The Steeple Times

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  • Lavish Living and Little Owls at Lilford Hall

    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 4th 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, 4th 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
    Lavish Living and Little Owls at Lilford Hall, Northants – £10 million ($12.5 million, €11.1 million or درهم46 million) for The Lilford Hall Estate, Lilford, Oundle, Peterborough, Northamptonshire, PE8 5SG, United Kingdom through estate agents Savills – 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.
    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, 7th 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, 6th 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, 5th 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, 4th 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 4th 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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  • Quote of the Week – Wilde Morality

    Quote of the Week – Wilde Morality

    Petronella Wyatt is spot on in quoting Oscar Wilde on morality in art; “books are either well written or badly written,” they are not “moral or immoral”

    In the preface to his philosophical novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde wrote: “There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are either well written or badly written. That is all.”

     

    Shared on Twitter by the witty journalist and author Petronella Wyatt at a time when ludicrously Gone With the Wind is under attack even, this is a timely reminder that works of art should be subjected to aesthetic judgment rather than moral judgment.

     

    The bosses of the BBC and Netflix would do well to remember such.

     

    Pictured top: Ben Barnes starred as Dorian Gray in the 2009 British fantasy-horror adaptation of 1890 novel ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray.’

     

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    Quote of the Week – Wilde Morality – Journalist and author Petronella Wyatt is spot on in quoting Oscar Wilde on morality in art; “books are either well written or badly written,” they are not “moral or immoral.”
    Petronella Wyatt’s tweet pointed out: “Oscar Wilde, who knew about persecution, said: ‘There is no such thing as a moral or immoral book. Books are either well written or badly written. That is all.’ ‘Gone With the Wind,’ published in 1936, won the Pulitzer Prize.’
  • Gone Fishers Gin-ing!

    Gone Fishers Gin-ing!

    Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin

    Aldeburgh in Suffolk is famous for fish and chips. Two of its chippies are supposedly “amongst the best in the UK,” but now this seaside town is producing something just as quintessentially British – gin.

     

    In a building, modestly described by Andrew Heald, the founder of Fishers Gin, as a ‘beach house’ – in the way that the Pritzkers and Vanderbilts referred to their colossal ‘summer mansions’ in the Hamptons as plain old ‘cottages’ – right on the seafront, is now a distillery and boy is it a smart one.

     

    Unlike most distilleries I’ve visited and unsurprisingly to those that know me, I’ve been to many – normally quite unappealing places stuck in the middle of grim industrial estates in places like Warrington, a town sadly known for having Kerry Katona as its “finest export” – the Fisher’s Gin team work in an office that reminded me of the hideout of Pierce Brosnan as fictional Prime Minister Adam Lang in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts in the 2010 film The Ghost Writer.

     

    Though Fishers Gin was originally presented in colourful packaging that featured an anchor, the design now incorporates “a scallop shell in celebration of Maggi Hambling’s sculpture” – a famed 13-foot high landmark in the town. Named to reflect the history of the fishing village where it is produced, the bottle’s bright colours are said to reflect fishing nets whilst the gin itself has a taste dominated by coastal botanicals.

     

    Stronger than your typical 40% ABV gin at 44%, here is a gin with notes of samphire and bog myrtle and one where hints of salt shine through. A slightly unusual taste follows, but it is refreshingly uplifting and with a team behind it who’ve moved over to selling directly on their own website, here is a business that has adapted to doing things differently due to the COVID-19 lockdown.

     

    Fishers Gin is a gin of maritime origins and it’s a gin to be celebrated like one’s first catch; once you’ve tried it, you’ll be hooked.

     

    To purchase a bottle of Fishers Gin for £39.95 direct from its producers, click here. A Fishers Gin Navy coloured enamel mug can also be bought for £7.95.

