ONE of Canterbury's most respected and well-loved clergymen, Canon Derek Ingram Hill, has died in hospital after a short illness. He was 91.

Canon Ingram Hill, who was a Freeman of Canterbury, was educated at the King's School, Canterbury, and Trinity College, Oxford.

He trained at Wells Theological College before being ordained in Canterbury Cathedral in 1935. His first post was as curate at Buckland, Dover, but just after the outbreak of the Second World War he moved to Croydon, where for 18 years he was curate at St Andrew's Church.

He was appointed vicar of Holy Innocents, South Norwood, and in 1957 returned to Canterbury as vicar of St Gregory's Church.

Canon Ingram Hill then became rector of the city parishes of St Alphege and St Peter and Master of the Eastbridge Hospital.

In 1976 he was installed as a Canon of the cathedral and retired seven years later, in 1983, at the age of 70.

Canon Ingram Hill had a life-long enthusiasm for the cathedral and for the city in which he lived. He was an expert on the cathedral's history and stained glass and wrote several books about them. In 1983 he was awarded an honorary degree by Kent University and was made an honorary Freeman of the City of Canterbury for his services to the city and cathedral.

Canon Ingram Hill, whose wife Violet died in 1998, lived in Northgate. The couple had two children, Catherine and Martin. Catherine died last year.

The clergyman attended no fewer than seven enthronements of Archbishops at the Cathedral, the first of which was Cosmo Gordon Lang's in 1928 and the last Dr Rowan Williams' earlier this year.

Canon Ingram Hill was also a member of Canterbury Choral Society, a past president of Kent Archaeological Society and former Mayor's chaplain.