Dean Robert Willis

Dean Robert Willis, or “DR” – or “the Green Dean” as he became affectionately known by his millions of followers around the world in respect of his love of and work in conservation efforts – brave, kind, generous, amusing and gentle whose attractiveness, eloquence, enormous intellect and interest in everyone and everything around him made him a natural for broadcasting, although a natural shyness and insecurity had always to be brushed aside and overcome by his “partner on the camera”.

Described by Archbishop Rowan Williams as “one of the finest theologians of our time”, he was not only one of the greatest teachers of the scriptures but also an accomplished musician, lyricist, hymn-writer and, most importantly to him, pastor. He served as Dean of Canterbury – the most senior clergy role in the Anglican Communion, for 21 years running the Mother Church of the nation and The King’s School and protecting and nurturing their communities, whilst advising three archbishops, parliament and the Crown. Prior to this he had served as Dean of Hereford (another Crown appointment) for nine years and Vicar of Sherborne Abbey for five after many years working in the cathedral and parishes in and around Salisbury in the beautiful county of Wiltshire. In each place he had expanded the ministry and reach of the communities he had been called to serve and undertaken substantial projects – such as saving national treasures from being sold overseas in the case of Hereford (The Mappa Mundi and the Chain Library) and securing their finances and completing the largest renovation project in its history in the case of Canterbury. He was assisted by his inspiring abilities and deep Benedictine faith, his integrity and by his magnetic character which enabled people easily to join him in seeing his vision, to support his efforts with trust and with confidence.

Join him each day in these films as he recalls events and people he has known through a fascinating lifetime of duty, over 50 years having been given to the Church, and reflects on different lessons he has learned in his roles. Amusing and fascinating stories abound in equal measure from his three decades as a leading member of the General Synod (church parliament) and over two decades of leading the national Deans’ council, from his time as special advisor to the churches of East Africa, Oceania and other areas of the world and from his and Fletcher’s extensive works in North America, China / Hong Kong and Europe. A fascinating variety of different charities and individuals awaits you as he walks back through those years and always in a lovely setting, often accompanied by musical interludes or just the sounds of the garden. With a delightful mix of childlike thirst for discovery, coupled with a brilliant mind and always a ready smile and calm manner, to spend time with him even virtually is a treat and you are sure to learn something new along the way.

Very sadly DR passed away unexpectedly whilst working at Yale with Fletcher in October 2024 and at that time his obituary in the Times described him as “the last of the great deans”, many friends believed him “to have been an angel walking amongst us who was called back up to Heaven”. As his great love was always music – and his noted ability with words was guided by his musicality – it is fitting that his last completed composition was an oratorio on the subject of the holy beings, “Angels Unawares”. This work was commissioned by John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation, James MacMillan composed the music to accompany the text and Harry Christophers and the Sixteen performed a private audience in the Sistine Chapel and then the world premiere at the Wigmore Hall to huge acclaim. A recording of the performance in Rome can be viewed through this site.

DR learnt his scriptures at Baptist Sunday School (which he would always say he chose, along with his older sister Pauline, “because they gave out coloured stickers!” – he always said this with his characteristic boyish grin!). His own faith, matching that of Fletcher’s, was deeply rooted in the Benedictine traditions of Canterbury and Hereford, a way of life which recognises the essential nature of creativity and encouragement lived out within a community which is given to work, routine, tradition and prayer and, crucially, to hospitality. He was never slow to walk with those from other traditions, other religions, and much of his life’s work and much of the work he did in Canterbury was to break down barriers and to bring communities together, helped by the hotel he opened within the Precincts and continued since in the Casa Anglicana and Saint Felix church – a wonderful home from home for all Anglicans arriving at the other end of the Camino but also, crucially, for all comers in Santiago de Compostela. They believed that to create a dynamic where accord might be met, it was essential to create spaces and opportunity for time to be spent together and they worked tirelessly to make Canterbury in general, but especially their home, such a place of meeting and of shared hospitality – “The Last Homely House” as it was often referred to by so many who came. His work in this area within the church and in more secular communities around the world earned him many honours and awards but amongst his most treasured were a gift of a relic of St Gregory from HH Pope Francis and the Cross of St Augustine from his dear friend Rowan Williams, who believed that “he had done more for ecumenism and for the Communion than any dean in history”.

