Trevor Yorke - How to Date Buildings: An Easy Reference Guide

B ritains old buildings come in all shapes and sizes, constructed from a wide variety of materials and with original details dating back, in a few cases, over a thousand years. While some buildings are vernacular, built by local craftsman in regional styles with materials found close at hand, others were designed by fashionable architects and reflected that periods trends in architecture. Dating a building can be particularly challenging when the builder has borrowed styles from an earlier period, this was particularly the case in the 19th century.

Victorians were heavily influenced by the Gothic architecture of the Medieval period, they also looked to 16th and 17th century buildings for inspiration. The revival styles they created were so close to the original that they can sometimes be hard to tell apart.

To further complicate the matter, an architectural fashion could take up to fifty years to permeate across the country. While builders in important urban locations were under pressure to use the latest styles in order to remain competitive, a builder in a small town may not have felt the same need to change the style they were comfortable with and had used throughout their career. As a result, there can be a difference of many decades between similar style buildings, and this has to be taken into account when dating buildings.

Underlying these sometimes confusing styles, are certain structures and fittings that are unique to a particular period. Decorative details can also help to pinpoint the time of construction and piece together the history of a building. Being able to recognise these details will be the focus of this book.

When studying a building, it is important to work from the whole to the part. In other words, first step back and look at its surroundings, before considering its particular architectural details. Is the street an old route, or one laid out in recent times? Is it close to a railway station, canal or factory, and hence the building could date from the period when these arrived? Is the ground level of the building lower than the road in front? Assuming the area is flat, then as roads are built up over the centuries this would indicate that the structure is very old. Is the building set upon one of a series of long, narrow plots in the older part of a town? These are medieval land divisions and the present building may have old foundations or a basement.

FIG 0.1: The ground levelaround an old building will tend to rise as gardens are worked and roads have new surfaces added. A doorway approached down steps or a window below ground level can indicate that the building is centuries old.

As you move on to study the building in closer detail, look at the walls for signs of change. A vertical break where the masonry or brick does not line up and is not bonded together, indicates that one period of building had finished and a later one begun. Look to see if the horizontal lines are sagging slightly, or if windows are not neatly lined up. Old timber framed buildings were unfashionable in the Georgian period and were often refaced or covered in render. If possible, look down the sides or rear, as this is where the original building is often revealed and signs of later extensions and changes will be exposed. This can be key in establishing the development of the building, and which parts are the oldest.

The general condition of the materials it is built from is an invaluable indicator of its age. Worn masonry, crumbling brickwork and weathered timbers show their age, just as sharp-edged walls and clean surfaces appear modern. Although this will often help in dating a building it should not be used as a definite rule. The Victorians were very ruthless when restoring old buildings and cut medieval stone back. Also pollution and frost can make certain materials used by the Victorians now seem centuries old. It is also worth bearing in mind that ruined structures were raided in the past to supply materials for new buildings. The Saxons reused Roman bricks in their churches, while numerous buildings close to old abbeys and castles were constructed with large pieces of masonry taken from these ruins.