Simon Thurley CBE

BA History (1985), Honorary Fellow

As Chief Executive of English Heritage, Royal Holloway graduate Dr Simon Thurley is an historian with a mission.

He believes passionately that our past informs and shapes our future, and that to make a great future for everyone we need to understand and care for our past. English Heritage manages over 400 ancient monuments and historic buildings, ranging from Stonehenge to Dover Castle.

Once described as, “The boy wonder of the museum world”, Simon has been Director of the Museum of London and Curator of the Historic Royal Palaces, where he doubled visitor numbers and oversaw some of the largest restoration projects ever undertaken in the UK. Simon is an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway.