http://www.buildinghistory.org/ News and site updates from Researching Historic Buildings in the British Isles en-gb Wed, 16 May 2012 11:26:00 GMT http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification http://www.buildinghistory.org/index.shtml#IrishCIRCLE: A Calendar of Irish Chancery Letters c. 1244 - 1509 brings together all known letters enrolled on the Irish chancery rolls during the Middle Ages (1244–1509). The Irish chancery was the office of the great seal of the king used in Ireland. It produced two series of enrolments: patent and close rolls. These cover the full range of royal activity in Ireland, which includes grants of lands, so there is useful material here for building historians. Meanwhile British History Online continues to make available materials for British history. I have extended my list of Crown Records on Medieval manors and their records to take account of the records so helpfully becoming available online. http://www.buildinghistory.org/index.shtml#ScottishThe team behind Scotlands People has been busily digitising a useful source from the National Archives of Scotland. The Valuation Rolls from 1855 to 1989 record the names of the owner and occupier of each property, in order for local authorities to set rates. The Valuation Roll for 1915 is the first to go online. http://www.buildinghistory.org/index.shtml#HarperA century ago Charles G. Harper wrote a series of books on the major roadsof Great Britain (mainly England). The text was popular and may not be of much interest, but they were illustrated with his own sketches, along with oldprints and drawings. These include many view of inns. I'm happy to see that Project Gutenberg has digitized three of these now: his first, The Brighton Road (1892), plus The Dover Road (1895) and The Bath Road (1899). Meanwhile the Internet Archive can offer a good selection of his road books, including The Portsmouth Road and its Tributaries : to-day and in days of old (1895), The Exeter Road : the story of the west of England highway (1899), The Great North Road : the old mail road to Scotland (1901, revised 1922), The Holyhead Road : the mail-coach road to Dublin (1902), vol. 1 and vol. 2, The Cambridge, Ely and King's Lynn Road : the great Fenland highway (1902), The Newmarket, Bury, Thetford and Cromer Road : sport and history on an East Anglian turnpike (1904), The Oxford, Gloucester and Milford Haven Road : the ready way to South Wales (1905), The Hastings Road and the "Happy springs of Tunbridge" (1906) and The Manchester and Glasgow Road : this way to Gretna Green (1907). http://www.buildinghistory.org/index.shtml#HarmondsworthGood news. The largest, best preserved medieval timber barn still standing in England has been bought by English Heritage. The barn is a masterpiece of carpentry,built in 1426 by Winchester College as part of its manor farm at Harmondsworth, now absorbed into Greater London. The primary aim is to preserve this Grade I listed structure from decay. The bonus for the public is that the barn will be open for free two Sundays a month between April and October 2012, with plans to open it every Sunday from next year.