Posted on 16th February, 2026 in Blog posts
Sir Terry Farrell
Last September Sir Terry Farrell passed away. Staff and parents at Kensington Wade will know of him through his remarkable reputation as an international architect and urban planner, but they may not know of the help he and Lady Farrell (Wang Meixin) gave to the founders of Kensington Wade.
In the early years when the founders were seeking both capital and premises, the Farrells introduced us to supporters Sir John Craven and potential funders including the property developing Ritblat family. Beyond that, they arranged for us to meet developers who might be persuaded to incorporate our school into their plans, from Hammersmith to Earls Court, from the Berkeley Group to Grosvenor Estates. They identified buildings from Wandsworth to Woodend and Romford.
The Farrells gave up time and energy in a very busy professional life to help us try to realise the dream of Europe’s first English Chinese school. We are profoundly grateful.
Terry Farrell is often termed the greatest British architect and urban planner of his generation. Among his many achievements are Charing Cross station, the MI6 headquarters building, the Deep Aquarium in Hull, Edinburgh Conference Centre and the International Centre for life in Newcastle. He was responsible for regeneration projects in Newcastle, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Greenwich Peninsula and Paddington basin. He was design and planning leader for the Thames Gateway, Europe’s largest regeneration project.
In East Asia, he built Seoul International Airport, Beijing South Railway Station, Guangzhou South Railway Station (then the largest in the world) and the Peak Tower Kowloon Station development. Farrells, his firm, has an office in Hong Kong.
Terry Farrell was very culturally aware. When asked to design a new university in southern China, he said he would not do so unless he could do it in Chinese style. The clients wanted something brutalist, so Terry rejected the commission.
Terry Farrell and his wife were both very aware of the cultural importance of China as well as the significance of its rise to being an economic power. This is why they put so much effort into helping Kensington Wade get started. Terry Farrell was a good man, generous and thoughtful as well as extraordinarily able. We are grateful to have known him.
[written by the founders of Kensington Wade]
