instruction. It is of note in a period when the distinction between the role of architect (which had been emerging over the previous century) and craftsman was becoming clearer: fewer craftsmen were given their head in design, and architects began to control the decorative scheme in its entirety. The reproduction quality of the


photographs does not match the original edition, but ample compensation is offered by way of a new Introduction by Richard Ireland and a foreword by everyone's favourite plasterer, Jeff Orton. Dr Beard’s new Preface also points out themost significant published research which has been carried out since 1975. The Introduction provides a clear overview of materials and methodswhich helps with some of the common queries and misconceptions on plasterwork and states that our technical understanding of historic material has developed in the light of this book. Dr Beard’s own chapter, “Materials and Methods”, is fascinating, presenting snippets from the horses’ mouths in the form of bills, contracts and receipts. These indicated recipes by giving, for example, the poundage of various hairs bought for a particular job or the suggestion of the use of gelatine as a plasticiser. I owe a lot to this book and


have kept it close for 20 years. Thank you Donhead for relieving me of giving excuses not to lend it – and may we have Dr Beard’s “Stucco and Decorative Plasterwork in Europe” next? Clare Venables


Melrose Abbey, founded 1136 and in use until c1810


TheArchitecture of the Scottish Medieval Church 1100-1560, by Richard Fawcett, Yale University Press, £50


RICHARD Fawcett’s latest book is a profusely illustrated (400 plates) and beautifully presented overview and re-evaluation of a long neglected period in Scotland’s architectural history It is coupled with an exploration of the influences that, from the early medieval period through to the Reformation, progressively distinguished Scottish ecclesiastical building from its closest neighbour. The book embraces religious structures at all scales, from cathedrals through religious foundations to modest chapels. Professor in the School of Art History at the


University of St Andrews, and until his recent retirement Principal Inspector ofAncient Monuments with Historic Scotland, Fawcett has researched and published widely on the medieval period, including contributions to several volumes in the Buildings of Scotland series. Co-author of the volume for the Scottish Borders – where I live, encircled geographically by the well-preserved ruins of the four great BorderAbbeys – his promotion of understanding of the medieval period both locally and across Scotland has long been a welcome accompaniment to the more widely published later periods. As Fawcett writes, the explanations for this neglect


are various, including the lack of documentary sources, the relative scarcity of authentic survivals, and the assumption that the Scottish medieval church was a poor relation of the English (especially) equivalent. The author does not pretend to a definitive


The Drawing Room ceiling at Denham Place, Buckinghamshire, built circa 1696, plastererWilliam Parker


interpretation; rather, one that explores a shift in the sources that influenced patrons and masons in the later middle ages towards France, the Netherlands and Belgium, resulting in a unique synthesis and expression of ideas. Thus, for the Romanesque period (1100–1160), comparison of the spiralling and chevron-patterned


cylindrical piers in the nave arcade of Dunfermline Abbey with the somewhat earlierWaltham Abbey and Durham Cathedral, highlights the paramount influence of England; and in the chapter headed “GothicMaturity, 1220–1270”, striking parallel is drawn between the upper nave arcades of HolyroodAbbey and its model – that of Lincoln Cathedral. By the 15th century, however, maritime trade links,


strains in political relations and dynastic marriages supported stronger cultural relations with continental neighbours, notably France and the Low Countries. Increasingly, this was reflected in the architecture of the Scottish medieval church. Fawcett offers convincing evidence for the


assimilation and interpretation of continental sources into Scottish architectural practice. Be it inspiration fromVienne Cathedral (France) in the virtuoso window tracery at St Michael’s, Linlithgow, comparison of tracery at Utrecht Cathedral with King’s College Chapel,Aberdeen, or of the timber-vaulted ceiling design in the latter with churches in Bruges, Fawcett’s thesis of late-medieval synthesis is persuasive. The book concludes with an account of the


significant impact of the Reformation in the years following 1560 on church building in Scotland. The Architecture of the ScottishMedieval Church


provides a highly welcome challenge to received thinking about the place of church building in Scotland’s distinctive architectural heritage. It is an inspiration for those of us fortunate to be surrounded by some of the vestiges, as it will be to researchers who will be prompted to test Fawcett’s interpretations further.


Dennis Rodwell


Dennis Rodwell is an architect-planner based in the Scottish Borders; Clare Venables is an ornamental sculptor and plasterer; Philip Venning is SPAB Secretary.


Reviewers Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 83


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88