Colin Finch (OB 1947-1953)

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Mr Colin Finch (OB 1947-53), who died peacefully at home on Wednesday 2nd July 2025. Mr Finch was a stalwart of the Brentwood School community whose remarkable association with the School spanned nearly 80 years.

A former pupil, Mr Finch joined Brentwood in 1947, and he has remained closely connected to its life and work ever since. Following a successful career as a chartered surveyor, he brought his professional expertise to the School’s governing body, joining the Board of Governors in November 1984. His deep knowledge of property management was quickly recognised, and he became the driving force behind the School’s property management committee.

His contribution extended far beyond his professional acumen. After serving as a member of the Governor’s Executive Committee and as Vice Chairman of Governors, he was elected Chairman in January 1997. During his tenure, he helped oversee a period of significant development and renewal. At the opening of a flagship building named in his honour in 2021, the then Chair, Sir Michael Snyder, paid tribute to his time as Chairman, describing it as “a tour de force”- one characterised not only by the delivery of outstanding facilities for students, but by his “enthusiasm and drive and commitment, dedication and vision, and above all his unfailing courtesy and charm and consideration for others.”

During that 20-year period, developments included the new Preparatory School buildings, a new Sixth Form Centre, 400-seat Wessex Auditorium, the introduction of the International Baccalaureate and a much greater emphasis on Bursary awards, to say nothing of the Bean and Cunliffe development. After his retirement as Chairman of Governors, Mr Finch continued to serve the School as Governor Emeritus, offering much-valued guidance and support to the Governing Body and Leadership Team.

Current Headmaster Mr Michael Bond also commented on the legacy left by Mr Finch: ‘‘Despite retiring from the Board of Governors in 2016, Colin was still a very active supporter of Brentwood School when I arrived in September 2019. Indeed, his – and Susan’s – warmth and kindness were a significant part of our early months here, and it was indicative of their kindness that at the first possible opportunity post-COVID, they arranged a delayed ‘welcome’ meal for us during which their love for our school shone through.’’

His support for the School and its pupils was constant. Mr Finch, who would have turned 89 later this month, and his wife, Susan, were regular and much-valued attendees at plays, concerts, and countless other school events. He was a beloved father (to Stephen and Clare) and grandfather.

Beyond governance, Mr Finch also played an active role in the wider School community. He chaired the General Committee of the Society of Old Brentwoods and served as its President in 1985. His two-decade chairmanship of the committee was marked by wise counsel, commitment, and a deep love for Brentwood School. In the words of a colleague, he “inspired respect, admiration, and affection,” helping to steer the course of the School with unwavering commitment.

A Freeman of the City of London, Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Needlemakers and a non-active member of the Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths, Mr Finch was also a past Captain of Thorndon Park Golf Club, in Brentwood.

Born in Shenfield, Mr Finch had also acted as Chairman of the Brentwood Citizens Advice Bureau and Chairman and Guardian of the Brentwood Foyer.

Chairman of Governors Lord Black of Brentwood commented: ‘’Colin’s gigantic legacy lives on not only in bricks and mortar, but in the countless lives he touched through his unfailing kindness, and courtesy, visionary leadership, and constant support of Brentwood School. All those who love our School will be forever in his debt. He will be deeply missed, and our thoughts and prayers are with Susan and his family.’’

Please read below the following obituary, written by Martin Rowland:

Emeritus Governor under whose leadership the School was transformed

In 32 years as a Governor of Brentwood School, nearly 20 of them as Chairman, Colin Finch (1947-53) advised on, agreed, raised funds for, initiated, progressed and presided over a host of projects and changes to the School’s structure and direction. The period saw an “unprecedented growth in academic advancement, buildings, facilities and management of a burgeoning enterprise.”

Shortly after his retirement in 2016 the Governing Body bestowed on him the honorary title of Governor Emeritus of Brentwood School. Colin expressed himself “overwhelmed, humbled and thrilled to be considered worthy of such a privilege.”

His former colleagues had no such reservations. His successor, Sir Michael Snyder said they recognised Colin’s “outstanding and remarkable contribution to the School as governor, committee member and Chairman To the best of our knowledge, such an honour has never before been offered to a retiring governor. But then, no one in the modern era has made a contribution worthy of such a distinction.”

Colin was elected to the Governing Body in 1984, joined the Executive Committee in 1989, was elected Vice-Chairman the following year and took the Chair in 1996. In his time, the Brentwood campus added the Courage Hall, the Allison building, the Courage swimming pool, the Hardy Amies Design Technology Centre, the Sixth Form Centre, the Wessex Auditorium, and the Bean and Cunliffe developments which formed the extensive Bean Academic Centre.

In 2017, Colin told the Old Brentwoods Chronicle "The behind-the-scenes work on these projects was monumental, requiring a stoic approach to planning applications and inevitable design and building changes before and during constuction. We have developed the campus as an integrated whole and ensured each project was architecurally sympathetic and coherent.”

There had been huge investment in information technology, in grounds improvement and drainage across the 72-acre site and in pupil security; and an emphasis on more bursaries and specialist staff recruitment. The School became co-educational in 1988. The curriculum had seen an increased emphasis on STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine - while maintaining standards and achievements in art, drama and music. The International Baccalaureate, introduced in 2007, had added to the School’s academic reputation while the number of leavers reading courses at Russell Group universities had increased.

To accomplish so much, there were changes to the Governing Body’s financial and mangement structures to focus on the overall management of individual projects and their strategic direction.

Current Chairman of Governors Lord Black has referred to a succession of “incredibly loyal, generous, visionary leaders, united by the steely commitment to the values and ethos of Brentwood School, summed up in those timeless words: Virtue, Learning and Manners. Colin Finch did not just respect those values, he lived them.”

The Rev. Adrian McConnaughie, the School’s Chaplain, told mourners at Colin’s funeral: “his commitment, vision and enthusiasm and his deep, abiding love for the School and its pupils lay at his core. It was these foundations which turned bricks and mortar into a space for creativity and community.” The Finch building, named in his honour in 2021 recognised this.

Among the tributes sent to the Finch family was one from another former governor. ”Colin lived an exceptional life of service to others, not least to Brentwood School which owes him so very much. Under his leadership of the Governors, our School was transformed. His name will always be synonymous with its success and its reputation.”