The last great press dynasty

The Fleet Street into which I first wandered more than 40 years ago was still partly ruled by dynasties. But in a world of new conglomerates, they were most of them struggling to retain their newspapers.

At the , where I found a berth, the Berry family were just about hanging on, with Michael Berry (Lord Hartwell) as chairman and editor-in-chief. Beaverbrook’s son, Max Aitken, had sold the Express titles in 1977 to a British property company, and David Astor had off his hands. Vere Rothermere still reigned at the , which his great-uncle, Lord Northcliffe, had launched.