Although this book does not deal with contemporary architecture or design in wood, Timber Building in Britain is both engaging and interesting. R.W. Brunskill has endeavoured to explain how timber was used in Britain from the twelfth to the nineteenth century, covering aspects from timber choice and cultivation to carpentry. The book is extremely detailed and, while not dealing with contemporary design and construction practices, does have relevance today through the revival in some projects of traditional timber construction techniques, particularly in joinery.
Timber Building in Britain is divided into four clear sections: ‘The Construction of Timber Buildings and Roofs’, ‘Illustrated Glossary of Terms and Techniques’, ‘Chronological Survey of Timber Building’ and ‘Regional Variations’. The sections are not even in size, with the largest portion of the book being given over to the first two parts. Each section has a fairly even split between text and photographs of relevant architecture from Britain, with the ‘Illustrated Glossary’ also prioritising illustrations of the terms for the purposes of clarity.
The first section of Timber Building in Britain takes the practice of timber building design and unpacks it in its entirety. From the base principles of what architecture actually tries to accomplish and the physical techniques at the carpenter’s disposal in order to turn trees into a building, Brunskill lays out the entire process as it has been undertaken in Britain. This section, while highly rewarding in terms of its completeness, could be a little daunting to many readers due to its technical language. However, the second section allows Brunskill to use language as specific as he requires, while still enabling readers unfamiliar with these terms to understand them.
The ‘Illustrated Glossary of Terms and Techniques’ is extremely useful, as Brunskill not only explains the meanings of an enormous number of architectural and construction terms but also provides illustrations that help illuminate what words cannot easily describe. Every joint, tool, construction technique and building element is clearly explained, illustrated if required and, in many cases, shown in a real life example of the role that it plays in the construction of a house. The glossary is comprehensive and the diagrams are simple enough to be immediately understandable. This section is perhaps the most valuable in the whole book, containing a wealth of knowledge.
The chronological survey explains how the buildings that Brunskill has included in the book have been dated, giving as accurate a reading as possible as to the techniques and building elements used. There is then a photographical history, organised in chronological order, showing the maturation of architectural design in Britain through the physical examples that remain. This section is fairly straightforward and does not add a great deal to the information that has gone before, save for the visual examples that are provided.
The final section, ‘Regional Variations’, is the smallest section of the book. It provides a number of maps that show the distributions of the architectural features that Brunskill has elaborated on throughout the book. These maps are quite interesting; it is surprising how defined the boundaries between areas where features such as cruck construction are found and areas where those features cannot be found at all.
Timber Building in Britain is a expertly written book that has a slight tendency towards overly technical language, but the incredible quantity and quality of the information in the book is highly valuable. Brunskill has done a great job of summing up the entirety of Britain’s timber industry. Timber Building in Britain is a great source of information on carpentry and timber building traditions, and is a valuable resource for people interested in historical timber construction.