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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lord Palumbo
| name = The Lord Palumbo
| image = Peter Palumbo.jpg
| image = Peter Palumbo.jpg
| image_size =
| image_size =
| caption = Peter Palumbo, 1974
| caption = Peter Palumbo, 1974
| office = Chair of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]]
| office = Chairman of the <br>[[Arts Council of Great Britain]]
| term_start = 1989
| term_start = 1989
| term_end = 1994
| term_end = 1994
| predecessor = [[William Rees-Mogg|The Lord Rees-Mogg]]
| predecessor = [[William Rees-Mogg|Lord Rees-Mogg]]
| successor = body replaced by national councils
| successor = abolished; replaced by national councils
| birth_name = Peter Garth Palumbo
| birth_name = Peter Garth Palumbo
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1935|07|20}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1935|07|20}}
| birth_place =
| birth_place = [[London]], UK
| death_date =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| death_place =
| death_cause =
| death_cause =
| restingplace =
| restingplace =
| nationality =
| residence =
| education = [[Scaitcliffe|Scaitcliffe School]];<br> [[Eton College]]
| residence =
| education = [[Scaitcliffe]]<br> [[Eton College]]
| alma_mater = [[Worcester College, Oxford]]
| alma_mater = [[Worcester College, Oxford]]
| occupation = [[Property developer]]
| known_for = Chairman, [[Arts Council of Great Britain|Arts Council of GB]]
| occupation = property developer
| known_for = former chairman of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]]
| boards =
| boards =
| salary =
| salary =
| networth =
⚫
| spouse = {{marriage|Denia Wigram|1959|1977|reason=div}}<br> Hayat Mrowa (m. 1986)
| networth =
| parents = [[Rudolph Palumbo]] (father);<br> Elsie Gregory (mother)
⚫
| spouse = {{marriage|Denia Wigram|1959|1977|reason=div}}<br> Hayat Morowa
| parents = [[Rudolph Palumbo]]<br> Elsie Gregory
| children = 6, including [[James Palumbo]]
⚫
| relatives = [[Kamel Mrowa]] (father-in-law)
| children = 6, including [[James Palumbo|James Palumbo, Baron Palumbo of Southwark]]
| website = www.lordpeterpalumbo.com
⚫
| relatives = [[Kamel Morowa]] (father-in-law)
| website =
}}
}}


'''Peter Garth Palumbo, Baron Palumbo''' (born 20 July 1935) is a property developer and art collector. Palumbo was the last chairperson of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]] and a [[life peer]]. He sat as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] in the [[House of Lords]] from 1991 to 2019.
'''Peter Garth Palumbo, Baron Palumbo''' (born 20 July 1935), is a British property developer and art collector, who served as the last [[Chairman]] of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]].<ref>[https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/our-organisation/our-history www.artscouncil.org.uk]</ref>

Lord Palumbo sat as a [[Life Peer]] on the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Backbencher|benches]] in the [[House of Lords]] from 1991 to 2019.<ref>[https://members.parliament.uk/member/3167/career www.parliament.uk]</ref>


==Early life==
==Early life==
Lord Palumbo is the son of [[Rudolph Palumbo]], himself a major property developer,<ref>{{cite book|editor=Hugh Massingberd|editor-link=Hugh Massingberd|title=The Daily Telegraph Fourth Book of Obituaries: Rogues|year=1998|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|isbn=033373999X|pages=6–9}}</ref> and his first wife Elsie Gregory.<ref>Birth Certificate ref: June–September 1935 Marylebone 1a 602</ref> He was educated at [[Scaitcliffe]], [[Englefield Green]], Surrey, and then at [[Eton College]] and studied law and [[jurisprudence]] at [[Worcester College, Oxford]], where he graduated with a third-class degree.<ref name=ind/>
Of Italian descent,<ref>[https://www.ravello.com/hotel/hotel-palumbo/ www.ravello.com]</ref> Lord Palumbo is the only son of [[Rudolph Palumbo]], also a property developer,<ref>{{cite book|editor=Hugh Massingberd|editor-link=Hugh Massingberd|title=The Daily Telegraph Fourth Book of Obituaries: Rogues|year=1998|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|isbn=033373999X|pages=6–9}}</ref> by his first wife Elsie Gregory.<ref>Birth Certificate ref: June–September 1935 Marylebone 1a 602</ref> He was educated at [[Scaitcliffe|Scaitcliffe School]], [[Englefield Green]] in Surrey, and then at [[Eton College]] before going up to [[Worcester College, Oxford]], where he read [[jurisprudence]] graduating with a third-class degree.<ref name=ind/>


