miss conduct yacht bristol owner

Owner of 'Miss Conduct' yacht in Bristol harbour guilty of being 'rogue landlord'

The man who owns and lives on the yacht on the Floating Harbour with a helicopter on its roof has been branded a ‘rogue landlord’ by council chiefs, and fined in court.

Thomas Flight pleaded guilty to committing consumer protection offences against his tenants, and has now been fined £12,000 and ordered to pay the council’s costs for the lengthy investigation, which totalled another £25,000.

Bristol Crown Court heard how council housing officers received a host of complaints about a property management business operating out of number 21 Portland Square in St Pauls between June 2019 and January 2021, although those making those complaints said issues dated back years before that.

Read next: American superyacht used by Donald Trump docks at Bristol harbour

One issue the council told the court was that the business was operating at the end of a web of different names and companies, and no one renting homes or businesses in Portland Square ever really knew who their landlord was, or who was responsible when problems arose.

In June 2021, the managers of the Hidden Corner bookshop and cafe discovered they had been locked down and evicted, and a protest by its staff and customers was held. At the time, the landlords of that business, regarded as one of Bristol’s few LGBTQI+ friendly spaces, were named Presman Limited, but that was just another of the companies set up by Flight to separate him from the tenants.

An investigation by Bristol City Council’s private housing team uncovered evidence of multiple consumer protection offences. The investigation worked to follow the money paid by tenants in rents and deposits, and reached Mr Flight.

“Mr Flight’s identity was hidden from his tenants, allowing him to keep security deposit money instead of returning it, and to avoid responsibility for a number of unfair commercial practices including charging banned and hidden fees to tenants,” said a spokesperson for Bristol City Council.

“Tenants would receive made-up landlord and letting agent information, including false names and addresses. Mr Flight even went so far as to have a fictitious person registered as a director of one of his companies. Tenants who complained were then harassed with demands to withdraw their valid enquiries, until the local authority took up these complaints as part of their investigation,” he added.

In February 2021, Mr Flight was interviewed by Bristol City Council in relation to alleged criminal offences. Following this interview, Mr Flight voluntarily repaid those tenants who had been charged banned fees or whose security deposits had not been returned to them when they should have been. “During this interview, Mr Flight failed to cooperate with Bristol City Council, blaming the situation on an alleged letting agent who couldn’t be traced and is believed to be another of his inventions,” said the council spokesperson.

“At one of Mr Flight’s Court hearings in relation to this case, he supplied further documents to Bristol City Council containing more landlord details that also proved to be false,” he added.

In December 2021, Flight sailed his American-built yacht ‘Miss Conduct’ into Bristol’s Floating Harbour and moored it in a prominent location near the Matthew at Wapping Wharf. The boat, which had been an upmarket restaurant in New York for 20 years, attracted attention immediately - with its glitzy interior and helicopter parked on the roof.

When Bristol Live reported on the arrival of the yacht , the owners declined to be identified. The two men who said they were the owners, including Flight, issued a statement through a spokesperson explaining they'd named the yacht and they were only 'Bristol businessmen'. "Bristol has been good for us and our businesses, we have been lucky enough to have had great success in Bristol and we want to give something back to the city in the form of what we are good at - a little glamour, fun, connecting people and lots of charity work for good causes," they said in an anonymous statement at the time.

Speaking of the yacht's name, they added: "In this particular harbour full of historic vessels our boat is by comparison quite a young girl, so she couldn't named Lady this or Lady that - she had to be a 'Miss" to show some respect to the other boats. We didn't want a posh name, we've done well but we're not posh people.

"Miss Conduct stuck because after our somewhat whirlwind personal life which presented some rather unusual setbacks, opportunities and surprises, the cheeky Miss Conduct just seemed to fit. Our motto is 'if you can't set a good example to others then you must serve as a terrible reminder!'" they added in their statement.

They were described by their spokesperson at the time as "two ordinary (possibly eccentric) people from ordinary backgrounds, who having lived and operated a number of successful businesses in Bristol since 1990, decided that after travelling the world that Bristol was the best city on the planet". "The owners are proud to present her as, albeit a little glitzy, another new Bristol landmark in this great city they call home," they added.

It was only when a judge at one of Flight’s continuing court hearings insisted he give his name and address to the court, did he acknowledge that he was the owner of Miss Conduct and it was where he was living. On Bank Holiday Monday in August 2022, a protest was held on the quayside next to Miss Conduct, where tenants of Flight’s joined with staff and customers of the former Hidden Corner cafe highlighted his malpractices.

Much of the details of the case and the complaints of tenants have not been public due to reporting restrictions involved in the case, but with guilty pleas now and a hefty fine, Flight’s illegal actions can be revealed, and the complaints of tenants dating back to 2016 have been exposed in a Bristol Cable investigation .

Cllr Tom Renhard, Bristol’s housing chief, said Flight’s actions were ‘not acceptable’. “We are committed to protecting people across the city from rogue landlords, especially during the national cost-of-living and housing crises,” he said. “Mr Flight took advantage of tenants and that is simply not acceptable. We will continue to do all we can to pursue unscrupulous landlords where evidence of criminal exploitation is found,” he added.

However, because the offences for which Flight pleaded guilty to are not ones for which he can be banned from being a landlord, he is free to continue letting properties.

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Rogue landlord Thomas Flight 'still owes deposits' to renters

• Published 3 August 2023

In January, rogue landlord Thomas Flight was convicted of exploiting his tenants by withholding deposits, creating fake landlord profiles and harassing people who complained.

After articles about him were published by the BBC and the Bristol Cable , members of the public contacted the BBC alleging a similar pattern of behaviour with a luxury holiday mansion he owns in Somerset.

Thomas Flight's name only came to prominence after an investigation by Bristol City Council.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of misleading action, one of misleading omission and one of unfair commercial practice in January.

The judge at the trial said Flight had created a "web of deceit" for his tenants over a period from June 2019 to January 2021.

He was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £25,000 in costs, but was not banned from letting property in Bristol.

Stonnwall Manor in Frome was formerly listed on the website ukgroupselfcatering.co.uk as "one of the most exquisite examples of an Elizabethan stone built manor," boasting nine double bedrooms with four poster beds.

It is owned by a company called Maxin, which Flight has significant control of. A local press cutting framed inside the house shows him and two others celebrating buying the property in March 2006.

Chris Grace booked a holiday there for his family for Easter 2018. From the outset they were hit with problems.

