Andrew Rutter, Winchester's First Conservation Officer and Architect, Dies at 93

Andrew Rutter, who served as Winchester's inaugural conservation officer, passed away at the age of 93. He was born in Shaftesbury, Dorset, as the youngest of five siblings to William and Hester Rutter. Rutter pursued his studies at the Architectural Association School of Architecture and participated in the International Voluntary Service for Peace in both Germany and Ghana as a conscientious objector. In 1960, he wed Margery Haygarth and later worked for the UN in Ghana before returning to the UK in 1969. Appointed as Winchester's conservation officer in 1974, he retired in 1998. Rutter played a crucial role in addressing the environmental effects of the M3 motorway re-routing in the early 1990s. He wrote "Winchester, Heart of a City" (2009) and was instrumental in founding a Quaker Meeting house. He is survived by his sons Mark and the author of this obituary, along with grandchildren Toby, Hannah, and Theo.