The Steeple Times

Tag: Chicago

  • Meddling Menace (‘Ian’) Mowbray Jackson – A Missing Link Between Nigel Farage & George Cottrell (‘Cotrel’)

    Meddling Menace (‘Ian’) Mowbray Jackson – A Missing Link Between Nigel Farage & George Cottrell (‘Cotrel’)

    In the wake of ‘The Sunday Times’ expose of Nigel Farage’s curious connections with convicted criminal George Cottrell, Matthew Steeples highlights an equally curious crony of theirs, Twitter trolling twerp (‘Ian’) Mowbray Jackson

    Like or loathe this definite disruptor, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage MP can now be deservedly branded a hypocrite of the first order.

     

    Prone to slamming political opponents such as ‘Raving Rayner’ Angela Rayner for awkward antics concerning her second home and making a mockery of Sir Keir Starmer over being made a spectacle of concerning Lord Alli and Specsavers, Farage has not only been lambasted for taking a “personal gift” of £5 million from a Thai based tycoon, Christopher Harborne, in recent days, but was well and truly roasted yesterday in a ravaging set of revelations in The Sunday Times.

     

    Whilst the focus of crusading journalist Gabriel Pogrund and his team was on 62-year-old Farage failing to declare being given use of a £4 million Westminster townhouse and countless other benefits by convicted criminal 32-year-old ‘Posh George’ Cottrell (who previously “legally changed his name from ‘Cottrell’ to ‘Cotrel’”), a throwaway paragraph brought in analysis of the involvement a longstanding sworn self-declared enemy of The Steeple Times, a rather tedious Twitter troll who used to go by the name of Mowbray Jackson.

     

    Today, we delve into the details of 59-year-old Jackson (whom fascinatingly now opts for the Christian name of ‘Ian’ on Companies House for records concerning his latest venture, Fispay Ltd), Farage and Cottrell and the links between them their ‘high society’ chums. Be prepared to join the dots between a cretinous collection that jumps from left to right with Adam Boulton, Hugh Grant and Emily Maitlis to one side and Arron Banks, Baroness Meyer and Raheem Kassam to the other.

     

    Follow Matthew Steeples on X at @M_Steeples and The Steeple Times at @SteepleTimes.

     

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    The lavish life of (‘Ian’) Mowbray Jackson… The missing link with multiple names between Nigel Farage and George Cottrell

