Dr Peter Brandon, an "inspiration to generations" has died, aged 84 following a long battle with kidney disease. Dr Brandon, a landscape historian and geographer was well known for his many books and scholarly papers on the landscapes of south-east England and greatly admired as a passionate speaker and advocate for these landscapes, Sussex in particular.
Dr Brandon was born in 1927 at Shoreham-by-Sea but moved in his youth to Twickenham only to return to Sussex in the 1950s. A teacher, university lecturer and academic author, Dr Brandon was a former Head of the Department of Geography at the University of North London and following his retirement in the late 1980s he concentrated much of his time writing books and giving talks on the landscapes of Sussex and Kent becoming widely known and deeply cherished. Dr Brandon inspired numerous generations of landscape geographers and historians, residents and visitors with his natural and infectious enthusiasm and deep passion for his beloved Sussex countryside. He was Vice-President of the Sussex branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and of the Sussex Archaeological Society, and President of the South Downs Society.