Mark Birley

Mark Birley
Born Marcus Oswald Hornby Lecky Birley
(1930-05-30)30 May 1930
Died 24 August 2007(2007-08-24) (aged 77)
Nationality British
Education Eton College
Alma mater University College, Oxford
Known for Entrepreneur
Spouse(s)
Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart
(m. 1954; div. 1975)
Children Rupert Birley
Robin Birley
India Jane Birley
Parent(s) Sir Oswald Birley
Rhoda Vava Mary Lecky Pike
Relatives Maxime de la Falaise (sister)
Hugh Hornby Birley (2x great-grandfather)

Marcus Oswald Hornby Lecky Birley (30 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry.[1]

Early life

Mark Birley was the son of Sir Oswald Birley (1880–1952), the royal and society portrait painter, and his wife, the former Rhoda Pike (1900–1981). His sister, Maxime de la Falaise (1922–2009), became a noted fashion model of the 1950s and her daughter, Loulou de la Falaise (1948–2011), was a muse to the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.

He was educated at Eton where he excelled at drawing. After doing his National Service he went up to University College, Oxford to read PPE but he left after failing his first year exams after national service.[2]

Career

In 1963, Mark Birley founded Annabel's at Berkeley Square in the Mayfair district in central London. The club was named for his wife, the former Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, and it was the first of its kind: a member-only nightclub that catered to an exclusive clientele, including the Prince of Wales.[2]

In 1972, Birley opened Mark's Club and continued to expand his portfolio in the restaurant, nightclub and hotel business. He became the owner of the Annabel's Group, which includes Mark Birley Holdings Limited.[3] He launched a men's fragrance line, Mark Birley for Men, in 1996, in collaboration with the perfumers Frédéric Malle and Pierre Bourdon. Birley also designed the former family offices of Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo in the City of London into a member's club, The Walbrook Club, which opened in 2000.[4]

Personal life

On 10 March 1954, he married Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart (born 1934), daughter of the Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1902–1955).[2] Annabel Birley became the mistress of Birley's former friend Sir James Goldsmith (1933–1997), and gave birth to two of Goldsmith's children while she was still married to, but separated from, Birley. The Birleys divorced in 1975.[5] Mark and Annabel had three children:

  • Rupert Birley (1955–1986; presumed dead),[3] who disappeared whilst working in Togo, West Africa in 1986.[6]
  • Robin Birley (born 1958), who married Lucy Helmore (born 1960) in October 2006.[7]
  • India Jane Birley (born 1961), who married Jonty Colchester (div. 1985). She later married Francis Pike.

As a child Birley's son Robin was mauled and badly scarred for life by a tiger at the private zoo of family friend John Aspinall (1926–2000).[7] In 1986 Birley's other son, Rupert, disappeared in Togo and was never found. He is supposed to have died.[6] In his last years, Birley himself was disabled and needed to use a wheelchair. For a time, he turned over the reins of his businesses to his two surviving children.[3] In 2006, however, Birley dismissed his son Robin and returned to the helm of his empire, which until his death he ran with his daughter India Jane.[2]

Death

He died on 24 August 2007, aged 77, following a stroke.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Mark Birley". The Daily Telegraph. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Vat, Dan van der (29 August 2007). "Mark Birley". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jebb, Louis (2 September 2007). "Mark Birley". The Independent. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  4. ↑ Hall, Amanda. "City Profile: The king of clubs". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  5. ↑ "Mark Birley". The Daily Telegraph. 27 August 2007. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
  6. 1 2 "FindArticles.com – CBSi". Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. 1 2 "Toyboy Ferry gets serious with Sienna", Daily Mail, 29 June 2007

Sources

  • Annabel's: A tale of love, snobbery, revenge... and some jolly good cocktails by Liz Hoggard, The Independent, 15 October 2006
  • The Peerage.com Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart
  • Orth, Maureen. "Hurly Birley". Vanity Fair. p. 152 (6 pages in online edition). 1 February 2008. ISSN 0733-8899. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
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