==Career==
==Career==
===Notable property projects and homes===
===Notable property projects and homes===
In the 1960s Palumbo commissioned [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] to build a tower in London; although it was designed, it was never built.<ref name="nytimes.com">Carol Vogel (4 October 2003), [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/arts/celebrated-mies-house-up-for-auction.html Celebrated Mies House Up for Auction] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>
In the 1960s Palumbo commissioned [[Ludwig Mies van der Rohe]] to build a tower in [[London]]; although it was designed, it was never built.<ref name="nytimes.com">Carol Vogel (4 October 2003), [https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/04/arts/celebrated-mies-house-up-for-auction.html Celebrated Mies House Up for Auction] ''[[The New York Times]]''.</ref>
In 1972 Palumbo bought [[Farnsworth House]] in the US (outside of Chicago), designed by Mies van der Rohe, to which Palumbo added the designer's furniture. He also expanded the grounds of the house by purchasing adjacent properties and placed in them the work of sculptors including [[Anthony Caro]] and [[Richard Serra]]. Palumbo sold the property at auction to the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] in 2003. Palumbo also owns [[Kentuck Knob]], a private house built by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] in the [[Allegheny Mountains]] south of [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania; owned a unit in the [[860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments]] in Chicago;<ref name="nytimes.com"/> and for a time owned [[Le Corbusier]]'s [[Maisons Jaoul]] in [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], Paris.<ref name=ind/>
In 1972 Palumbo bought [[Farnsworth House]] in the US (outside of Chicago), designed by Ludwig Mies, to which Palumbo added the designer's furniture. He also expanded the grounds of the house by purchasing adjacent properties and placed in them the work of sculptors including [[Anthony Caro]] and [[Richard Serra]]. Palumbo sold the property at auction to the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] in 2003. Palumbo also owns [[Kentuck Knob]], a private house built by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] in the [[Allegheny Mountains]] south of [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania; owned a unit in the [[860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments]] in Chicago;<ref name="nytimes.com"/> and for a time owned [[Le Corbusier]]'s [[Maisons Jaoul]] in [[Neuilly-sur-Seine]], Paris.<ref name=ind/>


In 1994 Palumbo demolished the [[Mappin & Webb]] building in the City of London and replaced it at [[No 1 Poultry]], with a building designed by the British architect, [[James Stirling (architect)|Sir James Stirling]], which was opened by the Governor of the Bank of England, [[Edward George, Baron George|Eddie George]].
In 1994 Palumbo demolished the [[Mappin & Webb]] [[building]] in the City of London and replaced it, at [[No 1 Poultry]], with a building designed by the British architect, [[James Stirling (architect)|Sir James Stirling]], which was opened by [[Edward George, Baron George|Sir Eddie George]], then [[Governor of the Bank of England]].


===Arts===
===Arts===
Palumbo was a trustee of the [[Tate Gallery]] from 1978 until 1985 and chairman of the gallery's foundation between 1986 and 1987. He formerly served as a trustee for the [[Whitechapel Art Gallery]] and of the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]]. He was chairman of the [[Serpentine Gallery]]'s board of trustees. [[Margaret Thatcher]] appointed him chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain from 1988 until 1994.
Palumbo served as a Trustee of the [[Tate Gallery]] from 1978 until 1985 and Chairman of its foundation (1986–87).<ref>[https://www.tate.org.uk/about-us/governance www.tate.org.uk]</ref> Formerly a Trustee of the [[Whitechapel Art Gallery]] and the [[Natural History Museum, London|Natural History Museum]], he also served as Chairman of the [[Serpentine Gallery]]'s [[Board of Trustees]]. [[Margaret Thatcher|Prime Minister Thatcher]] appointed him Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, serving from 1988 until 1994.


