THE CONNELL FAMILY
It was Lorraine (Larry) Connell who started the family in the property field. The story goes that Larry, who was from very humble beginnings and one of eight siblings, borrowed £100 from under his mother’s mattress, bought a house in Luton, sold the house to a young couple for a small profit and founded Connells estate agents in 1936 with a single branch. After devoting his working life to the business, Larry saw Connells become a nationwide success. In 1984, it became one of the first estate agencies to obtain a full listing on the London Stock Exchange. Larry had sold the business by then but remained a well-known figure in the property field for the rest of his life. Larry’s son, Michael Connell (later Sir Michael) was born in 1939. He was lucky enough to be given a scholarship to Harrow School where he excelled both academically and at sport. He was head boy and captained the school boxing team. One Saturday morning during term time, Sir Michael was summoned to see his father, who had arrived at Harrow to pick him up. Then aged 16, he was already a proficient amateur jockey, and his father wanted him to ride in a
“Sir Michael raced the course on his thoroughbred, Sandyland, hanging on for dear life as the horse cleared fence after fence”
Sir Michael stepped away from the family business and went up to Brasenose College, Oxford, to read law. He was called to the Bar by Inner Temple in 1962. Excelling in both his criminal and family practices, he chose to concentrate on the latter and became a QC in 1981. After service as a recorder from 1980 to 1981, he was appointed a High Court judge and knighted. Sir Michael met his wife Annie (Lady Anne) in the late 1950s through their mutual love of horses. Annie was a renowned amateur show jumper and had a passion for horse racing. The couple married in 1965. In 1990, the family moved to Steane Park in Northamptonshire and, over the next 20-odd years, Sir Michael and Lady Anne enjoyed training horses on their home gallops.
demanding point-to-point race at Friars Wash in Hertfordshire. Sir Michael raced the course on his
thoroughbred, Sandyland, hanging on for dear life as the horse cleared fence after fence. He arrived at the finish, exhausted after the physical effort and concentration, to find that he had won! This was a remarkable achievement given that he had not trained at all to develop the fitness for such a demanding race. This flair and easy-going, natural talent with people and horses was to become a lifelong trademark.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: JON, SEAN, LADY ANNE, SIR MICHAEL, LISA AND SIMON
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