The Steeple Times

Tag: wealth

  • A Bowled Down Price

    A Bowled Down Price

    Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum

    In March 2015, The Steeple Times featured a Texan mansion described by some as “more iconic than Southfork.” Back then this “replica of George Washington’s Virginia estate” had been for sale for four years already and now, in March 2020, it’s still on the market.

     

    Offered at prices as high as £26.1 million and as low as £12 million, Mount Vernon overlooks White Rock Lake in Dallas and was built between 1928 and 1930. It was sold in 1938 to one of the world’s largest oil baron’s, H. L. Hunt (1889 – 1974) – a man “reputed to have the highest net worth of any individual in the world” at the time of his death.

     

    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    John Amend with Laura Bush at the bowling alley at Mount Vernon and with his wife Teresa.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    One of the entrances to Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America.

    Passing on to a commercial real estate tycoon and fellow supporter of the Bush political dynasty named John Amend in 1999, the 10,511 square foot house was subsequently renovated and aside from creating spaces including a prayer room, a 10,000 bottle wine cellar, a 1950s style diner and a car museum, what is considered to be the finest private bowling centre in America was added. It comes complete with a digital jukebox that has over 500,000 songs on its concert hall quality sound system

     

    Whilst Mr Amend and his wife Teresa hosted guests including Glenn Close and President George W. Bush at Mount Vernon, in 2011 they decided to “simplify their lives” and placed it for sale. In the time since, its yoyo-ed on and off the market but speaking about the property to the Dallas News in February this year, realtor Allie Beth Allman claimed the Amends have now “made it a goal to sell the property this year.” She went further and stated:

     

    “Many interested buyers have made offers, but the family has been reluctant to sell… The kids are just now at the age that they really enjoy it, and they spend a lot of time over there. It’s hard to give that up when your grandkids are saying, ‘Oh, don’t sell.’”

     

    Allie Beth Allman & Associates now seek £14.9 million for Mount Vernon and the 10 acres that surround it.

     

    The Names & Numbers – Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America

     

    March 2020 – Relisted at £14.9 million ($18.5 million, €16.6 million or درهم67.9 million) and still for sale through Allie Beth Allman & Associates.

     

    May 2019 – Relisted at a price of £12 million ($14.9 million, €13.4 million or درهم54.7 million).

     

    May 2016 – Relisted at a price of £14.1 million ($17.5 million, €15.7 million or درهم64.3 million).

     

    March 2015 – Featured in The Steeple Times whilst listed with Allie Beth Allman & Associates and Christie’s Real Estate at a price of £15.3 million ($19 million, €17 million or درهم68 million).

     

    September 2013 – Reduced in price to £15.3 million ($19 million, €17 million or درهم68 million).

     

    November 2012 – Reduced in price to £23.7 million ($29.5 million, €26.5 million or درهم108.3 million).

     

    2011 – Placed for sale for £26.1 million ($32.5 million, €29.2 million or درهم119.4 million).

     

    2004 – Hosted its first event as “the nation’s finest professionally equipped bowling centre.” The alley reportedly cost £1.16 million ($1.45 million, €1.3 million or درهم5.33 million) to construct.

     

    2002 – Renovated and expanded.

     

    1999 – Sold to the self-declared real estate “pioneer and innovator” John T. Amend and his wife Teresa for an undisclosed sum.

     

    1938 – Sold by Thomas Y. Pickett to Harold Lafayette Hunt, Jr. for $69,000 or the equivalent of £740,000 today ($922,000, €826,000 or درهم3.4 million today).

     

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    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
    A Bowled Down Price – £14.9 million for Mount Vernon, 4009 West Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas, TX 75214, United States of America down from £26.1 million through Allie Beth Allman & Associates – Texan estate for sale for sum 43% less than in 2011; it comes with the “finest private bowling alley in America” and a car museum.
  • Sarah Winchester (née Pardee, 1839 – 1922)

    Sarah Winchester (née Pardee, 1839 – 1922)

    New Haven, Connecticut born Sarah Winchester became one of the wealthiest women in the world after the death of her Winchester Repeating Arms Company heir husband, William Wirt Winchester, in 1882. With a 50% holding in the rifle making manufacturer plus a legacy equivalent to £426 million ($529 million) in 2020, this true eccentric – whose only child died aged just one – took the advice of a medium and moved west to California.

