Show homes coming soon to Blackpool

The long wait is nearly over for eager buyers keen to see inside new homes at Whitehill Meadows in Blackpool.

Up until now purchasers have had to rely on floor plans or visit other Redrow developments in the region, but from January 12 they will be able to view three properties.

Claire Jarvis, sales director for Redrow Homes (Lancashire), commented: “Buyers have shown a keen interest in the homes at Whitehill Meadows and while a number of people have had the confidence to reserve ‘off plan’, many more are eagerly awaiting the opening of the show homes before making a commitment. We recognise that being able to view a property is an important part of the home buying process and while it would be impractical to have a show home of every style, we’re helping customers make an informed decision about which home best suits their lifestyle by opening the doors to three properties – a fully furnished Canterbury plus examples of the Stratford and Salisbury house types.”

The Canterbury is a substantial family home that enjoys a sense of flow with double doors leading from the lounge to the combined kitchen and dining room. There’s also a study, utility and cloakroom to the ground floor; while upstairs there are four bedrooms including en-suite to master bedroom, plus the family bathroom.

Four-bedroom homes in a choice of styles are currently available from ￡237,995, with a Canterbury, similar to the show home, on the market from ￡295,995.

“We’re confident that those who view the show homes at Whitehill Meadows will be pleasantly surprised at the high specification, which includes integrated kitchen appliances such as oven and fridge freezer as standard,” Claire added.

“Customers will be delighted to know that if they act now, in the development’s early stages they will have more properties to choose from and a greater chance of securing a home in their preferred position. Plus, if you buy early in the build process you have more likelihood of being able to personalise the interior by selecting the finish of things like the kitchen cabinets and the bathroom tiles.”

Located between Lytham and Blackpool in Lytham St Annes Way, Whitehill Meadows offers residents the chance to choose their pace in life – the excitement and entertainment of Blackpool, the thriving city of Preston or the quiet, more relaxed Lytham.

Just minutes from the M55, the development’s well connected for commuting; while with a number of schools nearby, it’s also well suited to those with families.

What has never been publicly disclosed is that in 2005 the RGS leaders removed the official portrait of the organization’s current royal patron, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, without either the agreement or knowledge of the Fellows worldwide.

The missing portrait was replaced in 2010 after Members of the Long Riders’ Guild, more than a hundred of whom are also Fellows of the RGS, sent an ultimatum to RGS President Michael Palin.

Previous attempts to have the portrait restored having been ignored, the Guild wrote to President Palin to say that plans were under way to organize a mounted protest in London. Long Rider Fellows from around the world were preparing to ride their horses from the London RGS headquarters to Buckingham Palace to deliver an apology to the Queen on behalf of the Fellows.

When representatives of the Guild arrived in London in the summer of 2010 to discuss the matter with Dr. Gardner, it was revealed that the missing portrait had been replaced in the Council Chambers.

Yet what is under discussion is not if Her Majesty is being treated with respect by the organization that continues to use her name to enforce its policies. The very nature of all the 19th century style exploration organizations is increasingly revealed to be misleading and irrelevant.

Across the Atlantic, the Explorers’ Club is also appealing to a sense of nostalgia to rake in the big bucks.

“Join the “Explorers Immortals” and engrave your name or dedication in stone on new floor tiles for the terrace at The Explorers Club Headquarters. Adorn our landmark outdoor space and help pay for urgent work for Phase II renovations by making a tax deductible donation of $1,000 per dedicated tile to our Lowell Thomas Building Fund.”

With “nineteen active chapters in the United States and nine international chapters” the Explorers’ Club is like the Royal Geographical Society. They are businesses involved in making a profit derived from glorious trophies of the past.

This is not to imply that this is unethical. It’s a matter of recognizing the brutal mercenary nature of the businesses which dwell within the halls of what were once the high temples of exploration.

It is also about the public’s need to acknowledge the lack of shame involved in these institutions. Instead of enriching their corporate headquarters, the high priests and priestesses of these organizations could be sharing funds with genuine explorers and fielding important expeditions.

This attitude of using the past to make money in the present can be seen in the current leadership’s decision to rent out RGS headquarters for “special events and themed weddings.” The organization hasn’t hosted a Shackleton-themed Bar Mitzvah but it seems that such a possiblity exists.

Ironically, the growing sense of frustration at this lack of international leadership is well-documented. In 2004 film director and underwater explorer James Cameron urged the public to recognize the vital need to encourage more, not less, exploration.

He warned, “Exploration is not a luxury. It defines us as a civilization. It directly or indirectly benefits every member of society. It yields an inspirational dividend whose impact on our self-image, confidence, and economic and geopolitical stature is immeasurable.”

What You Get for $2.4 Million

Key Biscayne is an islet off the coast of Miami, surrounded by Biscayne Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. This house is one of many built in the 1950s by the Mackle brothers, early developers in the community. It sits on a corner lot behind towering ferns, and is a 10-minute walk from a state park that covers a third of the island, ending at a beach.

The Rickenbacker Trail, a hiking, biking and walking path, runs through the park to the other end of the island, where there is another beach, a golf course and a marina. Miami is a 10-minute drive, over a causeway that also has a bike lane.

