When the Hon. Gavin Henderson was made the 2nd Lord Faringdon in 1934, he became one of the wealthiest men in Britain. By the time he passed away in 1977 he had given away most of his inheritance to what he considered to be good causes. However, his reputation as a philanthropist was overshadowed by free-spirited events in his youth (such as “setting the Thames on fire”) his left-wing politics, and rumours about his discreet personal life. This biography is based upon the hitherto unpublished papers, diaries and letters that have survived in his former home at Buscot Park. It aims to set the record straight about a man who was often wilfully misunderstood, and whose many achievements suggest that he was born ahead of his time.