James Simpson
James trained at Edinburgh College of Art with the late Ian Lindsay and in Norwich with Sir Bernard Feilden, for whom he worked on St. Paul's and Norwich Cathedrals. Since joining with Stewart Brown in 1977, he has been architect to St. Giles' Cathedral and responsible for the work on a number of great churches, including York Minster, the City Churches in Dundee and the Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh; institutional buildings in Edinburgh including the General Register House, the Advocates Library, the Royal College of Physicians, and the new headquarters for the National Trust for Scotland; country houses including Yester, Arniston, Rosslyn Castle, Hawthornden, The Hirsel, Kinlochmoidart, Tyninghame, Torsonce and Auchinleck.
For some years James was a tutor at the Edinburgh College of Art. He has written and lectured extensively and has been a member of numerous committees, including, the Edinburgh Old Town Committee for Conservation and Renewal, the Crafts Council Conservation Committee, the executive committee of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain and the Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland. He is the author of the 'British Standard Guide to The Principles of the Conservation of Historic Buildings' [BS7913: 1988] and of 'The Care and Conservation of Historic Buildings and Ancient Monuments by Government Departments in Scotland'.
James was awarded an OBE for services to the Built Environment in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
