Montacute House: 17th C Graffiti – the Mythology of the 17th C Royal Oak & trees of the Monmouth Rebellion
One of the talks I do for local history groups is the ‘Historic Graffiti of Montacute House’. A few years ago, I undertook a project to record the graffiti at Montacute, of which there is a fair amount. The talk attempts to bring to life a glimpse of the social...
THE BENEDICTINES FROM ITALY TO ENGLAND – From Order in Rurality to Urban Powerhouse
Whilst the roots of the Benedictines grew from the Italian countryside, they established some of their monasteries as key centres in England. The Benedictines played an integral role in society, culture, learning and the economy of England from the 7th C through until...
GREEK TEMPLES & THE 18th C GRAND TOUR – Learning about the Doric Order
‘The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.’ Aristotle (384-322 BC) Anyone with an interest in architectural history cannot get away from the importance of classical temples, classical architecture and...
North Cadbury Church, Somerset – 3 ELEMENTS: Monument, Ferramenta & Bench Ends
The church of St Michael lies to the south of North Cadbury village, adjacent to North Cadbury Court (late 16th C). The church has many fascinating aspects. I have chosen three elements to see where they lead in terms of the church’s history. I visited the exterior of...
15th Century-Stained Glass – Saints of The Golden Legend: The Dragon Window, Trull, Somerset
15th Century-Stained Glass - Saints of The Golden Legend: The Dragon Window, Trull, Somerset At All Saints Church, Trull near Taunton is a fine stained-glass window known as the ‘Dragon Window’. It dates from the late 15th century.[i] The reason it is known as the...
The Evolution of English Stained Glass 1: Late-7th Century until 14th Century
Dating stained glass is not a simple task. The techniques, colours, designs, window tracery, ferramenta, content, symbolism, intended purpose, commission and position need to be examined. This post is to give an introduction to some of the considerations. Between the...
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a website and blog dedicated to establishing a resource of historical information related to the built heritage of England. The regular blog posts aim to provide the reader with a diversity of architectural history subjects. This could be a particular building, individual, monument, subject area, architectural element or historical source. Downloadable factsheets, produced on a regular basis, provide a snapshot of relevant historical data for building history study.