What to read

[vicky whitworth]

Holed up now for 4-6 weeks with my leg in plaster, the question is what to read. I wonder what you'd recommend? I've thought about buying Life in the British Home but I wonder if it is a bit of a coffee table book. Maybe something on Pugin? Any suggestions please? Thanks, Vicky

 

[DJH]

Can you get yourself over to Gresham Books in Crewkerne Vicky? He has a great interest in architectural books and is fairly reasonable with his prices......

Get better soon.

Doug

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh you poor thing! Very frustrating for an active person - and who is seeing to the pets? Hope you aren't in too much pain and it will be 4 weeks rather than 6.

What do you like Vicky? Pity you aren't nearer, I'd lend you heaps.

Just a few suggestions, period property related and otherwise. Have a google on the titles to get more of a feel on each.

Anything by Osbert Lancaster, caustic 30s précis of architecture and interior style - Pillar to Post, Home Sweet Home

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/071123230X In Search of Rex Whistler, his life and work - this is so lovely and readable I can't begin to do justice to it, and such a portrait of the age too.

EF Benson Lucia series - Queen Lucia, Lucia in London, etc

The Honeywood File - an adventure in building - very amusing series of letters

MR James ghost stories

Design of the English Country House, John Harris. Also "No Voice from the Hall " is very good.

The Follies and Garden buildings of Ireland, James Howley

Baroque Baroque, Stephen Calloway

Liza Picard - anything really.

Will post more when I can get to my books.

 

[vicky whitworth]

Thanks Joce. What a fantastic list. That gives me something to really go for. And Doug, I know Greshams well but it will be while before I can get there. Husband is looking after animals. Those two old rescue hens of ours are doing really well. They look great now. And even Albert and Kit Caboodle have come to some sort of truce most of the time.

 

[Lime]

Alternatively you could read something online or download it in pdf.

There are loads to choose from.

http://archive.org/search.php?query=%28collection%3Atexts%20OR%20mediatype%3Atexts%29%20AND%20-mediatype%3Acollection&sort=-downloads

examples:
http://archive.org/details/queenandking00camduoft

http://archive.org/details/APassageToIndia_109

http://archive.org/details/everymanhisownfa00clat

 

[Gareth Hughes]

To Joce's list, I'd add "Drawing Together" and "Back to the Drawing Board" by Peter Cleverly. Together with H B Cresswell's "The Honeywood File" and its sequel, "The Honeywood Settlement", and Osbert Lancaster's "Pillar to Post" and "Homes Sweet Homes" (those two later published together as "A Cartoon History of Architecture") they are the funniest and most cheering books ever written about architecture, and well worth a read and re-read.
M R James' ghost stories will stop you thinking about ever doing any home improvements to a historic house.
And E F Benson's Lucia books will teach you all you need to know to be social queen of any small town, mostly by ruthless trampling .

They should keep you going for a week or three.

 

[Matt Green]

Squiers, Granville (1933). Secret Hiding Places: The origins, histories and descriptions of English secret hiding-places, used by priests, cavaliers, Jacobites and the like.

Secret Chambers and Hiding Places, by Allan Fea is available online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13918/13918-h/13918-h.htm

Both good.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Ooh they sound good Matt! Must also get hold of the books by Peter Cleverly. (though fancy being called Mr Cleverly- that's too much!)

Glad to hear the pets are being taken care of by your man Vicky, hope he doesn't forget about you on his rounds as well.

I'll take the opportunity to add "The Georgians at Home", by Elizabeth Burton. And if you're interested in paintings of the 19th C, or particularly, what paintings say about a society, Jeremy Paxman's book "The Victorians" is worth a read.

Just read "The Rose of Sebastopol" by Katharine McMahon and enjoyed that too. I'm normally very snooty about chick lit and especially a modern writer attempting an authentic 19th C female voice (why not just read "Jane Eyre" or George Eliot?) but actually I couldn't put it down and was fascinated by the descriptions of the Crimean war, which I didn't know much about.

Don't forget also that if you can get a laptop or computer by your side you've then got youtube, and kind souls have uploaded all the great classics of the past in terms of TV series and comedies - Miss Marple with Joan Hickford and Alan Bennett's Talking Heads have been particular favourites recently but you can also go scrolling through music pieces you like or old films, all at no cost.

 

[LadyArowana]

Poor Vicky, how very annoying. I'm guessing that a box set of "Star Trek Voyager" isn't your thing? Likewise a collection of essays on traditional Japanese arts and culture or obscure fabric dyeing methods, so I shall refrain from any suggestions. Get well soon.

 

[worms]

Don't forget also that if you can get a laptop or computer by your side you've then got youtube.

