Harold Samuel, Baron Samuel of Wych Cross
Encyclopedia
Harold Samuel, Baron Samuel of Wych Cross (23 April 1912 - 28 August 1987) was the founder of Land Securities, one of the United Kingdom
's largest property companies.
and educated at Mill Hill School
and the College of Estate Management at Lincoln's Inn Fields
, Harold Samuel initially trained to be a surveyor.
He established himself as an estate agent but then in 1944 he acquired Land Securities Investment Trust, a small property concern owning three modest properties. After World War II
he focused on securing bomb sites in Plymouth
, Exeter
, Hull, Coventry
and Bristol
and redeveloping them. He built the business into one of the largest companies on the London Stock Exchange
.
He was knighted in 1963 and became a peer in 1972. He died in 1987.
paintings was donated to the Mansion House
Art Collection after his death. He also became a Fellow
of Magdalene College, Cambridge
and University College, London.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's largest property companies.
Career
Born in FinchleyFinchley
Finchley is a district in Barnet in north London, England. Finchley is on high ground, about north of Charing Cross. It formed an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex, becoming a municipal borough in 1933, and has formed part of Greater London since 1965...
and educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
and the College of Estate Management at Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
, Harold Samuel initially trained to be a surveyor.
He established himself as an estate agent but then in 1944 he acquired Land Securities Investment Trust, a small property concern owning three modest properties. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he focused on securing bomb sites in Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
, Hull, Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
and redeveloping them. He built the business into one of the largest companies on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
.
He was knighted in 1963 and became a peer in 1972. He died in 1987.
Other interests
Harold Samuel was an avid art collector: his collection of DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
paintings was donated to the Mansion House
Mansion House, London
Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London in London, England. It is used for some of the City of London's official functions, including an annual dinner, hosted by the Lord Mayor, at which the Chancellor of the Exchequer customarily gives a speech – his...
Art Collection after his death. He also became a Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College, Cambridge
Magdalene College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mary Magdalene...
and University College, London.
Further reading
- Dutch and Flemish Seventeenth-Century Paintings: The Harold Samuel Collection, Cambridge University Press, 1992 ISBN 978-0521417952