Jeremy Gordon Norman (born 1947) is a British entrepreneur, whose ventures have included ''

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great Br ...

'', Mayfair's Embassy nightclub, the gay 'ultradisco'

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

, the clubs Embargo and Leopard Lounge on

Fulham Broadway Walham Green is the historic name of an English village, now part of inner London, in the parish of Fulham in the County of Middlesex. It was located between the hamlet of North End (now renamed West Kensington) to the north, and Parsons Gr ...

, the Power Station gym in Chelsea, in partnership with

Richard Branson Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is a British billionaire, entrepreneur, and business magnate. In the 1970s he founded the Virgin Group, which today controls more than 400 companies in various fields. Branson expressed ...

, and

Soho Gyms Soho Gyms was a British chain of gyms spread out across central London. According to filings at Companies House, Soho Gyms’ holding company Ovalhouse made a pre-tax profit of £611,000 in 2014, on sales of £8.02m. In 2017 it was reported t ...

. He is also an author, television presenter, and journalist, and has had many charitable commitments.

Early life and education

Jeremy Gordon Norman was born in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...

, Greater London, in 1947. His parents were Wing Commander Roland Frank Holdway Norman and Muriel Johnson, known as Peggy, daughter of

Percy Johnson Percy John Johnson (28 January 1933 – 4 December 2021) was an Australian rules footballer and coach, who played 13 state matches for Western Australia and 228 games in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL). He is a member ...

.''

'' volume 1 (2003), p. 1039
Captain Roland Frank Holdway Norman
The Peerage.com They were living together in Marylebone in 1939 and were married in 1944. His father died in 1958, aged 62. A half-brother, Robert Norman (1922–1942), his father's son by a previous marriage, had been killed in action during the Second World War while serving in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. Norman was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

Pembroke College, Cambridge Pembroke College (officially "The Master, Fellows and Scholars of the College or Hall of Valence-Mary") is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college is the third-oldest college of the university and has over 700 ...

, where he read

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

. He graduated BA in 1972 and MA by seniority in 1975. After Cambridge, he became a self-employed entrepreneur.

Career

In 1974 Norman went into the wine business with his brother, under the name of La Reserve. The same year, he became Chairman of ''

'', a publisher of genealogical reference works, of which his old school friend

Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd Hugh John Massingberd (30 December 1946 – 25 December 2007), originally Hugh John Montgomery and known from 1963 to 1992 as Hugh Montgomery-Massingberd, was an English journalist and genealogist. He was chief editor of ''Burke's Peerage''/''Burk ...

was editor at the time. He continued in this role until 1983, his fellow directors including Patrick, Lord Lichfield, and

John Brooke-Little John Philip Brooke Brooke-Little (6 April 1927 – 13 February 2006) was an English writer on heraldic subjects, and a long-serving herald at the College of Arms in London. In 1947, while still a student, Brooke-Little founded the Society of He ...

, Richmond Herald of Arms. Under his chairmanship new volumes were published on royal families, Irish genealogy, and country houses of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. Norman’s stake in the business continued for ten years. In 1984, the ''Burke's Peerage'' titles were separated and sold: ''Burke’s Peerage'' itself was acquired by Frederik Jan Gustav Floris, Baron van Pallandt (1934–94), while ''

Burke's Landed Gentry ''Burke's Landed Gentry'' (originally titled ''Burke's Commoners'') is a reference work listing families in Great Britain and Ireland who have owned rural estates of some size. The work has been in existence from the first half of the 19th cent ...

'' and other titles were sold to other buyers. Norman's first nightclub, established in 1978, was the Embassy Club in

Old Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

, which has been called "London's first modern New York-style nightclub". Other directors were the fashion designer

Michael Fish Michael Fish, (born 27 April 1944 in Eastbourne, Sussex) is a British weather forecaster. From 1974 to 2004, he was a television presenter for BBC Weather. Career Educated at Eastbourne College and City University London, Fish was the longe ...

and Derek Johns, a picture dealer and director of

Sotheby's Sotheby's () is a British-founded American multinational corporation with headquarters in New York City. It is one of the world's largest brokers of fine and decorative art, jewellery, and collectibles. It has 80 locations in 40 countries, and ...

. Norman sold the Embassy to

Lady Edith Foxwell Lady Edith Foxwell (born Edith Sybil Lambart; 11 June 1918 – 31 March 1996) was a British socialite and eccentric known as "The Queen of London Cafe Society" and as the "Disco Dowager", in the 1970s and early 1980s. In 1981, she became an inv ...

