Brian and Ursula Kirby

Other lives: Couple who produced award-winning flour at Clyston Mill in Devon

My parents-in-law, Ursula and Brian Kirby, who have died within two months of each other aged 92 and 89 respectively, first met at the Royal Festival Hall in London in 1959, in the audience watching the Count Basie Orchestra. They married the following year, and from 1967 onwards, when Brian started to work for the National Trust in the Lake District, they lived in and cared for historic properties across Britain.

During their time in the Lakes, the Kirbys lived in Hooper’s Cottage – formerly owned by the children’s author and illustrator Beatrix Potter. Brian’s job included choosing pieces from Potter’s original artwork which would be put on display in the NT property at Hill Top for visitors to admire throughout the season. He produced quite a number of paintings himself, and every wall in the Kirby home was covered in artwork, including several of his creations.

The Kirbys led an extremely sociable life and they loved hosting family and friends for lively Christmases during Brian’s time as the property manager at Trerice, an Elizabethan manor house in Cornwall, from 1987 onwards. Brian and Ursula threw themselves into life at Trerice, hosting lawn-mower rallies, theatre groups and even a film production of Twelfth Night directed by Trevor Nunn.

In 2000, when Brian retired, the Kirbys moved to Clyston Mill – a National Trust water mill in Broadclyst near Exeter. Within two years they had learned enough to get the mill up and running, and they ran it as volunteers, producing award-winning flour for 18 years until it closed in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.

Brian was born in Blackheath, south-east London, the only child of Fred Kirby, an estate agent, and Margret (nee Mackenzie). After leaving school he volunteered for national service, and spent three years in the RAF based in Hull before he moved back to London, where he met Ursula.

She was born in Bolton, the youngest child of Ursula (nee Silk), a pianist whose playing accompanied silent films in cinemas, and Ephron Williams, a piano teacher, both devout Roman Catholics. Both parents died before Ursula was 11 – she was raised by her older brothers Brian and Phillip, and her Aunt Dolly, and went to Mount St Joseph’s school in Bolton, before moving to London and starting work at Colgate-Palmolive.

After their marriage in 1960 Brian and Ursula spent seven years in London making the most of the jazz scene and volunteering at the local Oxfam shop in Blackheath. Ursula later became a civil servant, and during their time in the Lakes worked in the DHSS.

The Kirbys were passionate about politics, longtime Guardian readers, marched in protest with CND and attended the Tolpuddle Martyrs festival – with their daughter, Emma, in tow. She would be cajoled into singing The Red Flag at social events, whether she wanted to or not. During retirement they returned to volunteering for Oxfam, at the charity’s Exeter shop, helping out regularly for 26 years, and were devoted to their cat, Jonny.

Brian and Ursula are survived by Emma, my wife.