roger’)

This Glasgow gangster and racial hatred inciter was killed by two of his associates in September. A floral tribute at the location of his shooting read: “Absolutely devastated. There was a better plan for you.”

Cathy Smith

This Canadian backup singer injected Saturday Night Live’s John Belushi with a fatal dose of heroin and cocaine in 1982. She died in August and had received a further drugs conviction in 1991 after serving 15 months between December 1986 and March 1988 for involuntary manslaughter.

Howie Winter

This mobster and leader of the Winter Hill Gang was implicated in a number of slayings in the 1960s and 1970s, but never charged. Of his demise in November aged 91, Thomas Foley, a retired Massachusetts State Police colonel, remarked: “It’s the end of a legend, but not a good legend… He is a guy that actually got away with murder.”

Pictured top: Winning Villain of 2020 Priti Patel and winning Hero of 2020 Bob Grace.

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January 1, 2021
A Cottage or a Car Space?

Detached Georgian cottage in Wales goes on for sale for a sum 64% lower than a single parking space in a basement in Knightsbridge

In Knightsbridge right now, Harrods Estates are offering what they term a “spacious” car parking space for the astonishing sum of £225,000 ($302,000, €250,000 or درهم1.1 million) in spite of it having a column intruding into it.

The 8’2” by 15’7” underground space is situated within a building opposite Harrods’ Basil Street entrance and is only available for purchase by those living within a 1,300-foot radius of it. It is held on a lease with 83 years remaining and is subject to a service charge of £743.22 per annum ($1,000, €825 or درهم3,700 per annum).

Whilst this seems surprisingly cheap compared to the £375,000 ($484,000, €448,000 or درهم1.8 million) single space in nearby Ennismore Gardens we featured in February, elsewhere, for those looking to park a lot less money into a serious renovation project, agents Dai Lewis are about to auction what appears from the exterior to be a “quaint” Georgian cottage. Built as an estate manager’s cottage in the late 1700s, 4-bedroom Penbont, near Llandysul in Ceredigion, Wales stands in private gardens adjoining the River Teifi and National Trust woodland, but literally is collapsing inside.

To bid for Penbont in the forthcoming Auction House South Wales sale, click here. Bidding opens on 14^th December at 12 noon and ends on the 16^th December at 12:02pm. An opening bid of £79,000 ($106,000, €88,000 or درهم390,000) has been set.

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The extremely punchily priced Basil Street car park space is entered via a ramp next to Harry’s Dolce Vita.

The space is rather limited in that it is intruded upon by a bloody great pillar. You do, however, get a rather swish Rolls-Royce adjoining whatever you park there.

Thankfully for the purchaser, Julian Assange has long left the adjoining apartment block.

The cottage appears initially quaint in this image.

The Welsh cottage literally is full of junk and rather lacking in first floor flooring.

There are plenty of old sofas – though nobody other than Onslow from ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ would want to sit on them.

The late Laura Ashley wouldn’t exactly rave about the curtains.

The staircase is unbelievably intact, but a purchaser would be advised to do something about the wall coverings in the hallway.

The kitchen has an original range, but somebody plainly nicked its doors.

Those liking double height rooms might feel at home in this space.

More recently it was boarded up and resembles a scene from ‘Midsomer Murders.’

An outbuilding that isn’t much use to man nor ornament.

Plainly, the current owner has a desire to stop gypsy caravans parking.

The setting is indeed idyllic, but one needs to be careful of runaway drunk drivers on a Friday

December 9, 2020
Mucky Madam Maxwell Unsealed

Matthew Steeples selects some of the most telling and cringeworthy remarks from the newly unsealed 2016 Ghislaine Maxwell deposition

On Thursday, I ploughed through all 465 pages of the newly unsealed April 2016 deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell at the law offices of Boies Schiller & Flexner. After being promised lurid details of ‘Bouncing Bob’s’ daughter’s “wild sex life” and her lawyers claiming it’d “spread like wildfire across the Internet” (and thus prejudice her trial), overall it was just a bit of a damp squib.

Whilst the bombshells many were hoping for simply did not emerge and though most names redacted could easily be identified – Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton included – what the mainstream media avoided mentioning was that there were many telling remarks and many contradictory statements in the unsealed document.

Mucky Madam Maxwell Unsealed – Ghislaine Maxwell with her chum Prince Andrew and accuser Virginia Giuffre at her London home. During the deposition, Miss Maxwell referred to Ms. Giuffre as a “liar” hundreds of times.

Aside from the fact that ‘Grubby Ghislaine’ clearly illustrated she has her late conman father’s temper in an episode of table thumping, Miss Maxwell’s evasiveness in avoiding giving straightforward answers was transparent. She also showed her own true character and also illustrated the lengths she would go to protect the late Jeffrey Epstein.

With the public set to see this mucky madam on trial next year, we can now anticipate the approach this devious devil will take. It’ll be bombastic and bold, but she’ll unlikely be doing anything that puts her great mate, the non-sweating, Pizza Express loving royal, at risk – that’s for sure.

Here below, we select a few of the amusing and strange questions and quotes from what was unsealed:

Ghislaine Maxwell gets questioned about a John Bryan – Duchess of York-esque ‘toe sucking’ equivalent incident:

Q – “Did you ever ask [Virginia Giuffre] to rub Jeffrey’s feet?

A – “I believe that I have read that, but I don’t have any memory of it.”

Asked about “sexual acts,” Maxwell – a woman well-known for teaching other women how to give blowjobs at dinner tables – unconvincingly answered:

A – “I don’t know what you mean by sexual acts.”

A – “I’ve never had non-consensual sex with anybody… At any time with anybody.”

Curiously defining her citizenships:

Q – “Are you a citizen of the United States?”

A – “I am.”

Q – “Are you also a citizen of England?”

A – “I am.”

Q – “Are you a citizen of any other land?”

A – “TerraMar.”

Q – “That’s the name of your charity project that deals with oceans, is that correct?”

A – “Yeah. I’m French as well.”

Bizarrely asked to define her own sex, Maxwell was honest in one regard:

Q – “Are you a female, is that the sex that you are?

A – “I am female… I am a 54-year-old woman.”

On sex toys:

Q – “How would you describe sex toys?”

A – “I wouldn’t describe sex toys.”

A – “I need you to define a sex toy, I don’t have enough knowledge of sex toys.”

