​Beginning practice in 1990, working for the celebrated Sir Colin Stansfield Smith, RIBA Gold Medallist 1991, winner of RIBA Building of the Year 1993.  From 1996 Chris worked with Martin Stancliffe for 15 years on the Wells Cathedral Development project, Ballyfin House Hotel Ireland and the Restoration of St Pauls Cathedral, London; winner of the Georgian Group Best Church Restoration Project and Europa Nostra Heritage Award.  Between 2007 and 2019 Chris led as Partner the prestigious award-winning Purcell Architecture Studio, York.  Since 2011 Chris has been appointed Cathedral Architect at Durham Cathedral, and from 2020 has been leading the Salford RC Cathedral restoration project.  He was appointed Hexham Abbey Architect in 2010, winning RICS regional best project award for the Priory Buildings Restoration.  Since 2017 Chris has been conservation architect to the Castle Howard Estate, York, leading on the conservation repairs to the East Wing and Octagon Dome Roofs, as well as the conservation repairs to the North Portico Sculpture.  Chris is also conservation architect to the Burghley House Estate, Stamford, recently completing repairs to the Lion Bridge, the Tijou Golden Gates and Clock Tower.
​
Chris led on the Wentworth Woodhouse Masterplan for the Trust, the Burghley House Estate Masterplan, Castle Howard Interiors strategic Masterplan and Auckland Castle Masterplan and project implementation.  In 2019-2022 Chris was part of the Purcell Architecture team as creative concept designer for the Ritz London extension.

In 2023 Chris’s traditional design for the Grade II* Radley College Chapel extension, Oxford won the RIBA South Building of the Year Award, the National Award and was nominated for the Sterling Prize; described by the judges as ‘a masterful blend of traditional and contemporary design’, ‘meticulous selection of materials’ and ‘impressive interiors’, judging it a ‘masterclass in modern architectural design’.
​
In 2019 Chris’s design interventions and conservation work for the Durham Cathedral New Nave Lobbies, Monastic Library, Great Kitchen Museums and visitor facilities with shop won the RIBA Heritage Building of the Year Award for the Northeast and Yorkshire, together with winning the National RIBA Heritage Award and in 2020 was joint Winner of the prestigious AABC Civic Trust project of the year.
​
Chris’s approach to conservation is to understand heritage value and prioritise preservation of significant fabric whilst achieving ambitious sustainable change for use in the twenty-first century.
​
Chris is an Alumni of the Prince of Wales’s Summer School in Civil Architecture 1990 and holds to the values of continuity in artistic traditions.  He has taught the Language of Classical Architecture at the Royal College of Art and has conducted architecture and drawing tours in Rome. He is currently studying part-time with the Open College of Arts, Open University BA(Hons) Painting, exploring the materiality of colour, form, light and composition.