Conservation of Timber Buildings

Freddie Charles set up in practice with his wife, Mary, in 1962 and was involved with the restoration of a number of important ancient timber structures. Restoration projects included the Ancient High House in Stafford, and for the National Trust, Middle Littleton tithe barn and the reconstruction of Bredon Barn. He died in 2002.

• Structural types: rafter roofs, purlin roofs, post-and-truss, crucks, base-cruck v Timber: properties and effects of environment, oaks and other trees for building, decay of oak, use of unseasoned oak, size of trees, cruck trees, today's trees, conservation methods, the specification for timbers, reused timbers v Organization and framing: history, the carpenter's yard, sample building and numbering system, framing, site erection v Historical change: introductory section focusing on the years 1100-1650, the town house, the countryside, cottages, post-1650 v Office Practice: Preliminary survey and report - the Old Crown House, Birmingham Structural survey and repairs v Case Studies: Shell Manor (Himbleton, Droitwich) Cheylesmore Manor House (Coventry) Much Wenlock Guildhall and Wellington Inn (Manchester) v Examples of buildings restored by the Practice.

...an invaluable reference and source book and a thoroughly good read, given its wealth of historical data and case study descriptions. Building Refurbishment It is rare to find a technical book that is better taken with a brandy than a pocket calculator. In its writing and its illustration, this is a book to be savoured. Architects' Journal