Penelope Lyttelton, Viscountess Cobham
| Penelope, Viscountess Cobham | |
|---|---|
Lady Cobham in February 2012
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| Born |
Penelope Ann Cooper 2 January 1954 |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | John Lyttelton, 11th Viscount Cobham (m. 1974–1995) |
| Partner(s) | David Mellor |
| Parent(s) | Roy Cooper |
Penelope Ann Lyttelton, Viscountess Cobham, CBE (née Cooper; born 2 January 1954), is a British businesswoman known for her involvement in a number of quangos (an acronym for Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisations). She presently serves as Chairwoman of VisitEngland.
Penelope Ann Cooper was educated at St James's School, West Malvern. In 1974, she married John Lyttelton, son of Charles Lyttelton, 10th Viscount Cobham, and heir apparent to the Viscountcy of Cobham. Three years later, upon the death of her father-in-law, the couple became Viscount and Viscountess Cobham. Along with the title came the two-century old Hagley Hall, a mansion in Worcestershire. Lady Cobham proceeded to convert the hall into a conference venue.
Cobham became a special adviser to the heritage minister David Mellor in the newly created Department of National Heritage in 1992. In 1994, Cobham said that she had developed a "deep bond" with Mellor. In a separate statement, he announced his decision to divorce his wife Judith because he had become "extremely close" to Cobham and "intend[ed] to remain so". The Cobhams' childless marriage ended in divorce in 1995, with Cobham gaining a £1 million divorce settlement. The couple were no longer on speaking terms, but Cobham retained her title as a divorcée. She and Mellor live in a Georgian house in London. She also owns a farmed estate in Croucheston in Wiltshire.
Cobham has been referred to as the "Quango Queen" because of the high number of trusteeships and directorships she holds in the arts and tourism.
During her marriage, to make enough money to maintain and conserve Hagley Hall, Cobham led a successful corporate entertainment and catering business. Prior to becoming special adviser on tourism and heritage in 1992, she was on the boards of English Tourist Board, English Heritage, the Countryside Commission and Historic Royal Palaces. Cobham later served on the boards of the Victoria and Albert Museum, British Waterways and the London Docklands Development Corporation. For fourteen years, Cobham chaired Britain's largest radio station outside London, Heart West Midlands.
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