A visit to George Mason’s c.1759 Gunston Hall – A Colonial Virginia Gem.
An unexpected journey
Tagged Architecture
The Leaning Piazzas of Charleston
The Leaning Piazzas of Charleston – Why do so many porches look like they are about to fall over?
It was Never Supposed to be Perfect – Some Thoughts on Woodwork at the c.1810 Chancognie House.
I recently had a conversation about early 19th century woodwork with my friend Chris Swan, Senior Furniture Conservator at Colonial Williamsburg. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, architectural woodwork and furniture were all made by hand and although there would have been differences in the levels of refinement, they had one thing in common – the…
Charleston in the Time of Coronavirus – Part 2 – East Battery
I have seen East Battery deserted in advance of a hurricane, but I have never seen it this quiet on such a beautiful day. Before a hurricane, most of the houses here would be boarded up with shutters closed, bracing for the weather ahead, so this was an unusual opportunity to take pictures of the…
Calke Abbey – A Unique Approach to Preserving an English Country House
During my visit to Calke Abbey with the Attingham Summer School last year, opinions were mixed about the site. Some appreciated the unusual insight into the history of the family that had lived there for centuries while others viewed it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of rarely throwing anything away. Built by Sir…
A Fascinating Visit to Flintham Hall with the Attingham Summer School
The start of the 68th Attingham Summer School yesterday brought back wonderful memories from attending last year. Attingham was an amazing experience to study the architecture, art, decorative arts, landscape and material culture of English country houses from medieval times to the late 19th century. It was an incredible opportunity and I am still learning…
Restoration and Renovation at the Chancognie House
For most of my time here at the Chancognie House, work has focused on restoration – bringing various parts of the house, such as the second-floor piazza archways, pictured below, back to their original appearance. Recently, as you may have noticed from my posts on Instagram and Facebook, I embarked on a renovation project here…
The Day the Chancognie House Almost Burned Down
Like most early American cities, Charleston has a long history of fires both small and large. Wooden buildings in close proximity to each other along with fire-building for cooking and warmth were all too often a combustible combination. The fire of April 27-28, 1838 burned over 500 properties and stopped just down the street from…
An Insider’s Tour of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton
One of the many highlights of my Attingham Summer School experience was the rooftop tour of the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. Rooftop is a bit misleading, however, as we not only went up to the roof, we went inside the roof. Coming from the US, I am always amazed at things I can do in…
Kedleston Hall – A Robert Adam Architectural Masterpiece
Robert Adam (1728-92) is my favorite architect. To be fair, my admiration for Adam is a recent development as I had never heard of him before I took up residence in the Chancognie House. The Buildings of Charleston described the house as having “Adamesque” detailing, so after reading that, I started to study Adam’s work…
The Accidental Preservationist 