Simon Thurley
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Dr. Simon Thurley (born 1963) is an academic and architectural historian, and the present Chief Executive of English Heritage (since April 2002). His relative youth at taking this post has led him to be dubbed a 'boy wonder'.[1]
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[edit] Life
Previous to his present role, he was Inspector of Ancient Monuments for English Heritage (1988 to 1990), Curator of Historic Royal Palaces (1989 to 1997) and director of the Museum of London (1997 to March 2002). He is also a prolific history broadcaster, presenting a history slot on BBC London for 3 years and - in television - presenting Flying Through Time, Channel Four’s six part series Lost Buildings of Britain (Channel 4), The Buildings that Shaped Britain (Channel 5) and a six-part history of London (Granada). He has also appeared in other programmes (such as Time Team) as a 'talking head'.
He now lives in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and grew up in Godmanchester - he feels that it was inevitable he became a historian since "by age seven I was helping out at Roman digs near my home ... and childhood holidays invariably involved ticking off stately homes and cathedrals"[2]. He studied at Kimbolton School (1972-1982) and as an undergraduate at Bedford College (1982-1985), before taking his MA in Art History and PhD in English Royal Palaces 1450-1550 at the Courtauld Institute of Art (1985-1989).
[edit] Fellowships and other memberships
- Honorary Fellow and Visiting Professor of London Medieval History at Royal Holloway, University of London
- fellow at the Society of Antiquaries of London
- fellow at the Royal Historical Society
- honorary member of the Royal Institute of British Architects
- President of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society
- president of the Huntingdonshire History Society
- Chairman of the Society for Court Studies
- serves on the Council of St Paul's Cathedral
[edit] Works
- Royal Palaces of Tudor England, 1993
- Whitehall Palace
- Hampton Court a Social and Architectural History, 2003
- Lost Buildings of Britain (book accompanying the series)
[edit] Notes
- ^ ViaMichelin - interview with Simon Thurley
- ^ Thurley, Simon. "My hols", The Times, July 16, 2006. Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
[edit] External links
| Cultural offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Max Hebditch |
Director of the Museum of London 1997–2002 |
Succeeded by Jack Lohman |
| Preceded by ' |
Chief Executive of English Heritage 2002 – present |
Incumbent |
