John Smith, an architectural historian and specialist in church conservation who played a major role in preserving the beauty of the ancient town of Stamford in Lincolnshire, has died aged 86.
Preserving Stamford's Heritage
Smith served on Stamford Civic Society’s executive committee for more than half a century and led the campaign for the town’s Northfields area to become a conservation area, which it did in 2004. For many years, he was also the full-time curator of Stamford Museum, taking its activities into the town by producing award-winning trails and giving public lectures.
Discovery of the Eleanor Cross Fragment
In 1993, Smith discovered the sole surviving piece of the Stamford Eleanor Cross. Of the 12 such monuments erected in the 1290s by Edward I in memory of his wife, three still stand, but the Stamford fragment is the only survival from any of the monuments’ upper shafts. Without his encyclopaedic knowledge and powers of identification, the stone might never have been recognised when it came to light and could have been lost forever. It is now on display in Stamford Library.
Contributions to Historical Scholarship
Smith wrote extensively about the 18th-century antiquarian William Stukeley, in whose Stamford garden the fragment was found. He also contributed the Lincolnshire chapter to the Blue Guide to English Churches and Chapels, as well as the entry in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography for the Stamford-based 19th-century terracotta manufacturer John Marriott Blashfield.
Early Life and Career
John Smith was born in Bristol to Thomas, a cooper, and Lilian (nee Foster), a housewife. He attended Bristol Cathedral School before earning a degree in history and education from the University of York. From 1970 to 1974, he worked for the Church of England’s Council for the Care of Churches in London as a conservationist, a job that led to his admission to the Society of Antiquaries in 1974 at the age of 34. In 1978, he was appointed curator of Stamford Museum by Lincolnshire County Council and remained in that post until his retirement in 1997.
Church Conservation and Committees
Aside from his work in Stamford, Smith served on the Peterborough Cathedral fabric committee, the Lincoln diocesan advisory committee, and several national church committees, where his reports were appreciated as coming from an expert and a practical churchgoer.
Preserving the Stamford Mercury Archive
He was also the driving force behind conserving the Stamford Mercury Archive, which holds copies of the local newspaper from as early as 1714. For his work on that project, he was awarded the British Empire Medal.
Personal Life
In 1965, John married Dianne Howe, a teacher. She survives him, along with their children, Sophie and the author, and grandsons Edward and Henry.