He was also the chancellor of the [[University of Portsmouth]]<ref name="Portsmouth">{{cite web|url=http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/alumni/historyoftheuniversity/|title=History Alumni and Development University of Portsmouth|publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]]|accessdate=6 May 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117162544/http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/alumni/historyoftheuniversity/|archivedate=17 January 2011}}</ref> and the chairman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery. He has been on the Board of Trustees of The Architecture Foundation. Palumbo was chair of the jury of the [[Pritzker Prize for Architecture]].
[[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]] of the [[University of Portsmouth]] (1992–2007)<ref name="Portsmouth">{{cite web|url=http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/alumni/historyoftheuniversity/|title=History Alumni and Development University of Portsmouth|publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]]|accessdate=6 May 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110117162544/http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/services/alumni/historyoftheuniversity/|archivedate=17 January 2011}}</ref> and Chairman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery,<ref>[https://highgatecemetery.org/ourfuture www.highgatecemetery.org]</ref> Lord Palumbo also served as a Trustee of [[the Architecture Foundation]] and chaired the jury of the [[Pritzker Prize for Architecture]].


Palumbo led the fundraising effort to resurrect and refurbish the Church of [[St Stephen Walbrook]] in London, a building by [[Christopher Wren|Sir Christopher Wren]] which had been badly damaged during [[The Blitz]] (in World War II) – the sculptor [[Henry Moore]] was commissioned by Palumbo to build a stone altar for the church. The former rector of St Stephen Walbrook and founder of [[Samaritans (charity)|The Samaritans]], [[Chad Varah|Dr Chad Varah]], was also the family chaplain.<ref name=ind/>
Palumbo led the fundraising effort to restore and refurbish the [[Parish church|Church]] of [[St Stephen Walbrook]] in [[City of London|London]], a building designed by [[Christopher Wren|Sir Christopher Wren]] which had been badly damaged during [[the Blitz]] (World War II) – the sculptor [[Henry Moore]] was commissioned by Palumbo to create its [[Altar|stone altar]].<ref>[https://ststephenwalbrook.net/ www.ststephenwalbrook.net]</ref> The former [[Rector (ecclesiastical)|Rector]] of St Stephen Walbrook and founder of [[Samaritans (charity)|the Samaritans]], [[Chad Varah|Dr Chad Varah]], also served as the Palumbo family chaplain.<ref name=ind/>


He was created a [[life peerages|life peer]], on nomination by Margaret Thatcher, on 4 February 1991 as '''Baron Palumbo''', of [[Walbrook]] in the City of London,<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52443 |date=7 February 1991|page=1993}}</ref> after the [[ward (country subdivision)|ward]] and street named after a [[River Walbrook|former river]] and which is in the name of his redesigned church.<ref name=ind/> He sat in the House of Lords until his retirement on 2 September 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-palumbo/3167|title=Lord Palumbo|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]]|accessdate=2 September 2019}}</ref>
Upon Prime Minister Thatcher's nomination, he was elevated to the [[life peerages|peerage]], being created on 4 February 1991 '''Baron Palumbo''', '''''of [[Walbrook]] in the City of London''''',<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=52443 |date=7 February 1991|page=1993}}</ref> the territorial designation being taken from the [[ward (country subdivision)|ward]] and [[Street names of the City of London|street]] in the [[parish]] where he was [[churchwarden]], which were named after the former [[River Walbrook]].<ref name=ind/> Lord Palumbo sat in the [[House of Lords]] until retiring from [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliament]] on 2 September 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-palumbo/3167|title=Lord Palumbo|publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom|UK Parliament]]|accessdate=2 September 2019}}</ref>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Palumbo married Denia Wigram (the daughter of [[Lionel Wigram (soldier)|Lionel Wigram]]<ref>[[Burke's Peerage]] 107th Edition, Page 3191</ref>) in 1959 – together they had one son ([[James Palumbo]]), and two daughters. They divorced in 1977. After Denia died in 1986, he married Hayat Mrowa (daughter of the Lebanese newspaper publisher [[Kamel Mrowa]], and ex-wife of businessman [[Ely Calil]])<ref name="Rankine, 2003">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2862941/Business-profile-Chairman-with-a-passion-for-needlework.html|title=Business profile: Chairman with a passion for needlework|last=Rankine|first=Kate|date=13 September 2003|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref> with whom he had another son and two daughters.<ref name=ind/>
Palumbo married Denia Wigram (only daughter of [[Lionel Wigram (soldier)|Major Lionel Wigram]]<ref>[[Burke's Peerage]] 107th Edition, Page 3191</ref>) in 1959 – together they had one son ([[James Palumbo]], created '''Baron Palumbo of Southwark''' in 2013) and two daughters. They divorced in 1977.<ref>[https://debretts.com/peerage-and-baronetage/ www.debretts.com]</ref>
After Denia died in 1986, Palumbo married Hayat Mrowa (daughter of the Lebanese newspaper publisher [[Kamel Mrowa]], and ex-wife of businessman [[Ely Calil]]),<ref name="Rankine, 2003">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2862941/Business-profile-Chairman-with-a-passion-for-needlework.html|title=Business profile: Chairman with a passion for needlework|last=Rankine|first=Kate|date=13 September 2003|work=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref> having, by his second wife, a son ([[the Hon.]] Philip Palumbo),<ref>[https://www.walbrook-club.co.uk/about www.walbrook-club.co.uk]</ref> and two daughters.<ref>[https://www.burkespeerage.com/ www.burkespeerage.com]</ref>


