Matthew Rice

Until now if I was to stand a look at a building I could tell you the basic elements, windows, doors, roof, gables, eaves and soffits. But there is a lot more to learn for the amateur. In this little book Rice takes us way back to Norman architecture, with an explanation of key design elements of the that time, and illustrated with cheeky little sketches of buildings and details from pilasters to pediments, buttresses to bulls eyes and queen post to quoins.

I really liked the sketches in the book too; they are little freehand ones that have a certain charm, panache and humour to them. There are broad brushed strokes of significant buildings that he recommends you visit, detailed ones of the specific elements that you should look for to date a building and even a set for the brick, stone and other materials that you will find. The explanations are clear as he describes how trends drift from one era to another and significant architects are highlighted in the text. One thing that did bug me was that key elements were highlighted in capitals and so were other random elements. Generally, not a bad introduction to architecture.… (mehr)

This book contains information and beautiful illustrations that explain and explore the terminology of British architecture; from the Classical styles of the Romans to the modern and full-of-glass of the 21st Century. The book is illustrated by hand instead of utilising photographs to remove the complication and focus upon what it is Rice is trying to convey to us.


I wish I were an architect. I think I have always been fascinated with buildings, but it was until recently I found myself endeavouring to know what it all meant. What these lines were for, even if only for decoration; why certain aspects of a building seemed to partner certain other things most of the time; what a flying buttress actually was.

I can't actually find words to express my love for this book. I obviously haven't read every single word on the page because that would be too mind-expanding and would overload me with so much architecture lingo I'd probably suffer an aneurysm. This book needs to be delved in to at stages, and perhaps not even from cover to cover but at any page at random. You also need to heed his words at the beginning and commit a few terms at the beginning and take a few days to really immerse yourself in the architectural world, if only to stop yourself from really becoming lost.

There are no faults with this book that I can see, though that is probably my own ignorance that stops me from seeing it. This book is all about teaching through the beauty of architecture and I can only say "read it".… (mehr)