'Bitterly cold'

Mr Grace and his family paid £2,668.50 for a party of 19, including two toddlers and a nine-month-old baby to stay there from 30 March to 2 April.

He paid via bank transfer to UK Group Self Catering that also included a £200 deposit for damages.

The bank account he paid into was the same one used by a company called Cresley Management Ltd, which Flight also owns and is a director of.

Cresley Management Ltd has three county court judgements against it, totalling £1,646. Thomas Flight has two county court judgements against his name at a London address, totalling £2,737.

When Mr Grace arrived at Stonnwall Manor, he said the property was "bitterly cold - colder inside than out".

"I had to borrow three duvets off a friend because the bedrooms were so cold," he said.

When his party rang the emergency number to complain, they were sent abusive texts.

"It was the worst possible reaction you could expect, they were resentful we were contacting them to complain," said Mr Grace.

'Playing games'

His son Sam, who made the booking, said he received an email from "Phil Norman", who Chris Grace said he later discovered was an alias invented by Thomas Flight.

The reply from said "Mr Norman" stated: "I see you are playing games with me, just like you did with the support line people.

"We can solve this honestly and amicably or we can play games. Please think carefully before replying.

"You owe me a lot more than the deposit covered and I am in no mood to suffer further costs writing nonsense.

"Please think, I am willing to take you to court."

During Flight's trial in January, the court heard how his rental tenants would also receive made-up landlord information.

"We were told we had trashed a bedroom so they were taking our deposit. But we hadn't used the bed because the baby was sleeping in there," Mr Grace said.

Mr Grace complained, seeking a reimbursement of £1,645.66 for two nights' stay and his £200 damage deposit.

He won a county court judgement and a Writ of Control for High Court bailiffs to act, but bailiffs were unable to locate Flight to recover any money.

"Eventually he was found on a yacht in Bristol Harbour, but as the assets were in the home, i.e. the yacht, nothing could be done to seize anything to compensate the High Court and me for my claim," said Mr Grace.

Flight gave his address in court in January this year as the yacht "Miss Conduct".

"I spent £800 over five years on this claim," said Mr Grace.

"It is a nonsense that you can get a judgement in the money claims court, they find for you. You go to the Royal Courts of Justice, they find for you.

"It goes to the bailiffs who can't do anything because they couldn't track him down.

"The whole process of the law has delivered it and then at the final moment, nothing - and Thomas Flight knows this," said Mr Grace.

'Absolutely Baltic'

Jason Pacey booked to stay at Stonnwall Manor in March 2016.

"We had issues with the heating, when we called the emergency number they fobbed us off, saying the heating was fine.

"We were told that any calls to that number were chargeable. It was absolutely Baltic," he said.

"To add insult to injury, when it came to getting our pet deposit of £200 back, he insisted we complete the following agreement:

' I, the sender of the email, accept the deductions to my deposit and accept a £200 refund as full and final settlement in this matter and understand that neither party can make any claims, legal or otherwise, in the future regarding this matter. In addition neither party can discuss this matter with any third party or on social media or review sites or similar."

The BBC contacted legal experts at Shelter who did not believe this was binding in their opinion. After several weeks, the £200 was refunded.

Another holidaymaker who received abusive emails was Louisa Loughborough.

She booked to stay at Stonnwall Manor in 2021 for her 40th birthday.

She paid her deposit, but then the lockdown rules changed. She was offered a chance to re-book, but asked if she could have her money back, declining alternate dates.

She was sent emails from UK Group Self Catering reading: "It is disgusting you are knowingly twisting matters to suit your narrative then using silly threats to pressure us...our customer service has been excellent faced with constant wrongs, criticism, inaction, repetition of questions, false claims.

"[The owners] have suffered huge losses, and selfish inaction by people like you serves to compound such losses."

"Reading it made me feel really anxious," said Ms Loughborough.

"They really gaslight you and it made me feel like I was being unreasonable and I did start to think 'Perhaps I shouldn't have pursued this, perhaps I was being unreasonable?'

"I don't know how [Thomas Flight] sleeps at night, I think he's a total scumbag that doesn't care about people's feelings and causing people stress," she said.

The BBC has made multiple attempts to contact Mr Flight but has had no response.

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Landlord fined £12,000 for exploiting tenants

• Published 13 January 2023

Tenants of rogue landlord speak out

• Published 3 February 2023

Miss Conduct

Who are these owners? Arab oil tycoons, Russian Oligarchs? Hollywood moguls? No. Just two ordinary (possibly eccentric) people from ordinary backgrounds, who having lived and operated a number of successful businesses in Bristol since 1990 decided that after travelling the world that Bristol was the best City on the planet.

Why do two people need such a big yacht? Around 25% of the yacht (the back end) has been partitioned off to make a large two level meeting space and venue for their philanthropic projects, particularly fundraising, plus pleasant accommodation for their extended families and wide circle of business friends who they want to introduce to the City. 

In the words of the owners "Bristol has been good for us and our businesses, we have been lucky enough to have had great success in Bristol and we want to give something back to the city in the form of what we are good at - a little glamour, fun, connecting people and lots of charity work for good causes.

Where is the yacht registered? Virgin Islands? Panama? Cayman Islands? No. Tax paying Brizzle !

Why was she renamed yacht "Miss Conduct"? In the words of the owners "in this particular harbour full of historic vessels our boat is by comparison quite a young girl so she couldn't named Lady this or Lady that, she had to be a 'Miss" to show some respect to the other boats. We didn't want a posh name, we've done well but we're not posh people. We wanted a fun name like Miss Endeavour and Miss Understood and even toyed with Miss Appropriation of Funds! However, Miss Conduct stuck because after our somewhat whirlwind personal life which presented some rather unusual setbacks, opportunities and surprises - the cheeky Miss Conduct just seemed to fit. Our moto is "if you can't set a good example to others then you must serve as a terrible reminder!" 

Although very well known in their community and wider circle of friends the current owners are very private people when it comes to the general public and don't wish their names to be published

The Home Safe Scheme

Bristol private landlord with yacht named "miss conduct" guilty of misconduct and ordered to pay £37,000 in fines and costs for exploiting tenants.

Harry Ulaeto - 13 January 2023 - Category: PRS Industry News

Rogue private rented sector landlord Thomas Flight pleaded guilty to committing consumer protection offences against his tenants at Bristol Crown Court after an investigation by Bristol Council's private housing team into his use of false identities and fake letting agencies.

