Ralph Slazenger: Ralph Slazenger, who has died aged 91, was a former owner of the Powerscourt estate in Co Wicklow.
The fire that gutted the 18th-century Georgian mansion and much of its valuable contents in November 1974 was a devastating blow to himself and his wife, Gwendoline. They eventually left Ireland after 30 years' residence to live in the Isle of Man, where he died on February 20th.
The fire came just when an extensive programme of renovating Powerscourt House and the gardens had been completed. The house was to be opened for the first time to visitors who until then had only been allowed in the gardens and the 14,000-acre parkland including the famous waterfall.
The Slazengers courageously restarted a restoration programme and were eventually able to live in the refurbished east wing. In 1982 they were held up by armed men as they returned from an evening out. They were able to raise the alarm and the raiders fled. They decided soon afterwards to sell the contents of the house and live in the Isle of Man.
Ralph Chivas Gully Slazenger was born in London on March 30th, 1914. His father, Albert, and his brother, Ralph, were the founders of the sports equipment firm which still bears their name. They had moved from Manchester where they had a rainwear firm and began making wooden racquets and tennis balls. Slazenger balls are still used at Wimbledon, and the sportswear is used by tennis and golf players, but the family is no longer connected with the company. The family traced their origins back to Jewish emigrants from Silesia who arrived in England in the late 18th century.
Ralph was educated at Harrow and Trinity College Cambridge. He had a strong streak of inventiveness and also developed a keen interest in aviation and gliding. At Cambridge he and Arthur Clarke, of 2001 Space Odyssey fame, founded the British Interplanetary Society which is now the oldest society promoting space exploration. In the second World War his shortsightedness prevented him from being an RAF pilot but he was involved in tests to see if the new radar devices could detect gliders.
It was through gliding that he met his future wife, Gwendoline Margaret Ascroft. They were married soon after the outbreak of the war in September 1939 and had three sons and two daughters. After the war, the Slazengers farmed in Buckinghamshire but moved to Ireland in 1953 mainly to escape the very high taxation rate on wealth. They bought Durrow Abbey in Co Offaly, which also had a large farm. "Gwen", who was more interested in the farming, also raised Aberdeen Angus cattle.
Ralph showed his inventiveness by equipping tractors and combine harvesters with two-way radios. In 1961 an opportunity came to buy Powerscourt, and they moved there. Gwen Slazenger began an ambitious restoration of the rundown house and grounds. Ralph set up an engineering company to test out his inventions.
An airstrip was eventually established on the estate for light aircraft. Ralph also invested in hotels through his friend Ken Besson. The ventures included the Russell and Royal Hibernian hotels.
The Slazengers also became involved in property in Dublin, and over 14 years assembled a five-acre development site on the corner of St Stephen's Green at South King Street. In 1980 they sold it to Patrick Gallagher for a reported £10.5 million. Gallagher's company collapsed and the deal fell through. In 1983 the largely derelict site was reportedly sold for about half the earlier figure.
The Slazengers used Powerscourt to host events such as the 1965 Bal des Petits Lits Blancs, for a French charity with which Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco were associated. They were to become lifelong friends of the Slazengers. But life would never again be the same after the 1974 fire. In 1984 marquees were set up for a sale of the contents which had survived the fire - it attracted international attention. The Slazengers made arrangements that the house and estate would remain in family hands, which they still do.
Gwen Slazenger died in April 1990. Ralph is survived by their children, Michael, Wendy, John, Peter and Johanna, 15 grandchildren and 10 greatgrandchildren. His ashes will be interred alongside those of his wife in Powerscourt later this month.
Ralph Slazenger: born March 30th, 1914; died February 20th, 2006