The Library brings together research articles, technical notes, and reference material relating to historic buildings, traditional materials, and conservation practice. Content published here is intended to support informed understanding and professional engagement, and may include original writing, commissioned work, and selected material from other relevant sources.
What is Hot Lime Mortar?
An overview of hot lime mortar, considering its properties, traditional uses, and relevance within the conservation of historic buildings.
Understanding Traditional Brick and Mortar in Historic Buildings
An overview of traditional brick and mortar construction in historic buildings, considering materials, performance, and conservation context.
Conservation in Practice: Students Repair Historic Church Roof
A short reflection on a BBC News report examining how conservation training and traditional skills are applied in the repair of a historic church roof.
Common Misconceptions About Historic Building Repair
A brief discussion of some common assumptions surrounding the repair of historic buildings, and why conservation practice often requires a different approach from modern construction.
What is dendrochronological sampling?
A specialist method used to date historic timber by analysing tree-ring patterns, beginning with careful identification and assessment of suitable timbers.