Peter Rachman
Encyclopedia
Peter Rachman was a London
landlord
in the Notting Hill
area in the 1950s and 1960s. He became so notorious for his exploitation of tenants that the word "Rachmanism" entered the OED
as a synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.
in 1919, the son of a Jewish dentist. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Rachman may have joined the Polish resistance. He was first interned by the Germans and, after escaping across the Russian border, was interned in a Soviet labour camp in Siberia where he was very cruelly treated. After the Germans declared war on Russia in 1941, Rachman and other Polish prisoners joined the 2nd Polish Corps and fought on behalf of the Allies in the Middle East and Italy. After the war he stayed with his unit, which remained as an occupying force in Italy until 1946 when they transferred to England. Rachman was eventually demobilised in 1948 and became a British resident.
In England Rachman built up a property empire in West London consisting of more than one hundred mansion blocks and several nightclub
s. He operated from an office at 91-93 Westbourne Grove
, in Bayswater
, and the first house he purchased and used for multi-occupation was nearby in now-fashionable St. Stephen's Gardens, London W2. Adjacent areas in Notting Hill (W11), including Powis Square, Powis Gardens, Powis Terrace, Colville Road and Colville Terrace were also early areas where he subdivided and let rooms, initially often for prostitution. Much of this area south of Westbourne Park Road, having become derelict, was compulsorily purchased by Westminster City council in the late 1960s and demolished in 1973-4 to make way for the "Wessex Gardens" estate.
In order to maximise his rental from his properties, he is said to have driven out the — mostly white — sitting tenants of the properties he owned in Notting Hill, who had statutory protection against high rent increases, and then to have packed the properties with recent immigrants from the West Indies. New tenants did not have the same protection under the law as the sitting tenants had possessed, and so could be charged any amount Rachman wished. Most of the new tenants were Afro-Caribbean
immigrants who had no choice but to accept the high rents, as it was difficult for them to obtain housing in London at the time. Indeed, Rachman's initial reputation, which he even promoted in the media, was as someone who could help to find and provide accommodation for immigrants who would otherwise find it difficult.
According to his biographer, Shirley Green, certain elements of the traditional story about Rachman, such as the use of violence to drive away the sitting tenants (described in the press at the time as 'Rachman Terror Tactics'), may be mythical, and more devious methods were used, such as relocating the protected tenants in a smaller concentration of properties or buying them out, in order to minimise the number of tenancies with statutory rent controls. Also, houses were subdivided into a number of flats in order to increase the number of tenancies without rent controls.
Rachman did not achieve general notoriety until after his death, when the Profumo affair
of 1963 hit the headlines and it emerged that both Christine Keeler
and Mandy Rice-Davies
had been his mistresses, and that he had owned the mews
house in Marylebone
which Rice-Davies and Keeler had used as a base for their trade. He had largely moved out of slum-landlording into property development after 1958, but his former henchmen, including the equally-notorious Michael de Freitas (aka, Michael X/Abdul Malik), who created a reputation as a black-power leader, and Johnny Edgecombe
, who became a promoter of jazz and blues, helped to keep him in the limelight.
As full details of his activities were revealed, there was a call for new legislation to prevent such practices, led by Ben Parkin
, MP for North Paddington, who coined the phrase "Rachmanism". The subsequent 1965 Rent Act added to the security of tenants, but had the unintended consequence that private rented housing vacancies became scarce.
He got married to long-standing girlfriend Audrey O'Donnell in 1960, but remained a compulsive womaniser, maintaining Mandy Rice-Davies as his mistress at 1 Bryanston Mews West W1, where he had previously installed Christine Keeler. After suffering two heart attacks, Peter Rachman died in Edgware
General Hospital on 29 November 1962. He was forty-two years old. He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery at Bushey
, Hertfordshire
.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
in the Notting Hill
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
area in the 1950s and 1960s. He became so notorious for his exploitation of tenants that the word "Rachmanism" entered the OED
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
as a synonym for any greedy, unscrupulous landlord.
Career
Rachman was born Perec Rachman in Lvov, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in 1919, the son of a Jewish dentist. After the German invasion of Poland in 1939, Rachman may have joined the Polish resistance. He was first interned by the Germans and, after escaping across the Russian border, was interned in a Soviet labour camp in Siberia where he was very cruelly treated. After the Germans declared war on Russia in 1941, Rachman and other Polish prisoners joined the 2nd Polish Corps and fought on behalf of the Allies in the Middle East and Italy. After the war he stayed with his unit, which remained as an occupying force in Italy until 1946 when they transferred to England. Rachman was eventually demobilised in 1948 and became a British resident.
In England Rachman built up a property empire in West London consisting of more than one hundred mansion blocks and several nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s. He operated from an office at 91-93 Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove is a retail road running across Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, a section of west London, England. It runs from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road...
