Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley (30 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as
Mark Birley, was an
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
entrepreneur known for his investments in the
hospitalityHospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, or the act or practice of being hospitable, that is, the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill...
industry. He was educated at
EtonEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent boarding school for boys aged approx. 13 to 19. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
where he excelled at drawing, after doing his National Service he went up to
University College, OxfordUniversity College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
to read
PPEPPE may stand for:*Palmoplantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome*Park Place Entertainment, now part of Caesar's Entertainment*Personal protective equipment*Philosophy, Politics and Economics, an academic degree*Polyphenyl Ether*Power Processor Element...
but left after a year.
In 1962 Mark Birley founded
Annabel'sAnnabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after his then-wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart.-Background:...
at Berkeley Square in the exclusive
MayfairMayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
district of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
.
Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley (30 May 1930 – 24 August 2007), known as
Mark Birley, was an
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
entrepreneur known for his investments in the
hospitalityHospitality is the relationship between a guest and a host, or the act or practice of being hospitable, that is, the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, with liberality and goodwill...
industry. He was educated at
EtonEton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent boarding school for boys aged approx. 13 to 19. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
where he excelled at drawing, after doing his National Service he went up to
University College, OxfordUniversity College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
to read
PPEPPE may stand for:*Palmoplantar erythrodysesthesia syndrome*Park Place Entertainment, now part of Caesar's Entertainment*Personal protective equipment*Philosophy, Politics and Economics, an academic degree*Polyphenyl Ether*Power Processor Element...
but left after a year.
Career
In 1962 Mark Birley founded
Annabel'sAnnabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after his then-wife Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart.-Background:...
at Berkeley Square in the exclusive
MayfairMayfair is an area of central London, England, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
district of
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
. 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
Prince Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of Wales is the eldest child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1952, he has been heir apparent to the thrones of the Commonwealth realms. After earning a bachelor of arts from Trinity College, Cambridge, Charles served a tour of duty with Royal Navy...
.
In 1972 Birley opened Harry's Bar 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. He launched a men's fragrance line, Mark Birley for Men, in 1996, in collaboration with the perfumers Frédéric Malle and Pierre Bourdon.
Private life
Mark Birley was the son of
Sir Oswald BirleySir Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley, MC, RA was an English portrait painter in the early part of the 20th century.-Biography:...
, the portrait painter, and his wife, the former Rhoda Pike. His sister,
Maxime de la FalaiseMaxime de la Falaise was a 1950s fashionista, fashion model, and underground movie actress. She is also remembered as a cookbook author and "food maven" and, at least occasionally, as a clothing designer and as an interior designer who decorated the homes of friends.-Fashion:Maxime de la Falaise...
, became a noted fashion model of the 1950s and her daughter is Lou Lou de la Falaise who was a muse to the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent.
On 10 March 1954 he married Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, daughter of the 8th Marquess of Londonderry. They had three children Rupert,
RobinRobin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
and
India JaneIndia Jane Birley is a British artist. She was a co-owner/manager of her father's London nightclub, Annabel's, in its later years, as well as some of her father's other establishments.-Biography:Born in London,...
.
Annabel Birley became the mistress of Birley's former friend Sir James Goldsmith, and gave birth to two of Goldsmith's children while she was still married to, but separated from, Birley. The Birleys divorced in 1975.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/08/27/db2701.xml&page=1
In 1986 Birley's son Rupert disappeared in
TogoTogo is a country in West Africa bordering Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located...
and was never found. His other son
RobinRobin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
was mauled as a child by a tiger at the private zoo of family friend
John AspinallJohn Aspinall may refer to:* John Aspinall , zoo owner and gambler* John Aspinall , engineer...
, and badly scarred for life. In his last years, Birley was confined to a
wheelchairA wheelchair is a wheeled mobility device in which the user sits. The device is propelled either manually or via various automated systems. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness , injury, or disability...
. For a time, he turned over the reins of his businesses to his two children.
In 2006, however, Birley dismissed his son
RobinRobin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
on grounds of
misconductA misconduct is a legal term meaning a wrongful, improper, or unlawful conduct motivated by premeditated or intentional purpose or by obstinate indifference to the consequences of one's acts....
and returned to the helm of his empire which he ran with his daughter
India JaneIndia Jane Birley is a British artist. She was a co-owner/manager of her father's London nightclub, Annabel's, in its later years, as well as some of her father's other establishments.-Biography:Born in London,...
.