On her and Jeffrey Epstein’s star-studded address book:

A – “I believe this a copy of a stolen document. I would like to know how you guys got it… You have the stolen document.”

A – “Like everybody, I have an address book.”

Put in her place by the interviewer:

A – “Let’s move on.”

Q – “I’m in charge of the deposition. I say when we move on and when we don’t. You are here to respond to my questions. If you are refusing to answer, the court will bring you back for another deposition to answer these questions. Do you understand that?”

A – “You have got your questions mangled… You have mangled your entire questions… I have to object.”

Q – “You don’t get to object… She is turning into a lawyer already.”

A – “I would like to.”

A – “I apologise sincerely for my banging at the table earlier, I hope you accept my apology.”

Asked if she was responsible for Jeffrey Epstein’s activities and actions, Maxwell replied:

A – “I’m not responsible for what Jeffrey does and I don’t always pay attention to what happens in the house. I’m very busy.”

On whether she ‘recruited’ girls for her boss/lover:

A – “Stop right there. I never recruited girls, let’s stop there. Break down the question.”

Q – “Have you ever said to anybody that you recruit females?”

A – “I don’t recruit anybody.”

A – “I resent and despise the word recruit… I never had to do anything with underage people.”

On whether she ‘recruited’ girls to take the sexual activity pressure off herself:

Q – “Have you ever said to anybody that you recruit other females… to take the pressure you having to have sex with Jeffrey?”

A – “I totally resent it and find it disgusting that you should use the word recruit. I have already told you I don’t know what you are saying and your implication is repulsive.”

A – “I never trained a female under the age of 18 at Jeffrey’s house.”

On her thoughts on the deposition process:

A – “You don’t ask me questions like that. First of all, you are trying to trap me, I will not be trapped.”

A – “Any interest I have is in accuracy. I’m only looking for accuracy.”

A – “Apparently, even saying Virginia is a liar has hazards.”

A – “You are trying to trap me.”

Asked about her interaction with naked people in Epstein’s residences, Maxwell brushed such aside:

A – “Sometimes… I have seen people from time to time take their top off. I have seen people from time to time do that.”

On whether she photographed naked people:

A – “It is possible that I took pictures of people that were somehow semi [nude] or had some clothes on or no clothes on, but at no time were any of those pictures remotely inappropriate… I know where you are headed with this and it’s nowhere appropriate and it’s really unattractive.”

Asked about her interactions with Virginia Giuffre – with whom she flew on private plans on at least twenty occasions and with whom she was pictured in her London home with Prince Andrew – Maxwell clearly lied:

A – “I don’t recall meeting her.”

A – “I wouldn’t recollect meeting her at all but for the tissue stories about this situation.”

A – “I really have no recollection of her.”

A – “I barely recall Virginia, period.”

A – “I don’t recall smoking cigarettes with Virginia Roberts.”

A – “Virginia is a liar… An exaggerator, a fantasist and an absolutely true terrible person.”

A – “I said that there are some things [Virginia] may not have lied about.”

On whether she had sex with Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre:

A – “I never ever, at any single time, at any point ever participated in anything with Virginia and Jeffrey. And for the record she is an absolute total liar and you all know she lied on multiple things and that is just one other disgusting thing she added.”

On whether she dined with Virginia Giuffre with Prince Andrew in London at Tramp:

Q – “Do you recall going to dinner with XXX, Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Roberts in London at any time?”

A – “I do not.”

Q – “Do you recall going to a place called XXX, XXX, Jeffrey Epstein and yourself and Virginia Roberts?”

A – “I would just like to state for the record XXXXXXXX I do not have any recollection of it and I doubt it happened.”

On whether Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre had sex in a bath at her Kinnerton Street, Belgravia, London home:

“The tub is too small.”

On whether she and Jeffrey Epstein gave Prince Andrew a Spitting Image puppet of himself and whether they got Virginia Giuffre to “play with him” whilst sitting on his lap:

A – “There was a puppet… A caricature of XXX.”

On Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual activity preferences:

Q – “Does Jeffrey like to have his nipples pinched during sexual encounters?”

A – “I’m not talking about any adult sexual things when I was with him.”

Questioned about the number of occasions she’d flown on the ‘Lolita Express’ and other Epstein planes:

A – “I cannot tell you how many, a lot.”

Asked about a 13-year-old victim of Epstein whom came to one of his residences:

A – “I have no idea how old she was… I have no idea… I don’t hire girls like that.”

Turning to a 14-year old:

Q – “Was she a child?”

A – “I don’t know what you mean if she looked like a child… Leave it at that… You are making stories up again as usual, there would not be any reason why I would ask her how old she was.”

On a total of 30 underage minors allegedly being brought to Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Beach house:

A – “I cannot testify to 30.”

On whether Jeffrey Epstein abused minors:

A – “I can’t testify what Jeffrey did or didn’t do.”

A – “I never observed Jeffrey having sex with a minor.”

Q – “I’m asking what you believe, from your own belief, do you believe that Jeffrey Epstein abused minors?”

A – “I can only go from what I know personally about what Virginia’s lies talked about. She is the only person I know that actually claimed that. And I can say with certitude that everything Virginia said was a lie.”

A – “I don’t believe [Jeffrey Epstein] was sentenced for [sexual abuse of a minor] actually.”

Asked if she’d ever seen Jeffrey Epstein – with whom she had an intimate relationship with herself – having sex:

A – “I have never seen anybody have sexual intercourse with Jeffrey, ever.”

On whether she was ever in a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein herself:

A – “That’s a tricky question. There were times when I would have liked to think of myself as his girlfriend.”

A – “I don’t think I said I was his girlfriend.”

A – “I don’t think I would ever have characterised myself as his girlfriend.”

A – “I’m sure I would [have] loved anybody to come out and say they were Jeffrey rather than me.”

On whether she was asked to ‘carry’ a baby for Jeffrey Epstein:

A – “I don’t recollect conversation about Jeffrey and babies in any form… I don’t recollect baby conversations with Jeffrey.”

Asked if she’d ‘organised’ for Virginia Giuffre to have sex with others:

A – “I have never instructed Virginia to have sex with anybody, ever.”

On allegedly dressing Viriginia Giuffre up as a school girl when giving massages:

A – “I have no idea what you are talking about… I have no idea what you are talking about… I clearly know what a school girl outfit is. I have no recollection of providing anybody with a school girl outfit.”

