Gawaine Baillie
| Sir Gawaine Baillie, Bt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 8 March 1934 |
| Died | 21 December 2003 (aged 69) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation |
Racing driver (amateur), Industrialist, Philatelist |
| Known for | British Saloon Car Championship, HPC (Engineering company) Philately |
Sir Gawaine George Hope Baillie, 7th Baronet (8 March 1934 – 21 December 2003) was an amateur motor racing driver, engineer, industrialist, stamp collector, and the owner of the estate surrounding Leeds Castle, the ancient fortress in Kent. The castle itself was bequeathed to the nation upon his mother's death. After his death, it was discovered that he had amassed, almost entirely in secret, one of the greatest collections of stamps of the former British Empire.
Sir Gawaine was raised at Leeds Castle, the ancient fortress in Kent that his mother Lady Baillie (née Olive Cecilia Paget), a Whitney heiress, had bought with her sister Dorothy Paget in 1928. At age five, after World War II broke out, Baillie went to live with his American cousins, the Whitney family. Soon after returning to England, his father died, and he succeeded to the family title, becoming 7th Baronet of Polkemmet, Linlithgowshire on 8 January 1947.
Following education at Eton and Cambridge, he created HPC Engineering in 1959, a company which specialises in sub-contract manufacturing for the automotive, aerospace, computer, defence, medical and machine tool industries. He served as chairman and managing director of the company for the rest of his life. He was also an amateur race car driver, competing in numerous championships against Stirling Moss, Mike Hawthorn and Jackie Stewart. After retiring from motor racing, he returned to his boyhood hobby of collecting stamps.
Sir Gawaine's driving career began in 1956 when he first started racing a Lotus Eleven sports car. By 1958, he became a member of the Equipe Endeavour team, earning several wins in a Jaguar Mark 1 including the John Davy Trophy at Brands Hatch as part of the inaugural British Saloon Car Championship season. By 1960, Sir Gawaine had purchased a Lotus Elite and entered several rounds of the World Sportscar Championship, including his first attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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