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Ever fancied becoming a proper, official lord or lady? Well, it’s easier than you might think. Some routes to lordship involve being lucky enough to be born into certain aristocratic families or awarded a title by the government or Royal Family. Those are the sort you find in the House of Lords.
But you can also simply buy a title. Websites like Lord Titles or Highland Titles will let you become a technical lord for as little as £30. These ones certainly aren’t allowed in the House of Lords. Well, unless they become a lord through the above means, too.
If you fancy a more prestigious – and London-relevant – lordship, now’s your chance to bag one. The Lord of Walthamstow is putting his title up for auction this week, meaning you (yep, you) could soon have a glitzy feudal title and be forever linked to one of London’s nicest ‘burbs.
The current Lord of Walthamstow is Phillip Leigh and he’s an 82-year-old retired estate agent. Leigh told the Guardian that his lordship may date back to the Domesday book and the tenth century. While it probably once came with land, it doesn’t any more. It also doesn’t have any parliamentary power.
Leigh bought his title back in 1989 but now he’s looking to pass it on. He’ll auction it off this Wednesday (December 13), with a reserve price of £65,000.
Fancy becoming the new Lord Walthamstow? You can find out more about the auction here and you can read Leigh’s full interview with the Guardian here.
And we at Time Out can totally understand why you might want to become the Lord of ‘Stow (even if the title is pretty meaningless). Recently named the best place in the UK to raise a family, Walthamstow was named Time Out’s coolest London neighbourhood in 2022. Check out our neighbourhood guide for more.
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