     

    Here, in San Jose, this grief obsessed and beyond superstitious, American equivalent of Queen Victoria spent the remainder of her life constructing a mansion that she believed would appease the spirits of her relatives and those of the victims of Winchester weaponry. Known as ‘The Winchester Mystery House’ and built (but never completed) between 1884 and 1922 at a cost estimated at the equivalent of £57 million ($71 million) today. Starting from an 8 room farmhouse, the property grew to 24,000 square foot and eventually included 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 160 rooms, 52 skylights, 47 stairways (some leading absolutely nowhere), 17 chimneys (some that didn’t even reach the roof), 13 bathrooms, 6 kitchens and a séance room (that was once used by Harry Houdini).

     

    Described as being a “woman of independence, drive and courage,” Sarah Winchester died of heart failure in her sleep in September 1922 leaving a will written in 13 sections that was signed 13 times and a safe that contained a lock of her infant daughter’s hair. She was portrayed by Helen Mirren in the 2018 horror film Winchester.

     

    ‘The Winchester Mystery House’ was sold five months after its creator’s death and has been open to the public for tours since June 1923.

     

    Eccentric heiress Sarah Winchester (née Pardee, 1839 – 1922) – Widow of Winchester firearm magnate Sarah Winchester is best known for her eccentric mansion, The Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California.
    The vast Winchester Mystery House, 525 South Winchester Boulevard, San Jose, California, CA 95128, United States of America.
  • A Corona Getaway in London

    A Corona Getaway in London

    For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option (if you’ve got £7,700 per week to spare)

    If you’re rich, want to self-isolate during the coronavirus outbreak in London and don’t even want to go out to do shopping, you could do worse than move into a ‘residence’ within The Milestone Hotel overlooking Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace in W8.

     

    Though the Red Carnation Collection hotel, on its own website, is described as “temporarily closed due to current travel restrictions,” serviced apartments within the property are still being advertised online as available.

     

    Listed on OnTheMarket.com for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night), a 743 square foot single-level, third floor apartment includes a reception room, two bedroom suites and a kitchen.

     

    It is described by Harrods Estates as “beautiful” and “sumptuous” and having the “warm sense of being in your own private home.” Featuring a “vibrant and sophisticated” decoration scheme designed by Bea Tollman, the hotel’s founder, the agents laud the “contemporary polish that so cleverly blends with balancing the traditional features.”

     

    ‘Characteristics’ available to those taking the space include full 24-hour hotel service, access to the hotel’s health club, daily housekeeping services, 24-hour butler and room service and a full grocery shopping service.

     

    The neo-Gothic former private home in which this ‘residence’ is situated became a hotel in 1922 and has been known as The Milestone since 1986. It has 43 guest bedrooms, 13 suites and 6 long-stay apartments and in 2019 unveiled a leopard print carpeted suite in honour of the Duchess of Sussex named the ‘Meghan Suite.’ A blessing or a bonus, depending on your view of the wayward on-off royal, is that the likelihood of the former Miss Markle popping in for tea at this time of lockdown is as likely as the Queen riding by on Shergar the racehorse.

     

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    A Corona Getaway in London – Residence at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom – For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option. Two bedroom suite apartment available for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night).
    The exterior of The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom.
    A Corona Getaway in London – Residence at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom – For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option. Two bedroom suite apartment available for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night).
    The main bedroom.
    A Corona Getaway in London – Residence at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom – For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option. Two bedroom suite apartment available for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night).
    The second of the bedrooms.
    A Corona Getaway in London – Residence at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom – For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option. Two bedroom suite apartment available for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night).
    The kitchen of the apartment has a look of something from the 1990s, but is perfectly functional.
    A Corona Getaway in London – Residence at The Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, Kensington, London, W8 5DL, United Kingdom – For those looking to self-isolate in luxury in London, taking a ‘residence’ at The Milestone Hotel in Kensington could be the perfect option. Two bedroom suite apartment available for £7,700 per week ($9,600, €8,600 or درهم35,200 per week) or the equivalent of £550 per room per night ($685, €615 or درهم2,515 per room per night).
    A floor plan of Apartment 6, the ‘residence’ offered.
  • Hero of the Hour – Ty Warner

    Hero of the Hour – Ty Warner

    Toy manufacturing billionaire Ty Warner has most generously turned over his 368 room hotel free of charge for New York’s medical workers for the duration of the coronavirus pandemic

    Ty Warner is a billionaire with a difference in that he doesn’t hoard his fortune. He’s given millions to charity and once, when he stopped a woman to ask for directions in California and discovered she needed a stem-cell procedure, he gave her the £16,000 ($20,000) required to save her life.

