William Whyte has lived in Oxford for more than 30 years, since arriving here as a student to read History at Wadham College. He is now Professor of Social and Architectural History and a fellow of St John’s College. In addition to OPT, he chairs the Oxford Historical Society and the Victoria County History of Oxfordshire, and also serves as a Curator of the Bodleian Library. An Anglican priest and honorary canon of Christ Church, he is part of the team ministering in Wolvercote and Wytham as well as a member of the Oxford Diocesan Advisory Committee. Beyond Oxford, he is a trustee of English Heritage and chair of the Blue Plaques Panel, a trustee of Gladstone’s Library and the Radcliffe Trust, and serves on the Fabric Commission of Westminster Abbey and the Heritage Committee of the British Academy. He oversaw the building of the Stphen A. Schwarzman centre for the Humanities and chairs the Fabric Committee for the University Church. As a historian, his most recent books include Unlocking the Church: the lost secrets of Victorian sacred space (2017) and The University: a history in stone, silk, and blood (2026). He is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Antiquaries.