Oliver Frederick Ford

Oliver Frederick Ford (19 June 1925 - 17 October 1992) was an English interior designer.[1] He served as decorator to the Queen Mother after receiving Royal Warrant in 1974. His other clients included the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim, Mrs Harry Oppenheimer, Lord McAlpine of West Green and The Dorchester.

He served in the Royal Air Force during WWII as a volunteer reserve, initially in signals, then in air sea rescue. Ford attended Arts University Bournemouth where he studied the decorative arts. Headed the London office of Jansen Ltd, a French firm of decorators.[2]

He appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 5 March 1977.[3]

The surviving firm, Oliver Ford, includes the subsidiary, Howard Chairs. Bewley Court, the nearly 600 years old home owned by Ford, includes its own chapel and more than a dozen gardens; it is a Grade I listed building in Wiltshire. Leaving no heirs, Bewley Court is held by 'The Oliver Ford Charitable Trust' in perpetuity, with proceeds donated to the mentally handicapped. Ford was born in Bournemouth, Dorset, and died at Lacock, Wiltshire.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Levy, George J. (21 October 1992). "Obituary: Oliver Ford". The Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Lomas 2001, p. 95.
  3. ↑ "Desert Island Discs - Castaway : Oliver Ford". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Levy, George J. (21 October 1992). "Obituary: Oliver Ford". The Independent. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
Bibliography