Gordon Beningfield

Gordon George Beningfield (31 October 1936, Bermondsey – 4 May 1998, London) was an English wildlife artist, broadcaster and naturalist known for his watercolour artworks, most notably of butterflies.

Early life and career

Born in Bermondsey, London, Beningfield moved to Hertfordshire in 1941 as a result of The Blitz. despite this, however, his Headmaster encouraged him to paint frequently and also introduced him to the works of another lifelong influence, J. M. W. Turner Faith-Craft was operated by the Anglican Church and produced ecclesiastical art in a variety of mediums including paintings, sculpture and stained glass windows.

Further career Following the success of his inaugural exhibition, Beningfield became a freelance artist, working from the studio in his garden. Following continued success as an artist, in 1974 Beningfield was invited to participate in a television series for the BBC entitled Look Stranger. This would be the first of several forays into television for Beningfield, which included In Deepest Britain, The Country Game, In the Country and One Man and His Dog.

Further books would follow, including Beningfield's Countryside, which focused on the countryside in Hertfordshire and Dorset, and Hardy's Country which highlighted 'Hardy's Dorset'. Following Beningfield's death in 1998, Sir David Attenborough was named president.

Beningfield once again got involved in the charity sector four years later, when he, along with Robin Page and Sir Laurens van der Post, founded the Countryside Restoration Trust, a farming charity which promotes and campaigns for environmentally sustainable methods in agriculture and works to restore wildlife habitats on its farms. Beningfield acted as Vice-Chairman of the Trust until his death. He was buried at St John the Baptist church in Great Gaddesden,

Beningfield Wood, just outside West Milton, Dorset was named in his honour. Originally fields of improved grasslands, mixed native broadleaves were planted across the 8.3 ha (20.5 acre) site in 1995.

In 2015, the Countryside Restoration Trust announced the 'Gordon Beningfield Dorset Farm Appeal'. The appeal aimed to turn Beningfield's dream of a working, wildlife-friendly farm in Hardy's Dorset, into a reality by raising £1 million. Shortly after the appeals launch, it was announced that Dame Judi Dench would serve as its patron.