Leigh Ashton (museum director)


Sir Arthur Leigh Bolland Ashton was a British art historian and director of the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Early life

Ashton was the son of the jurist A. J. Ashton KC, a court recorder in Manchester. He was educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford.

Career

In 1945, he was appointed director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, taking over from Eric Maclagan.
Ashton retired in 1955, and was succeeded by Trenchard Cox.

Personal life

In 1952, he married the fashion editor and academic Madge Garland, in a marriage of convenience. They divorced in 1962, and had no children.