Buildings in the Landscape of the South Downs National Park

1. Buildings in the Landscape of the South Downs National Park

2. Themes:- • Chronology • Building materials • Building types

3. Chronology • Earliest Surviving Buildings: Anglo-Saxon Churches • Norman/Medieval : Castles and Monastic Sites • Timber-Framed buildings: from 14th century • Majority of surviving buildings date from 17th century onwards Ear

4. Building Materials • Important distinction: • Vernacular Architecture – uses local materials and rooted in the landscape/geology • Polite Architecture – may use imported and exotic materials Ear

5. South Downs Geology

6. A rich patchwork… • Lime • Timber • Flint • The Greensands, (including malmstone) • Ironstone • Clays for brick and tile Walling Materials

7. Timber

8. Flint

9. Greensand

10. Greensand - coursing

11. Galleting

12. Ironstone

13. Brickwork

14. Brickwork

15. Further diversity… Roofing Materials Thatch Horsham Stone Slates Plain clay tile Shingles Welsh slate

16. Thatch especially in Hampshire…

17. and in some strange places!

18. Horsham Stone

19. Clay tiles

20. Shingles

21. Welsh Slate

22. Cladding Materials Clay tiles Mathematical tiles Shingles Welsh slate Weatherboards

23. Tiles – plain & decorative

24. Mathematical Tiles a cunning deceit

25. Welsh slate

26. Weatherboards only in the east…

27. Building Types • Churches • Wealden Houses • Barns and Farm Buildings • Industrial Buildings • Great Houses – “Polite Architecture” Ear

28. Churches Ear

29. Wealden Houses Ear • Popular in SE England, particularly Kent & East Sussex in 15C • Two-storey buildings • Hall in central section • End bays, with solars on upper floors, project forward of the central hall • Characteristic central recess

30. Barns & Farm Buildings Ear

31. Industrial • Iron smelting/working • Water power – river and tide! • Wind power Ear

33. Great Houses – “Polite” Ear

34. Decay