Hertes of England
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Looking back through History

October 30, 2020

by Hertes of England

In the last decade or so, the Midlands has become a significant reference point in the historic and cultural understanding of England’s national identity. Following the discovery of the Staffordshire Hoard in 2009, a new account has started to emerge of both the influence and importance of the, once forgotten, place in the middle. As the historian Helen Castor’s recent documentary series, England: Made in the Middle, attests, the Midlands is where the cornerstones of our contemporary English identity were carved. With its foundations firmly set in the Anglo Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, the English Midlands was the medieval melting pot for the fusion of political, social and cultural changes that led up to the early renaissance and beyond.

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The significance of beginning to understand this new strata of influence allows us to configure a different view of how this region’s built environment may have developed during this time, as well as what influenced its shape and culture. The great towns and cities of the Midlands all prospered during this time to emerge after the renaissance as significant centres of commerce, industry and innovation. One would only need to recount the deeds of the individuals who participated in the Lunar Society to confirm this fact.

A region’s vernacular architecture has always been considered to be an expression of its character, what it built and how it built it was woven into the fabric of its identity. Traditional or vernacular building practices have historically been concerned with utilising indigenous materials and regionally developed knowledge of construction, topography and climate. These elements determined the character of a region’s buildings, how they were built and what they would look like. Whether it is the timber-framed farmhouses and cottages of Warwickshire and Staffordshire, or the Victorian villas and industrial factories and terraces of Birmingham and the Black Country, throughout history, the construction of buildings has always been a response to both changing social needs and tastes, as well as economic necessity.

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Boxed timber-framed cottage in Hill-Ridware, Staffordshire

Economic migration, throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, changed the dynamics of both town and country, creating a unique schism in English history. The traditional and vernacular buildings of the Midlands, even today, bear witness to this unique juncture. While the central areas of the West Midlands still proudly display the monumental architectural heritage of the Industrial Revolution, the buildings of Warwickshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire still project a unchanged pre-industrial form and a vernacular style that distinctly belongs to a very English rural way of life.

The architectural legacies of England”s great industrial innovations still stand as a testament to what is now a bygone age of coal, iron and steam. Whilst its agricultural heritage still provides a rich seam of vernacular interest throughout the region, the agricultural and technological developments of the time changed this built environment in a way that still organises our day-to-day lives today. Being at the centre, the English Midlands has always been influenced by its periphery, it has always allowed the edges to bleed in and participate in its cultural and material fabric. It is because of this unique position and porosity that its buildings and architecture demonstrate an immense diversity in construction, style and function. To truly understand this diversity, and to continue to cherish all that it offers, it is imperative to think about these buildings in their widest context, by which we mean not just their regional character, but their forms and functions, how they were built and why they were built.

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Arkwright’s Mill, Cromford, Derbyshire (World Heritage Site)

In this sense, our objective at Hertes of England is a relatively simple one; to build a unique architectural and building resource that explores the rich historical, material and cultural landscapes of the English Midlands, with the hope of understanding the numerous and diverse range of buildings that stand as testaments to the craft and ingenuity of the people who made them.

Posted in: Regions · Tagged: Anglo Saxon, Architecture, Birmingham, Black Country, Derbyshire, English Midlands, History, Industrial Revolution, Kingdom of Mercia, Knowledge, Leicestershire, Lunar Society, Medieval, Midlands, Staffordshire, Vernacular, Warwickshire, World Heritage Site
R. W. Brunskill →

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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