[1] Binney is the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Crofton Simms MC and his wife, Sonia (née Beresford Whyte).
[3] Following his father's death and his mother's remarriage to Sir George Binney (DSO) in 1955, Marcus took his stepfather's surname.
Binney was educated at Eton College and read history of art at the University of Cambridge.
The architect Walter Ison was a family friend, who encouraged the young Binney to study Sir Robert Taylor for his PhD.
[7] Binney was instrumental in saving Calke Abbey in Derbyshire and its contents for the nation in 1984;[8] he had highlighted and publicised the loss to the nation of such historic houses following the failure of Save's attempts to preserve Mentmore Towers in Buckinghamshire, a decade earlier.
[11] Binney authored numerous books, mostly concerned with the preservation of Britain's architectural heritage; while many of these can be typified by such titles as "The Country House: To Be or Not to Be" and "Re-use of Industrial Buildings" he has also written books dealing with the experiences of those involved in secret operations during World War II, such as "Secret War Heroes: The Men of Special Operations" and "The Women Who Lived for Danger".