Sir James Knowles

Born in London in 1831, Sir James Thomas Knowles trained as an architect, following his father into the profession and studying at University College and in Italy. Alongside architecture, he showed an early interest in writing, publishing The Story of King Arthur in 1860.

His architectural career included work associated with major Victorian projects, and he later became especially prominent as an editor. Knowles founded The Nineteenth Century, a serious monthly review that became an important forum for intellectual and public discussion in Britain.

He was closely connected with leading literary and cultural figures of his time, including Alfred, Lord Tennyson, and he also helped found the Metaphysical Society, which encouraged debate between religious and scientific thinkers. He died in 1908, remembered as a figure who bridged architecture, publishing, and the wider ideas of Victorian public life.