'Fragments' Dr Jonathan Foyle Autumn Lecture

‘Shaftesbury Abbey is a fragment of what it used to be. But the history that surrounds us is inevitably fragmentary: documentary records are inevitably incomplete, all buildings change over time, and their relics are usually broken and dispersed- to the great advantage of museums. Nevertheless, though they can be 'lost in plain sight', or misattributed, piecemeal survivals from the past can be full of invaluable information when we inspect them closely. This talk discusses the information that can be gleaned from historic fragments from the abbey and beyond.’

Dr Foyle is a lecturer at the University of Bath, specialising in Building Conservation and Architectural History. His early career included eight years as Curator of Historic Royal Palaces, which led to a television career, contributing to ‘Time Team’, and presenting series such as BBC's ‘Climbing Great Buildings’.  He has authored numerous books and articles on English medieval buildings and cathedrals and…