The Traditional House Under Threat?

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INTRODUCTION TO EXHIBITION  

This exhibition was initially shown at various library venues in Birmingham in the early 1990's, it has now been converted to the internet, it is hoped by doing this it will reach even more people.

The intention is to try to raise awareness to the serious threats on the character of the so called traditional house (for this exhibition this covers houses from around 1870 to 1935). This threat is coming from many quarters, nearly all are carried out under the guise of so called improvements. An increasing DIY 'culture', a seemingly British phenomenon, is fuelling this threat.

At the turn of the century a German art historian by the name of Hermann Muthesius came to England to study the English house. He produced a now famous book entitled : 'Das Englische Haus' (The English House). Muthesius considered that the best English house design should be a model for the world no less. He based his book   particularly on the so called 'Arts and Crafts' house, but nevertheless much house design that followed derived clearly from the principles Muthesius so much admired. By the outbreak of the second world war Britain had a house heritage perhaps the richest in the world.

This exhibition has been designed to cover four key exterior elements of the traditional house : Doors, windows, roofs and wall finishes. These four elements are all under attack through unsuitable changes and increasingly, wholesale replacement. There is now even strong economic and environmental evidence against altering the character of a house.

It is hoped that the exhibition will impart useful information and help to make people think more and to help persuade by sensible arguments, the reasons for preserving original house features.

Help prevent a situation where all that will be original and worth looking at in pre-war suburbia will be the trees!

This exhibition appeals to the eyes, heart and head.

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  Website created December 2000 by Colin Troth using Microsoft Frontpage - Issue9, last updated 16/10/2002