Reverend Canon Jeffrey James West (15 October 1950 – 4 December 2022) was a British Anglican priest who was the Principal Inspector of Historic Buildings, English Heritage (1983–1986). Since 2017 he has been an Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Early life

West was born on 15 October 1950, the son of Walter Edward West and Francis Margaret West (née Tatam). He was educated at Bedford Modern School and

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms w ...

Career

In 1974, West joined the Ancient Monuments Inspectorate at the Department of the Environment and became an Assistant Inspector (1974–79) and an Inspector (1979–81). He was then seconded as Principal, Local Government Finance, Department of the Environment (1981–83) and later became Principal Inspector of Historic Buildings at what is now known as English Heritage (1983–86). West continued at English Heritage becoming Regional Director of Historic Properties (Midlands and East Anglia) between 1986 and 1997; Director of Conservation Management (1998–2002) and Policy Director (2002–2005). In 2005, he took the decision to train for the priesthood and was ordained in 2008. In 2012, he was appointed Rural Dean for Deddington in the

Episcopal Area of Dorchester The Diocese of Oxford is a Church of England diocese that forms part of the Province of Canterbury. The diocese is led by the Bishop of Oxford (currently Steven Croft), and the bishop's seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. It contai ...

. From 2009 to 2014, he was Chairman of the Cotswold Conservation Board.

Honours and fellowships

West was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the

2006 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2006 in some Commonwealth realms were announced (on 31 December 2005) in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, and Saint Christopher and Nevis to cel ...

for services to the historic environment. He became a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...

in 2001. He was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London on 6 June 2011.

Personal life

West was married in 1987 to Juliet Elizabeth Allan. He died on 4 December 2022, at the age of 72.

Bibliography

J.J. West and N. Palmer, ''Haughmond Abbey, Shropshire: Excavation of a 12th-Century Cloister in its Historical and Landscape Context'' (English Heritage Books, 2014)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Jeffrey James 1950 births 2022 deaths 21st-century English Anglican priests Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Bedford Modern School