Joe Henson, British farmer and conservationist, Died at 82

  Dead Famous

Joe Henson was born on October 16, 1932, and died on October 5, 2015.

He was a farmer who founded the Rare Breeds Survival Trust and appeared as a presenter on BBC shows such as Animal Magic.

Joe was born in London, where his father Leslie Henson was a well known comedy actor and his mother Gladys Henson, a respected character actress.

The family then moved to Northwood where he enjoyed visiting a nearby farm as a child.

After work as a herdsman in Somerset he attended the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester (now the Royal Agricultural University).

Joe then managed Salperton Park Estate near Cheltenham before taking over the tenancy of a farm with a friend.

He started to keep rare breeds, including Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs and in 1971 opened the Cotswold Farm Park to the public.

Joe son, Adam, who took over the running of the farm in 1999 is now a presenter on Countryfile.

Joe passed away at age 82 in October 2015.