James worked for four years at English Heritage managing a conservation grants programme for textiles, ceramics, metalwork and stained glass. He returned to conservation in 1994, when he gained his Masters in Architecture from the University of York. He focused on the built heritage of Arabia, with a particular emphasis on Oman, and his dissertation on that country’s vernacular architecture, historic landscapes and falaj system was the first of its kind at Masters level. He subsequently worked as a consultant on heritage conservation projects in Yemen, where he ran workshops at the universities in Sana’a and Aden, and in Jeddah, where he worked with the city’s Historic Area Preservation Department. He advised on conservation plans and produced a heritage trail around the old quarter of Al Balad, on which he was later to write a book for the bespoke publishing house, Assouline.

James has written extensively on aspects of art, architecture and history, both at home and abroad. He worked on several major book projects for the London Centre of Arab Studies and also managed the National Trust’s academic publishing programme. He has continued his professional interest in the heritage of the Middle East and is currently working on several projects in the region.