The Very Reverend Dr John Hall

The Very Reverend Dr John Hall became the 38th Dean of Westminster in December 2006. He oversees the spiritual life of the Collegiate Church of St Peter Westminster, better known as Westminster Abbey, giving leadership to the Abbey community. Since the Abbey is a Royal Peculiar, the Dean is responsible to the Sovereign alone.

John has been a governor of ten schools and two universities, a member of two Local Authority education committees and the General Teaching Council for England. He has written extensively and debated publicly on educational matters and was instrumental to both the Dearing Report and its follow-up, which led to a significant expansion in the number of Church of England secondary schools. As Dean of Westminster he chairs the governors of Westminster School and Westminster Abbey Choir School.

Roehampton University awarded him an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 2007, and he became an Honorary Fellow of Canterbury Christ Church University in the same year. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Theology from the University of Chester in 2008 and became an Honorary Fellow of St Chad’s College, Durham in 2009.