Tony Marchington
Encyclopedia
Dr Tony Marchington was an English
biotechnology
entrepreneur
and businessman, famous as the co-founder of Oxford Molecular, and the former owner of Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
.
, Derbyshire
, he was raised on the family farm in Buxworth
. He passed his motorcycle test at the age of 16, learning to ride his father’s 1914 Bradbury motorcycle
.
He gained his Bachelors, Masters and Ph.d at Brasenose College, Oxford
.
, the last personal secretary of the writer C.S. Lewis. Through this relationship, Marchington: shared a lectern with Hooper in 1975 in North Carolina
; co-wrote the script of Through Joy and Beyond, the 1977 documentary life of Lewis; and created the Lewis bonfire hoax
letter, sent to Christianity and Literature in 1978.
in 1986.
In 1988, he started several companies in the areas of intellectual property
, drug
discovery and biotechnology
. As these expanded, in the same year, under his tutor Professor Graham Richards
, Marchington co-founded Oxford Molecular Ltd. Worth £450 million at its peak, it was eventually sold for £70million.
A former member of the Department of Trade and Industry's Competitiveness Advisory Group, from 2000 Marchington's entrepreneurial activities included: running Marchington Consulting, based at the Sheffield Bioincubator
; CEO at Savyon Diagnostics; and co-founded, as Chairman and Director, Venture Hothouse Ltd. From 2010, Marchington was CEO at Oxford Medical Diagnostics ; leading the development and application of advanced proprietary methods of gas analysis; and in particular, the development of breath analysis for the screening of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Marchington was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1997.
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A steam fan from a young age, aged 22 Marchington bought his first steamroller from haulage contractor and scrap dealer Ted Eansworth in Chesterfield
. The collection that he started with his father eventually became the Buxworth Steam Group, which comprised a full working Victorian
Funfair
, and raised revenue through offering them for hire:
In 1996, Marchington bought the famous LNER steam locomotive
Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
at a cost of £1.5M. After a three year restoration which cost an additional £1M, she returned to steam in 1999. She made an appearance on Peak Rail
in summer 2000, together with most of the Buxworth Steam Group collection.
In 1997, Marchington purchased LNER Class A4 4464 Bittern
from the family of Geoff Drury, which he also based at the Southall Railway Centre
. However, after the completion of the £1million over budget restoration of Flying Scotsman was complete, he sold Bittern in 2000 to Jeremy Hosking
, who moved her to the Mid-Hants Railway in Hampshire
in January 2001, for a major restoration.
With Flying Scotsman's regular use on the VSOE Pullman, in 2002, Marchington proposed a business plan, which included the construction of a "Flying Scotman Village" in Edinburgh
, to create revenue from associated branding. After floating on OFEX as "Flying Scotsman plc" in the same year, in 2003 Edinburgh City Council turned down the village plans, and in September 2003 Marchington was declared bankrupt. This resulted in the sale of most of the assets of the Buxworth Steam Group, including The Iron Maiden to Graeme Atkinson, who displays the engine alongside a collection of other engines and fair organs as part of the Scarborough Fair Collection
, at his holiday park in Lebberston
, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
At the company's AGM in October 2003, CEO Peter Butler
announced losses of £474,619, and with a £1.5M overdraft at Barclays Bank, stated that the company only had enough cash to trade until April 2004. The companies shares were suspended from OFEX on 3 November, 2003, after it failed to declare interim results.
With the locomotive effectively placed up for sale, after a high-profile national campaign it was bought in April 2004 by the National Railway Museum
in York
, and it is now part of the National Collection.
Marchington's time with the Flying Scotsman was documented in two documentaries
, the BBC
's A Gambol on Steam, and the later Channel 4
programme A Steamy Affair: The Story of Flying Scotsman.
on the A6 road
, where they were staying that night. The couple had two children, and family homes in Buxton, Derbyshire and Oxfordshire. He also had two children from a previous marriage.
After meeting Jim Daniel, the Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England
, at a dinner of Brasenose College members, Marchington was initiated as a Freemason at Oxford-based Apollo University Lodge 357 in January 1991. He was passed and raised and the following year, and went in the chair in November 1996. Marchington celebrated his joining the Freemasons with the commissioning of a set of limited edition mugs, with the square and compass on one side and the Flying Scotsman on the other. Marchington became: a Knight Templar; joined the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine; Mark Masonry; Royal Ark Mariners. He was elected a Provincial Grand Steward and is Oxfordshire’s Assistant Provincial Grand Master.
After a long period of treatment, Marchington died of cancer
at Buxton’s Cottage Hospital on Sunday 16 November 2011.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and businessman, famous as the co-founder of Oxford Molecular, and the former owner of Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
The LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley...
.
