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Mirabel Topham
Mirabel Topham (15 August 1891 – 28 May 1980) was chairman and managing director of Topham Ltd for 36 years to 1973 and owner of Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England, where the Grand National horse steeplechase is held. She was one of the colourful and controversial personalities in UK racing during this time. Early life and stage career Mirabel Dorothy Hillier was born in London on 14 August 1891 and spent her childhood at the Baron's Court Hotel in Fulham that was managed by her grandparents James and Rachel Hillier. Her parents Henry Hope and Nellie Hillier (née Buck) assisted, but by 1922 her father was manager of the Haymarket Theatre, London. She had one brother (Cedric, died 1991, aged 99), a sister Beatrice (1895–1988) and a second sister who died in infancy. The family moved to West Ham and then Walthamstow, by which time the sisters were working as actresses or gaiety girls under the names Hope and Trixie Hillier. As Hope Hillier she appeared in plays, come ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England. Historically in Lancashire, it lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, north-east of Liverpool city centre, in North West England. It is best known as the site of Aintree Racecourse, which since the 19th century has staged the Grand National horserace. In the 1950s and 1960s, there was also a three-mile-long international Grand Prix motor racing circuit on the site, which used the same grandstands as the horserace. A shorter form of the racing circuit is still used for various motorsport events. The northern end of Aintree is known as Old Roan. History The name Aintree, thought to be of Saxon origin, means "one tree" or "tree standing alone." It is first recorded in 1226, also as Ayntre (the usual mediaeval spelling) in 1292. Eyntre occurs; Ayntree and Ayntrie, 16th century.William Farrer & J. Brownbill (editors), ''A History of the County of Lancaster (Volume 3)''. Ins ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group. History of the Gallery The Walker Art Gallery's collection dates from 1819 when the Liverpool Royal Institution acquired 37 paintings from the collection of William Roscoe, who had to sell his collection following the failure of his banking business, though it was saved from being broken up by his friends and associates. In 1843, the Royal Institution's collection was displayed in a purpose-built gallery next to the Institution's main premises. In 1850 negotiations by an association of citizens to take over the Institution's collection, for display in a proposed art gallery, library and museum, came to nothing. The collection grew over the following decades: in 1851 Liverpool Town Council bought Liverpool Academy's diploma collection and further works were acquired from the Liverpool Society fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1891 Births
Events January–March * January 1 ** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany. ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories. * January 2 – A. L. Drummond of New York is appointed Chief of the Treasury Secret Service. * January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a declaration regarding the famine in the western counties of Ireland. * January 5 **The Australian shearers' strike, that leads indirectly to the foundation of the Australian Labor Party, begins. **A fight between the United States and Indians breaks out near Pine Ridge agency. ** Henry B. Brown, of Michigan, is sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. **A fight between railway strikers and police breaks out at Motherwell, Scotland. * January 6 – Encounters continue, between strikers and the authorities at Glasgow. * January 7 ** General Miles' force ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pantasaph
Pantasaph is a small village in Flintshire, north-east Wales, two miles south of Holywell in the community of Whitford. Its name translates into English as Asaph's Hollow. History Once abbey land belonging to nearby Basingwerk Abbey, Pantasaph came into the possession of the Pennant family at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The land passed down in the family until 1846, when the sole heiress Louisa married Rudolph, Viscount Feilding, heir to the 7th Earl of Denbigh. They both converted to Roman Catholicism and decided to donate St David's Church, which they had recently built for the village, to the Roman Catholic Church. This caused a considerably outcry at the time. It was accepted by the Friars Minor Capuchin of Great Britain as their mother house and opened in 1852. The church was designed by T H Wyatt and modified, to make it more specifically suited to Catholic use, by Augustus Pugin, who designed the high altar, the pulpit, the baptismal font, the reredos in the L ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Dimmock
Peter Harold Dimmock, Royal Victorian Order, CVO, Order of the British Empire, CBE (6 December 1920 – 20 November 2015) was a British sports broadcaster and senior television executive during the formative years of the medium in the 1950s. He was the first host of the BBC's long-running ''Grandstand (BBC), Grandstand'' and of the ''BBC Sports Personality of the Year'' awards. Early life and career Born in London, Dimmock attended Dulwich College and a finishing establishment in France. At the outbreak of Second World War, war he joined the Royal Army Service Corps, a territorial unit. He was called up only two months later to serve in France during the Dunkirk evacuation, retreat from Dunkirk. In March 1941 he was allowed to transfer into the Royal Air Force and qualified as a Pilot Officer. Then in 1943 he became a flying instructor on Tiger Moth and Miles Magister trainers with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. In February 1944 he was appointed as a staff officer at the Air Minis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Williams (actor)
