A member of Lenin’s inner cabinet the goatee-bearded leather-jacket-wearing Bolshevik founded the Cheka secret police the precursor to the

A member of Lenin’s inner cabinet, the goatee-bearded leather-jacket-wearing Bolshevik founded the Cheka secret police, the precursor to the KGB, and openly stated that “organised terror” was essential if the revolution was to survive.In the six years after 1917 when the Communists seized power it is estimated that at least half a million people were executed by Dzerzhinsky’s agents, who often claimed their victims in the dead of the night, knocking on their victims’ doors. Thousands cheered as it came down and reformers said it was a sign that Russia wanted to put its bloody past behind it and neuter the Soviet security apparatus Dzerzhinsky helped set up.That statue has languished in a park near Moscow’s main modern art museum among other fallen Soviet idols ever since, but it too may make a return to centre stage. Yesterday, in a potent symbol of the new Putinised Russia, a new statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, founder of what was later to become the KGB, was erected.
Brushing aside the fact that “Iron Felix” presided over Lenin’s Red Terror and had the blood of hundreds of thousands of people on his hands, a monument to him was unveiled yesterday in the town which bears his name – Dzerzhinsky – just outside Moscow. The statue was erected to commemorate what would have been his 127th birthday, and its unveiling was reportedly attended by some 300 schoolchildren and officials.The toppling of the original Dzerzhinsky statue in August 1991 from its plinth in Lubyanka Square in front of the KGB’s headquarters was an epoch-defining moment.

The 14-ton bronze statue was so solid that it had to be toppled by a crane, purportedly supplied by the US embassy in Moscow. Thirteen years ago, democracy-hungry Russians yelped with joy as a statue to one of the Soviet Union’s most brutal secret policemen was toppled. For example, 38 exclusive cars were stolen from driveways in Berkshire during July this year.Thieves are now breaking into homes to steal the keys of cars which can then easily be driven away if they are not locked into a garage at night.”The car is probably the biggest investment after the home that most households make, and it makes sense to protect that investment rather than some leftover wallpaper,” said Edmund King of the RAC Foundation”Increased security on newer cars means that older vehicles left outside are sometimes taken by opportunist thieves – locking the car away removes both temptation and opportunity.”. Even animal cages complete with furry occupants are thought more deserving than the family motor.The RAC Foundation, which commissioned the poll, advised people to get rid of their unwanted junk at a car boot sale or a charity shop – or even invest in a shed.They warned that there has been a spate of thefts recently of high-value vehicles from affluent suburbs across the country. They are designed to protect the most prized family possession, but the average garage is now more likely to contain £500-worth of junk rather than a top-of-the-range BMW.
A study published today reveals that 60 per cent of households in Britain prefer to store redundant Hoovers and the children’s pet hamster in their precious garage space, leaving the car neglected on the road or driveway.Unused household items such as vacuum cleaners, sofas and clothes hold pride of place, according to the NOP survey.Garden equipment follows closely behind, along with tools, freezers, discarded gym equipment, dustbins or bags of rubbish and bicycles.

I was in a building just a short distance from the World Trade Center that morning, and for a while I and my colleagues were trapped there. Boasts state rooms, library.Famous for: Cellar of vintage and rare wines and rare 18th-century plunge pool.Visitors say: “My wife and I agree that we have never stayed in a hotel that was so relaxing. A gem of a place.” (Letter to the manager)Tariff: £150-£335 a night.. The Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday urged people not to use religion as a reason to justify terrorism.

Featured in Thunderbirds film as Lady Penelope’s mansion.Critics say: “You’d think they’d at least look some of their guests’ names up on the internet when they are spending so much money on them.” (Letter to the Guide)Tariff: £225-£635 a night.The Hotel, Ston, Easton Park, BathHistory: A Grade I-listed building dating from 1740 in grounds designed by Humphry Repton. Nevertheless, we had a nice time.” (Letter to the Guide)Tariff: £280 to £840 a night.The Hotel, Cliveden, BerkshireHistory: Built in 1666, rebuilt by Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament, in 1850, former home of Lord and Lady Astor.Famous for: 376 acres of formal gardens and parkland, winner of 2004 Tea Council Award for best afternoon tea. Run as the first country house hotel in Britain by Francis Coulson from 1949 until his death in 1998.Famous for: Stands on the shores of Ullswater and commands stunning views of the lake.Visitors say: “I believe that you are fundamentally mistaken in believing that this marvellous hotel has lost its sparkle.” (Letter to Good Hotel Guide)Tariff: £160 to £225 a night.The Royal Crescent, BathHistory: Occupies the two central buildings of the Royal Crescent in Bath, which was begun in 1767 by John Wood as one of the great architectural set pieces in Europe.Famous for: Collection of paintings by Gainsborough and Reynolds.Critics say: “They barged in without knocking, tipped the minibar over; on the last morning they forgot our wake-up call It was a shambles. At one point a woman celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary stood on a table, knife and fork in hand, and shouted “I’m really angry now.”On the hotel’s winter menu guests can find Rose Venison, dauphinoise potatoes, baby spinach and wild mushrooms, costing up to £49.Other famous names owned by von Essen that no longer figure among Britain’s best are the Greenway in Shurdington, Thornbury Castle in Gloucester and Buckland Manor, also in Gloucester.THE VERDICTSSharrow Bay, CumbriaHistory: Built in 1840 as a private residence. These included dog bowls and breakfast things not cleared up by late afternoon.”The Royal Crescent in Bath, built in 1767 and costing up to £840 a night, came in for criticism after an evening meal dragged on for three hours. Its award-winning afternoon tea, with champagne, costs £22.50, for which you can also expect smoked salmon and caviar.But illustrative of one of the tales that saw it dropped from the guide is that of an American billionaire publishing magnate, who was celebrating his 75th anniversary with his family.