On President Clinton being on ‘Paedo Island’ with Virginia Giuffre and herself and whether Jeffrey Epstein dined with him:

“Virginia is absolutely, totally lying. This is a subject of defamation about Virginia and the lies she has told and one of [the] lies she told was that President Clinton was on the island where I was present. Absolutely 1,000 per cent that is a flat out total fabrication and lie.”

“Allegations that XXX had a meal on Jeffrey’s island is 100 per cent false… I’m sure he had a meal on Jeffrey’s plane.”

On why she kept in touch with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction:

“I’m a very loyal person and Jeffrey was very good to me when my father passed away and I believe that you need to be a good friend in people’s hour of need and I felt that it was very thoughtful, nice thing for me to do.”

On how much she got paid and what benefits she received post Epstein’s conviction:

Q – “Were you paid over a million dollars?”

A – “It was under 500, it was an amount of money less than $500,000, less than a million dollars and I did it out of thoughtfulness and consideration for somebody who was in trouble.”

A – “I don’t recall the details of the cars [I was given].”

A – “I don’t recall any gifts really… I barely recall gifts, I barely recall a lot of this.”

On her legal ‘arrangement’ with Jeffrey Epstein:

Q – “Do you have a joint defence with Jeffrey Epstein?”

A – “I believe I do.”

On her legal ‘arrangement’ with (presumably) Prince Andrew:

Q – “Do you have a joint agreement with XXX?”

A – “I don’t believe I do.”

On what dirt Jeffrey Epstein might have on her:

Q – “What negative, unflattering, private or potentially embarrassing information does Jeffrey Epstein know about you?”

A – “I imagine none.”

A – “I can’t think of anything I have ever done that is illegal… I have a DUI in the UK a long time ago.”

On where Jeffrey Epstein got his wealth:

Q – “Do you know how Jeffrey Epstein made his money?”

A – “No… I have no idea.”

On where she was then living:

“I’m just couch surfing.”

For more fascinating revelations about this ever-developing case, listen to the brilliantly put together The Prince & the Pervert Podcast’ by clicking here.

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Mucky Madam Maxwell Unsealed – Ghislaine Maxwell with Jeffrey Epstein at a memorial event for her late conman father Robert Maxwell on 24th November 1991 at the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Mucky Madam Maxwell Unsealed – Ghislaine Maxwell is used to having things her way and here she is pictured in her youth tapping away at an early computer. In August 2020, she demanded the prison housing her give her another device and a desk also – her request was unsurprisingly denied.

October 24, 2020
Moron of the Moment – Laurence Fox

Laurence Fox has morphed from a much loved tellybox treasure into a tedious twerp; his new political party deserves only ‘destination dustbin’

Just as Nigel Farage is yet again “contemplating a return to frontline politics” (no surprises there given his past on-off-on-off and again antics when he’s in need of a bit more ‘wonga wonga’), another tedious loudmouth is sticking his oar in also.

Laurence Fox, whom we saluted as a ‘Hero of the Hour’ for quite rightly calling out the ‘MegExit’ saga as self-absorbed nonsense in January 2019, has sadly since morphed into a bit of a nutter and not only has decided to launch a political party, but also had ‘Freedom’ and ‘Space’ tattooed in a most ghastly fashion on his hands.

Fox – whose acting abilities in Lewis made him a middle-aged housewives firm favourite between 2006 and 2015 – has, it seems, changed from a “shy around women, sensitive and a bit naïve” Harrovian school boy into a BNP-esque bully determined to “fight the culture wars” (whatever they are).

The actor has allegedly raised £5 million already for his ludicrous ‘cause’ and “hopes to stand dozens of candidates across the UK” for a party he has provisionally named Reclaim. On his website, he pompously states:

“Over many years it has become clear that our politicians have lost touch with the people they represent and govern. Moreover, our public institutions now work to an agenda beyond their main purpose.”

“Our modern United Kingdom was born out of the respectful inclusion of so many individual voices. It is steeped in the innate values of families and communities, diverse in the truest sense but united in the want and need to call this island home.”

“The people of the United Kingdom are tired of being told that we represent the very thing we have, in history, stood together against.”

“We are all privileged to be the custodians of our shared heritage. We can reclaim a respectful nation where all are included and none are ashamed to have somewhere to call home.”

“I have been so encouraged by the support I have received by those wishing to add their voices to this reclamation of our values.”

“Our country is now in desperate need of a new political movement which promises to make our future a shared endeavour, not a divisive one.”

Ironically, in a not so cryptic reference to Inspector Morse, Fox – whose website ironically links to a reputation management and crisis issues firm, Reputation Communications, whose clients also number the Equality and Human Rights Commission – ends by repeating: “This is now my endeavour.”

Frankly, here is a man whom speaks nothing but utter gibberish and someone whose party sounds quite beyond pointless. Whilst Laurence Fox’s political movement will undoubtedly fast fade into obscurity, those hideous inkings sadly are with him for life. The poor chap needs only to find himself a ‘safe’ space and he needs ‘freedom’ to about his stupidity. Next!

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Moron of the Moment – Laurence Fox has transformed from housewives favourite to far-right fruit loop very rapidly during 2020.

Fox’s ex-wife Billie Piper has previously contradicted his political views and previously made her thoughts clear about Boris Johnson’s Conservatives party by sporting a mock Tesco style T-shirt that stated: “Tories – Very little help.”

Fox’s downward spiral began after he appeared on BBC’s ‘Question Time’ in March this year. Initially, whilst many suggested he was quite right, he subsequently got rather carried away and lurched off into

Subsequently, this month Fox declared he’d been “shunned” by his own profession and demanded “the silent majority started to become a louder majority.” He declared intellectual activists “fragile children” and suggested the “establishment” have been “making children hyper-racially aware.”

September 28, 2020
Chic Chicheley

Grade I listed Baroque mansion Chicheley Hall in Buckinghamshire for sale for £7 million or 62% less than the current owners have spent on it

Just as historically significant as the £10 million Lilford Hall in nearby Northamptonshire we featured in June, but in far better condition, a Grade I listed mansion in Buckinghamshire has just come to the market for £3 million less.

Chicheley Hall, near Olney is being sold due to the activities there – a combination of a conference venue, hotel and a centre used by the Royal Society – being curtailed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It is offered for the sum of £7 million – which seems a relative bargain given its current owners paid £6.5 million for it in 2007 and spent a further £12 million on its renovation subsequently.

