Accessibly written & with over 300 watercolour illustrations Building Norfolk is an illustrated history of Norfolk's buildings up to the present day. In the middle ages Norfolk was one of England's most powerful regions with Norwich the second biggest city in the British Isles. But by the time of the industrial revolution Norfolk was something of a backwater & the transformations of this period passed it by. As a result there is a higher density of old buildings left in Norfolk than anywhere else in Britain & Building Norfolk does full justice to this extraordinary heritage of barns farms manor houses villages market towns stone walls churches & the great houses of Holkham & Houghton. But the book is not only about the past. Matthew Rice passionately believes in the value of earlier local solutions in addressing the challenges of future development. In its final quarter his book becomes a plea for a well-mannered intelligent modern interpretation of vernacular architecture & concludes with a proposal for Worsted a new town to built following the lessons of generations of Norfolk builders. Rice's support of Prince Charles' new town of Poundbury & his criticism of the current state of planning in Norfolk are sure to attract attention & controversy.