Robert Shepherd

Photograph of Robert Shepherd

Robert Shepherd grew up in South London and read chemistry at Grey College, University of Durham. His interest in architecture started as a teenager, and he read avidly on the subject, even writing pieces for Palatinate, the undergraduate newspaper.

On graduating he joined BP and married Felicity Copeland in 1969. Shepherd’s role in BP took him all over the world, including Australia, the Far East and the Gulf. On return from a posting in Australia in 1983, he and Felicity purchased No. 6 Sion Row, a beautiful early Georgian House close to the Thames in Twickenham, and promptly joined the Georgian Group, SPAB and the local history society to help understand it better.

He left BP a decade later after the First Gulf War to become an independent consultant in the Liquefied Natural Gas business, and continued to travel.

From 2006, his research into the history of Sion Row intensified and culminated in the publication of Captain Gray’s Houses.

The Captain’s Grandson

GUEST BLOG: When researching a book like Captain Gray’s Houses, all sorts of byways present themselves which, although secondary to the task at hand, are too tempting not to follow… Here, author Robert Shepherd tells the story of John Awsiter, grandson of the eponymous Captain Gray. …

Added about 4 years ago.

The History of Captain Gray’s Houses

GUEST BLOG: Robert Shepherd, author of Captain Gray's Houses, explains what drove him to write about the houses on Sion Row, Twickenham, and how he managed to discover such an interesting story behind them. It is hard not to be interested in the history of a house that is almost 300 years ol…

Added about 5 years ago.

Houses Through Time

GUEST BLOG: Enjoying A House Through Time on BBC 2? Then this might just be the book for you... Fans of David Olusoga’s BBC2 series will know that it explores the histories of the inhabitants of a single house from the day it was built to the present. The series currently running takes…

Added about 5 years ago.

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