William Neville Dibben (Xt, 1955)

The following has been provided by William’s family.

William – known as Bill in his early years and into his 30s, after which it has been William – was the third child of Clifford Dibben, an architect of note, and Violeta Dibben, Anglo-Russian by birth and a firm yet fair-minded matriarch. With his older siblings Anne and Richard, home was a large house in Chilworth, a village just north of Southampton.

Education

When old enough, he joined his brother Richard at Oakmount Preparatory School, Southampton where he excelled at school but not naturally. It was some 40 years later that he was diagnosed as dyslexic; he had to have worked exceptionally hard at school to get anywhere. But this he did, obtaining a music scholarship to Cheltenham College Junior School in 1948, playing the violin and piano, and moving up into the College in 1950. 

William loved the great outdoors. He thrived playing rugby in the 2nd XV and rowing in the 1st VIII boat and was awarded both Christowe and College colours for sporting prowess. College’s Boat House at Tewkesbury became his default place to be whenever his studies allowed for it. He was rewarded by becoming Captain of Boats in the 1955 season. In his summer 1953 College report, he was described as, ‘A very consistent and quite a sterling fellow … I do not know of any other boy about whom this phrase “Sterling Quality” comes at once to mind. His genuine and shining sincerity has made his mark on me.’

Although offered a place at Emmanual College, Cambridge to read Religious Studies, after consultation with his parents, Bill decided to take forward a London University offer of a degree course in Estate Management including chartered surveying. There, he became a member of the London University Boat Club, rowing on the Thames. 

Our ’sterling fellow’ goes forth

On graduation, William joined his father and brother at Chilworth Estates Ltd,  and became Director responsible for building and estate management. With the demand for private housing rising in the 1960s, the company focused on large housing estate developments. His side of the business was to source the manpower and materials, deliver the build, and support the sales process with local estate agents. When their father retired, the two brothers became joint Managing Directors. Three of Chilworth Estates’ most notable developments from the 1960s to 1980s were Holly Hill, Bassett Avenue, Southampton; Colden Common, Winchester; and Wanderwell, Bridport.

In the 1970s, as the building business was starting to look susceptible to a slow down, William wanted to diversify his activities and reduce Chilworth Estates’ dependence on the building business, with all its fluctuations. Some initiatives struggled to get airborne, others flew well. For instance, when demand slowed down, the in-house joinery shop with its experienced team of joiners/carpenters could sell their skills and capacity to other builders, developers or other industries. 

Another diversification was joining forces with David Morris in 1974 to create Morris Dibben Estate Agents, with a keen focus on Chilworth Estates developments. Establishing Morris Dibben enabled the brothers to step back from the detailed selling of houses and return to focusing on designing (Richard) and building (William), and for the parting of business company with Richard. William and his wife Mary retained the Chilworth Estates business and brand, still in operation today. Morris Dibben Estate Agents is also still going strong to this day – an unexpected legacy of the last 50 years.

Family and sailing

In September 1959, William married Rosemary Locke, moving into a new family home in Southampton built by Chilworth Estates. Their son David was born in 1960, followed in 1964 by son Peter. Sadly, the marriage with Rosemary did not last and they divorced in the early 1970s. 

William married Mary in 1974, and they moved to a house near Lyndhurst which required considerable renovation, before welcoming sons James in 1976 and Charlie in 1979.

For many years, the Dibbens enjoyed skiing in the Alps during the spring holidays, mainly at Wengen in the Jungfrau region of Switzerland. William also immensely enjoyed sailing.  He and brother Richard built their first dinghy when they were about 12, enjoyed dinghy racing from the Hamble River Sailing Club, and frequently raced, with their father, at Cowes. In 1969 the brothers commissioned the 28-foot Twister, Hummer of Hamble. 

Politics and education governance

In the early 1960s, William was elected as a Conservative Councillor for the Shirley ward of Southampton City Council (SCC). His remits included transport, public works and education, and for quite some time he chaired the SCC Education Committee. William was also elected to the Hampshire County Council.

One of William’s special legacies came to fruition in 1972. As Chair of the Public Works Committee on SCC, he successfully pushed through the Itchen Bridge project,  that was needed to replace the overwhelmed chain ferry service. Securing this result was no mean feat and needed an Act of Parliament.  He was particularly pleased to be asked to place a time capsule in its foundations.

William was a strong believer in education and was a long-time member and chair of governing board of Southampton’s Richard Taunton Sixth Form College, also he served on Cheltenham College’s Council from 1990 to 1997. When William was approaching 50, he returned to his own education, getting up at 4am to study,  obtaining membership of the Chartered Institute for Arbitrators and Expert Witness qualification. 

Around the same time, he joined Eastleigh Housing Association on a voluntary basis where he was soon to become Chair of their Working Committee. We know how much he enjoyed these activities and the value his efforts gave to others. He was always passionate about houses.

Living at Stable End with Mary for almost 50 years, William was by now a father of four sons and grandfather of eight grandchildren. He enjoyed family and friends dropping in for a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit. In the last few years William became increasingly unwell. He stayed at home with Mary looking after him right up to the end.

William Neville Dibben – our ‘sterling fellow.’