Post by Ace on Jul 4, 2005 23:24:16 GMT -5
Stables to the stars
July 4, 2005 7:16pm
Europe Intelligence Wire
Kate Moss once sneaked in between modelling shoots.
Pierce Brosnan visits when he's in town. Courtney Love enjoyed it so much she tipped every member of staff and royal love rat James Hewitt was turned down for a job there.
We could be talking about some achingly fashionable restaurant, but these are just some of the celebrities who have slipped quietly down a tiny cobbled mews in Bayswater to ride out at the Hyde Park Stables, the capital's equestrian equivalent of The Ivy.
Over the years it has become such a magnet for the Hollywood glitterati that the sight of a stretch limo parked outside is almost as common as the arrival of the farrier's van.
Now the 19th Century stables, including a two-bedroom apartment, is being sold by its owner, Richard Briggs, who has decided to hang up his saddle after 31 years.
'I'm afraid my back is starting to hurt,' he says. 'But this is a fun job.
What is incredible is that you are in the middle of the city. You can go riding surrounded by all these trees and the Serpentine. Some people come back from a ride almost stoned by the experience.'
Built in 1835 on the site of a former brothel, the two-storey riding school has an 85-year commercial lease and is made up of 12 stalls and looseboxes on the ground floor. The light and airy flat above is now used as staff accommodation.
It's a far cry from Richard and his wife Basia's own home - a GBP2million townhouse off Sloane Square in Chelsea.
Richard is keen to sell the stables as a going concern and is taking offers of GBP2.5million.
All 20 horses (they are used on a rotational basis to keep them fit and healthy), hats, saddles and tack are included.
'It would be ready for someone to move straight in,' says Richard, 57, who bought it in 1974. 'I think it would make a wonderful plaything for a Russian oligarch keen on horses. Either that or someone genuinely interested in the pleasure of working with horses and their welfare.'
But despite his eagerness to keep the business up and running, you can't help but notice that it would make a fabulous property development.
Sandwiched between Notting Hill and Mayfair, Bathurst Mews is in what estate agents are now calling Bathurst Village, a quaint row of shops with a tiny pub off the busy road surrounding Lancaster Gate Tube.
Walking through its arches is like shutting the door on traffic and noise, an oasis of calm surrounded by the buzz of metropolitan life.
This villagey feel to the area is perhaps why its most famous resident, Madonna, settled just half-a-mile away with husband Guy Ritchie in a GBP7.5million townhouse. It was the Queen of Pop who threw the stables into the headlines when her nanny tried to get a discount for the singer's daughter Lourdes.
'The nanny was naughty,' says Basia, who helps Richard run the stables. 'She wanted to get a free ride with Lourdes. She didn't get one. Needless to say she didn't come back.'
Basia, a London socialite in her late 40s, says one of the main reasons that Hollywood has descended on Bathurst Mews is so the stars can learn to ride for movie roles.
Kevin Kline, for instance, had to get to grips with riding 'like a sophisticated Englishman' for his part in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely two years ago.
Ex-EastEnders heartthrob Paul Nicholls also needed training as the dashing aristocrat Lord Darnley in the television miniseries Gunpowder, Treason And Plot.
But while some of the actors are keen to brush up their rising trot, others are simply bursting to get out of the confines of their hotel suites and breathe some fresh air.
The names trip off Basia's tongue with the nonchalance of someone composing a weekly shopping list.
'Tom Selleck, Sigourney Weaver, Glenn Close, Jackie Chan, Eddie Izzard. Oh yes, we even had Rachel Hunter pop in the other day,' she says.
When a booking was placed for Courtney Love and her daughter, word came through she could be awkward, but the rock star tipped the staff handsomely and was 'charming'.
James Hewitt nearly worked there.
'I thought that if he could teach the Princess of Wales how to ride, then he would be good with some of the young ladies,' says Basia. 'But Richard said No.'
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan, 51, enjoyed the thrill so much he returned on several occasions.
Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova was plagued by the paparazzi on her visit. 'She turned up wearing a cowgirl outfit, so drew attention to herself,' says Richard. 'I told her to go to Harrods and buy some proper riding kit to make herself more anonymous.' He adds: 'I couldn't resist taking the mickey out of 007. I gave him a huge riding hat which looked ridiculous.
He kept quiet while riding, but before he left he shook my hand with a grip of steel, leaned in close and hissed: "Licence to kill." It made my day.'
