Thursday 7 November 2024

Southport, Connecticut / VIDEO: 658 Pequot Avenue // Southport, Connecticut - Aerial Reel



Connecticut

Southport, Connecticut | A Historic Coastal Village

Settled in 1639, the beautiful coastal hamlet of Southport, Connecticut, boasts a rich New England history.

 


By Jessica Gordon Ryan

Jan 03 2022

https://newengland.com/travel/connecticut/southport-connecticut/

 

Southport, Connecticut, is a beautiful coastal hamlet in Fairfield County, located just over an hour outside of New York City. The small village, settled in 1639, is part of the town of Fairfield and evocative of its rich New England history. Southport was designated a local historic district in 1967.

 

During the eighteenth century, Mill River Village was a small community of just a few houses and a wharf at the mouth of the Mill River. The harbor allowed for farm products from the surrounding areas to be shipped to ports in New York and beyond. By 1831, this little community, by then known as Southport, had evolved into a bustling commercial area with beautiful homes alongside churches, schools, stores, and warehouses.

 

As a leading coastal port on Long Island Sound, Southport enjoyed great economic prosperity. Soon the railroad would arrive, creating new opportunity while at the same time competing with the shipping industry. By this time, Southport was well-known for its high quality onions, grown on Fairfield’s hills and shipped out via the harbor. During the 1890s, 100,000 barrels of Southport onions were shipping each year, along with locally grown carrots, potatoes, and other goods. In addition to its identity as a shipping center, Southport with the only two banks serving all of Fairfield, was also the area’s financial district.

 

The historic allure remains today. A drive through the charming village reveals majestic, tree-lined streets and elegant, stately homes of varying architectural styles – Greek Revival, Georgian, Victorian, Colonial, Romanesque and Federal – giving us a view into an historic, bygone era.

 

The old village is protected by strict zoning laws, designed to preserve its history for future generations. The small seaport area boasts a private yacht club, its own library, two churches, several lovely shops and antique stores, restaurants and a boutique hotel. The views of the Long Island Sound are positively breathtaking.

 

What puts this small village on the map today is an annual event hosted by the Southport Congregational Church, “Rooms with a View,” started by interior designer Albert Hadley two decades ago. This premier design experience, now chaired by Thom Filicia, celebrates art, architecture and design in vignette form, reflecting a specific theme. The event, which takes place in the middle of November, has showcased some of our country’s top design talents and personalities. Over the past 20 years, “Rooms with a View” has raised over $1,300,000 for the church and its missions.

 

Have you ever visited Southport, Connecticut?

 

This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.

 

Jessica Gordon Ryan



Design of a Country Estate: Purple Cherry Architects & Interiors Hardcover – 20 Aug. 2024

English edition  by Cathy Purple Cherry (auteur)

 

Driven by a passion for art and architectural design, Cathy Purple Cherry shares the story of a fabulous, newly built, coastal country estate.

 

"This elegant architecture book is not only a delightful visual treat, but it's also filled with descriptions about how the featured Centreville, MD, country coastal estate developed and why the design choices were made. This all adds up to an enhanced reading experience and tour....a diverting read."--Library Journal

 

The vision was for traditional, classic, romantic, authentic timelessness, and approachable elegance. The end result speaks to all of this and more. Architect Purple Cherry tells the story of this luxurious country estate (4 full kitchens, 13 en suite bedrooms) in the Mid-Atlantic--along the Chester River on the Eastern Shore in Centreville, Maryland--and how the vision came to life. The main house, guesthouse, and seven outbuildings are dissected in detail so readers will experience what it is like to develop such a comprehensive project, from the planning to the execution, and all the steps along the way.

 

The book includes an abundance of hard-working information that focuses on the thought processes behind each decision, whether it is the materials employed or the location of each building for walkability and use. Rife with inspiration on every page--whether your dream is a cozy cabin in the woods or an expansive country estate like this one--this book will appeal to luxury home enthusiasts and design professionals alike, transporting readers to a real-life fantasy.


Tuesday 5 November 2024

Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors | ITV


Queen Camilla documentary Her Majesty: Behind Closed Doors confirms air date

 

The 90-minute documentary will see the Queen meeting survivors of domestic abuse and campaigners working to raise awareness.

 

James Hibbs Published: Wednesday, 30 October 2024 at 0:04

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/queen-camilla-documentary-confirms-date-newsupdate/

 

The first documentary to feature Queen Camilla since her coronation last year, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, was announced in August, and we know now exactly when the 90-minute film will air.

 

The documentary, which will see the Queen meeting survivors of domestic abuse and campaigners working to raise awareness and understanding of the issue, will air at 9pm on Monday 11th November 2024 on ITV1 and ITVX.

