The Right Reverend Paul Barber has died at the age of 85.
He was the first Suffragan Bishop of Brixworth, Assistant Bishop to the Dioceses of Bath & Wells, Archdeacon of Surrey, the former Vicar of St Michael’s in Camberley and of St Thomas-on-The-Bourne in Farnham, and Curate at Guildford’s parish of St Francis in Westborough.
Born on September 16, 1935, he was educated at Sherborne School (School House) and St John’s College Cambridge.
After undertaking National Service in the Royal Army Service Corps, he studied at Wells Theological College and, in 1961, was the first-ever priest to be ordained at the newly built Guildford Cathedral.
He was curate at St Clare’s, in the parish of St Francis, Westborough, Guildford until 1966 when he and his young family moved to Camberley, where he became vicar of St Michael’s in Yorktown.
During his time in Camberley, he established a temporary shelter for homeless travellers and displaced rough sleepers in the church
room, fronting the A30 London Road. This became a welcome refuge to many vagrant men considered by others to be beyond help.
In 1973, he was appointed as vicar of St Thomas-on-The-Bourne in Farnham and served as Rural Dean of Farnham from 1974 to 1979. He was a member of the Church of England’s General Synod from 1979-85 and, in 1980, he was appointed Archdeacon of Surrey.
For many years he captained the Diocese of Guildford’s clergy cricket team and also played for The Bourne Cricket Club and was later a president of Rowledge Cricket Club.
He was consecrated as the first Bishop of Brixworth at Westminster Abbey in 1989 and served as the Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough for 12 years, living in Northampton.
When he, and his wife Pat, retired to Street in Somerset in 2001, he was appointed as an honorary Assistant Bishop to the Dioceses of Bath & Wells.
As a knowledgeable and ardent sports fan, with a particular love of cricket, football and horse racing, he was a member of both Northamptonshire and Somerset County Cricket Clubs and a fan of Aldershot FC and Northampton Town FC.
In 2018, Paul and Pat returned to Surrey, moving to Chertsey to be closer to their family.
He died peacefully at home, with Pat at his side, on Monday, February 22, 2021.
A memorial service to commemorate his life will be arranged at a later date.