Cob, Timber, Stone And Thatch: Researching The History Of Buildings

Family historians can be so focussed on the
ancestor they are researching, that they can forget to take note of the context
of the world in which those people lived. This course will  offer family, local and social historians the
opportunity to develop the skills needed to research individual buildings, and
place them within the context of their street, district and wider community;
this will also give insights into the social and economic status of the
residents of those buildings.

            Topics
covered will include:

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An introduction to the development
of dwellings, and the way function, the landscape, and natural resources have
been used to create regional differences in housing

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Understanding the area or
community the house is in; identifying useful geographical and archival
resources

-      
Conducting a survey using reliable
online sources, and other secondary sources, to assess the records available
for your own project

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During two field trips, you will
refine your observational skills by noting details of buildings, street
patterns and other community features, and learn how to use these to plan
further research tasks.

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Identifying and locating archival
resources that can help with your study

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A detailed survey of major record
collections of use to the housing historian.

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If you have a specific building in
mind that you would like to research, you are encouraged to begin that research
whilst the course is underway, so that you can benefit from the wide experience
of the tutor in conducting historical surveys.

The tutor, Gill Rossini, is a highly
experienced and published family, local and social historian who has been
teaching her subject since 1988.