James Stevens Curl (born 26 March 1937)
[Contemporary Authors, vols. 37–40, ed. Ann Every, Gale/Cengage Learning, 1979, p. 110] is an architectural historian, architect, and author with an extensive range of publications to his name.
Early life and education
The son of George Stevens Curl (1903–1974), who worked as an inspector of agents for the
Eagle Star Insurance
The Eagle Star Insurance Company plc (formerly Eagle Star Insurance Company Limited) was a leading British insurance business. It underwrote the full range of risks including liability, fire, accident, marine, motor, life, contingency and Pluvius ...
Company, and Sarah (née McKinney), Curl was born in
Belfast
Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
. He was educated at
Campbell College
Campbell College located in Belfast, Northern Ireland and founded in 1894 comprises a preparatory school department (junior age) and a senior Northern Ireland 'Voluntary Grammar' school, the latter meaning, in terms of provision of education, a ...
, Belfast, at
Queen's University Belfast
The Queen's University of Belfast, commonly known as Queen's University Belfast (; abbreviated Queen's or QUB), is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. The university received its charter in 1845 as part of ...
, and at
Belfast College of Art before studying at the
Oxford School of Architecture (now part of
Oxford Brookes University
Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...
) where he qualified in Architecture (1963) and – having studied under
Arthur Korn
Arthur Korn (20 May 1870 – 21 December/22 December 1945) was a German physicist, mathematician and inventor. He was involved in the development of the fax machine, specifically the transmission of photographs or telephotography, known as the ...
– in Town Planning (1967). He read for his doctorate at
University College London
University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
, which he received in 1981.
Career
Curl is
Professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
at the School of Architecture and Design,
Ulster University
Ulster University (; Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially as Ulster, or by the abbreviation UU. It i ...
,
[Official website]
(Accessed 1 October 2014) Professor Emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
...
at
De Montfort University
De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) is a public university in the city of Leicester, England. It was established in accordance with the Further and Higher Education Act 1992, Further and Higher Education Act in 1992 as a degree awarding body ...
, Leicester, and has been a
Visiting Fellow
In academia
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of ...
at
Peterhouse, Cambridge
Peterhouse is the oldest Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Peterhouse has around 300 undergraduate and 175 graduate stud ...
(1991–92, 2002). An honorary Doctor of Arts degree was conferred on him by De Montfort University in 2014 in recognition of his "distinctive contribution to the study of Architectural History" and of his "outstanding contributions to the intellectual and cultural life of the nation and the region".
Honours
Curl is a Member of the
Royal Irish Academy
The Royal Irish Academy (RIA; ), based in Dublin, is an academic body that promotes study in the natural sciences, arts, literature, and social sciences. It is Ireland's premier List of Irish learned societies, learned society and one of its le ...
, a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...
, a Fellow of the
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland.
The usu ...
, a Fellow of the
Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) is the professional body for architects in Scotland.
History
Previously the (lapsed) Architectural Institute of Scotland, it was re-founded in 1916 as the Incorporation of Architects in ...
, a member of the
Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) () founded in 1839, is the "competent authority for architects and professional body for Architecture in Ireland."
The RIAI's purpose is "to uphold the highest standards in architecture a ...
, a member of the
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture under its royal charter granted in 1837, three suppl ...
, and a Liveryman of the
Worshipful Company of Chartered Architects of the City of London.
In September 2017, he was awarded the
President's Medal of the
British Academy
The British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences.
It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the sa ...
"for his contribution to the study of the History of Architecture in Britain and Ireland".
Memberships
Curl was the first Chairman of
Oxford Civic Society
The Oxford Civic Society is a civic society that was founded in 1969 to oppose plans to build inner relief roads in Oxford, England.
The Society comments on all aspects of urban planning and is a founder member of the Oxfordshire Blue Plaque ...
, which was founded in 1969. He is Joint Patron of the
Mausolea and Monuments Trust
The Mausolea and Monuments Trust is a charity for the "protection and preservation of mausolea and funerary monuments situated in Great Britain and Ireland." The trust was founded in 1997 by the architectural historian Jill Allibone (1932–1998). ...
, President of the
Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery, a Vice-President of the
Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, a member of the
Art Workers' Guild
The Art Workers' Guild is an organisation established in 1884 by a group of British painters, sculptors, architects, and designers associated with the ideas of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement. The guild promoted the 'unity of al ...
, and a member of the
Oxford & Cambridge Club.
Personal life
In 1960, Curl married psychiatrist Eileen Elizabeth Blackstock; they had two daughters. His second marriage, in 1993, was to Professor (Stanisława) Dorota Iwaniec.
[Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism, James Stevens Curl, Oxford University Press, p. xxxvi]
Selected works
*
*''English Architecture: An Illustrated Glossary'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1987). New revised edition of the book originally published in 1977.
