Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain
Hardback £38.00 $76.00
Publication date 31 January 2011
296 pages
158 black and white photographs
ISBN 978 1 873394 91 5
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This pioneering and scholarly study of decorative plasterwork now reprinted by Donhead was first published in 1975. With its meticulous listing of over 300 plasterers it represented an immense step forward in its presentation of the art and craft of the plasterer. Geoffrey Beard unearthed large quantities of buried evidence relating to individual craftsmen; a survey that had never been undertaken in such detail before.
In his extensive new Introduction, Richard Ireland discusses the influence of this book on the restoration of Uppark and how both the documentary research and resulting practical on site experience has considerably improved our understanding of how this material was composed and used. He states that it has ‘led to an increased awareness of the value of a holistic approach and resulted in a more sympathetic and appropriate treatment across all aspects of the manner of conservation and restoration of historic plasterwork.’ The introduction is extremely valuable in its own right for providing an account of the materials and methods that have been investigated and applied in the intervening years since this publication appeared.
While for plasterwork professionals and historians this book is a real gem, it will also be of interest to everyone who delights in this fascinating art form.
As one of the most important works on the history of plastering, it is excellent to see Geoffrey Beard's book available again as a valuable resource for those involved in traditional plasterwork. Nigel Bamping, Clerk (Chief Executive), The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers
Introduction to the 2011 edition
Read an extract from the new introduction by Richard Ireland
Contents: New Foreword by Jeff Orton v New Preface by Geoffrey Beard v New Introduction by Richard Ireland v Preface v Acknowledgments v Magnificent Building v The urge to build; income and costs; sources of income v Materials And Methods v Raw materials and equipment: plaster, hair, sand, laths, stucco, armatures, tools, moulds; methods of work; guilds, apprentices and craftsmen v Wrought With Plaster, 1500-1600 v The Beste Masters, 1660-1702 v The Office of Works: the principal officers; The Master Plasterer; Official projects: Whitehall to 1685; Newmarket; Windsor Castle; The City Churches; St Paul’s Cathedral; Winchester; Whitehall: the Chapel; Hampton Court; Kensington Palace; Greenwich Palace; Private Patronage v Adorned With Stucco 1702-1760 v Classical Composition 1760-1830 v Plasterwork In Scotland v Notes v Plates v Select List of Plasterers v Bibliography v Index of Places v Index of Persons.
Geoffrey Beard was co-founder of the Furniture History Society in 1964, editing its journal for the first ten years (1964–73) and frequently contributing himself. Following a career in museums, he became Director of the Visual Arts at Lancaster University 1972–82, during which time he published many seminal books including Decorative Plasterwork in Great Britain (1975). He was Director of the Attingham Summer School for the Study of Historic Houses and Collections from 1986–94. His books on furniture include The National Trust Book of English Furniture (1985), Dictionary of English Furniture Makers 1660–1840 (1986) co-authored with Christopher Gilbert and English Furniture 1500–1840 (1987). His published works on interiors have included Craftsmen and Interior Decoration in England 1660–1820 (1981), Robert Adam’s Country Houses (1981), The National Trust Book of the English House Interior (1990) and Upholsterers and Interior Furnishing in England 1530–1840 (1997). He has also published books on selected architects including The Work of Robert Adam (1978), The Work of Christopher Wren (1982), The Work of John Vanbrugh (1986), as well as that of the outstanding wood carver in The Work of Grinling Gibbons (1990) and a wide-ranging study, The Compleat Gentleman: Five Centuries of Aristocratic Life (1993). In 1982 Geoffrey took early retirement from Lancaster University and moved to Bath, where he and his wife still live. He was awarded the OBE in the New Year’s honours list for services to Heritage in 2008.
Journal of Architectural Conservation
This was an important study which, for its breadth of coverage and appreciation of craftsmanship, has never been superseded... [it] is a direct reprint of the first edition, with the addition of a short foreword by the contemporary plasterer Jeff Orton and a longer introduction by the decorative conservation practitioner, Richard Ireland, who worked on the restoration of the plasterwork at Uppark. Ireland provides a very useful and succinct summary of the advances in technical knowledge that have taken place since 1975, covering materials, techniques and good conservation practice... This is an excellent introduction to the craft, which has largely stood the test of time. It is strongly commended to a new generation of readers.
Context, May 2011
Almost 40 years after its first publication this remains the definitive history of plasterwork in Great Britain, and is a very welcome addition to Donhead's series of classic out-of-print books on plaster... The indices on plasterers and house are invaluable. A Select List of Plasterers in the edited result of an immense documentary travail over years which has proved a sound basis and reference work for research by others in varied disciplines... I owe a lot to this book and have kept it close for 20 years.
Cornerstone, June 2011
A remarkable piece of scholarship that has deservedly become a classic, the first port of call for anyone wanting information on plaster style, historic context or the plasterer of a building... This facsimile reprint will therefore be snapped up by a new generation of scholars and students of historic buildings. Donhead have remained fully faithful to the original text but Richard Ireland contributes a new introduction and Beard himself adds a preface covering additions to the literature on the subject since 1975, referencing seventeen publications.
The Georgian, December 2011