The Eccentric Entrepreneur: Sir Julien Cahn: Businessman, Philanthropist, Magician and Cricket-Lover

Julien Cahn, the son of a German Jewish émigré, was an enormously successful businessman who used his wealth to indulge his somewhat eclectic passions. He built his own cricket ground and put together what is still regarded as the finest private cricket team ever assembled (which he captained): it undertook world tours, beating national teams. He was master of three hunts. An accomplished amateur magician, he built a magnificent art deco theatre at his home, Stanford Hall, and was invited to perform at the London Palladium. He purchased Lord Byron's house, Newstead Abbey and donated it to the nation. There is even a suggestion that he assisted in mitigating the effects of Maundy Gregory's 'cash for honours' scandal. Told by his grand-daughter, this is the vivid picture of Britain in the 1930s, and of one of its most eccentric inhabitants.