| Roger PhillipsMBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Roger Howard Phillips (1932-12-16)16 December 1932 Uxbridge, England |
| Died | 15 November 2021(2021-11-15) (aged 88) |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, botanist, writer |
Roger Howard Phillips MBE (16 December 1932 – 15 November 2021) was a British photographer, botanist and writer.
Biography
Phillips was born on 16 December 1932 in Uxbridge to Philip and Elsie Phillips (née Williams). He was educated at St Christopher School in Letchworth and – after national service with the Royal Air Force in Canada – at Chelsea School of Art. He next joined Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, where he rose to be art director. He turned freelance in 1968. He took pictures for the album Goodbye for rock band Cream, on a commission from his friend Alan Aldridge, and later took pictures for the Jack Bruce albums Songs for a Tailor and Out of the Storm.
He is best known as an expert on mushrooms and roses who wrote more than forty books on gardening and wild plants and fungi; many with Martyn Rix. He was also an Honorary Garden Manager at Eccleston Square in London, where he lived, and served as chair of the Society for the Protection of London Squares.
He presented two six-part television series, 1994's The Quest for the Rose for BBC Television and, in 1995, The 3,000 Mile Garden for PBS.
In later life he also exhibited his paintings.
In the 2010 New Year Honours, Phillips was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), for his "services to London Garden Squares".
Personal life
Phillips' 1958 marriage to Pammy Wray ended in divorce; they had a son, and she predeceased him. He subsequently had two daughters with his second wife Nicky Foy, whom he married in 2003.
He died on 15 November 2021, at the age of 88.
Selected publications
- Phillips, Roger, and Jacqui Hurst. 1983. Wild food: . London: Pan Books.
- Phillips, Roger, Derek Reid, Ronald Rayner, and Lyndsay Shearer. 1981. Mushrooms and other fungi of Great Britain and Europe. London: Pan Books.
References
- Adams, Tim (15 March 2020). "Roger Phillips: 'Fungi will have a role in ridding the world of plastic'". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ "Roger Phillips, plantsman, mycologist, forager and photographer who produced a long series of acclaimed guides to the flora of the world – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
- ^ Russell, Tony (2 December 2021). "Roger Phillips obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
- ^ "Roger Phillips dies aged 88". Horticulture Week. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- "Martyn Rix". Contributors. Cornucopia.
- "Gardeners". Eccleston Square Garden. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- "MBE for man who transformed Pimlico garden". MyLondon. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 19 November 2021.