Dec 24, 2021
According to popular myth it was on the 31st of October 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses disputing the Roman Catholic Church’s practice on indulgences to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. Whether this act was true or not does not dispute the fact...
Dec 1, 2021
In understanding historical buildings there exists the possibility of coming at an analysis from different fields of study and viewpoints. This can make it exciting and complex. Archaeology looks at the material culture, Art History the ideas, designs, techniques and...
Oct 3, 2021
A few years ago, I ventured into the parish church of St Andrew at Curry Rivel in south Somerset and couldn’t help but admire this extraordinary tomb monument from the early-17th C. The stone, plaster and paint bring it alive in a unique way that we don’t often see...
Jul 15, 2021
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...
Dec 11, 2020
The changing architecture of the English country house demonstrates the evolution of arrangement in how people used and circulated within them. Fashion and educated taste combined with developments in technology provides a fascinating history of country house design....
Jul 2, 2020
Architectural Ambition: Sherborne Lodge Raleigh’s architectural ambitions for the old medieval Sherborne Castle hit their limits, whether financial and/or practical, and he began to think again. He turned his attention to an early 16th-C hunting lodge[1] across from...
