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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…

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.

Tags

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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Yet more evidence of our growing obsession with la Yet more evidence of our growing obsession with late 17th and early 18th century dovecotes! Form, brick size and bond would probably put this one somewhere on the cusp. Their simple, pure, almost modern forms often belie their true purpose; not a machine for living as Le Corbusier might have said, but a machine for feeding! #heritage #conservation #historicbuildings #architecture #dovecotes #brick #shropshire #thefabricofplaces
The Shropshire Union Canal was largely completed i The Shropshire Union Canal was largely completed in the mid 1830s and passed through the Midlands counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. The Woodseaves cutting provided the engineer (Thomas Telford) with ample stone for the construction of various bridges and structures along this section. This bridge, No 57, as well as No 58 are two of the best examples and are both currently designated as Grade II. #heritage #conservation #architecture #canals #shropshire #canalandrivertrust #thefabricofplaces
Very rarely do we pass through the city of Derby w Very rarely do we pass through the city of Derby without visiting at least one of the remaining works by one of the greatest iron smiths of the 18th century. Robert Bakewell of Derby is seen by many to represent the most distinctive break with what was then the dominant French style of Jean Tijou, who Bakewell was thought to have worked with at Hampton Court at the very beginning of his career. During our most recent foray into the city, we managed to spend some time admiring his magnificent chancel screen at the Church of All Saints, now the city’s Cathedral. Redesigned by James Gibbs in the early 1720s and built by Francis Smith of Warwick, the new church could have been said to symbolise the emerging confidence of a town whose reputation for trade, commerce and culture was growing rapidly. Bakewell regularly worked with the firm of Francis Smith and would later work with James Gibbs on his designs for the Radcliffe Camera in Oxford. However, in this instance, the finished work was elevated above that of a regular commission to a singular masterpiece, easily comparable to that of his much celebrated arbour at Melbourne Hall. Despite its greatness, the screen did fall into relatively poor condition during the 19th century, but was magnificently restored and adapted by Haslam in the early 1900s, to the composition and condition in which we see it today. It is perhaps the finest piece of 18th century decorative wrought iron work, in the English style, anywhere in England. Nikolaus Pevsner once remarked that it was ‘the most important possession in the Cathedral’, and when you stand in front of it, you can clearly see why. #heritage #conservation #craftsman #ironwork #wroughtiron #cathedral #churches #derby #melbourne #derbyshire #oxford #thefabricofplaces
Unusual examples of the historic built environment Unusual examples of the historic built environment can often be found in the strangest of places. This late 17th century dovecote is situated at the heart of a 1970s housing estate on the outskirts of Wolverhampton. Originally part of a large farmstead, it is now the only remaining structure of an historic agricultural holding that was thought to date from the 13th century. The farm was acquired in the 1860s by the then Wolverhampton Corporation, who developed the land to form part of the local sewage treatment works, which operated up until the mid 20th century. By the early 1960s, the Corporation had demolished most of the buildings on the site, including an early 17th century brick gatehouse. By the mid 1970s, the land had been largely cleared for the development of a new housing estate, but for some reason the dovecote was spared! It was restored in the 1980s and again more recently with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It is perhaps one of the most unusual settings for a structure of its type, standing next to a former pub (now a church) and overlooked by a modern shopping precinct. We are guessing the locals don’t use it as intended, however, it should be greatly admired if only for escaping, relatively unscathed, from the demolition crazed 1970s! It is currently designated as Grade II. #heritage #conservation #architecture #agriculture #dovecote #wolverhampton #westmidlands #nationallotteryheritagefund #thefabricofplaces
Very rarely do the qualities of vernacular simplic Very rarely do the qualities of vernacular simplicity, rhythmic form and heritage significance combine in such a way as they do at Essex Bridge in the Staffordshire village of Great Haywood. It is thought to have originally taken its name from a timber structure that was either built or improved upon by the Earl of Essex (Robert Devereux) in the late 16th century, as a passage over the River Trent to his family home at nearby Chartley Castle. It was reconstructed in stone in the middle of the 17th century and, at over 100 meters in length, it is widely considered to be one of the country’s longest packhorse bridges still in existence. Despite its age, its form is thought to have remained largely unchanged since the time of its construction and it is currently dual designated as both a Scheduled Monument and a Grade I designated heritage asset. #heritage #conservation #architecture #vernacular #engineering #rivers #rivertrent #canalandrivertrust #medieval #staffordshire #thefabricofplaces
Whilst it’s perhaps fair to say that Vanbrugh li Whilst it’s perhaps fair to say that Vanbrugh lived an extremely ‘colourful’ life, even by today’s standards, it’s perhaps equally fair to say that this great artist didn’t leave us with enough of his classically unorthodox, architectural creations! However, for this reason, the buildings he did leave us with are perhaps made more significant by their rarity. Our last visit to one of his creations reminded us that he designed some of the best ‘back doors’ of the early 18th century! #heritage #conservation #architecture #classicism #baroque #northumberland #nationaltrust #thefabricofplaces
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