Renowned beauty, cultural socialite and writer.
Born as Christabel Mary Melville Macnaghten into a wealthy Irish family, daughter of the criminologist Sir Melville Macnaghten, who investigated the 'Jack the Ripper' murders.
Married Henry McLaren (politician, horticulturalist and industrialist, 1879–1953) who in 1934 became the 2nd Baron Aberconway on the death of his father. They had five children.
Aberconway had long friendships with Osbert Sitwell, Samuel Courtauld, H. G. Wells and W. Somerset Maugham.
Courtauld left her his house, 12 North Audley Street, where she lived c.1950-74.
Sources include: My Maugham Collection which has a wealth of information about Aberconway, all gleaned from the Maugham-Aberconway correspondence.
