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2 unusual facts about J. Arthur Rank, 1st Baron Rank


Weston Colley

The landed estate is now owned by Zurich Financial Services, which acquired it as part of its buy-out of Eagle Star Insurance - which, in-turn, bought the assets from the estate of J. Arthur Rank - based at near-by Sutton Scotney.

Wyndham Portal, 1st Viscount Portal

In 1936, he was one of the main investors in J. Arthur Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation, the company which one year later would become the British film industry's most important company, The Rank Organisation.


Alfred Gelder

One of the firm’s most famous clients for its revolutionary roller mill was Joseph Rank who, like Gelder, was a noted Methodist and Gelder also did architectural work for Joseph Rank’s son, the industrialist and film producer, J Arthur Rank.

Kenneth Richmond

Though he made a memorable appearance as the wrestler Nikolas in Jules Dassin's Night and the City, Richmond was most recognizable as the shirtless gongman banging the enormous gong preceding the opening credits for J. Arthur Rank's famed British productions of the Rank Organisation (movies such as Great Expectations, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, and Kind Hearts and Coronets).


see also