During a spell of post-op recuperation a couple of years ago, I watched all 7 (I think) series of River Cottage, became addicted to home bread-making and had a couple of forays into home-cured bacon. So be careful, these enforced departures from normal day-to-day life can have longer term consequences!

 

[DJH]

'River Cottage' is practically on Vicky's doorstep. I remember them filming when I reroofed Beaminster Church. The egg and spoon race, or was it the pancake race had to be run two or three times before he won it...

Doug

 

[Nigel Watts]

I was given a Kindle for Christmas. I never thought I would say this, but I am converted. It's very light, it fits into the pocket of most of my jackets, you can increase the font size if your eyesight is not what it was and classic novels can be downloaded very cheaply. I am currently using it to finishing off Middlemarch - a Joce recommendation which I started a few years ago in paper form and got half way through.

I also like reading architectural monographs with lots of picture and plans but these don't work well on Kindle. One of the best is Andrew Saint's Richard Norman Shaw. I bought the paperback edition back in the early 80s but I notice that Yale University Press has recently brought out a beautiful (and rather expensive) reprint in large hardback format. I recently read Sheila Kirk's monograph on Phillip Webb, an architect I had never properly appreciated before. Mordaunt Crook's William Burgess and the High Victorian dream is also very good.

 

[vicky whitworth]

I can't believe that I'm actually getting a wee bit excited at six weeks confinement. I have sent off a massive Amazon order packed with your recommendations. Let's hope they arrive soon. I have even ordered Mills of the Isle, Doug. Yesterday read the booklet about priest holes online - totally fascinating. Trip to fracture clinic in Exeter yesterday confirmed it will be six weeks in plaster unable to put any weight on it and since I have already fallen over on the crutches once I'm basically confined to bed. Effective use of crutches is apparently a geometry thing, and I was never any good at geometry. Thank you for your support. Vicky
Doug: River Cottage has had a new coat of paint in the last few weeks but I don't suppose that will make it any more popular with locals.

 

[LadyArowana]

Effective use of crutches is apparently a geometry thing

Some amusing things on youtube, this chap seems keen to get his other leg in plaster too :lol: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxBQjAx0CJo

 

[Matt Green]

If you get inspired to hollow out a wall to remain hidden from the family: Secret Hiding Places by Michael Hodgetts (Veritas, Sep 1989) goes into more detail and has some interesting drawings and plans.

 

[vicky whitworth]

Matt, something about that made me smile. People disappearing. When we came out of the hospital on Sunday my husband helped me into the back of the car as I needed to lie my leg out flat on the back seat. He got into the driver's seat and then couldn't work out where I'd gone as I wasn't in the passenger seat. He said he was thinking, 'how has she got out she's got a broken leg.' I think it was quite a stressful day all round :?

I love all the history associated with priest holes. I've been reading the Voices of Morebath and found it rather upsetting. It necessitated a visit to Morebath church which was a damp, miserable place with little remaining from reformation times.

 

[GhostyDog]

Hope the leg heals quickly, I recently bought the Haynes Manual for Period Property, thought it might be a bit of a joke book but it's actually very well written.

Another good book that could be construed as a bit coffee table but on topic is Farrow & Ball Living with Colour.



GD

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Speaking of which--- I have several back copies of The Georgian Group Journal, produced for annually for Members . They contain very interesting detailed, and illustrated studies of historic houses. As we are thinning out our vast collection of books etc I wondered If anybody would like have some/them or would like to know more, please PM me .

Please Note for obvious reasons the Journals are NOT for sale.

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I'm waiting for Vicky's first review of one of our recommendations...

 

[vicky whitworth]

In that case I can provide a review of Mills of the Isle as recommended by Doug. It's a small booklet written by someone in the local industrial archaeology society about mills of the River Isle which flows from the Blackdown Hills near Chard to join the River Parrett a distance of 23 miles. It's a sad reminder of what was there and is there no more. As the Isle got slower flowing some of the leats were a mile long in order to get a head of water.

Oh, and Matt's recommendation about Secret Chambers and Priests' Holes which was fun.

I have also read A History of Exeter - which is where I was born. It's interesting to compare and contrast its history with that of Norwich - which is where my husband was born.

Then I watched Madagascar. OK its not history but it raises my spirit and has some good songs to wiggle ones toes to.

I'm just starting Frances Pryor's Making of the British Landscape as opposed to Hoskins (Born in Exeter) Making of the English Landscape. I'm struggling with it a bit. The type is a bit small and it's not grabbed me yet.

And then I have a big pile of books in a box under the bed from Amazon based on your recommendations including several Liza Picard on the history of London at various periods as recommended by Joce. I may be starting on these if I abandon Frances Pryor.

And I thank you all for your recommendations.