A Life In Conservation - Remembering Andrew Kerr

Sadly Andrew Kerr passed away on 19 September 2024 aged 84. He was a founding trustee of Dean Valley Regeneration Ltd. (2014-2020) for which this website was created. This charity was tasked to improve and restore the Designed Landscape of the Water of Leith along the Dean Valley, within Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site.

Born and brought up in Edinburgh, to a family of lawyers, he attended the Edinburgh Academy, followed by Cambridge University and Edinburgh University. He marvelled at the transformation to Classical Edinburgh, and its designed gardens within, following the ‘clean air act’ of the 1960s, and subsequently the improvements through on-going conservation during his lifetime.

As a polymath and man of varied interests he was always driven, by his enormous energy, to be involved at the inception of projects becoming a founding member of the Northumberland Street Association in the 1960s, the first New Town Street Association; there followed New Town Conservation Committee in the 1970s and he later became a trustee and vice-chair of Edinburgh World Heritage charity.

He was particularly proud in being chair of the Penicuik House Preservation Trust from 1985 - 2001, Sir James Clerk’s 18th century Palladian mansion, where he developed a keen understanding of the importance of the designed landscape as a setting for its buildings.

In 2013 Andrew became involved in a renovation project of the Dean Valley, the sole registered designed landscape along the Water of Leith, following the restoration of St Bernard’s Well by Edinburgh World Heritage.

As part of this initiative he set up Operation Ivy in 2014 to remove the ivy growing up the embankment wall supporting Upper Dean Terrace, dating from 1830/31, which was emerging over its railing cope stones. He made a deal with Edinburgh Council that he would organise volunteers to cut the roots at the bottom of the wall, pulling off the ivy, thus revealing its original state. The Council subsequently removed trees damaging the base of the Mackenzie bridge and poisoned the ivy growing into the walls.

This initiative was typical of Andrew’s values of civic responsibility and engaging in it. He would have been thrilled that Lindsay’s Mill, next to the Dean Bridge in the Dean Valley, which was finally restored after 10 years of lobbying the Council this year.

KT 17.12.2024