 The house (which still exists) is a fine mid-terraced 19th century three storey and basement house facing the [[A82 road|Great Western Road]].James studied at [[Glasgow Academy]] then studied Sciences at [[Glasgow University]], obtaining a [[BSc]] in [[Geology]] in 1910.He then won a place at [[Cambridge University]] where he undertook a master's degree at [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's College]] gaining an MA in 1912, then began research work.