My friend and former colleague Ian Leith, who has died aged 75, was a long-serving acquisitions officer with the Historic England Archive. Ian’s knowledge of the archive’s collections, many of which he was responsible for acquiring over a career spanning 47 years, was exceptional.
Researchers interested in unearthing little-known treasures in uncatalogued collections knew to contact Ian, who had extraordinary powers of recall. He is acknowledged in many books produced over the last 40 years, including numerous volumes in The Buildings of England’s Pevsner Architectural Guides series and Historic England’s own publications.
