Stamford Civic Society Newsletter Summer 2026
It is with both sadness and respect that our summer newsletter is dedicated to the life and work of one of our most ardent supporters and our most eminent past Chairman:
John F H Smith, who has died at the age of 86, was a model example of someone who used their expertise to serve both community and country. An architectural historian by background and a specialist in church conservation, he had a positive impact on Stamford in Lincolnshire, where he lived for over fifty years, and the nation more widely
John F H Smith, who has died at the age of 86, was a model example of someone who used their expertise to serve both community and country. An architectural historian by background and a specialist in church conservation, he had a positive impact on Stamford in Lincolnshire, where he lived for over fifty years, and the nation more widely
From 1970 onwards he played a major part in preserving the beauty of Stamford, which was designated the country’s first urban conservation area in 1967, for decades to come. He served on the executive committee of Stamford Civic Society for over half a century, and as its chairman for seven years. In this position he led the opposition to an east/west bypass to Stamford, which would have greatly damaged the historically important Burghley Park and southern entrance to the town. This in turn allowed time for less harmful solutions to Stamford’s traffic problems to be found. He also saw the attractive Northfields area of the town become designated a conservation area in its own right in 2004, leading a fellow Civic Society member to describe him as ‘the conscience of the town’s built heritage’.
In 1978 John was appointed Curator of Stamford Museum, which involved preparing and opening a new museum. Recognising the need to take it out into the town, he produced a series of (subsequently award winning) Stamford Town Trails, organised regular temporary exhibitions and gave outside talks and lectures. After a few years, Grantham Museum was added to his responsibilities and, as with Stamford, he relished designing a brand new museum.
Under the auspices of Stamford Museum, he inaugurated a series of evening lectures each winter, which brought local history to a wider audience. The highlight was when the BBC came to the town to film George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch in 1993. John prepared people for the subsequent airing by offering special Middlemarch themed lectures, and publishing and selling 60,000 postcards of the filming. In spite of these deriving from his own photographs, he ensured that all proceeds went to Stamford Museum, which was reflective of his public spirited nature.
One of his greatest achievements was finding and identifying the sole surviving piece of the Stamford Eleanor Cross in 1993. This was one of twelve stone monuments that was erected between Lincoln and London in the 1290s by Edward I in memory of his wife Eleanor of Castile. Three still stand today, but the Stamford fragment is the only survival from any of the monuments’ upper shafts. He modestly attributed his discovery to luck, but without his encyclopaedic knowledge and powers of identification, the stone may never have been recognised when it came to light, and could have been lost forever.
He wrote several major articles and a full length book on the eighteenth century antiquarian William Stukeley, in whose garden in Stamford the fragment was found.
In June 2025 his publication - For the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust – A selection of drawings from Stukeley’s Designs of Stanford Antiquitys was launched with a reception at the Town Hall.
Stamford Civic Society was pleased to be one of the sponsors of this publication and received a signed copy: this comment sums up what John had strived for all his time as Chairman and active member of the Civic Society.
In 1978 John was appointed Curator of Stamford Museum, which involved preparing and opening a new museum. Recognising the need to take it out into the town, he produced a series of (subsequently award winning) Stamford Town Trails, organised regular temporary exhibitions and gave outside talks and lectures. After a few years, Grantham Museum was added to his responsibilities and, as with Stamford, he relished designing a brand new museum.
Under the auspices of Stamford Museum, he inaugurated a series of evening lectures each winter, which brought local history to a wider audience. The highlight was when the BBC came to the town to film George Eliot’s novel Middlemarch in 1993. John prepared people for the subsequent airing by offering special Middlemarch themed lectures, and publishing and selling 60,000 postcards of the filming. In spite of these deriving from his own photographs, he ensured that all proceeds went to Stamford Museum, which was reflective of his public spirited nature.
