Tag Archives: rural archetypes

Roofs Across Fields

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Matt Wood

Hitherto I’ve described four rural archetypes that I identified when I showed some clients around Norfolk this summer: the nucleated and non-nucleated village, the wide-fronted house and the farmstead. I haven’t listed ‘roofs across fields’ as an archetype, but it … Continue reading →

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Norfolk DNA #4 – The Farmstead

Posted on November 2, 2010 by Matt Wood

The last of the four ‘rural archetypes’ I identified for my recent guided-tour of Norfolk was the farmstead – or perhaps, more generally, a relatively dense rectilinear grouping of buildings; the wider definition allows this archetype to be represented also by … Continue reading →

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Norfolk’s DNA #3 – The Wide-Fronted House

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Matt Wood

The Stable Acre house also put me in mind of my third ‘rural archetype’ (see previous post) – the wide-fronted house. Stable Yard isn’t really an exemplar of the type, but it does display two of its main characteristics – it … Continue reading →

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Norfolk’s DNA #2 – The Non-Nucleated Village

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Matt Wood

The second recognizable type of village one might call non-nucleated, as they have a much less well-defined centre. These villages may have only been tiny hamlets in mediaeval times, but many may have come into existence much later, perhaps associated … Continue reading →

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Norfolk’s DNA #1 – The Nucleated Village

Posted on October 13, 2010 by Matt Wood

Norfolk’s nucleated settlements – its picture postcard villages, if you will – have typically existed since mediaeval times, operating as markets, service-centres for Norman monasteries or castles, or capitalizing on passing trade at river-crossings. They have distinct and comparatively dense … Continue reading →

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Real Rural Vernacular – Norfolk’s DNA

Posted on October 9, 2010 by Matt Wood

In the previous post I described a house-builders’ vernacular which despite some superficial stylistic references to rural architecture has led to housing estates that are nothing like real villages. I was recently asked to lead a two-day tour of Norwich … Continue reading →

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