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Joseph Pickford’s Ashbourne Villas

October 10, 2019

by Hertes of England

Joseph Pickford’s Ashbourne Villas

When we use the adjective or prefix ‘Georgian’ to describe a town or city, that…

Sidney R. Jones

March 5, 2019

by Hertes of England

Sidney R. Jones

One only has to travel over the mountains and moors of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire…

Elements: Walling

February 7, 2019

by Hertes of England

Elements: Walling

Walling in vernacular or traditional buildings is commonly referred to, and recognised, by the nature…

Looking back through History

April 5, 2018

by Hertes of England

Boxed timber-framed cottage in Hill-Ridware, Staffordshire

In the last decade or so, the Midlands has become a significant reference point in…

Historic England Link

About

Welcome to the Hertes of England historic building resource. We specialise in exploring the traditional buildings and vernacular architecture of the English Midlands. From timber-framed cottages to Victorian town houses and factories, we investigate a range of historic buildings and the skills, techniques and crafts that were used to create them.

Tags

R.W.Brunskill Warwickshire History John Gerard Leicestershire Robert Bakewell Dishley Grange Stichelton Mutton Renaissance Derbyshire Martin Heidegger Architecture Eliza Acton Good King Henry Birmingham Welbeck Estate Vernacular English Midlands Lunar Society William Youatt Henry Issac Stevens West Midlands Black Country John Evelyn British Charcuterie East Midlands Technology Herefordshire

Journal

  • John Speed "Therein groweth a stone softer than Alablaster, but being burnt maketh a Plaister harder than..."

    John Speed
  • Sidney R. Jones "One only has to travel over the mountains and moors of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire..."

    Sidney R. Jones
  • Martin Heidegger "Whoever builds a house or a ship or forges a sacrificial chalice reveals what is..."

    Martin Heidegger
  • Carole Ryan "Vernacular building tradition is one based upon time-immeriorial building techniques and the use of materials,..."

    Carole Ryan

Instagram

While out in Nottinghamshire earlier this week, we While out in Nottinghamshire earlier this week, we made a pilgrimage to this sublime structure! It is a 14th Century dovecote located in the medieval village of Sibthorpe on the outskirts of Newark-on-Trent. Originally part of a medieval college settlement, it now stands as the centre piece to a much larger Scheduled Ancient Monument. Built around the mid 1300s, it is constructed of rubble stone with a conical, clay tiled roof and is the oldest and largest dovecote in the county. It was restored during the latter half of the 20th Century and has a Grade I designation. #heritage #nottinghamshire #medieval #sheduledancientmonument
The English Midlands has a long and proud history The English Midlands has a long and proud history of providing alms and shelter to those in need. A rich typology of almshouses could be found in many of the towns and cities of the Midlands from the 16th Century onwards. One of the earliest examples of these important buildings can still be found in the city of Lichfield. Built on a site that is thought to date from the 12th Century, the 15th Century structure of the Hospital of St John (1495) is perhaps one of the most important collections of almshouses in the region. The facade is articulated by eight large projecting stacks with offsets and supporting buttresses. The entrance doorway and passage are framed by a large moulded surround, with accompanying hood and spandrels. The almshouses, chapel and site have seen many additions and adaptations throughout the 19th, 20th and 21st Centuries, including the much admired John Piper stained glass east window that was commissioned in the 1980s. This unique medieval structure and plan has survived and adapted to each of the five centuries it has lived through, whilst still offering the much needed shelter it was originally built to provide. It is currently designated as Grade I. #heritage #conservation #architecture #tudor #almshouses #stainedglass #lichfield #staffordshire
The geological materials of the English Midlands a The geological materials of the English Midlands are predominantly limestone and sandstone. Both materials have historically been used in abundance for both religious and domestic buildings throughout the region. However, the material extracted from the limestone beds that we know as Lias or Blue Lias (stretching from Dorset to Yorkshire) is perhaps harder to find in buildings these days as it was thought that it weathered particularly badly! Fortunately, its poor reputation as a building material has not affected this mid 16th Century private chapel, built in the former grounds of Bede House in Newark, Nottinghamshire. Constructed of Lias rubblestone and ashlar, it has weathered particularly well over the last 450 years! Perhaps the good Lord looked upon it more favourably than other, less obvious, religiously motivated buildings! Those that have not been officially ordained have prescribed the chapel a designation of Grade II. #heritage #conservation #stone #limestone #newark #nottinghamshire
This relatively unique building is the last remain This relatively unique building is the last remaining structure on the site that was once Josiah Wedgwood’s Etruria pottery factory near Hanley in Stoke-on-Trent. Situated on the embankment of the Trent & Mersey Canal, it was most likely built as a counting house for the import and export of materials and goods to and from the factory site. Known locally as ‘The Roundhouse’ it was constructed in the mid 18th Century on a circular plan over two-storeys and utilises a series of portal window openings (Oculi) from which the ‘comings and goings’ of the canal could be overlooked. It currently possesses a Grade II* designation.
Despite his obvious distaste for what he often pej Despite his obvious distaste for what he often pejoratively described as ‘historicism’ Nikolaus Pevsner clearly had a ‘soft spot’ for Wightwick Manor, situated in the suburbs of Wolverhampton. His entry, in the yet to be updated Staffordshire volume of The Buildings of England, describes the house as a ’tour de force’ and is one of the longest non-ecclesiastical entries in the entire volume! And it is clear to see what he admired about this building, as its historical integrity is genuinely overshadowed by the unique craftsmanship that is evident in both its design (Edward Ould of Grayson & Ould) and construction. Built in the late Victorian period, it stands as a testament to the quality of crafts and trades that, for obvious reasons, by the end of the First World War had largely been lost! Along with Webb and Morris’ Red House (Morris designed the interior at the Manor), it should be considered as one of the most important examples of Arts & Crafts architecture in England. It is currently designated as Grade I. #heritage #conservation #architecture #artsandcrafts #williammorris #staffordshire
Many towns and cities in the English Midlands play Many towns and cities in the English Midlands played a significant role in the development of the nation’s railways, but perhaps none more so than the city of Derby, through its long association with the Midland Railway company. As the railways began to rapidly grow around the mid 19th Century, Midland Railway was one of the first railway companies to build substantial accommodation schemes for its workers. Under the stewardship of their architect, Francis Thompson (1808-1895), these cottages on Railway Terrace were built in the early 1840s as one part of a much larger scheme that Thompson designed in the centre of the city. The obvious polite restraint that is evident in their design has, over their lifetime, assured their longevity, despite their wholesale abandonment in the 1970s, when they lay empty and derelict for some years! Following a timely intervention by the Derbyshire Historic Buildings Trust they were both restored and modernised in order to safeguard their importance to the city as a direct reflection of one its most important industries. They are currently designated as Grade II. #heritage #conservation #industrialheritage #architecture #railways #cottages #derby #dhbt
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