Britain's stock of vernacular buildings is one of the richest and most varied in the world, and its maintenance depends crucially on a sympathetic approach to repair and restoration. Owners, architects, builders and developers are often well aware of this need, but in the absence of readily available guidance on traditional methods of building, all too often turn to inappropriate modern materials and techniques. Adela Wright, technical adviser to the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, sets out to remedy this lack. Her detailed account of craft techniques is based on interviews with practising craftsmen, well supported by photographs and drawings. She deals in turn with - walls and foundations (including clay, chalk, flint, cobbles, limestone, wattle and daub), facings (pargetting, mathematical tiles) and roofs (thatching, stone, shingles). Publication of this book will help preserve vital knowledge of traditional crafts otherwise in danger of being lost - fortunately it also coincides with a greatly increased public interest in our heritage of vernacular buildings, the nature of their fabric, and the craftsman's approach to their conservation. Such techniques, indeed, remain as serviceable as ever - an attractive alternative to modern methods not only in restoration work, but in the design of new buildings and extensions to old ones.