The landlord was described as having used "an elaborate web of misinformation designed to exploit his tenants" and was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay the council's costs of £25,000. He has also reportedly repaid £10,646 to the tenants that he exploited. After a number of court hearings the landlord came to an agreement with the council to plead guilty to 4 of the 6 charges levelled against him.

The council had received complaints between June 2019 and January 2021 about a property management business which operated under a range of different names from an address in Portland Square in Bristol. This meant that it couldn't be discerned by tenants who they were actually dealing with or who was ultimately responsible for resolving problems that arose. The council's private housing team worked with a colleague in trading standards to trace money paid by the tenants back to Mr Flight who had used "various companies and trading names to receive rent, fees and deposits" thus hiding his true identity from his tenants.

His exploits enabled him to take and keep security deposits from tenants and not return them when required and to charge illegal and hidden fees to his tenants. Tenants also received "made-up" landlord and letting agent information. Even during one of the court hearings Mr Flight provided documentary information to Bristol Council officers which turned out to be false.

Cllr. Tom Renhard , Cabinet Member for Housing delivery and Homes, said "Mr Flight took advantage of tenants and that is simply not acceptable. We will continue to do all we can to pursue unscrupulous landlords where evidence of criminal exploitation is found". The council said that Mr Flight was not banned from letting properties as the offences did not come with the list of banning offences under the Housing and Planning Act 2016.

With the culmination of legal proceedings meaning the case and the extraordinary history behind Mr Flight's practices can be fully reported, The Bristol Cable has a full and eyeopening report on this particular private rented sector saga including how Mr Flight allegedly harassed some of his tenants beyond his commercial falsehoods.

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Owner of 'Miss Conduct' yacht guilty of being 'rogue landlord'

Thomas Flight ripped off tenants while he lives on board the yacht with the helicopter on the roof

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American superyacht used by Donald Trump docks at Bristol harbour

Its secret owners say they want to give "a little glamour" back to the city

• 13:29, 13 DEC 2021

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A private superyacht that was once a floating restaurant where celebrities dined has docked in Bristol.

The 40 metre-long ‘Miss Conduct’ vessel was originally built in Florida and is now owned by two unnamed Bristol businessmen, who converted it from a dinner cruise ship into their home and charity headquarters.

The yacht arrived at Wapping Wharf over the weekend after being transported from Avonmouth.

READ MORE: Bristol restaurants and bars gearing up for more Covid restrictions

Built in 1987, it was based in New York for 20 years and became a popular dinner cruise venue, with billionaire George Soros and Donald Trump said to be among regular guests.

The yacht was once hired by a film company for the 1989 hit film Arthur II starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli.

In 2000 it ranked as the 195th largest private yacht in the world, having slipped down the list as larger vessels were built.

Capable of transporting 175 passengers and crew, Miss Conduct has six engines and costs £53,000 to fill up with fuel. It also has a helicopter pad for guests who arrive by air.

After an eight-month refit, the owners and crew sailed Miss Conduct across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.

The voyage took 28 days at sea but the whole journey took much longer as she stopped off at Bermuda, the Azores and Barry Island.

She then underwent another very long refit and paint job in Sharpness where she was converted from an energy guzzling 1990s vessel to one of the most eco-friendly superyachts in Europe, according to a spokesperson for the owners.

The bilge pump outs go through special pollution filters to prevent any water contamination.

The Miss Conduct also runs on standard red diesel (not polluting heavy oil) and can even run on biodiesel/green diesel made from domestic vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled restaurant grease, removing overall emissions by up to 75 per cent.

Around 25 per cent of the yacht (the back end) has been partitioned off to make a large two-level meeting space and venue for the owners’ philanthropic projects, particularly fundraising, plus accommodation for their extended families and wide circle of business friends who they want to introduce to the city.

The owners, who want to keep their identities secret, said in a statement: “Bristol has been good for us and our businesses, we have been lucky enough to have had great success in Bristol and we want to give something back to the city in the form of what we are good at - a little glamour, fun, connecting people and lots of charity work for good causes.”

'We're not posh people'

Speaking of the yacht's name, they added: " In this particular harbour full of historic vessels our boat is by comparison quite a young girl, so she couldn't named Lady this or Lady that - she had to be a 'Miss" to show some respect to the other boats.

"We didn't want a posh name, we've done well but we're not posh people.

"Miss Conduct stuck because after our somewhat whirlwind personal life which presented some rather unusual setbacks, opportunities and surprises, the cheeky Miss Conduct just seemed to fit. Our motto is 'if you can't set a good example to others then you must serve as a terrible reminder!'"

They were described by their spokesperson as " two ordinary (possibly eccentric) people from ordinary backgrounds, who having lived and operated a number of successful businesses in Bristol since 1990, decided that after travelling the world that Bristol was the best city on the planet".

"The owners are proud to present her as, albeit a little glitzy, another new Bristol landmark in this great city they call home," they added.

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Passage to Siberia: Exploring historic Tyumen

Tyumen. View up the Tura River. From left: Church of the Elevation of the Cross, School of Commerce, Trinity Monastery with Church of Sts. Peter and Paul and Trinity Cathedral. September 4, 1999

At the beginning of the 20th century, Russian chemist and photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky developed a complex process for vivid color photography. His vision of photography as a form of education and enlightenment was demonstrated with special clarity through his images of architectural monuments in the historic sites throughout the Russian heartland.

Tyumen. View up the Tura River. From left: Annunciation Cathedral (demolished); Church of Elevation of the Cross; Church of the Ascension & St. George; Trinity Monastery. Summer 1912

In June 1912, Prokudin-Gorsky ventured into western Siberia as part of a commission to document the Kama-Tobolsk Waterway, a link between the European and Asian sides of the Ural Mountains. The town of Tyumen served as his launching point for the journey north to Tobolsk, on the Irtysh River.

Cathedral of Icon of Virgin of the Sign, south view. August 29, 1999

During his journey, Prokudin-Gorsky took several extraordinarily valuable photographs of both Tyumen and Tobolsk . My photographs of Tyumen and Tobolsk were taken in the late Summer of 1999.

Humble beginnings

Cathedral of Icon of Virgin of the Sign, southwest view. August 29, 1999

Considered the earliest permanent Russian settlement in Siberia, Tyumen was founded in 1586 on the site of a Tatar encampment at the confluence of the Tura and Tiumenka Rivers. The initiative for its creation came from Boris Godunov, the power behind the throne of Tsar Fedor (son of Ivan the Terrible) and, eventually, to become tsar himself in 1598. 

