Peter Mary Gerard Eden was born in Wandsworth, London, on May 3, 1913. He studied philosophy, political science, and economics at Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford. Little is known about his life prior to World War II.

Eden enlisted in the British Army in February 1941 and served in the Intelligence Corps. In October 1945 he accepted a position as a British MFAA Officer at Headquarters of the Office of Military Government for Hanover, Germany. As the successor of Monuments Man Capt. Felix Harbord, Eden established his office at Schloss Celle, the grand Baroque royal palace requisitioned by the British MFAA as the central warehouse for looted works of art in the British Zone of Occupation. Eden and fellow British Monuments Officer Maj. William Gear took up residence in one of the palace’s tower rooms, remaining on site to monitor the heating and security of the works of art under their protection.

In February 1946 Eden and Gear participated in the recovery of archival material from the local archives. A break in a small dam in the nearby Leine river had flooded the basement and ground floor, trapping the building’s caretaker and damaging a large number of historical documents. Formulating an ingenious plan, Eden decided to row through the waterlogged storerooms in a canoe. The recovery effort was significantly complicated not only the winter cold but the limited visibility created by smoke emanating from the torches used to light the confined space. Despite their limitations, Eden and several volunteers battled the sludge and freezing water to rescue fifty-five crates filled with historic documents.

Following his return to England, Eden devoted his life to the conservation of British monuments. He was able to continue his studies, completing a Master’s degree in 1953 followed by a Ph.D. As Principal Investigator to the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments, Eden undertook an extensive survey of medieval churches and monuments. In 1966 he was appointed Senior Lecturer in English Topography and Vernacular Topography at the University of Leicester. There, he worked alongside eminent landscape historians William George Hoskins and Alan Everitt, laying the groundwork for an entirely new field in the study of English history focused on topographical research. During this time, Eden led the creation of the Dictionary of Land Surveyors and Local Map-makers of Great Britain and Ireland, 1530-1850 (1979).

A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Eden published Small Houses in England, 1520-1820 (1969). He died in Norfolk, East Anglia, England in March 1992.