==Royal connections==
==Royal connections==
Palumbo was a polo teammate of [[Charles III]] during his time as the Prince of Wales and the two were close until 1984 when the King publicly criticised Palumbo's plans by Mies van der Rohe near [[St Paul's Cathedral]], with Charles describing it as "a glass stump"<ref name="ind">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-builder-of-dreams-or-monuments-peter-palumbo-a-visionary-at-the-arts-council-1465222.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-builder-of-dreams-or-monuments-peter-palumbo-a-visionary-at-the-arts-council-1465222.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Profile: Builder of dreams or monuments?: Peter Palumbo, a visionary at the Arts Council – Voices – The Independent|date=4 December 1993|work=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref> which, faced with opposition, were not realised. In 1988, Palumbo became [[Godparent|godfather]] to [[Princess Beatrice of York]], the elder daughter of the [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Duke of York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-09-02/news/26230403_1_princess-beatrice-baseball-movie-duchess|title=Princess Beatrice Gets 5 Godparents |date=2 September 1988|work=[[Philadelphia Media Network]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref>
Lord Palumbo was a polo teammate of [[Charles III|Charles, Prince of Wales]], the two remaining close until 1984 when Charles publicly criticised Palumbo's plans to erect a building designed by [[Mies van der Rohe]] near [[St Paul's Cathedral]], describing it as "a glass stump"<ref name="ind">{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-builder-of-dreams-or-monuments-peter-palumbo-a-visionary-at-the-arts-council-1465222.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/profile-builder-of-dreams-or-monuments-peter-palumbo-a-visionary-at-the-arts-council-1465222.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Profile: Builder of dreams or monuments?: Peter Palumbo, a visionary at the Arts Council – Voices – The Independent|date=4 December 1993|work=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref> which, faced with opposition, were not realised. In 1988, Palumbo became [[Godparent|godfather]] to [[Princess Beatrice of York]], the elder daughter of the [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York|Duke of York]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.philly.com/1988-09-02/news/26230403_1_princess-beatrice-baseball-movie-duchess|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140507011843/http://articles.philly.com/1988-09-02/news/26230403_1_princess-beatrice-baseball-movie-duchess|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 May 2014|title=Princess Beatrice Gets 5 Godparents |date=2 September 1988|work=[[Philadelphia Media Network]]|accessdate=6 May 2014}}</ref>


