Stuart Harris, architect and historian; born May 16, 1920, died February 24, 1997

STUART HARRIS enjoyed an extraordinary breadth, and depth, of interest in many subjects. It was his involvement with the city of Edinburgh - as an architect in public service and, after he retired, as a historian of the city's place names - which formed the core of his many achievements. But it was his approach, energy and imagination, which singled him out.

Educated at George Heriot's School and Edinburgh College of Art, he qualified as an architect and served on the staff of Edinburgh Corporation and the City of Edinburgh District Council from 1950 until he retired, as Senior Depute City Architect, in 1984.

He led the design team for Napier College at Merchiston and directed the restoration of the fifteenth-century Tower of Merchiston. He also led the design team for Meadowpark Sports Centre for the Commonwealth Games in 1970, and was project manager for the Castle Terrace Project, Edinburgh's ill-fated Opera House.

From 1975 one of his responsibilities lay in the naming of streets and this led to the work which occupied him in his retirement - a study of the history of the names of features, streets, and places in Edinburgh. This culminated in the major work, The Place Names of Edinburgh published in 1996.

Stuart Harris described the thousands of names as a record of the sequence of change in landscape and settlement.

While studying old maps, he noticed discrepancies and research led him to conclude in his essay New Light on the New Town (published in the Book of the Old Edinburgh Club 1992) James Craig was not in fact the designer of the New Town, inspite of winning the competition in 1766. Sadly, further recent research has been curtailed by his sudden death.

After the war he worked with North Merchiston Boys' Club producing plays, and took an active role in the Scottish Association of Boys' Clubs. He designed sets for the Gateway Theatre, where he met Moultrie Kelsall. A mutual interest in restoring old buildings led to a joint book, published in 1961, A Future for the Past.

He was active as an elder in the Church of Scotland and was also at the forefront of thinking on the design of Presbyterian churches.

Classical music was a passion and for many years he ran the church choir and directed a series of operas for Edinburgh Opera Company. His other great passion was sailing on the west coast of Scotland.

He is survived by his wife, Catherine, four children, and six grandchildren.