     

    This week, yet again proving his selfless nature, Chicago born Warner – whose fortune comes from making the Beanie Babies range of toys – turned over a hotel he owns, the I. M. Pei designed Four Seasons New York, for the use of the city’s medical workers, doctors and nurses treating coronavirus patients.

     

    Of why he decided to do this, Warner told Town & Country magazine:

     

    “Many of those working in New York City have to travel long distances to and from their homes after putting in 18-hour days… They need a place close to work where they can rest and regenerate. I heard Governor Cuomo’s call to action during one of his press conferences, and there was no other option for us but do whatever we could to help.”

     

    We join those saluting this very, very generous man and urge British business tycoons to follow Ty Warner’s lead. To date, amongst those who’ve failed in that regard in Blighty are Mike Ashley, Sir Richard Branson, Sir Philip Green and Tim Martin.

     

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  • A Belgravian Yo-Yo

    A Belgravian Yo-Yo

    Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years

    Estate agents like to make things sound grander generally and often give a house a name rather than a number. In the case of ‘Orpheo House’ in Belgravia, they’ve done the opposite and even though technically it stands in Elizabeth Street, its listed address is the rather grander sounding ‘50a Eaton Square.’

     

    Grosvenor Estate owned Eaton Square, developed from 1827 onwards, has variously been home to actors, politicians and statesmen. Amongst them have been Stanley Baldwin, Sean Connery, Rex Harrison, Vivien Leigh, Joachim von Ribbentrop, George Soros and Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and most recently in 2019, the square was used as a location in the hit BBC drama series The Capture.

     

    50a Eaton Square has had a curious history. In 1992, it was listed as the final address of the fourth and last Baron of Southborough on his death and subsequently, in 2009, it was sold to a “British music executive” according to Financial News. In 2010, he commissioned the renowned interior designer Nicky Haslam to turn it into a “trophy home” and the “epitome of comfortable luxury.” It now includes not only air conditioning and underfloor heating, but also has “secret drawers for DVDs” and “display cabinets for watches and sunglasses.”

     

    “Super-stylish… [and] whimsical… with a Parisienne theme” according to the Evening Standard in 2016, the three-storey property fronts Elizabeth Street, but can also be accessed from a side door into Eaton Mews West – a cobbled street that has been home to Belgravia Garage since 1930.

     

    Plainly, being next to the busy garage and car wash has put off buyers given that the property has yoyo-ed on and off the market at prices as high as £4.5 million since 2010. The real problem, however, is that the remaining 26-year lease is not enfranchisable.

     

    Extending to 2,253 square feet, 50a Eaton Square features a double reception room, an Italian black lacquer kitchen and a small bedroom suite on its ground floor, a 25-foot by 24-foot reception on its first floor whilst a “generous” bedroom suite with dressing room, bathroom and west facing roof terrace takes up the entire second floor. A spiral wine cellar is located on the lower ground floor and a parking space within the mews is also included.

     

    Agents Rokstone now seek the very much reduced sum of £3 million for the property.

     

    The Names & Numbers – Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE

     

    March 2020 – Reduced in price to £3 million ($3.5 million, €3.3 million or درهم12.9 million) and still available through agents Rokstone.

     

    November 2019 – Listed for sale on Zoopla.com for £3.45 million ($4 million, €3.7 million or درهم14.8 million).

     

    June 2018 – Listed for sale in Square Mile magazine for £4.25 million ($5 million, €4.6 million or درهم18.3 million).

     

    October 2016 – Featured in the Evening Standard’s ‘Homes & Property’ section at a price of £4.25 million ($5 million, €4.6 million or درهم18.3 million) with agents Rokstone.