 

This means viewers only have a couple of weeks to wait until they can see the documentary, which will follow the Queen over a year, as she attends official engagements and never-before-seen private meetings with domestic abuse survivors and change makers.

 

The Queen has been involved in spreading awareness of domestic and sexual violence for over a decade, and the film is also set to see her hosting roundtables with teenagers and celebrating International Women’s Day at Buckingham Palace, while it will explore why perpetrators abuse, asking how we can stop the cycle of abuse.

 

The film has been produced and directed by Angela Byrne and Kerene Barefield, with Barefield saying when it was first announced: "It has been a privilege to have been entrusted to produce this film and observe firsthand Her Majesty The Queen's work in the field of domestic abuse.

 

"Our aim was to not only highlight the devastation caused by domestic abuse in the UK, but also give a voice and re-empower the victims.

 

"The Queen is not alone in trying to 'obliterate' this curse, and we have been honoured to work with charities and services who work on the frontline to support survivors, rehabilitate victims and campaign for change.

 

"If we understand what it looks like, together we will be able to tackle domestic abuse and make a difference."

 

This isn't the only royal documentary set to air on ITV this year. In fact, today (Wednesday 30th October), a documentary called Prince William: We Can End Homelessness is set to air, which will focus on Homewards, Prince William's five-year programme that aims to show it is possible to end homelessness, starting with six locations across the UK.

 

Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors will air on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Monday 11th November.


Monday 4 November 2024

Nigel Cabourn: Legendary Creator of Vintage Collections

Nigel Cabourn / VIDEO: - Reveal his secret and his age | GlamUk



Nigel Cabourn is a British fashion designer known for his outerwear and vintage inspired clothing. He studied at Northumbria University between 1967 and 1971 and his studio and business is still based in the North East of England.

The collections are influenced by military clothing and vintage clothing, using fabrics such as Harris Tweed & Ventile.

The Army Gym is the Japanese shop for the Nigel Cabourn brands. In August 2008, Nigel Cabourn Marketing Ltd., was set up as a joint venture with Abahouse Holdings Co. Ltd., the joint owner of Outer Limits Co. Ltd., that makes the Nigel Cabourn ‘Main Line’ collection.




I don’t class myself as a ‘fashion designer’ as I don’t follow fashion. Everything I design comes from either a moment in history, an inspirational person or a vintage garment.For over 35 years I’ve been avidly collecting vintage military, sports, expedition and work wear clothing and books and have amassed thousands of pieces from all corners of the globe. I’m absolutely fascinated and excited by the fabric and details in these functional, comfortable and above all durable garments, which have on the whole, been created not by fashion designers but by technicians and scientists.For me product comes first. The fabrics and trims, the manufacturers we work with are all carefully chosen so we produce the best garments we can. At the end of the day my aim with each collection or collaboration is to create timeless styles that have the quality to last, get better with age and wear and that are still relevant in years to come. Clothing that people can wear for a lifetime then pass down to their children. – Nigel Cabourn











Vintage performers



SEPTEMBER 21, 2012 by: Carola Long

Does that parka on the catwalk look familiar? Is that military jacket a dead ringer for the one in Bridge Over the River Kwai? It’s no secret that many of the designs shown during fashion week will have been inspired by – or even copied from – vintage looks.

Now, menswear brands will get another source of retrospective inspiration courtesy of new book Vintage Menswear: A Collection from the Vintage Showroom. It’s a compendium of images and descriptions of clothing collected by Douglas Gunn and Roy Luckett, who run the Vintage Showroom, a service used by numerous designer and high street brands. Designers make appointments to visit the west London archive of historic menswear from around the world, or rent or buy clothes from the collection. The owners will also hunt down specific pieces – or do what co-owner Gunn calls inspiration work: “looking into a company’s history or buying up archive pieces”.

Though few brands will publicly admit to using the service, Gunn says, “If you are a menswear designer, chances are you have visited the Vintage Showroom or the website.”

“Certain designers and companies rely heavily on vintage pieces, sometimes from their own archives,” says Robert Leach, lecturer at Central Saint Martin’s College and the University of Westminster. “Think of companies like Burberry or Belstaff, with their long histories of trademark details that can be drawn on for inspiration.”

Indeed, pieces in the book – such as a 1930s striped boxing blazer, a 1950s mountain rucksack that wouldn’t look out of place in today’s Urban Outfitters, or a 1920s canvas parka that could have been plucked from Gap’s shelves – show how little menswear has changed.

The most the Vintage Showroom has spent on one item is £20,000 – on a submarine coat made in the 1930s for HMS Ursula. “The captain of the boat went to Barbour to get them to design a two-piece wax cotton suit,” says Gunn. “We spoke to Barbour but they didn’t want to sell theirs, and we spent a lot of time tracking one down.”

