NORTH Yorkshire landowner Sir John Ropner, who developed and maintained the north’s most important arboretum, has died at the age of 78 after a short illness.

Sir John inherited the Thorp Perrow Estate, near Bedale, following the death of his father Col Sir Leonard in 1977 who was a passionate collector and originally designed and planted the arboretum in the 1930s with military precision.

Planting on the site had started even earlier with Lady Augusta Milbank in the 1840s creating a plantation of pine trees. The site even contains a legendary oak tree planted by the last and surviving wife of Henry VIII Catherine Parr, who lived nearby.

Sir John readily admitted when he took over he had no idea how to run the arboretum. It had been his father’s private passion, but an expert told him it was an amazing collection, although overgrown at that stage, and he had to do something about it.

He told one interviewer: "Of course, it was going to soak up money like a sponge, but I managed to get a grant in exchange for opening to the public, and by a stroke of good luck a wonderful man called John Beach, who had recently retired as a forestry officer, presented himself one day and asked if he could help.

"“So, slowly, we knocked it into shape and added visitor facilities, and more and more of the public began to creep in.”

Whilst previously the 100 acre grounds had been run by 22 gardeners, Sir John employed just a handful of people, happily wading in himself with a chain saw.

Over time the arboretum developed a bird of prey centre and wildlife park. Through his dedication he turned Thorp Perrow into an award winning tourist attraction which the Royal Horticultural Society describe as the most important arboretum in the north of England.

It is also home to five National Plant Collections.

Vicar of Bedale Rev Ian Robinson said Sir John played a big role in the local community.

“He was a great promoter of the area, one of the things he seemed to really love about Thorp Perrow was that it brought people here.

“He was very knowledgeable and helped us create our community garden and sculpture trail and was a great supporter of the church. He will be sadly missed.”

Sir John, who was the 2nd Baronet, is a former High Sherriff of North Yorkshire and Master of the Bedale hunt. He leaves a widow Lady Ropner and five children, Henry, Jenny, Kate, Carolyn and Annabel.