In 1969, he created an independent fine art consultancy, James Dugdale & Associates, which later became James Crathorne & Associates, and has made many lecture tours to the United States. In 1981, Crathorne held a lecture series about "Aspects of England" at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City and in 1988, he made a lecture tour for the bicentenary of Australia, talking about Captain James Cook. From 1979 to 1993, he was director of Blakeney Hotels Ltd, from 1988 to 1999 of Woodhouse Securities Ltd, and from 2000 to 2001 of Hand Picked Hotels. Between 1993 and 1998, he was also director of Cliveden plc, and from 1999 of its successor, Cliveden Ltd.