Paul Holden

Paul Holden was born in Southampton, the son of Bill Holden an international speedway rider in the 1950s. Unlike his father (and cousin Kevin) Paul, despite trying, had little talent for motorcycle racing so channelled his energies into his job as a heating and service engineer for British Gas. After redundancy in 1995 he became a senior tradesman at Winchester College where he first discovered architecture − he later wrote his MA dissertation on the life and works of William Wynford, the retained master mason to William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester. Part of this work was published in Hampshire Studies (2008) and Transactions of the Ancient Monuments Society (2018).

In 1999 he moved to Cornwall where he took up a post, first as House and Collections Manager and then Project Curator, for the National Trust at Lanhydrock. During that time he published and lectured widely on a wide range of architectural, curatorial, heritage, cultural and social history topics and was fortunate to lecture in America, the Czech Republic, Scotland, Ireland and throughout England. He was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 2010.

Paul is now a freelance heritage professional and architectural historian. He is chairman of Truro Diocese Advisory Committee and the Church Uses Committee, vice-chair of Truro Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee, member of the Cornwall Design Review Panel and President of the Cornwall Family History Society and the James M MacLaren Society.

After five years as commissioning editor for Architectural Historian for Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain he has taken up the editorship of the Journal of Historic Buildings and Places and Heritage Now, the journal and magazine of Historic Buildings & Places. 

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 2010-

Heritage Kernow board member 2005-8, 2016-20

Fabric Advisory Council for Truro Cathedral 2008-, vice-chairman 2020

Chairman of Cornish Buildings Group 2010-18

Cornwall Design Review Panel 2015-

Carclew Steering Group (Historic England) 2019-

Working party Heritage Buildings Group Lostwithiel Town Council looking for viable solutions for Edgcumbe house, Taprell house and the Guildhall. 2019-20

Diocese Advisory Committee, Truro Diocese, 2019, chairman 2020-

President Cornwall Family History Society, Truro, 2020-

President James M MacLaren Society, 2020-

Chairman Church Care Uses Committee, 2021

External lecturer on Heritage Management MA course at Plymouth University 2019 -