Autumn 2001

One of the fascinating things about England is the frequency with which its past still catches your attention. Little old timber-framed houses, or the elegant, well-windowed brick-built Georgian houses, still speak to us of a different age when life was quieter and less busy. But just when were they built, and what can we tell of their history of modification and change? Those are the questions that intrigue the members of the Domestic Buildings Research Group, who are interested in the old cottages, houses, farms and barns of Surrey.

Working in groups of four of five people, the volunteer members of the DBRG visit interesting houses built before 1850 and make a detailed report on the architecture and history of the house, including scale drawings of its layout. If possible, they estimate the date when it was built and when any major alterations or additions were made – house extensions are no novelty, for often increases in family size or fortune are reflected in the addition of new rooms or wings, sometimes leaving the more old-fashioned parts for servants or storage.

Fascinating as this insight into their home’s history may be for the owner (who gets a free copy of the report), it has even greater value as extra information on the history of architectural development and fashion in Surrey as a whole. For it is surprisingly difficult to make a precise estimate of the date when a house was built or modified. Only rarely is there an inscription or carving that gives us this information – and even these are not always reliable for they may record the date of a marriage or of a new owner. But there are two ways in which this difficulty can be overcome.

Firstly, there is the power of the computer. The DBRG has made reports on some 3,800 buildings throughout the county, which have already enabled it to identify five major phases in the development of timber-framed houses. It is now making a computerized index of their architectural features, which will make it possible to recognize the patterns they show – what features are commonly found together, when did they appear or disappear? In this way, information from a house that has been securely dated can be used to infer that other houses, with a similar assembly of architectural features, are likely to share a similar date.

The other method uses the pattern of growth-rings in the timbers of houses. The width of these rings varies from year to year, so that each sequence of years has a unique pattern of narrow and wide rings. By taking a narrow core from a suitable timber in the house, and comparing it with the national sequence of growth-rings, it is often possible to identify in precisely which year that timber was cut and used for the original building, or the modification, of the house. That information can then be used, as above, to date other similar houses.

The DBRG plans ultimately to publish a book on the development of timber-framed houses in Surrey, to complement a book on The Smaller Brick and Stone Houses of Surrey of the 17th – mid 18th Centuries, which it will be publishing shortly. It is also hoping to publish booklets on the ancient houses of individual parishes or areas (together with local historians, where possible).

So if you own or live in a pre-1850 building that you feel might interest the Domestic Buildings Research Group (which is a registered charity), or if you feel that you would be interested in joining them to learn more about these buildings or to help to record them, do get in touch with their chairman, Dr. Barry Cox, Forge Cottage, Blacksmith Close, Ashtead, KT21 2BD.