The towns and dales of the North East are home to a rich and varied tradition of vernacular domestic architecture, reflecting the lives and livelihoods of the communities who shaped them.
Martin Roberts from the North East Vernacular Architecture Group will examine the range of traditional houses in the dale, illustrating a number in detail, including the small miner-farmer dwelling combining house and byre, the ubiquitous hearth-passage farmhouse, as well as the major gentry houses which often underwent a dramatic physical transformation when ownership led to radical status change. The talk will reveal how the built environment of the dale records the full spectrum of local society, from the working farmer and miner to the landed gentry, and the stories written into the fabric of the buildings they left behind.
About the Speaker
Martin Roberts, born a Cestrian, qualified as an architect at Newcastle University before specialising in conservation. He served as Durham City’s Conservation Officer, conceiving and project-managing the restoration of Old Durham Gardens, and subsequently spent eleven years as Historic Buildings Inspector for English Heritage in the North East. He founded and is secretary of the North East Vernacular Architecture Group, and sits on both the Durham Diocesan Advisory Committee for Churches and the Fabric Advisory Committee of Durham Cathedral. His published work includes books on Durham City and Durham University, and in 2021 he completed his seven-and-a-half-year revision of Sir Nikolaus Pevsner’s Buildings of England volume on County Durham.
Tickets are free (with optional donation) for HB&P members and £4 for non-members.
Recording: If you are unable to attend the live event, a recording will be made available to all registered attendees after the session.
Cancellation policy: Refunds can be provided for cancellations 7 or more business days prior to the event.