, in Bayswater
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area of west London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to the west . It is a built-up district located 3 miles west-north-west of Charing Cross, bordering the north of Hyde Park over Kensington Gardens and having a population density of...
, and the first house he purchased and used for multi-occupation was nearby in now-fashionable St. Stephen's Gardens, London W2. Adjacent areas in Notting Hill (W11), including Powis Square, Powis Gardens, Powis Terrace, Colville Road and Colville Terrace were also early areas where he subdivided and let rooms, initially often for prostitution. Much of this area south of Westbourne Park Road, having become derelict, was compulsorily purchased by Westminster City council in the late 1960s and demolished in 1973-4 to make way for the "Wessex Gardens" estate.
In order to maximise his rental from his properties, he is said to have driven out the — mostly white — sitting tenants of the properties he owned in Notting Hill, who had statutory protection against high rent increases, and then to have packed the properties with recent immigrants from the West Indies. New tenants did not have the same protection under the law as the sitting tenants had possessed, and so could be charged any amount Rachman wished. Most of the new tenants were Afro-Caribbean
British African-Caribbean community
The British African Caribbean communities are residents of the United Kingdom who are of West Indian background and whose ancestors were primarily indigenous to Africa...
immigrants who had no choice but to accept the high rents, as it was difficult for them to obtain housing in London at the time. Indeed, Rachman's initial reputation, which he even promoted in the media, was as someone who could help to find and provide accommodation for immigrants who would otherwise find it difficult.
According to his biographer, Shirley Green, certain elements of the traditional story about Rachman, such as the use of violence to drive away the sitting tenants (described in the press at the time as 'Rachman Terror Tactics'), may be mythical, and more devious methods were used, such as relocating the protected tenants in a smaller concentration of properties or buying them out, in order to minimise the number of tenancies with statutory rent controls. Also, houses were subdivided into a number of flats in order to increase the number of tenancies without rent controls.
Rachman did not achieve general notoriety until after his death, when the Profumo affair
Profumo Affair
The Profumo Affair was a 1963 British political scandal named after John Profumo, Secretary of State for War. His affair with Christine Keeler, the reputed mistress of an alleged Russian spy, followed by lying in the House of Commons when he was questioned about it, forced the resignation of...
of 1963 hit the headlines and it emerged that both Christine Keeler
Christine Keeler
Christine Margaret Keeler is an English former model and showgirl. Her involvement with a British government minister discredited the Conservative government of Harold Macmillan in 1963, in what is known as the Profumo Affair....
and Mandy Rice-Davies
Mandy Rice-Davies
Mandy Rice-Davies , is a Welsh former model and showgirl best known for her role in the Profumo affair and her association with Christine Keeler, which discredited the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.-Early life:She was born Marilyn Rice-Davies in...
had been his mistresses, and that he had owned the mews
Mews
Mews is a primarily British term formerly describing a row of stables, usually with carriage houses below and living quarters above, built around a paved yard or court, or along a street, behind large city houses, such as those of London, during the 17th and 18th centuries. The word may also...
house in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
which Rice-Davies and Keeler had used as a base for their trade. He had largely moved out of slum-landlording into property development after 1958, but his former henchmen, including the equally-notorious Michael de Freitas (aka, Michael X/Abdul Malik), who created a reputation as a black-power leader, and Johnny Edgecombe
Johnny Edgecombe
John Arthur Alexander "Johnny" Edgecombe was a British jazz promoter and criminal, whoseinvolvement with Christine Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo Affair.-Early life:...
, who became a promoter of jazz and blues, helped to keep him in the limelight.
As full details of his activities were revealed, there was a call for new legislation to prevent such practices, led by Ben Parkin
Ben Parkin
Benjamin Theaker Parkin was a British teacher and politician who served as Member of Parliament for Stroud and for Paddington North...
, MP for North Paddington, who coined the phrase "Rachmanism". The subsequent 1965 Rent Act added to the security of tenants, but had the unintended consequence that private rented housing vacancies became scarce.
Personal life
According to his biographer, Rachman was an intelligent man with a genial personality. Though not blessed with conventional good looks, being short, balding and dumpy, he had the power to charm women and mixed with all classes of society from prostitutes to the aristocracy. He was flamboyant about the way he displayed his wealth: driving a Rolls Royce, chewing on a cigar and sporting dark sunglasses. Though generally a happy individual, he was somewhat conflicted between his Jewish and Polish heritage. This confusion of identity was made worse by the fact that his home town of Lvov was transferred from Poland to the Soviet Union after World War Two, and, being denied British citizenship, he was technically stateless. Lvov is now a major city in western Ukraine and is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine.He got married to long-standing girlfriend Audrey O'Donnell in 1960, but remained a compulsive womaniser, maintaining Mandy Rice-Davies as his mistress at 1 Bryanston Mews West W1, where he had previously installed Christine Keeler. After suffering two heart attacks, Peter Rachman died in Edgware
Edgware
Edgware is an area in London, situated north-northwest of Charing Cross. It forms part of both the London Borough of Barnet and the London Borough of Harrow. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
General Hospital on 29 November 1962. He was forty-two years old. He is buried in the Jewish Cemetery at Bushey
Bushey
Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. Bushey Heath is situated to the south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow.-History:...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
.
