|
Leconfield House
Leconfield House is a building in Mayfair, London. It was the headquarters of the Security Service (MI5) from 1945 to 1976. History Early history The site at the junction of South Audley Street and Curzon Street was occupied in the second half of the 18th century, all of the 19th century and the first part of the 20th century by Chesterfield House, which was built in 1749 for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield. In 1869 Chesterfield House was purchased by the City of London merchant Charles Magniac, who considerably curtailed the grounds in the rear, and erected a row of buildings overlooking Chesterfield Street, named Chesterfield Gardens; the first occupier at No. 9 Chesterfield Gardens was Lord Leconfield. After Chesterfield House was demolished in 1937, part of the site was used for the construction of Leconfield House, named after Lord Leconfield, who had died in 1901. The new building, completed in 1939, served as the operational headquarters of London District th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curzon Street
Curzon Street is located within the Mayfair district of London. The street is located entirely within the W1J postcode district; the eastern end is north-east of Green Park underground station. It is within the City of Westminster, running approximately east to west from Fitzmaurice Place past Shepherd Market to Park Lane. The street is thought to be named after George Howe, 3rd Viscount Howe from the House of Curzon. Before this time, it was called Mayfair Row. Other places named after the Curzon family include Curzon Avenue, a street in Northwich, in North west England. In the world of athletics, Curzon Ashton F.C. is a soccer club situated in Ashton-Under-Lyne, which traces its history to the family's name owing to a few members of the family who participated in football. The key parks bearing the Curzon family name include Roker Curzon Park (Sunderland), Curzon Park (in Chester), and Curzon Park Abbey (a monastery of nuns). History Curzon Street has been home to various ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stella Rimington
Dame Stella Rimington (born 13 May 1935) is a British author and former Director General of MI5, a position she held from 1992 to 1996. She was the first female DG of MI5, and the first DG whose name was publicised on appointment. In 1993, Rimington became the first DG of MI5 to pose openly for cameras at the launch of a brochure outlining the organisation's activities. Early life Rimington was born Stella Whitehouse in South London, England; her family moved from South Norwood to Essex in 1939, due to the danger of living in London during World War II. Her father got a job as chief draughtsman at a steel works in Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria, and the family moved there. She described living through the Barrow Blitz as a small child, and becoming claustrophobic into adulthood, needing an exit route from any situation. She was educated at Croslands Convent School after spending some time in Wallasey. When her father got a job in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, the family moved to the Mi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Evening Standard
The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after being purchased by Russian businessman Alexander Lebedev, the paper ended a 180-year history of paid circulation and became a free newspaper, doubling its circulation as part of a change in its business plan. Emily Sheffield became editor in July 2020 but resigned in October 2021. History From 1827 to 2009 The newspaper was founded by barrister Stanley Lees Giffard on 21 May 1827 as ''The Standard''. The early owner of the paper was Charles Baldwin. Under the ownership of James Johnstone, ''The Standard'' became a morning paper from 29 June 1857. ''The Evening Standard'' was published from 11 June 1859. ''The Standard'' gained eminence for its detailed foreign news, notably its reporting of events of the American Civil War (1861–1865 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors. The council is currently composed of 31 Labour Party members and 23 Conservative Party members. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced three local authorities: Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and Westminster Borough Council. History There have previously been a number of local authorities responsible for the Westminster area. The current local authority was first elected in 1964, a year before formally coming into its powers and prior to the creation of the City of Westminster on 1 April 1965. Westminster City Council replaced Paddington Metropolitan Borough Council, St Marylebone Metropolitan Borough Council and the Westminster City Council which had responsibility for the earlier, smaller City of Westminster. All three had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Guardian Media Group, owned by the Scott Trust. The trust was created in 1936 to "secure the financial and editorial independence of ''The Guardian'' in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of ''The Guardian'' free from commercial or political interference". The trust was converted into a limited company in 2008, with a constitution written so as to maintain for ''The Guardian'' the same protections as were built into the structure of the Scott Trust by its creators. Profits are reinvested in journalism rather than distributed to owners or shareholders. It is considered a newspaper of record in the UK. The editor-in-chief Katharine Viner succeeded Alan Rusbridger in 2015. Since 2018, the paper's main news ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vincent Tchenguiz