    Mowbray Jackson Nigel Farage George Cottrell
    Friends with definite benefits “No Delay – Simples” – Nigel Farage and George Cottrell with (‘Ian’) Mowbray Jackson lurking behind them in a pair of sunglasses attempting to pull a Tom Cruise-esque look during a ‘Respect the Referendum’ protest. This is a mutually beneficial ‘friendship’ that clearly runs deep.
    Mowbray Jackson Arron Banks
    Bombastic businessman Arron Banks, a major supporter of Nigel Farage and Leave.EU, gave evidence before a parliamentary select committee in June 2018. A particularly plump Mowbray Jackson – at one time a data protection officer for Reform UK – was snapped lounging like a lizard behind him.
    Mowbray Jackson George Cottrell Georgia Toffolo Motcombs
    ‘Ian’ or ‘Mowbray’ (depending on what day of the week it is) Jackson with George Cottrell and Georgia Toffolo at the long since shuttered Motcombs restaurant in Belgravia, SW1 circa May 2022. Cottrell dated the ‘Made In Chelsea’ and 2017 ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ winner from 2019 to 2023 and subsequently married the equally controversial BrewDog co-founder James Watt in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on 1st March 2025. Blundell’s Schoolm educated ‘Toff’ happens also to be a longstanding bosom chum of Boris Johnson’s father Stanley Johnson.
    The Sunday Times Nigel Farage George Cottrell Mowbray Jackson Gabriel Pogrund
    On Sunday 5th July 2026, crusading journalist Gabriel Pogrund and his stellar investigative team at ‘The Sunday Times’ published an immensely thorough into the relationship between Nigel Farage and George Cottrell. In it, details of Mowbray Jackson’s alleged involvement was revealed. The paper stated: “One of the companies is owned by Mowbray Jackson, a Reform employee who serves as the party’s data protection officer… Cottrell denied he was heavily involved in the crypto-gambling platform [Tether.bet]. Jackson and Robery declined to comment. A source close to Jackson said he would need to obtain legal advice.”
    Nigel Farage George Cottrell Daddy
    In yesterday’s investigation, “difficult to pin down” George Cottrell was himself highlighted for calling Nigel Farage ‘Daddy’; this was understandably widely mocked on social media. Cottrell was arrested whilst in the company of Nigel Farage at Chicago O’Hare International airport on 22nd July 2016 and federally indicted on 21 counts for conspiracy to commit money laundering, wire fraud, blackmail and extortion. After a plea deal in December 2016 and a guilty plea on one count of wire fraud, he was sentenced sentenced and released by Judge Diane Humetewa after having served 8 months in prison.
    Mowbray Jackson Mark Brnovich
    ‘The Finance Guy’ – @OneFinanceGuy on X – has been digging into the ‘interesting’ relationship between ‘daddy’ Nigel Farage and ‘son’ George Cottrell and their associates for many a month. In one post yesterday, 5th July 2026, on the platform he shared a video clip of the latter on a yacht in Montenegro with amongst others Mowbray Jackson and former gambling director and Attorney General of Arizona Mark Brnovich. On 12th January 2026, Brnovich, at one point was nominated (subsequently withdrawn) by Donald Trump to be the ambassador of the United States to Serbia, died at his home in Phoenix aged just 59 after suffering a heart attack.
    Mowbray Jackson George Cottrell Raheem Kassam
    Raheem Kassam with George Cottrell with Mowbray Jackson tailing on their coattails in Parliament Square, SW1A. Kassam has various been worked in finance at Lehman Brothers, at ‘Breitbart’ and ‘The National Pulse’ and been involved in the Henry Jackson Society, UKIP and Reform. In July 2019, the Australian Labor Party called for Kassam to be banned from entering their country and on Wikipedia he is referenced as being “described as far right” given his involvement in a 2018 ‘Free Tommy Robinson’ rally in London.
    Mowbray Jackson Catherine Meyer Ben Glazier Theresa May
    Mowbray Jackson was part of the organising committee for an event Chanel clad charity tin banger Catherine Meyer (now The Right Honourable The Baroness Meyer CBE of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Wandsworth) – a finger wagging woman suspended from the House of Lords for 3 weeks in December 2024 for calling a fellow peer “Lord Poppadom” and touching the hair of black MP Bellavilla Riberio-Addy without her permission – organised courtesy of her mate and then Home Secretary The Right Honourable Theresa May hosted at Downing Street on 23rd May 2012. Others hobnobbing with Cathy Meyer whilst hitting the hooch included the since croaked chippy-not-chirpy ex-ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer, property tycoon turned Reform UK treasurer Nick Candy and his then wife ex-‘Neighbours’ actress Holly Valance, former BBC presenter Sue Lawley OBE, advertising tycoon Sir Martin Sorrell, meddling mouthpiece Clarence Mitchell and the parents of ‘missing’ Madeleine McCann, Gerry and Kate McCann.
    Mowbray Jackson Adam Boulton Petronella Wyatt Hugh Grant
    Social climbing arselicker Mowbray Jackson most definitely celebrates hanging around with what some might turn ‘the great and the good’; pictured from left to right with Petronella Wyatt, daughter of politician and journalist Lord (Woodrow) Wyatt and ex-lover of Boris Johnson, former Sky News anchor Adam Boulton and actor turned Hacked Off press hater Hugh Grant. Jackson’s ‘friendship’ with the Love Actually star is worthy of mention given the latter’s noted involvement campaigning against Brexit and the former’s decided rabid enthusiasm for it. Whether Jackson and Grant still get sloshed together at Brinkley’s in Hollywood Road, SW10 – as they did for many a year – is unknown.
    Mowbray Jackson Emily Maitlis
    Banal braggart Mowbray Jackson has banged-on about his friendship with the rather left-wing television presenter Emily Maitlis – best known for her 2020 ‘Newsnight’ interview that was the catalyst for the downfall of the then Prince Andrew over his relationships with Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell – to anyone willing to listen for many, many years. His union with Canadian born and Queen’s College, Cambridge educated Maitlis is curious given her known enthusiasm for amongst others the Labour peer and alleged traitor Lord Mandelson.
    Mowbray Jackson Elizabeth Hurley
    Anything-but-camera-shy show-off Mowbray Jackson has been snapped with ‘actress’ Elizabeth Hurley on occasions also. Hurley, of course, forms part of Hugh Grant’s entourage of press haters, Hacked Off, along with amongst others the dim-witted drippy dunce Prince Harry, ‘Saint Doreen’ Baroness Lawrence, Sir Elton John and his titleless husband David Furnish, ‘actress’ Sadie Frost and ex-MP Simon Hughes. A judgment is due in the case brought by this tedious collection of twerps in their case against Associated Newspapers, publishers of the ‘Daily Mail’ and ‘Mail on Sunday’, on Tuesday 7th July 2026.
    Mowbray Jackson William Cash
    In times past, prior to getting deeply embedded with Reform UK, Jackson was a political agent for UKIP and was snapped in a purple rosette whilst working on journalist William Cash’s failed campaign to get elected for North Warwickshire in Coleshill, Warwickshire in the 2015 General Election.
    Mowbray Jackson Twitter
    ‘Ian’ Mowbray Jackson appears to have deleted his account on Twitter, formerly X, in the wake of ‘The Sunday Times’ expose having first joined the platform in February 2009. His tweets mostly numbered toady responses to society wannabes who’d hosted him at parties and trolling those he loathed – including mostly Matthew Steeples and the likes of anti-Brexit campaigning financier Gina Miller.
    Mowbray Jackson Twitter suspended
    His @mowbrayjackson account was suspended on occasions given his propensity for abusive tweeting. Perhaps, now, this tedious Twitter troll would simply do best to decide what his actual Christian name is and learn the art of silence.

