author
Sir Walter Gilbey
1831–1914
Best known for building the W. & A. Gilbey wine business into a major Victorian firm, he also became a noted horse-breeder and a prolific writer on horses, art, and country life. His career moved from military service in India to business success, philanthropy, and a baronetcy.
5 Audiobooks
The Great Horse; or, The War Horse from the time of the Roman Invasion till its development into the Shire Horse.
by Sir Walter Gilbey
Early Carriages and Roads
by Sir Walter Gilbey
Small Horses in Warfare
by Sir Walter Gilbey
Horses Past and Present
by Sir Walter Gilbey
Ponies past and present
by Sir Walter Gilbey
About the author
Born in Bishop's Stortford in 1831, Walter Gilbey lost his father while still young and started work early. After serving in India with the British Army, he returned to England and joined his brother Alfred in the wine trade. Together they built W. & A. Gilbey into a well-known business, and he was later created a baronet in 1893.
Gilbey's interests reached far beyond commerce. He was deeply involved in horse-breeding and agricultural life, and he became known as an energetic supporter of practical improvements in breeding and animal care. He also wrote extensively, producing books on horses and rural subjects as well as studies of artists including George Stubbs and George Morland.
Remembered as a businessman, author, and philanthropist, he spent much of his later life supporting public causes alongside his writing and sporting interests. He died in 1914, leaving a legacy tied both to Victorian enterprise and to the culture of the English countryside.