Constructed on the site of an earlier house destroyed in the Civil War in the 1720s to the designs of master builder Francis Smith, Chicheley Hall became the seat of Sir John Chester, the 4^th baronet. It is of nine bays on three floors upon a raised basement and is described as an “exceedingly rare example” of English Baroque architecture.

“For more than 100 years, architectural historians have waxed lyrical in the pages of Country Life of Chicheley Hall” remarked Penny Churchill when it was placed for sale in June 2007 and since 2009 it has been owned by the Royal Society.

Having carried out a “major programme of repair and refurbishment to turn the hall into a high-quality venue for residential conferences,” the Society created a venue that provided 14 bedrooms suites in the main house, 34 en-suite bedrooms in two Grade II* listed former stable blocks, two lecture theatres, meeting rooms, sitting rooms, dining rooms and reception areas. There is parking for 50 vehicles and an apartment that was used by the centre’s director.

Knight Frank market the 34,928 square foot freehold property as a whole or in three lots complete with 75 acres. They describe the mini-estate as including “beautiful formal gardens, a ‘3 sided’ lake, a walled garden, woodland walks, a Grade II* dovecote and farmland.”

Chicheley Hall is situated 7 miles north east of Milton Keynes and is 50 miles from both central London and Oxford.

The Names & Numbers – Chicheley Hall, Hall Lane, Chicheley, near Olney, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, MK16 9JJ, United Kingdom

September 2020 – For sale for £7 million ($9.1 million, €7.7 million or درهم12.6 million) through Knight Frank.

June 2020 – De Vere Venues permanently closed Chicheley Hall as a conference venue and hotel due to the impact of coronavirus. In a statement to MKFM, the firm remarked: “Sadly the resulting devastating economic impact [of the pandemic] on the hospitality industry, together with heightened operational restrictions, has meant we have taken the difficult decision to close our doors permanently.”

2007 – Sold to the Royal Society for £6.5 million ($8.5 million, €7.2 million or درهم31.1 million). They supposedly subsequently spent £12 million ($15.6 million, €13.3 million or درهم57.5 million) on renovations. These were in part funded by the Norwegian-American business and philanthropist Fred Kavli (1927 – 2013).

June 2007 – Placed for sale for £9 million ($11.7 million, €10 million or درهم43.1 million) through Savills on behalf of Nicholas Beatty, the 3^rd Earl (born 1946).

2001 – Used as a stand-in for Bletchley Park in the feature film Enigma. The building has also been used in other productions including Pride and Prejudice, The Meaning of Life, The Red Violin and Black Beauty.

1952 – Ownership by the Chester family ends when David Beatty, 2^nd Earl Beatty (1905 – 1972), son of First World War naval hero Admiral David Beatty, bought the hall. Of his “major restoration programme,” Penny Churchill remarked: “Interior designer Felix Harbord, perhaps best known for his work at Luttrellstown Castle near Dublin, set out to recreate classic 18th-century interiors, using mainly light colours to accentuate the beauty of the mouldings and panelling. Very sensibly, the earl also added a bathroom to almost every bedroom.”

1939 to 1945 – Chicheley Hall was used by the Special Operations Executive as its Special Training School No. 46, by Czechoslovaks for SOE parachute missions and as a FANY wireless telegraphy school. After the war, the hall was converted for use as a school.

1720 to 1724 – Built by Sir John Chester, 4^th baronet on the site of an earlier mansion to the designs of master-builder Francis Smith of Warwick. According to Country Life’s Penny Churchill, “a total of 955,550 bricks was used in the construction of the house, wings and garden, of which a staggering 85,000 were used for the garden walls.” She added: “For the next four years, Sir John himself paid the various master-craftsmen who worked on the interiors. The result was some of the finest woodcarving, joinery and plaster-work to be found in any English country house of that period. The elegant formal gardens were laid out by George London and Henry Wise, of Hampton Court and Melbourne Hall fame.”

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The entrance hall of the house is impressive. English Heritage remark of it: “Entrance hall with Corinthian surround to front door and triple arched screen with marble columns leading to staircase, said to be designed by Flitcroft when working for Kent. Ceiling painting attributed to Kent.”

The ceiling painting is attributed to William Kent and depicts Herse and her sisters sacrificing to Flora.

Continuing, there is an especially wide staircase beyond.

One of many reception rooms.

The dining room is dominated by wooden panelling.

Another entertaining space.

In its last use as a hotel and conference centre, a total of 48 bedroom suites were created within the property.

This former coach house is currently configured as two large conference suites and a meeting room.

One of two lecture theatres currently on-site.

A conference room.

Another view of the exterior of Chicheley Hall.

Viewed from across the ‘three sided lake.’

An aerial shot of part of the 75-acre mini estate.

And from another angle.

Formal gardens.

A plan of part of the Chicheley Hall site.

September 8, 2020
Five of the Best – Houses for Sports Fanatics

‘The Steeple Times’ discovers five properties that will appeal to serious sports fanatics with a desire to indulge their passions at home that are currently for sale

Whilst most would simply go to a racecourse to watch the horses or to a football ground to cheer on their heroes on the pitch, five homes follow where sports lovers can partake in their very own confines follow:

503 Studio Road, Stamford, Connecticut, USA

£5.84 million ($7.69 million, €6.51 million or درهم28.24 million) through William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty.

A vast 18,000 square foot house on 13.21 acres in Connecticut that is currently for sale cannot be described as a “looker,” but it comes with its own private, professional indoor hockey and skating rink (pictured top). There’s a Zamboni ice resurfacer “for perfect ice” and even heated team benches, a lighted scoreboard, home and visiting team locker rooms and a viewing ‘lounge.’ In addition, there are two guest houses and an outdoor swimming pool.

St. Clements Hall, Terrington St. Clement, Norfolk, UK

£240,000 ($316,000, €267,000 or درهم444,000) through Attik.

Most people looking for a “3-bedroom semi-detached house” are likely to be couples with 2.4 children, but for those in a somewhat different position, a 19^th century, 1,873 square foot former youth hall might appeal. Primarily reconfigured to provide a 27-foot by 39-foot ‘skate bowl’ with 13-foot vertical wall, mini skate park and three 4-foot quarter pipes, the house also more conventionally has an open plan living space, 3 bedrooms and a shower room. Even the snobby girl in Avril Lavigne’s Sk8er Boi song might be impressed; the house has featured in The Sun, on the BBC and in Netflix’s Amazing Interiors.

