to illustrations are s'ome distance from the photograph or drawing referred to. A glossary of textile terminology and some indication as to which sites are listed or scheduled would have been welcome appendices, but perhaps these can be considered for the now eagerly awaited Greater Manchester and Cheshire Textile Mills studies which are due to be published soon. These minor criticisms, however, should not distract attention from a publication which will undoubtedly play an important part in the development of conservation strategies for the monuments of the textile industry. Bob Hawkins MANUFACTURING BUILDINGS Construction in Design: The Influence of New Methods of Construction on Architectural Design 1690-1990. James Strike Butterworth Architecture, 1991. Paperback, 227pp. ISBN O 7506 1229 0. Price £22.50. An understanding of the principles of the strucrural development of buildings is an important part of a Conservation Officer's expertise. As more buildings of the modern era become listed, an appreciation of the technologies outside the vernacular tradition and the proper maintenance and repair of such structures requires an understanding of the materials, construction techniques and social forces which shaped them. Evolutionary changes in the construction industry have altered the processes by which buildings are manufactured. This, in turn, has changed their composition and appearance. A good way of assimilating the relationships between these factors is to examine the materials and methods of building that have emerged since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Several themes have been selected by the author and although some of these overlap chronologically the resulting narrative - although intended primarily for students of architecture, engineering and building - will also be a helpful source of reference to anyone concerned with the history of building. CONTEXT 36 BOOKS James Strike begins by identifying the pioneers of the iron frame over the period 1690 to 1840; the buildings which demonstrate its innovative use, and the extent to which, in particular, this led to changes in the appearance of industrial mills. While slimmer, wider spaced iron frames replaced timber structural skeletons, he contends this did not in itself lead to new building types. Exploitation of the structural possibilities of iron and glass between 1810 and 1855 did create the conservatory or hot house as a new type and culminated in the ultimate example of prefabricated, fasttrack construction exploiting the limits of mid-19th century technology - the Crystal Palace. The first half of the 19th century was also a period of continuous experiment to develop concrete, and the author goes on to examine this and other contributions which these new forms of construction made to architectural design; the role of the steel frame in early skyscrapers and the expressive use of concrete in the inter-war period as exemplified by the Penguin Pool at London Zoo and the Boots FAMILYAFFAIR Thatchers and thatching. Judy Nash. B T Batsford. 1991. 192pp, 130 b/w photographs. ISBN O 7134 6458 5. Price £19.99. This is an enthusiastic, personal view of thatching by a master thatcher's daughter, now a freelance journalist, who seems to know every practitioner by name. The book focuses on the practical aspects of thatching from the point of view of the thatcher and the thatching tradition and is rich in local anecdotal information. The book begins with edited highlights in the history of thatching, concentrating mainly on the swings of fortune experienced by thatchers over the past century. However, the historical development of the craft is not tightly chronicled: the author has a rather cavalier approach to dates and certainly does not let them interfere with the telling of a good yarn. For example, the off-the-cuff remarks of a reed cutter are dated precisely, but major changes in the production and availability of Factory at Beeston (both listed). The outline of post-war industrialised building techniques is, however, economical in the analysis of its evident inadequacies, despite references to the Ronan Point disaster, which set back prefabrication 30 years. Even in a summary overview a little more critical analysis of such a fundamental failing was called for. A concluding section draws together both the historical perspectives and contemporary architectural fashions and social concerns. Although_ all but one of the modern buildings featured (the exception is Foster's Willis Faber building - Grade I) are perhaps too recent to be seen in their proper historical perspective, several of the examples chosen are of sufficient special architectural and historic interest in this context to be potential candidates for eventual statutory protection. An essential prerequisite of an appreciation of the-value of such buildings is an understanding of the engineering issues. This book is an admirable, well illustrated starting point for those who want a basic overview before exploring the subject in greater depth. Bob Kindred THATCHERS ND THATCHING basic materials like hazel and reed are given a fairly vague historical context. There are successive chapters on reed and spar, dealing with each material in some detail but without any clear definition of how everything fits together. The fate of plastics thatch makes happy reading for Conservation Officers, but the author demonstrates on more than one occasion her lack of appreciation of what local authorities are trying to achieve. Her somewhat uncritical attitude to what can be done with 'derelict ruins' is a case in point: total reconstruction is apparently perfectly alright if done m the name of 'conservation' (p.18). There are further chapters on specialist uses of thatch in houses and farms, and a useful survey of the cottage-orne. This is followed by a social history of thatchers as portrayed through contemporary anecdote and, finally, by a chapter voicing present-day concerns about the current state of the craft and the difficulties likely to be faced in the future. Readers used to a more rigorous, academic approach to conservation issues might find this book's journalistic style irritating. Those wanting to know how far Aunt Polly Hatcher walked to the nearest coaching inn at some uncertain time in the past or how much the Rev. Turner paid for thatching his stable in 1851, then look no further. But those seeking a concise description of thatching as a craft, perhaps with a few explanatory photographs or annotated diagrams, will be disappointed. Nevertheless the book is a treasure trove of interesting, but chaotic, facts. The many black and white photographs illustrate well the versatility and picturesque qualities of thatch and the creative manner in which it is used by master thatchers to solve roofing problems in ways that are beyond the flexibility of tile or slate. The text also brings out the truly organic nature of the craft and its ecological dependence on the reed beds and coppices of its rural hinterland for a continuing supply of raw materials. Mick Downs ARRIVINGIN THE NICK OF TIME Conservation of clay and chalk buildings. Gordon Pearson. Donhead Publishing. xix + 203pp, illus, 250 x 190mm, hardback. ISBN 1 873394 00 4. Price £30. Gordon Pearson, the Senior Quantity Surveyor in Hampshire's Historic Buildings Bureau, has distilled into this excellent book his many years of specialised interest in understanding the conservation of chalk cob structures. He writes in a clear, readable style, handling the technical side in a way that 45
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