Fletcher Banner

Having spent many years working in high-level administrative roles at King’s after university at the turn of the millennium (where he and Dean Robert first met and fell in love) and then in London - firstly in parliament and then in The City, Fletcher was perfectly placed to assist DR with the ever-expanding number of roles which he was taking on outside of Canterbury for charities and consultative advisory groups.

Having shared several years of frustrations of the poor level of hospitality offered at home not being what they would have liked but juggling a frenzied domestic life with a demanding work life in London, coupled with travel commitments for work – both his and those of DR - and the expansion of the scope of works at Canterbury, in the city and the county, it was a natural decision to take a break to be at home to oversee matters for “a short time”. It was also necessary as divergent commitments meant time together was increasingly rare and so one needed to make a change - and it of course could not have been DR. This planned “short time” turned into years of a wonderful and busy co-ministry of hospitality and underpinning of much of the core work of DR both in the UK and overseas, including assisting in the fundraising and relationship-building for the cathedral and school and their various departments in a voluntary capacity. Being at home much more meant the ability to expand the use of the house and the gardens, to stage an annual music programme which provided opportunities for musicians and choirs from near and far to perform in such special locations, to showcase the talent of the choirs, school and cathedral – including the new Girls’ Choir, started by DR, as well as to host a substantial number of events each week for an array of different causes and purposes and for different interest groups. It also afforded more time to dedicate to his own various charitable works in the city and county and in the US.

The house and gardens being of such unique and special significance demanded more attention, having been neglected for many years. Fletcher’s artistic eye and talent and his passion for architecture, history, horticulture and conservation and his deep love and knowledge of the school, the cathedral and of Canterbury made this a joy and a devotion of sorts. He had been born in the city and was schooled there and then went to Christ Church, the Anglican University which had grown out of and was still very closely attached to the cathedral. He delighted in finding creative ways of using the house and developing the gardens to be of use and to provide pleasure to the home communities but also to be of purpose for outreach and connection with different groups through the year, ensuring the house and the cathedral were always doing their best to be helping where they could. As the partner of the Dean he was often asked to help oversee various projects at the school and the cathedral – including the planning of the landscaping, oversight of the creation and expansion of the gardening team and its connection and use to other departments and groups in the wider community including volunteers and ex-offenders. Time was also filled with the arranging of various major art installations and events and services as well as the hosting of many visiting groups of students, donors and pilgrims from around the world, giving them tours of particular areas of the works or of the life of the cathedral and school and its precious and talented communities.

It was this combination of experience which made it possible for him, once he learned how to master the use of the camera and then how to edit and upload the films for broadcast, to plan each programme. Knowing where best and how best to set the films based on the themes that he would decide on the night before, he planned the format for each day according to the set readings and reflecting what had happened on that day in history or was happening in the world at that time. His love of nature made this a daily pleasure - it was he that was responsible for the introduction of much of the life to the house and gardens, all starting with their very first pet – a cat they named Thomas. He had been a stray cat from outside his London office that his secretaries had persuaded to take home but who had to be returned to his owners when a microchip was found on his visit to the vets. Having previously thought that their hectic lifestyles and busy hosting would preclude having animals, Thomas’ subsequent absence in the house was felt so deeply by them both that it led to the gift of Monkey and Tiger to DR for his birthday. Next came goldfish in a pond which Fletcher had uncovered and restored dating from the time of The Red Dean, Hewlett Johnson. Then came the ordering of an incubator and two dozen eggs from eBay (other retailers are available!) “made whilst sitting in traffic and listening to a programme on Radio 4 about the joy of hatching eggs on his daily commute at the end of the work day from London!”. This led to the two of them sitting up all night three weeks later to delight in the miracle of the hatching - and then to the many feathered companions who followed, of all shapes and sizes!

