It was with great sadness that we heard of the death of one of our most eminent members, the architectural historian Professor James Stevens Curl, who died on 5 November. Always combative, always ready to listen, he had an international reputation for wit,  thoroughness of research, sound scholarship, and lucidity of style. He had twice been Visiting Fellow at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, and was a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, and a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. In 2014 an Honorary Doctorate of Arts was conferred on him by De Montfort University in recognition of his “distinctive contribution… to the intellectual and cultural life of the nation and region.” On the occasion of its annual Prizes & Medals Ceremony in 2017, the British Academy awarded him the President’s Medal for “outstanding service to the cause of the humanities and social sciences” in his wider study of the History of Architecture, covering a vast range of periods and topics, in Britain and Ireland.

Known mainly for his work on buildings and his campaigns to save them, he had a pioneering interest in the architecture of cemeteries, including the memorials which they contain. His book The Victorian Celebration of Death, published in 1972, broke new ground and he continued the theme in The Art and Architecture of Freemasonry which appeared in 1991. Among his many other publications were Making Dystopia: The Strange Rise and Survival of Architectural Barbarism; The Oxford Dictionary Of Architecture. Third Edition; The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914: The History, Architecture, and Planning of the Estates; Funerary Monuments and Memorials in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Armagh; Kensal Green Cemetery. The Origins & Development ; Freemasonry & the Enlightenment: Architecture, Symbols, & Influences; Spas, Wells, & Pleasure-Gardens of London. He was also a regular contributor to the journal Church Monuments.

According to his obituary in The Times, ‘he did not mince words, particularly when critiquing modernism’ but he mellowed with the years. He will be much missed.

(This post has been updated with additional information – grateful thanks to Adam White)