     

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    Gone Fishers Gin-ing! The story of Fishers Gin of Aldeburgh – Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin. Andrew Heald, Maggi Hambling, The Ghost Writer, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall.
    The Founder and his Brace of Beagles – Andrew Heald, his hounds (one of which gave its name to the Fishers Gin still, ‘Watson’) and a Fishers Gin Navy enamel mug.
    Gone Fishers Gin-ing! The story of Fishers Gin of Aldeburgh – Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin. Andrew Heald, Maggi Hambling, The Ghost Writer, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall.
    The Botanicals of the Sea – The distinct taste of Fishers Gin comes from the locally sourced plants of the Suffolk coast that it is made with. These include spignel, wood avens, rock samphire flower and bog myrtle. These are sustainably foraged.
    Gone Fishers Gin-ing! The story of Fishers Gin of Aldeburgh – Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin. Andrew Heald, Maggi Hambling, The Ghost Writer, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall.
    The Fishers Gin Distillery – Situated next to The Brudenell Hotel, a building used as a home for children evacuated from Belgium during the Second World War, this beachside building is due to open to visitors once lockdown is over. The view out to sea takes in a series of wind turbines – a topic of conversation best not raised with disapproving locals.
    Gone Fishers Gin-ing! The story of Fishers Gin of Aldeburgh – Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin. Andrew Heald, Maggi Hambling, The Ghost Writer, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall.
    ‘The Ghost Writer’ – The actual filming location used in the 2010 Franco-German-British political thriller was not in Massachusetts, but in Germany. This was due to Roman Polanski being unable to enter Britain or America due to his evasion of justice since 1978. Pictured are the film’s stars Pierce Brosnan, Ewan McGregor and Kim Cattrall in a setting reminiscent to that where Fishers Gin is produced.
    Gone Fishers Gin-ing! The story of Fishers Gin of Aldeburgh – Matthew Steeples visits Aldeburgh in Suffolk to learn the story of a business finding success in lockdown – he discovers Fishers Gin. Andrew Heald, Maggi Hambling, The Ghost Writer, Pierce Brosnan, Roman Polanski, Ewan McGregor, Kim Cattrall.
    ‘Rebel With A Cause’ – Controversial British artist Maggi Hambling CBE (top) and her scallop sculpture at Aldeburgh (below). It was conceived as a celebration of Aldeburgh’s most famous resident, composer Benjamin Britten, and though opposed and covered in graffiti even by some in the locality, Andrew Heald chose to feature it on the label of his gin.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek4hqlWcdd4
  • A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell

    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell

    Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance

    According to the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan turned activist and human rights campaigner Craig Murray, when Madeleine McCann went missing on 3rd May 2007 “New Labour’s No. 10 saw, in typical Blair fashion, a highly photogenic tragedy which there might be popularity in appearing to work on.”

     

    Guided by the “Prince of Darkness at the heart of New Labour” with “his dark satanic looks” and “his Machiavellian meddling,” the political party Peter Mandelson ever so brilliantly guided (in terms of electoral success) knew the value of such and they well and truly milked it in the matter of McCann.

     

    As Andrew Marr pointed out in his History of Modern Britain – screened on BBC Four last night – in his example, highlighting the case of the senseless murder of the innocent toddler Jamie Bulger by two truly evil teenagers during John Major’s premiership – Madeleine McCann’s disappearance occurred just a month before Blair left office and Gordon Brown took over. News of it dominated the media during the transition period.

     

    Defining the Brown years – during which Peter Mandelson was a government minister from October 2008 until May 2010 – in terms of the vast acres of pages devoted to the case and garnering disproportionate attention from government thus, as Murray pointed out: “British diplomatic staff were under direct instruction to support the McCanns far beyond the usual.”

     

    Mandelson had his finger on the pulse with the McCann story then and today the proof of its usefulness is still in the pudding by way of the fact that it wiped other ‘bad news’ stories off the front pages in the last week. Equally, as has been the case with the renewal of interest in Prince Andrew’s “has he or hasn’t he” cooperated with the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein in the last 24 hours, here are matters that show that the Mandelson style of media management haven’t moved on.

     

    One rather conveniently unavailable person who links the ‘players’ in these matters is still apparently missing in action. Again, this morning, we again join those asking: “Why doesn’t Ghislaine Maxwell finally come forward?”

