Position: Assistant Curator of Historic Buildings
About
James joined the curatorial team at Hampton Court Palace in June 2024, initially to research the lodgings built on the north side of Chapel Court for Henry VIII's son, Prince Edward. Before this, he worked in the front-of-house team at the palace for almost eight years, developing his knowledge of Hampton Court and delivering talks and tours on its history for visitors and staff.
James has an MA with distinction in architectural history from the Courtauld Institute of Art and, in 2019, his research paper on Sir John Vanbrugh’s 1717 proposals for remodelling Hampton Court Palace won the SAHGB's Hawksmoor Essay Medal. Between 2020 and 2022, James worked as an Architectural Investigator for Historic England, researching vernacular buildings as part of the government's project to rejuvenate historic high streets.
Select publications
Cole, E. and J. Shemmonds, 'The Cedars, 1A and 3 New Road, North Walsham: Historic Building Report', Historic England (2022).