Crathorne was member of council of the Royal Society of Arts from 1982 to 1988. He was a member of the court of the University of Leeds from 1985 to 1997, and governor of the Queen Margaret's School, York Ltd from 1986 to 1999. Between 1983 and 2011, he was member of the editorial board of "House" magazine at Westminster. Since 1987 he was president of the Yarm Civic Society. For the Georgian Group, he has been a member of the executive committee, and was its chair between 1990 and 1999.