Sir Neil Cossons FMA (born 15 January 1939) is a British historian and museum administrator.

Biography

Cossons was born in Beeston and studied at the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. He was the first director of the

Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust is an industrial heritage organisation which runs ten museums and manages multiple historic sites within the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in Shropshire, England, widely considered as the birthplace of ...

from 1971 and then at the

National Maritime Museum, Greenwich The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...

from 1983. From 1986 to 2000 he was the director of the

Science Museum, London The Science Museum is a major museum on Exhibition Road in South Kensington, London. It was founded in 1857 and is one of the city's major tourist attractions, attracting 3.3 million visitors annually in 2019. Like other publicly funded ...

, (awarded Science Museum Fellowship 2019) UK. From 1989-95, and 1999-2000 he was an English Heritage commissioner. He was pro-provost and chairman of council of the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It ...

from 2007 until 2015. In 2000, he took over as chairman of

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

,Sir Neil Cossons has taken over as Chairman of English Heritage
/ref> a post he held to 2007.People of Today: Neil Cossons, www.debretts.com
accessed 16 January 2016. He was one of the founders of the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) and its chairman from 1978 to 1983 when he was appointed president, a position he still holds. Cossons was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(OBE) in 1982 and knighted for services to museums and the heritage in 1994. He is a Fellow of the

Museums Association The Museums Association (MA) is a professional membership organisation based in London for museum, gallery and heritage professionals, museums, galleries and heritage organisations, and companies that work in the museum, gallery and heritage s ...

(FMA 1970) and a Life Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soci ...

(FSA 1968). A member of the Newcomen Society for the history of engineering and technology since 1963, Cossons was president from 2001–03 and awarded the society's Dickinson Memorial Medal in 2001. In 2016, he was appointed a Trustee of the

National Heritage Memorial Fund The National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) was set up in 1980 to save the most outstanding parts of the British national heritage, in memory of those who have given their lives for the UK. It replaced the National Land Fund which had fulfilled the ...

/Heritage Lottery Fund. Other appointments include: president of the

Association for Industrial Archaeology The Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA) was established in Great Britain in 1973 to promote the study of industrial archaeology and to encourage improved standards of recording, research, conservation and publication. It aims to support ...

(1977–80); member of the

Design Council The Design Council, formerly the Council of Industrial Design, is a United Kingdom charity incorporated by Royal Charter. Its stated mission is "to champion great design that improves lives and makes things better". It was instrumental in the prom ...

(1990–94); non-executive director of British Waterways Board (1995-2001); Collier Professor in the Public Understanding of Science in the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

(2001–02); president of the

Royal Geographical Society The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers), often shortened to RGS, is a learned society and professional body for geography based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical scien ...

(2003-2006) He has been an honorary professor at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

since 1994. Cossons holds honorary doctorates from fourteen British universities, was awarded the President's Medal of the

Royal Academy of Engineering The Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) is the United Kingdom's national academy of engineering. The Academy was founded in June 1976 as the Fellowship of Engineering with support from Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who became the first senior ...

in 1993, and appointed an honorary fellow of the

RIBA The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three supp ...

in 2002. Cossons is "Britain's leading authority on the industrial heritage"Canal & River Trust: Heritage credentials given top marks
accessed 16 January 2016 and has advised on matters of conservation and management widely in the UK and overseas.

Publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cossons, Neil 1939 births Living people People from Beeston, Nottinghamshire English curators Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Officers of the Order of the British Empire Knights Bachelor Directors of museums in the United Kingdom Directors of the National Maritime Museum Directors of the Science Museum, London Ironbridge Gorge People educated at Henry Mellish Grammar School Fellows of the Royal Geographical Society Presidents of the Royal Geographical Society Presidents of the Association for Science Education Fellows of the Museums Association Industrial archaeology