John Gordon Dower

John Gordon Dower (2 September 1900 – 3 October 1947)[1] was an English civil servant and architect, who, as secretary of the Standing Committee on National Parks, produced in 1945 the first post-war official report which set out what National Parks in England and Wales should be like.

[3] Dower was educated at a local school in Ilkley and he then studied for a degree in architecture at St John's College, Cambridge.

[4] Dower prepared a report in the late 1930s, but it was put to one side when the Second World War broke out and he was called up as a Royal Engineer.

As he was too ill to drive, Pauline took them around the country so he could make notes, even being detained by the Home Guard in Cornwall.

[10] Michael went on to be a national park officer for the Peak District and also became the director-general of the Countryside Commission between 1992 and 1996.