Cathedral of Icon of Virgin of the Sign, south facade. August 29, 1999

Godunov was closely allied with the Stroganovs, who from their commercial center at the northern town of Solvychegodsk had sent a detachment of Cossacks commanded by a certain Yermak deep into Siberia to challenge the power of the ruler of Siberian Tatars, Khan Kuchum. Although the precise dates are open to question, it appears that, in the Fall of 1581, Yermak captured Chingi-Tura (later Tyumen), but abandoned his conquest, in order to proceed straight to Kashlyk, capital of Khan Kuchum, whom Yermak defeated in 1582 during a battle near the Irtysh River. 

Church of the Miraculous Image of the Savior, southwest view. Originally built in 1794-1819, this is an excellent example of "Siberian Baroque" architecture. August 29, 1999

Following Yermak’s death in a surprise Tatar raid in 1584, his conquests remained temporarily unconsolidated after his death. Nonetheless, Boris Godunov was aware of the enormous significance of Siberia and launched a campaign to found settlements, as he did in other border areas of the medieval Muscovite state.

Church of the Ascension & St. George, south view. Originally built in 1770-89, defaced during the 1930s & restored after 2003 with rebuilding of bell tower. September 4, 1999

Like other early Russian Siberian towns, Tyumen originally served as a garrison fortress for Cossacks and other troops, who protected newly developing trade routes in all directions. The eastern connections with China gained particular importance during the 17th century. 

Location, Location, Location

Church of the Elevation of the Cross, southeast view. Built in 1774-91. August 29, 1999

Tyumen’s location on the Tura River also provided a direct link westward with the gateway town of Verkhoturye founded by Boris Godunov on the Asian side of the Ural Mountains in 1598. And to the east and north of Tyumen, the Tura River merges with the Tobol, which in turn joins the great Irtysh near Tobolsk. By virtue of its location, Tyumen was destined from the beginning to play a significant role in the Russian development of Siberia.

City Council Building. Originally built in 1828-33 in a simplified neoclassical style. Chiming clock was added in 1857. August 29, 1999

The opening of Siberia for Russian colonization during the late 16th and 17th centuries was an epic confrontation between the vast distances of this severe land and the enterprise of Russian merchants, whose commercial interests coincided with the tsars’ appetite for eastern expansion. Although its rivers were only tributaries of the Irtysh (itself a tributary of the great Ob River), Tyumen was well situated to utilize Siberia’s vast water network.      

Kolokolnikov house, corner of Republic Street 18 & Turgenev Street. Originally built in 1804 by the merchant Ivan Ikonnikov, this superb example of classical wooden architecture was acquired in 1888 by the merchant Ivan Kolokolnikov, who modified the original design. August 29, 1999

Like most early Russian towns in Siberia, Tyumen originally served as a fortified settlement for Cossacks and other troops, who in the 17th century protected newly developing trade routes, particularly with China. 

Nikolai Masharov mansion, Lenin Street 24. Built in the late 19th century by the founder of the Tyumen Ironworks. August 29, 1999

When the southern boundary of Moscow’s Asian territory became more settled during the 18th century, Tyumen’s importance increased for the development of transportation as well as small commercial and industrial enterprises. Its status as a transportation nexus also involved the exile system, which sent convicts and political exiles throughout Siberia.

Orthodox Church HQ

Commercial building (corner of Republic & Kirov Streets) built by the merchant Nikolai Yadryshnikov in 1897. Example of highly decorated "brick style" favored for commercial buildings in late 19th century. August 29, 1999

As a regional administrative point for western Siberia, Tyumen rapidly became a center of the Russian Orthodox Church. Its Trinity Monastery was founded in 1616 on the high right bank of the Tura River. Originally dedicated to the Transfiguration, the monastery was a modest collection of log buildings until its transformation in the early part of the 18th century by an energetic Ukrainian prelate, Bishop Fyodor Leshchinsky.          

School of Commerce (now Engineering Institute). Completed in 1914 during a Siberian building boom stimulated by development of commerce along the TransSiberian Railway. August 29, 1999

As an ally of Peter the Great, Bishop Fyodor saw architecture as a reflection of a broad cultural transformation and the Church of the Trinity that he built at the monastery in 1709-1715 is Tyumen’s earliest surviving building. Gutted during the Soviet era, the Trinity Church has been renovated (with modifications) together with its neighbor, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, built in 1741-1755. Fortunately, Prokudin-Gorsky photographed both shrines in 1912. 

Tekutyev Crafts School, Dzerzhinsky Street 2. Completed in 1914, the building is a fine example of provincial "style moderne". August 29, 1999

These early examples of a provincial baroque style served as a model for other 18th-century churches in Tyumen, culminating with the lavish Cathedral of the Icon of the Virgin of the Sign (Znamensky), which has recently been splendidly refurbished. Built in several phases between 1768 and 1891, the cathedral displays the florid decoration typical of much of Siberian church architecture.            

Submitting Siberia

Shaichik mansion, Lenin Street 47. Built in 1914 by Yankel Shaichik, major store owner & trader in dry goods. August 29, 1999

The daunting vastness of Siberia’s reaches gradually submitted in the 19th century to new forms of transportation. The first steamboat to ply a Siberian river was constructed here in 1838. 

Burkov house, Dzerzhinsky Street 30. Built at turn of 20th century by Vasily Burkov, trader in Siberian grain on an international level (China, Japan). August 29, 1999

The greatest impulse for economic growth came with the completion of a railroad from Yekaterinburg, on the east slope of the Ural Mountains in 1885. This line ultimately became an important segment of the Trans-Siberian Railroad, transporting the wealth of Siberia’s forests, mines and new agricultural regions, as well as leather and other products of local factories. 

Kozlov house, Turgenev Street 9. Built at end of 19th century by Ivan & Maria Kozlov, local merchants. August 29, 1999

At the turn of the 20th century, over half a million settlers passed through the town toward Siberia’s open, fertile lands. Fortunately, remnants of this period have survived in the central part of the city. 

Nikolaevskoe (Nicholas) Primary School, Lenin Street 5. Wooden building constructed in 1897 as part of a public schools network. August 29, 1999

This memory of the past is especially evident in the city’s remarkable wooden houses, with elaborate framed and carved window surrounds in a style specific to Tyumen. These massive window constructions often include carved panels below the sill as an additional decorative and protective device.