In popular culture
- In Michael Caton-JonesMichael Caton-JonesMichael Caton-Jones is the director of such films as Scandal, Rob Roy, Memphis Belle and The Jackal...
's 1989 film about the Profumo affair, Scandal, Rachman is portrayed by actor Johnny Shannon. - In the film An EducationAn EducationAn Education is a 2009 British coming-of-age drama film, based on an autobiographical article in Granta by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film was directed by Lone Scherfig from a screenplay by Nick Hornby, and stars Carey Mulligan as Jenny, a bright schoolgirl, and Peter Sarsgaard as David,...
(2009), Rachman has a minor role (described by one character as a "complete bastard") and is portrayed by Luis Soto. - Linda Grant's (2008) The Clothes On Their Backs, Virago Press, features a main character modelled on Rachman.
- Harry Starks, the fictional protagonist of Jake ArnottJake ArnottJake Arnott is a British novelist, author of The Long Firm and other novels. Most of his works are crime novels, and include homosexual characters...
's novel The Long Firm, begins his career working for Peter Rachman, who is described in the book as a Holocaust survivor, and is said to hoard bread crusts. - Peter FlanneryPeter FlanneryPeter Flannery is a British playwright and screenwriter. He was educated at Bath Spa University and is best known for his work while a resident playwright at the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
's (1989) Singer was inspired, in part, by Rachman's life. - Indie-Pop band Carter USMCarter USMCarter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
's hit 1989 single Sheriff FatmanSheriff Fatman"Sheriff Fatman" is a single by Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, released in 1989, and featuring on the album 101 Damnations. The title track is probably their best-known original composition. The lyrics rail against slum landlords and their intimidatory tactics used against tenants, and...
makes reference to Rachman - along with another notable slum landlord, Nicholas Van HoogstratenNicholas van HoogstratenNicholas van Hoogstraten is a British businessman and real estate magnate. van Hoogstraten is known for his business empire as well as his controversial life story: In 1968, he was convicted, and sent to prison, for paying a gang to attack a business associate...
. - Julien TempleJulien TempleJulien Temple is an English film, documentary and music video director. He began his career with short films featuring the Sex Pistols, and has continued with various off-beat projects, including The Great Rock And Roll Swindle, Absolute Beginners and a documentary film about Glastonbury.-Temple...
's 1986 musical filmMusical filmThe musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
, Absolute BeginnersAbsolute Beginners (film)Absolute Beginners is a 1986 British rock musical film adapted from the Colin MacInnes book of the same name about life in late 1950s London. The film was directed by Julien Temple, featured David Bowie and Sade, and a breakout role by Patsy Kensit...
, loosely based on Colin MacInnesColin MacInnesColin MacInnes was an English novelist and journalist.-Early life:MacInnes was born in London, the son of singer James Campbell McInnes and novelist Angela Thirkell, who was also related to Rudyard Kipling and Stanley Baldwin. His family moved to Australia in 1920, MacInness returning in 1930...
' 1959 novel of the same nameAbsolute BeginnersAbsolute Beginners is a novel by Colin MacInnes, written and set in 1958 London, England. It was published in 1959. The novel is the second of MacInnes' London Trilogy, coming after City Of Spades and before Mr. Love and Justice...
, features a predatory Notting HillNotting HillNotting Hill is an area in London, England, close to the north-western corner of Kensington Gardens, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
slum landlord named Saltzman, who is clearly modeled on Rachman. In the film Saltzman evicts West Indian tenants from his properties to make way for a redevelopment and gentrificationGentrificationGentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...
scheme. Perhaps not coincidentally, the actor who plays Saltzman in the film, Johnny Shannon, is the same actor who later played Peter Rachman in Scandal (see above). It is also likely not a coincidence that Rachman's one-time mistress, Mandy Rice-DaviesMandy Rice-DaviesMandy Rice-Davies , is a Welsh former model and showgirl best known for her role in the Profumo affair and her association with Christine Keeler, which discredited the Conservative government of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1963.-Early life:She was born Marilyn Rice-Davies in...
, appears in Temple's film as the teenage protagonist's promiscuous mother, who runs the boarding house where she resides and often cuckolds her husband with "gigolo lodgers". - In 1973-74, the British rock band, The KinksThe KinksThe Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, released a two-part rock operaRock operaA rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...
, Preservation Act 1 and Preservation Act 2Preservation Act 2Preservation Act 2 is a 1974 concept album by British rock band The Kinks. It was not well-received by critics and sold poorly , though the live performances of the material were much better received...
, which chronicles the rise and fall of a wicked property developer called Flash — a character that is probably based, at least in part, on Peter Rachman.