Building Norfolk

Accessibly written, and with over 300 watercolour illustrations, Building Norfolk is an illustrated history of Norfolk's buildings, up to the present day. In the middle ages, Norfolk was one of England's most powerful regions, with Norwich the second biggest city in the British Isles. But by the time of the industrial revolution Norfolk was something of a backwater, and the transformations of this period passed it by. As a result, there is a higher density of old buildings left in Norfolk than anywhere else in Britain, and Building Norfolk does full justice to this extraordinary heritage of barns, farms, manor houses, villages, market towns, stone walls, churches and the great houses of Holkham and Houghton. But the book is not only about the past. Matthew Rice passionately believes in the value of earlier, local, solutions in addressing the challenges of future development. In its final quarter, his book becomes a plea for a well-mannered, intelligent modern interpretation of vernacular architecture, and concludes with a proposal for Worsted, a new town to built following the lessons of generations of Norfolk builders. Rice's support of Prince Charles' new town of Poundbury and his criticism of the current state of planning in Norfolk are sure to attract attention and controversy.

About the Author :
Matthew Rice is a painter, designer and writer. He is the author of Village Buildings of Britain (Little Brown), to which Prince Charles contributed a foreword. He lives in Norfolk with his wife, the potter Emma Bridgewater.

Review :
His book can only help us to realise that, despite modern building regulations and planning, it is traditional materials, peculiar to their locality and correctly used, that will carry us over the threshold from the traditional to the modern; to the realisation that a building can have style without being in a particular style. Country Life In a lovely book extensively illustrated with his idiosyncratic and witty watercolours, Rice pays homage to the country houses, estate buildings, seaside towns, inns, parsonages and many churches. Sunday Telegraph Book of the Week: All those interested in architecture will enjoy this book. And of course every Norfolk dweller lucky enough to live in one of the old cottages, vicarages or country houses there. Daily Telegraph An informative and entertaining way to discover Norfolks Buildings. BBC Countryfile His pictures sing from the page. Unlike photographs, the medium allows him to 'emphasise, exclude or exaggerate', and its washes are ideal for rendering, say, the uneven colour of a wall of carrstone. Architectural features have annotations in the author's own hand, and these can range from the witty to exasperated. He lays into lazy modern house design and unimaginative planning, finishing the book with his own scheme to expand the village of Worstead: an intelligent blueprint with wide application. Though Rice does not stint the great country houses his heart seems to lie with more modest buildings. Such discoveries in the sticks are, it seems, normal for Norfolk. World of Interiors "An impressive achievement - a wonderfully illustrated book that makes you look again at Norfolk and see its glorious array of architecture with fresh eyes." Judges hail the winner of the EDP-Jarrold East Anglican Book Awards. Eastern Daily Press Insightful and amusing with superb illustrations and lucid, vivid historical commentary Family History Monthly