Wooden houses. L:eft: Volodarsky Street. Built at end of 19th century, the house has exuberant carved decorative window frames. Right: Komsomol Street. Built around 1900 as a wing of the A. G. Andreev estate, this small structure displays remarkable examples of decorative fretwork. August, 1999

Their solid construction allowed rows of large windows in wooden houses even in this harsh climate, thus bringing maximum available light to interiors during the long Siberian winters.

The present & future  

Log apartment house, no. 57 (street unknown; house may have been demolished). Fine example of carved window frames on typical log structure. August 29, 1999

Tyumen today is the capital of an enormous province - stretching from Kazakhstan in Central Asia north to the Arctic Ocean - that is one of the world’s richest energy producing regions. Tyumen has benefited from this bounty of natural resources and is at present one of the few Siberian cities to show major population growth: from slightly over half a million in the 2002 census to some 850,000 in the latest estimate. As usual in Siberian cities, most residents live beyond the historic center in Soviet-era housing developments.           

Minshutin house, Vodoprovodnaia Street 43. Built in 1891, the house was restored in 1998 by architect A. Klimchenko with decorative window frames carved by Vadim Sheetov. September 4, 1999

A walk through the historic center of town shows vivid contrasts of modest pre-revolutionary brick and wooden buildings, rarely more than two stories in height, with ponderous Soviet buildings and sleek new commercial centers. Some of the new structures are private apartment houses, others are banks and office buildings and still others form a part of the expanding Tyumen State University. 

Minshutin house, detail of decorative carving by Vadim Sheetov. September 4, 1999

In the early 20th century, Russian photographer Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky developed a complex process for color photography. Between 1903 and 1916, he traveled through the Russian Empire and took over 2,000 photographs with the process, which involved three exposures on a glass plate. In August 1918, he left Russia and ultimately resettled in France where he was reunited with a large part of his collection of glass negatives, as well as 13 albums of contact prints. After his death in Paris in 1944, his heirs sold the collection to the Library of Congress. In the early 21st century, the Library digitized the Prokudin-Gorsky Collection and made it freely available to the global public. A few Russian websites now have versions of the collection. In 1986, architectural historian and photographer William Brumfield organized the first exhibit of Prokudin-Gorsky photographs at the Library of Congress. Over a period of work in Russia beginning in 1970, Brumfield has photographed most of the sites visited by Prokudin-Gorsky. This series of articles juxtaposes Prokudin-Gorsky’s views of architectural monuments with photographs taken by Brumfield decades later.

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The full, bloody story behind the closure of Hidden Corner Cafe

When a millionaire, yacht-owning rogue landlord evicted the owners of a well-loved St Pauls cafe, it sparked protests. And now, two years on, a clearer picture of the messy situation has emerged…

Illustration: Sophia Checkley

When the owners of Hidden Corner Cafe in St Pauls were evicted in October 2021, the local community turned out in force to support them. A week of protests were held outside the well-loved and inclusive space, which had been bolted shut with heavy chains by the landlord – a millionaire businessman who would later receive criminal convictions for the deceitful and illegal practices he deployed against his other tenants in the same building.

Aaron Onuora and Sophia Khan, the cafe’s owners, said at the time that they had been turfed out illegally and without proper warning. They said the landlord – owner of Bristol harbour’s ‘Miss Conduct’ yacht, Thomas Flight – had falsely claimed that they hadn’t been paying their rent on time and were in breach of their lease. More than that, they said he had been harassing them and taunting them by washing his Rolls Royce outside their home.

Some of the couple’s claims were reported by local media, but the full story behind the closure of the cafe in the affluent Portland Square, and the relationship between its owners and their landlord, has so far remained untold. Two years on, the Cable can finally reveal what happened, now that a police investigation and criminal trial over an alleged assault on Flight, 56, and his husband, a man in his 60s, has come to an end.

A week before Aaron and Sophia were locked out of their cafe, punches were thrown, noses were broken and Flight was allegedly knocked unconscious, his forehead split open and left pouring with blood. The landlord told police that he and his partner were the victims of an unprovoked and “savage” attack at the hands of Aaron, a 34-year-old television actor, and his 56-year-old father Ifem Onuora, Premier League football’s head of equality and diversity.

But when their case reached Bristol Crown Court last week, it was Flight’s threatening, deceitful illegal practices and behaviour as a landlord that took centre stage. A jury, after hearing five days of evidence, acquitted Aaron and his father after their barristers argued that it was in fact the landlord and his business partners who were the aggressors. They said their accounts – as landlords known for “deceiving and lying” to their tenants – were not credible.

‘We don’t want to become enemies’

The story begins a couple of months earlier, on a hot summer’s day in July 2021, as a boozy, noisy hen party is in full swing on the roof of the penthouse suite above the cafe. Flight had begun renting out some of his eight apartments in the building on Airbnb – they form just a small part of his large property portfolio that includes a castle and manor house in Frome and the ‘Miss Conduct’ yacht in Bristol Harbour.

The noisy group, who could be heard singing Is This The Way to Amarillo from streets away, sparked complaints from cafe customers below and neighbours in the streets surrounding the square. Aaron, 34, who was working in the cafe that day, forwarded the complaints to the landlord, although he didn’t know his real name at the time.

“Lots of people were coming from streets away, coming into the cafe saying ‘what is going on,” Aaron, told a jury, giving evidence to his assault trial at Bristol Crown Court last week. “I emailed the property management and said there was a very loud party upstairs, to let them know that people were leaving the cafe as a result of the noise and people coming and asking about [the party].”

He didn’t get a response to the email, but a couple of days later received a phone call from Flight on an unknown number. “He said that his management company had been in touch about [Hidden Corner] giving discounts to Airbnb guests, Aaron told the court. “I said it’s not something we could do as a new business, and he said ‘we don’t want to become enemies’, and went on to say that I was in breach of my lease.”

It was this refusal to offer Flight’s Airbnb guests a discount and claims of a breach of lease that was the “catalyst for the dysfunctional relationship” between the landlord and tenant, Judge Michael Cullum, who presided over the assault trial and an earlier case involving Flight’s dodgy landlord practices, told the jury in his summary of the evidence on Wednesday (October 4).

