ABSTRACT
Since the eighteenth century timber in Britain has been a rather Cinderella material, essential to construction but not highly regarded compared with masonry as an architectural material. It did enjoy something of a revival during the nineteenth century for roof structures of the Gothic revival but, apart from that, it has been a poor relation to other materials for structural purposes. That is to some extent because Britain, not having large supplies of structural species has imported most of its building timbers, but also a legacy of the Fire of London and the switch to brick. The subsequent ‘Georgianising’ of timber-framed buildings across the country was probably as much a fashion statement as a concern for fire protection. One could argue that it is not having a continuing tradition of timber structures that has led to a lack of concern for the history and historic value of such structures, except for exposed half-timbering. Be that as it may, the historical significance of timber structures has only been recognized relatively recently, so that when we consider the approaches to conserving timber structures we have to consider the development of ideas about the significance of these structures as well as that of the technical solutions; an understanding of their history as much as of their structural behaviour. It is true that it has for some time been a material of interest to a few enthusiasts, people like the late Freddie Charles, and its importance was recognized in those buildings where it was a prominent architectural material: the roofs of open halls and EastAnglian churches for example. But otherwise it was taken little account of.
