Books of interest
NEW: Cruck Building: A Survey, ed. Nat Alcock, Paul Barnwell and Martin Cherry (2019, 416 pp; £50). if you are a Vernacular Architect Group member the price is £35 (order details below). Based on the 2017 Oxford symposium, the 15 chapters cover both general themes, including structural aspects, archaeology, base crucks, and the origins and dating of crucks, and regional studies ranging from Devon and Leicestershire to Cumbria and Northumberland, Wales and Scotland. Launched at the January 2020 VAG conference in Leicester.
Order direct from Shaun Tyas, 1 High Street, Donington, Lincolnshire, PE11 4TA (01775 821542). All prices include free UK postage; orders and payment by Paypal to shaun@shauntyas.myzen.co.uk; phone for credit card orders, or cheques by post.
The Vernacular Architecture and Buildings of Stroud and Chalford by Nigel Paterson
A jumbo book about the Cotswold stone houses and cottages of the Stroud area. Crammed with details and photos of the buildings, which enables the architectural history of Cotswold buildings to be understood. Published in 2006 by Nigel Paterson (previous chairman of the GBRG). Price from £14.95. Available online from: Amazon.co.uk
The Church Houses of Old Gloucestershire, by Jill Martin.
A publication of particular interest to local historians. Lean about the purposes of these forgotten buildings of architectural, church and parish history. This gazetteer, illustrated with many coloured photographs, provides sources of records for the existence of Church Houses throughout the pre-1974 county of Gloucestershire.
Published in 2013 on CD in PDF format. Price £6.50 (including p & P). Cheques payable to: Hawkesbury Local History Society. Available from: Barrie Hope, Pool Farm House, Hawkesbury Upton, Badminton, South Glos, GL9 1AY. e-mail: hawkesburychron@btinternet.com
The Cotswold House by Tim Jordan & Lionel Walrond (a GBRG member)
This book considers the different periods, styles and characteristic features. Illustrated throughout with examples from across the region. It is well illustrated in colour and includes details, from exterior features such as stone roofing, gables and chimneys, to interior features of timber work, fireplaces and furniture. Price from £12.42. Available online from: Wordery.com
Useful books on building archaeology
The Archaeology of Buildings by Richard K. Morriss (Tempus, 2000)
Fixtures and Fittings in dated houses 1567-1763 by Linda Hall & Nat Alcock (Council for British Archaeology 2002)
Hampshire Houses 1250-1700: Their dating & development by Edwards Roberts (Hampshire County Council, 2003)
Vernacular Buildings of Shropshire by Madge Moran (Logaston Press, 2003)
The English Medieval Roof: Crown post to Kingpost edited by John Walker (Essex Historic Buildings Group, 2011)
Useful books on Stone
Patterns in Stonework: The Early Church in Britain and Ireland. An introduction to ecclesiastical geology BAR British Series 496 (Oxford: Archaeopress, 2009) Chapter 2 by John F. Potter in particular highlights church archaeology and that in the Anglo-Saxon period vertical bedded stones (often alternate) in door jambs, arches, windows were used. It is not always easy to see, but it seems to be diagnostic of the Anglo-Saxon period.