Tourles Farm Stud, near Lewes, East Sussex, UK

£2.5 million ($3.3 million, €2.8 million or درهم12.1 million) through Windsor Clive International.

Owned by the Kazakhstani phosphorus tycoon Nurlan Bizakov since 2010, Tourles Farm Stud has been part of Hesmonds Stud. Described in TDN Europe as “one of the best presented farms we have offered in recent years” by William Harford of Windsor Clive, the 113.78 acre property “has [only] become available due to the owner’s successful investment in France [at Monfort et Preaux in Normandy]” and comes with a 3-bedroom cottage, a stable barn with 26 boxes and a 4 furlong all-weather gallop.

UNICA, 10697 Somma Way, Los Angeles, USA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=193&v=UDRVhCe8hIc&feature=emb_title

£75.8 million ($100 million, €84.5 million or درهم137.3 million) through Hilton & Hyland.

On and off the market since 2018, this “one-of-a-kind” 41,000 square foot Bel Air house on 1.35 acres includes 8 bedrooms and an astounding 21 bathrooms. There are also 20 garage spaces in an “auto-gallery,” 8 bars, a 36-person screening room and not one, but two 75-foot swimming pools. The pièce de résistance for sports fanatics? A full-sized NBA basketball court.

Kinlochdamph Estate, Torridon, Scottish Highlands, UK

£2.75 million ($3.62 million, €3.06 million or درهم13.30 million) through Goldsmith Estates.

Extending to 4,085 acres, the Kinlochdamph Estate is perfect for those wishing to achieve a Macnab (and bag a salmon, a stag and a brace of grouse within one day). It has a recently refurbished 4-bedroom lodge, red deer stalking, trout fishing on its hill lochs and a small population of grouse, ptarmigan, woodcock and snipe. Income is provided by forestry and a hydro scheme, but any wannabe John Buchan will purely be buying this place for its sporting rights.

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September 7, 2020
Hero of the Hour – Abdul Musa Adam

As groom-rider Abdul Musa Adam leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot today, he will inspire many on the eve of World Refugee Day and illustrate the positives of welcoming child refugees

Described as a “remarkable young man” by Racing TV’s Nick Luck in February, Abdulkareem Musa Adam was raised by a tribe of nomads in Darfur. When he was just 7 years old, the Sudanese army killed his entire family and burnt his home to the ground, but now, this afternoon, this groom-rider will lead out Shadn at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup.

After escaping by donkey with his 3-year old brother Yusuf, the pair survived refugee camps in Chad and then in Libya, he tried to find work aged 12. Parted from his sole surviving relative, he was captured by Colonel Gadaffi’s forces and after refusing to join his ‘child army,’ was imprisoned and tortured.

Next, after a ‘Guardian Angel’ Russian doctor helped him by disguising him as a hospital cleaner and smuggled him out via a bin and in the boot of a car, Musa Adam travelled to France aged 13. He thought he would be safe there, but ended up sleeping in industrial bins to keep warm. With no identification papers, this teenage refugee struggled for 18 months, but after being discovered by a man in a church named Antonio was not only fed tuna sandwiches daily, but also given hope for the future. Antonio ultimately helped Musa Adam in his successful attempt to smuggle himself to Britain in the wheel arch of a lorry.

Believing he was going to “England [a place that] means peaceful, you can study, you can improve your life,” the youngster spent what must have been a terrifying 15 hours in the most perilous of conditions. He totally randomly ended up “dumped at a petrol station” near Swindon in Wiltshire and was picked up by the police.

Here, granted asylum as a refugee and with the help of Social Services and then Greatwood, “a charity which uses horses to help young people facing difficulties and challenges,” Musa Adam was provided with assistance and ultimately a foster home. His “childhood passion for horses” was reignited whilst recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a “most remarkable journey in sport” commenced.

Musa Adam spent time with Niki Evans in Abergavenny and attended the Northern Racing College in Doncaster in 2016 subsequently. He progressed to a full-time job as a stable lad with Andrew Balding at his Kingsclere Park House Stables yard and amazingly won the ‘Young Achiever’ at the Mirror’s ‘Pride of Sport Awards’ in 2016.

Referencing the “friend” whom she has “been writing a book together [with] for three years,” in the Mirror this morning, journalist Ros Wynne-Jones declared: “[Abdul Musa Adam] couldn’t be a better example of what safety and kindness can give to a human being who has escaped war, torture and trafficking after becoming a refugee at the age of eight. Britain is lucky to have him, and he is grateful to have a safe home.”

Speaking of him also, racing legend Clare Balding added: “His story shows the incredible power of sport to bring people together and help them to heal, even after the most appalling suffering.”

Hardworking Abdul Musa Adam – who is now a British citizen and whose day begins at 6am and finishes at midnight – himself concludes:

“Racing, riding, horses… After more riding, I feel more happy… I am so grateful I have found safety… I feel that this is my home now. I believe I can find [my brother] one day; I hope, I can.”

Now and still only 22 years old, today horse loving Abdul Musa Adam’s spectacular journey will continue when he leads out Shadn at Royal Ascot. We join all celebrating his remarkable progress to the paddocks of Royal Ascot.

‘The Journey: An Inspiring True Story of Courage and Hope,’ co-authored by Abdul Musa Adam with Ros Wynne-Jones, is available to pre-order on Amazon priced at £8.99.

RUNNERS & RIDERS – Day Four, ‘Royal Ascot At Home’ – ‘The Steeple Times’ analyses the selections for Day Four at ‘Royal Ascot at Home’

After delighting readers yesterday in calling both Stradivarius first (for the third time) in the Gold Cup and a place for Cross Counter also, today we are looking at:

3.00pm – Hardwicke Stakes

WIN – Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Anthony Van Dyck at 11/4 (The Sun NAP, Daily Mail ‘Danger’, Sporting Life, Racing Post ’Spotlight Nap’, GG.co.uk).

Racing Post says: “Very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago; big chance on that form.”

For them, Ben Hutton ’Spotlight Nap’ adds: “Back on track with very good second in the Coronation Cup at Newmarket 14 days ago and big chance on that form on this relatively quick return.”

