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Looking back through History

October 30, 2020

by Hertes of England

Looking back through History

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

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-frame 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.

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Anglo Saxon Architecture Birmingham Black Country Derbyshire East Midlands English Midlands Georgian Gothic Henry Issac Stevens History Industrial Revolution Joseph Pickford Kingdom of Mercia Knowledge Leicestershire Lincolnshire Lunar Society Medieval Midlands Nottinghamshire R. W. Brunskill Romantic Staffordshire Vernacular Victorian Warwickshire World Heritage Site

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

    Carole Ryan

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Derby Cathedral has long been the home to one of t Derby Cathedral has long been the home to one of the most important examples of Georgian ironwork in the county. This work (an internal rood screen) was designed and manufactured by Robert Bakewell of Derby (who is considered by many to be the finest English-born ironsmith of the 18th Century). The much celebrated screen dates from the 1730s, however, the cathedral is also home to another piece of wrought ironwork by Bakewell that was originally designed for somewhere else in the city! These gates were originally commissioned by William Osborne (they still bear his coat of arms) for his grand Palladian villa on St Mary’s Gate. This house was thought to have been designed for Osborne by James Gibbs (Cathedral architect) in the 1730s and built in the 1740s. Following a major 19th Century adaptation, its presence remained in the city up until the late 1930s, when it was unfortunately demolished! However, the gates were luckily salvaged, restored and relocated just up the street to the west door of the Cathedral in the late 1950s. It is surely fitting that craftsmanship of such significance still resides in the city where it was born and that Robert Bakewell’s genius is still celebrated many centuries after they were made. #heritage #conservation #georgian #wroughtiron #derbyshire
Nestled in the district of South Derbyshire, in th Nestled in the district of South Derbyshire, in the shadow of a 12th Century Norman church, are the Etwall almshouses. Originally constructed in the late 16th Century, following the death of Sir John Port (1556), who left land and sufficient funds to build a ‘hospital’ and a school in the parish. The almshouses originally consisted of six dwellings, which had increased to 12 by 1622 and 16 by 1690, when the structure was thought to have been largely rebuilt in a U-plan setting with the construction of a courtyard and archway, the latter of which featuring the coats of arms of prominent local patrons and an inscribed marble plaque. It is this rebuilt structure (with minor additions and repairs) that stands largely untouched today. The wrought iron gates were added in the second half of the 20th Century following the demolition of Etwall Hall (1954), which was where they had originally stood. They were designed and manufactured by Robert Bakewell of Derby (an ironsmith of national repute) and bear many similarities to the iron rood screen manufactured by him for Derby Cathedral (early 18th Century). For last 180 years or so the almshouses have been managed by a Trust and are currently designated as Grade II*. #heritage #conservation #architecture #almshouses #derbyshire #etwall
Fenestration Friday: This classic example of a Ven Fenestration Friday: This classic example of a Venetian window belongs to a Palladian inspired villa on Friar Gate in Derby. The building was originally designed by Joseph Pickford (although it was mistakenly attributed to Robert Adam) and was situated only a ‘few doors up’ from his own residence.
Fenestration Friday: This late 16th Century, six l Fenestration Friday: This late 16th Century, six leaded light window with stone mullions, transoms and surrounds belongs to the former Elizabethan Grammar School in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. It clearly bears the signs of ‘honest’ restoration and newly inserted stone.
As we have highlighted before, the English Midland As we have highlighted before, 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 across the Midlands from the 16th Century onwards, and perhaps none more so than the city of Lichfield. Within a ‘stones throw’ of Lichfield’s great cathedral can be found the late medieval structure of Dr Milley’s Hospital. The hospital was originally founded in 1424 and rebuilt by Dr Milley in 1504. Since then, it has almost continually provided alms and refuge to women of all ages who have required shelter in times of need. The original medieval building has been updated throughout the intervening centuries, mostly notably in the late 18th Century and in 1906, when it only marginally escaped demolition (interestingly it was the Charity Commission who refused to sanction the demolition). Its unusual position of being constructed in the ‘town ditch’ means that there is a significant fall from the roadside (and neighbouring buildings) to the main entrance, most of which is thought to be part of the rebuilt 1504 structure. The hospital is currently designated as Grade II*. #heritage #conservation #architecture #medieval #almshouses #staffordshire #lichfield
The development of vernacular house plans in the l The development of vernacular house plans in the late 16th and early 17th Centuries provides an interesting ‘window’ onto the changes in domestic living and the historic development of the modern house plan. One of the most popular house plans of the period was the baffle entry or lobby entry plan. This design can be found in many of the regions throughout the Midlands and the south of England. There were many variations, including 2 unit and 3 unit plans, but most were of multi-storey construction with the distinctive feature of a back-to-back fireplace and a central stack, usually aligned with the entrance. This 17th Century example, near the Derbyshire/Staffordshire border, is a 3 unit plan with multiple fireplaces (central and gable), constructed using rough ashlar stone and mainly 3 light windows with chamfered mullions and surrounds. There has been a few 19th Century (fish-scale band roof tiles) and 20th Century (gable porch) additions, however, it still stands as a very good example of a 17th Century farmhouse based on a baffle entry plan. It is currently designated as Grade II. #heritage #conservation #architecture #vernacular #historicbuildings #derbyshire #staffordshire #midlands
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