Born in Ireland, where he received his early education,
Professor Emeritus James Stevens Curl has held Chairs in Architectural
History at two British Universities. Having graduated in Architecture
at Oxford, he went on to study Town Planning, and wrote his
Dissertation under the direction of the German architect,
Arthur Korn. He later read for his Doctorate at University
College London, and has twice been Visiting Fellow at Peterhouse,
University of Cambridge. He is a Member of The Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Societies of
Antiquaries of London and of Scotland, an Architect Accredited
in Building Conservation, a member of the Royal Institute
of the Architects of Ireland, a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation
of Architects in Scotland and a Member of the Royal Institute
of British Architects
. He worked for a number of years as an architect,
with an especial interest in historic buildings and conservation,
until he became a full-time academic in 1978, having already
published perceptive articles and books which began to establish
his reputation for impeccable scholarship, a fine prose-style,
and penetrating insights.
His forays into relatively unexplored fields of research still
blaze trails inevitably followed by others of a more timid
disposition. He is the author of many influential and acclaimed
books and papers, including Spas, Wells, & Pleasure-Gardens of London (2010), Victorian Architecture:
Diversity & Invention (2007); The Oxford Dictionary
of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (2006—described
by Professor Stamp as ‘a magnificent achievement…by
far the best in the field’); The Egyptian Revival:
Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the
West (2005—which, following two earlier publications
on the Revival [1982] and [1994], gained him international
renown for shedding new light on aspects of Neo-Classicism);
the hugely successful and influential The Victorian Celebration
of Death (2000 & 2004); Georgian Architecture
(2003); The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry: An Introductory
Study (1991 & 2002—which won the Sir Banister
Fletcher Award as best Book of the Year in 1992); Kensal
Green Cemetery (2001); The Honourable The Irish Society
and The Plantation of Ulster, 1608-2000: The City of London
and the Colonisation of County Londonderry in the Province
of Ulster in Ireland. A History and Critique (2000);
The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914. The History, Architecture,
and Planning of the Estates of the City of London and its
Livery Companies in Ulster (1986); and the important
biography, The Life and Work of Henry Roberts (1803-76),
Architect (1983), which revealed much about the movement
to establish and develop philanthropic housing throughout
Europe, especially through organisations in which the Evangelical
Conscience was active.
He has established an international reputation for prodigious
research which he imparts seemingly effortlessly in sustained
and lively narrative, and has been the recipient of many awards,
grants, and prizes. His books and papers have been widely praised,
not only for their content, but for their lasting influence, and
his advice on architectural matters has been sought in Baden-Württemberg,
Oxford, London, and numerous other places. His fine drawings have
been as much admired as his prose.
His pioneering work on the City of London and its Estates
in Ulster has been respectfully received, and attracted substantial
research awards from several bodies at the investigative stages.
He was closely involved in European Architectural Heritage
Year 1975, and in the early 1970s was Architectural Editor
of The Survey of London, responsible for much of
Volume 37 dealing with Northern Kensington, the first part
of the Survey to be published (1973) that was entirely
devoted to nineteenth-century developments.
He has lectured on aspects of his work all over the UK, in
Ireland, and in many other places, including Belgium, Canada,
France, Germany, Italy, and the USA. He has been involved
in the organisation of several exhibitions in Belgium, France,
and Germany, contributing scholarly notes to the catalogues
prepared for them. He taught at several Universities, including
Bologna, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester,
London, Oxford, Sheffield, and Southampton, and has advised
on the development of educational courses at numerous establishments,
including Canterbury.
Since his retirement from full-time academic employment, Professor
Curl has worked on several books, the latest of which was
published in 2010, and is currently engaged on a study of
the Enlightenment and architecture. He contributes regular
review articles and learned papers to several refereed journals,
and gives public lectures from time to time that have been
very well received. He also acts as a consultant for sensitive
sites, usually relating to historic buildings, especially
in Oxford, where his book, The Erosion of Oxford (1977),
has proved to be of lasting importance and influence: the
thirtieth anniversary of its publication was celebrated with
a one-day symposium at the University of Oxford in February
2007 at which he gave the keynote address.
He continues to act as a Consultant on matters connected with
Historic Buildings, Conservation Areas, and Restoration projects,
gives evidence at appeals, prepares reports, carries out research
on buildings, and acts for clients throughout the British Isles.
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