The Development of English Building Construction

This study of English traditional buildings by C.F. Innocent was first published in 1916, and provides an account of the materials and techniques used in the construction of vernacular buildings from earliest times through to the 19th century. The first part of the text describes the transition from primitve forms of building through to developed timber buildings. This is followed by chapters covering the chief elements of the building structure - walls, floors, roofs, doors, windows and chimneys. It includes a chapter on thatching which examines the types of thatch used and the different ways of laying and securing it; this is still considered by many to be the best account of the subject.