. In 1979, he created an entirely new form of club, the ultradisco

, near

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Clockwise from north these are: the east side of Trafalgar Square leading to St Martin's Place and then Charing Cross Road; the Strand leading to the City; ...

, which "quickly established itself as the centre of London gay nightlife" and became Europe's largest and "the world's most famous gay nightclub". Norman's partner, Derek Frost, designed the "original hi-tech interior". Heaven introduced a new music style,

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated in the United States during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the ...

. After four years, Norman sold the club to

of Virgin. In 1983 Norman and Richard Branson became partners in Norman's first gym, Power Station in Chelsea (1983–1989). In 1994 he was founding Chairman of Ovalhouse Ltd., trading as

, a chain of ten gyms mainly in central London, a company sold to Pure Gym in 2018. He also owns two property investment companies, Blakenhall & Co. Ltd. and Citychance Ltd. Norman originated two other successful clubs: Embargo (1990–94), and Leopard Lounge on

(1989–92). His other businesses included Pasta Pasta, a manufacturer and retailer of fresh pasta and sauces, with Derek Johns launched in 1984.

Writer and television presenter

In 2006, Norman described many encounters and experiences from his life in his autobiography ''No Make-up: Straight Tales from a Queer Life'' (2006).

Matthew Parris Matthew Francis Parris (born 7 August 1949) is a British political writer and broadcaster, formerly a Conservative Member of Parliament. He was born in South Africa to British parents. Early life and family Parris is the eldest of six children ...

wrote about this in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', calling it "A marvellous book. Startlingly candid, unblushingly funny about wealth, privilege. and the pursuit of fun. Mr. Norman … paints an unforgettable picture of gay life in an age of official prohibition." Norman has also written books about his adventures with Derek Frost aboard a private yacht, from their perspective as "Two Men in a Boat". The first, ''Two Men in a Boat: Chasing Spring'', was inspired by a quotation, "Spring travels up through Britain at the pace of a walking man." This struck Norman as a romantic notion, and he and Frost set out to test the theory, which led them on a journey, chasing the arrival of spring up the west coast of Great Britain. The follow-up, ''Two Men in a Boat: Illyrian Shores'', is a "story of a romantic voyage in the wake of the Venetians... from Cofu to Venice." Norman's "Two Men in a Boat" books developed into a 25-part Out TV television series, under the same title, which documented their odysseys and is narrated by the two men and their expert guests speaking about the history, archaeology, art, natural history, and landscape of the many places they visit. Norman entered the field of journalism with pieces in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

'', ''

The Spectator ''The Spectator'' is a weekly British magazine on politics, culture, and current affairs. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving weekly magazine in the world. It is owned by Frederick Barclay, who also owns ''The ...

'' and ''

The Times of Malta The ''Times of Malta'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circu ...

''. His articles are about food, politics, gay life, and his wide travels with Frost.

Voluntary work

Norman's pro bono and charity appointments have focused on

HIV/AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...

. He was the founding chairman of Crusaid in 1985, Trustee of the National AIDS Trust in 1986, a founding Trustee of Aids Ark, and a Trustee of the

University Pitt Club The University Pitt Club, popularly referred to as the Pitt Club, the UPC, or merely as Club, is a private members' club of the University of Cambridge, with a previously male-only membership but now open to both men and women. History The ...

, Cambridge, from 1994 to 2009. Appointments: *Hon. Treasurer and Trustee

, Cambridge 1989–2009 *Founder chairman Crusaid (national fundraising charity for AIDS) *Trustee National AIDS Trust *Founder Trustee of Aids Arkaidsark.org
/ref> 2002–2017

Personal life

Norman has been in a relationship with Derek Frost since 1978. They became civil partners on 21 December 2006, the first day the law of the United Kingdom made this possible. They currently reside in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

Books and publications

* ''No Make-Up, Straight Tales from a Queer Life'', Elliott & Thompson Limited (6 Oct 2006)

At home with Ted
''

'', 10 September 2014, accessed 27 January 2021 * ''Two Men in a Boat – Chasing Spring'' * ''Two men in a Boat – Illyrian Shores''

Films and Documentaries

* ''Two Men in a Boat – Chasing Spring'' * ''Two men in a Boat – Illyrian Shores''

References

External links

AIDS ArkHeaven Club websiteLive venue websiteTwo Men and a boat – Chasing Spring , Out TV
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Jeremy Gordon English writers Living people English male journalists 1947 births People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge English businesspeople English male non-fiction writers