The Very Rev John Simpson
Dean of Canterbury involved in the visit of Pope John Paul II
THE VERY REVEREND JOHN SIMPSON, who has died aged 85, was Dean of Canterbury from 1986 to 2000, having spent the previous five years as Archdeacon of Canterbury and a Canon Residentiary of the cathedral.
His sideways move owed something to the sudden, unexplained retirement of Dean Victor de Waal and the need for safe, capable hands to deal with a bewildered community.
In the event Simpson proved to be well up to this task, and took the mother church of the Anglican communion into a period of development that included the building of a top-class education centre and a now popular four-star hotel.
Simpson was a priest who inspired high respect rather than affection and his early ministry was based on firm Evangelical convictions, though not of the feverish sort. He taught for 10 years at Oak Hill Theological College in North London – then a flagship of the Church of England’s Evangelical tradition.
The turning point came in 1972, when Bishop (later Archbishop) Robert Runcie enticed him into the diocese of St Albans, appointing him Director of Ordinands and Post-ordination Training, and adding an Honorary Canonry of the Cathedral.
This provided scope for Simpson’s growing interest in symbolism and new forms of worship, which led later to his being largely responsible for the acclaimed service in Canterbury Cathedral when Pope John Paul II made his historic visit in 1982.
The centuries-long significance of the see of Canterbury was not overlooked and the Pope and the Archbishop each renewed his Baptismal promise.
John Arthur Simpson was born in Cardiff on June 7 1933. He went from the local Cathays High School to Keble College, Oxford, where he took a Second in Modern History.
Feeling drawn to Holy Orders, he trained at Clifton Theological College. Ordained in 1958, he served as a curate at Leyton and then Orpington before moving into theological education.
Simpson’s continuation in this role in St Albans diocese included, from 1972, pastoral responsibility for the small parish of Ridge, near Potters Bar – a position he retained after becoming
a Canon Residentiary of St Albans Cathedral in 1979.
The translation of Runcie to Canterbury in 1980 led to Simpson’s appointment as one of his archdeacons in 1981. Besides his cathedral responsibilities, he had oversight of one third of the parishes in the diocese – a task he carried out with sensitivity and skill.
The Archdeaconry of Canterbury, created soon after the Norman Conquest, is unique, inasmuch as its holders have over the centuries represented the Archbishop at the installation of all new diocesan bishops in the Southern Province, placing them on their episcopal throne. Simpson enjoyed this role.
As Dean he earned a reputation as “a man who gets things done”. The cathedral fabric needed constant attention and the entire floor of the nave was repaved.
In the precincts an Education Centre was built and now receives annually more than 10,000 pupils from Kent schools, as well as many from overseas.
Even more ambitious was the decision to erect a 32-bedroom hotel close to the cathedral, a project which caused considerable initial misgivings. However the resulting low-level “Lodge” constructed of timber and stone is now regarded as a successful marriage of the modern to the ancient. Simpson retired to Folkestone after the completion of its first stage.
He was chairman of the governors of King’s School, Canterbury, during his years as Dean, and also of the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group. Kent University awarded him an honorary DD and he was appointed OBE in 2001.
John Simpson is survived by his wife Ruth and by a son and two daughters.
The Very Rev John Simpson, born June 7 1933, died April 24 2019