Review
Donhead have established a remarkable reputation for their publication of building construction and repair. In addition to new books, they have produced numerous reprints of carefully chosen classic old ones. These have included Rivington's text books of the 1980s, and recently the three volumes of McKay published between 1938 and 1944. Now we have Richard Eaton's Building Construction Drawing, originally issued by Spon's in six parts from 1914-1921. cumulatively, these reprints form an excellent reference for traditional construction details from the Victorian period to the point where the modernists 'knew better'. ASCHB This book is an essential reference work for all those involved in the repair and maintenance of modest late Victorian and Edwardian domestic buildings, and here I include the builder, carpenter/joiner, architect, building surveyor and not least, the home owner - at a time when people are more an more wishing to retain original features, or to replicate those that have been ripped out in the past, this will be an extremely valuable reference book. [Eaton] wrote the book to assist students while he was a part-time teacher of building construction at the Poole School of Art and Technology. Present-day 'students' of such construction - those responsible for its care and re-use - will appreciate the detailed information to be found here, which will provide the understanding that is such an essential prerequisite for informed and sympathetic repairs and alterations. Even for those not engaged in present-day work on the type of construction illustrated and specified in Eaton, pleasure (and learning) can be had from studying the detailed drawings and the comprehensive specification clauses, dating from what was probably the last generation of craft-based building. Institute of Structural Engineers This book would be a highly valuable resource to add to the book collection of any building professional charged with the conservation, restoration and management of buildings taken from this period of building in Britain (from late Victorian to pre-war). Building Engineer
Product Description
First published in six parts in the period 1914 to 1921 this volume has now been reprinted to provide a useful sourcebook for architects and other conservation specialists working on traditional buildings. This was one of the first books to include specifications and working drawings of joinery details, drawn on a large scale, which complemented the earlier better known construction 'pattern books' of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The book covers a wide range of details, with particular emphasis on joinery, including windows, doors, staircases, panelling, picture and chair rails, and architraves but also covering brick and tile floors, chimney heads, yard gates, and an example of a roof for a small house. These will be of particular relevance to the maintenance of buildings constructed between 1900 and 1939.
