TRISTAN GALVIN‑SPARKS

Tristan was a friend to so many; Love and kindness were his nature; he was magnanimous, generous, and humble.

Some of you will know him from primary school; others from his time at Tiffin, and new friends from his short time at Central St Martins, and the Fox and Duck.  Some of us as friends and family will have known him his whole life.

 

In all these spheres, Tristan has undeniably made the biggest possible impact.

Tristan’s story is one of a boy who was years ahead of his age.  You could see in everything he did he wanted to be the man he was destined to be, not the baby, or the child, or the schoolboy - but the man.  He was a six year old with the brain of a teen; the teen with the mind of an adult; and a young man with the heart and soul, wisdom and awareness, of someone far longer on this earth.

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Academically, he was a boy who loved facts & figures, information, knowledge, and knew an awful lot about a lot of subjects. He would never approach any endeavour half-heartedly, and would throw himself into reading, researching, and learning everything he could about a subject.  He always had lofty aims, and would never give up on pursuing them, whether it was academic, artistic, or anything else.  He always did it with utmost humility, and as an inspiration to others; we should all believe in ourselves and what we are capable of.

 

At Tiffin, Tristan was always a big part of school life. He was heavily involved in the Drama productions, playing Gavroche in Les Mis, and performing and assisting in other productions. He ran the Tiffin Broadcasting Network, filming school productions, house drama, sports days, online open-evenings during the pandemic, and other events.  Tristan was Deputy Head Prefect, and after leaving in 2021 returned proudly with his own staff ID card, helping in Drama, with Covid-testing, and in the LRC.

Tristan is undoubtedly a Tiffin Legend and will not be forgotten.
 

Above all perhaps, he was a role model and an inspiration for the younger boys and to all who knew him.

 

After leaving Tiffin, Tristan studied B.A. Architecture at UAL Central St Martin's. We cannot overstate our pride in him, not just in achieving that but in excelling there in such a short space of time. Of course, he was in the thick of it, at the centre of friendship groups, and deeply engaged and excited about university life.  He would constantly tell us of all his great new friends, sharing with us daily what he was doing, what he was working on, and who was up to what.

Tristan always involved us in everything, shared everything with us, and wanted to us to be part of his life.

 

In the first term the students take a course on Architectural Model Making;  It won’t surprise many people here to know he won the prize that went alongside it. His model was beautifully crafted, with such painstaking attention to detail. We are very proud that the modelling prize in future years is to be named in his memory - Tristan Galvin-Sparks Prize for Model Making. 

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Tristan’s love of architecture flourished from the age of about 14 - although like many children he found a joy constructing whole towns as a young child, in Duplo, Lego, cereal boxes.  His love for lego has never waned, and he was a very proud “TFOL”, and then “AFOL” (Teenage Fan of Lego, Adult Fan of Lego).

 

On a more academic angle, Tristan had an enormous amount of knowledge about architects and architecture. I had such joy learning from him; We would go on photo-shoots together, travelling miles around central London, his camera in hand, and him telling me so much about what we were seeing. His passion for the subject is so great, that you can’t help but be brought along by him, all the time in awe of how much he knows.

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Away from Uni, Tristan found new friendships and a home from home working at the Fox & Duck in Petersham.  As with all endeavours, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly.  He had so much pride in his work, not just serving customers but making friendships with many of the pub’s regulars.   He loved it there so much we couldn’t keep him away, and he would come home after every shift and tell us stories of the day, of the regulars, and his friends in the team.  He told us he had hit the jackpot having Terry and Dana as bosses, and we are truly indebted to you and the whole Fox & Duck Family, for giving him such joy over the past few months.

 

From nursery to university, there have been many times when people may have underestimated Tristan; It’s not surprising really -  his ability has always been so exceptional, almost unbelievably so. 

But aside from his artistic and academic ability, what so many people recognise is his ability to forge strong and deep friendships, to understand and accommodate others, and to bring people together. It is his humility, his compassion, and his kindness that we all cherish.

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We are so proud of him, and thankful that so many of you have had the chance to know him, and to see some of what we have seen every single day.

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This is a really small insight into what Tristan was been up to, where his world has reached, until he was taken from us in March 2022.

Over time we will add more tributes and photos to this site, so please do return in future.