     

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    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell – Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance.
    Peter Mandelson pictured trying on a belt whilst Jeffrey Epstein looks on in St Barts in 2005. They are said to have been introduced by their mutual friend Ghislaine Maxwell and there is no suggestion that Lord Mandelson knew anything of Epstein’s criminal activities.
    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell – Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance.
    In 2009, private investigators for Gerry and Kate McCann issued an E-FIT to the media of a woman they believed could be “potentially significant” to their investigation. She has never been found, but, speculation online (entirely unproven as accurate thus far) has regularly included: “She looks remarkably like Ghislaine Maxwell.” There is no suggestion that this is one and the same woman, but it would be ever so helpful if Miss Maxwell came forward and cleared this up for once and for all.
    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell – Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance.
    The no-longer so “grand old Duke of York” Prince Andrew poses for a picture with the “master of spin” and king of media relations Lord Mandelson.
    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell – Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance.
    Peter Mandelson worked with PR spinner Matthew Freud, the late Sir Clement Freud’s son, on the Millennium Dome. The pair have partied together on many occasions – including at Freud’s then marital home, Burford Priory, and most famously with George Osborne, Oleg Deripaska and Nat Rothschild in Corfu.
    A Massive Media Maelstrom – McCann, Mandelson and Maxwell – Matthew Steeples highlights how the ‘Mandelson Media Method’ is very much in play in both the case of the Prince Andrew-Jeffrey Epstein connection and the renewed interest in the Madeleine McCann disappearance.
    Pictured top: Paedophile Sir Clement Freud (right) lunched with Gerry (left) and Kate McCann in Praia da Luz in Portugal in July 2007, two months after their daughter’s disappearance. Mrs McCann later praised the risotto as “the best she’d ever tasted.” Pictured below: Ghislaine Maxwell pictured at the launch of a book about Sir Clement’s brother, Lucian, titled ‘Breakfast With Lucian’ in 2013 by Geordie Greig. Also in the image are Nicholas Coleridge, Piers Morgan, an unknown child, Geordie Greig and Ariadne Calvo-Platero.
  • Moron of the Moment – Lady Victoria Hervey

    Moron of the Moment – Lady Victoria Hervey

    Just as ultimate dumbo Lady Victoria Hervey shows herself up in stating “Fuck Black Lives Matter,” fellow aristo Dr. Bendor Grosvenor calls for the return of objects “looted during the British Empire”

    Dimwitted dope Lady Victoria Hervey just cannot help but shove her stilettos straight into the proverbial. Whether be it her short-lived relationship with “he who doesn’t sweat in Pizza Express (Woking branch’)” ‘Randy’ Prince Andrew, or flogging knickers in her long since gone-bust shop in Knightsbridge displaying the words “Yes Please” across the crotch, here is a woman with utterly no shame and an utter incapacity to accept any kind of blame for her own failings.

     

    Formerly nicknamed ‘Toff Totty Vicky,’ Lady Victoria predictably showed herself up by banging on about her associations with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell last year. This weekend, the bubbly blonde went further in posting a picture of the defaced statute of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Richmond, Virginia on her Instagram page. She not-so charmingly captioned the snap: “Don’t ever tell me this is acceptable behavior [sic]. Fuck BLM [Black Lives Matter].”

     

    Described by even a fellow socialite, the late Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, as “unpleasant” and “a right snob” previously, “luxury is in my blood” Lady Victoria was contradicted by the Reverend Robert W. Lee IV, the general’s great-great-grandson. He “gave his blessing for the monument to be removed” on Thursday according to the BBC and asked: “If today is not the right time, when will it be the right time [to remove the statue]?”

     

    Going further of this situation on Twitter on Sunday, though talking in the context of the related British protests, fellow aristocrat Dr. Bendor Grosvenor – a distant relative of the present Duke of Westminster and a man best known for his stint on the BBC’s Fake or Fortune? art documentary series – tweeted:

     

    “Let the Colston statue’s removal be a prompt for councils and museums across Britain to take action to remove similar artworks from display, *as well as* returning the thousands of cultural objects looted during the British Empire. Start now. We’ve waited too long.”

     

    Sadly, yet not unsurprisingly, Lady Victoria – whose ancestor Frederick Hervey, 1st Marquess of Bristol ironically is best remembered as a “social reformer” and “an MP [who] voted for the abolition of slavery in 1807” – has previous form. In 2003, this ‘aristoprat’ stated: “It’s so bad being homeless in winter. They should go somewhere warm like the Caribbean where they can eat fresh fish all day.”

