The Buildings of England
1 primary work • 40 total works
Book 34
Bedfordshire and the County of Huntingdon and Peterborough
by Nikolaus Pevsner
Published 1 April 1968
Oxford's unique collection of university and college buildings both old and new form a major part of this book. The city itself with its medieval walls and castle and ancient churches is also fully described. Among the county's distinguished houses are Vanbrugh's Blenheim and Kent's Rousham Park, each in magnificently landscaped grounds, while village churches range from notable Norman examples such as Iffley to G.E. Street's inventive Victorian creations such as St Simon & St Jude at Shipton-under-Wychwood. Other attractive towns in this still strongly rural county vary from stone-built Chipping Norton in the Cotswolds to brick-built Henley on the Thames.
Pevsner completed his survey of England's buildings with Staffordshire. A county of striking contrasts, it includes the industrial towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent and much of the Black Country, but also the cathedral city of Lichfield, and the wild country of the Peak District and Cannock Chase. Staffordshire's best timber-framed houses rival those of Cheshire, while the local stone gives shape to country houses such as Shugborough, with its celebrated garden building, and to two neo-Gothic masterpiece churches, Pugin's Cheadle and Bodley's Hoar Cross. Modern buildings include the playful and inventive 1930s pavilions of Dudley Zoo.
This completely new edition reveals a county of contrasts. The semi-rural suburbia of outer-Outer London, with its important early Modern Movement houses, is counterbalanced by magnificent mansions and parks, like idyllic Stowe and the Rothschilds' extravaganza at Waddesdon. The Saxon Church at Wing, the exquisite seventeenth-century Winslow Hall, and Slough's twentieth-century factories all contribute to Buckinghamshire's rich inheritance. In this new edition, the unspoilt centres of small towns, like Amersham and Buckingham, are revisited and Milton Keynes, Britain's last and most ambitious New Town, is explained and explored. The rich diversity of rural buildings, built of stone, brick, timber, and even earth, is investigated with scholarship and discrimination. This accessible and comprehensive guide is prefaced by an illuminating introduction and has many excellent illustrations, plans and maps.
v. 23
In the BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND series, the 2nd revised edition covers one of England's most visited areas. There are chapters by experts in prehistoric, Roman and medieval buildings and in geology. The architecture of towns such as Cirencester and Chipping Camden is covered in depth, as are the wealth of villages, manor houses and farmsteads.
The county stretches from the dramatic Malvern Hills on the eastern borders to the fringes of the Cotswolds on the west. The rural areas are rich in sturdy cruck-framed timber buiildings, discussed in an expert introduction, and in village churches which can boast fine sculpture and fittings. The priory of Great Malvern retains exceptional medieval stained glass, and the medieval cathedral at Worcester has the tomb of King John and the chantry chapel of Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's elder brother. The City of Worcester has numerous fine buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, while Great Malvern is of special interest as an early nineteenth-century spa town. The supreme example of Victorian grandeur is the eccentrically ambitious grounds and house of Witley Court, now an evocative ruin.
Somerset is a serene county, varied in mood more then most, yet always mild wrote Pevsner, drawing attention to its freedom from the extremes of its neighbouring counties. Highlights of this volume are a full account of the Georgian marvels of Bath, and a separate section on the port of Bristol, whose sumptuous Victorian commercial buildings are among the best of their date in England. The fourteenth century Nunney Castle and John Nash's picturesque Blaise Hamlet are perfect examples of their type, while the cathedrals of Wells and Bristol and the Decorated Gothic of St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol inspired some of Pevsner's most eloquent writing on the character of English Gothic architecture.
This southern county has a splendidly varied range of fine buildings. Winchester, with its Cathedral, Castle, College and churches, has some of the finest medieval architecture in England. At Southampton the walled medieval port is still recognisable; in contrast, Portsmouth is of special interest for its extensive Georgian and Victorian dock buildings. The rich countryside abounds in attractive villages and small towns with notable churches and houses, from Norman Romsey Abbey and the quiet grandeur of The Vyne with its audacious portico by John Webb to the early nineteenth century Neo-Grecian of the Grange. Smaller delights include Jane Austen's house at Chawton and Stanley Spencer's unparalleled series of paintings in the Sandham Mermorial Chapel at Burghclere.
The premier monument is Durham Cathedral, greatest of English Norman churches. Lovers of the Middle Ages will also seek out the county's exceptional Anglo-Saxon churches, while many of its great castles - Brancepeth, Raby, Auckland, Lambton - conceal palatial Georgian and Victorian interiors. The landscape varies dramatically, from the wilds of Teesdale and Weardale, in the west, to the pioneering industrial ports of Sunderland and Hartlepool on the coast, including fine gentry houses and stone-built market towns. South Tyneside and northern Cleveland, historically part of County Durham, are also covered.
