please empty your brain below
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Justine Frischmann (of Elastica & Bartlett fame) and her brother Richard are listed as directors of that Swakeleys property company. Are they the current owners?
Lorenzo | 26.09.18 - 8:03 a.m. | #
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Fascinating and interesting Open House choices this year.
One slight correction - Quakers don't "normally meet behind closed doors." In fact, they positively encourage non-Quakers to join their meetings and experience and understand their modus operandi. And, I've found, from the several meetings I've attended over the years, are much more tolerant to alternative (or no) beliefs than many religious faiths.
Blue Witch | Homepage | 26.09.18 - 8:25 a.m. | #
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If I were the type to seek solace in religion, the warmest, most open receptions I've had have been from Quakers. And they manage to do it without that crazy gleam in their eyes that you get from some other overly-friendly religious types (Hello, any LDS readers!). I wish the other christian sects would try and learn a bit more from them.
For what it's worth, the Sikh community is pretty nice too.
Chz | 26.09.18 - 8:51 a.m. | #
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The lido brought back memories, from the late 50’s to the very early 60’s, it was a major destination for my family.
When ever I hear about the Swakeley’s estate, I always think about that in the 1950’s telephone numbers in the Ruislip area had the Code Swakeley’s. (To make it seem grander I think)
YDU | 26.09.18 - 9:07 a.m. | #
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A non-Quaker friend used to volunteer for a Quaker charity and eventually ended up being involved in their board meetings. The "everything has to be a collective decision" rule used to drive him up the wall, as he's occasionally not the most patient of people.
drfoop | 26.09.18 - 9:59 a.m. | #
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Now, where did I put those £45 millions …??
Leuconoe | 26.09.18 - 9:59 a.m. | #
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I visited Swakeleys for Open House in 2013. I don't remember being allowed upstairs (at least, I don't have any photos of it) but we were allowed much freer rein downstairs and outside.
Jonathan Wadman | 26.09.18 - 10:01 a.m. | #
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Hillingdon Tube station has the subscript (Swakeleys) on the roundels.
dg nods:
David | 26.09.18 - 10:06 a.m. | #
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At Swakeleys I was told that "the owner" (male) also owns four dozen properties around Manchester Square in Marylebone (where the Wallace Collection is), and a further extensive portfolio around Sloane Square.
It could well be Richard - he and his father made their money in the engineering company which built Centre Point and Tower 42.
diamond geezer | Homepage | 26.09.18 - 10:06 a.m. | #
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I found the white fountain from the Lido interesting,. It has a very pure shape, and its color reminds me of Islamic/Arab architecture. Maybe because I visited the Aga Khan Center on Sunday, thks to open houses. A very interesting building in a transformed London district. Tours of the Aga Khan Centre are available on Mondays and Thursdays at 3pm. A maximum of 12 places are available for each tour. Tours last approximately 60 minutes.
French reader | 26.09.18 - 10:39 a.m. | #
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One wonders why the owners of that house even bothered opening at all for OHD given the ridiculous way they were operating.
Presumably they gain some advantage from the token access otherwise the not insignificant expense of all the barriers and staff seem odd.
Perhaps they have Julia Montague hiding out in the attic until the next series.
drD | Homepage | 26.09.18 - 12:32 p.m. | #
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The filings for CES Properties (Ickenham) Limited shows how much more transparent it was with the old requirement to file full accounts and annual returns, rather than the much more abbreviated accounts and "confirmation statement". The company's very short 2017 accounts are interesting - assets of £12.5m, and liabilities of £15.6m. Looking back through the filings, the company seems to have acquired the property in 1999/2000, and then presumably waited for the 25 year lease to expire. This article suggests the property was put on sale for £45m in 2015, but perhaps buyers have been short in supply.
The company seems to have been quite zealous in keeping people out, as for example, the bowls club found in 2014. And I'll just leave this article from The Independent in 1996 here.
Andrew | 26.09.18 - 2:52 p.m. | #
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"Token" access to a property for Open House day does not seem odd to me. Most likely (give-away phrase which I may be picked up on), someone (perhaps the owner himself) signed up and committed to opening. A different person (perhaps his property manager) was obliged to implement the instruction, but for his/her own reasons (security concerns, limited budget, whatever) limited the access to a bare minimum.
dg writes: I can confirm that this is definitely not 'most likely'.
Malcolm | 26.09.18 - 4:11 p.m. | #
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My first Open House Volunteer position was at Swakeleys (after my interest had been piqued by dg) in 2013 and at that time you most definitely could go into the Great Chamber and look around and especially up, at the Jacobean ceiling.
My hairdresser (now retired) knew Paul Newson, one of the three men you mention. Paul did not die a rich man.
I see they have removed the large brass chandelier from the Great Hall and for some reason have painted the formerly marbled columns on the Harrington Screen white making it look bland.
HoosierSands | Homepage | 26.09.18 - 6:46 p.m. | #
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Having taken part in it at times, decision-making by consensus is extremely satisfying when it works; it is a dignified approach which doesn't leave some of those involved feeling that they have lost and been ignored. It can though be slow and may lead to decisions not being made and the status quo prevailing. I wonder if that should have been the approach taken with Brexit?
Andrew S | 26.09.18 - 9:33 p.m. | #
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You never need pay £9 for the Open House Guide as free copies are always available in local libraries from about mid-August.
JohnC | 27.09.18 - 11:23 a.m. | #
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