  • A Grand Greek Revival

    A Grand Greek Revival

    Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists

    A grand Greek Revival style, 4,860 square foot house in a “quaint” part of Illinois that was originally settled by Swedish colonists has gone on sale for just £173,000 or an astonishing £35 per square foot. In Chelsea Barracks, London, to give a contrast, a 713 square foot apartment is currently on the market for £3.5 million or a staggering £4,909 per square foot.

     

    Featured on the Facebook group For The Love Of Old Houses on Monday and built in 1856 to house offices and apartments for the Bishop Hill Colony trustees, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill is currently used as a bed and breakfast named the The Gallery Inn, but could easily be “very simply turned into a private residence” according to realtor Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty.

     

    The L-shaped house, which is of stucco over brick construction, stands on an open plot of 0.26 acres and includes 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms. There is also potential to create further accommodation on the “partially finished” third floor and at ground level there is a space that has been used both as a shop and apartment.

     

    Presented in good condition but with a somewhat odd decorative style that might not appeal to all, the present business is described as “very successful.” It charges around £100 per room per night and of it, reviews are extremely positive on TripAdvisor. One suggests the property to be “peaceful with a calming effect” whilst another claims it to be “one of the best kept secrets in Illinois.”

     

    Bishop Hill itself is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places and had an entirely white population of 128 according to the 2010 census. It is situated along the South Edwards River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, and finds itself with Chicago to the east, Des Moines to the west and St Louis to the south.

     

    The settlement is described as having originally been “a utopian religious community which operated as a commune.” Its founder, Swedish pietist Eric Jansson (1808 – 1850), wanted to establish “the New Jerusalem” but was himself shot dead by another member in the local courthouse after prophesising about Jesus drinking in his father’s kingdom. Some followers expected him to rise on the third day, but, unsurprisingly, he did not.

