Rich List 2012: =No.10 - Felix Dennis (£500m)
Felix Dennis has written his own epitaph – “Felix Dennis, Poet, Publisher, Planter of Trees” – and he’s even chosen the place he wants to be buried, beneath one of his beloved trees on his 6,000-acre estate in the Feldon countryside near the river Avon in south-east Warwickshire.
The 63 year-old publishing millionaire has been in love with trees for a very long time. His latest collection of poems – Tales from the Woods – is all about trees and the English countryside.
Between his poetry and his love of the countryside he still finds time to ensure the continued success of his publishing empire and he is busy expanding his news magazine, The Week, worldwide.
That publishing empire is doing pretty well. Dennis Publishing is worth about £150 million, while the British division of The Week is worth another £150 million. And it continues to expand, becoming one of the country’s biggest multi-media enterprises as it builds both its print and digital presence.
Meanwhile, Mr Dennis continues writing poetry, which he began when he was bored while recovering from a serious illness.
Fans of his poems include Mick Jagger, Stephen Fry, Tom Wolfe, Dawn French and Jon Snow to name but a few.
Sales of his UK magazines are doing well, including his men’s fitness and motoring magazines, and of course Maxim, which he set up with the proceeds of Microwarehouse, a computer mail order company which he co founded and which became worth £1.5 billion.
Meanwhile his web-based magazines are taking off in a big way, with Monkey, his digital men’s magazine launched early in 2007, breaking all records. His American lads’ mags sold for £20 million in 2007.
Mr Dennis first came to public attention in 1971 as one of three defendants in the Oz obscenity trials. He was famously cleared on appeal.
He lives on his estate in Warwickshire, where he hosts charity events, or his home in Mustique, one of six homes he owns around the world, including New York and London.
He is working with the Tree Council to plant hundreds of thousands of native broadleaf saplings to create the largest forest in England – the Heart of England Forest.
Already more than 600,000 saplings have been planted more than 1,300 acres and he plans to make it even bigger, with an eventual target of anything up to 30,000 acres.
His other interests, apart from being a dedicated smoker, include commissioning bronze sculpture. He was awarded the 2009 Belsky Medal from the Society of Portrait Sculptors.
