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| Lord McAlpine of West Green obituary | |
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| Alistair McAlpine, who has died aged 71, was a man of extraordinary individuality: his life was one of a succession of transient passions. At various times he was a distinguished political campaigner and adviser, an Australian pearl farmer, an English country gentleman, a Venetian romantic, a builder, a shopkeeper, a Cork Street antique dealer, a journalist and author and, most latterly, an Italian bed and breakfast proprietor in a restored Puglian monastery. He was a true eccentric in the finest tradition of the maverick. | Alistair McAlpine, who has died aged 71, was a man of extraordinary individuality: his life was one of a succession of transient passions. At various times he was a distinguished political campaigner and adviser, an Australian pearl farmer, an English country gentleman, a Venetian romantic, a builder, a shopkeeper, a Cork Street antique dealer, a journalist and author and, most latterly, an Italian bed and breakfast proprietor in a restored Puglian monastery. He was a true eccentric in the finest tradition of the maverick. |
| The great-grandson of "Concrete Bob", the founder of the McAlpine building company, was born in the Dorchester hotel, London, where his bottle of milk was delivered by room service. He came to public prominence when Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party and appointed him as honorary treasurer, a post he occupied throughout her leadership from 1975 to 1990. He was also deputy chairman of the party from 1979 to 1983. Having raised many millions to fight the 1979 and 1983 elections, he was rewarded with a life peerage in 1984. | The great-grandson of "Concrete Bob", the founder of the McAlpine building company, was born in the Dorchester hotel, London, where his bottle of milk was delivered by room service. He came to public prominence when Margaret Thatcher was elected leader of the Conservative party and appointed him as honorary treasurer, a post he occupied throughout her leadership from 1975 to 1990. He was also deputy chairman of the party from 1979 to 1983. Having raised many millions to fight the 1979 and 1983 elections, he was rewarded with a life peerage in 1984. |
| A man of wonderful fun and mischief, he claimed to have helped secure Thatcher's continuation as prime minister in 1983 by sending across Smith Square from Conservative Central Office and buying all available copies of the Labour party manifesto from its headquarters at Transport House. He then circulated the document, famously dubbed by the Labour MP Gerald Kaufman "the longest suicide note in history", throughout the City and the Conservative party's business supporters in an operation so immediately successful that he quietly cancelled any further press advertising in the course of the campaign, thus saving hugely on the election budget. | A man of wonderful fun and mischief, he claimed to have helped secure Thatcher's continuation as prime minister in 1983 by sending across Smith Square from Conservative Central Office and buying all available copies of the Labour party manifesto from its headquarters at Transport House. He then circulated the document, famously dubbed by the Labour MP Gerald Kaufman "the longest suicide note in history", throughout the City and the Conservative party's business supporters in an operation so immediately successful that he quietly cancelled any further press advertising in the course of the campaign, thus saving hugely on the election budget. |
| He was most recently in the news when he was wrongly identified on Twitter in 2012 as the Conservative politician from the Thatcher era mentioned anonymously on a BBC Newsnight programme as having been involved in allegations of the sexual abuse of boys in care homes in Wales in the 1970s and 80s. He was profoundly hurt by the suggestion and as a result of legal action was awarded apologies and considerable damages in consequence, including £185,000 from the BBC and £15,000 from both the comedian Alan Davies and Sally Bercow, the wife of the House of Commons' Speaker, John Bercow. The money was donated to charity but did not assuage the offence caused him by the casual cruelty of the internet. | He was most recently in the news when he was wrongly identified on Twitter in 2012 as the Conservative politician from the Thatcher era mentioned anonymously on a BBC Newsnight programme as having been involved in allegations of the sexual abuse of boys in care homes in Wales in the 1970s and 80s. He was profoundly hurt by the suggestion and as a result of legal action was awarded apologies and considerable damages in consequence, including £185,000 from the BBC and £15,000 from both the comedian Alan Davies and Sally Bercow, the wife of the House of Commons' Speaker, John Bercow. The money was donated to charity but did not assuage the offence caused him by the casual cruelty of the internet. |
| Alistair McAlpine was the third of four children of Edwin McAlpine, who became a life peer as Lord McAlpine of Moffat in 1980, and his wife Mollie (Ella Mary Gardner Garnett). He was educated at Stowe school, Buckinghamshire, which he left at the age of 16 to begin work as a builder. His father had sent him weekly copies of a magazine called The Muck Shifter to prepare him for a life in industry and at the age of 21 he became a director of the family firm. | Alistair McAlpine was the third of four children of Edwin McAlpine, who became a life peer as Lord McAlpine of Moffat in 1980, and his wife Mollie (Ella Mary Gardner Garnett). He was educated at Stowe school, Buckinghamshire, which he left at the age of 16 to begin work as a builder. His father had sent him weekly copies of a magazine called The Muck Shifter to prepare him for a life in industry and at the age of 21 he became a director of the family firm. |
| In his autobiography he acknowledged that his life as a child was a luxurious one and did not change drastically thereafter. He started working in Australia in the 60s, developing in the Broome area on the northern coast of Western Australia, where he built a luxury resort at Cable Beach, started a parrot collection, opened a zoo, began pearl-farming and collecting art. His collection of modern art and sculpture was impressive: he subsequently made a sizeable gift of part of it to the Tate Gallery. | In his autobiography he acknowledged that his life as a child was a luxurious one and did not change drastically thereafter. He started working in Australia in the 60s, developing in the Broome area on the northern coast of Western Australia, where he built a luxury resort at Cable Beach, started a parrot collection, opened a zoo, began pearl-farming and collecting art. His collection of modern art and sculpture was impressive: he subsequently made a sizeable gift of part of it to the Tate Gallery. |
