Sophie Chessum received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of East Anglia and a Masters degree in Computer Applications for Art History from Birkbeck College, University of London. Whilst at Birkbeck College, she was an intern at Christies in the Books and Manuscripts Department. Subsequently she was the administrator for Royal Collections Studies at the Attingham Trust and then worked for the National Portrait Gallery on a funded project to digitize the primary collection at the Gallery. She joined the National Trust in 1998 as a Curatorial Assistant and was subsequently appointed Curator responsible for a number of internationally important houses, collections, gardens and landscapes including Clandon Park, Petworth, Upppark and Polesden Lacey. She is currently Consultancy Manager (Curator) for London and Southeast and is responsible for leading a team of specialists curators, rural surveyors and building surveyors providing advice to a large number of properties. Since the fire at Clandon, she has been seconded to lead the salvage element of the restoration project providing curatorial expertise on the house and its collection.