"To say that Peter had a love for life would be to pay him a disservice. Peter had a passion for life and was passionate and enthusiastic about everything he did.

An accomplished table tennis player, a brilliant artist and illustrator and gifted musician, Peter excelled in his chosen fields. He regularly invested countless hours in seeing his favourite projects through to completion. Peter was a real achiever who believed in making things happen.

Over 30 years ago, Peter and I were recruited as young blood(!) by the Orchestra of the London Electricity Board who decided to look outside their industry for new players. With a music library of well over 400 titles, this orchestra gave us an excellent opportunity to learn the symphonic repertoire and explore the South Bank pubs in search of a good pint. This latter activity seems to go hand in hand with playing a woodwind instrument and was accepted by Peter with his customary enthusiasm.

Our first serious collaboration led to the formation of the North Downs Wind Quintet some five years ago. We recruited the 3 additional players from our orchestral contacts and started rehearsing at Peter's studio in Tatsfield. Playing wind quintets is pretty hard work - requiring musicianship, instrumental technique and stamina. After all, the team of five is called upon to replicate the mighty effects of an orchestra of 50 or more.

After these rehearsals we would regain our strength with a glass or two of fine wine and a splendid meal prepared by our host. Peter loved talking (I nearly forgot to mention that he talked for England!) and these special, convivial, social occasions gave him plenty of opportunity.

The Quintet was honoured to be invited to play at Peter's funeral and hopes to continue the tradition of presenting an annual concert in Tatsfield Church.

Heartened and encouraged by the reception given to the Wind Quartet by the residents of Tatsfield, Peter and I established a symphony orchestra to give local concerts. The North Downs Sinfonia was inaugurated some 3 years ago and received tremendous help and support from the local community. Every concert has been presented to a capacity audience and we hope that the orchestra (which draws nearly one quarter of its membership from the locality) will go from strength to strength as a living, vibrant memorial to Peter our founder."

"It is painfully ironic that, just days after reading Peter Warner’s sensitive and heart-warming tribute to my father, David, I find myself responding in kind. Peter’s life was so full and contained so many interests, that I can do little more in this short space than to touch on a few personal memories.

I was just twelve years old when Peter moved to Hillside Road, and did not at first have much contact with the friendly, if slightly odd, individual with long hair living in the tumbledown house opposite our family home. Once in my mid-teens, my focus on activities at Boundary View sharpened; I became aware that Peter’s interest in vintage cars generated a steady stream of young, interesting (and often dishy!) male visitors and it was not long before many hours were enjoyed (my three brothers soon following suit) at Peter’s house, which seemed perpetually to be filled to bursting point with friends of all shapes and sizes. There was usually a pot of coffee steaming away on the old Aga, along with a never-ending supply of biscuits, and sizzling conversations taking place at the kitchen table or in the living room, where we would vie for space with the intriguing artefacts and piles of books – not to mention the many cats found occupying spare surfaces (whose names, for reasons I cannot now recall, all began with ‘B’) – that were an integral part of Peter’s life. Once in a while the constant presence of visitors lounging about became too much for Peter, making it impossible for him to work, and we would all be banned - but never for long!

Peter was intensely interested in so much that exists and occurs on this planet. He held considered and often quite eccentric views on a myriad of topics, arrived at after very thorough analysis. Anyone who asked his opinion or advice about anything needed to be prepared to spend the rest of the day exploring every facet of the question in minute detail. I recently emailed Peter with what I though was a simple question about clarinet reeds. Although (I later learned) he was unwell, he responded lengthily, beginning, “Reeds: big subject!” Needless to say, I now know far more about little slips of cane than I had bargained for!

Best known for his beautiful animal illustrations, particularly those of cats, Peter has been hailed as the feline artist of our time. His attention to detail was exceptional and he had a thorough understanding of form and the means to express it. Such was his quest for knowledge that he once rendered down the bones of a dead cat so that he could study them in order to better understand the animal’s anatomy, He helped me a great deal with my own work by supplying invaluable observations and advice.

Despite severe deafness, Peter was an accomplished musician, playing in orchestras in London and eventually forming the North Downs Wind Quintet and the North Downs Sinfonia. We met one evening this summer at his studio to play clarinet-flute duos. Not only did we have great fun, but he, true to form, offered me much encouragement and some brilliant tips to help me master difficult passages of music. I feel so fortunate to have this precious recent memory of Peter to cherish.

Distance made our meetings infrequent, but Peter and I kept in touch over the years and his friendship has always meant a great deal to me. He was a complex character and will be missed by many for his uniqueness and eccentricity. Although it may be a comfort to his family to know that his illness and consequent suffering were mercifully short, it has been a great shock to them, and to his friends, to lose him so suddenly. But this has highlighted for me the importance of valuing each and every moment granted to us. Peter crammed his life full in his quest for excellence – we could do worse than to follow his example by our own lights.

Fond memories…"

"In memory of Peter Warner and his dedication to this village, I should like to recall the rise and fall of the Millennium Beacon project.

Peter was inspired by a letter Denis Hayes wrote in January 1999 to the Parish Magazine enquiring whether there were any plans to celebrate the Millennium in the village. Peter's answer was direct: 'I would like to see something permanent and monolithic to mark an event which, after all, will not happen for another thousand years.'

He thought the idea of a beacon 'would celebrate a topographical and historical feature of Tatsfield - its unique suitability for beacon signalling... there cannot be a better place to make a beacon than the crest of the wooded North Downs at Tatsfield, with its magnificent visibility north and south, and my proposal is to build a permanent one. This would be a symbolic cone made of knapped flint, a local, available and permanent material. The flames would be represented by ceramic panels inset to be flush with the flints and spiralling round and upwards, decreasing in size to the apex. Within these flames would be illustrations encapsulating features of Tatsfield's heritage.'

Sadly, the beacon was never built because a suitable site could not be found which suited the purpose and was agreeable to the landowner. However, Peter's vision, of Tatsfield on the cusp of the downs, marking the transition from urban to country, remains as his legacy and will, I hope, continue to inspire the people of this village."