Ken Major

Ken Major was born in Reading, Berkshire on 21 October 1928. His parents were Katharine May Major (née Ridge) and John William Major. He was christened John Kenneth Major but owing to a number of John Majors in the family he was generally referred to as Ken. Major attended the Boy's Grammar School at Leigh, Lancashire, where his father was the headmaster, from 1939 to 1945. He then attended a school in Kendal until 1946. Major was interested in ancient buildings from an early age. He recalled cycling to Winwick church aged 8 to see the carved pig (symbolic of a legend about the church being relocated to a pre-Christian site) there. ==Higher education==

Owing to the high number of demobbed ex-servicemen, Major was unable to gain a place at Cambridge where his results would have enabled him to study mathematics. He was able to obtain a place at King's College, Durham University in Newcastle upon Tyne where he studied architecture under the Beaux-Arts regime. During his time at King's College, Major switched from design to repair. He visited Florence, Italy where he studied the repair of Renaissance buildings damaged in the war. In 1952, he applied for and obtained the Lethaby Scholarship from the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB). ==Career==

Professional On completing his Scholarship in April 1953, Major was appointed as an architect at the Planning Department of Imperial College, London. In April 1954, he married Helen Lawrence after a four-year courtship. They both had an interest in ancient building and in 1958 the purchase of a Lambretta scooter enabled them to travel further afield. The Heritage Lottery Fund and other bodies concerned with mill preservation. He was also a founding trustee of the Mills Archive Trust. ==Death==

Major died on 25 July 2009 after a short illness. His funeral took place on 6 August 2009 at Reading Crematorium. ==Books==

Ken Major was the author of a number of books. • (see Finch Foundry) • (see List of windmills in the Isle of Wight) • • • • (see John Wallis Titt, Crux Easton wind engine) • (see List of horse mills) • • • (see Éolienne Bollée) • • • (see Rex Wailes) ==References==