52 C O N T E X T 1 3 0 : J U LY 2 0 1 3 Cathedral Communications has just released the 20th annual edition of its Building Conservation Directory Special Report Historic Churches: The Conservation and Repair of Ecclesiastical Buildings. A copy has been sent to each IHBC member who has asked to receive relevant promotional mailings. As usual, this special report offers a wealth of useful information for the historic built environment professional. Historic Churches is supported by Cathedral’s website BuildingConservation.com. Members who have asked not to receive promotional material, but who would like to receive future Cathedral Communications publications on the historic built environment, should email Carmen Moran at [email protected]. She will change the status of their mailing preference on the IHBC membership database. Cathedral’s next release to IHBC members will be the 21st annual edition of The Building Conservation Directory which will be delivered later this year for 2014. buil di ngconservati on.com 01747 871717 [email protected] www.buildingconservation.com The Building Conservation Directory Special RepoRt Magazine historic churches the conSeRvation and RepaiR of eccleSiaStical BuildingS Grouting technology Medieval rood screens Churchyards and monuments So I am not sure how successful it might be if used in this way, though the author provides a wealth of useful information about choosing a set of tools, making a robust banker to work on, and indeed setting up an efficient and comfortable workshop. His advice is unfailingly practical, with many helpful hints and sound words of advice from an experienced practitioner. His tone is also friendly and supportive – an excellent encouragement for a student whose early attempts with boaster and mallet may not always turn out quite as hoped. But still there is the sense that, however good the instructions may be, a book like this can never really be a substitute for learning a craft under the personal guidance of an experienced tutor in a workshop or college setting. There are other flaws too. In any form of writing it is always best to write about what you know and in the chapters dealing with setting out, shaping a quatrefoil and fixing a stone in place, the author’s many years of practical experience shine through. He is extremely knowledgeable, and the writing is straightforward and concise. However, the introductory chapters on the nature of stone and its uses through the millennia are rather less successful. The scope is too broad and the detail too basic. There are also some inaccuracies that those with a rudimentary understanding of building stones might find a little irritating. It must also be said that the quality of some of the photographs of buildings and repair projects is frustratingly poor. So while I found some elements of the book to be of interest, it felt short of my expectations and I remain unclear about who might benefit from it. Should I be inclined to forsake Spital Square in order to take up the tools, I suspect that I might need a little more than The Craft of Stonemasonry to equip me for a new career. Sara Crofts, architect, and deputy director and head of casework, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings Other books received Victorian Gothic House Styles TrevorYorke, Countryside Books, 2012, 80pp, many colour and black & white illustrations, paperback, ISBN 978 1 84674 304 7, £7.95 British Interior House Styles: an easy reference guide TrevorYorke, Countryside Books, 2012, 80pp, many black & white illustrations, paperback, ISBN 978 1 84674 300 9, £5.99 In 2012 two more titles were issued for collectors of Trevor Yorke’s modest but informative pocket architectural guides. Victorian Gothic House Styles explains the principles embodied in the style, introduces the major architects, and presents the characteristic features of such houses, both large and small. The illustrations are taken from across the country, and often feature lesser-known examples. Also included is a brief survey of furnishings and decorations, a list of places to visit and some useful websites. The volume on British Interior House Styles, to some extent repeating the content of previous volumes, is a very rapid run through the range of decorative styles from 1500 to 1960.
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