Pasley’s work was first written in 1826 as a course of architecture for his students at the Royal Engineer’s School in Chatham. The original title of the book, Outline of a Course of Practical Architecture is therefore a little misleading to the modern reader as the course was primarily concerned with building construction, concentrating on all aspects of brickwork.

Major General Sir C W Pasley, KCB wanted his students to be in a position to construct, maintain and extend all different types of ordinary brick buildings such as barracks, hospitals and store-houses. But whilst his interest was primarily military structures, the construction techniques were also equally applicable to civil buildings. This book, therefore, provides interesting and useful information on how buildings were being constructed a hundred and fifty years ago, and the type of limes and cements that were used.