From a respected teacher in his field comes the first and only how-to book on the subject. Sample projects in color: a press-molded door surround, a carved-relief countertop, a dimensional fireplace, plus handbuilt and thrown sinks and pedestals. “Well designed and visually stimulating. Peter King writes like a good teacher.”—Clay Times.

Written for the general reader with an interest in ceramics, Handbuilt Ceramics is a big, colorful, and complete how-to manual for shaping clay without a potter’s wheel. Features 8 projects, complete with materials lists, clear step-by-step instructions, and detailed “how-to” color photos.

Bricks and brickwork -- Blocks and blockwork -- Lime, cement and concrete -- Timber and timber products -- Ferrous and non-ferrous metals -- Bitumen and flat roofing materials -- Glass -- Ceramic materials -- Stone and cast stone -- Plastics -- Glass-fibre reinforced plastics, cement and gypsum -- Plaster and board materials -- Insulating materials -- Energy-saving materials and components -- Recycled and ecological materials -- Sealants, gaskets and adhesives -- Paints, wood stains, varnishes and colour.

This is the first book in the UK to be devoted to historic floors. It introduces an important and largely neglected subject and considers conservation methods in a European context. It traces the history of some of the great floors of Europe from the fourth century B.C. and outlines the development of mosaic, tiles, marble and parquetry floors in secular buildings. The early Christian pavements in basilicas, temples and cathedrals, the creation of medieval tiles, ledger stones and monumental brasses, their destruction by iconoclasts and re-creation during the Gothic Revival, are also discussed. Leading authorities, archaeologists, architects and archivists consider the latest methods of recording and repairing cathedral floors, including those of cathedrals, country houses, the monumental tiled pavements of the Palace of Westminster and other public buildings. Management policies to protect outstanding floors in over-visited sites are considered and historic features particularly at risk, are identified. Urgent action is recommended to contain the damage caused by the dramatic increase in tourism throughout Europe.

In 1916, at an unpropitious time, Thomas Wallis founded a new practice, Wallis, Gilbert & Partners, primarily to collaborate with an American company in the design of factories to be constructed of reinforced concrete. Up to this time, the designing of factories was not popular among architects and many manufacturers regarded the employment of an architect as a wanton extravagance. Wallis's move could in this light be seen as a reckless gamble, but the subsequent achievements of him and his partners suggest that his choice had been well considered. They became prolific designers of factories and some of the best known inter-war industrial buildings – Firestone, Hoover, The Gramophone Company, Glaxo Laboratories to name only a few – were their work. Skinner looks first at the biographical background of Wallis, at the history and organization of the partnership he founded, and at the many factors that contributed to its reputation in the inter-war years. She then offers a perspective on architectural thought and activity in that period, and of the attitudes and influences on factory design. Designs by the partnership for over one hundred factories and factory buildings have been discovered and, at the core of the book is a third chapter which analyses and assesses them under four headings: the early "daylight/masonry" style; the "fancy" factories of the mid-term years of 1927–35; the more sculptural and geometrical "British modern" later works up to 1939; and designs, including overseas commissions, that do not easily fit within the three style groups. Skinner concludes with an evaluation of the philosophy of Wallis, Gilbert & Partners, which was to contribute through the architectural design of factories to the successful pursuit of business by the companies that commissioned them. Although factories have played an influential role in society for more than two centuries, their design has rarely caught the imagination of architectural historians. Their neglect of the field is now being rectified to some extent and this book will contribute to the further stimulation of interest in the architectural history of factories.