Templegate, The Sun adds: “Ran his best race since winning the Derby when chasing home potential superstar Ghaiyyath in the Coronation Cup last time. That race was moved from its usual Epsom home to Newmarket and the Aidan O’Brien-trained four-year-old was gaining with every stride at the line. He beat some fair yardsticks like Defoe there and it’s hard to see last year’s winner of this race turning that form around. This trip is ideal for AVD and he goes on fast or slow so the weather isn’t a worry either.”

3.35pm Commonwealth Cup (16 runners)

EACH WAY – Magnier, Smith and Tabor owned Ryan Moore-A.P. O’Brien combo Lope Y Fernandez at 4/1 (Radio 4, The Telegraph).

Racing Post says: “Third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas last Friday; effective at 6f last year; not dismissed.”

Templegate for The Sun adds: “Lope Y Fernandez ran a cracker when third to Siskin in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and warrants respect.”

It’s a longshot, but with the inspirational Abdul Musa Adam leading him out, we suggest also:

EACH WAY – Oisin Murphy-Andrew Balding combo Shadn at 20/1.

Racing Post says: “Needs improvement on the figures but worth noting that she’s 3-4 over 6f.”

4.10pm – Queen’s Vase (9 runners)

EACH WAY – William Haggas trained Born With Pride at 5/2 from 3/1 earlier (Radio 4, Daily Mail Gimcrack ‘Danger’, The Telegraph).

Racing Post says: “Listed winner on debut last season and not seen to best effect on her comeback; respected.”

Daily Mail adds: “Born With Pride, a winner on heavy ground on her Newmarket debut last autumn, was a non-runner earlier this week and connections appear to have done the right thing with the ground sure to suit.”

4.40pm – Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (18 runners)

EACH WAY – William Buick-Mark Johnston combo West End Charmer at 6/1 (The Sun, At The Races – Kevin Blake).

Racing Post says: “Stamina still to prove at this trip but lightly raced colt is 5lb well-in under a penalty.”

Templegate for The Sun says: “West End Charmer was impressive when running away with a hot handicap at Newmarket 12 days ago. He was coming back from a year off so, provided that hasn’t taken too much out of him, he should improve again for this step up in distance. He is well handicapped under a 4lb penalty.”

Happy racing.

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Abdul Musa Adam celebrating becoming a British citizen and out enjoying his passion for riding.

Abdul Musa Adam will lead Shadn out today at Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup at 3.35pm. The horse is owned by Katsumi Yoshida, trained by Andrew Balding and will be ridden by Oisin Murphy.

June 19, 2020
Lavish Living and Little Owls at Lilford Hall
Crumbling Northamptonshire estate Lilford Hall – where the little owl was introduced to Britain – for sale for £10 million, a sum £35 million lower than in 2014
- Grade I listed Jacobean mansion with 13 chimney stacks for sale for £10 million; it was for sale last for £44.9 million in 2014 in spite of being listed on English Heritage’s ‘At Risk Register.’
- Lilford Hall – parts of which have not been occupied since 1947 – is currently owned by a businessman who tried to sell burial plots in the grounds for £1,250 a pop and shares in a yacht loosely associated with Frank Sinatra for £23 each.
- The 321-acre estate includes not only overgrown parkland, but also a zoo with cages that formerly housed bears and a lake for flamingos.
- From 1711 until 1990, Lilford House was the seat of the Powys family – the 4^th baron is credited with introducing the little owl to the UK.
- More recently, in 1969, the “sexual mystic” artist Penny Slinger used the at-the-time derelict mansion in one of her best-known works.
A 32,406 square foot Grade I listed Jacobean mansion 82 miles from Central London has gone on sale for £10 million – or the equivalent of just £308 per square foot.

On this basis, Lilford Hall – set in 321 acres near Oundle – seems a comparative bargain when considered against the £4,786 per square foot sought for a Lennox Gardens, Knightsbridge triplex flat The Steeple Times featured in May, but buyers need to remember this – parts of this crumbling building, most notably the major state rooms, have not been used since 1947.

Marketed last in 2014 for the even more punchy sum of £45 million, the “exceptional residential and amenity estate located on the River Nene,” is now offered by agents Savills. The “wonderfully proportioned” U-shaped mansion itself is constructed of grey limestone and includes over 100 rooms and amongst them are 7 “impressive” reception rooms, a ballroom, a ‘great chamber’ and 9 bedrooms. In addition, there are two Georgian pavilions that were formerly coach houses and stabling, three cottages, a former zoo, the oldest private softball court in the world, a former flamingo enclosure and a deer park.

“Impressiveness in the chief attribute of Lilford Hall as a specimen of architecture” claimed County Life in 1990 and as the seat of the Powys family from 1711 until 1990, it became not only a Downton Abbey-esque entertaining pad, but also housed nurses in the Second World War. Here, indeed, is an English country house that has seen lavishness and decline and thankfully here is an example that thankfully escaped the wrecking ball wrought so disgracefully on such houses in the 1950s and 1960s.

Fascinatingly in the 1880s, Thomas Powys, 4^th Baron Lilford filled his aviaries on the estate with rheas, kiwis, pink-headed ducks, free-flying lammergeiers and it was from here that he also introduced the little owl into the UK. There are said to be around 5,700 breeding pairs today, but sadly, according to the RSPB, their numbers are now in decline.

More recently, in 1969, “sexually erotic” performance artist Penny Slinger took over the by then “derelict” mansion in conjunction with the filmmaker Peter Whitehead. Their resulting work, titled An Exorcism, was exhibited internationally and in 2004, after the current owners, Charles and Aziza Micklewright, acquired the house, they did something equally avant-garde; they attempted to sell burial plots in the grounds to Americans by citing the estate’s connections to the founder of the Brownists, Robert Browne – a man better known as ‘The Father of the Pilgrims’ and ‘The Grandfather of the Nation’ (of the United States of America).

Whilst Mr and Mrs Micklewright were lauded for their considerable efforts towards the “huge task” of restoring Lilford Hall, they came to the attention of Historic England in May 2019 when the building was listed on the At Risk Register. At that time, the Oundle Chronicle reported: “The roof covering is in poor condition leading to water ingress and distress to the upper storeys. The front bays require structural attention. A schedule of urgent repairs has been identified but not implemented, and no long-term solution has been agreed.”

Now, someone with very, very deep pockets is required to restore this gem. It would be helpful if they liked erotic art, bears, squash and owls also.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cii3VlgfVy0

The artwork created by Penny Slinger and Peter Whitehead at the house has been exhibited internationally.