Michael Leonard Williams (9 July 1935 – 11 January 2001) was a British actor who played both classical and comedy roles. He was best known for co-starring in the sitcom '' A Fine Romance'' with his wife Dame Judi Dench, and for voicing Dr. Watson in the long running Sherlock Holmes adaptations for BBC Radio. Early life and career Williams was born in Liverpool, Lancashire. Personal life Williams married Judi Dench on 5 February 1971, the same year that they co-starred in a stage production of John Webster's ''The Duchess of Malfi''. They had one daughter, Tara Cressida Williams (b. 1972), known as Finty Williams, who is also an actress. Williams was also godfather to the actor Rory Kinnear. He was the President of the Roman Catholic Actors' Guild. Shortly before his death from lung cancer at the age of 65, Williams was appointed a Knight of St Gregory (KSG) by Pope John Paul II for his contribution to Catholic life in Britain. The honour was officially bestowed upo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Judi Dench
Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her numerous roles on the stage. Dench has garnered various accolades throughout a career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, four British Academy Television Awards, six British Academy Film Awards and seven Olivier Awards. Dench made her professional debut in 1957 with the Old Vic Company. Over the following few years, she performed in several of Shakespeare's plays, in such roles as Ophelia in ''Hamlet'', Juliet in '' Romeo and Juliet'' and Lady Macbeth in '' Macbeth''. Although most of Dench's work during this period was in theatre, she also branched into film work and won a BAFTA Award as Most Promising Newcomer. In 1968, she drew excellent reviews for her leading role of Sal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dick Francis
Richard Stanley Francis (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England. After wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt. He came to further prominence in 1956 as jockey to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, riding her horse Devon Loch which fell when close to winning the Grand National. Francis retired from the turf and became a journalist and novelist. Many of his novels deal with crime in the horse-racing world, with some of the criminals being outwardly respectable figures. The stories are narrated by the main character, often a jockey, but sometimes a trainer, an owner, a bookie, or someone in a different profession, peripherally linked to racing. This person always faces great obstacles, often including physical injury. More than forty of these novels became international best-s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dead Cert (1974 Film)
''Dead Cert'' is a 1974 British crime thriller film directed by Tony Richardson. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel of the same name by Dick Francis. Plot In this film based on Dick Francis' mystery novel, Alan York ( Scott Antony) is stunned when his dear friend, skilled jockey Bill Davidson ( Ian Hogg) is killed during a simple steeplechase. Convinced Davidson's death was no accident, York begins an investigation with a suspicion that Davidson's racehorse, Admiral, was drugged in a murderous act of sabotage. Assisting him as he delves into this world of high stakes, horses and gambling is Davidson's devoted widow, Laura (Judi Dench Dame Judith Olivia Dench (born 9 December 1934) is an English actress. Regarded as one of Britain's best actresses, she is noted for her versatile work in various films and television programmes encompassing several genres, as well as for her ...). Cast References External links * * * 1974 films 1974 crime films British crime ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stirling Moss
Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British Formula One racing driver. An inductee into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, he won 212 of the 529 races he entered across several categories of competition and has been described as "the greatest driver never to win the World Championship". In a seven-year span between 1955 and 1961 Moss finished as championship runner-up four times and in third place another three times. Early life Moss was born in London, son of Alfred Moss, a dentist of Bray, Berkshire, and Aileen (née Craufurd). His grandfather was Jewish, from a family that changed their surname from Moses to Moss. He was brought up at ''Long White Cloud'' house on the south bank of the River Thames. His father was an amateur racing driver who had come 16th in the 1924 Indianapolis 500. Aileen Moss had also been involved in motorsport, entering prewar hillclimbs at the wheel of a Singer Nine. Stirling was a gifted horse rider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aintree Racecourse
Aintree Racecourse is a horse racing, racecourse in Aintree, Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, bordering the city of Liverpool. The racecourse is the venue for the Grand National steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase, which takes place annually in April over three days. Aintree also holds meetings in May and June (both on Friday evenings), October (Sunday), November and December (both Saturdays). History of the course Horse racing was popular in Liverpool from at least Tudor dynasty, Tudor times, In the 18th century Nicholas Blundell organised races on the sands at Crosby, Merseyside, Crosby. In 1829, William Lynn, the owner of the Waterloo Hotel in Ranelagh Street, Liverpool, approached the Second Earl of Sefton, William Molyneux, 2nd Earl of Sefton, William Philip Molyneux, whose nickname was 'Lord Dashalong', about leasing land to organise flat racing. Lord Sefton liked racing, so he agreed. He laid the foundation stone on 7 February 1829, and place ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthony Bingham Mildmay, 2nd Baron Mildmay Of Flete
Anthony Bingham Mildmay, 2nd Baron Mildmay of Flete (14 April 1909 – 12 May 1950) was an English amateur steeplechaser, who raced in the Grand National. He also inspired the Queen Mother's interest in National Hunt racing. Early life Mildmay was the son of Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete and his wife Alice Grenfell.L. G. Pine, ''The New Extinct Peerage 1884–1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms'' (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972) He was educated at St Cyprian's School, Eastbourne, where he was encouraged to ride on the South Downs, and at Eton. He then went up to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the University Pitt Club. He fought in World War II, as an officer in the Welsh Guards, rising to the rank of captain. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Baron Mildmay of Flete on 8 February 1947. Steeplechasing "Nitty" Mildmay, a gaunt, stoop-shouldered six-footer, was a well-known and p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