"Everybody tells you Dorset is a house or mansion county, not a church county...Yet when one sets down all one has seen of Dorset churches...one suddenly realises how much one has enjoyed", wrote Pevsner at the conclusion of his journey. The county provides many unexpected pleasures in ecclesiastical buildings, from the Norman arches of Wimborne Minster, the Early English solemnity of Milton Abbey, to the splendour of Sherborne and the monuments and furnishings of numerous smaller buildings. Of castles, mansions and houses, Dorset boasts the evocative ruins of Corfe; the splendid Kingston Lacy; mighty Milton Abbey House and a wealth of more modest homes. But the county also possesses fine towns and villages, from the Georgian elegance of Weymouth and Lyme Regis, to the model estate village of Milton Abbas.
Although so close to London this is still a rural area, with quiet country churches with fine monuments, timber-framed farmhouses, and some splendid country houses, of which the most celebrated is Cecil's Jacobean Hatfield House. At St Albans the remains of Roman Verulamium and the great early Norman abbey speak eloquently of older civilizations. The towns offer intriguing contrasts: Hertford, Bishop's Stortford and Hitchin still have the character of traditional market centres, while the new towns of Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead and Hatfield are important exemplars of planning ideals of the 1950s and 60s.
The North Riding extends from the fells on the Westmorland border to the highest cliffs in England, facing the North Sea. In an area of scattered settlements, Richmond is one of the best market towns in England, as Whitby is one of the best fishing towns. There are the remains of unusually complete and beautiful work at Rievaulx, complemented by fine eighteenth-century landscaping. The North Riding also saw Vanbrugh's astonishing first essay into architecture at Castle Howard, and there are many fine classical houses in a distinctively northern style. Industry has made its mark along the estuary of the Tees, where the Middlesbrough transporter bridge is a unique working survival of early twentieth-century engineering.
No 28
Sussex turns away from nearby London, towards the sea and the massive ridge of the South Downs. Its coastal resorts are particularly distinguished, nowhere more so than at Brighton where Nash's orientalising Pavilion sets the tone. Elsewhere castles and fortified town walls along the coast attest to Sussex's military past; Chichester cathedral and Battle Abbey to its medieval endowments. In East Sussex, twelfth-century churches are important survivals in villages also rich in the timber-framed houses for which Sussex is famous. On a grander scale, there are atmospheric country houses such as Petworth House and Uppark. The twentieth century makes its mark in the sober and dignified Festival Theatre at Chichester, the exhilarating De la Warr Pavilion at Bexhill, and the uncompromising forms of the University of Sussex campus.
The well-loved Lake District makes up only part of a wild and spacious county, a poetic setting for exceptionally rich Celtic, Roman and Anglo-Saxon monuments. Carlisle Cathedral and Lanercost Priory represent Northern Gothic, while castles such as Naworth and Appleby developed into fine houses which, in their style and decoration, show a rugged regional independence. Settlements range from the planned Stuart port of Whitehaven to the remote market towns of Kirkby Stephen and Alston in the east, while the architecture of the main villages and farmhouses is famous for its unaffected simplicity.
This work covers the English county of Berkshire. Stretching from the fringes of London, Berkshire originally covered much of present day Oxfordshire. The variety of architecture is, consequently, broad and remarkable, from the towns of the home counties to the farmhouses and churches of its west.
The historic county of Essex is one of the larger counties in England, its western half gradually absorbed into London's eastern sprawl from the nineteenth century onwards. Its buildings are appropriately varied in character, ranging from the Edwardian civic buildings of West Ham and Walthamstow, to the fishing and sailing ports and seaside resorts of the estuaries of the east coast. Besides the great Norman Castle Hedingham and Elizabethan Audley End, Essex boasts pioneering brick houses such as Layer Marney Towers as well as numerous fine timber buildings. Towns and cities range from Colchester with its rich Roman and medieval remains, to the more recent experiments at Harlow New Town.
This fully-illustrated guide to Shropshire treats each city, town, and village in a detailed gazetteer and includes a variety of helpful maps, plans, and indexes along with an illustrated glossary. The book is an invaluable reference work on the appealing and unspoiled county of Shropshire, where many historic towns, including Shrewsbury and Ludlow, are especially plentiful in Georgian and timber-framed buildings. Shropshire boasts the Cistercian abbey of Buildwas and many important country houses, including the 13th-century fortified mansions at Acton Burnell and Stokesay; John Nash's Italianate villa at Cronkhill; and Norman Shaw's splendid Late Victorian mansion at Adcote. Shropshire is also home to numerous prehistoric hill-forts and the Roman town at Wroxeter as well as Coalbrookdale's spectacular bridge, the first in the world to be built of iron.
