Andrew Brownsword
Encyclopedia
Andrew Douglas Brownsword (born 1947), is an English
entrepreneur
, developing his fortune through the greeting card
s and gifts of Forever Friends
. He has regularly featured on the Sunday Times Rich List
, with an estimated fortune of £190 million.
in Folkestone
, then trained as a chef
.
business founded in Bath in 1971. Brownsword started by selling greeting cards to retailers like WH Smith from boxes and the back of his car.
In 1987, he agreed to market artist Deborah Jones Teddy Bear
design, developing the Forever Friends
genre in a flat
above a Chinese takeaway
in Reading, Berkshire
in the early 1980s:
The success created a financial income to develop the Andrew Brownsword Group, based on greetings cards and associated gifts that was regarded as an industry pace-setter in design and innovation, with a peak turnover of £65 million. The Andrew Brownsword Collection, Andrew Brownsword Gifts and the Gordon Fraser Gallery (the latter acquired in 1989), were acquired by Hallmark Cards
in 1994 for an estimated £195 million. Brownsword became Chief Executive of Hallmark in Europe, a position which he held for four and a half years before leaving to develop other business interests.
Brownsword has used these monies since to develop both his business and charitable interests, buying stakes in: property development (The Bath Priory, Gidleigh Park
in Devon
, and Sydney House in Chelsea, London
); ABode Hotels with chef Michael Caines
; buying various businesses including Paxton & Whitfield cheese and Snow and Rock, founding local radio station Bath FM
with journalist and local resident Jonathan Dimbleby
; and buying Bath Rugby
.
In April 2010, Brownsword sold Bath Rugby to businessman Bruce Craig
.
which buys and loans works of art to mainly UK based museums. The collection includes works by Thomas Gainsborough
.
Married to Christina, Brownsword has two daughters and lives in the week in London
, and at the weekend in their various homes in the West Country
. Brownsword enjoys skiing and sailing.
A methodist, having become heavily involved in The Prince's Trust
, he is known to Prince Charles Brownsword sponsored the £1 million development of the markethall at Poundbury
, designed by architect, John Simpson & Partners
and based on early designs, particularly the one in Tetbury
.
Brownsword's main second home is in Bath, and he has helped sponsor numerous local charities and organisations: Bath Festival
, RUH, Holburne Museum, and Bath Abbey
. His renovated holiday home Kittery Court in Kingswear
, Devon
, was destroyed in a fire caused by a plumber
in April 2007.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, developing his fortune through the greeting card
Greeting card
A greeting card is an illustrated, folded card featuring an expression of friendship or other sentiment. Although greeting cards are usually given on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other holidays, they are also sent to convey thanks or express other feeling. Greeting cards,...
s and gifts of Forever Friends
Forever Friends
Forever Friends is a song written by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder and Chinese pianist Kong Xiangdong. It competed in the selection of the theme song for the 2008 Summer Olympics and was officially released on November 29, 2007.-Creation Members:...
. He has regularly featured on the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List
The Sunday Times Rich List is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom, updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times since 1989...
, with an estimated fortune of £190 million.
Biography
Brownsword attended The Harvey Grammar SchoolThe Harvey Grammar School
The Harvey Grammar School is located in Folkestone, Kent, England. It is a Community Grammar School and was founded by Sir Eliab Harvey in 1674.-Admissions:It is a selective school for boys and had around 940 pupils on its roll in 2007-8...
in Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, then trained as a chef
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
.
Career
He started the Andrew Brownsword Collection, a publishingPublishing
Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...
business founded in Bath in 1971. Brownsword started by selling greeting cards to retailers like WH Smith from boxes and the back of his car.
In 1987, he agreed to market artist Deborah Jones Teddy Bear
Teddy bear
The teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
design, developing the Forever Friends
Forever Friends
Forever Friends is a song written by Italian composer Giorgio Moroder and Chinese pianist Kong Xiangdong. It competed in the selection of the theme song for the 2008 Summer Olympics and was officially released on November 29, 2007.-Creation Members:...
genre in a flat
Apartment
An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...
above a Chinese takeaway
Takeaway
Takeaway can refer to:* Take-out food* The Takeaway , an American public radio morning news show* Turnover * Turnover * Subtraction—an alternative name...
in Reading, Berkshire
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
in the early 1980s:
"I wanted to develop a teddy bear that appealed to adults as well as children. I based Forever Friends specifically on the teddy bear that Sebastian Flyte carried around in Brideshead RevisitedBrideshead RevisitedBrideshead Revisited, The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. Waugh wrote that the novel "deals with what is theologically termed 'the operation of Grace', that is to say, the unmerited and unilateral act of love by...