Early life
Born Anthony Frank Marchington in BuxtonBuxton
Buxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, he was raised on the family farm in Buxworth
Buxworth
Buxworth is a village in the High Peak of Derbyshire, England. The area, which was once an important centre for the limestone industry, became the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal. Its pub, the Navigation Inn, was once owned by Coronation Street actress Pat Phoenix...
. He passed his motorcycle test at the age of 16, learning to ride his father’s 1914 Bradbury motorcycle
Bradbury Motor Cycles
Bradbury Motor Cycles was a British motorcycle manufacturer based in Oldham, England and established in 1902.Originally involved in the manufacture of machine tools, sewing machines and cycles, their first motorcycles were bicycles with clip-on Minerva engines....
.
He gained his Bachelors, Masters and Ph.d at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, originally Brazen Nose College , is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. As of 2006, it has an estimated financial endowment of £98m...
.
Association with Walter Hooper
While at Oxford, Marchington befriended and later lodged with American Walter HooperWalter Hooper
Walter McGehee Hooper is a trustee and literary advisor of the estate of C.S. Lewis. Born in Reidsville, North Carolina, U.S., he earned an M.A. in education and was an instructor in English at the University of Kentucky in the early 1960s. As a visitor to England, he served briefly as Lewis's...
, the last personal secretary of the writer C.S. Lewis. Through this relationship, Marchington: shared a lectern with Hooper in 1975 in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
; co-wrote the script of Through Joy and Beyond, the 1977 documentary life of Lewis; and created the Lewis bonfire hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
letter, sent to Christianity and Literature in 1978.
Career
Marchington began his career as a product manager with ICI Agrochemicals in 1983, becoming marketing manager for South AmericaSouth America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in 1986.
In 1988, he started several companies in the areas of intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
, drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
discovery and biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
. As these expanded, in the same year, under his tutor Professor Graham Richards
Graham Richards
Professor William Graham Richards C.B.E., M.A., D.Phil, D.Sc, C.Chem, FRSC was born 1 October 1939 in Hoylake, Cheshire and was Head of Chemistry at the University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford and the author of 300 scientific articles and 15 books...
, Marchington co-founded Oxford Molecular Ltd. Worth £450 million at its peak, it was eventually sold for £70million.
A former member of the Department of Trade and Industry's Competitiveness Advisory Group, from 2000 Marchington's entrepreneurial activities included: running Marchington Consulting, based at the Sheffield Bioincubator
Sheffield Bioincubator
The Bioincubator is a building on Leavygreave Road in Sheffield, England, owned and built by the University of Sheffield. It houses the offices of Axordia, one of the United Kingdom's leading human embryonic stem cell companies, with a growing portfolio of publications who work out of the Alfred...
; CEO at Savyon Diagnostics; and co-founded, as Chairman and Director, Venture Hothouse Ltd. From 2010, Marchington was CEO at Oxford Medical Diagnostics ; leading the development and application of advanced proprietary methods of gas analysis; and in particular, the development of breath analysis for the screening of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Marchington was made a Freeman of the City of London in 1997.
Buxworth Steam Collection
Chesterfield
Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...
. The collection that he started with his father eventually became the Buxworth Steam Group, which comprised a full working Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
Funfair
Funfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
, and raised revenue through offering them for hire:
- 25 traction engineTraction engineA traction engine is a self-propelled steam engine used to move heavy loads on roads, plough ground or to provide power at a chosen location. The name derives from the Latin tractus, meaning 'drawn', since the prime function of any traction engine is to draw a load behind it...
s, including the famous showman’s engine The Iron Maiden, which starred in the film of the same name. - Two matched pairs of ploughing engines
- Two steam wagonSteam wagonA steam wagon is a steam-powered road vehicle for carrying freight. It was the earliest form of lorry and came in two basic forms: overtype and undertype – the distinction being the position of the engine relative to the boiler...
s - Six steamrollerSteamrollerA steamroller is a form of road roller – a type of heavy construction machinery used for levelling surfaces, such as roads or airfields – that is powered by a steam engine...
s - Road locomotive, built in 1900, which was the first armour-plated vehicle in the world
- Steam fire engine
- Seagoing steam tug
- Victorian fairground rides: 1893 Steam Galloping Horses, a Helter skelter, a Ferris wheelFerris wheelA Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
, cakewalkCakewalkThe Cakewalk dance was developed from a "Prize Walk" done in the days of slavery, generally at get-togethers on plantations in the Southern United States. Alternative names for the original form of the dance were "chalkline-walk", and the "walk-around"...
