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William Alfred Westropp Foyle (1885–1963) was a British bookseller and businessman who co-founded Foyles bookshop in 1903 with his brother Gilbert Foyle.
William Foyle was one of the leading London booksellers of the 20th century. In 1903 he opened his first bookshop with his brother Gilbert and by the late 1920s the business had grown so rapidly that their bookstore in Charing Cross Road held a stock of four million volumes on over thirty miles of bookshelves, and the name of Foyle had become synonymous with bookselling in London. His vision for the business was a bookshop for the world - for every one from any station in life - "The People's Bookshop". His inspiration was James Lackington's late 18th century "Temple of Muses" at Chiswell Street, London.
The Foyle brothers were determined to create the greatest bookshop in the world. Foyles became increasingly popular with customers and members of the public throughout the world. In 1930, Foyle's nineteen-year-old daughter, Christina, brought together famous writers and distinguished figures, along with members of the public, to create the world's first public literary luncheon.
In May 1936 the Left Book Club was established, and towards the end of 1936 a group of "neo-Tories" mooted the idea of a right-wing book club. Foyle and his daughter Christina undertook to organize it, and the Right Book Club was launched at a luncheon at the
p. 108
/ref> During the
Foyles Bookshop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foyle, William 1885 births 1963 deaths British retail company founders Burials at Highgate Cemetery Alumni of King's College London 20th-century British businesspeople People educated at Dame Alice Owen's School
William Alfred Westropp Foyle (1885–1963) was a British bookseller and businessman who co-founded Foyles bookshop in 1903 with his brother Gilbert Foyle.
William Foyle was one of the leading London booksellers of the 20th century. In 1903 he opened his first bookshop with his brother Gilbert and by the late 1920s the business had grown so rapidly that their bookstore in Charing Cross Road held a stock of four million volumes on over thirty miles of bookshelves, and the name of Foyle had become synonymous with bookselling in London. His vision for the business was a bookshop for the world - for every one from any station in life - "The People's Bookshop". His inspiration was James Lackington's late 18th century "Temple of Muses" at Chiswell Street, London.
The Foyle brothers were determined to create the greatest bookshop in the world. Foyles became increasingly popular with customers and members of the public throughout the world. In 1930, Foyle's nineteen-year-old daughter, Christina, brought together famous writers and distinguished figures, along with members of the public, to create the world's first public literary luncheon.
In May 1936 the Left Book Club was established, and towards the end of 1936 a group of "neo-Tories" mooted the idea of a right-wing book club. Foyle and his daughter Christina undertook to organize it, and the Right Book Club was launched at a luncheon at the Grosvenor House Hotel
]
JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, originally named the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. The hotel is managed by JW Marriott Hotels, which is a brand of Marriott Internat ...
in April 1937, with John Baird, 1st Viscount Stonehaven, Lord Stonehaven, the recently-retired Chairman of the Conservative Party
The chairman of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom is responsible for party administration and overseeing the Conservative Campaign Headquarters, formerly Conservative Central Office.
When the Conservatives are in government, the off ...
, presiding.Bernhard Dietz, ''Neo-Tories: The Revolt of British Conservatives against Democracy and Political Modernity (1929-1939)'' (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018)p. 108
/ref> During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, Foyle bought Beeleigh Abbey
Beeleigh Abbey near Maldon in Essex, England, was a monastery constructed in 1180 for the Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, as known as the Norbertines or Premonstratensians. The order linked the change of the separate life of monks in t ...
, a 12th-century monastery on the River Chelmer
The River Chelmer is a river that flows entirely through the county of Essex, England, running from the northwest of the county through Chelmsford to the River Blackwater near Maldon.
Course
The source of the river is in the parish of Debden i ...
at Maldon, Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
. Although Foyle had collected books from an early age, it was at Beeleigh Abbey that he was able to house the books properly, forming one of the largest English private libraries of the 20th century. From 1963 to 1999 Christina Foyle lived at and maintained the Beeleigh estate. In July 2000 the library was sold at auction by Christie's auction house. The three day sale realised some £12,000,000, the most expensive item, a Medieval French work, selling for £883,750.''Book and Magazine Collector'', No. 198, September 2000, pp. 19-30. It was the single most valuable collection of books ever to be sold at auction in Britain or Europe.
Foyle died at Beeleigh Abbey on 4 June 1963 and is buried on the east side of Highgate Cemetery
Highgate Cemetery is a place of burial in north London, England. There are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East Cemeteries. Highgate Cemetery is notable both for some of the people buried there as ...
close to his son William Richard Foyle who had died six years earlier.
References
External links
Foyles Bookshop
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foyle, William 1885 births 1963 deaths British retail company founders Burials at Highgate Cemetery Alumni of King's College London 20th-century British businesspeople People educated at Dame Alice Owen's School