Understanding and writing about buildings

This session will provide the very basics in examining and describing buildings from the 9th Century to the present day. We will cover vernacular and polite architecture – modern and recent buildings and housing – special types of building (religious, industrial, civic, etc) – and documentary sources and techniques. By the end of the session, you will have the tools to ‘read’, date, and understand the implications of key architectural features and translate what you see into an architectural description.

Dr Simon Draper is an archaeologist-turned-historian with a special interest in early and later medieval landscapes. He has worked for the VCH since 2007 in both Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.

Dr Ruth Slatter is Lecturer in Historic Environment & Knowledge Exchange Manager at the Institute of Historical Research.  Ruth is an interdisciplinary historian who specialises in participatory histories and the study of peoples’ everyday uses and experiences of the historic built environment. 

IHR Seminar Series: People, Place and Community