, a 1925 set of German-built Chair-O-PlanesChair-O-PlanesThe Chair-O-Planes is a fairground ride that is a variation on the carousel in which the chairs are suspended on chains from the rotating top of the carousel... - Wall of Death, with 1930s Indian motorcycle
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
The LNER Class A3 Pacific locomotive No. 4472 Flying Scotsman was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway at Doncaster Works to a design of H.N. Gresley...
at a cost of £1.5M. After a three year restoration which cost an additional £1M, she returned to steam in 1999. She made an appearance on Peak Rail
Peak Rail
Peak Rail is a preserved railway in Derbyshire, England, which operates a steam service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales....
in summer 2000, together with most of the Buxworth Steam Group collection.
In 1997, Marchington purchased LNER Class A4 4464 Bittern
LNER Class A4 4464 Bittern
4464 Bittern is a London and North Eastern Railway Class A4 steam locomotive. Built for the LNER in 1937 at Doncaster Works as works number 1866, it was originally numbered 4464. It was renumbered 19 on 16 August 1946 under the LNER 1946 renumbering scheme and after nationalisation in 1948 BR added...
from the family of Geoff Drury, which he also based at the Southall Railway Centre
Southall Railway Centre
Southall Railway Centre is a railway heritage centre at Southall in west London, near to Southall railway station and the Grand Union Canal. It is run by the GWR Preservation Group Limited .-History:...
. However, after the completion of the £1million over budget restoration of Flying Scotsman was complete, he sold Bittern in 2000 to Jeremy Hosking
Jeremy Hosking
Jeremy J. Hosking is a British businessman, a co-founder and investment portfolio manager for private investment fund Marathon. Hosking is also well known for his extensive collection of steam locomotives, and 25% share holding in Crystal Palace F.C....
, who moved her to the Mid-Hants Railway in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in January 2001, for a major restoration.
With Flying Scotsman's regular use on the VSOE Pullman, in 2002, Marchington proposed a business plan, which included the construction of a "Flying Scotman Village" in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, to create revenue from associated branding. After floating on OFEX as "Flying Scotsman plc" in the same year, in 2003 Edinburgh City Council turned down the village plans, and in September 2003 Marchington was declared bankrupt. This resulted in the sale of most of the assets of the Buxworth Steam Group, including The Iron Maiden to Graeme Atkinson, who displays the engine alongside a collection of other engines and fair organs as part of the Scarborough Fair Collection
Scarborough Fair Collection
The Scarborough Fair Collection is a museum of fairground mechanical organs and showman's engines, located in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, one of the largest collections of its type in Europe....
, at his holiday park in Lebberston
Lebberston
Lebberston is a rural village surrounded by farms, situated in North Yorkshire on the east coast of England. Lebberston is also a civil parish. It lies between the villages of Cayton and Gristhorpe. The village hall and church are in Gristhorpe. The main Lebberston Manor lies in the centre of...
, near Scarborough, North Yorkshire.
At the company's AGM in October 2003, CEO Peter Butler
Peter Butler (politician)
Peter Butler is a British Conservative Party politician. At the 1992 general election, he became the first Member of Parliament for the new constituency of North East Milton Keynes, winning the seat with a majority of over 14,000. A former solicitor he served as a PPS to Kenneth Clarke.Butler...
announced losses of £474,619, and with a £1.5M overdraft at Barclays Bank, stated that the company only had enough cash to trade until April 2004. The companies shares were suspended from OFEX on 3 November, 2003, after it failed to declare interim results.
With the locomotive effectively placed up for sale, after a high-profile national campaign it was bought in April 2004 by the National Railway Museum
National Railway Museum
The National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
in York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and it is now part of the National Collection.
Marchington's time with the Flying Scotsman was documented in two documentaries
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's A Gambol on Steam, and the later Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
programme A Steamy Affair: The Story of Flying Scotsman.
Personal life
Marchington met his second wife Caroline after he and his father offered her a lift on their steam engine to the local public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
on the A6 road
A6 road
The A6 is one of the main historic north south roads in England. It currently runs from Luton in Bedfordshire to Carlisle in Cumbria, although it formerly started at a junction with the A1 at Barnet....
, where they were staying that night. The couple had two children, and family homes in Buxton, Derbyshire and Oxfordshire. He also had two children from a previous marriage.
After meeting Jim Daniel, the Grand Secretary of the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
, at a dinner of Brasenose College members, Marchington was initiated as a Freemason at Oxford-based Apollo University Lodge 357 in January 1991. He was passed and raised and the following year, and went in the chair in November 1996. Marchington celebrated his joining the Freemasons with the commissioning of a set of limited edition mugs, with the square and compass on one side and the Flying Scotsman on the other. Marchington became: a Knight Templar; joined the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine; Mark Masonry; Royal Ark Mariners. He was elected a Provincial Grand Steward and is Oxfordshire’s Assistant Provincial Grand Master.
After a long period of treatment, Marchington died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at Buxton’s Cottage Hospital on Sunday 16 November 2011.
External links
- Authorised Entry at Debretts