     

    The Numbers – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America

    • August 2020 – Relisted for sale for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000) through Navigate Realty, an increase of +173% on the 2008 sale price.

     

    • June 2019 – Listed for sale for £198,000 ($258,000, €219,000 or درهم948,000) through Sutton & Associates, an increase of +212.7% on the 2008 sale price.
    • March 2008 – Sold for £63,400 ($82,500, €70,100 or درهم116,000).

     

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    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    The entrance hallway of the Greek Revival style house features a staircase that features what a ‘For The Love Of Old Houses’ member described as a “craft store special feature wall.”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    Also in the double entrance hall is an ‘Exit’ sign.’ Some noted this to be “bizarre.”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    A sitting room is currently filled with Victorian furniture that would not look out of place in an episode of 1980s television series version of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ that starred the late Jeremy Brett.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    An empty room with a corner fireplace in the Greek Revival style house.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    Another room complete only with a single chair and a couple of lamps.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    The kitchen is also decidedly basic.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    Yet another empty space.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    Member of ‘For The Love Of Old Houses,’ Doris Collier, pointedly remarked: “What’s with the sinks being outside the bathrooms?”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    On The Gallery Inn’s website, this room is listed as ‘The Yellow Room.’ It is described as “cheery” and “overlooks the village park.”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    Another bedroom.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    And another.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    A modern shower room.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    One Anna Lewis Joyner commented: “How stately! Reminds of a [sic] English estate.”
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    A view of the Greek Revival building from the side with an outbuilding behind.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    The extent of the building is clear from this shot of the rear.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    The setting of the Greek Revival house on the village street.
    A Grand Greek – £35 per square foot for a Greek Revival house in Illinois – Grand Greek Revival mini-mansion in Illinois goes on sale for just £35 per square foot in spite of having been mostly renovated; it is situated within an area colonised by utopian Swedish Janssonists – The Gallery Inn, 109 West Main Street, Bishop Hill, Illinois, IL 61419, United States of America – For sale through Justin Landwehr of Navigate Realty for £173,000 ($225,000, €192,000 or درهم317,000).
    A map illustrating the location in Illinois.
  • Hooping A Half Price Mansion

    Hooping A Half Price Mansion

    Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot

    A 7,072 square foot Dutch colonial mansion set on a plot of 1.38 acres in Watseka, Illinois that appears to be in surprisingly good condition has had its priced halved from £281,000 to £141,000.

     

    Built in 1912, this Edwardian “turn of the century” four-storey house has 3 reception rooms, an “enormous” kitchen, 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms, but what sets it apart is a huge former ballroom on the top floor that is currently used as a basketball court.

     

    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    A half price mansion with a full size basketball court – 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois may be on sale for half price and offered as “sold as is,” but it does include some vast spaces including this former ballroom turned basketball court.

    With garaging for 4 cars also, the property is located in a city that is 15 miles west of the Illinois-Indiana state line and that has a population of around 5,255 according to the 2010 census. “Notable people” from there, according to Wikipedia, number the Beauty and The Beast voice actor Rex Everheart (1920 – 2000) and John Allhands, the current mayor and a man credited with “pushing out drug activities and adding a marijuana dispenser and factory.”

     

    Agents Berkshire Hathaway Home Services seek the equivalent of just £19.94 per square foot for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka – which seems dirt cheap when compared to an apartment at Chelsea Barracks in Belgravia, London The Steeple Times featured last week that is on for £4,909 per square foot.

     

    The Numbers – 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America

     

    July 2020 – Price reduced to £141,000 ($175,000, €156,000 or درهم643,000) through agents Berkshire Hathaway, a 49.8% reduction on the sum in March 2016.

     

    April 2020 – Relisted for £161,000 ($200,000, €178,000 or درهم735,000) through agents Coldwell Banker Residential.

     

    December 2018 – Relisted for £213,000 ($265,000, €236,000 or درهم973,000) through agents McColly Rosenboom.

