childhood

 

 

 

Christian learned the art and lifestyle of the Gentleman early on in his life.

Christian Van Schijndel was born in 1972 in Knutsford, a town in Chesire in Northern England.

Tatton_house-300x225

At the time of Christian’s birth, his father was a landscape gardener at Tatton Park, where he was raised in his early years.
(>> Tatton Park)

Christian was the oldest of four children, and grew up in the medieval market town of Sandbach.

During his childhood, he was taught by teachers Miss Stone and Mr. McHugh St. Thomas More in the nearby town Crewe. He started his career as a performance artist at the age of 17 as the tea boy for Rolls Royce Motorcars in Crewe, serving tea and biscuits to the managing director and his prominent guests.

Headquarters of Rolls Royce Motorcars, Crewe, Chesire, UK

After some years of hard labour and watering jobs, Christian headed for London – the  home of the Gentleman.

In London, in 1995, he worked as a coat boy at the Royal Court Theatre, where the cult play “The Rocky Horror Show” by Richard O’Brian had premiered 11 years before.

Patricia Quinn as the Usherette from the original Kings Road production of The Rocky Horror Show

His first job was being an usher for the premier of Mark Ravenhill’s “The Knocky” – the following up production of the world famous play “Shopping and Fucking”. At the Royal Court Theatre, he got acquainted with contemporary actors and directors such as Eddy Izzard, Steven Daldry, Anna Manahan, Marie Mullen, Ray Winstone, Samantha Morton, Anita Dobson, and others. In this period, he developed an interest in the stage arts.

To broaden his horizon Christian traveled the world, most notably Indonesia and Thailand, before settling down in Australia for one year. The climate “down under” was, however, a bit too laid back for the sophisticated tastes and manners of the Gentleman, so he soon returned to London. In London he started art school to become a costume maker, and soon began to design costumes for film, tv, theatre, and special events.

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