     

    Shame on this irrelevant ignoramus; it’s not Black Lives that don’t matter, it’s instead Victoria Hervey that doesn’t matter.

     

    Moron of the Moment – Lady Victoria Hervey on Black Lives Matters – Just as ultimate dumbo Lady Victoria Hervey shows herself up in stating “Fuck Black Lives Matter,” fellow aristocrat Dr. Bendor Grosvenor calls for the return of objects “looted during the British Empire”
    Lady Victoria Hervey with the Duke of York at a social gathering; supporter of the abolition of slavery and “social reformer” Frederick William Hervey, 5th Earl and 1st Marquess of Bristol (1769 – 1859).
    Moron of the Moment – Lady Victoria Hervey on Black Lives Matters – Just as ultimate dumbo Lady Victoria Hervey shows herself up in stating “Fuck Black Lives Matter,” fellow aristocrat Dr. Bendor Grosvenor calls for the return of objects “looted during the British Empire”
    Lady Victoria Hervey’s offensive Instagram post was unsurprisingly met with disdain by many. One responded: “Wait, hold up Lady are you saying Fuck Black Lives ???” Another added: “But think you got to be careful saying fuck BLM… That’s not acceptable TBH. It’s offensive.”
    Moron of the Moment – Lady Victoria Hervey on Black Lives Matters – Just as ultimate dumbo Lady Victoria Hervey shows herself up in stating “Fuck Black Lives Matter,” fellow aristocrat Dr. Bendor Grosvenor calls for the return of objects “looted during the British Empire”
    Dr. Bendor Grosvenor’s, by contrast, sensible tweet.

    Classic clangers from former ‘It Girl’ Lady Victoria Hervey:

     

    “I am Lady Victoria Hervey – it doesn’t get more British than that.”

     

    “Unless it’s champagne, I can’t handle it.”

     

    “I do have a day job.”

     

    “My career always goes much better when I haven’t got a man.”

     

    “A baby is easy – you hand them over to a nanny!”

     

    “I’m not stupid. I’m not a dumb model.”                    

     

    “[I aim to become] the next Kate Winslet – but with class.”

     

    “I have had four past lives, three of them as a man. I was a composer in 17th-century Paris, I made materials in India and in Ancient Greece I was a famous politician. In Ancient Egypt I was keeper of the oils for the Pharaoh’s wife, and I love oils so it all kind of fits.”

     

    “What annoys me is when these families have got like 12 children and we’re paying for these kids… They work out that they make more money being on the dole than having a job, they just laze around.”

     

    “The real irony of this is that the poor get poorer and the rich get richer.”

     

    “Travelling is in my blood, and so is liking luxurious things and spending.”

     

    “I haven’t given up on men, there are a few of them around, but I keep leaving every city I meet them in.”

     

    “Everyone from Europe wants to buy houses in LA.”

     

    “I was too old for Jeffrey Epstein… [He seemed] very charming… He was a very well-liked guy.”

     

    “I’m not one of those kind of girls, I don’t like going to dinners with ten models invited… I was very young and impressionable, Jeffrey was a very charismatic man.”

     

    “I haven’t seen [Ghislaine Maxwell] since September [2018] at a friend’s baby shower… I don’t think anyone is going to find her. She’s gone far away. She’s a bit like a James Bond character. She’s quite a unique person and I don’t believe anyone is going to find her… I don’t think we will ever see her again, it’s going to be like Robert Maxwell continued; she will continue that family mystery.”

     

    “I had no idea what was going on [with Jeffrey Epstein]… It’s extraordinary it’s the case, it’s a wild story.”

     

    “I suddenly thought, I’m just Victoria Hervey… Horrible.”

     

    “I don’t want to make enemies.”

     

    Pictured top: Lady Victoria Hervey with Ghislaine Maxwell, the alleged madam and procurer of girls for paedophile Jeffey Epstein.

     

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  • Moron of the Moment – Dan Wootton

    Moron of the Moment – Dan Wootton

    Dominic Cummings mouthpiece Dan Wootton yet again shows himself to be a bit of a berk in attacking both ‘Tatler’ and Sir Keir Starmer in one hit in his column in ‘The Sun’

    Dan Wootton has previously been branded a “deeply unpleasant” sort and today he yet again showed his true credentials in attacking two completely unrelated entities, Tatler and Sir Keir Starmer, in his diabolically dire column in The Sun.