It was Fletcher who was chiefly responsible for corresponding with the online community during Covid, whilst the Dean was running the cathedral - unless someone wanted to speak with DR; it was he who would read out people’s prayers for their loved-ones at the daily mass that the two of them would hold in the cathedral during the lockdowns when nobody was able to attend church, rotating the chapels so that each remained used and so that “the act of daily worship, which has been held in the cathedral since Augustine and through much worse times than these, would not die on their watch!”. He still corresponds with the thousands of members of the Garden Congregation who tune in daily, sometimes re-watching the films on an annual cycle and sometimes having just discovered the broadcasts only recently. This has been a huge solace since losing DR so cruelly and he hopes very much that, if you are only discovering the site for the first time today, you will enjoy some of the films and, if you are a long-term member of the channel, that you know how deeply and profoundly grateful he is to you for your encouragement and support.

His love and deep connection to that beautiful home, its history and the families who had graced it and loved it before them – many of whom are great friends dating back to the descendants of the late Victorian deans – meant that it was always a joy for him to share its stories and its vital and important status and purpose, as well as its boundless opportunities for hosting all manner of occasions with as many people as possible. To do the work of God for the betterment of all. For this reason the daily filming was not only for him an act of spiritual devotion but also an act of devotion, of gratitude, to the most special of homes, the most special of gardens – which he had so lovingly created with his trusty (“and long-suffering!”) gardener Piet, all under the loving eye of their dear housekeeper Ruth!

Significant Others

As you will see from the films, the daily life of the Deanery could be described as full of nature of all kinds – whether outside or in.

With often very practical reasons for this – for instance the abundance of houseplants helping not only to decorate the rooms but also to keep the humidity at a good level for the ancient panelling and the various pianos and harpsichords (DR being a keen and very fine musician and the house often playing host to a variety of musical events). The kitchen gardens are orchards were used for education and conservation purposes and as decorative spaces but also to produce at least some of the fruit, preserves, vegetables, eggs and honey for guests or to sell for charity. Flowers were grown to decorate the gardens but also to dress the tables at events, all reducing costs and giving a flavour of visitors being ”at home” – but also proving to be a source of real pleasure and of study for both DR and Fletcher, often helping to shape their understanding of all manner of things from conservation to the interpretation of the scriptures – as they have tried to share with you each day in the films.

Top of household were the beloved cats and top of the cats, unquestionably – Monkey. Jet black with just a tiny speck of white on his collar, many believed he was the real dean and his intuition and intellect, his integrity and sophistication, his calm grace and elegance, his conscientiousness and his ability to keep oversight of all fitted him perfectly to the role – and to DR who also possessed all these characteristics in abundance. Then there was his somewhat clumsy but utterly adorable and friendly tabby brother, Tiger, whose character, much more like that of Fletcher’s, was all innocent enthusiasm, passion, shyness, kindness and trust, playfulness and ill-thought inquisitiveness and could not be in some respects more different from his brother but together they made the perfect team and their gifts ideally complemented one another, much like their human companions. His nemesis - Leo, the baby of the family who from the moment he was born on Fletcher’s bed (whilst they were away opening something at Kew!) has been pampered and spoilt and has a natural swagger and innate confidence and air of entitlement to suit but is the so adored comedian and hogger of the limelight with a concealed need for approval and for reassurance. The fourth, who like Monkey was never keen to be on camera – the choice was always left to each of the animals to decide for themselves – the fourth and by no means least is the very pretty and petite tuxedo cat, Leo’s Mum, Lilly. Utterly beguiling and charming when time suits but also completely capable of standing up for herself in a house full of boys. Very much Fletcher’s cat to this day and completely inseparable, as were DR and Monkey. Though not often on camera, she was very often sitting under Fletcher as he filmed.