     

    July 2011 – Listed as the ‘House of the Day’ on the Financial News website at a price of £3.95 million ($4.6 million, €4.3 million or درهم17 million) through agents Savills.

     

    January 2010 – Listed for sale in Square Mile magazine for £4.5 million ($5.3 million, €4.9 million or درهم19.4 million) with agents Aylesford.

     

    2009 – Sold to a “British music executive” according to Financial News. They state: “He moved out last year while [Nicky] Haslam completely gutted the house, taking it back to bare brick and changing the ceiling heights.”

     

    June 1992 – Described as the last address of Francis Michael Hopwood, Lord Southborough, whom died on 15th June 1992 (born 1922). Given the fourth Baron of Southborough had no offspring, the title (which was created in 1917 by King George V) then became extinct.

     

    June 1955 – Featured in The Gazette as the address of Ambrose Dasent, an engineer and relative of the Sir George Webbe Dasent (1817 – 1896), the renowned translator of Scandinavian literature and mythology.

     

    February 1936 – Featured in The Times as having “been sold by Messrs.’ George Trollope and Sons before auction.

     

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    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The designer of the interior of 50a Eaton Square, Nicky Haslam (pictured with fellow socialite Paris Hilton).
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The entrance hall and staircase.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The main reception room.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    Viewed from another angle.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The room includes a bar and is opulent in its styling.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    A second reception room, on the ground floor, features a sitting area within a bay window.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    It is has a division.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    With a dining area beyond.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The kitchen features a central island.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The main bedroom suite.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    Another view of that suite’s bathroom.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The suite comes with its own roof terrace.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    The second bedroom is situated on the ground floor.
    A Belgravian Yo-Yo – £3m for Orpheo House, 50a Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9BE, United Kingdom down from £4.5m through agents Rokstone– Nicky Haslam designed Belgravia house for sale for 33% less than in 2010 in spite of yoyo-ing up and down in price for ten years.
    A floor plan of the property.
  • Hero of the Hour – Anonymous Fish & Chip Donor

    Hero of the Hour – Anonymous Fish & Chip Donor

    Good Samaritan paying for villagers of Denchworth, Oxfordshire to have fish and chips once per week during the coronavirus lockdown deserves to be saluted

    For the next three months every Friday, the 171 residents of Denchworth, Oxfordshire will get £5 per head fish and chips from their local pub, The Fox, free of charge.

     

    Paid for by an individual whom wishes to remain anonymous, the meals will be cooked by the pub’s landlord, Stephen Davidson, at the behest of the “very wealthy in-betweener” – a man “who splits his time between London and Denchworth,” according to the Mail Online.

     

    Of the “lovely gesture,” Mr Davidson commented:

     

    “He is really concerned about people in the village, so he wants to help in any way he can. It is the local boozer for this man… It will be a good thing for the locals, especially for the elderly who are stuck indoors… He promised a hot plate of fish and chips for everybody.”

     

    Whilst one very negative Mail Online reader inappropriately commented: “The class system appears to be live and well in your country still,” most quite rightly reacted positively. We join those saluting this act of generosity and look forward to hearing of other similar examples across the globe as this crisis sadly deepens.

     

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  • Morons of the Moment – Mortimer and Jacqueline Sackler

    Morons of the Moment – Mortimer and Jacqueline Sackler

    Self-entitled drug flogging billionaires Mortimer and Jacqueline Sackler were rightly roasted by ‘Guest of a Guest’ for their (latest) bleating email

    Mortimer D. A. Sackler is a spoilt berk from a family who have galleries named after them. This drip and his ghastly oik of a wife, Jacqueline, hang out with royalty and are part of one of America’s richest dynasties, but there’s something utterly grating about them: They constantly moan.

     

    In July, Jacqueline wrote to her lawyers. In her pathetic missive, this tedious tepid woman whined about the £9.98 billion ($13 billion, €11.99 billion or درهم47.74 billion) the family had gained from flogging dodgy pharmaceuticals including OxyCotin as having destroyed “our work, our friendships, our reputation and our ability to function in society.” She bleated: “And worse, it dooms my children. How is my son supposed to apply to high school in September?”

