i am currently undertaking to write a thesis on the development of timber frame construction in Ireland and Britain. i was wondering if there is anyone out there that could give me a few pointers on were to start, or to recommend a reading list.
cheers

Hi Mickey,

I just sent you a book list by email attachment re Timber Building.

There are mountains of books written on English timber frame development but little on Irish or Scottish tradition. As far as the books that I have come across re I&S the content seems to revolve around cruck framed black houses where the interior cruck frame is built into slots in the masonry walls to form the primary roof support.

Eire also has its fair share of tower houses which have timber framed roofs and a number of these have recently been replaced to make the towers habitable once again. This has featured in recent Mortice & Tenon magazine issues.

The Irish & Scots were also into building crannogs and it would be nice to hear more about how, when, where and from what (alder piles ?) that these were built.

There are a fair number of articles in the Vernacular Architecture back issues which discuss various I&S research programmes and findings but nowhere near enough.

Since Ireland was the country which spawned the missionaries who came to Scotland, Wales and parts of England (as we know and understand the borders today) I wish you well in your researches and look forward to being amazed at your findings.

Regards

Ken Hume
visit http://www.kfhume.freeserve.co.uk

nicely said Ken and in your usual sharing mode.
Would you please email the reading list to me too? In celebrating my mostly Scotch and Irish ancestry I am continually amazed at the early cross culture information exchange. My ancestral home is post and beam built circa 1804-1811 using mostly local oak and supervised by an itinerant shipwright also Scotch. The corner post to sill joinery is unlike any I have seen anywhere else. Some old references may just shed some light on the origin of the method for soldifying large hand hewn oak in any direction.
Thanks,
Emmett (aka Deralte)

thanks ken
that will provide a good starting point and historical backround. I am hoping to concentrate more on timber frame as a growth manufacturing construction industry in comparision to regular cavity wall construction.
The basis for comparision being the emission targets set by the kyoto protocol, heat conservation and sustainablity.