     

    Executive editor of the banned-in-Liverpool ‘paper’ Wootton – a New Zealander known for his “less than stellar career” according to Zelo Street – pathetically branded “dripping-with-bile” Tatler a “repulsive… bible for the elite… that makes my skin crawl” simply because it had dared to criticise the Duchess of Cambridge. He raged: “Tatler should be shunned because of the vile way it perpetuates a class system that does so much damage to society. Not Quite Our Magazine, Darling.”

     

    Moron of the Moment – Dan Wootton – ‘The Sun’s’ Dan Wootton yet again shows himself to be a bit of a berk in attacking both ‘Tatler’ and Sir Keir Starmer in one hit.
    Dan Wootton slammed the “lack of class from snobs at Tatler” on Friday in his “big exclusives, bold opinion” column.

    Turning to Sir Keir Starmer, whom thus far has shown himself as quite the stellar opposite of Jeremy Corbyn, self-declared “working-class lad” Wootton’s analysis was clear: “The same old politics from the same old Labour… Up to its old tricks.”

     

    Thanks Dan; perhaps return to upsetting “Warrington’s finest export” Kerry Katona, you were more effective at that. Next!

     

    Dan Wootton’s not-so ‘finest’ moments:

     

    On Dominic Cummings (who’d probably have preferred even Katie Hopkins as a defender): “Make no mistake, the establishment is out to get Dominic Cummings… I despair.”

     

    On footballer David Beckham and his singer turned fashion designer wife Victoria (whose fans responded with fury): “Weird and creepy.”

     

    On singer George Shelley (whose fans got equally upset): “[He’s] done a Tom Daley and come out as bisexual.”

     

    On singer Susan Boyle (whose management hit back with denial): “Volatile… Forced to shop Tesco and travel by bus.”

     

    On political activist and Novara Media editor Ash Sarkar (before he “shut her down” during a “fiery conversation”): “Grasping.”

     

    On Celebrity Masterchef winner Emma Kennedy (who reported him to Ofcom and threated to sue him with the help of Carter Ruck): “Deranged Boris hater.”

     

    On actor Johnny Depp (who sued him for defamation, outcome awaited post-coronavirus): “Wife beater.”

     

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  • Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt

    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt

    Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters

    Crazy crackpot Stephanie Pratt happens to be a criminal. This former crystal meth addict is also a loudmouth and now, she’s fulfilled her prattish surname in demanding shoplifters be shot.

     

    Twerp of Twitter, ‘Shady Steph’ – a washed-up wastrel who’ll not be giving Albert Einstein a run for his money any day soon – posted the comment: “Shoot the looters” on Monday, but deleted the remark after being quite correctly reminded she’d been arrested for stealing £1,033 ($1,300) of clothing from Neiman Marcus in May 2006. Whilst in custody this rotten ratbag was also found to be in the possession of drugs.

     

    Reported to Twitter for “inciting violence” and called out a “worthless good for nothing tw*t,” pointless pillock Pratt did not stop there. Further examples of this dumb blonde’s recent social media ‘activity’ follows.

     

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    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt – Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters.
    Poor lamb – Pratt highlighted her first world problems in May. She couldn’t find an airline willing to take her and her pooch.
    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt – Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters.
    Shopped out – In April, this alleged-no-longer-a-junkie tried to claim she’d found a new addiction: Amazon. Anyone got a polygraph machine handy?
    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt – Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters.
    Music’s not her forte – In March, madam shared news of someone we’ve never heard of writing a song about “the horrible coronavirus.” Her sentiments made sense to just about no one.
    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt – Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters.
    We’re sure the Queen was touched – In January, Pratt claimed to be “in complete denial” about Prince Harry and his wife quitting royal duties. The reality car wreck most likely hankers after the dastardly duo becoming her new ‘besties.’
    Wally of the Week – Stephanie Pratt – Shoplifter Stephanie Pratt fulfils her prattish surname in urging urges cops to shoot shoplifters.
    Cleaned out – In November last year, ‘Shady Steph’ shared news that she cleans her house before her cleaner arrives. Anyone surprised? Anyone guessing she might have a lot of white stuff to hoover up?
  • Justice for James Scurlock

    Justice for James Scurlock

    Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump

    The true reach and usefulness of social media was illustrated on Sunday after the murder of a 22-year-old unarmed man named James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska the previous night.

    https://twitter.com/Only1Kross/status/1267010037890846720
    WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT – This tweet shows video footage of the shooting of James Scurlock allegedly by Jake Gardner.