Perhaps the most hilarious anecdote is reserved for tough-guy actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, who needed a little help with his trusty steed.
'He needed a leading rein,' says Richard with a barely concealed laugh. 'It was quite funny seeing the Muscles from Brussels being led around Hyde Park.'
Entering Bathurst Mews is a bit like stepping back into Dickensian London.
Grooms lounge in the sunshine and large, gleaming charges stand happily on the hay-strewn cobbles-There is a great sense of history here,' says Richard, only the third owner since the end of the War.
'The stables have stayed the same since the 19th Century, although we put in rubber floors for the horses' comfort.' With the stables comes the use of the park's five miles of bridleways.
At present, the owners charge GBP50 an hour for a lesson or ride and attract about 200 clients a week.
Having an Oscar nomination is not a prerequisite. 'It is popular with tourists,' adds Richard, who was awarded an OBE for services to Hyde Park.
'We've had people from as far away as Tibet.' Basia and Richard, who count Prince and Princess Michael of Kent as friends, will miss the stables.
'It would be ideal for someone wanting to break into the establishment,' Basia says. 'Horses are associated with royalty and ownership would hand you the key to society at the highest level.'
HOMES FOR HORSES AND HUMANS
OLLERTON, SHROPSHIRE GBP1.9 MILLION
For people: Extraordinary converted Navy control tower with six bedrooms, five en suite.
For horses: 156 acres, all-weather arena, new 24-stable block.
Extras: Planning permission for B&B and internet business. Strutt & Parker, 01244 320069.
TUSHINGHAM, CHESHIRE GBP950,000
For people: Grade II, 1821 coach house with four bedrooms.
For horses: 14 acres, barn with 15 stalls, indoor and outdoor schools.
Extras: Tack shop. Phone mast paying GBP3,000p.a.
Rural Scene, 01264 850700.
KEY FACTS
Price: GBP2.5 million for the property and business.
Bedrooms: Two. Bathrooms: One. Kitchen: One.
Ground floor: Six stalls,six looseboxes and a small office.Enquiries:Richard Briggs on 020 7730 5463, or email info@hydeparkstables.com
Copyright © 2005 The Mail on Sunday.
July 4, 2005 7:16pm
Europe Intelligence Wire
Kate Moss once sneaked in between modelling shoots.
Pierce Brosnan visits when he's in town. Courtney Love enjoyed it so much she tipped every member of staff and royal love rat James Hewitt was turned down for a job there.
We could be talking about some achingly fashionable restaurant, but these are just some of the celebrities who have slipped quietly down a tiny cobbled mews in Bayswater to ride out at the Hyde Park Stables, the capital's equestrian equivalent of The Ivy.
Over the years it has become such a magnet for the Hollywood glitterati that the sight of a stretch limo parked outside is almost as common as the arrival of the farrier's van.
Now the 19th Century stables, including a two-bedroom apartment, is being sold by its owner, Richard Briggs, who has decided to hang up his saddle after 31 years.
'I'm afraid my back is starting to hurt,' he says. 'But this is a fun job.
What is incredible is that you are in the middle of the city. You can go riding surrounded by all these trees and the Serpentine. Some people come back from a ride almost stoned by the experience.'
Built in 1835 on the site of a former brothel, the two-storey riding school has an 85-year commercial lease and is made up of 12 stalls and looseboxes on the ground floor. The light and airy flat above is now used as staff accommodation.
It's a far cry from Richard and his wife Basia's own home - a GBP2million townhouse off Sloane Square in Chelsea.
Richard is keen to sell the stables as a going concern and is taking offers of GBP2.5million.
All 20 horses (they are used on a rotational basis to keep them fit and healthy), hats, saddles and tack are included.
'It would be ready for someone to move straight in,' says Richard, 57, who bought it in 1974. 'I think it would make a wonderful plaything for a Russian oligarch keen on horses. Either that or someone genuinely interested in the pleasure of working with horses and their welfare.'
But despite his eagerness to keep the business up and running, you can't help but notice that it would make a fabulous property development.
Sandwiched between Notting Hill and Mayfair, Bathurst Mews is in what estate agents are now calling Bathurst Village, a quaint row of shops with a tiny pub off the busy road surrounding Lancaster Gate Tube.
Walking through its arches is like shutting the door on traffic and noise, an oasis of calm surrounded by the buzz of metropolitan life.
