Peter was born in June 1941 in North Wales during the second world war. His parents had moved from Liverpool to avoid the Blitz but returned once the war was over. Peter then attended Merchant Taylor’s School before the family relocated to Dundee in the mid-1950s.
Moving to Dundee so that his father could join the firm of Hamilton Carhartts, Peter completed his education at the High School before studying Economics at Caius College in Cambridge. He then went on to train as an accountant, following in his father’s footsteps.
Peter met his wife Patricia whilst at University and they later married in 1966. The pair were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Sheila and Alice, and shared 52 happy years together.
Come 1969, Peter joined Hamilton Carhartts, where he developed the export side of the business. This involved extensive travel to Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong and America, allowing for his love and interest in foreign cultures to grow.
Following the closure of Carhartts some years later, Peter then opened a small chain of leisure-wear shops in Dundee, as well as slightly further afield in Inverness, Dumfries, Carlisle and Kendal.
As someone who enjoyed the outdoors, Peter was very fond of the Scottish countryside and would often take long walks into unspoilt areas, exploring many remote glens and climbing various Corbetts. From his hikes, he also became increasingly interested in botany, even taking the time to travel on botanical excursions to the European Alps and countries further afield such as Uzbekistan, Georgia and Kazakhstan.
His interest and research into botany also took him to St Andrews Botanic Gardens, where Peter enjoyed sharing his enthusiasm and expertise with visitors. He was also involved with Edinburgh Botanical Gardens, yet another place close to his heart.
Peter has always been very family-focused with his wife, daughters and grandchildren always remaining a top priority. His family describe him as someone who lived life to the full, always looking ahead to his next project.
Following a fall in the garden, he was hospitalised and slowly slipped away over the course of a few days with his family at his side. He passed away on 15th November 2018 and is dearly missed by his family and his many friends, who hope that wherever he is now, he is exploring new gardens and researching new plants.