     

    March 2016 – Listed for sale for £281,100 ($349,900, €312,000 or درهم1.3 million) through agents Rosenboom Realty.

     

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    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    An aerial image showing the house on its 1.38-acre plot and its proximity to neighbours. It is described by agents Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Chicago as “feeling like a country estate, but right in town.” Notably, they point out, it is not on a flood plain.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The entrance hall is described as “impressive” whilst in addition there is a second service staircase elsewhere in the building.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    This reception room is currently used as an office. Plainly, the owner is not exactly inspired when it comes to furnishing choices, but the built-in bookcases are original.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The drawing room is currently dominated by a rather unappealing leather ‘couch’ and a coffee table featuring two rather strange images.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The room also includes an original fireplace.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The large dining room is paneled and has a beamed ceiling.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The kitchen is lauded as “enormous” and has new fittings. It is adjoined by a butler’s pantry.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    There are five bedrooms in total. The agent remarks that they are “nice” and points out that the master suite includes a private bathroom and a dressing room that could be used as a “lounge.”
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    Another bedroom, this time currently dominated by a rather large bed.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    A space described as a “bonus room.”
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    There are various cellar rooms beneath the house.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The front elevation of 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America gives indication of the Edwardian “grandeur” of the building. The agents suggest the house offers: “Tonnes of opportunities.”
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    An aerial shot of the rear showing the large garage and the in-and-out driveway.
    Hooping A Half Price Mansion – £141,000 for 514 South 5th Street, Watseka, Illinois, IL 60970, United States of America through agents Berkshire Hathaway – Vast Edwardian mansion with basketball court in the roof in Watseka, Illinois for sale at half price it listed for in 2016; it’s on for just £20 per square foot.
    The half price mansion is located in Watseka, Illinois. The small ‘city’ is situated south of Chicago and north of Indianapolis.
  • 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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    Twitter: @SteepleTimes

     

  • A Pointedly Pricey Plot

    A Pointedly Pricey Plot

    Seriously expensive waterfront building plot goes on sale outside San Francisco; it comes with plans for the perfect home for a tech titan

     

    14.5 acres of forested land with 2,000 feet of frontage to San Francisco Bay shoreline has gone on sale for what could be one of the highest prices ever for a single residence building plot in Northern California.

     

    2800 Paradise Drive in Tiburon, Marin County comes with planning permission for a 16,000 square foot main residence, a 2,200 square foot guest house and a 700 square foot caretaker’s cottage and is also described as ‘The Bluff Point Estate’. It is situated six miles east of the US 101 Tiburon Boulevard interchange and is described as being “within minutes of downtown Tiburon and the Golden Gate Bridge”.

     

    A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)
    A rendering of the proposed house at 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America

    A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)
    An aerial view of the entire plot

    A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)
    Real estate investor Maxwell Drever pictured at the adjoining Drever Estate, Paradise Drive, Tiburon in 2012

     

    The last remaining piece of land of this size to remain undeveloped in this area is adjoined by the palatial Drever Estate – which, according to SF Luxe’s Damion Matthews, was marketed for $37 million in 2010 (the equivalent of $41 million, £31.7 million, €37.6 million or درهم150.6 million today) by Concierge Asset Management chairman Maxwell Drever and his wife, Janice. It is described as providing an opportunity to create “a world class super low density single owner residential estate”.

     

    Offered by Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty, 2800 Paradise Drive is vacant, entirely fenced and has a dirt fire access road. It includes native oak, bay, eucalyptus and pine woodland, sandy beaches and proposed designs by Booth Hansen architects of Chicago illustrate a 6 reception room, 4 bedroom, 4 bathroom residence that will come with “an art gallery entrance, a swimming pool, a terrace garden and a photovoltaic renewable energy (solar) collection area”.

     

    2800 Paradise Drive will likely be sold to a Bay Area tech titan seeking the ultimate in “privacy and security”. They’ll need to have £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million) spare (before building costs).

