Christopher Skaife

Christopher Skaife
Skaife at Hatchards in London in 2018
Born (1965-12-18) 18 December 1965 (age 59)
Dover, England
TitleYeoman Warder Ravenmaster (2011–2024)
Military career
ServiceBritish Army
Years of service1982 – c. 2006
RankColour sergeant
UnitPrincess of Wales's Royal Regiment

Christopher Skaife (born 18 December 1965) is a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London.[1] He was previously the Ravenmaster and his responsibilities included the care and feeding for the ravens of the Tower of London.[2]

Skaife was born in Dover[3] on 18 December 1965[4] and joined the British Army at the age of 18.[5] Skaife is a retired colour sergeant and a former drum major with the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.[6]

In 2011, Skaife succeeded Derrick Coyle as Ravenmaster at the Tower of London, where he was responsible for seven ravens.[6] In 2018, he published The Ravenmaster, which The Guardian called "a wonderfully personal account of life with the ravens".[5][7] In March 2024 he retired as Ravenmaster after 14 years and was replaced by Company Sergeant Major Barney Chandler (a former Royal Marine).[8]

Skaife in front of the Traitors' Gate

Publications

  • The Ravenmaster. 2018. ISBN 978-0-374-11334-6.

References

  1. ^ Mirsky, Steve (January 2019). "Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife Tells of His Relationships with the Tower of London's Resident Birds". Scientific American. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  2. ^ Larson, Sarah (29 October 2018). "Bird-Watching with the Ravenmaster". The New Yorker. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  3. ^ The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London. HarperCollins. 2 October 2018. ISBN 9781443455947.
  4. ^ Congress, The Library of. "LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies (Library of Congress)". id.loc.gov.
  5. ^ a b Smith, P. D. (3 November 2018). "The Ravenmaster by Christopher Skaife review – my life at the Tower of London". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Theobald, John Owen. "The Tower of London Ravenmaster". Historic UK. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  7. ^ Macdonald, Helen (October 2018). "The Brilliant, Playful, Bloodthirsty Raven". The Atlantic. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
  8. ^ "New Ravenmaster Appointed at the Tower of London". Historic Royal Palaces. Hampton Court Palace: Palaces Press Office. 29 February 2024. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
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