Asked in court under cross-examination how Aaron and Sophia were in breach of the lease, Flight said the cafe owners had been holding meze evenings and serving alcohol out of agreed operating hours – although Aaron said this was not explained to him at the time. Flight said Aaron was simply against the idea of having Airbnbs in the local area, and did not understand that offering them discounts could benefit him as a business owner.

When Flight called him, Aaron was in Leeds working on the set of Emmerdale. At the time he was playing the role of Ellis Chapman in the soap. “I got a call over the Tannoy,” he said, “and I [told Flight] that I have to go back to work but [said] let’s continue the conversation… When I finished work I had an email saying that the lease had been terminated.”

The next day, when Aaron was back in Bristol, he went to a local shop to get some milk for the cafe. Flight, he said, came in after him. “I asked him about the email, and said this seems very extreme to be terminating our lease… I asked why he made that threat, that I ‘don’t want to become enemies’, and he got pretty agitated.” 

Aaron said that he remained “calm” in that situation but that later he received an email from Flight’s management company. The cafe owner told the court: “[The email from Flight said] ‘after your conduct in the shop, I have no other choice but to put you on a monthly rolling contract with a new lease’… He said that I followed him into the shop, that I seemed angry and that I accosted him.”

The cafe owner said he later asked to see a copy of the new lease that he was never shown. The Cable understands that the new terms were at no point agreed and that Aaron and Sophia remained on their original five-year contract, which according to the couple had a six-month break clause that Flight tried to use against them.

‘If you’re not careful I’ll get the boys round’ 

Fast forward two months, to the morning of 26 September. Aaron arrived at the cafe to find that the electricity meter had run out overnight, causing their fridge freezer to start leaking. There was a pool of water on the floor that he began mopping up. 

The building’s meter system meant he and Sophia had to purchase cards to top up the cafe’s electricity, but the court heard how these cards could only be purchased from an office in the building one day a week – on Wednesdays, between 9am and 5pm. They were forced to pay a surcharge if they needed to buy cards outside of this time. It was never clear to Aaron and Sophia how long the cards would last and impossible to know when they would run out of credit. 

“Flight came into the cafe [that day] talking about this leak into the basement flat,” Aaron told the jury, after explaining the tenants downstairs had already told him there had been no damage. “I said the meter card had run out [overnight] and [Flight] said ‘you just top it up you fucking idiot.”

He said he explained to Flight that had cards been available but that the electricity running out was unavoidable because it happened overnight, when Aaron and Sophia were not around to insert a new card into the meter.

Aaron said that Flight showed him damage to a mattress that he had just removed from the basement property and put in his van. He said the landlord began demanding that he paid for the damages despite it being clear that the damage was not caused from the leak that occurred overnight. The mattress was old and worn out and the stains, he said, were old.

What followed was a dispute in the street. Aaron said he told Flight that he would not pay for the damage he did not cause and that the landlord told him, in a threatening and aggressive tone: “If you’re not careful I’ll get the boys round.” 

Flight, giving evidence in court, denied this. He said that he did not threaten Aaron, and that by “offering to get the boys round” he meant that he would get his maintenance employees to help resolve issues at the premises. He said his words had been “twisted” to make him sound like a “mafia don”.

But Emma Love, a woman who lived across the street and heard the exchange and knew the cafe owners only as a customer, corroborated Aaron’s version of events. She told the court that Flight appeared aggressive, that she sensed a “landlord-tenant power dynamic”, and that Flight’s words “get the boys round” sounded threatening.

Josh Balker, who used to run a cafe in the building before Hidden Corner Cafe opened, also took the stand as a witness for the defence. After explaining that the reason he closed his business was due to the “difficulty” he had with Flight, he said he had been charged for the water damage to the basement flat that Flight had been trying to get Aaron to pay for.

Sean Sullivan, defence barrister acting for Aaron, accused Flight of trying to “diddle” the couple out of cash, like he had done to his residential tenants in the building, many of whom were young students, charging them unreasonable and sometimes illegal fees and charges. Details of this were exposed when Flight was sentenced for various trading standard offences in January.

“I am a millionaire who made my money fifteen odd years ago through one of the largest video and production companies in the UK,” Flight responded from the witness stand, where he also boasted that he owned not just one by two Rolls Royce cars, adding that he was too wealthy to “bother chasing after a couple hundred quid here and there”.

Sullivan interjected, saying “but diddle them you did,” before explaining to the jury how he set up a complex business structure to hide his identity from his tenants, and from authorities who investigated him over his illegal practices, which included misleading his tenants by hiding behind fake names and addresses.

It was this context that the defence used to convince the jury that the assault allegations Flight and his husband and business partner Steeley were making against Aaron and his father were not credible. But how then did the landlord end up slumped on the floor in the lobby of his Portland Square building, blood pouring from his forehead?

Wildly different stories 

At about 5pm on 28 September 2021, after the landlord and Aaron’s altercation and a week before Aaron and Sophia were locked out of their cafe, Flight, Steeley and their employee and best friend Connor Williamson were moving things from a van into the basement apartment in the building. Like the rest of their residential properties, they were converting it into a luxury Airbnb.

Aaron was in the cafe with his mother Helen and his father Ifem, who was visiting the place for the first time. Ifem had been told that his son was having trouble with the landlord – specifically that he had been threatening him with the termination of his lease.

Ifem decided to speak to the landlords, he said to try to “broker a solution” to the issues, and he approached Steeley on the street while he was unloading items from a van. What followed was disputed in court, which first heard the accounts of Flight and his husband, who said they were victims of an unprovoked and vicious attack.

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Steeley said that Ifem approached him in the doorway of the building, while Flight and Williamson were inside. He told the court: “I told [Ifem] that I am very busy, but obviously I’m very intimidated… I wasn’t happy for him to be inside. He was quite athletic in build and came across as quite aggressive.”

He said that at some point, near the door inside the lobby, Ifem grabbed him by the throat and pushed him against the wall. “He brought his face right up to mine and said ‘I’m Aaron’s father, you need to lay off… I said to [Williamson] ‘please go and get Tom,’ who was down in the flat downstairs.”

The court heard how Flight, after being alerted by Williamson, came rushing up the stairs. Giving evidence, Flight said that he saw Ifem had his husband pinned to the wall and that when he approached them, Ifem turned and began attacking him, punching him twice before his husband grabbed hold of his arms.

“[Ifem] turned around and started laying into me, Flight told the court. “After that it was quite a scuffle, quite a haze… They were both striking me with their fists,” he added, explaining that Aaron at this point had arrived and joined in the attack. “Throughout the whole thing there was one of them on me, both of them on me. Harry [Steeley] would get them off me, he would take some knocks… it was unbelieve, they were like a pack of animals. It was absolutely savage.”

