page Postscript which examines che more recent changes co an appreciation of the established architectural character of Liverpool, and the emergence to its memorable new buildings. The Roman Catholic Cathedral - now listed - was still under construction in I964. The new book reproduces, unaltered, the layout and design so distinctive of che old Architectural Press, and the black and white photographs by Graham Smith and David Wrighcson retain their mesmerising power even if a few of the original 1964 places have been lose. A fine tribute to Liverpool and a hardback at a paperback price. Conservation Officers should not miss it. HOMES EAST AND WEST Cotswold Stone Homes: History. Conservation. Care. by Michael hill and Sally Birch. Alan Sutton Publishing Led, Phoenix Mill. Far Thrupp, Stroud, Glos. 23 colour + many b/w illus. 188pp. hardback. ISBN O 7509 0322 8. £16.99. Patterns For Suffolk Buildings: A Simple Design Guide. Edited by Celia Jennings. Suffolk Building Preservation Trust in association with the Suffolk Preservation Society, Little Hall, Lavenham. Many colour photos + line drawings. 48pp. Softback. ISBN 0 9522517 0 1. £7 .50. These two regionally published books cake different approaches. and are both excellent in different ways. The four chapters of Cotswold Stone Homes are headed "Living in a Scone Landscape"; "Cotswold Scone"; "The Architecture of Stone Homes"; and "New Life for Old Buildings: Conservation and Adaptation", with six interesting case studies. Two appendices summarise conservation and building legislation, and provide a directory of useful information and sources of specialist advice. Mike Hill will be known to many readers as Principal Conservation Officer of Cotswold District Council, and he and his co-author are chairman and vice-chairman, respectively, of the Woodchescer Mansion Trust. Their book scares with the caveat chat it is intended to be a descriptive guide to CONTEXT 43 BOOKS Cotswold stone and its uses, and NOT an instruction manual. While John Julius Norwich's foreword describes It as "a celebration of Cotswold building ... required reading not only for all those fortunate enough to Ii ve in a Cotswold house, but for everyone, everywhere, who cares about English architecture" it is full of information and good sense .ibout building details, such as windows, and the practic.il problems of repaH .ind conservation. The authors explain why specialist advisors need to be involved 1n conservation of Cotswold buildings, and give a user-friendly guide co the process, as well as showing how creative good conservation can be. Many people will buyCotswold Stone Homes for its general architectural interest, but in reading it they will made aware of conservation issues and options in a way which is extremely effective precisely because it follows so seamlessly from the description of the material and the architectural character which derives from its use. Patterns For Suffolk Buildings is more of a crusading manual. It aims to sec out the principles of good design in a way which can be understood by anyone, young or old, and to establish principles which can be used 111 any situation to produce new building which responds co the landscape in which it lies. It analyses the qualities which make traditional buildings so satisfying and aims co give local people the information to make an informed and positive contribution to the shaping of new housing development, by constructive criticism and real understanding. Its scope is clear from a series of headings: "What has gone wrong?"; "A sense of place"; "What must be done"; "Much more than a matter of taste"; "Urban and rural design" - with a design exercise showing a range of architects' interpretations of how a settlement might be extended; "Traditional/Modern relationships"; "Attention to detail"; and "The way forward". Well-chosen colour photos highlight the range of Suffolk vernacular materials and details, with good examples, old and new, to show design issues. The text is concise and to the point: the compilers regret that "the greatest difficulty 111 compiling this book has been the dearth of really good modern building in Suffolk. On che whole it has been easier to find distinguished single houses than estate developments", but it concludes with one successful estate, Nonsuch Meadow at Sudbury: "the qualities contained 1n estates such as these are fundamental to the improvement of future building in Suffolk. It is not primarily a question of finance, but of visual education and the ability to understand the very special characteristics which make life in this county so enjoyable". Principles which are dear to my heart and in its 48 pages Patterns For Suffolk Buildings communicates chem very effectively, with the care and enthusiasm of its authors evident on every page. John Preston REPRINT OF LIMITED USE The New Practical Builder, and Workman s Companion by Peter Nicholson (facsimile of 1823 edition). Beacon Books, 3 Mount Beacon, Bath, BAl 5QP. 1993. Hardback. 388pp. 90 b+w places. Price £45.00 (inc. p&p). This book is the first fruit of an important new venture where the aim is co republish books on building construction from the 19th century which have either been long out of print or are too precious for everyday reference. This is a key work for anyone interested Ill the study and conservation of early l 9th-century buildings and is the first volume of what is to be a two volume reprint set. While it is most welcome, and is unabridged and unaltered, the choice of Nicholson's New Practical Builder as the first such book is a little unfortunate choice for two reasons. First, it was sometimes customary in the l 9th-century for authors of technical publications to be paid by the word. While well illustrated volumes are especially valuable to Conservation Officers, the first quarter of the New Practical Builder is a single chapter devoted to the basic principles of geometry. Only then does it turn to the various building trades and accompanying illustrative plates of building details (although some of these trades are to be covered in Volume 2). This volume covers carpentry, joinery and choice of timber; masonry, bricklaying and plastering; and for each trade there is also a chapter on cools of the trade and an explanation of terms. Slating, glazing, house painting and plumbing, together with the five Orders of Architecture, perspective, projection and shadow are reserved for Volume 2 (although the 180 page Practical Builders Perpetual Price Book is also to be incorporated). The second problem is that many Conservation Officers will already be familiar with Jack Bowker's excellent 1981 book Handbook of Building Crafts in Conservation which took Nicholson's 1823 work, stripped away the geometry and much of the ephemera and added an invaluable commentary from a current expert on each of the main trades. Ian Bristow on late 18th and early 19th-century paint technology was a distinguished and illuminating example. Unfortunately, Bowker's engravings also seemed sharper ROSE of JERICHO at St. Blaise Ltd. Traditional Mortars & Paints Lime, Putty, Mortars & Plasters Limewashes, Distempers & Colour Washes Consultancy, Analysis, Matching Mixes and Advice Contact Shelagh Gerard or Peter Ellis at Westhill Barn, Evershot, Dorchester, DT2 OLD. TEL: 01935 83662/83676 FAX: 01935 83017/83676 41
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