Nigel Cabourn, whose menswear line is based around British heritage clothing with a practical focus (for instance, the Everest parka, £2,200, in his current range is inspired by the one worn by Sir Edmund Hillary to scale Everest), is one of the few designers who will discuss his work with the Vintage Showroom. Indeed, he says he finds it invaluable. “For me it’s no secret because my brand is based around vintage designs, but some brands don’t want to expose how they got their ideas,” he says. “I quite often recognise the originals that inspired them.”

Cabourn says his designs are sometimes “very similar to historic pieces”, explaining that “actual clothing can tell you more [about a period] than a photo or film ... colour, fabric, weight, etc.”

Gunn says he has noticed that more brands are looking to build up their archives with early advertising books or fabrics in a bid to cultivate that all-important aura of heritage. After all, in the fashion industry, the past isn’t really a foreign country, and they don’t do things so differently there.

‘Vintage Menswear: a Collection from the Vintage Showroom’ by Josh Sims, Douglas Gunn, Roy Luckett (Laurence King, £30)




Sunday 3 November 2024

Revealed: King charging millions for NHS to use his land / King and Prince William’s estates ‘making millions from charities and public services’


King and Prince William’s estates ‘making millions from charities and public services’

 

Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster likely to make at least £50m from leasing land to services such as NHS and schools, according to investigation

 

Richard Palmer

Sat 2 Nov 2024 19.50 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/02/king-and-prince-william-estates-millions-charities-public-services-nhs-leasing-land

 

King Charles and Prince William’s property empires are taking millions of pounds from cash-strapped charities and public services including the NHS, state schools and prisons, according to a new investigation.

 

The reports claim the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, which are exempt from business taxes and used to fund the royals’ lifestyles and philanthropic work, are set to make at least £50m from leasing land to public services. The two duchies hold a total of more than 5,400 leases.

 

One 15-year deal will see Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS hospital trust in London pay £11.4m to store its fleet of electric ambulances in a warehouse owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, the monarch’s 750-year-old estate.

 

The king will also make at least £28m from windfarms because the Duchy of Lancaster retains a feudal right to charge for cables crossing the foreshore, according to an investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Sunday Times.

 

William’s Duchy of Cornwall, the hereditary estate of the heir to the throne, has signed a £37m deal to lease Dartmoor prison for 25 years to the Ministry of Justice, which is liable for all repairs despite paying £1.5m a head for a jail empty of prisoners because of high levels of radon gas.

 

His estate also owns Camelford House, a 1960s tower block on the banks of the Thames, which has brought in at least £22m since 2005 from rents paid by charities and other tenants. Two cancer charities, Marie Curie and Macmillan – of which the king is a longstanding patron – have both recently moved out to smaller premises.

 

The Duchy of Cornwall has charged the Royal Navy more than £1m to build and use jetties and moor warships. It also charges the army to train on Dartmoor but the Ministry of Defence refused a Freedom of Information Act request asking how much it costs. The duchy also made more than £600,000 from the construction of a fire station and stands to get nearly £600,000 from rental agreements with six state schools.

 

In spite of the king and Prince William’s speeches and interventions on environmental issues, many residential properties let out by the royal estates are in breach of basic government energy efficiency standards.

 

The investigation found 14% of homes leased by the Duchy of Cornwall and 13% by the Duchy of Lancaster have an energy performance rating of F or G. Since 2020, it has been against the law for landlords to rent out properties that are rated below an E under the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards regulations.

 

The Duchy of Lancaster said: “Over 87% of all duchy-let properties are rated E or above. The remainder are either awaiting scheduled improvement works or are exempted under UK legislation.”

 

The royal estates also have deals with mining and quarrying companies.

 

The investigation has prompted calls for a parliamentary investigation and for the two empires to be folded into the crown estate, which sends its profits to the government. The king and Prince William pay income tax on profits from the estates after business expenses have been deducted, but both now refuse to say how much.

 

 Critics say the estates, the income from which have been used by successive governments to keep the headline cost of the monarchy to the taxpayer down, enjoy a commercial advantage over rivals because they are exempt from corporation tax and capital gains tax.

 

Baroness Margaret Hodge, a former chair of the Commons public accounts committee, said the duchies should at least pay corporation tax. “This would be a brilliant time for the monarch to say, I’m going to be open, and I want to be treated as fairly as anybody,” she said.

 

Both duchies said they were commercial operations that complied with statutory requirements to disclose information. They also emphasised their efforts to become greener.

 

The Duchy of Lancaster said: “His majesty the king voluntarily pays tax on all income received from the duchy.”