The unspoiled county of Shropshire is among the most appealing in England for lovers of architecture. The county's many historic towns, of which Shrewsbury and Ludlow are the largest, are especially plentiful in Georgian and timber-framed buildings. Shropshire's villages, intriguingly varied in plan and building materials, reflect the diverse landscape of plains, hills and moorland and the rich and complex underlying geology. The Cistercian abbey of Buildwas is the finest of several notable monastic ruins, and outstanding medieval parish churches and castles are also numerous. Many of the country houses have a central place in the story of English architecture: the fortified mansions at Acton Burnell and Stokesay, thirteenth-century design at its most sophisticated; the vigorous Baroque houses of John Prince and Francis Smith; John Nash's Italianate villa at Cronkhill, looking like something in a Claude painting; Norman Shaw's splendid Late Victorian mansion at Adcote. Shropshire is also unrivalled for its early industrial remains, including the spectacular bridge at Coalbrookdale, the first in the world to be built of iron. More ancient cultures are represented by the numerous prehistoric hill-forts and the celebrated Roman town at Wroxeter.
Each city, town or village is treated in a detailed gazetteer. A general introduction provides a historical and artistic overview. Numerous maps and plans, over a hundred new colour photographs, full indexes and an illustrated glossary help to make this book invaluable as both reference work and guide.
The unspoiled county of Shropshire is among the most appealing in England for lovers of architecture. The county's many historic towns, of which Shrewsbury and Ludlow are the largest, are especially plentiful in Georgian and timber-framed buildings. Shropshire's villages, intriguingly varied in plan and building materials, reflect the diverse landscape of plains, hills and moorland and the rich and complex underlying geology. The Cistercian abbey of Buildwas is the finest of several notable monastic ruins, and outstanding medieval parish churches and castles are also numerous. Many of the country houses have a central place in the story of English architecture: the fortified mansions at Acton Burnell and Stokesay, thirteenth-century design at its most sophisticated; the vigorous Baroque houses of John Prince and Francis Smith; John Nash's Italianate villa at Cronkhill, looking like something in a Claude painting; Norman Shaw's splendid Late Victorian mansion at Adcote. Shropshire is also unrivalled for its early industrial remains, including the spectacular bridge at Coalbrookdale, the first in the world to be built of iron. More ancient cultures are represented by the numerous prehistoric hill-forts and the celebrated Roman town at Wroxeter.
Each city, town or village is treated in a detailed gazetteer. A general introduction provides a historical and artistic overview. Numerous maps and plans, over a hundred new colour photographs, full indexes and an illustrated glossary help to make this book invaluable as both reference work and guide.
Rich in new discoveries and fresh interpretation, this fully revised survey is the perfect companion and guide to one of England's most beguiling counties. A profusion of black-and-white timber-framed houses testifies to the prosperity of earlier centuries, as do the many and varied parish churches. Highlights among these include the extraordinary Norman carvings at Kilpeck, the exquisitely spare Cistercian architecture of Abbey Dore, the seductive Georgian Gothick of Shobdon, and Lethaby's Arts and Crafts masterpiece at Brockhampton. The city of Hereford is freshly presented in detail, from its splendid medieval cathedral to the architectural adventures of the Georgians and Victorians. Country houses are plentiful and diverse, including much that is well in step with national fashions. The characteristic landscape of hills and woods lends a special pleasure to architectural exploration, while market towns such as Ledbury, Leominster, and Ross-on-Wye can match any in England for visual and architectural appeal.
The second Norfolk volume covers an area stretching from the rich farmland along the coast to the deeply rural Suffolk border. On the north coast the fine houses and merchants' premises in the medieval port of King's Lynn are of unique interest. Rural highlights include the Norman keep of Castle Rising, the highly ornamented remains of Castle Acre Priory, and the monumental brick gatehouse of Oxburgh Hall. From a later age are the two supreme examples of the great Palladian country house: Holkham, seat of the Cokes, Earls of Leicester, and Sir Robert Walpole's Houghton, both with sumptuous interiors. In the villages distinctive Norman round towers and great Gothic churches contrast with brick or timber-framed farmhouses, the complex building history of which are carefully unravelled. Outstanding 20th century work includes Tayler & Green's rural housing and the Smithsons' Hunstanton school.