The Vernacular Architecture Group

The Vernacular Architecture Group was formed in 1952 to further the study of traditional buildings, originally those of the British Isles. In recent years, its membership and publications have also reflected a growing interest in buildings from other parts of the world.

Members are involved in all aspects of the recording and study of vernacular buildings including:

• Detailed local or regional surveys
• Studies of particular types of buildings including houses, farms, industrial and urban buildings
• Building materials
• Techniques of building, including carpentry and masonry
• Documentary evidence

The Group encourages communication between members in a number of ways:

• A four day conference held each spring in a different region
• A two-day winter conference with papers on one topic
• An occasional joint weekend school with Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education
• Publication of a journal
• A twice-yearly newsletter with notices of events and new publications
• A library of offprints for circulation to members (index available on Members' Area)

The Group produces a refereed journal of national standing - Vernacular Architecture - the authoritative voice on the subject. All members automatically receive a copy of Vernacular Architecture and are eligible for free online access to current and back issues. See the Publications page for full details.

Latest News

Winter conference 2025 - Call for Papers

The next winter conference will be on the theme Pioneers in vernacular architecture: examining the legacy of English Vernacular Houses, Houses of the Welsh Countryside and other early scholars, and will take place on 4 and 5 January 2025 at College Court, University of Leicester. Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of two seminal works in vernacular architectural studies - Eric Mercer's English Vernacular Houses and Peter Smith's Houses of the Welsh Countryside which were both published in 1975. The first day of the conference will examine the context for the writing and publication of these two volumes, and the impact and legacy of their work. The second day will broaden out the discussion to include other scholars of the period, particularly those who were working beyond the academic or institutional mainstream, and move onto consider the implications of their research for the future of the study of vernacular architecture.

We welcome papers looking at the impact and legacy of the work of Mercer and Smith and/or the work of other, perhaps less well-known, scholars of the period. For further details please see the Call for Papers which is open until 31 August 2024.

22 July 2024