Allen Warren

Born in 1945, Allen Warren was educated at Bristol Grammar School and New College, Oxford. He joined the History Department, University of York in 1971 remaining at York for his whole career, which included being Head of the Department, and Provost of Vanbrugh college for 24 years. He retired in 2011. In addition to teaching, historical research (nineteenth- and twentiety-century British history) and management, he also took a particular interest in the personal development of students outside their subject curriculum. He pioneered at York a voluntary students in schools programme and separately the York Award, both of which have been copied or adapted nationally.

To some degree this professional work was grounded in his voluntary work within the Scout movement, locally and nationally, which has been a feature throughout his adult life.

Rather to his surprise in 2000, he was invited to be one of the four founding lay chapter canons of York Minster—an appropriate induction before accepting an invitation to write this book.

For 20 years he has been a member of the Merchant Taylors Company of York, serving as Master in 2018‒19.

Retirement has also allowed him to renew his enthusiasm for opera and the natural world.