Vincent Tchenguiz (born 9 October 1956) is an Iranian-British entrepreneur born in Tehran. Robert Tchenguiz is his younger brother. Tchenguiz is known as a major donor to the Conservative Party (UK) and an investor in the controversial company SCL Group, known for the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal involving its subsidiary. Early life and education Tchenguiz was born in Tehran, Iran, to an Iraqi-Jewish family, the son of Victor and Violet Khadouri.The Daily Telegraph: "Lisa Tchenguiz and Vivian Imerman: profiles" 22 January 2010 His family left in 1948 and settled in Iran, where his father, Victor Tchenguiz, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Tchenguiz
Robert Tchenguiz (born 9 September 1960) is a British entrepreneur, property investor, activist shareholder and securities dealer. The younger brother of Vincent Tchenguiz, he undertook a series of corporate deals, focusing particularly on property assets associated with UK pub and supermarket chains, during the 2000s. However, the value of some of his investments plunged during the financial crisis of 2007–08, exacerbated by the collapse of his major financial backer, Iceland's Kaupthing Bank. He and his brother's businesses were also the target of a UK Serious Fraud Office enquiry, and of various lawsuits. Early life Tchenguiz was born in Tehran, Iran, to an Iraqi-Jewish family, the son of Victor and Violet Khadouri.The Daily Telegraph: "Lis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
140 Gower Street
140 Gower Street was the headquarters of the Security Service (MI5) from 1976 to 1994. The site was acquired by the Wellcome Foundation in 1998. History In the late 19th century the site at 140 Gower Street was occupied by a modest three-story building which was used by George J. W. Pitman, book publishers. Then in the first half of the 20th century the same building was used for the secondhand book section of H.K. Lewis & Company, book sellers. In 1950 the site was acquired by a property developer. After the bookshop was demolished, the site was redeveloped and a new ten-story building constructed in the early 1950s. The new building was occupied by various government offices including the Commission on Industrial Relations. The Security Service (MI5), who had relocated from Leconfield House, occupied the new building, known simply as "140 Gower Street", in 1976: the Director-General's office was on the 6th floor. MI5 moved out of the building to Thames House in 1994 and the si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Audley Street
South Audley Street is a major shopping street in Mayfair, London.'South Audley Street: Introduction', in Survey of London: Volume 40, the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, Part 2 (The Buildings), ed. F H W Sheppard (London, 1980), pp. 290–291. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-london/vol40/pt2/pp290-291 ccessed 26 October 2019/ref> It runs north to south from the southwest corner of Grosvenor Square to Curzon Street. History The street is named after Hugh Audley, whose heirs acquired the land following Sir Thomas Grosvenor's marriage to Mary Davies in 1677. Construction of properties along the street began in 1720, initially with small houses at the north end and larger family residences to the south. This reflected a social convention that was common at this time. Audley Square was a short abutment at the south end of the street. Unlike other significant squares in Mayfair, it was three sided and had no garden. The first multistorey car park in th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London District (British Army)
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''. History In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in Great Britain and Ireland’ was published, with the ‘Active Army’ divided into eight army corps based on the District Commands. 3rd Corps was to be formed within London District, based in Croydon. This scheme disappeared in 1881, when the districts were retitled ‘District Commands. It was re-formed in 1905 as ''London District'' to be an independent district within the larger command structure of the army, and has remained so ever since. In 1906, when the Chief of the General Staff moved to the Old War Office Building, HQ London District moved to Horse Guards.Tabor, p. 19 In September 1939, the district included the 1st and 2nd London Divisions, the 22nd Armoured Brigade, the Life Guards and Royal Horse Guards and five Guards ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield
Henry Wyndham, 2nd Baron Leconfield, (31 July 1830 – 6 January 1901) was a British peer and Conservative Member of Parliament. A direct descendant of Sir John Wyndham, Leconfield was the eldest son of George Wyndham, 1st Baron Leconfield, and Mary Fanny Blunt. His father was the eldest natural son and adopted heir of George O'Brien Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont, and had succeeded to the Egremont estates on the death of his cousin the fourth Earl of Egremont in 1845. George Wyndham was his nephew. Wyndham was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, and after leaving university joined the 1st Life Guards, from which he retired with the rank of captain. He was elected to the House of Commons for West Sussex in 1854, a seat he held until he succeeded his father as second Baron in 1869 and entered the House of Lords. He was a justice of the peace (JP) and a deputy lieutenant (DL) for Sussex, and vice-chairman and alderman of the Western Division of the Sussex County Coun ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
