Nat Alcock has made a lifelong study of vernacular architecture and social history, and he worked closely with the late Bob Meeson, researching Midland buildings. He has published more than 60 papers and 18 books in these fields. The books include most recently Cruck Building: A Survey (2019, jointly edited with P. S. Barnwell and Martin Cherry, with contributions by 12 authors), and Tracing History through Title Deeds: A guide for family and local historians (2017). He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and past president of the Vernacular Architecture Group (VAG).
The Stratfire project (supported by Historic England) involves the combination of building recording, tree-ring dating and documentary research on historic buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon. Some 20 buildings in the centre of Stratford are being studied, that either were or were not destroyed or damaged in the 1594 and 1595. The lecture will discuss the information so far obtained, including the identification of several previously unrecognised 15th century houses, and others of c. 1600-20, rebuilt after the fire.
