Peter Neaverson was actively involved in British industrial archaeology for over a quarter of a century as well as being Joint Editor with Marilyn Palmer of Industrial Archaeology Review for nearly 20 years, dealing with its transfer from Oxford University Press to a local publisher and then to Maney of Leeds. An engineer by training, he devoted the years of his retirement to industrial archaeology and his knowledge of physics and engineering, as well as technical drawing, was of considerable assistance to him in his research and writing. He also taught himself surveying techniques and was an avid researcher in Record Offices, being quick to appreciate the implications of both maps and documents, something that was particularly revealed in the research he did on the Glyn Pits colliery in South Wales where he was able to interpret the complex pumping and winding systems on that unique site. He carried out fieldwork with Leicestershire Industrial History Society in the East Midlands, Wales and Cornwall and was a member of many organisations, including The Newcomen Society, the Peak District Mines Historical Society and the Railway and Canal Historical Society. He was an Honorary Visiting Fellow in the University of Leicester. With Marilyn Palmer, he wrote many articles and books including Industry in the Landscape, 1700-1900, Routledge, 1986: Industrial Archaeology: Principles and Practice, Routledge, 1988 and The Textile Industry in South-west England: a Social Archaeology, Stroud: Tempus 2005. He devoted a lot of his time to AIA and on his death in December 2005 left a considerable legacy to further scholarship, research and publication in industrial archaeology.

The Association for Industrial Archaeology is proud to name these awards in his honour.