The Names & Numbers – The Lilford Hall Estate, Lilford, Oundle, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, PE8 5SG, United Kingdom

June 2020 – The estate is listed sale for £10 million ($12.5 million, €11.1 million or درهم46 million) through Savills. It includes 321.31 acres, of which 148.17 acres are pasture land whilst 157.48 acres are woodland. The majority of the estate is held on a freehold title, whilst the remaining 127.6 acres – known as ‘The Linches’ and ‘Lilford Woods’ – are held on a lease with 91 years remaining.

2015 – Promoted as ‘The National Memorial Gardens,’ burial plots in the gardens of the hall were offered “available to any UK resident or national for an outstanding price of only £1,250 ($1,568, €1,393 or درهم5,758)” by Mark Bailey of Harley Investments. Around the same time, a website dedicated to Lilford Hall marketed “a piece of the formal gardens” for sale for £299 ($375, €333 or درهم1,377) to include “an officially certified ‘Squire of Lilford’ [title] … with this little piece of history.”

March 2014 – The Irish Times reported that the asking price for the estate had been increased to £44.9 million ($56.3 million, €50 million or 206.8درهم million). They claimed the agents Coldwell Banker blamed “confusion over currency conversion rates and new instructions from the owner.”

April 2014 – The Lilford Hall Estate is listed for sale through Coldwell Banker on MyHome.ie for £33.7 million ($44.2 million, €37.5 million or درهم155 million) on behalf of “an English gentleman.”

2004 – The estate is acquired by the Micklewright family. Little information is available online about the Old Framlingham Charles Micklewright (born July 1958), but he is described as a “patent attorney” on Companies Houses pages. The businessman is mentioned also as a publisher and trustee of the Marsh Christian Trust elsewhere, whilst his Singaporean born wife, Aziza (born 1964), was a director of Lilford Properties Limited from 2013 to 2018.

A website operated by Sign of the Times Limited, a Hong Kong company of Lilford Hall, Lilford, Oundle, Northamptonshire, PE8 5SG, currently offers shares in a yacht named ‘Sinatra the Voice’ for £23.91 ($29.99, €26.64 or درهم110.14) per share. The boat was built in 1956 and is tenuously linked to Frank Sinatra by the fact that a one-time owner, Beale Poste, loaned it occasionally to the crooner between 1968 and 1974 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

1990 – The estate is closed to the public.

1980s – The house is used as a location in the BBC English Civil War inspired historical drama series By the Sword Divided.

1970s – Aviaries on the estate restocked by George Powys, 7^th Baron Lilford (1931 – 2005). He “opened [the estate] to the public as a leisure park” and housed more than 350 birds of 110 species there. It remained thus for around 20 years and included a restaurant and shop. The aviaries and the 1,896 square foot restaurant building remain present still today.

1969 – 1970 – American British “sexual mystic” artist Penny Slinger (born 1947) and Liverpudlian filmmaker Peter Whitehead used the “derelict mansion” as the setting for their works An Exorcism and Lilford Hall. They are lauded as a “photo romance” and exhibited at the Blum and Poe Gallery in Los Angeles in 2014, at the Haywood Gallery in London in 2015 and at the Fortnight Institute in New York in 2019.

1949 – Stephen Powys, 6^th Baron Lilford (1869 – 1949) died without having married or having had children. His properties aside from Lilford – a house in Mayfair, Bank Hall in Lancashire and the Bewsey Estate in Cheshire – passed to his second cousin twice removed.

1947 – The estate is sold to a company named Merchant Ventures by the Powys family (though they remain present on the estate until 1990).

1939 – 1945 – During the Second World War, the parkland of the estate was used as a military hospital for nearby airfields. From 1949 to 1954, some of the buildings constructed during this period were then used as a Polish school.

1923 – First-class Northamptonshire cricketer Major John Powys, 5^th Baron Lilford (1863 – 1945) built the first private softball court in the world in the grounds of the hall. It is now in disrepair and the roof has fallen into the inner court.

1909 – 1910 – The hall was extended in the Edwardian manner including the provision of a new master bedroom with dressing room and bathroom by William Dunn and Robert Watson of Dunn & Watson.

1901 – The estate surrounding the hall reaches its largest size and totals a vast 8,000 acres of land. Around this time, Queen Mary, wife of King George V, is said to have visited the gardens.

1880s – Ornithologist and expert on the fauna of the Balearics Thomas Littleton Powys, 4^th Baron Lilford (1833 – 1896) introduces the little owl into England on the estate. His aviaries were said to “feature exotic birds from all around the world” and a species of European lizard, the Lilford’s wall lizard (Podarcis lilfordi), is named in his honour. The 4^th baron is repeatedly mentioned in the works of Charles Darwin for his contribution to the study of the science of evolution.

1840s – Further changes to the building are orchestrated by the architect William Gilbee Habershon (circa 1818 – 1891). The Campaign to Protect Rural England described these Victorian extensions as “sensitive” in 2006 – a rare accolade given most additions to English country houses during this period were simply brash and vulgar.

1740s – The Palladian architect Henry Flitcroft (1697 – 1769) adds “outstanding” Georgian interiors whilst “respecting the hall’s Jacobean exterior.” He “softened and brightened” the building as a result and also “constructed the Georgian pavilions and additional storeys to the east end of the two wings.” Other works by Flitcroft can be seen at Bower House in Essex, Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire and Woburn Abbey in Bedfordshire.

1711 – Lilford Hall is sold to the judge and Tory politician Sir Thomas Powys (1649 – 1719), Attorney General to King James II. Powys is best remembered for conducting the prosecution of the Seven Bishops in 1699. He is buried at Lilford.

1630s – Construction of the main exterior of what to this day remains Lilford Hall as a “Jacobean-style gentry house” by William Elmes (the younger).

1473 – The land that forms the estate is acquired by William Browne (1410 – 1489), a wealthy wool merchant and landowner from Stamford, from the estate of Baron Welles (who was beheaded by King Edward IV for treason). In 1495, “in a Tudor style,” he built a hall on the site and it passed to Robert Browne (1550 – 1633), the founder of the Brownists, ‘The Father of the Pilgrims’ and ‘The Grandfather of the Nation’ (of the United States of America).

