The Buildings Archaeologist - Discovering the Secrets of Britain’s Ancient Buildings

Why do we know so little about the ancient buildings which surround our everyday lives? Britain can be justifiably proud of approximately 500,000 listed buildings. Yet as many as 60% may have been identified incorrectly. Behind a Victorian façade is a Tudor house. Underneath a Georgian frontage is a mediaeval cottage. What is now a farm was once a castle.Many buildings, hundreds of years old, are entirely unlisted. How can a nation, so obsessed with history, have missed so many ancient buildings?

The Buildings Archaeologist is the first book in over a quarter of a century which offers clues for discovering the secrets of Devon’s ancient buildings. It looks at the ways in which historic architecture has been observed, studied, and conserved. The puzzles surrounding why some buildings were listed and others overlooked will be solved. It acts as a field guide to the written records, tree-ring dating, and archaeology which help us to investigate the age, development, and social history of ancient buildings. These include houses, castles, churches, mills, factories, and warehouses hidden in plain sight. James Wright explains the fascinating, enigmatic, and surprising world of The Buildings Archaeologist.

About the Speaker
James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award-winning buildings archaeologist. He has over two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of Historic Building Mythbusting and The Buildings Archaeologist (The History Press).

Access & Parking
Access to Tavistock Town Hall is level from Bedford Square. The hall is on the first floor via a short flight of stairs or a lift is available from ground floor.

Please note there is no access to Bedford Carpark on this date due to the annual Goose Fair. There are many parking options available here maps.app.goo.gl/y1EwGxwVfcXqqwwo7

See Stagecoach and Go Cornwall for information on bus times. Tavistock Bus Station is approximately 5min walk along Plymouth Rd (PL19 8AY)

Refreshments will be available to purchase on the evening.