Tim Denby-Wood, who died on October 16 aged 93, made a lasting contribution to north London as the first chairman of the revived Crouch End Playing Fields Protection Society (CREOS) from 1984.

When people think of Tim various adjectives come to mind. First and foremost is "dapper" – as one might expect of a professional tailor, with his own company, Jorrocks. Even in old age, with a white ponytail, he was a hallmark of elegance and style.

Another adjective was "enthusiastic". Tim had a great enthusiasm for twentieth century history, especially the military history of the WWII. He had an enthusiasm for local causes and was a loyal and regular churchgoer.

With his wife Sheila, he devoted many years of voluntary work to CREOS, the Friends of Hornsey Church Tower and with the local Liberal Democrats.

His kindly and optimistic nature and his skills as a conciliator were put to good use when, as chairman of CREOS, he had to reconcile the lively and sometimes conflicting temperaments of committee members.

His training as (an able) semi-professional actor with the Mountview Theatre Company enabled him to conceal, at vital moments, his own deeply held views.

Like the couple’s Scottish terrier, Blazer, Tim was "dogged and tenacious". Convinced about the justice of a cause, it became very difficult to deflect him from following it through.

The glorious contradiction of Tim was that he was the complete countryman: a skilled horseman, a happy hunter (usually on foot in search of hares), wearing a tweed country jacket.

Yet he was also a born and bred Hornsey man. As he often said, the best and most accessible countryside was to be found around Crouch End.

It is impossible to think of Tim without his wife Sheila (they met in the early 1960s through a shared interest in drama). His achievements are unthinkable without her loving support, never better demonstrated than in his last months.

Tim will be much missed. The verdant beauty of the Crouch End Playing Fields – and particularly the CREOS paths and meadow – and the noble bulk of St Mary’s church tower will be his lasting memorials.

Peter Barber is the president of the Hornsey Historical Society and long time member of Crouch End Playing Fields Protection Society.