1945 Peter & Ron (identical twins) born 18 August, Shottermill, Surrey to Arthur Ernest and Marjorie Joyce Iden, née Grinstead. Two older brothers, John and Nigel had been born in 1937 and 1940. Arthur Iden joined the RAF at the age of 16, and became a Leading Aircraftsman. He left in 1945, after which he did a variety of jobs, including working as a shop assistant, and a bus conductor. Marjorie stayed at home looking after the family, and also took part-time housework jobs to make some extra money; the family was always hard-up after the war.

1962 Peter attends West Sussex College of Art & Design, Worthing
3 year Graphic Design course. (He wished it had been Fine Art)

1965 Works for Drury Designs Ltd (formerly Gregory Housing) at Farncombe Bay, Worthing, in the Sketch Layout Department producing street architectural views. Finds the work unchallenging and repetitive

1967 Sets up as freelance architectural draughtsman, illustrator and watercolourist

1968 First one-man show in Bognor, his home town. First painting exhibited at the Royal Institution of Painters in Water-colour Open, London, and then regularly [dates? -91]

1969 Moves to Fishbourne: annual one-man exhibitions from this time in the Assembly Rooms or later the Oxmarket Gallery. Sometimes two exhibitions in the year

1979 Cambridge, one-man show at Trumpington Gallery

1980 Marries Mary Coleman

1982 Moves to central Chichester

1984 Daughter Rachel born

1991-2 Serious illness (gut lymphoma) leads to major operation and chemotherapy. Returns to full-time painting thereafter: drops commercial commissioned work. Starts to paint in oils.

1995 Exhibits first abstract work at Pallant House Gallery
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and then in 97/99/2000

1995/7/9 Chichester National Open Art Exhibition

1997 Contributes to Pallant House Gallery Eight by Eight Exhibition

1998 Brighton Open Exhibition

1999 Laing Open Landscape Competition, London

2001 Return of lymphoma. Stem-cell transplant (donated by Ron)
Health fragile from here on.

2003 January: contributes to Around 2003 exhibition, Messum's Gallery,
Cork St, London
June: one-man show at Messum's (lavish catalogue)

2004 October: article in Chichester & the Arts 1944-2004
(Otter Memorial Paper 18) "Peter Iden: The Painter of Downland")
December: second one-man show at Messum's

2011 Last show at the Oxmarket Gallery

2012 Peter dies in St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester on 27 March following a return of lymphoma, this time in his brain.