STRATFORD-UPON-AVON SOCIETY

The aim of this project, by means of high-level building recording and analysis, detailed archival research and dendrochronology, is to establish, following one of Stratford-upon-Avons town fires of ....more

The aim of this project, by means of high-level building recording and analysis, detailed archival research and dendrochronology, is to establish, following one of Stratford-upon-Avons town fires of 1594/95, the chronology, extent and nature of the reconstruction of buildings along High Street and Chapel Street, the epicentre of one of these fires. Post-fire documentary sources record damage to certain buildings, and architectural appraisal indicates that several timber-framed buildings surviving today date from the post-fire period. However, more needs to be established concerning the scale, nature and speed of this rebuilding, and the impact of the fires, both on the economic well-being of the town and the fortunes of the families most seriously affected. For many buildings there is simply no documentary evidence to draw on. Moreover, even when documentary evidence exists, it is either confusing or only establishes a date by which rebuilding had taken place. Conversely, it may record fire damage to properties that, from surviving architectural features, appear not to have been entirely rebuilt. High-level building analysis and dendrochronological investigation will resolve much of this uncertainty, provide a sound base for the interpretation of the documentary evidence, and throw definitive light on a crucial episode in the evolution of the architectural and cultural heritage of this internationally renowned town.

The aim of this project, by means of high-level building recording and analysis, detailed archival research and dendrochronology, is to establish, following one of Stratford-upon-Avons town fires of ....more

The aim of this project, by means of high-level building recording and analysis, detailed archival research and dendrochronology, is to establish, following one of Stratford-upon-Avons town fires of 1594/95, the chronology, extent and nature of the reconstruction of buildings along High Street and Chapel Street, the epicentre of one of these fires. Post-fire documentary sources record damage to certain buildings, and architectural appraisal indicates that several timber-framed buildings surviving today date from the post-fire period. However, more needs to be established concerning the scale, nature and speed of this rebuilding, and the impact of the fires, both on the economic well-being of the town and the fortunes of the families most seriously affected. For many buildings there is simply no documentary evidence to draw on. Moreover, even when documentary evidence exists, it is either confusing or only establishes a date by which rebuilding had taken place. Conversely, it may record fire damage to properties that, from surviving architectural features, appear not to have been entirely rebuilt. High-level building analysis and dendrochronological investigation will resolve much of this uncertainty, provide a sound base for the interpretation of the documentary evidence, and throw definitive light on a crucial episode in the evolution of the architectural and cultural heritage of this internationally renowned town.