The British House: A Concise Architectural History

This book offers an account of the architectural development of the smaller house in Britain. line drawings reveal the detailed evolution of the individual features of the house, which enable houses to be closely dated. Separate chapters are devoted to the oldest tradition (beehive and cob), the Medieval stone house, the timber-frame tradition, Tudor town houses, the classical town house and its rural counterpart, the merged tradition 1770-1940, the Victorian house and the 20th century house. Houses in Scotland and Wales are included, as are a full range of the different types of domestic buildings: yeomen hallhouses; farmhouses from the most primitive to the most substantial; the homes of merchants, clergymen and professional people; cottages in town and country; semi-detached pairs, and terrace housing of all kinds. A final chapter provides an illustrated ready reference guide to the distinctive features of houses, and how to recognize and date them. Also included are lists of open air museums of domestic architecture, and of smaller houses open to the public. author was an Inspector of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings at the Department of the Environment from 1974-1982 and previously a lecturer in art-historical subjects at London University Extra-Mural Department. He is the author of F.R. Leavis: A Bibliographical Check-List and The Road to War.