Building Construction in Britain from 600AD to 1890
Building Construction in Britain from 600AD to 1890, Geoffrey R Sharpe, 2018, 364 pages, 223 black and white and colour illustrations, softback.
As the author of several books on traditional building construction, including churches and rural building types, Geoffrey R Sharpe provides an overview of craft traditions and their development over 1,300 years in this new handbook. A chartered surveyor and engineer, he has wide experience of caring for historic buildings, and puts his knowledge to good effect. The book includes chapters on building methods; building in stone; timber construction; brick and unbaked earth; and heating, plumbing and other services. Specialist tools and equipment are described in detail, while the often arcane language used for different types of mallets, chisels, timber joints, and so on is helpfully explained. His accounts of medieval building technology and craftsmanship in particular are clear and concise, and both text and images (the latter mostly drawings by the author), are useful reference sources. One niggle that this reader had is the separation of text and images into separate blocks, which means constant thumbing back and forth through the pages to fully understand the author’s points.
This article originally appeared in IHBC's Context 164 (Page 54), published by The Institute of Historic Building Conservation in March 2020. It was written by Context’s reviews editor, Peter de Figueiredo.
--Institute of Historic Building Conservation
Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
IHBC NewsBlog
18th-century hospital in York to become sustainable homes
A former mental health establishment founded by a Quaker in 1792 is to be converted into 120 energy-efficient homes in York.
Context 180 Released - Where Heritage and Nature Meet
The issue includes life, death, Forests, bats, landscapes and much more.
Church architecture awards 2024: now open
The National Churches Trust has announced three awards, all of which are run in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA).
The essential sector guide includes officers' updates and a foreword by EH Chair Gerard Lemos.
Historic England opens nominations for the National Blue Plaque Scheme
The scheme is open to nominations to celebrate people from all walks of life.
Striking photos show nature reclaiming brutalist concrete
‘Brutalist Plants’ explores nature’s links to the architectural style characterised by imposing form and exposed concrete.
Purcell’s guidance on RAAC for Listed Buildings in England & Wales
The guidance specifically focuses on Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in listed buildings.
IHBC Membership Journal Context - Latest Issue on 'Hadrian's Wall' Published
The issue includes takes on the wall 'end-to-end' including 'the man who saved it'.
Heritage Building Retrofit Toolkit developed by City of London and Purcell
The toolkit is designed to provide clear and actionable guidance for owners, occupiers and caretakers of historic and listed buildings.
70 countries sign Declaration de Chaillot at Buildings & Climate Global Forum
The declaration is a foundational document enabling progress towards a ‘rapid, fair, and effective transition of the buildings sector'.
Comments
Where can I review a copy before purchasing? Are there any extracts on line anywhere?
It is available here https://www.buildingconservation.com/books/bookshop.htm but there are no extracts.