Madeleine Astrid Gurdon, Baroness Lloyd-Webber (born 30 November 1962) is an English horsewoman. She is married to theatrical impresario

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...

Early life

Madeleine "Gurtie" Gurdon was born in 1962 into a military family, one of four sisters. Her father, uncle and grandfather were all in the

Black Watch The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 SCOTS) is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. The regiment was created as part of the Childers Reforms in 1881, when the 42nd (Royal Highland) Regiment ...

, as was her mother's father. Her father, Adam Gurdon, retired as a brigadier, before his marriage serving in Korea and later in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

during the

Mau Mau Uprising The Mau Mau rebellion (1952–1960), also known as the Mau Mau uprising, Mau Mau revolt or Kenya Emergency, was a war in the British Kenya Colony (1920–1963) between the Kenya Land and Freedom Army (KLFA), also known as the ''Mau Mau'', an ...

. As a married man, he took his family around the world, including Cyprus, Tanganyika, and Hong Kong. Madeleine Gurdon was educated at a convent school.

Career

Madeleine Gurdon was an equestrian competitor for nearly a decade, riding in three-day events, which require the same horse and rider pair to demonstrate skill in

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...

showjumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows ...

, and

cross-country riding Cross country equestrian jumping is an endurance test that forms one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country", although these tend to be lower ...

. In the 1980s she competed internationally, coming second at the

Burghley Horse Trials The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is an annual three-day event held at Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, currently in early September. Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is classified by the FEI as one of the six leading th ...

in 1988. To supplement her riding career, Gurdon designed an exclusive country-wear company that featured leather and suede clothing called The Done Thing, after her favourite dun horse. She began to breed and train thoroughbreds for

flat racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

. She owns and supervises two

stud farm A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation o ...

s: Watership Down Stud near her English home in Sydmonton Court, and

Kiltinan Castle Kiltinan Castle is a castle near Fethard, County Tipperary, Ireland. History and architecture Kiltinan is one of the oldest inhabited castles in Ireland, having been built in the thirteenth century.

stud in Ireland.

Dar Re Mi Dar Re Mi (foaled 2005 in Great Britain) is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse. In a racing career lasting from 2007 to 2010 she won six times, including three at Group One level. Since retiring from racing she has become a very successful brood ...

is one of her successful broodmares. She and her husband set up the Watership Down Polo Club; their children play polo. In 2007 she allowed a group from St Bart's, a local school, to practise there, subsidising their training. The state school team went on to beat fee-paying schools such as Rugby and

Cheltenham Ladies College Cheltenham Ladies' College is an independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. Consistently ranked as one of the top all-girls' schools nationally, the school was established in 1853 to pr ...

in the Schools and Universities Polo Association Cup. Gurdon then commissioned family friend

Emerald Fennell Emerald Lilly Fennell (; born 1 October 1985) is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nomination ...

to write a

rom-com Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...

loosely based on this. In 2010 she became president of the

Pony Club Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to educating youth about horses and riding. Pony Club organizations exist in over thirty countries worldwide. Origins Pony Club began in Great Britain in 1929 when the Institute of the ...

, which she has been involved with all her life. According to

Companies House Companies House is the executive agency of the company registrars of the United Kingdom, falling under the remit of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. All forms of companies (as permitted by the Companies Act) are i ...

, as of 2021 she has roles in eight companies, including as a director in her husband's

Really Useful Group The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. ...

. She is the only woman on the board of

Newbury Racecourse Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat r ...

Personal life

Gurdon married

at his

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

home, Sydmonton Court, on 9 February 1991. The couple met through his

Watership Down ''Watership Down'' is an adventure novel by English author Richard Adams, published by Rex Collings Ltd of London in 1972. Set in Berkshire in southern England, the story features a small group of rabbits. Although they live in their natural ...

neighbours, who loved horses. They have three children together: Alastair (born 1992), William (born 1993) and Isabella (born 1996). The family divides its time between properties in London and Hampshire.

References

1962 births Living people British female equestrians Place of birth missing (living people) Lloyd Webber family Spouses of life peers Lloyd-Webber British businesspeople Horse breeders {{UK-equestrian-bio-stub