Michael Snapper, the former owner of Kingston's Snapper's Corner antiques dealership and nearby Snapper's Castle, has died aged 98.

Mr Snapper was born in Chelsea in 1908 to an antique dealing family, and lived in Kingston for the last 70 years of his life.

He was a successful entrepreneur and had hobbies ranging from ice-skating and horse riding to rally driving. He died on December 13.

His eldest daughter Annita Tischler, 56, said: "We will always remember him for being an adventurous, go-getting, life-loving family man. He was very, very active until his early nineties, doing everything he possibly could."

Mr Snapper started work at his father's antiques business aged 14, and was soon given his own shop in King's Road. He moved to Kingston just before World War II and continued to commute to Chelsea.

During the war he was an RAF mechanic on the south coast. He became interested in horses and opened a riding stables near his army camp, where he met his future wife, a young WREN named Rachel who took riding lessons.

After the war they married, and Mr Snapper sold his Chelsea business and opened Snapper's Corner in London Road, Kingston. This became a landmark and expanded into four adjoining shops.

"I think he was successful because he got on with people very well. He was very honest and straightforward - in that business you had to be - and he worked hard," said Mrs Tischler.

Mr Snapper had two daughters, Annita and Michele, son Emile and there are now seven grandchildren. In 1961 the Snappers moved to Kingston Hill, where they lived until autumn 2005.

Mr Snapper loved Kingston's riverside, kept a motor boat and was the founder of Richmond Yacht Club. Because of this he bought the Eel Pie Island Hotel in Twickenham, which he ran as a thriving hotel and jazz club in the 1950s.

Access to the island was by ferry only, until Mr Snapper built a footbridge, named Snapper Bridge. It remains the only land access and the Snapper children's handprints can still be seen in the middle.

In 1970, Mr Snapper bought the neo-gothic listed building Hortcombe Manor House, near Snapper's Corner, which was known as Snapper's Castle until it was demolished by London Transport in 1973 to build a bus garage.

Mr Snapper retired in 1975 and Snapper's Corner was redeveloped as Stag House in the 1980s.

Mr Snapper was very fond of animals. The whole family loved horses and rode out together daily in Richmond Park.

In his youth, Mr Snapper owned a pair of performing bears and trained German shepherds for film work. His own dog Mikeve was in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest jump by a dog.

Mr Snapper was also a skilled dance ice-skater, bridge player and swimmer. In later life he developed a passion for veteran cars and began a collection that included an 1896 Benz, 1904 Renault and a 1904 Rover - the first one ever made.

For many years he took part in the annual London to Brighton rally. Mrs Tischler said: "He was still doing it in his early nineties. In the end we had to hide his keys to stop him driving."

For the Snappers' 50th wedding anniversary, when Mr Snapper was 91, the family took a trip to the Isle of Wight.

Mrs Tischler said: "The "young 'uns" went abseiling during the holiday, and it was no surprise that my father insisted on joining in."

Mr Snapper had even hoped to go waterskiing for his 100th birthday.