Jonathan Holt 1844-1881

Notes on Axholme by Jonathan Russell
I spoke with Peter Moore, current owner of Axholme, for over an hour yesterday. He’s very proud of the Florence Holt painting and I didn’t have the heart to tell him the colours were wrong! He told me the house was used by Brian Epstein during the 1960s for parties and says his favourite story came from a conversation from someone who was outside the front gates. Peter spoke with him and he asked if there was still a chip on the front doorstep. Peter said yes and replied why. He said in the 60’s he owned a motorbike and bet the owner of the house he could race down the drive (no fountain there then) and zoom through an open front door and end up in the sun logia without going through the windows. He accomplished this no doubt hallucinating at the same time but his exhaust scraped on the front doorstep! True or not, a good story. Peter said he was returning to California and had just bought a house off the internet for $5m+ which his wife had gone out to view for the first time! It is in Montecito, 400 yards from Sally’s niece’s house. A small world! Peter’s father worked at Cammell Laird as an engineer. He was amazed to hear a related Holt, Uncle Phil to me, had been Chairman of both companies.