     

    Now, according to Guest of a Guest, Jackie and her hubby have “been increasingly blacklisted by the upper crust” in New York. “Aren’t they just the worst?” they asked in an email to subscribers. With even the Met museum refusing to take any further donations from them, this vacuous pair have flogged their “ritzy Upper East Side townhouse” and fled to “winter term” it (their words, they wouldn’t come from anyone else, after all) in Gstad, Switzerland.

     

    According to the site, the duo emailed friends and told them: “We would love to see you either in Gstaad, if you are here or nearby, or elsewhere in Europe (taking advantage of the ease of travel here vs ours in NYC).”

     

    A spokesman for this pair of pillocks then followed up to announce that anyone suggesting they were siphoning off funds to Switzerland might be telling untruths and announced: “They fully intend to return to the US in the near future.” Guest of a Guest quite correctly responded: “Here’s hoping they don’t!”

     

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  • Epstein’s Fat Cat

    Epstein’s Fat Cat

    Fat cat banker and Barclays CEO Jes Staley under investigation over his links to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein

    This morning, Barclays has been forced to reveal that its controversial CEO Jes Staley is being investigated over his links to the now (allegedly) dead paedophile and late friend of Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein.

     

    In a statement, the firm announced that the Financial Conduct Authority and the regulatory watchdog Prudential Regulation Authority are looking into “Mr. Staley’s characterisation to the company of his relationship with Mr. Epstein, and the subsequent description of that relationship, in the company’s response to the FCA.”

     

    They claimed their board retains “full confidence” in Staley – a man once described as “like Teflon” by Neil Wilson of Markets.com – because he has been “sufficiently transparent with the company as regards the nature and extent and relationship with Mr Epstein.”

     

    In a call with reporters about the matter, according to CityA.M., Staley himself added: “I feel very comfortable… that I have been very transparent and open with the bank about the relationship. With hindsight, I deeply regret having had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.”

     

    In 2018, after Staley tried to unmask a whistleblower at the bank in 2016, the firm was slapped with a fine of £600,000 ($779,000, €716,000 or درهم2.8 million) and of this Wilson today remarked: “Coming after the whistleblowing fine, it’s looking like the cat may be running out of lives, I wonder if he can survive this.”

     

    Elsewhere on social media, one user asked of Staley: “Is this someone you’d trust even with a bus ticket?”

     

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  • Chelsea’s Chicken McNugget Girls

    Chelsea’s Chicken McNugget Girls

    It’s no longer “Who Sloanes Wins” in Chelsea; welcome to the 2020s in SW3 – and the arrival of an age of vulgarity and coarseness

    Chelsea used to be the land of Peter York’s Sloane Rangers, girls in pearls and the at-that-time soon to be Princess Diana getting merry in ‘The Ad Cod.’

     

    As the 1980s faded and more recently the 2010s brought the gaucheness of the Made in Chelsea set (in spite of the fact most of them lived in Fulham) along with the money-parking, “no lights on, nobody’s home” UHNW’s (‘Ultra High Net Worth’s’ to the unaware), the once civilised Royal Borough – a place once the haunt of the likes of Whistler and Wilde – has descended into an abyss.

     

    On New Year’s Day in a restaurant near Sloane Square, two supposedly local ‘women’ (most definitely not ‘ladies’) were heard loudly recounting their respective Christmas and New Year’s Eve experiences. The following numbered amongst their most definitely banal banter:

     

    “I drink tequila like water… We had a party at The Standard and I then slept with my best friend’s boyfriend’s brother… I’m glad I did as his parents live in Monaco… He paid for a suite. And more tequila.”

     

    “After f**king, we watched a documentary on Satanists in America… And then we ended up having sex again.”

     

    “Do you have a trashy female I can bring tomorrow? I need one for my best friend’s boyfriend’s brother… The one I slept with wants another to join in with us.”

     

    “Whenever I got f**ked up, as I did with my best friend’s brother, I eat fifty Chicken McNuggets.”

     

    “I love a good Italian [restaurant] but you have to check their Insta first. No point going without doing that… But actually, you know what, I prefer Chicken McNuggets.”

     

    “I kind of did a pre-party on the day before New Year’s Eve… I liked that we were going in a private room at Gold in Notting, but then we all went to McDonald’s in Kensington High Street… Well, we were really f**ked up.”

