Newstead Abbey is most famous for being the former home of the world renowned poet, Lord Byron. In 1931, Sir Julien Cahn purchased Newstead Abbey from its owner, Charles Fraser, and presented it to the Nottingham Corporation. Whilst this was far from being Cahn’s largest act of philanthropy in monetary terms, it was a deed that gave him significant publicity, even to this day.
‘The Eccentric Entrepreneur’ explores all of Cahn’s philanthropic gifts and the implications they had on him personally, socially and politically. It’s fascinating to realise that so many of the scandals we read about today relating to buying of honours, social climbing and political posturing simply mirror what happened nearly a century ago. And Cahn was mixed up in it all!