BRIAN Young was born in South India in 1934, the second son of a British officer in the Indian Army.

He always knew he wanted to be an architect.

He trained at the Architectural Association in London and worked in private practice for a while, but gave that up in favour of a diploma course in the Conservation of Historical Monuments.

Jobs followed: as conservation officer in Portsmouth with old buildings in the Dockyard and City; as conservation officer in Glasgow, which he described as “the finest Victorian City in the UK”; then in London, with the Historic Buildings Council.

After several years of huge enjoyment in that job, he decided to become a planning inspector (known in Scotland as a reporter).

When he retired in 1994, he wanted a complete change, and took a master’s degree in Mediterranean Archeology at Bristol University.

Having achieved this, he and his wife, Alison, retired to Scotland, first to Edinburgh, where he joined the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS), then to Musselburgh, where he set up the East Lothian branch of the AHSS, with which he was active until shortly before his death.

He was the Scottish Honorary Secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and travelled to London monthly for its committee meetings.

On moving to Haddington in 2006, he was endlessly interested in local affairs: Haddington Community Development Trust; the Town Centre Strategy Plan; Haddington Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme; and Haddington and District Business Association.

He was a committee member of: Haddington and District Amenity Society (HADAS); Friends of the John Gray Centre; Neilson Park Trust; and the Haddington Town Centre Advisory Group.

Brian was very interested in the East Lothian Archives held in the John Gray Centre and in the East Lothian Heritage Forum.

He was a member of U3A, the local history society, East Lothian Antiquarian and Field Naturalist Society and sang with the Garleton Singers.

Brian, aged 86, of Sidegate Lane, Haddington, died on May 28. He is survived by his wife Alison and daughter Juliet Wilberforce. His grandchildren Ninian (20) and Clara (17) both went to Knox Academy, Haddington.

Contributed