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Matthew H. Johnson

October 31, 2020

by Hertes of England

Matthew H. Johnson

Seeing vernacular architecture in terms of people making their own history can be difficult for…

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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

"Therein groweth a stone softer than Alablaster, but being burnt maketh a Plaister harder than..."
John Speed
"One only has to travel over the mountains and moors of Lancashire, Yorkshire and Derbyshire..."
Sidney R. Jones
"Vernacular building tradition is one based upon time-immeriorial building techniques and the use of materials,..."
Carole Ryan

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Willoughby House, situated on Low Pavement in Nott

Willoughby House, situated on Low Pavement in Nottingham, is a traditional Georgian town house, decorated in the Queen Anne style over five bays with a central Roman doorcase, segmental pediment and moulded keystone. It was renovated and restored to a very high standard in the early 1990s and then more recently in 2005 by the local fashion designer Paul Smith, as a second retail outlet within the city to complement his old Byard Lane shop, which is unfortunately now closed.

However, in this instance it is not the house that is of interest but the wrought iron gates and railings that are situated at the entrance to the courtyard. The gates appear contemporary with the original building of the house (circa 1740) for the Right Honourable Rothwell Willoughby. They are of an arched composition with limited decoration, however, they do contain flourishes of skilled ironwork such as the finials, water leaf work, locking rail and the ‘wave’ bars within the stretcher frame. The railings are of a reasonably standard affair for the time and are set in chamfered ashlar coping stones with spear pointed elements that are continued along the ridge of the gates. There has been some suggestion that they may have been designed and manufactured by Robert Bakewell of Derby (one of the finest iron smiths of the 18th Century) Maybe?

Whilst there is a separate Grade II* designation for the gates and railings (the house is also designated as Grade II*), it does not contain any form of attribution to a maker and no documentation of the commission appears to exist. As is often the case with these types of scenarios, it’s only through establishing design consistencies that one may tentatively attribute works to certain makers and whilst there are certainly Bakewell-esque design elements present (wave bars, pilaster finials), there are other elements (unusually high dog bars) that do not appear in other known examples of his work! Unfortunately, in this instance, it’s nowhere close to definitive! Very nice gates though!

#heritage #conservation #ironwork #nottingham #paulsmith #derby

Travel along the relatively unremarkable B6002 fro

Travel along the relatively unremarkable B6002 from Long Eaton to New Sawley in the Derbyshire district of Erewash and you’ll pass a number of entrances to West Park, a large piece of municipal parkland that is much loved and used by the local population. However, along the same stretch of road one can also find a more remarkable example of early 18th Century ornamental ironwork that one could say with some certainty was designed and manufactured by Robert Bakewell of Derby, a unique craftsman who is considered by most to be the finest English born iron smith of the early Georgian period.

Like many of Bakewell’s creations of this time, these particular wrought iron gates have been much modified and moved since their original installation, however, their original location still remains a mystery! Given their design similarities to the gates that were made for Sir Thomas Lombe at the Silk Mill in Derby, one could presume that they were made at around the same time (circa. 1720). The supporting piers were designed (according to the late Edward Saunders) for nearby Aston Lodge at Aston-on-Trent in the late 18th Century, and the letters ‘RB’ in the overthrow and the swan crest motif (a Boden family emblem) are thought to be related to Reginald Boden, who lived at Aston Hall in the 19th Century and who probably had the gates personally modified around that time.

In the inter-war period of the 20th Century, the gates and piers were sold through an advertisement in a local newspaper, which is most certainly how they found their way to one of the entrances at West Park. Despite their convoluted journey across the centuries they still stand as an important example of this great craftsman’s oeuvre and perhaps even somewhere close to the site they were originally designed for!

#heritage #conservation #georgian #ironwork #derbyshire #erewash #longeaton #thefabricofplaces

Whilst engaged in the process of studying and docu

Whilst engaged in the process of studying and documenting historic architecture we can often overlook what can appear as less significant decorative elements of otherwise very significant structures. This example is a good case in point. This octagonal cupola sits above an extremely significant example of a stable block that supported a grand country house in Derbyshire. It is in fact the stable block at Calke Abbey, which is currently managed by the National Trust. The stable was built in the early 18th Century in a typical Queen Anne style over thirteen bays with a pedimented, projecting central bay and large segmental carriage arch.

However, the architectural detail that has perhaps been overlooked is not the cupola but the weather vane! From records uncovered in the last couple of decades, it is now thought to have been designed and manufactured by Robert Bakewell of Derby. While it is thought that Bakewell created a number of weather vanes (St. Alkmund’s church in Duffield amongst others), very few examples have survived the 250 years or so since they were manufactured by this most celebrated ironsmith of that most celebrated age!

#heritage #conservation #architecture #ironsmith #derby #derbyshire #nationaltrust #thefabricofplaces #history

We have spoken about the rich typology of historic

We have spoken about the rich typology of historic almshouses in Ashbourne on many occasions, however, we haven’t previously shared anything on the first group of almshouses that were built with funds derived from the estate of Nicholas Spalden following his death in 1713. Spalden was a native of the town (his remains were interred at St Oswald’s church) and he donated a substantial part of his estate (he had created a successful leather goods business in London) to both the upkeep of existing almshouses, as well as to the building of new ones.

This scheme is located next to St Oswald’s church and was completed by the early 1720s. Built in a traditional U plan setting (with a central garden courtyard), it consists of 10 dwellings constructed in the late Queen Anne style using brick, stone dressings and mullioned fenestration (partly modernised). The roofs are hipped and at the rear there are substantial allotment gardens that are still used by the residents for growing vegetable crops. In the 300 years since their construction they have remained as was originally intended, providing shelter to those in need. They are currently designated as Grade II.

#heritage #conservation #architecture #queenanne #almshouses #ashbourne #derbyshire

Whilst many of the country houses situated in the

Whilst many of the country houses situated in the English Midlands are well documented (particularly those in Derbyshire and Staffordshire), the ancillary buildings that have supported these great houses have often been overlooked. However, some of them can offer as much architectural interest as their more prominent neighbours.

This is the former stables and servants’ quarters on the Shugborough estate at Milford in Staffordshire. This late 18th Century, two storey, neo-classical structure was designed around a central courtyard, along with a central porte cochère that encompasses a pediment, clock and lantern, as well as a gilded weather vane. The structure also features symmetrical Venetian and Diocletian windows at either end of the facade, providing a subtle sense of Classical grandeur that complements the main hall. From the 1970s it served as the location for the Staffordshire County Museum, but has relinquished that role in the last few years. It is currently managed by the National Trust and is designated as Grade II.

#heritage #conservation #architecture #staffordshire #nationaltrust

The Fabric of Places: The historic built environme

The Fabric of Places: The historic built environment can sometimes appear in the most unusual places. Whilst out walking over the Easter holidays we came across this magnificent herringbone dry stone wall near the Derbyshire Staffordshire border. Constructed of local stone (this area has been quarried extensively for fine ‘Keuper’ sandstone since the 18th Century), it clearly has an element of pride built into its design, along with a unique sense for the fabric of place.

The land is part of a working farm (currently used for grazing), however, the land owner has clearly recognised the value of the structure by providing additional protection (in the form of a fence) from the grazing livestock.

#heritage #conservation #farming #drystonewalling #stone #derbyshire #staffordshire #thefabricofplaces

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