One of his greatest achievements was finding and identifying the sole surviving piece of the Stamford Eleanor Cross in 1993. This was one of twelve stone monuments that was erected between Lincoln and London in the 1290s by Edward I in memory of his wife Eleanor of Castile. Three still stand today, but the Stamford fragment is the only survival from any of the monuments’ upper shafts. He modestly attributed his discovery to luck, but without his encyclopaedic knowledge and powers of identification, the stone may never have been recognised when it came to light, and could have been lost forever.
He wrote several major articles and a full length book on the eighteenth century antiquarian William Stukeley, in whose garden in Stamford the fragment was found.
In June 2025 his publication - For the Stamford Mercury Archive Trust – A selection of drawings from Stukeley’s Designs of Stanford Antiquitys was launched with a reception at the Town Hall.
Stamford Civic Society was pleased to be one of the sponsors of this publication and received a signed copy: this comment sums up what John had strived for all his time as Chairman and active member of the Civic Society.
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‘Every time I met John he asked about the Civic Society and what our next project was to be. He had an abiding interest in the conservation of Stamford as well as its evolution to the thriving town that it has become during his lifetime.’ Ursula Jones Chairman.
He also contributed the Lincolnshire chapter to the Blue Guide to English Churches and Chapels, and the entry for the nineteenth century terracotta manufacturer J M Blashfield to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography in 2004.
In the first half of the 1970s John worked in London for the Council for the Care of Churches, which advised on the conservation of England’s historic churches. In recognition of his attainments there he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1974, at the very young age of 34. He served on the Peterborough Cathedral Fabric Committee and Lincoln Diocesan Advisory Committee, where he provided numerous recommendations and reports. His advice was always appreciated as coming from both an expert and a practical churchgoer. In the 1980s and 1990s he was appointed to several national church committees where his specialism in church furnishings saw him make a particularly positive contribution in that area.
After retirement in 1997, John did not give up his interest in Stamford. He became a founder trustee of the Stamford Young People’s Charity, which was set up to provide financial help to young Stamfordians in their extracurricular educational needs. He was also the driving force behind conserving the archive of the Stamford Mercury, which is unique for holding copies from as early as 1713, and a complete run of the newspaper from the latter part of the eighteenth century. For this work, he was created a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. Reward and recognition, however, were never things that John sought, with his life epitomising the notion of selfless public service.
He is survived by his wife Dianne and children Sophie and Sam.
John Francis Howe Smith, architectural historian and conservationist, born 1 September 1939; died 5 June 2026.
Our condolences and thanks for his stewardship of Stamford over so many years go to his family and friends from Stamford Civic Society.
Ursula Jones Chairman
In the first half of the 1970s John worked in London for the Council for the Care of Churches, which advised on the conservation of England’s historic churches. In recognition of his attainments there he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1974, at the very young age of 34. He served on the Peterborough Cathedral Fabric Committee and Lincoln Diocesan Advisory Committee, where he provided numerous recommendations and reports. His advice was always appreciated as coming from both an expert and a practical churchgoer. In the 1980s and 1990s he was appointed to several national church committees where his specialism in church furnishings saw him make a particularly positive contribution in that area.
After retirement in 1997, John did not give up his interest in Stamford. He became a founder trustee of the Stamford Young People’s Charity, which was set up to provide financial help to young Stamfordians in their extracurricular educational needs. He was also the driving force behind conserving the archive of the Stamford Mercury, which is unique for holding copies from as early as 1713, and a complete run of the newspaper from the latter part of the eighteenth century. For this work, he was created a Medallist of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2012. Reward and recognition, however, were never things that John sought, with his life epitomising the notion of selfless public service.
He is survived by his wife Dianne and children Sophie and Sam.
John Francis Howe Smith, architectural historian and conservationist, born 1 September 1939; died 5 June 2026.
Our condolences and thanks for his stewardship of Stamford over so many years go to his family and friends from Stamford Civic Society.
Ursula Jones Chairman
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