Life Stories
Philip Ashley Kendall
Philip Ashley Kendall (1965 BA English Language and Literature) died on 24 September 2022 aged 75.
Philip read English Language and English Literature at Keble followed by a postgraduate certificate in Education. During this last year, he produced and acted in The Importance of Being Earnest as the summer outdoor production. Dramatics, Rugby and attending Chapel figured high in his college life and indeed throughout his life. He played rugby until he was 40. He made lifelong friends at Keble. His first teaching post was at Lord William’s School at Thame and he continued in various schools until his Headship at Allerton High school in Leeds. He lived in New mills in the Peak District overlooking Kinder Scout. The family enjoyed caravanning in England and abroad for many years. He was much involved in organising many community events and became an early member of the U3A, leading a Play Reading Group and attending a Geology class until his death. His lasting legacy will be Spring Bank Arts Centre in New Mills. His leadership and inspiration helped to turn a redundant Victorian Church into a vibrant Arts Centre over 17 years during his retirement. When he retired, his pupils in the sixth form spoke about his excellent and exciting poetry writing and it is to this he turned to during Covid. He created an anthology of poems. He never lost his love of language, literature and reading. Former pupils and staff spoke of his kindness and care for them. A colleague at his funeral ended her eulogy by saying “he was a good man.” He leaves a wife, Linda and two children, Joanna and Edward and a granddaughter Emily.
Kindly provided by his wife Linda Kendall.