     

    “We had a dinner at Lucky Cat on New Year’s Eve. It was not a ‘party, party’ … But then we bounced, bounced… So we bounced… Oh my God, I did not know what the f**k we were doing but we were doing it, so we bounced to Lulu’s… Empty, empty – just like Halloween, naff… So we bounced to Annabel’s… It was bangin’.”

     

    “I took drugs last night. Do you think that might be why my nose might be sore?”

     

    We are sure readers will agree that these potty mouthed specimens need only one thing: No more Chicken McNuggets and instead a bar of soap in each of their mouths.

     

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  • Superlative Stedcombe

    Superlative Stedcombe

    Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale; Stedcombe House for sale for £4.5 million

    An “outstanding” William and Mary country house built with the profits from the slave trade by one Richard Hallett (died 1747), whose “Black Negro servant called Ando” was accused of rioting in the streets of Lyme Regis in December 1702, has come to the market for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million).

     

    Standing on the site of a manor house destroyed in the Civil War in 1645, Grade I listed Stedcombe House was built in 1697 by the Hallett family on their return from Barbados. It was occupied by them until their bankruptcy in 1889 and passed to the Stephens family, whom remained resident until 1960.

     

    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The house in 1961; note the 19th century porch (which was later removed). The house has the typical William and Mary look; we featured another example of such when we featured the sale of Oswaldkirk Hall in Yorkshire in October 2013.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The front elevation of Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom today (without the porch).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A painting of Richard Hallett at Stedcombe House with his black servant Ando by Julie Hine (painted 1992).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A birthday party with “exotic performers” at Stedcombe House in March 1907 (again, note the later removed 19th century porch).
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    This grand reception room in the house provides indication of the quality of the refurbishment carried out since 1988.

    Left vacant and rotting subsequently, the house became infected by “serious dry rot,” but upon purchase by the current owner it was subject to a “meticulous and sympathetic renovation” according to selling agents Savills.

     

    Described as a “large house overlooking the Axe valley” of “red brick in Flemish bond with Beer and Portland stone dressings” by Historic England, Stedcombe is a four storey symmetrical residence with a belvedere crowning its pinnacle. It is grand yet manageable and features 4 reception rooms, 9 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms and comes with a 3 bedroom gate lodge, a stable block and “numerous outbuildings” requiring renovation also.

     

    Standing on a plot of 20 acres that includes three walled gardens, pastureland and woodland, the only limitation of this home is that its once vast estate is now separate from it. Otherwise, here is probably the quintessential example of one of Britain’s most stunning homes.

     

    Of the 8,039 square foot main house, Savills note: “Several things about it are unusual, but its most significant characteristics are its easy flow of rooms and the quality of design. In keeping with its era, all the rooms benefit from high ceilings and excellent proportions.” Pevsner and Cherry (1988) add: “[Stedcombe House is] an exceptionally fine and complete example of this type of small late 17th Century country house, the compact and centralised plan being an early example.”

                                      

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    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The house viewed from the garden elevation; the grounds are laid out formally, but plainly are ready for a new owner with deep pockets to lavish attention on them.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The decorative style of the current owner is simple, but tasteful.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A room for reflection.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The dining room.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A more informal sitting space is to be found at basement level.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    One can imagine hosting similar kitchen table suppers in this room very easily.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    One of the grand bedrooms of the house.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Guests would not fail to be impressed by this canopy.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Even the bathrooms at Stedcombe House are grand.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The outbuildings at Stedcombe provide potential for conversion to other uses; office space, staff or guest accommodation or for use to provide a cinema room, games room or gym perhaps.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The sale price includes this gate house. It was built at a much later date, but is of a reflective architectural design.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The setting is unspoilt and the gardens roll into the countryside beyond.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    Stedcombe’s acreage is split into gardens, woodland and parkland.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    The entrance to the property is simple, but could be improved by a new owner.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A site plan of Stedcombe indicates its proximity to a neighbouring farm and other properties.
    Superlative Stedcombe – Stedcombe House, Axmouth, Devon, EX12 4BJ, United Kingdom – For sale for £4.5 million ($5.6 million, €5.1 million or درهم20.6 million) through Savills – Stunning Grade I listed symmetrical William and Mary country house in Devon with slave trade links for sale for £4.5 million.
    A glorious view of this stunning house from its gardens.