HESELTINE, Richard

1914 - 2012

Richard Heseltine was born at Wimbledon, Surrey in 1914, son of Conrad Pelham Heseltine (23 December 1880-1 December 1971), a stockbroker, and his wife Margaret née Druett (9 April 1889-13 February 1990), who married at Bromley Parish Church, Kent on 22 December 1912. Richard was educated at Charterhouse, leaving when 16 then spent a year and a half on a farm in Hampshire to learn farming, his father then bought him a small farm at Newington, near Sittingbourne, North Kent, where he grew apples. During this time in the early 1930s, he studied art part-time with Otway McCannell (1883-1969) at Farnham School of Art but was a self-taught amateur artist. In 1939 he was called up to join the 3rd Hussars, during which time got the nickname 'Pippin' and remained with the tank regiment of 3rd Hussars for six years and distinguishing himself by being awarded the Military Cross in 1944 and promoted to major. On the 15 November 1945, Heseltine was demobilised, after which he farmed in Hampshire for some nine years when he met Jean Hepburn and they married at Eton in 1947, and had three children Joanna (1950), Alastair (1954) and Ian (1959). In 1955, he took up fruit farming at Willow Tree Farm, Assington, Suffolk. An artist who taught at Old Buckenham Hall School at Brettenham, Suffolk and held art classes at Cornard, Sudbury, Suffolk and was a member of the Colchester Art Society and Gainsborough's House Gallery, Sudbury. His stone carvings are in churches at Little Cornard and Assington and he exhibited at Letchworth Museum and Art Gallery in 1963, Minories, Colchester in 1976 and Quay Theatre, Sudbury in 1991. Richard Heseltine died at Assington, Suffolk on 29 June 2012. His memoirs 'Pippin's Progress' were published in 2001.

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Works by This Artist