Flight suffered a deep wound to his forehead – it needed 17 stitches –  which he claimed happened as a result of Aaron and or Ifem kicking or stamping on him. Steeley suffered a broken nose, bruising to his neck and a black eye. The Onuoras – according to police reports – suffered no visible injuries, although Ifem said he came out in bruises but they did not show at the time because of his darker skin.

Asked by crown prosecutor Alun Williams if he lost consciousness during the assault, Flight told the jury that he did for a few seconds but that it felt like “ages” and he awoke “seeing stars”. He said that when he came around both Aaron and Ifem had left the property and that Williamson had called the police.

After hearing this version of the story, Sean Sullivan, defence barrister acting for Aaron, described Flight, Steeley and Williamson as a “trio of prosecution witnesses who promised to tell the truth, under oath, but lied.” He told the jury that Flight and Steeley had treated them like they had their tenants — by lying and trying to deceive them. 

Aaron, and then later Ifem, told the jury their version of events, which amounted to a wildly different story, and one that showed Flight and Steeley to be the aggressors who simply “came off worse” when Aaron and Ifem were forced to defend themselves.

“I thought I would go next door and try to broker a kind of resolution,” Ifem said from the witness stand. “I went outside to the van, I said ‘hi guys, listen, can I have a quick word with you’. They [Steeley and Williamson] didn’t really acknowledge me, carried on moving things from the car into the lobby of the premises next door.”

Ifem said that he continued trying to get Steeley’s attention and when they were both in the doorway to the lobby Steeley began trying to usher him outside. It’s at this point, he said, that Flight came rushing upstairs from the basement flat.

“[Flight] started charging towards me with his head down and then his fists came flailing,” Ifem told the jury. “He tried to strike me, it was a bit wild, a bit surreal because I’ve gone from what I thought would be a reasonable conversation to fists flying at me. Some caught me.”

He said Steeley then got hold of his arms to restrain him as Flight continued to throw punches. As he tried to wriggle free, Ifem said, his arm or elbow connected with something and that he lost balance and began stumbling backwards.

“There were punches being exchanged,” he said. “[Flight] was kind of on top of me, and Aaron goes to grab him and throw him off me. I have a pain in my knee that is kicking in, and I’m half stumbling to my feet.”

Aaron separately told the court how he came into the lobby from the cafe after hearing “banging”. He said he arrived in the lobby to find Flight attacking his father, and that he pulled the landlord off of him.

Ifem told the court: “I think it’s hard to try to think about it. I’ve got three guys who I don’t know attacking me, two more than the other, I don’t know if they’ve got a weapon or anything… A little bit of fear kicked in… I started to realise this is kind of a survival situation, I started lashing out, flailing arms… I definitely caught one or two of them… then Helen” – Aaron’s mother – “came in and told everyone to stop, which had the desired effect.”

The injury to Flight’s forehead – the most serious suffered in the incident, which became the focus point of the evidence in the case – was not caused by Aaron or Ifem, they both told the court. Instead the wound was caused when the landlord fell, hitting his head on a fire extinguisher in the lobby. Ifem told the court how he could smell alcohol during the encounter, suggesting that this might have been the reason for his fall.

According to two expert witnesses who gave evidence to the trial – one a consultant in emergency medicine, the other a consultant forensic physician — Flight’s injury was “consistent with a fall or push against the fire extinguisher… there was no bruising or swelling… so this is more likely to be the result of a fall onto an object with a sharp edge rather than a punch or kick to the forehead”.

Defence barrister Sullivan said that if Aaron or Ifem had caused the landlord’s wound by kicking or stamping on him then there would have been blood on their shoes or clothing. The police did not seize any items of clothing when they attended the scene and arrested the Onuoras, he told the jury, because there was no such evidence.

He said the jury ultimately had to decide whose accounts were more credible, landlords known to deceive their tenants, or two men known to be upstanding members of the community with no previous convictions and glowing character references – some from notable public figures.

Character references for both Aaron and Ifem were read to the jury, including one from Game of Thrones Star Faye Marsay, a friend and former housemate of Aaron. She described him as “kind and warm, with a strong moral compass”. Ifem was described by Dr Claire-Marie Roberts, head of elite development for Premier League football, as a “rational, calm and logical” man whose “emotional intelligence and control are valued by our team and myself.”

A two-year nightmare

After about three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of not guilty to all three assault charges brought against Aaron and Ifem – the most serious of which, assault by unlawful wounding, carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

The two of them wept in the dock as the jury’s unanimous decision was handed down. Flight and Steeley were not present in court, which was full of Aaron and Ifem’s family and friends – many who had sat through the entire week of proceedings.

While this brought an end to, as Sullivan put it, a “two-year nightmare” for Ifem and Aaron, this is not the end of the story. A legal battle over the legality of Aaron and Sophia’s eviction, after which the couple lost not just their business but the £25,000 they spent on equipment and refurbishment – is still to take place. 

Meanwhile, despite his convictions, Flight remains in the property business as an Airbnb landlord.

If you’ve been affected by tenancy issues like the ones raised in this article, we want to hear from you. Contact: [email protected]

• I'm a reporter for the Cable, specialising in social issues and investigations.
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Brilliant in-depth reporting, Sean, thanks and congratulations! I wish it was indeed the end of the story, but keep up the good work either way!

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Understand [ edit ]

Tyumen was founded in 1586 as the first Russian settlement in Siberia. During World War II, the city grew rapidly as many industries relocated further away from the war.

The region has plentiful oil resources and the city is now home to many companies in the Russian oil and gas industry. As a result, Tyumen has the highest GDP per capita of all cities in Russia, even higher than that of Moscow.

Get in [ edit ]

By plane [ edit ], by train [ edit ].

All Trans-Siberian trains stop at Tyumen . Travel time is 36-48 hours from Moscow . 57.145886 65.522885 2 Tyumen railway station is located at ulitsa Privokzal'naya, 22, south of the city centre.

By marshrutka [ edit ]

By taxi [ edit ].

Taxis are plentiful and you can even negotiate hourly rates.

See [ edit ]

Monuments [ edit ]

Tyumen has many unique statues and monuments.

