Dr Cassandra Harrington is an art historian specialising in medieval stone sculpture and manuscript illumination. She has a particular interest in the transmission and reception of ideas, and the dialogue between visual and textual modes in Gothic Europe.

In 2023 she completed a CHASE-funded PhD at the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies, University of Kent.

Cassandra has worked in a variety of roles from lecturing and widening participation, to historic collections and auction houses. Her research has recently been featured in UnHerd and Perspective magazine, and she is currently working on a forthcoming monograph, in addition to a series of articles. In 2024, she was awarded a research support grant from the Paul Mellon Centre towards her book project.

An experienced communicator, Cassandra has taught both Classics and History at Kent, and guest lectured for The Leaves of Southwell project at Southwell Minster, as well as for the Centre for Kent History and Heritage. She has conducted extensive collections research and provided consultancy for heritage initiatives, including The Canterbury Journey project at Canterbury Cathedral and the OLOG Buildings Preservation Trust.

Alongside her academic research, Cassandra works in public humanities, contributing to heritage projects, lectures, workshops, and documentaries. She has recently contributed to forthcoming productions for major cultural institutions and broadcasters, translating complex visual and historical material into accessible narratives.

Interested in methods of production, materiality, and pigments, Cassandra enjoys practice-based research and leads manuscript illumination and paint workshops for outreach events (including Heritage Open Days), schools, universities, professional development training, and conferences.

Although she is primarily a medievalist, Cassandra also ventures into other time periods, from the Greco-Roman world to the modern day, offering longue-durée perspectives on historically complex iconography.

Cassandra is a member of the British Archaeological Association and International Center of Medieval Art.

In 2025 she was awarded honorary lifetime membership of the Canterbury Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies (CAMEMS).

If you’d like to work with Cassandra, please get in touch.