The house was updated with polished concrete floors, picture windows and sliding glass doors to brighten the space. Newer details were designed to complement original ones. A porthole window near the entryway, for example, was replicated in the kitchen and the master bedroom. The living room has picture windows and a set of sliding-glass doors that opens to the deck, lawn and pool. Upgraded kitchen fixtures include a Gaggenau oven and a Gutmann hood.

Storage space was expanded. Bookcases were built into the living room walls, and the bedrooms now have cubbies next to the beds. The first floor has two bedrooms with a shared bathroom; one opens to the deck. Upstairs is a master suite with an attached dressing room and bathroom. Off the bedroom is a terrace with a spiral staircase descending to the deck and pool.

This house is in the northern section of Capitol Hill, a large neighborhood next to downtown Seattle. Several nearby mansions were built in the early 1900s for logging barons who wanted views of Lake Washington and the Cascade Range. (This house was built for the secretary-treasurer of a ferry company.) Washington Park, including a 200-acre swath belonging to the city’s arboretum, is a half-mile away. Volunteer Park, the site of the city’s botanical gardens and the Seattle Asian Art Museum, is also within a half-mile. Restaurants, shops, movie theaters and nightlife are farther into Capitol Hill, toward downtown.

This three-story 1909 house has many original features. Interior details include oak floors, fluted columns, pilasters and stained glass. Front steps lead to a deep veranda with a roof supported by ionic columns. Through French doors on one side of a central hall is a parlor with built-in bookcases; through another set of French doors on the other side is the formal living room. The living room’s fireplace is framed by Batchelder tiles, popular during the Arts and Crafts era. The dining room has original stained-glass windows and built-in cupboards; the sconces and chandelier were gifts from the king of Norway during a 1939 visit.

In the kitchen, the McCray icebox, also original, was converted to a refrigerator by the owners. The appliances have been updated.The leaded-glass windows are topped by stained-glass transoms. The bedrooms are on the second and third floors. The second-floor landing has a built-in bench and sitting area. There are two bedroom suites; one is used as a design studio. The second-floor bedrooms have views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. The basement, built into a slope to take in natural light, has a media room and a wine cellar.

This three-story 1909 house has many original features. Interior details include oak floors, fluted columns, pilasters and stained glass. Front steps lead to a deep veranda with a roof supported by ionic columns. Through French doors on one side of a central hall is a parlor with built-in bookcases; through another set of French doors on the other side is the formal living room. The living room’s fireplace is framed by Batchelder tiles, popular during the Arts and Crafts era. The dining room has original stained-glass windows and built-in cupboards; the sconces and chandelier were gifts from the king of Norway during a 1939 visit.

In the kitchen, the McCray icebox, also original, was converted to a refrigerator by the owners. The appliances have been updated.The leaded-glass windows are topped by stained-glass transoms. The bedrooms are on the second and third floors. The second-floor landing has a built-in bench and sitting area. There are two bedroom suites; one is used as a design studio. The second-floor bedrooms have views of Lake Washington and the Cascades. The basement, built into a slope to take in natural light, has a media room and a wine cellar.

The Glasgow School Board voted last Wednesday to accept the recommendation of its Building Committee and put grades K through 5 in a new Irle School building. East Side School will be for grades 6 through 8 and the high school will be 9 through 12.

The vote was 4-1, with Trustee David Irving dissenting, saying he wanted more time before casting his vote. He asked if the committee had considered a configuration of K-3, 4-6 and a 7-8 wing at the high school. Superintendent Bob Connors said the district can’t do that much building within their bonding capacity.

Connors said the national trend is to go K-5. It fits with common core curriculums, he said, and research suggests this is best for the educational process. Trustee Nick Dirkes said parents have told the committee that they want to hold down the number of student drop-off sites, so they only have to drive to Irle and East Side. He said most high school freshmen drive. Parents also want the junior high taken out of the high school building.

The meeting was held at Irle School, with a tour of the building held beforehand. Principal Rachel Erickson pointed out some of the reasons why Irle, a 54-year-old building, has reached the end of its useful life. The electrical circuits are too overloaded to support modern technology and can’t be expanded through the concrete block walls. Bathrooms and ramps are not ADA-compliant. The building is failing fire code because of wood paneling and the fire doors in one hallway. There is asbestos in floor tiles and pipe insulation.

Once the boilers are turned on, the heat is on all the time with no way to regulate it in individual rooms. There is no air exchange in the building, which creates poor air quality. The plumbing is embedded in the slab foundation, making repairs to the corroded pipes difficult or impossible. A sewer gas smell comes up through drainpipes of the classroom sinks.

On the outside, the siding is rotting, the sidewalks are drifting from the building and the back wall of the gym is falling away.

The staff is making do with the limitations, but at the roundtable discussion before the board meeting started, they sounded eager to get on with designing the new building. They want to make sure the public in the Glasgow School District is aware of the need for the new building when the vote on the school bond comes up in March.

The district will ask voters to approve two bonds totaling $18.5 million. Dirkes said the cost for the owner of a $100,000 house would be $152 a year. If the Keystone XL pipeline comes through Valley County, the company’s contribution in taxes would lower the citizens' tax bill for the school bond by half, and perhaps a good deal more, according to Connors.

In connection with the building project, the board decided to hire an owner’s representative to look out for the school district’s interest during the process. They also hired Dorsey and Whitney and their bond counsel, to make sure the bond issue is done correctly.