Writer on architecture;
Born: 24 December, 1946; Died: 13 June, 2013.
John Gifford, the historian and author, who has died aged 66, was widely recognised for his definitive books on Scottish architecture The Buildings of Scotland. The series concentrated on some of the most historic areas of Scotland and included Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Fife, Highland and Islands, Stirling and Central Scotland. Gifford was meticulous in his research and presented an involving account of each area that was of interest to tourists and historians. Critics acknowledged his scholarship with tributes such as "full of interest ... impeccably researched".
The Very Rev Canon Allan Maclean was both a personal friend and involved with Gifford in the Episcopalian Church. "Architecture, especially Scottish architecture, was John's life. His knowledge was extensive and he was generous with his time to researchers and the young. He always had a twinkle in the eye and often said to me with a broad smile, 'there is not a graveyard in Scotland that I have not visited'."
John Vernon Gifford was born in London where his father was working in the Foreign Office. His grandfather, T J Carlyle Gifford, founded Baillie Gifford & Co, the Edinburgh investment firm. His mother came from Kirriemuir, the Lyells of Kinnordy.
After reading modern history at New College, Oxford, he worked restoring Victorian cathedrals in England and then as an inspector of historic buildings in the Scottish Office. He was offered the post of principal researcher and historian for The Buildings of Scotland series in 1978.
His first book, on Edinburgh, was scrupulously accurate but contained some slightly controversial views such as his wish to restore the ruined abbey at Holyrood House.
His books reflect the cultural, industrial and economic facets of a society. In Dundee and Angus, Gifford delivers a wonderfully enlightened picture of the city and county. One reviewer wrote: "Gifford has done an exhaustive job of cataloguing the county inventory of churches, public buildings and houses."
In Perth and Kinross, he traces its history from Roman settlements to the grand mansions of the nineteenth century and the impressive civic buildings.
Aonghus Mackechnie, of Historic Scotland, confirmed the scholarship that Gifford brought to all his books. "John set a very high academic standard and unveiled many unknown facts," he said. "His wide knowledge allowed him to place Scottish architecture in a national context, thus enhancing Scotland's significance."
Gifford, who had latterly worshipped daily at St Mary's Cathedral in the capital, served as a member of the Edinburgh Diocesan Synod and of the General Synod of the Scottish Episcopal Church. He was on the committee of the Scottish Georgian Society and of the Buildings Committee of the National Trust for Scotland. He was appointed MBE in 2005 and an honorary fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.
He was taken ill while visiting his brother on the Kinnordy Estate. He is survived by David Bassett.