This villagey feel to the area is perhaps why its most famous resident, Madonna, settled just half-a-mile away with husband Guy Ritchie in a GBP7.5million townhouse. It was the Queen of Pop who threw the stables into the headlines when her nanny tried to get a discount for the singer's daughter Lourdes.
'The nanny was naughty,' says Basia, who helps Richard run the stables. 'She wanted to get a free ride with Lourdes. She didn't get one. Needless to say she didn't come back.'
Basia, a London socialite in her late 40s, says one of the main reasons that Hollywood has descended on Bathurst Mews is so the stars can learn to ride for movie roles.
Kevin Kline, for instance, had to get to grips with riding 'like a sophisticated Englishman' for his part in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely two years ago.
Ex-EastEnders heartthrob Paul Nicholls also needed training as the dashing aristocrat Lord Darnley in the television miniseries Gunpowder, Treason And Plot.
But while some of the actors are keen to brush up their rising trot, others are simply bursting to get out of the confines of their hotel suites and breathe some fresh air.
The names trip off Basia's tongue with the nonchalance of someone composing a weekly shopping list.
'Tom Selleck, Sigourney Weaver, Glenn Close, Jackie Chan, Eddie Izzard. Oh yes, we even had Rachel Hunter pop in the other day,' she says.
When a booking was placed for Courtney Love and her daughter, word came through she could be awkward, but the rock star tipped the staff handsomely and was 'charming'.
James Hewitt nearly worked there.
'I thought that if he could teach the Princess of Wales how to ride, then he would be good with some of the young ladies,' says Basia. 'But Richard said No.'
Former Bond star Pierce Brosnan, 51, enjoyed the thrill so much he returned on several occasions.
Former Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova was plagued by the paparazzi on her visit. 'She turned up wearing a cowgirl outfit, so drew attention to herself,' says Richard. 'I told her to go to Harrods and buy some proper riding kit to make herself more anonymous.' He adds: 'I couldn't resist taking the mickey out of 007. I gave him a huge riding hat which looked ridiculous.
He kept quiet while riding, but before he left he shook my hand with a grip of steel, leaned in close and hissed: "Licence to kill." It made my day.'
Perhaps the most hilarious anecdote is reserved for tough-guy actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, who needed a little help with his trusty steed.
'He needed a leading rein,' says Richard with a barely concealed laugh. 'It was quite funny seeing the Muscles from Brussels being led around Hyde Park.'
Entering Bathurst Mews is a bit like stepping back into Dickensian London.
Grooms lounge in the sunshine and large, gleaming charges stand happily on the hay-strewn cobbles-There is a great sense of history here,' says Richard, only the third owner since the end of the War.
'The stables have stayed the same since the 19th Century, although we put in rubber floors for the horses' comfort.' With the stables comes the use of the park's five miles of bridleways.
At present, the owners charge GBP50 an hour for a lesson or ride and attract about 200 clients a week.
Having an Oscar nomination is not a prerequisite. 'It is popular with tourists,' adds Richard, who was awarded an OBE for services to Hyde Park.
'We've had people from as far away as Tibet.' Basia and Richard, who count Prince and Princess Michael of Kent as friends, will miss the stables.
'It would be ideal for someone wanting to break into the establishment,' Basia says. 'Horses are associated with royalty and ownership would hand you the key to society at the highest level.'
HOMES FOR HORSES AND HUMANS
OLLERTON, SHROPSHIRE GBP1.9 MILLION
For people: Extraordinary converted Navy control tower with six bedrooms, five en suite.
For horses: 156 acres, all-weather arena, new 24-stable block.
Extras: Planning permission for B&B and internet business. Strutt & Parker, 01244 320069.
TUSHINGHAM, CHESHIRE GBP950,000
For people: Grade II, 1821 coach house with four bedrooms.
For horses: 14 acres, barn with 15 stalls, indoor and outdoor schools.
Extras: Tack shop. Phone mast paying GBP3,000p.a.
Rural Scene, 01264 850700.
KEY FACTS
Price: GBP2.5 million for the property and business.
Bedrooms: Two. Bathrooms: One. Kitchen: One.
Ground floor: Six stalls,six looseboxes and a small office.Enquiries:Richard Briggs on 020 7730 5463, or email info@hydeparkstables.com
Copyright © 2005 The Mail on Sunday.
Does anybody here know how to take care of a horse? 
