A STALWART of Oxford University's St Hugh's College has died, aged 72.

John Iles played an active role in college life for well over three decades, endearing himself to students and tutors alike with his eclectic mix of interests, from wine to gardening.

The academic moved to Oxford aged 18 in 1965 and never left, living in the north of the city with his wife and children for many years.

John Iles was born on December 22, 1946, in London.

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His dad, Percival, was a printer and his mum, Ivy, a seamstress.

An only child, John lived in the capital until he was five, before the family moved to East Sussex, where he spent the rest of his childhood.

In 1965, he received a scholarship to Merton College to read zoology and achieved a first three years later, before he went on to become a senior scholar.

During his time as an undergraduate, Dr Iles met Susan White, a zoology and medicine student in the year below at St Hugh's.

They married in St John's Chapel in 1971 and lived in St Giles' House, then called the Judge's Lodgings.

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The pair completed Doctor of Philosophy degrees in 1972 and 1973, before moving to New Marston.

They enjoyed a happy life there, sharing an allotment that Dr Iles, a passionate gardener, tended to with great care.

The late 1970s and early 1980s was a significant time for Dr Iles, with his first son, Nicholas, born in 1978.

One year later, he was appointed Mary Snow fellow and tutor in zoology, and a university lecturer at St Hugh's, while in 1980 the family moved to north Oxford.

Before starting at St Hugh's, the academic held a junior research fellowship at St John's and then Corpus Christi.

Dr Iles's second and third children, Matthew and Sophia, were born in 1984 and 1986 respectively.

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Dr Iles served in a range of roles at St Hugh's, including vice-principal for development, senior tutor, acting senior bursar and president of the senior common room, while he spent a term as acting principal.

His academic work centred on neuroscience, with a particular interest in how the brain controls movement. Starting with cockroaches, Dr Iles studied bigger and bigger beasts until his final research project on a human subject.

During his time at the college, his more unusual posts included custos hortulorum - head gardener - and wine fellow, when he helped run the college wine cellar.

This indulged two of Dr Iles's great interests, while he was also a skilled woodworker, building several musical instruments.

He often invited new students to dinner at the family home to help them settle at university.

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In 1992, Dr Iles was elected senior proctor and became an emeritus fellow upon his retirement in 2014.

He was diagnosed with dementia as soon as he retired, which prevented him from further indulging his love of travelling.

Dr Iles died on June 8 and is survived by his wife and children.

His funeral is at St Hugh's on Sunday, starting with a woodland burial, before a ceremony of remembrance and a celebration of his life for close family and friends.

A new tree will be planted at St Hugh's in his memory, with the college orchard set to be dedicated to Dr Iles to pay tribute.