     

    A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million) A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)A Pointedly Pricey Plot – 2800 Paradise Drive, Tiburon Peninsula, Marin County, California, CA 94920, United States of America – For sale through Bill Bullock and Lydia Sarkissian of Global Estates Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty for £36.3 million ($47 million, €43.1 million or درهم172.7 million)

  • A Tremendous Triangle

    A Tremendous Triangle

    Iconic modernist house in Connecticut by renowned architect John Black Lee reduced in price by 60%

     

    Award winning architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) was born in Chicago and took influence from the ‘Harvard Five’ architects Marcel Breur and Philip C. Johnson. He built, for his own occupation, a house 48 miles outside of New York at 160 Mill Road, New Caanan in Fairfield County, Connecticut and now, following his death at the age of 91, it is for sale.

     

    A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)

     

    A Quaker and Brown educated, Black Lee, is often referenced as the ‘Sixth of the Harvard Five’ and is best known for the ‘Desilver House’ he built in 1961. He worked as an apprentice carpenter for Walter Gropius, was a father of three and also wrote a book about free diving.

     

    Construction of 160 Mill Road – or the ‘Triangle House’ as some have referenced it – commenced in 1990 and though it is “unfinished”, Black Lee lived there for 25 years. It stands above the Silvermine River and is built on its banks and into the hill. Made entirely from concrete, the 1,980 square foot property features an open floor plan with a cantilevered terrace, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

     

    Of the property, which stands in 2.54 acres of land, Black Lee once remarked: “This house is the only one in New Canaan that you enter through a skylight” and amongst its features are a massive triangular brick fireplace that anchors the building, a skylight that floods light throughout and views across the surrounding wilderness.

     

    In August 2016, selling agent Susan Blabey of William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty spoke about the house to The Hour. She commented:

     

    “You could never duplicate this house, but it could be finished. They wouldn’t let you build it like this today, this close to the water. It just needs someone who wants to roll up their sleeves and polish the apple”.

     

    On the market for at least 138 days and close to the Silvermine Golf Course, 160 Mill Road was originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million). Taxes stand at £9,028 ($11,409 or €10,740 or درهم‎‎41,900) per year – which will unlikely trouble the eventual purchaser: New Canaan has the highest median family income in the United States.

     

    The likely buyer? A modernist design fan looking for a truly unique weekend retreat.

     

    A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million) A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million) A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)A Tremendous Triangle – Iconic modernist house at 160 Mill Road, New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut, CT 06840, USA – Sixth of the Harvard Five architect John Black Lee (1924 – 2016) – The Triangle House – Originally priced at £1.2 million ($1.5 million or €1.4 million or درهم‎‎5.5 million) and has now been reduced by 60% to just £471,000 ($750,000 or €658,000 or درهم‎‎2.8 million)

  • Helen Brach (AKA “The Candy Lady”, 1911 – 1977, body never found)

    Helen Brach (AKA “The Candy Lady”, 1911 – 1977, body never found)

    Helen Brach (AKA “The Candy Lady”, 1911 – 1977, body never found)Devoted to her dogs and the widow of a tycoon named Frank V. Brach (1890 – 1970), Helen Brach inherited a significant portion of a $23 million estate (the equivalent of $135 million or £87.8 million today) in 1971. (more…)

  • Andy Dunn

    Andy Dunn

    Andy Dunn - BonobosNorthwestern University and Stanford graduate Andy Dunn co-founded Bonobos in 2007 to “provide men with better-fitting clothes”. (more…)

  • Ruthann Aron (AKA “Ruth Aron”, née Ruthann Greenzweig)

    Ruthann Aron (AKA “Ruth Aron”, née Ruthann Greenzweig)

    Ruthann AronSo desperate was “exquisitely sensitive” Ruthann Aron to be a politician that she hired a hitman to deal with those who had hindered her prospects.  (more…)

  • Lauding Lucas

    Lauding Lucas

    George Lucas’ decision to build affordable housing on his estate is commendable – the Candy brothers in London should take note

    (more…)