Architecture and craftsmanship in Britain and Ireland 1680-1780
Rewley House, Oxford University
Superlative craftmanship in stone, wood and plaster and a rich decorative repertoire were defining features of 17th and 18th century architecture in Britain and Ireland. The work of stone masons, carvers, joiners and plasterers animates the facades and interiors of great houses and public buildings while cohesive cityscapes were achieved by entrepreneurial building contractors. Building on the achievements of John Cornforth, Geoffrey Beard and others this series of lectures explores the relationship between architects and craftsmen in the period and their relative roles in the completion of early modern buildings. It addresses the craft circles of prominent architects such as Sir Christopher Wren, Sir John Vanbrugh, Richard Castle and Robert Adam and the practice of firms such as the Townesends in Oxford. In so doing it presents a unified thematic picture of architecture in England, Ireland and Scotland in the long eighteenth century.
Directors of Studies: Paul Barnwell (OUDCE), Christine Casey (Trinity College Dublin)
Held in association with CRAFTVALUE: Irish Research Council Advanced Laureate
Rewley House, University of Oxford, 07 May 2021
- 18:15 Registration (for those who have booked meals and or accommodation)
- 18:30 DINNER
- 19:45 Registration (for those who have booked as non-residential without meals)
- 20:00 The relationship of craftsman and architect in Britain and Ireland. Christine Casey
Saturday 8 May 2021
- 08:00 BREAKFAST(residents only)
- 09:00 Wren and his craftsmen: the London City Churches. Anthony Geraghty
- 10:00 Designing with small-scale masonry models at St Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey, c. 1690-1724. Gordon Higgott
- 11:00 COFFEE BREAK
- 11:30 Vanbrugh, Hawskmoor and craftsmanship in stone. James Legard
- 12:30 Discussion
- 13:00 LUNCH BREAK
- 14:00 Craftsmanship in the early Georgian architecture of Ireland. Melanie Hayes
- 15:00 The Townsends and the building of Oxford. Geoffrey Tyack
- 16:00 Depart for tour of Townsends’ work in central Oxford
- 17:30 Disperse in central Oxford
- 18:30 DINNER
- 20:00 Building St Paul’s. James Campbell
Sunday 9 May 2021
- 08:00 BREAKFAST (residents only)
- 09:00 The reception of craftsmanship in Britain and Ireland in the eighteenth century. Andrew Tierney
- 10:00 The Adam brothers and their craftsmen. Colin Thom
- 11:00 COFFEE BREAK
- 11:30 The end of the craft tradition? Conor Lucey
- 12:45 LUNCH BREAK and course disperses