Decorative plasterwork was created by skilled craftsmen, and for over four hundred years it has been an essential part of the interior decoration of the British country house. In this detailed and comprehensive study, Geoffrey Beard has created a book that will delight the eye and inform the interested reader. For those who have sometimes been puzzled by the complexities of plaster decoration it will be a most useful work of reference on a fascinating art form, about which no book has been published for nearly fifty years. After discussing the part that patrons played in commissioning and financing these beautiful decorations, a useful chapter is devoted to materials and methods of work and here the author describes the ingredients of good plaster; he has studied the work of present-day English plasterers and Swiss stucco-restorers in order to establish precisely how the materials of plaster and stucco were composed and used.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries represent a high point in the intersection between design and workmanship. Skilled artisans, creative and technically competent agents within their own field, worked across a wide spectrum of practice that encompassed design, supervision and execution, and architects relied heavily on the experience they brought to the building site. Despite this, the bridge between design and tacit artisanal knowledge has been an underarticulated factor in the architectural achievement of the early modern era. Building on the shift towards a collaborative and qualitative analysis of architectural production, Between Design and Making re-evaluates the social and professional fabric that binds design to making, and reflects on the asymmetry that has emerged between architecture and craft. Combining analysis of buildings, archival material and eighteenth-century writings, the authors draw out the professional, pedagogical and social links between architectural practice and workmanship. They argue for a process-oriented understanding of architectural production, exploring the obscure centre ground of the creative process: the scribbled, sketched, hatched and annotated beginnings of design on the page; the discussions, arguments and revisions in the forging of details; and the grappling with stone, wood and plaster on the building site that pushed projects from conception to completion.

The concept of Britishness – and its constituent facets – has, over the past decade, come increasingly to the fore. In particular, this can be seen in the politically and socially engaging debates surrounding the Scottish Referendum in 2014. It is an idea – manifested both physically and cognitively – that every Briton is aware of and engages with to a greater or lesser extent. Thus, the concept of Britishness is extremely current and crosses cultural, political and socio-economic boundaries. Nevertheless, Britishness is a challenging term to define and explore, given its tremendously wide-ranging nature and dynamic, personally shaped characteristics. Considering historical ideas of Britishness, however, can enhance the understanding of national identity in the modern world. This volume does just that by gathering together original academic essays that explore the expression and understanding of Britishness in literature, philosophy, music, historical documents, art and design. Each contribution offers a detailed investigation of primary material, including architecture, furniture, historical literature, plays and sermons, and marketing. As a collection, ideas are marshalled to reveal a rich tapestry of Britishness and its forging.

The first edition of this important book was originally published in 1897, but it is still viewed by most traditional plasterers as the plastering 'bible'. Now available in this facsimile edition this impressive volume presents a comprehensive coverage of traditional plasterwork, including everything from plain lime plastering through to hand modelling and cast plasterwork. Written by William Millar, who had practical first hand experience of using these methods, the book provides a fascinating and unique record of a craftsman's intimate knowledge of these traditional materials and techniques. This, the only detailed work currently available on this subject contains: a vital record of craft skills being practised 100 years ago; fully illustrated examples of decorative ceilings and other features; and in depth instructions for making casts and moulds.

From ancient Greece to Frank Lloyd Wright, studiola to smoking rooms, chimney boards to cocktail cabinets, and papier-mâché to tubular steel, the Encyclopedia of Interior Design provides a history of interior decoration and design from ancient times to the present day. It includes more than 500 illustrated entries covering a variety of subjects ranging from the work of the foremost designers, to the origins and function of principal rooms and furnishing types, as well as surveys of interior design by period and nationality all prepared by an international team of experts in the field. Entries on individuals include a biography, a chronological list of principal works or career summary, a primary and secondary bibliography, and a signed critical essay of 800 to 1500 words on the individual's work in interior design. The style and topic entries contain an identifying headnote, a guide to main collections, a list of secondary sources, and a signed critical essay.

Utility and Beauty examines the art and craft of composition ornament through the life and work of Robert Wellford (1775-1844) of Philadelphia, the foremost maker of compo in America."

This text offers a radical re-assessment of late 17th century architecture and a pioneering investigation of the beginnings of the modern middle class town houses.

This volume of primary source materials documents the essential practical aspects of making a home, decorating it and then furnishing it. The crucial constitutive parts that make up an interior from floor to ceiling are considered here in detail. The role of advice books and articles that attempted to direct homemakers in particular directions are examined, as are the more practical how-to publications that demonstrated the processes of interior decoration. Accompanied by extensive editorial commentary, this collection will be of great interest to students and scholars of art history.

Cedar Grove, The Cliffs, Grumblethorpe, Mount Airy, Bartram's House and Garden: Accommodation of the Vernacular