Dr J.A. Cameron is a freelance art and architectural historian with a specialist background and active interest in architecture and material culture of the parish churches, cathedrals and monasteries of medieval England in their wider European context, and a keen user of technologies like photogrammetry to relate them as artistic and engineering achievements to a wide audience.

Professionally, James took a BA in art history and visual studies at the University of Manchester, gaining a university-wide award for excellence (in the top 30 graduands of the year 2008/9), and then went to take postgraduate degrees at The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. His masters regarded late 13th to early fourteenth century painting in central Italy with particular emphasis on the commissions of the mendicant orders, and his doctorate the phenomenon of sedilia in the medieval English Church, regarding both its liturgical and architectural aspects.

Since gaining his doctorate, he has worked on freelance research projects for English Heritage (regarding new Battle Abbey site interpretation); the Burrell Collection (medieval architectural sculpture) and St Albans Cathedral (the “Saints in Colour” project on an imaginative recreation of the original colouring of the medieval high altar screen, both historical research and practical input on the final design). From 2020 he has worked for Bill Harvey Associates on the design and authorship of masonry bridges on Britain’s railways, and in 2021 worked on-site aiding in the firm’s photogrammetry surveys of masonry bridges on the Warwickshire Avon, including the medieval Clopton Bridge in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Dr Cameron has numerous academic publications in journals and essay collections, has lectured widely at international conferences, taught and led seminars at undergraduate and masters level at The Courtauld, and regularly lectures at the V&A Academy on medieval architecture and liturgy. James has given guest lectures on similar themes at the University of Cambridge (both at BA level and on the Building History MSt) and the University of Central Lancashire, Preston, as well as leading architectural tours for Martin Randall Travel and Villiers Park Education, Cambridge.

On the 700th anniversary of the failure of Ely Cathedral crossing tower, he guested on the History Hit podcast, Going Medieval. He has recently given lectures in St Albans Cathedral Church, the Prior’s Hall at Durham Cathedral and the Town Hall, Glastonbury for the Glastonbury Antiquarian Society.

James also has an interest in general public engagement regarding medieval church architecture, and works innovatively with technology wherever possible. There are links above to my 3D-rendered size comparisons of cathedrals taken from photogrammetry captures, and other weird COVID-era projects like going through every single monastery in England dissolved under Henry VIII, and every medieval Latin-Church cathedral in Europe

Hands-on building maintenance and construction is something I am also interested in, to break the third person! I have a Construction Skills Certification Scheme labourer card valid till Sept 2026, and an NVQ level 3 qualification in Understanding Repair and Maintenance of Traditional pre-1919 Buildings (delivered by Canolfan Tywi via Rossendale Borough Council). I have worked with power tools in volunteer projects in my local area, revitalising the interior of a community library and other spaces. I built on my experience in colour projection for the St Albans Cathedral screen installation with a week-long course on the technical aspects of projection mapping run by theatre company imitating the dog in November 2023. Currently I volunteer as a room steward at the Grade 1-listed Lytham Hall, telling visitors the history of the building and the Clifton family.

Any paid opportunities for writing, reviewing, consultancy, touring, 3D modelling/rendering, lecturing or, anything really, to james@stainedglassattitudes.com will be gratefully considered.