Other characters you will meet include the lovely Winnie and Clemmie, the part Pot-Bellied-part Kunekune pigs – and their many adorable piglets (some of whom you will see be born on camera); the cheeky Cockerel, Russell Crow, and the myriad other feathered fowl who shared the garden with him including the turkeys - charming Darcy and demure Jane and Lizzie; saucy and amusing Duckie and the peeping guinea fowl. There’s also Achilles and Athene the tortoises – children of one once owned by Gerald Durrell, as well as tropical fish, harvest mice, the abundance of creatures in the ponds and wild areas of the garden – many released from the conservation work done by Fletcher in partnership with local agencies including cute newborn baby hedgehogs and birds set for release after care and rehabilitation. You’ll meet pet tropical birds and the many wild birds in the gardens, most especially “Mr Robin” – who had a long-running battle with Leo for command of the camera and DR’s attention! Come and enjoy time with all of these and more and immerse yourself in stories of other furred and feathered friends who have shared the house and gardens.

The Deanery & Gardens

The ancient and lovely Deanery has been the home of every Dean of Canterbury since the Reformation in the mid C16th, reshaped from the home of the Priors of the monastery who date back another thousand years and built on the site of Roman and perhaps far older structures before that.

History envelops you as you enter its hallowed Norman structure, now dressed as a fine Georgian house with Victorian additions sitting between two medieval towers whose rooms still give one a flavour of the far larger monastic residence. Like the house, the gardens have played host to Kings and Queens, Papal visits and those of world leaders, have entertained remarkable and historic figures from musicians and authors, theologians, artists and stars of stage and screen and have provided space for meeting and discussion throughout the ages.

As the home of the head of the communities of The King’s School, the World’s oldest educational establishment, and the Cathedral, the Nation’s spiritual headquarters, it has also served as one of the most vital embassies for the Church, the country as well as for the City of Canterbury and the County of Kent; has been used extensively for good causes both local and more distant. Each year dozens of charity fundraisers have been hosted by DR and Fletcher to raise much needed awareness and resources for causes ranging from healthcare and homelessness to the arts and social justice and has been a place of refuge and recuperation for many when facing personal difficulties. With on average half a dozen to a dozen events weekly they welcomed young students and groups of elderly, artists groups who enjoyed painting in the gardens or conservation and horticultural groups keen on learning more about their work; bishops from around the Communion or from the Holy See; representatives of different charities or organisations; pilgrim groups visiting the shrine and members of the diocese. For the “home team” – which numbered in their thousands – it was also “a place where the door was always open and the kettle was always on”.

As the personal home of the Dean gifted by the Crown and left to the occupant to decide how to use, it was the choice of DR and Fletcher to have it used often and widely to serve in as many ways as possible, to assist in their ministry and the work of the School and the Cathedral they served – and the dozens of different charities they represented. After decades of their rooms being filled most nights with guests of the community and functions running daily it therefore became strange when Covid called a halt to the normal runnings of their home. For their green spaces and creatures to bring cheer and interest, to bring comfort to those locked-down in high-rises of Tokyo or New York or to allow folk in Australia to follow the famous (sometimes infamous!) English seasons was a gift to them. To be able to welcome and host visitors virtually and to share their love and knowledge of the house and gardens, talk of the changes during their time was a joy for them. Stories about the new kitchen gardens; new rose gardens and the creation of a new rose for Canterbury with friend David Austin; new wooded areas; join in a project for sowing flowers and watch them develop on Meadow Mondays or just enjoy the backdrop of the biodiverse-rich wild gardens, ponds and streams inhabited by rescued newts and frogs, buzzing bees and golden slow worms. You can hear the story of the creation of the new Bastion Garden and the new cottage’s garden so perfect for contemplation as well as the new greenhouses and cold-frames and their associated teaching opportunities for local students and horticultural projects and plant collections connecting to other partner projects throughout the country and to the Chelsea and Hampton Court shows. Join them for Forest Fridays and Woody Wednesdays and climb the ramparts or shelter from the rain by the fire. Saturday mornings are usually spent with the animals. There are fascinating historical mentions of some of the history of the garden including the pre-Roman mounds of the Cantiaci tribe under the ancient garden / city walls or of the Deans’ Walk with Queen Bertha’s gateway through which she would have walked when her palace was on the site in the C6th and of course the many animals and visitors who had shared the spaces with them and all the works and additions made by previous incumbents through the centuries. There are also many narrated books, beautifully read by Dean Robert, often by the fireside, often joined by feline friends. We hope that you will enjoy listening to some of these stories yourself in the films available here.