*''The Londonderry Plantation 1609–1914. The History, Architecture, and Planning of the Estates of the City of London in Ulster'' (Chichester: Phillimore, 1986).
*''English Architecture: An Illustrated Glossary'' (Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Edmonton. & Vancouver: Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 1987).
*''Victorian Architecture'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1990).
*''Simon Stringer, Sculptor: Catalogue of Exhibition at the Goldmark Gallery, Uppingham'' (Uppingham: Goldmark Gallery, 1990).
*''The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry. An Introductory Study'' (London: B T Batsford, 1991). Winner of the RIBA Sir Banister Fletcher Award for Best Book of the Year on Architecture, 1992.
*''The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry: An Introductory Study'' (Woodstock & New York: Overlook Press, 1993).
*''Classical Architecture: An Introduction to Its Vocabulary and Essentials, with a Select Glossary of Terms'' (London: B T Batsford, 1992).
*''Victorian Architecture'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles Publishers plc, 1992) Paperback edition of the 1990 hardback.
*''Classical Architecture: An Introduction to its Vocabulary and Essentials, with a Select Glossary of Terms'' (New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1992).
*''Encyclopaedia of Architectural Terms'' (Wimbledon, London: Donhead Publishing, 1993).
*''Georgian Architecture'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1993).
*''A Celebration of Death: An Introduction to Some of the Buildings, Monuments, and Settings of Funerary Architecture in the Western European Tradition'' (London: B T Batsford, 1993).
*''Egyptomania: The Egyptian Revival as a Recurring Theme in the History of Taste'' (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1994). (hbk.) and 0‑7190-4127-9 (pbk.)
*''The English Heritage Book of Victorian Churches'' (London: B T Batsford & English Heritage, 1995). and 0-17134-7490-4
*''Georgian Architecture'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1996). . Paperback edition
*''Encyclopaedia of Architectural Terms'' (Shaftesbury: Donhead Publishing, 1997).
*''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).
*''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture'' in the Oxford Paperback Reference Series (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000)
*''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'' (Chichester: Phillimore, 2000).
*''The Victorian Celebration of Death'' (Thrupp, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2000).
*''Classical Architecture: An Introduction to its Vocabulary and Essentials, with a Select Glossary of Terms'' (London: B T Batsford, 2001).
*''Classical Architecture: An Introduction to its Vocabulary and Essentials, with a Select Glossary of Terms'' (New York & London: W W Norton, 2001).
*''The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry: An Introductory Study'' (London: B T Batsford, 2002).
*''The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry: An Introductory Study'' (Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press, 2002).
*''Piety Proclaimed: An Introduction to Places of Worship in Victorian England'' (London: Historical Publications, 2002).
*''Death and Architecture: An Introduction to Funerary and Commemorative Buildings in the Western European Tradition, with Some Consideration of their Settings'' (Thrupp, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2002).
*''Georgian Architecture'' (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2002).
*''The Victorian Celebration of Death'' (Thrupp, Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2004).
*''The Egyptian Revival: Ancient Egypt as the Inspiration for Design Motifs in the West'' (Abingdon & New York: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2005). and 9-78-0-415-36118-7
*''A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006). and 0-19-2806300
*''Victorian Architecture: Diversity & Invention'' (Reading: Spire Books, 2007).
*''John Claudius Loudon (1783–1843) and the Cemetery Movement'' (Southampton: Friends of Southampton Old Cemetery, 2008)
*''Two Outstanding Monuments in the General Cemetery of All Souls, Kensal Green: The French Connection and Other Matters.'' Special Issue 53 of the ''Magazine of the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery'' (September 2009), ISSN 1753-4402 (London: Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery)
*''Spas, Wells, and Pleasure-Gardens of London'' (London: Historical Publications, 2010).
*''The Protestant Cemetery in Rome''. Special Issue 55 of the ''Magazine of the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery'' (January 2010) ISSN 1753-4402 (London: Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery)
*''Freemasonry and the Enlightenment: Architecture, Symbols, & Influences'' (London: Historical Publications, 2011)
*''Georgian Architecture in the British Isles 1715–1830'' (Swindon: English Heritage, 2011).
*''Funerary Monuments and Memorials in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh'' (Whitstable: Historical Publications, 2013) and 978-1-905286-48-5
*''Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018)
References
External links
Friends of Kensal Green Cemeterylast accessed 22 November 2015
{{DEFAULTSORT:Curl, James Stevens
1937 births
Academics of De Montfort University
Alumni of Oxford Brookes University
Alumni of University College London
British architectural historians
Fellows of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Irish architectural historians
Living people
Members of the Royal Irish Academy
Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy)
New Classical architects