In Loving Memory of Philip Charles Taylor
The service takes place on:
Friday 12th February 2021
10.30am - Service at Losehill House Hotel
Followed immediately by an Internment at Hope Cemetery
(The live stream will end after the service and start again when we reach the cemetery)
Philip Charles Taylor 26/1/1946 – 27/1/2021
Although born in Torquay, Philip’s early years were in West Moors, near Bournemouth. In 1959 was sent to boarding school at Exeter but in the summer of 1962, when only 16 years old, his father died suddenly. Philip found this very hard to cope with and although he went back to Exeter to start his ‘A’ levels, he did not complete them. Returning home, he secured a stopgap job in a local restaurant which he thoroughly enjoyed - especially on the day he got to meet the Beatles when they came in for lunch! He flourished there and in 1964 commenced a 4 year National Diploma in ‘Catering and Hotel Management’ at Bournemouth Catering College. After graduating in 1968, he immediately joined Myddleton Hotels as a management trainee at the Savoy Hotel in Bournemouth before becoming Manager of the Sackville Hotel in Hove in 1970 at the tender age of 24. This was also the year he married Vivienne, whom he had met in 1966 at Bournemouth College where she’d also been a student.
In 1973 Philip went on to manage the Balmer Lawn Hotel in the New Forest, becoming a proud father (to Katie) in 1976. In 1978 Philip moved to the Linton Lodge Hotel in Oxford where, in 1980, Amy was born. In the same year, after the Myddleton group of hotels were bought by Ladbroke Hotels, Philip opened the Ladbroke Mercury Hotel in Bracknell. Obviously a notable year, because it was also in 1980 that Philip was honoured within the hotel industry by being awarded the prestigious accolade of Master Innholder. In 1983 he moved to Edinburgh to manage the newly opened Ladbroke Dragonara Hotel. The constant moves had played havoc with family life and in 1985 he and his wife, Vivienne, bought their own small hotel in Sheffield which they ran together until 1999 before moving to the nearby Peak District where they bought Underleigh House, running it for the next 21 years as a successful, award-winning B&B in their semi-retirement.
Both daughters went to Reading University (Katie starting in 1994, Amy in 1998) and finished up living in Surrey and Berkshire respectively. Philip adored his daughters and his grandchildren, relishing the chaos and fun which would inevitably prevail when the families came to stay and when spending holidays together. His enthusiasm for getting involved with village life was obvious too – one only has to mention Wakes Weeks, HADIT or Pub quizzes and Philip’s name inevitably comes up.
Philip was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2016 but outlived a prognosis of 6 to 12 months by surviving over 4½ years with dignity and determination. He died peacefully at home the day after his 75th birthday.
If you wish to make a donation please consider our just giving page, donations which are going to Pancreatic Cancer UK
Important notes:
/ If the live stream doesn’t start automatically on schedule please hit refresh (F5)
/ Occasionally during live streams there can be connection issues due to weather, building location and structure, especially with longer streams. If you are experiencing extreme pixelation, don’t worry, we will upload the video after filming has ended
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