India Jane Birley
Encyclopedia
India Jane Birley is a British
artist
, heiress and businesswoman. She was a co-owner/manager of her father's famed London
nightclub, Annabel's
, in its later years, as well as some of her father's other establishments.
,
India Jane Birley is the daughter of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart
from her marriage to nightclub mogul Mark Birley
. She has two brothers, Rupert (presumed deceased) and Robin
; and three half-siblings, Zac
, Jemima
, and Ben Goldsmith
from her mother's affair with the man who would become her second husband.
In 1980 while training at an art school in Madrid
, she met and married Jonty Colchester, an interior designer. In 1985 they were divorced. She was subsequently engaged to Amir Farman-Farma, a wealthy Iranian aristocrat, but the marriage was called off. In 1993 she met Francis Pike, a historian, and they were married.
They lived in Bombay and London
before Pike relocated to Germany
and Morocco
. Though they lived separately for many years they remained married and presented themselves publicly as a married couple. In October 2004, when asked by The Evening Standard why she had no children Birley answered, "I'm not able to". She has since had a son, Eben, and while the father was initially described as her husband, he was later revealed to be Robert Macdonald, her Alexander Technique
teacher of the time.
Birley, the granddaughter of society portrait painter Sir Oswald Birley
, is a painter whose 1999 portrait, "Conrad Moffat Black (Baron Black of Crossharbour) and Barbara Amiel
", appears at the National Portrait Gallery (London). She illustrated her mother's book, 'Copper: A Dog's Life'. Birley also organized an exhibition on the origins of sex and has a noted collection of antique erotica.
Beginning in 2003 she was co-director of her father's nightclub, Annabel's
, with her brother Robin Birley
. He was dismissed in 2006 after India Jane told her father she was livid with Robin for having the father of her son investigated. Robin claims to have done it with her best interests in mind; they are reportedly estranged, and she stayed on to run the club with her father until his death. Her father left her the club and the bulk of his estates; her brother Robin (disfigured from a childhood animal attack) sued to overturn the will and a settlement was eventually reached between the siblings. She has since sold Annabel's for over $100 million and is no longer involved with the enterprise.
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...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, heiress and businesswoman. She was a co-owner/manager of her father's famed London
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...
nightclub, Annabel's
Annabel's
Annabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, then his wife.-Background:...
, in its later years, as well as some of her father's other establishments.
Biography
Born in LondonLondon
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...
,
India Jane Birley is the daughter of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart
Lady Annabel Goldsmith
Lady Annabel Goldsmith is a British socialite and the eponym for a celebrated London nightclub of the late 20th century, Annabel's. She was first married for two decades to entrepreneur Mark Birley, the creator of Annabel's, which she helped make a glamorous success as her husband's inaugural...
from her marriage to nightclub mogul Mark Birley
Mark Birley
Marcus Lecky Oswald Hornby Birley , known as Mark Birley, was a British entrepreneur known for his investments in the hospitality industry...
. She has two brothers, Rupert (presumed deceased) and Robin
Robin Birley (businessman)
Robin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
; and three half-siblings, Zac
Zac Goldsmith
Frank Zacharias Robin "Zac" Goldsmith, MP is an English environmental journalist, entrepreneur and Conservative Party politician. He has been the Member of Parliament for Richmond Park since winning the seat at the 2010 general election.Goldsmith is the middle child of the late financier Sir...
, Jemima
Jemima Khan
Jemima Marcelle Khan is a British writer and campaigner. She is associate editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair. She has worked as a charity fundraiser, human rights campaigner and contributing writer for British newspapers and magazines...
, and Ben Goldsmith
Ben Goldsmith
Benjamin James Goldsmith is an English financier and environmentalist.- Career :Goldsmith is a founding partner of a venture capital fund that invests in clean technologies, and of its sister company...
from her mother's affair with the man who would become her second husband.
In 1980 while training at an art school in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, she met and married Jonty Colchester, an interior designer. In 1985 they were divorced. She was subsequently engaged to Amir Farman-Farma, a wealthy Iranian aristocrat, but the marriage was called off. In 1993 she met Francis Pike, a historian, and they were married.
They lived in Bombay and London
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...
before Pike relocated to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. Though they lived separately for many years they remained married and presented themselves publicly as a married couple. In October 2004, when asked by The Evening Standard why she had no children Birley answered, "I'm not able to". She has since had a son, Eben, and while the father was initially described as her husband, he was later revealed to be Robert Macdonald, her Alexander Technique
Alexander Technique
The Alexander Technique teaches the ability to improve physical postural habits, particularly those that have become ingrained and conditioned responses...
teacher of the time.
Birley, the granddaughter of society portrait painter Sir Oswald Birley
Oswald Birley
Sir Oswald Hornby Joseph Birley, MC, RA was an English portrait painter in the early part of the 20th century.-Biography:...
, is a painter whose 1999 portrait, "Conrad Moffat Black (Baron Black of Crossharbour) and Barbara Amiel
Barbara Amiel
Barbara Joan Estelle Amiel, Baroness Black of Crossharbour is a British-Canadian journalist, writer, and socialite. She is also the wife of former media baron and convicted felon Conrad Black.-Early life:...
", appears at the National Portrait Gallery (London). She illustrated her mother's book, 'Copper: A Dog's Life'. Birley also organized an exhibition on the origins of sex and has a noted collection of antique erotica.
Beginning in 2003 she was co-director of her father's nightclub, Annabel's
Annabel's
Annabel's is a London nightclub, located at 44 Berkeley Square, London. It was founded by entrepreneur Mark Birley and named after Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart, then his wife.-Background:...
, with her brother Robin Birley
Robin Birley (businessman)
Robin Birley is an English businessman and political activist. He is the son of Lady Annabel Vane-Tempest-Stewart and nightclub owner Mark Birley...
. He was dismissed in 2006 after India Jane told her father she was livid with Robin for having the father of her son investigated. Robin claims to have done it with her best interests in mind; they are reportedly estranged, and she stayed on to run the club with her father until his death. Her father left her the club and the bulk of his estates; her brother Robin (disfigured from a childhood animal attack) sued to overturn the will and a settlement was eventually reached between the siblings. She has since sold Annabel's for over $100 million and is no longer involved with the enterprise.
External links
- Queen of Clubs by Emine Saner, Evening Standard, Oct 4, 2004.
- Entry at www.thepeerage.com