• Monument to the Homeless Dog
• Monument to students from Tyumen Schools Who Did Not Come Back From The War
• Monument to Conductor
• Lenin Statue
• Monument to Machine Tool Builders
• Sculpture Harp
• Father Statue
• Happiness Tree Sculpture
• Sculpture of Street Cleaner
• Monument of Mother
• Monument to the Janitor
• Monument to Yuri Hervieu
• Monument to Liquidators
• Fountain-Monument to Tyumen Oblast
• Monument to Afghan Soldiers
• City Garden Monument
• Monument to Country Doctor
• Monument to the Postman
• Monument to Workers in Rear Area
• Monument to Grigoriy Rasputin
• Globe Monument

Religious buildings [ edit ]

• Church of the Saviour
• Holy Trinity Men's Monastery
• Znamenskiy Cathedral
• Saint Archangel Michael Church
• Holy Cross Temple
• Saint George Ascension Church
• Saint Dmitriy of Don Temple
• Saint Nicholas Temple
• The Temple in Honor of the Annunciation
• Tyumen Chapel
• Tyumen Synagogue

Museums [ edit ]

• The Kolokolnikovs' Estate Museum Complex
• City Council Local History Museum
• Fine Arts Museum
• Masharov's House Museum

Do [ edit ]

• Walk along the embankment of the Tura River. Walk across the Bridge of Lovers, a pedestrian bridge.
• Tyumen Drama Theatre - ul. Respubliki, 129 (+7 345 240-98-23)
• Tyumen Puppet Theater

Parks [ edit ]

• Tsvetnoy Park is a beautiful park that includes the Monument to the Homeless Dog.
• City Park of Culture and Leisure
• Forest Park of Gagarin
• Park of Deputies
• Gilevskaya Grove
• Siberian Cats Park
• Victory Park

Buy [ edit ]

• Solnechnyy Mall
• Premyer Mall
• Galeria Voyage Mall

Eat [ edit ]

There is a McDonald's restaurant in the park at ul. Lenina #54.

• Assorti Restaurant , ul. Babarynka, 1к6 , ☏ +7 345 223-42-34 . Pizza, sushi, soups, and various menu options.  

Sleep [ edit ]

With the exception of some high-end hotels, all hotels and hostels offer free WiFi and many have computer terminals. Almost all accept credit cards. Hotels and hostels will usually provide a visa invitation and registration for an additional fee.

Splurge [ edit ]

• 57.153643 65.547471 1 DoubleTree by Hilton Tyumen , ul. Ordzhonikidze, 46 ( in the city centre ), ☏ +7 345 249-40-40 . Check-in: 15:00 , check-out: 12:00 . 40-inch LED TVs, indoor heated swimming pool, beauty salon, solarium, room service. ( updated Nov 2018 )

Learn [ edit ]

There are 3 universities and several colleges.

Connect [ edit ]

Consulates [ edit ], go next [ edit ].

• Has custom banner
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Tyumen, Russia

Tours, Attractions and Things To Do in Tyumen

Tyumen travel guide.

• 2. Attractions
• 3. Souvenirs

History of Tyumen

Prior to Russian rule, the Tatar city of Chimgi-Tura marked the site of modern Tyumen, Russia and served as the capital of the Siberian Khanate. In 1586, Tyumen was the very first city to be founded by the Russians in Siberia. Part of the Ural Region until 1944, today it is the administrative center of Tyumen Region and one of Russia’s key industrial and cultural centers.

The name of the city is still a mystery to researchers. Some suggest that it came from the Tatar word "tumen", meaning "army of ten thousand", while others speculate that the name is a combination of the words "tyu" and "myana", which together mean "my property". Today in the Tatar language, the word "tyumen" literally translates as "lowland", which is an appropriate term for a city which straddles the Tura River.

Whichever theory is accurate, one thing is for sure: today there is something in Tyumen to surprise and delight any traveler desiring to experience firsthand the mysterious romance of Siberia .

Tyumen Attractions

Most Tyumen city tours begin at Tura River Embankment, one of the area’s most scenic spots from which sweeping views of Holy Trinity Monastery and Church of the Holy Cross Exaltation open up from Lovers’ Bridge.

Historical Square marks the site of Tyumen’s earliest settlements. Not far from Historical Square is Holy Trinity Monastery, which opened in 1616 and is the oldest surviving hermitage in the city today. One of Tyumen’s most significant religious sites, it attracts many Orthodox pilgrims from Western Siberia and the Urals. The monastery is accompanied by a gorgeous green square which is particularly beautiful in spring when the apple trees are in bloom.

An equally important religious monument is Znamensky Cathedral (Cathedral of the Sign), located in Tyumen’s historical center. The original 17th- century church was wooden, but after repeatedly burning down it was replaced the following century with a stone cathedral built in the Siberian Baroque style. Major reconstruction work was completed in 1904, and the end result far exceeded expectations. Today Znamensky Cathedral continues to evoke awe with its striking iconostasis and cheerful exterior.

A walk down central Republic Street, where many 19th-century buildings can still be seen, will conjure up images of life in a bygone era. Kolokolnikovs’ Estate Museum Complex, which survived many fires, deserves special attention, as does House Averkiev with its extraordinary balconies and the former City Duma, which today houses the Regional Museum of Local Lore.

Twenty-first century Tyumen can be seen in all its glory as you wander Tsvetnoy Boulevard and Siberian Cats Park, whose name is derived from the square’s many cast-iron feline figures. Tyumen Regional Museum of Fine Arts serves as the city’s central showroom and is particularly known for its unique works of Russian cult artists such as Ivan Aivazovsky, Ilya Repin and Boris Kustodiev.

Tyumen has a good selection of restaurants offering cuisines for every taste and budget. For tourists, however, Chum Restaurant-Museum is a must. The restaurant serves unique Siberian dishes and is decked out in regional memorabilia. Guests even have the option to dine inside a semi-private cabinet designed to resemble a traditional chum (tent) .

Tyumen Souvenirs

In keeping with its Siberian roots, memorabilia with images of reindeer, red fish and bears are all popular. Fur coats and clothing items made from reindeer skins reflect the beauty of local traditional dress and are sure to keep you warm even in the dead of winter. Original figurines carved from bone make an unusual gift, while anyone with a sweet tooth will want to pay a visit to Kvartet Candy Factory, whose chocolates and other sweets decorated with Tyumen landscapes are equally decorative and delicious.

Grab your coat and come for a visit to Tyumen, Russia, the magnificent pearl of Western Siberia!