Exploring building history
DILLINGTON HOUSE: Interiors & When King Raedwald Came to Tea
With Somerset District Council no longer running Dillington House from the end of September 2023, I wanted to share some photos of the interior. I thought I would include some photos I took some years ago on an Anglo-Saxon course. The tutors brought with them the…
DILLINGTON HOUSE: End of an era: 1949 to 2023
In September 2023 Dillington House will no longer be run by Somerset County Council. It has provided a wonderful venue for residential adult education courses since 1949. In recent years the council expanded its offering as a venue for events, meetings, and weddings….
THE PANTHEON: Mastery of Roman Architecture & Engineering
The 18th-century Grand Tour must have been exciting time for young patricians seeking to discover the ancient world first hand in Rome. If they could put aside the temptations of pleasurable diversions, then serious learning and procuring a collection were attainable….
SEPTEMBER 1761 Diary of Edward Phelips V: George III’s Coronation, Lady Augusta Fane & Leweston Manor
Main Photo Source: ‘George III (1738-1820)’ by Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), c. 1761-62. Source: Wikimedia Commons.[i] The coronation of George III and Queen Charlotte took place on Tuesday 22nd of September 1761. It was nothing like the well planned and executed…
Book Review of ELTHAM LODGE: Where Perfection meets Convenience by John H. Bunney
Book Review of ELTHAM LODGE: Where Perfection meets Convenience by John H. Bunney I was intrigued by the title of this publication as it sums up the idea of country house building. Their design is an attempt at mastery of perfection, to present certain ideals and…
KING GEORGE III: A Blessing or A Curse?: A View from Edward Phelips’ V Commonplace Book
Main Photo Source: ‘George III (1738-1820), Queen Charllotte (1744-1818) and their Six Eldest Children’ by Johann Zoffany, Royal Collection. Source: Wikimedia Commons.[i] In the Commonplace book of Edward Phelips[ii] there are two poems about George III. The first…
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a non-commercial site. It is my own personal musings on architectural history. There is wealth of built heritage in England, and as I explore and think about what I see, I post my reflections on this site.