    Whilst initially (at time of publishing at GMT 18:45, just hours after the alleged shooter, a cocktail bar owner named Jake Gardner, had “bailed out [of custody] at 6am” according to one local), no mainstream media outlets were reporting on the story, a GoFundMe page to support Mr Scurlock’s grieving family had gone viral.

     

    It read:

     

    We are creating this fundraiser for James Scurlock and his family.

     

    Who is James Scurlock?

     

    A 22 years old young black man who showed his dedication a love for his people every single day.

     

    James was passionate for Justice, but today his fight ended as he was shot and killed downtown Omaha while protesting for the same Justice he deserves.

     

    May you Rest In Peace James.

     

    Within just seven hours of being made live, the page had raised over £32,000 ($40,000) for the late Mr Scurlock’s family whilst elsewhere on Twitter, filmed footage of the incident had gone viral. In it, gunshot can clearly be heard whilst other images shared include one of the alleged killer Jake Gardner posing with President Donald Trump.

     

    A GoFundMe “defense fund organised by friends of Jake [Gardner]” meanwhile was swiftly quite rightly taken down, whilst one Tyler Allen of Pro Sports Extra widely shared the #JusticeForJames campaign. Mr Gardner previously made headlines for negative comments about transgender people and has been termed a “known white supremacist” by many on social media also.

     

    #JusticeForJames #JamesScurlock #BlackLivesMatter #AllLivesMatter #SayTheirNames

     

    Pictured top: James Scurlock (left) and President Donald Trump with Jake Gardner (far right) and another unknown individual.

     

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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJzycRcfTTM
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    James Scurlock died of his injuries soon after being shot.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Jake Gardner’s bar, The Hive, is situated at 1207 Harney Street in Omaha, Nebraska. It is described as an “old-school bar with live music and a dance floor” that serves “cocktails, whisky and canned beer.” Here Mr Gardner is pictured outside it with his dog.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Prior to the shooting, Jake Gardner posted on social media about “[having] to pull 48 hours of military style firewatch.”
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Jake Gardner posted a photograph of himself and his dog with President Donald Trump on Facebook on 25th September 2017. In the wake of the shooting, that image has gone viral on Twitter.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Mr Gardner shared this image of himself on his Facebook page in July 2018 at the Republican National Convention with the Fox News commentator Jesse Watters in the background.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Mr Gardner has a dog named LeBRON. It has its own Instagram account with 2,300 followers. Here it is pictured sporting Trump campaign materials.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    Another image of Jake Gardner shared on Twitter in the hours after the shooting shows him posing in one of his bars.
    Justice for James Scurlock – Power of social media proven after the senseless murder of James Scurlock in Omaha, Nebraska allegedly by a bar owner Jake Gardner who has been photographed with Donald Trump. 30th May 2020.
    This photograph of Mr Gardner with the comedian Adam DeVine has also been shared widely.
  • A Really Useful Angelis

    A Really Useful Angelis

    Matthew Steeples remembers the Liverpudlian actor and voice of ‘Thomas & Friends’ Michael Angelis who sadly passed away yesterday

    Screen and voice actor Michael Angelis was the narrator of Thomas & Friends for twenty-one years. He took over the role from Ringo Starr and in tribute, following his death, Doctor Who writer Harry Draper remarked of him on Twitter: “Thank you, Michael. You were far more than just Really Useful.”

     

    Born in Liverpool in 1952, Angelis appeared in everything from A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square to Boys from the Blackstuff and Lovejoy. He was subsequently married to his Coronation Street co-star Helen Worth from 1991 to 2001 and other credits included Bergerac, Crown Court, Hazell, Midsomer Murders, Minder and Z-Cars.

