THE future champion of historic homes and classic cars was just two-years-old when he became a peer of the realm.

Lord Montagu inherited the title after his father, motoring pioneer John Montagu, died in 1929, leaving Beaulieu to be managed by his widow and trustees until his son reached the age of 25.

Born at his grandmother' house in London in 1926, the future peer was a sickly child who once passed out in the bath after suffering a fit.

Three years later his health was considered so fragile that his family sent him to South Africa to escape the British winter.

In 1937, aged ten, he was the youngest Lord to attend the coronation of King George VI. Dressed in a special costume for minor peers, he carried a black velvet bag containing sandwiches to sustain him through the day.

Evacuated to Canada following the outbreak of the Second World War, he returned to England two-and-a-half-years later and belatedly took up his place at Eton.

In 1945 he joined the Grenadier Guards and was posted to Palestine as part of a peacekeeping force.

When he left the army at the age of 21, he went to New College Oxford where he read modern history. He also took his seat in the House of Lords, where his maiden speech was about his experiences in Palestine.

A keen partygoer, Lord Montagu enjoyed mixing with the artistic and bohemian set as well as being part of conventional society.

He later recalled: “I suppose I should have realised that sooner or later I would end up in trouble.”

During his second year at university he felt obliged to leave after an altercation between the Bullingdon Club and the Oxford University Dramatic Society led to his room being wrecked.

Determined to carve out a career he joined the Voice and Vision public relations agency, where his first job was to launch the Eagle comic.

Many years later he noticed that the owners of old cars were having difficulty obtaining authentic tyres. He promptly launched Vintage Tyre Supplies, which remains the world's largest supplier of original tyres for veteran, vintage and classic cars.

His other achievements included the creation of the Beaulieu-based Countryside Education Trust, which welcomes more than 5,000 children and adults a year.

Following his success in opening Palace House to the public, Lord Montagu spent years working to establish an association for the owners of stately homes and in 1973 the Historic Homes Association was born with him as president.

In 1983 the Government invited him to chair its new Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, which he soon renamed English Heritage.

When ministers decided to abolish the Greater London Council the then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, was said to have endorsed the transfer of its historic buildings to English Heritage because “Edward Montagu will know what to do with them”.

Lord Montagu also attended the House of Lords and over the course of six decades spoke on a raft of subjects, including motoring, tourism and the New Forest.

He was an active member of many organisations, holding the presidencies of the Tourism Society (1991-2000), the Southern Tourist Board (1977-2004), the Museums Association (1982-1984) and the Institute of Journalists (2000).

He was also Chancellor of the Wine Guild of the UK from 1983 and President of the UK Vineyards Association from 1996.

Lord Montagu was also a benefactor to the now defunct League of Venturers search and rescue organisation, which used to operate from Lepe.

The founder and chief executive , Philip Pearce-Smith, said: "I'll never forget the time Lord Montagu paid all our expenses to tow his Rolls Royce Silver Ghost to Czechoslovakia to take part in a veteran car rally."

Until recently Lord Montagu was also honorary president of Mayflower Theatre in Southampton.

A Beaulieu spokesman said: “Lord Montagu played as hard as he worked. He was a keen shot, loved foreign travel, went wind-surfing off his own foreshore and regularly competed in historic motorsport events.

“He also had a passion for the theatre, opera, gourmet restaurants and parties, for which he never lost enthusiasm despite mobility difficulties in later life.”

In 1959 Lord Montagu married Belinda Crossley in 1959, having known her since their schooldays.

They had a son, Ralph, in 1961 and a daughter, Mary, in 1964. The marriage was dissolved in 1974, after which he married Fiona Herbert, with whom he had a second son, Jonathan, in 1975

Ralph, 54, becomes the new Lord Montagu.