Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Gambling mogul, party donor and castle owner dies aged 85
Stuart Wheeler, who owned arguably Kent’s most magnificent private country home, has died aged 85 after a battle with cancer.
He had earned his fortune from running a shares spread-betting company and spent millions on restoring Chilham Castle, near Canterbury, as well as funding the Tory party before switching allegiance to Ukip.
Mr Wheeler bought the rundown 17th century property and grounds in 2002 and set about a three-year “cellar to roof” restoration programme with his wife Tessa, who died in 2016.
He said they had bought the house “in a sorry state” and described the cost of the work and maintaining the building and grounds as “cripplingly expensive”, admitting he had considerably underestimated what needed to be done. But the castle and grounds, which once sold for a mere £98,000 at auction in 1949, is now a testament to their passion for the historic home, which was built on the site of a medieval castle in 1607.
The couple were renowned as great hosts, not only to their family and friends, butalso in Chilham, where the grounds regularly hosted local events and activities, including top level equestrian competitions and visits by children from forest schools.
The couple had met in Aspinalls Casino in Mayfair - then owned by Howletts founder John Aspinall - with Mr Wheeler using the glamour of high-society London to woo the bohemian photographer Tessa Codrington. He also had a flair for gambling and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Lord Lucan, Peter Sellers, Omar Sharif, Somerset Maugham and Ian Fleming. Eton-educated and a lawyer, he later turned to investment banking.
But he had to borrow £30,000 from friends to start his spread betting company, IG Index, which was eventually to make his fortune.
He used his wealth to become a major backer of the Conservative Party, donating about £5 million, before his Eurosceptism drove him to switch allegiance to Ukip, which resulted in him being ejected by the Tories. Mrs Wheeler was a keen horse rider and developed the 300-acre Chilham estate as a centre of equestrian excellence with business partner Ali Ferry, holding top-class cross-country events and international horse trials. Its profile grew such that Chilham Castle was even shortlisted as a potential venue for equestrian activities for the London Olympics in 2012.
The couple threw the grounds open for numerous village social and charity events, which raised thousands for good causes.
One Mrs Wheeler was particularly passionate about through personal experience was Hemihelp, of which she was a vice president.
The charity supports victims of hemiplegia caused by brain injury, which leads to victims suffering reduced movement on one side of their body. Following Mrs Wheeler’s death, aged 72 and also from cancer, her husband recalled her mischievous sense of humour, which included hiring Page 3 girls for his 70th birthday party. “She was a very enthusiastic person who loved the outdoors and got on with everyone,” he said. “She was adored by me and her family and had a huge circle of friends.”
Mr Wheeler’s death has saddened villagers. Speaking for the parish council, Doug Marriott said: “Our whole community was sad to hear of the passing of Stuart, who had been ill for some time. “Chilham Castle has been the venue of his hospitality and social engagement for the community, local schoolchildren and visitors to the castle, including the horse trials and Shakespeare visiting Globe theatre. “Stuart was a quiet, generous person who will be sadly missed by all his local friends and acquaintances.
“It has been a privilege and honour to have him live in our community along with Tessa.”
‘Stuart was a quiet, generous person who will be sadly missed by all his local friends. It has been a privilege and honour to have him live in our community’