Bill Hopkins, a wartime evacuee who founded a London ad agency and drew South Harting parish magazine covers, turned 100 at Downs House on 16 October.

Bill Hopkins, a resident of Downs House care home in Petersfield, turned 100 on Friday 16 October. He spent the day with his family, the staff and his friends at the home.

Asked how it felt to reach his century, he said: “Well I never, am I really? It’s good going to get to 100!”

Bill Hopkins in a party hat and blue birthday sash, sitting in an armchair with a card and a wrapped present, as a woman leans in to talk to him under a 100th birthday balloon
Bill Hopkins opening his cards under a 100th birthday balloon at Downs House. Photo: supplied by Downs House

Evacuee, designer, agency founder

Bill was born in London on 16 October 1926, one of five children, according to a press release from SDR, the group that runs Downs House. As a boy he was evacuated to Herefordshire during the Second World War.

Art shaped the rest of his life, the release says. He studied it, then made his career as a graphic designer in what his family call “the dizzying world of London advertising”. He went on to set up his own agency, Hopkins and Baker Associates.

He married Margaret when he was 24. The couple were together for 73 years and raised three sons and a daughter.

Bill Hopkins in a party hat and birthday sash, smiling as he and a woman read a card with a photograph of the King and Queen on the front
Bill Hopkins reading a card with a photograph of the King and Queen on the front. Photo: supplied by Downs House

The cartoons on the South Harting parish magazine

When Bill retired, he and Margaret left London for South Harting, a move the release says they both loved. There his drawing found a new audience: many issues of the village parish magazine went out with one of his cartoons on the cover, and they became firm favourites with readers.

He has been part of the area ever since, first on the front of the parish magazine and now at Downs House, a short walk from Petersfield town centre.

Birthday cards, including one with a large 100 on it and one with a photograph of the King and Queen, beside a vase of lilies and gerberas on a small table by the conservatory windows
Bill Hopkins's birthday cards and flowers by the conservatory windows at Downs House. Photo: supplied by Downs House

“A kind, gentle soul with a sharp wit”

His family describe him as “a kind, gentle soul with a sharp wit and a love for life”. The family has grown large: he now has nine grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

The staff at Downs House said: “Happy 100th birthday to the most kind-hearted gentleman. Bill is a big part of the home and brings a lot of joy to Downs House.”

The home sent us photographs from earlier in the year as well as from the birthday itself.

Bill Hopkins in a pink cowboy hat and a rainbow flower garland, smiling beside a young woman outside the home
Bill Hopkins in a pink cowboy hat at the Downs House summer fete. Photo: supplied by Downs House
Bill Hopkins in a pink cowboy hat and flower garland eating an ice cream, with a young woman beside him
Bill Hopkins with an ice cream at the Downs House summer fete. Photo: supplied by Downs House
Bill Hopkins smiling as he holds a baby on his lap in the lounge at Downs House; the baby's face is covered with a blue heart
Bill Hopkins holding a baby in the lounge at Downs House. Photo: supplied by Downs House

About Downs House

Downs House opened in 1976 and cares for up to 49 residents on the edge of Petersfield, according to SDR. It is part of SDR, a privately owned housing and social care provider working across Sussex and Hampshire.

The home has had a good year too: it took gold in two classes at Petersfield in Bloom 2026.