The partnership of Seely and Paget and their contribution to 20th century architecture
Applications are invited for an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP-funded Collaborative Doctoral Award at University of Oxford, in partnership with English Heritage.
This fully-funded studentship is available from October 2025. Further details about the value of an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP award are available on the DTP’s studentships page. English Heritage will provide an additional £1,000 per year to cover travel and research expenses.
Closing date: 7th (full-time) or 29th (part-time) January 2025 (midday UK time)
Project overview
The partnership of Seely and Paget were a significant architectural practice responsible for numerous celebrated mid-20th century buildings, including Eltham Palace, the luxury home of Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, and for the restoration of many historic London churches and other buildings after bomb damage during WWII. Despite this rich legacy they have hitherto received little scholarly attention, perhaps because their architectural style did not fit easily within the canons of modernist design. The firm was very comfortable working with important historic buildings, and in many ways can be seen as early proponents of conservation architecture, working in that mid-century period when concern for ancient monuments was developing, particularly after the introduction of the listing system in 1947.
This CDA offers a timely opportunity to reappraise their work in the context of 20th-century architecture. Depending on applicants’ interests, this could involve examining Seely and Paget’s architectural approach within the wider modernist movement, their relationship with clients and business practices, or their role as early practitioners of conservation architecture. Applicants may also wish to explore the relationship between their working and personal lives as John Seely and Paul Paget were partners personally as well as professionally.
The successful candidate will be embedded both within the University of Oxford and English Heritage. They will have access to advice from English Heritage staff and to a network of organisations and researchers with an interest in Seely and Paget cultivated by English Heritage over the past eight years. Substantial archives of personal and business papers, some in private collections, including diaries, letters, plans, photographs and business records, have been identified and will be made available for the project. Many of the clients with which the partners worked also have their own archives that could be explored.
The CDA includes an optional three-month work-based placement with English Heritage during which the successful candidate will have an opportunity to contribute to activities and events to mark the centenary of the establishment of the partnership of Seely and Paget in 2026. There will also be opportunities for dissemination and outreach through the university, and through the wider Seely and Paget network.
Find out more and how to apply here
