My Bradfield: Richard Benyon (H 74-78): The Interview - Bradfield for Life

We recently interviewed The Right Honourable The Lord Benyon, GCVO in the new Englefield Estate Office housed in the beautifully repurposed former estate sawmill. He spoke to us about his time at Bradfield and his ongoing connection with the College as a recent parent and his enduring love for the Pang that runs through both Bradfield and Englefield.

‘Hello, I’m Richard Benyon, I was in H House, The Close from 1974 – 1978 and I am now Lord Chamberlain, Head of the Royal Household.’

On Bradfield…

‘I grew up knowing Bradfield, I had cousins there, my father was on the Council. As a child I used to play with some of the masters’ children in their houses on the school grounds, so I knew many of the masters before attending the College. I think it was a relatively natural decision for my parents to send me to Bradfield, concerned as they were that it was a bit close and that there might be potential to skive-off, which I did occasionally…

In the 1970s Bradfield was a much smaller school, 400 boys and one girl and it had a very different culture, like most boarding schools in those days. Overall however it was a happy place and people went on and did great things. But speaking as a recent parent, Bradfield is undoubtedly a better school for being bigger, co-ed and having more of a lean in to pastoral care.’

On his first Housemaster…

‘My first housemaster was the legendary late Philip Stibbe (SCR 48-75). He was amongst the remaining cohort of teachers who had fought in the war and as boys we all knew that he had a tough wartime experience but not the extent of the hardship until reading the book he wrote, ‘Return via Rangoon’, one of the great books of that conflict. None of the torment of what he endured was apparent to us as boys, he presented himself to us as a decent and kindly man who guided us with genuine interest for the individual and with great compassion.

When my father was standing for parliament in the 1974 election, he allowed me to stay up with him and his wife, Joy. I distinctly remember watching the results come through whilst eating an omelette that Joy had prepared for me.’

‘He was an extraordinary influence on me’

On Learning at Bradfield…

‘There was also the most incredible English and Drama Department in place during my time at the College; with the likes of the late Charles Lepper (A 36-40), (SCR 67-85) who brought Shakespeare alive, he taught us Macbeth in the style of a Chicago 1920’s gangster story, which was the perfect reference.

I also loved Biology because of the affinity that I have natural history, the countryside and being in the Pang Valley where I could go fishing. The biology department was rather laid back and full of wonderful and eccentric people, I remember ‘Thompo’ – Malcolm Thompson (SCR 63-97) who led fascinating things like dissections. He shared my love of farming and helped me look at it through the lens of biology. On my afternoons off I worked on a sheep farm just the other side of Bradfield at Rushall Farm, I suppose it was my kind of community service as would be the activity these days.’

On his boarding house…

‘The rules around hobbies and pets were also a bit more relaxed in those days. I remember my second Housemaster, Michael Parkinson (H 47 – 52) (SCR 60-86), telling the tale of showing my cousins as potential pupils and parents around the boarding house. He let himself into my study to be confronted by the sight of my two ferrets, which ordinarily lived in a hutch outside my window, running around the room. Amazingly my cousins were allowed to attend Bradfield even after that experience.

I think it’s fair to say that whilst we appreciated Mr Parkinson as a Housemaster, he probably allowed us to get away with too much!’

On his Treasured Memories…

‘It is one of the most beautiful campuses that you could ever wish to study at and that part stays with me.’

Although I didn’t have an acting role in any of the plays, I used to love the Greek Theatre.

Another favourite was the wide variety of societies that Bradfield offered. A friend of mine’s father was a wine merchant and we were members of the Wine Society, La Confrerie. We had a number of teachers keen to be part of that and we had some great dinners.

One of my passions, and has remained so all my life, is the river Pang. I had a great friend called Tim Wright (G 74-78) and we used to fish the College bit of the Pang as well as the section that ran through the Englefield estate. I would probably have achieved better O and A Levels if I hadn’t spent so much time on its banks trying to make the most of the may fly season when I should have been revising.

‘Being down by the Pang on a summer’s evening trying to catch a trout, just having a laugh with your mates.’

On his career…

‘Moving on to my life since Bradfield, I spent some time in the Army and then studied land management. I spent 30 years in politics, first as a Conservative councillor, then Conservative candidate and Conservative MP, and in more recent years as a Conservative Peer. I have been a Minister in two different governments and now I’m a cross-bencher with no political affiliation and with any political opinions firmly suppressed as I was appointed Lord Chamberlain, effectively Head of the Royal Household in the Autumn of 2024. The Royal Household consists of about 1200 people who support the monarchy in lots of different ways, including the Royal Collections Trust which has over a million pieces for artwork dotted around the country in museums and palaces.

‘It is a very dramatic change in my life but it is very rewarding and I’m loving working for the Royal Household and with the King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family. It’s a fascinating job.’

The role lasts as long as the Monarch wishes you to do it and traditionally, new monarchs appoint new Lord Chamberlains, so I hope that I will be there for a great many years.’

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