==Arms==
==Arms==
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|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]][[File:Palumbo Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]]
|image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]][[File:Palumbo Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]]
|image size =
|image size =
|notes = Granted by the [[College of Arms]]<ref>[https://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/ www.college-of-arms.gov.uk]</ref>
|notes =
|year_adopted =
|year_adopted =
|coronet = [[Coronet]] of a Baron
|coronet = [[Coronet]] of a [[List of barons in the peerages of Britain and Ireland|UK Baron]]
|escutcheon = Vert a Pale Or over all an Escarbuncle counter-changed.
|escutcheon = Vert a Pale Or over all an Escarbuncle counterchanged.
|crest = The Top of a Dovecote Or, perched on its Conical Roof Vert, a Dove wings elevated and addorsed Gold.
|crest = the Top of a Dovecote Or, perched on its Conical Roof Vert a Dove's wings elevated and addorsed Or.
|supporters = '''''Dexter:''''' an Alsatian Dog, resting the exterior foreleg on a Rectangular Plinth Gold. '''''Sinister:''''' a Fox proper, resting the exterior foreleg on a Rectangular Plinth Gold.
|supporters = '''''Dexter:''''' an Alsatian Dog; <br>'''''Sinister:''''' a Fox Proper, each resting the exterior foreleg on a rectangular Plinth Or.
|compartment = a Compartment consisting of a Circle of Paving Stones proper.
|compartment = upon a Circle of Paving Stones Proper.
|motto = '''LOYAUTÉ ME LIE''' ''(Loyalty binds me)''
|motto = '''''Loyaulté me lie''''' ''(Loyalty binds me)''.
|orders =
|orders =
|other_elements =
|other_elements =
Line 96: Line 99:
{{s-media}}
{{s-media}}
{{succession box
{{succession box
| title = Chair of the [[Arts Council of Great Britain]]
| title = Chairman of the <br>[[Arts Council of Great Britain]]
| years = 1989–1994
| years = 1989–1994
| before = [[William Rees-Mogg|The Lord Rees-Mogg]]
| before = [[William Rees-Mogg|Lord Rees-Mogg]]
| after = Body replaced by national councils
| after = Body replaced by national councils
}}
}}
{{s-prec|uk}}
{{s-prec|uk}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Baron Sterling of Plaistow|The Lord Sterling of Plaistow]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Baron Sterling of Plaistow|The Lord Sterling of Plaistow]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]'''<br />''Baron Palumbo'' '''}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]<br />''Baron Palumbo''}}
{{s-fol|after=[[Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach|The Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach]]}}
{{s-fol|after=[[Baron Griffiths of Fforestfach|The Lord Griffiths of Fforestfach]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:English people of Italian descent]]
⚫
[[Category:English socialites]]
⚫
[[Category:Palumbo family|Peter]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:People educated at Eton College]]
[[Category:People educated at Scaitcliffe School]]
[[Category:People educated at Scaitcliffe School]]
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[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Portsmouth]]
[[Category:People associated with the University of Portsmouth]]
⚫
[[Category:English socialites]]
⚫
[[Category:Palumbo family|Peter]]
[[Category:Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014]]
[[Category:Peers retired under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014]]

Latest revision as of 12:51, 18 December 2024

The Right Honourable
The Lord Palumbo
Peter Palumbo, 1974
Chairman of the
Arts Council of Great Britain
In office
1989–1994
Preceded byLord Rees-Mogg
Succeeded byabolished; replaced by national councils
Personal details
Born
Peter Garth Palumbo

(1935-07-20) 20 July 1935 (age 89)
London, UK
Spouse(s)
Denia Wigram
​
​
(m. 1959; div. 1977)​

Hayat Mrowa (m. 1986)
Children6, including James Palumbo
Parent(s)Rudolph Palumbo (father);
Elsie Gregory (mother)
RelativesKamel Mrowa (father-in-law)
EducationScaitcliffe School;
Eton College
Alma materWorcester College, Oxford
OccupationProperty developer
Known forChairman, Arts Council of GB
Websitewww.lordpeterpalumbo.com

Peter Garth Palumbo, Baron Palumbo (born 20 July 1935), is a British property developer and art collector, who served as the last Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain.[1]

Lord Palumbo sat as a Life Peer on the Conservative benches in the House of Lords from 1991 to 2019.[2]

Early life

[edit]

Of Italian descent,[3] Lord Palumbo is the only son of Rudolph Palumbo, also a property developer,[4] by his first wife Elsie Gregory.[5] He was educated at Scaitcliffe School, Englefield Green in Surrey, and then at Eton College before going up to Worcester College, Oxford, where he read jurisprudence graduating with a third-class degree.[6]

Career

[edit]

Notable property projects and homes

[edit]

In the 1960s Palumbo commissioned Ludwig Mies van der Rohe to build a tower in London; although it was designed, it was never built.[7]

In 1972 Palumbo bought Farnsworth House in the US (outside of Chicago), designed by Ludwig Mies, to which Palumbo added the designer's furniture. He also expanded the grounds of the house by purchasing adjacent properties and placed in them the work of sculptors including Anthony Caro and Richard Serra. Palumbo sold the property at auction to the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2003. Palumbo also owns Kentuck Knob, a private house built by Frank Lloyd Wright in the Allegheny Mountains south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; owned a unit in the 860–880 Lake Shore Drive Apartments in Chicago;[7] and for a time owned Le Corbusier's Maisons Jaoul in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Paris.[6]

In 1994 Palumbo demolished the Mappin & Webb building in the City of London and replaced it, at No 1 Poultry, with a building designed by the British architect, Sir James Stirling, which was opened by Sir Eddie George, then Governor of the Bank of England.

Arts

[edit]

Palumbo served as a Trustee of the Tate Gallery from 1978 until 1985 and Chairman of its foundation (1986–87).[8] Formerly a Trustee of the Whitechapel Art Gallery and the Natural History Museum, he also served as Chairman of the Serpentine Gallery's Board of Trustees. Prime Minister Thatcher appointed him Chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain, serving from 1988 until 1994.

Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth (1992–2007)[9] and Chairman of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery,[10] Lord Palumbo also served as a Trustee of the Architecture Foundation and chaired the jury of the Pritzker Prize for Architecture.

Palumbo led the fundraising effort to restore and refurbish the Church of St Stephen Walbrook in London, a building designed by Sir Christopher Wren which had been badly damaged during the Blitz (World War II) – the sculptor Henry Moore was commissioned by Palumbo to create its stone altar.[11] The former Rector of St Stephen Walbrook and founder of the Samaritans, Dr Chad Varah, also served as the Palumbo family chaplain.[6]

Upon Prime Minister Thatcher's nomination, he was elevated to the peerage, being created on 4 February 1991 Baron Palumbo, of Walbrook in the City of London,[12] the territorial designation being taken from the ward and street in the parish where he was churchwarden, which were named after the former River Walbrook.[6] Lord Palumbo sat in the House of Lords until retiring from parliament on 2 September 2019.[13]

Personal life

[edit]

Palumbo married Denia Wigram (only daughter of Major Lionel Wigram[14]) in 1959 – together they had one son (James Palumbo, created Baron Palumbo of Southwark in 2013) and two daughters. They divorced in 1977.[15]

After Denia died in 1986, Palumbo married Hayat Mrowa (daughter of the Lebanese newspaper publisher Kamel Mrowa, and ex-wife of businessman Ely Calil),[16] having, by his second wife, a son (the Hon. Philip Palumbo),[17] and two daughters.[18]

Royal connections

[edit]

Lord Palumbo was a polo teammate of Charles, Prince of Wales, the two remaining close until 1984 when Charles publicly criticised Palumbo's plans to erect a building designed by Mies van der Rohe near St Paul's Cathedral, describing it as "a glass stump"[6] which, faced with opposition, were not realised. In 1988, Palumbo became godfather to Princess Beatrice of York, the elder daughter of the Duke of York.[19]

Arms

[edit]
Coat of arms of Peter Palumbo, Baron Palumbo
Notes
Granted by the College of Arms[20]
Coronet
Coronet of a UK Baron
Crest
the Top of a Dovecote Or, perched on its Conical Roof Vert a Dove's wings elevated and addorsed Or.
Escutcheon
Vert a Pale Or over all an Escarbuncle counterchanged.
Supporters
Dexter: an Alsatian Dog;
Sinister: a Fox Proper, each resting the exterior foreleg on a rectangular Plinth Or.
Compartment
upon a Circle of Paving Stones Proper.
Motto
Loyaulté me lie (Loyalty binds me).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ www.artscouncil.org.uk
  2. ^ www.parliament.uk
  3. ^ www.ravello.com
  4. ^ Hugh Massingberd, ed. (1998). The Daily Telegraph Fourth Book of Obituaries: Rogues. London: Macmillan. pp. 6–9. ISBN 033373999X.
  5. ^ Birth Certificate ref: June–September 1935 Marylebone 1a 602
  6. ^ a b c d e "Profile: Builder of dreams or monuments?: Peter Palumbo, a visionary at the Arts Council – Voices – The Independent". The Independent. 4 December 1993. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  7. ^ a b Carol Vogel (4 October 2003), Celebrated Mies House Up for Auction The New York Times.
  8. ^ www.tate.org.uk
  9. ^ "History Alumni and Development University of Portsmouth". University of Portsmouth. Archived from the original on 17 January 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  10. ^ www.highgatecemetery.org
  11. ^ www.ststephenwalbrook.net
  12. ^ "No. 52443". The London Gazette. 7 February 1991. p. 1993.
  13. ^ "Lord Palumbo". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  14. ^ Burke's Peerage 107th Edition, Page 3191
  15. ^ www.debretts.com
  16. ^ Rankine, Kate (13 September 2003). "Business profile: Chairman with a passion for needlework". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  17. ^ www.walbrook-club.co.uk
  18. ^ www.burkespeerage.com
  19. ^ "Princess Beatrice Gets 5 Godparents". Philadelphia Media Network. 2 September 1988. Archived from the original on 7 May 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  20. ^ www.college-of-arms.gov.uk
[edit]
Media offices
Preceded by Chairman of the
Arts Council of Great Britain
1989–1994 		Succeeded by
Body replaced by national councils
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Palumbo 		Followed by
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