     

    An amiable sort and often spotted socialising in Chelsea at such places as The Sydney Arms, Angelis lived for many years just to the south of Albert Bridge. More recently, this lively Liverpudlian moved to the countryside with his delightful second wife, Jennifer, and after passing away suddenly yesterday will be missed by many. As a fan concluded: “He was the voice of my childhood… He brought us all a lot of happiness.”

     

    Pictured top: Thomas The Tank Engine, Michael Angelis (18th January 1952 – 30th May 2020) and his wife Jennifer.

     

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    A Really Useful Angelis – Michael Angelis (18th January 1952 – 30th May 2020) – Matthew Steeples remembers the Liverpudlian actor and voice of ‘Thomas & Friends’ Michael Angelis.
    On Twitter, actor and comedian Matt Lucas paid tribute by remarking: “Michael Angelis was one of the greatest TV actors I’ve ever seen. His work with Alan Bleasdale was tremendous. What a loss.” Here he is pictured in a scene from the BBC’s ‘Single Voices’ in the monologue ‘The Last Supper’ in 1989.
  • An Eaton Mess

    An Eaton Mess

    Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million in spite of needing complete renovation; it is listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier in identical condition

    80 Eaton Square in Belgravia is an address where two well-known names have both lived (albeit it very briefly). Ex-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (1925 – 2013) “temporarily” resided in a “Greek shipowner’s flat” there after leaving office whilst the American financier and philanthropist George Peabody (1795 – 1869) stayed and died in the home of the Anglo-American fur merchant Sir Curtis Lampson (1806 – 1885).

     

    Grade II* listed and featuring a Greater London Council blue plaque commemorating Peabody, the stucco fronted building on the square’s northern terrace featured in The Steeple Times in September 2015. At that time, part of its ground and basement floors were placed for sale for the not too shabby sum of £30 million ($37 million, €33.4 million or درهم135.9 million) in spite of being a “complete wreck.”

     

    Now, five years later and most surprisingly in no better condition, the very same apartment has been relisted for just £22.5 million ($27.8 million, €25 million or درهم102 million) through agents Chestertons.

     

    Extending in total to 6,173 square foot, the duplex was previously promoted with a fancy design scheme by David Collins Studio but now is simply listed as a “5 bedroom maisonette” with “potential to create one of the finest homes in Eaton Square.” It comes with a private garden to the rear and access to the communal spaces of the square also.

     

    Pictured top: Baroness Thatcher, the entrance to 80 Eaton Square and a statue of George Peabody.

     

    Eaton Square’s ‘Famous Faces’

    Considered one of the best addresses in London and built for and still mostly owned by the Grosvenor family, Eaton Square features six adjoining, tree-planted gardens dissected by a four lane highway between Victoria and Sloane Square.

     

    Amongst the well-known people who have variously lived in the square are:

     

    No. 1 – Lord Boothby, paedophile and politician.

    No. 7 – Sir Sean Connery, actor.

    No. 7a – Lily Safra, philanthropist.

    No. 11 – Lord Lloyd-Webber, composer, and separately Dame Joan Collins, actress.

    No. 12 – Sir Osbert Lancaster, cartoonist.

    No. 22 – Lord Lucan, aristocrat who disappeared, and later Sir Roger Moore, actor.

    No. 29 – Sir Terence Rattigan, playwright.

    No. 37 – Neville Chamberlain, Prime Minister and prior to him Joachim von Ribbentrop, Nazi politician.

    No. 54 – Vivien Leigh, actress and Laurence Olivier, actor.

    No. 65a – Scene of the arrest of John Daly, train robber.

    No. 68 – Sir Barry Gibb, musician.

    No. 75 – Sir Rex Harrison, actor.

    No. 76 – The Aga Khan, royal.

    No. 82 – Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands.

    No. 90 – Sir William Gilbert, one half of Gilbert & Sullivan.

    No. 93 – Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister.

     

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    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.
    An Eaton Mess – £22.5m for unrenovated 80 Eaton Square, SW1 – Eaton Square apartment for sale for £22.5 million through Chestertons in spite of needing complete renovation; Flats A & C, 80 Eaton Square, Belgravia, London, SW1W 9AP, United Kingdom are listed at a price 25% cheaper than it was five years earlier when it was priced at £30 million through Savills.