Neil Cossons
Sir Neil Cossons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 15 January 1939 Beeston, Nottinghamshire, England |
| Died | 29 March 2026 (aged 87) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | University of Liverpool |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Industrial archaeology Geography |
| Institutions | Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Science Museum, London English Heritage |
Sir Neil Cossons OBE FSA FMA (15 January 1939 – 29 March 2026) was a British historian and museum administrator.[1]
Life and career
[edit]Cossons was born in Beeston on 15 January 1939. He studied at the University of Liverpool.[2]
He was the first director of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust from 1971 and then at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich from 1983. From 1986 to 2000, he was the director of the Science Museum, London, and was awarded a Science Museum Fellowship in 2019. From 1989 to 1995, and 1999 to 2000, he was an English Heritage commissioner. He was pro-provost and chairman of council at the Royal College of Art from 2007 until 2015. In 2000, he took over as chairman of English Heritage,[3] a post he held until 2007.[4]
Cossons was one of the founders of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) and its chairman from 1978 to 1983, when he was appointed president. Cossons was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1982 and knighted for services to museums and heritage in 1994. He is a Fellow of the Museums Association (FMA 1970) and a Life Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA 1968). A member of the Newcomen Society for the history of engineering and technology since 1963, Cossons was president from 2001 to 2003 and was awarded the society's Dickinson Memorial Medal in 2001.[citation needed] In 2016, he was appointed a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund.
Other appointments included: president of the Association for Industrial Archaeology (1977–80); member of the Design Council (1990–94); non-executive director of British Waterways Board (1995–2001); Collier Professor in the Public Understanding of Science in the University of Bristol (2001–02); president of the Royal Geographical Society (2003–2006) He has been an honorary professor at the University of Birmingham since 1994. Cossons held honorary doctorates from fourteen British universities, was awarded the President's Medal of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1993, and appointed an honorary fellow of the RIBA in 2002.[4]
Cossons was described as "Britain's leading authority on the industrial heritage"[5] and advised on matters of conservation and management widely in the UK and overseas.
In 1997, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Bath.[6]
Cossons died on 29 March 2026, at the age of 87.[7][8]
Honours
[edit]
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays and Neck Ribbon (2023).[9]
Publications
[edit]- Buchanan, R. A.; Cossons, Neil (1969). Industrial Archaeology of the Bristol Region. Industrial Archaeology of British Isles. David & Charles. ISBN 0715343947.
- Buchanan, R. A.; Cossons, Neil (1970). Bristol. Industrial History in Pictures. David & Charles. ISBN 0715347454.
- Cossons, Neil (1975). BP Book of Industrial Archaeology. David & Charles. ISBN 071536250X.
- Cossons, Neil; Sowden, Harry (1977). Ironbridge: Landscape of Industry. Cassell. ISBN 0-304-29693-7.
- Cossons, Neil; Trinder, Barrie (1979). The Iron Bridge. Moonraker Press. ISBN 0239-00187-7.
References
[edit]- ^ Emmens, Stewart (31 March 2026). "Remembering Sir Neil Cossins". UK: Science Museum Group. Retrieved 31 March 2026.
- ^ "Sir Neil Cossons". Exploring Beeston's History. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Sir Neil Cossons has taken over as Chairman of English Heritage". Archive.org. UK: Council on Training in Architectural Conservation (COTAC). Retrieved 26 June 2002.
- ^ a b People of Today: Neil Cossons, www.debretts.com, accessed 16 January 2016.
- ^ "Heritage credentials given top marks". UK: Canal & River Trust. Archived 10 August 2014 at the Wayback Machine accessed 16 January 2016
- ^ "Honorary graduates, 1990 to 1999". bath.ac.uk. UK: University of Bath. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
- ^ "Sir Neil Cossons OBE". Association of Independent Museums. 31 March 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ "Sir Neil Cossons, heritage giant who fought to protect England's monuments and historic buildings". The Telegraph. 1 April 2026. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
- ^ "令和５年秋の外国人叙勲 受章者名簿" (PDF). Japan: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Neil Cossons at Wikimedia Commons- Neil Cossons at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1939 births
- 2026 deaths
- People from Beeston, Nottinghamshire
- English curators
- Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- Knights Bachelor
- Directors of museums in the United Kingdom
- Directors of the National Maritime Museum
- Directors of the Science Museum, London
- Ironbridge Gorge
- People educated at Henry Mellish Grammar School
- Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society
- Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society
- Presidents of the Association for Science Education
- Fellows of the Museums Association
- Industrial archaeologists
- Museum administrators