Peter Gummer, Baron Chadlington

Peter Selwyn Gummer, Baron Chadlington FCIPR FIoD FCinstM FRSA (born 24 August 1942) is an English businessman.

He is currently President of the Witney Conservative constituency association, and is a PR adviser, long-standing supporter and donor to the Conservative Party.

Early life and education

Gummer was born on 24 August 1942 to Selwyn Gummer, a Church of England priest, and his wife Margaret Mason. Gummer has two brothers; John Gummer, Baron Deben, former Chairman of the Conservative Party, and Mark Selwyn Gummer, a businessman. He was educated at The King's School, Rochester before matriculating to Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he read Moral Science and Theology, with the aim of becoming a priest. Reading the works of philosophers such as Albert Camus led him to change his mind, and after gaining a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts he instead went into journalism.

Career

While writing for a trade press department Gummer found that he enjoyed the business side of things far more than the journalism, and decided to go into business. After several years working for other companies he founded a public relations (PR) firm called Shandwick in 1974, serving as its chairman. Within seven years Shandwick was the largest PR company in the United Kingdom, and in 1984 it became publicly listed. In 1998 it was sold to the Interpublic Group of Companies, and is now part of Huntsworth. Initially chairman of Huntsworth, Gummer was appointed chief executive on 25 September 2005 after the resignation of Richard Nichols, the group's previous chief executive. Gummer left this position on 12 May 2005, instead becoming an executive director.

Chadlington

Coordinates: 51°53′53″N 1°31′26″W / 51.898°N 1.524°W / 51.898; -1.524

Chadlington is a village and civil parish in the Evenlode Valley about 3 miles (5 km) south of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire. The village has five neighbourhoods: Brookend, Eastend, Greenend, Millend and Westend.

Archaeology

There is a bowl barrow about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the village. Bowl barrows range from late Neolithic to late Bronze Age, i.e. 2400 to 1500 BC. The barrow is a scheduled monument.

Knollbury is a hill-fort 1 mile (1.6 km) northwest of the village. It is a scheduled monument.

Manors

Chadlington village existed by the time of Domesday Book in 1086 and may be named after Saint Chad. The present Chadlington Manor House was built in the 17th century and remodelled in about 1800. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Lower Court farmhouse was built in about 1700 as the manor house for Westend. It was altered in the mid- to late-18th century and remodelled in the 19th. The house has a Stonesfield Slate roof. It is a Grade II* listed building.