Basil Oliver

The Cottages of England: Country Homes from the 16th to 18th Century Basil Oliver

When The Cottages of England was first published in 1929, it captured a rapidly disappearing way of life. Travelling the length and breadth of the country, Basil Oliver's photos and descriptions formed a vital record of the variety and character of the humble, yet much loved English cottage. Many of the buildings in this book are now lost forever; yet Oliver's work remains as a testament to their simplicity and charm, and to a rural past that is all too rarely glimpsed today. Includes examples of stone-built and timber-frame buildings, combed patterns, flintwork and thatched roofs.