. It became the bear found in the attic."
The success created a financial income to develop the Andrew Brownsword Group, based on greetings cards and associated gifts that was regarded as an industry pace-setter in design and innovation, with a peak turnover of £65 million. The Andrew Brownsword Collection, Andrew Brownsword Gifts and the Gordon Fraser Gallery (the latter acquired in 1989), were acquired by Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards
Hallmark Cards is a privately owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce C. Hall, Hallmark is the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was awarded the National Medal of Arts....
in 1994 for an estimated £195 million. Brownsword became Chief Executive of Hallmark in Europe, a position which he held for four and a half years before leaving to develop other business interests.
Brownsword has used these monies since to develop both his business and charitable interests, buying stakes in: property development (The Bath Priory, Gidleigh Park
Gidleigh Park
Gidleigh Park is a restaurant within a hotel located in Chagford, Devon, England. The executive head chef is Michael Caines. , the restaurant holds two stars in the Michelin Guide. It was named the No 1 UK restaurant by the Sunday Times Food List on 31 October 2010.-Description:The...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, and Sydney House in Chelsea, London
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
); ABode Hotels with chef Michael Caines
Michael Caines
Michael Andrew Caines, MBE is an English chef, born in Exeter, Devon.He is currently head chef of Gidleigh Park in Devon, the Royal Clarence in Exeter, and developing the Abode hotels concept with Andrew Brownsword.-Biography:...
; buying various businesses including Paxton & Whitfield cheese and Snow and Rock, founding local radio station Bath FM
Bath FM
Bath FM was a local independent radio station based at the former Weston railway station in Bath, England. The station was launched in November 1999 and closed on 24 March 2010.The station broadcast to an area with a population of 104,000...
with journalist and local resident Jonathan Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby
Jonathan Dimbleby is a British presenter of current affairs and political radio and television programmes, a political commentator and a writer. He is the son of Richard Dimbleby and younger brother of British TV presenter David Dimbleby.-Education:Dimbleby was educated at Charterhouse School, a...
; and buying Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby
Bath Rugby is an English professional rugby union club that is based in the city of Bath. They play in the Aviva Premiership league...
.
In April 2010, Brownsword sold Bath Rugby to businessman Bruce Craig
Bruce Craig
Bruce Craig is a businessman and entrepreneur. On 14 April 2010, Bruce Craig bought Bath Rugby from Andrew Brownsword.-Early life:...
.
Charity
The Andrew Brownsword Art Foundation is a registered charityCharitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
which buys and loans works of art to mainly UK based museums. The collection includes works by Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
.
Personal life
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and at the weekend in their various homes in the West Country
West Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
. Brownsword enjoys skiing and sailing.
A methodist, having become heavily involved in The Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust
The Prince's Trust is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by Charles, Prince of Wales to help young people. They run a range of training programmes, provide mentoring support and offer financial grants to build the confidence and motivation of disadvantaged young people...
, he is known to Prince Charles Brownsword sponsored the £1 million development of the markethall at Poundbury
Poundbury
Poundbury is an experimental new town or urban extension on the outskirts of Dorchester in the county of Dorset, England.The development is built on land owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. It is built according to the principles of Prince Charles...
, designed by architect, John Simpson & Partners
John Simpson (architect)
John Simpson CVO BSC ARCH DIP RIBA is a British architect.Simpson studied architecture at University College London. He is principal of practice at John Simpsons and Partners. Chartered Architects and Urban Designers, London...
and based on early designs, particularly the one in Tetbury
Tetbury
Tetbury is a town and civil parish within the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census.In the Middle Ages,...
.
Brownsword's main second home is in Bath, and he has helped sponsor numerous local charities and organisations: Bath Festival
Bath International Music Festival
The Bath International Music Festival, also known as the Bath Music Fest, is held each summer in Bath, South West England. Inaugurated in 1948, the festival includes many genres such as orchestral, contemporary jazz, folk and electronica...
, RUH, Holburne Museum, and Bath Abbey
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bath, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is an Anglican parish church and a former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England...
. His renovated holiday home Kittery Court in Kingswear
Kingswear
Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, was destroyed in a fire caused by a plumber
Plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable water, sewage, and drainage in plumbing systems. The term dates from ancient times, and is related to the Latin word for lead, "plumbum." A person engaged in fixing metaphorical "leaks" may also be...
in April 2007.