Richard Beastall Obituary
tp bennett have announced the sad news of the death of Richard Beastall, 1961-2020
tp bennett have announced the sad news of the death of architect Richard Beastall. Beastall passed away on 5 August 2020, following a long fight with cancer.
Beastall was born in Matlock Derbyshire in 1961. He had an interest in architecture from an early age, and has said, 'I only ever wanted to be an architect. Even from the age of six, although I didn’t know what it meant then!' Beastall later studied at Nottingham University and worked for a year at Nottingham County Council.
Joining tp bennett in 1985, Beastall worked at the practice for 33 years, rising through the ranks to become a principal director. While there he started the company's successful interiors division, growing it over the course of two decades from a small initial team. His vision for interiors included the blending of architecture and interiors to 'pull spaces together', frequently for large-scale office headquarters. 'Setting up the Interiors Division was one of the most exciting times of my life – we had everything to gain,' Beastall said. He built-up a greatly successful team, now one of the largest in the UK, with many high-profile and award-winning projects to its name.
His approach to work had a great impact on those who worked with him. As tp bennett recall: 'He was a great advocate of being approachable to his younger colleagues, strong collaboration between the project team and the client, and the importance of making – and learning from – mistakes.'
Beyond tp bennett, Beastall served on the Board of the British Council of Offices, where he started the BCO Banking Peer Review Group and was a great supporter of the BCO Next Gen. Beastall was an active Freeman of the City of London with the Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects and a supporter of the Outward Bound Trust.
tp bennett described Beastall as having had 'a genuine love of life and a passion for people who crossed his professional and personal lives.' As well as travelling, he liked to entertain, hosting dinner parties at his self-designed house on the seafront in Bexhill.
FX remembers him as a great FX Awards judge and a hysterical companion. As tp bennett comment: 'His indomitable optimism and boundless positivity made him a loved and respected pillar of our industry.' He leaves behind his husband Martyn, parents and three sisters.