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June 13, 2020
Rolls-Royce isn’t Rolls-Royce but it is Rolls-Royce

Rolls-Royce issues a press release to try and stop the media mistakenly saying they are Rolls-Royce; they want to highlight the difference between PLC and Cars

When you think of Rolls-Royce, you may think of handcrafted limousines made with the most exquisite materials. You might think of the royalty, heads of state and stars who’ve owned such vehicles, but one thing’s for sure, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, a “wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW Group (Munich)” now want to make very clear: They have nothing to do with the aircraft, ship and submarine manufacturers Rolls-Royce PLC.

In a press release issued on Thursday, Andrew Ball for Goodwood, West Sussex based Rolls-Royce Motor Cars pointedly remarked:

“Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has issued a statement in response to continuing media confusion and misreporting concerning its assumed or implied connection to Rolls-Royce PLC.”

“Media are kindly asked to note that images of Rolls-Royce motor cars, the black and silver ‘Double R’ logo, the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ (‘Flying Lady’) mascot, the Rolls-Royce Pantheon Grille and other related content are all signifiers of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and its Brand.”

“The use of these images to illustrate stories relating to Rolls-Royce plc together with copy that unnecessarily confuses or conflates the two companies, is incorrect and leads to public confusion.”

Given “recent announcements” have led to the “media confusing and misreporting” the two, one thing’s for sure: A Rolls-Royce car is a Rolls-Royce car when it’s a Rolls-Royce Motor Car; when it’s not, it’s just not. “Now Jeeves, be a darling, go fetch the Toyota.”

Some quotes about Rolls-Royces

“Greatness takes time: It takes 13 hours to build a Toyota, but it takes 6 months to build a Rolls-Royce.”

Unknown.

“Wall Street is the only place that people ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get advice from those who take the subway.”

‘Most successful investor in the world’ Warren Buffett.

“At 60 miles per hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.”

‘Father of Advertising’ David Ogilvy CBE.

“When you are a rich man, you are proud to own a Rolls-Royce and when you are a poor man, you are proud to own a Renault.”

Charismatic footballer Eric Cantona.

“If a working-class Englishman saw a bloke drive past in a Rolls-Royce, he’d say to himself: ‘Come the social revolution and we’ll take that away from you, mate.’ Whereas, if his American counterpart saw a bloke drive past in a Cadillac, he’d say: ‘One day, I’m going to own one of those.’ To my way of thinking, the first attitude is wrong. The latter is right.”

Media tycoon Kerry Packer.

Pictured top: A selection of models currently available in Rolls-Royce Motor Cars’ current line-up.

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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars want to remind the world that they produce motor cars. They most certainly don’t want people thinking they produce flying hairdryers.

In October 2016, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1926 Rolls-Royce Phantom I by Brougham De Ville. It has an interior inspired by Versailles and the interior was described as “like stepping inside a very fine Georgian manor house.”

In March 2017, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1958 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud I drophead coupé. It was nicknamed ‘The Honeymoon Express’ given it seats just two and has an oversized boot capable of carrying a week’s luggage.

In August 2015, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this 1973 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI by Pietro Frua. It was described as “the largest convertible ever built,” measured over 22-foot in length and took two years to build. The giant motor was originally owned by His Excellency Consul Simon van Kempen of Switzerland and Monaco sold for £442,546 including premium as part of The Frederiksen Auction in Denmark.

In February 2018, ‘The Steeple Times’ featured this special edition 1995 Rolls-Royce Flying Spur converted to an estate car from a Silver Spur III.

In September 2016, ‘The Steeple Times’ joined those describing the owner of this Rolls-Royce as having “the most vulgar numberplate in Britain.” The owner of ‘SH10W OF’ plainly is a person without an ounce of modesty in their entire being.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pndoAjymnMM

June 12, 2020
Back on The Front

Coastal ‘estate’ with its own lighthouse perched on The Front above the White Cliffs of Dover for sale; it was used in scenes featuring Oliver Reed in ‘The Shuttered Room’

In November 2013, The Steeple Times featured the sale of ‘The South Foreland Estate’ for £4 million. Its price bizarrely had been increased by £500,000 from when it was on the market earlier that year and now it is again being promoted – this time for an even more punchy sum of £5 million.

Standing in 11.5 acres of land on the edge of the White Cliffs of Dover in “the most remarkable location on the Kent coast” according to Knight Frank, the freehold property is now known more simply as ‘The Cliff House.’ It is described as having “been renovated by the past two proprietors” and of it, they add: “The current owners have carried out extensive redecoration during their occupation.”

Aside from the main house with 3 reception rooms and 5 bedroom suites, there is a 2 bedroom annexe, a 3 bedroom cottage and a 2 bedroom cottage. Also included is an unused lighthouse, a large garage, a swimming pool, lawned gardens and some “light woodland.”

The agents don’t, however, mention if the owners will be making Dame Vera Lynn available to sing about bluebirds at post lockdown viewings.

The lighthouse, originally known as the Lower South Foreland Lighthouse, itself was built in 1843 on the site of an earlier building. It was decommissioned in 1904 after the sands shifted and is Grade II listed. Agents Knight Frank simply remark of it: “Not use.”

Oliver Reed as ‘Ethan’ at South Foreland Lighthouse in ‘The Shuttered Room’ with Flora Robson as ‘Aunt Agatha’ looking down. The 1967 British horror film was directed by David Greene and starred Gig Young and Carol Lynley.

The Numbers – The Cliff House, The South Foreland Estate, The Front, St Margaret’s Bay, Dover, Kent, CT15 6HP, United Kingdom

June 2020 – For sale for £5 million ($6.3 million, €5.6 million or درهم22.3 million) through Knight Frank.

November 2018 – For sale for £5 million ($6.3 million, €5.6 million or درهم22.3 million) through Knight Frank.

November 2013 – For sale for £4 million ($5.1 million, €4.5 million or درهم18.6 million) through Strutt & Parker.

July 2013 – For sale for £3.5 million ($4.4 million, €3.9 million or درهم16.3 million) through Strutt & Parker.

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Out on The Front – The main entrance to The Cliff House.

The main entertaining space is a large 27-foot by 17-foot drawing room.

There is also a sitting room.

The kitchen has been redecorated by the current owners.

One of five bedroom suites.

The largest of the bathrooms in the house.

Out on The Front – Views out to sea.

A balcony overlooking the Strait of Dover.

Thrree ancillary properties are included in the sale price.

The interior of one of these spaces.

Looking out to sea.

Looking inland.

The property is surrounded by land owned by the National Trust.

The White Cliffs.

Out on The Front – An aerial shot of the property.

June 8, 2020