| It was when he met Thatcher that he found his passion for politics, which lasted probably longer than most of his enthusiasms. Though not a conventional Conservative, he almost immediately found the fun there was to be had from politics. Fuelled by copious quantities of the best champagne, he set about helping improve the new party leader's personal reputation with everyone who he thought mattered, from the most distinguished dignitaries to even those at the rougher end of Fleet Street. He established a political salon in Central Office, bought a Georgian town house across the road from the House of Lords for entertainment purposes and was the first to host late-night lobster and champagne parties in his hotel suite at party conferences to sweeten political opinion. | It was when he met Thatcher that he found his passion for politics, which lasted probably longer than most of his enthusiasms. Though not a conventional Conservative, he almost immediately found the fun there was to be had from politics. Fuelled by copious quantities of the best champagne, he set about helping improve the new party leader's personal reputation with everyone who he thought mattered, from the most distinguished dignitaries to even those at the rougher end of Fleet Street. He established a political salon in Central Office, bought a Georgian town house across the road from the House of Lords for entertainment purposes and was the first to host late-night lobster and champagne parties in his hotel suite at party conferences to sweeten political opinion. |
| A brilliant and generous host in London, Venice, Perth, Monaco and Puglia, he was loyal to those he counted as his friends, irrespective of their status, wealth or politics. In particular he remained a devoted friend to Thatcher, almost always taking his family to spend Christmases with her or hosting her family at his homer. He was outraged by the manner of her fall from power, and having become increasingly sceptical about Europe joined the Referendum party, formed by Sir James Goldsmith, in 1996. The following year Goldsmith died, and McAlpine succeeded him as leader. He was critical of all the Tory leaders who followed Thatcher but had rejoined the party in recent years. | A brilliant and generous host in London, Venice, Perth, Monaco and Puglia, he was loyal to those he counted as his friends, irrespective of their status, wealth or politics. In particular he remained a devoted friend to Thatcher, almost always taking his family to spend Christmases with her or hosting her family at his homer. He was outraged by the manner of her fall from power, and having become increasingly sceptical about Europe joined the Referendum party, formed by Sir James Goldsmith, in 1996. The following year Goldsmith died, and McAlpine succeeded him as leader. He was critical of all the Tory leaders who followed Thatcher but had rejoined the party in recent years. |
| He survived attacks by the IRA twice. He was in the Grand Hotel, Brighton, on the night of its bombing in 1984 and his last guests were still enjoying his hospitality when the bomb exploded just before 3am. With his customary panache, McAlpine organised for the nearby Marks and Spencer to be opened at first light to provide clothes for the shocked hotel guests shivering on the seafront. He had a further escape in 1990 when the IRA bombed West Green House, a 17th-century Hampshire mansion owned by the National Trust, where he had lived as a tenant. Knowing that his name was on a Republican hit list he had moved his family to Italy shortly beforehand. | He survived attacks by the IRA twice. He was in the Grand Hotel, Brighton, on the night of its bombing in 1984 and his last guests were still enjoying his hospitality when the bomb exploded just before 3am. With his customary panache, McAlpine organised for the nearby Marks and Spencer to be opened at first light to provide clothes for the shocked hotel guests shivering on the seafront. He had a further escape in 1990 when the IRA bombed West Green House, a 17th-century Hampshire mansion owned by the National Trust, where he had lived as a tenant. Knowing that his name was on a Republican hit list he had moved his family to Italy shortly beforehand. |
| At West Green, McAlpine restored the gardens as well as the house, and among a number of follies included a triumphal arch in honour of Thatcher and a 50ft column with an inscription in Latin celebrating the fact that the money he had spent on the installation had not instead gone to the Treasury. | At West Green, McAlpine restored the gardens as well as the house, and among a number of follies included a triumphal arch in honour of Thatcher and a 50ft column with an inscription in Latin celebrating the fact that the money he had spent on the installation had not instead gone to the Treasury. |
| Arriving in Venice, he bought a small castello behind the Arsenale, had his own motor launch and would meet guests at the airport dressed in a black coat and black broad-brimmed hat in the style adopted by an earlier Venetian resident, Frederick Rolfe, "Baron Corvo", the author of Hadrian the Seventh. | Arriving in Venice, he bought a small castello behind the Arsenale, had his own motor launch and would meet guests at the airport dressed in a black coat and black broad-brimmed hat in the style adopted by an earlier Venetian resident, Frederick Rolfe, "Baron Corvo", the author of Hadrian the Seventh. |
| Among his many books, McAlpine described his life with Margaret Thatcher by reworking Machiavelli's The Prince as The Servant (1992) and wrote a successful book of memoirs, Once a Jolly Bagman (1997). He also produced several works about collecting, and of advice on politics and business. He was an avid collector of a truly eclectic variety of things from fine art to snowdrops, police truncheons to medieval African beads. He is survived by his third wife, Athena (Malpas), along with three daughters: two from his first marriage and one from his second. | Among his many books, McAlpine described his life with Margaret Thatcher by reworking Machiavelli's The Prince as The Servant (1992) and wrote a successful book of memoirs, Once a Jolly Bagman (1997). He also produced several works about collecting, and of advice on politics and business. He was an avid collector of a truly eclectic variety of things from fine art to snowdrops, police truncheons to medieval African beads. He is survived by his third wife, Athena (Malpas), along with three daughters: two from his first marriage and one from his second. |
| • Robert Alistair McAlpine, Lord McAlpine of West Green, politician, businessman and author, born 14 May 1942; died 17 January 2014 | • Robert Alistair McAlpine, Lord McAlpine of West Green, politician, businessman and author, born 14 May 1942; died 17 January 2014 |
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