- Stephen Courtauld
Sir Stephen Lewis Courtauld, MC (1883–1967) was a member of the wealthy English Courtauld textile family (he was the youngest brother of Samuel Courtauld, founder of the
Courtauld Institute of Art ). He did not enter the family business but his wealthy background enabled him to travel extensively and to pursue cultural and philanthropic interests — most notably, the redevelopment during the 1930s ofEltham Palace in Eltham, south-eastLondon .Serving in the Artists’ Rifles during
World War I , Courtauld won theMilitary Cross in 1918. After the war, in 1919, as an enthusiasticmountaineer , he completed the first ascent of the Innominata face ofMont Blanc in the FrenchAlps . Also in 1919, he met his future wife, Virginia (nee Peirano), who he married in 1923.Courtauld was financial director of
Ealing Studios , a trustee of theRoyal Opera House in London'sCovent Garden , and provided financial support for the Courtauld Galleries inCambridge ’sFitzwilliam Museum .He undertook the redevelopment of Eltham Palace with his wife. They employed
architect sJohn Seely (1899–1963) andPaul Paget (1901–1985) and fashionableMayfair interior designer the MarchesePeter Malacrida (1889–1980) to design a new private house in theArt Deco style to adjoin the existing Palace building, which was extensively restored. Malacrida also designed the interiors of the Courtauld's luxuryyacht , "Virginia" (launched in 1930 atDalmuir on the Upper Clyde inScotland ).The Courtaulds left Eltham Palace in May 1944 to live in Scotland. In 1951 they moved again, to
Southern Rhodesia , nowZimbabwe . After Stephen’s death in 1967, Virginia moved toJersey in 1970 where she died in 1972.
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