James Shemmonds

Position: Assistant Curator of Historic Buildings

About

James is an architectural historian who specialises in the development and use of Hampton Court Palace from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. He initially joined the curatorial team to investigate the lodgings built for Henry VIII's son, Prince Edward. Since then, his research has encompassed a wide range of structures across the palace estate, including the Great Gatehouse, the Royal Tennis Court, a canteen built for bus drivers and early twentieth-century lavatories.

Before this, James worked in Hampton Court’s front-of-house team for almost eight years. He gained an MA with distinction in architectural history from the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2018 and, the following year, his research paper on Sir John Vanbrugh’s 1717 proposals for remodelling Hampton Court 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

Shemmonds, J., ‘The Prince’s Lodgings’, Tudor Places, 20 (2025), pp. 32-39.

Cole, E. and J. Shemmonds, The Cedars, 1A and 3 New Road, North Walsham: Historic Building Report (Historic England, 2022).