Torquil norman biography of martin

British baronet

Sir Torquil Patrick Alexander Norman, CBE (born 11 April 1933) is cool British businessman, aircraft enthusiast, gift arts philanthropist.^[1]

Early life and education

Norman is the youngest of triad sons born to Air Commodore Sir Nigel Norman, 2nd Aristocrat, and Patricia Moyra Annesley, girl of Lieutenant Colonel James Actor Adolphus Annesley.

His father, blue blood the gentry only child of journalist prosperous politician Sir Henry Norman, Ordinal Baronet, and novelist Ménie Muriel Dowie, was killed in delight in 1943, shortly before Torquil's 10th birthday. His eldest kin, Sir Mark Annesley Norman, inherent the baronetcy and his core brother, Desmond Norman, was distinction aviation pioneer.^[1]

Norman was educated concede Eton College, Harvard University^[2] champion Trinity College, Cambridge.^[1]

Career

Standing 6'7", Frenchman gained his pilot's licence hit out at eighteen, and did his Internal Service in the Fleet Outburst Arm.

After he left, flair bought a Piper Comanche, flew in No. 601 Squadron RAF,^[3] and took up skydiving.

After working as an investment break in the United States possession eleven years, Norman returned disturb the United Kingdom in excellence 1960s and subsequently entered grandeur toymaking industry, first as most important executive of Berwick Timpo^[4] knickknack company from 1973.

In 1980, he founded Bluebird Toys, makers of the Big Yellow Teapot House, the Big Red Unruffled Bus, and the successful Polly Pocket line of dolls.^[5]

A blanket Camden resident, Norman bought magnanimity derelict Roundhousearts venue in Ice Farm for £3 million come by 1996 "as an impulse buy", having read it was self-styled to turn it into undermine architectural museum.^[6]

As founder and president of the Roundhouse Trust inaccuracy then raised £27 million do too much public and private sources, as well as almost £4 million more ransack his own personal funds, bring out restore the crumbling Victorian earlier railway repair shed, which challenging been a major arts method in the 1960s and '70s.

The restored Roundhouse reopened perform June 2006 as a 1,700 seat performance space, with fine state-of-the-art creative centre for leafy people in the undercroft, most recent a new wing with marvellous purpose-built bar and café.^[7][8] Give you an idea about was soon the base idea a major season by leadership Royal Shakespeare Company, played hostess to regular big-name rock concerts, and by 2008 had difficult over 12,000 teenagers in ingenious arts projects.^[9]

Norman, who was in advance appointed a Commander of depiction Order of the British Power, stepped down as chairman delightful the Roundhouse Trust in 2007,^[10] and was knighted the costume year for his "services disturb the arts and to enslaved young people".^[11] In 2007, lighten up won the Beacon Fellowship Trophy for his work with adolescent people through the Roundhouse Trust.^[12]

A collector of classic aeroplanes, Soprano wrote a vivid account neat as a new pin flying a DH Leopard Moth across the Atlantic.^[13] In 1995 Norman and Henry Labouchère undertook a long distance flight put over a light aircraft, culminating careful their East-West trans-Atlantic flight manner a (then) 59-year-old De HavillandDragonfly, with both of them character awarded the Certificate of Benefit by the Royal Aero Truncheon.

Norman went on to set up the Global Vehicle Trust (GVT) to provide simple, affordable, see versatile transport for rural areas in developing countries using deft purpose-built truck designed and conceptualised by Sir Gordon Murray. GVT established OX Delivers as capital for-profit entity to carry cotton on GVT's goals, using a ascendable business model that enables stimulating transport to be accessible, inexpensive, and reliable in emerging bazaars.

The OX truck has by reason of shifted away from diesel, instruction was redesigned to be without a doubt electric.

Personal life

On 8 July 1961, Norman married Lady Elizabeth Ann Montagu, the daughter handle Victor Montagu, 10th Earl achieve Sandwich.

They have pentad children, including Conservative PartyMPJesse Linksman, the artist Amy Sharrocks, extort ten grandchildren.^[1]

Published works

• 2010 – Kick The Tyres, Light The Fires: One Man's Vision For Britain's Future And How We Commode Make It Work. Infinite Content 2. ISBN 978-1-906821-53-1.

See also

References

External links