Denys Bower (1905 - 1977)

Born in 1905, in Crich in Derbyshire, Denys Bower was a passionate if eccentric collector, and led an extraordinary life.

For the first 34 years he lived with his parents working as a bank clerk. Disabled in a motorcycle accident when he was a youth and needing glasses for reading (although he preferred a monocle) Denys did not have to serve in the Second World War.

In 1955 he bought Chiddingstone Castle for £6,000 with a loan for the whole amount from the Bank, and opened it to the public to display his collections. Although a gifted collector, Denys was less lucky in love and by 1950, he had 2 failed marriages behind him.

Denys was sent to prison in the late 1950s for attempted murder and attempted suicide.  A girlfriend had refused to marry him and a situation ensued where he and the lady in question ended up in hospital with gunshot wounds.  Due to the efforts of a solicitor and friend, Ruth Eldridge, Denys was released after four years.  Ruth and her sister, Mary, helped to look after Denys' collections and Castle, and Ruth formed the Denys Eyre Bower Bequest after his death in 1977 so that his collections could be cared for in trust and enjoyed by future generations.

Much more of his story is told in the book, “Beyond Belief”, which is on sale in our gift shop.