Author Archives: hunterg

Week 17 – 12/03/18

WEEK 17, 12/03/18

This week was intended for a workshop on writing essays effectively; it hoped to cover the structure, the style, and how to use sources correctly. As I was unable to attend, I caught up using the essay writing tools signposted on the Roehampton Campus Project Moodle page.

For the first time, I properly started to refine my essay plan into something I felt would be useful in researching my topic. With the help of a friend’s peer-review, I was able to identify and appreciate what needed changing, like irrelvant and confused points such as historical legacy. Instead I have focused it on its archetectural functional role and arechetectual social role. Afterwards, I began writing my first draft, trying to structure the paragraphs comparatively within a coherant style. Given my new focus on the archetectural role of Grove House and its nearby surroundings, after focusing it from last week’s feedback, I have been able to keep this draft consistent, consise, and on topic. Adjusting to the Chicago referncing was tricky at first, but with the aid of the Moodle Chicago handbook, I was able to correctly insert footnotes and a bibiliogrpahy in the correctly formatted style.

Week 16 – 05/03/18

WEEK 16, 05/03/18

This week’s session was a short presentation of our incomplete projects, with peer discussion and criticism of the presented work.

As I have found finding particular scholarship on my question hard, I have exchanged this search for more general scholarship that is still applicable and relevant to the discussion. With this in mind, in prepration for the presentation I finalized my bilbliogrpahy with additions of library books on the housing development and gentry of Modern London, such as Weightman’s ‘The Making of Modern London’. To highlight the status of residents, I am using BBC film archives and musuem artefacts.

This presentation also was my first time showcasing my essay struture, which enabled a great opportunity to help improve showcasing more relevant information. It also helped to remould my question, especially after a tip was offered to narrow down my question with a clear approach. After this critique of my presentation, I decided to change my question to one concerning an archelogical approach, which also concerns the status of the residents in and surrounding Parkstead House: ‘To what extent has the architecture of Roehampton’s Parkstead House and its surrounding area changed under the influence of Georgian London compared to modern London?’

Week 15 – 19/02/18

WEEK 15, 19/02/18

This week was intended for tutorials to discuss progression of our work and give necessary feedback. However, as I was unable to make it, I did not do as was intended.

Instead, I finally decided against using Grove House within my research question, as the was more than enough discussion without it. This settled with my research question becoming: ‘To what extent has the role of Roehampton’s Parkstead House changed from being under the influence of Georgian London compared to modern London?’ From this, I was able to explore elements of social status and archetectural function in more depth. This resolved the issues of focused and limited discussion within the essay, allowing less less general of Georgian and Modern London and its estates. As a result, I exchanged the project idea of the Grove House exterior and interior handbook to one of a Parkstead one. With confidence I would stick to Parkstead House, I began compling image resources for the project from the Sir John Soane Musuem and British Musuem, as well as modern images of the site. I gathered more written resources of Georgian Estates architecture to use as factual references within the project, and began steching out the layout.

Week 14 – 29/01/18

WEEK 14, 29/01/18

This weekly session was comprised of a discussion of effective essay planning and source work. We had to bring our essay plans along at whatever stage of development, but unfortunately, I was sick. Instead, I comprised essay plan in the library sectioned into three parts: functionality, social factors, and historical relevance of the two buildings within their Georgian and Modern contexts. Using Moodle essay resources to help shape my essay, especially given being new to Chicago referencing.

Using the library, got out some books on Georgian London. However, I was only able to find two wholly relevant books, inlcuding by the authour Jane Gleeson, within the library for Georgian London life. None that particularly paid attention to Parkstead House or Grove House. It seemed worrying how reliant on online resources for information.

From doing this essay plan, I knew I either needed to cut out either Grove House or Parkstead House – or remove one section of the essay entirely. I left the decision undecided for the week, however leant more towards getting rid of Grove House, which proved more useless every week compared to the highly sourced and supported Parkstead House. However, my research question remained unaltered.

Week 13 – 22/01/18

WEEK 13, 22/01/18

For this session, we presented a short presentation on a vague outline of our question and project, and their necessary sources. I collected an accumulation of resources into a word document a rough bibliography for my chosen research topic, and presented it to our class for feedback and suggestions. Resources include the Heritage England catalogue of Grove House and Parkstead House. Such art sources include British Museum satirical cartoons, and artefacts alongside blueprints at the Sir John Soane Museum. While finding online resources was easy, finding scholarship online or within the library on this select topic was impossible seemingly.

I have not done much on my project or essay other than an initial amalgamation of sources, using the useful weblinks within the Moodle page. Such sources enlightened me on my mistakes and obstacles. Firstly, by accidentally mistaking Grove House for Parkstead House, I had misrepresented what I wanted to study. Secondly, using one house held too little source information. As a result, I got my facts correct and changed my essay question to: ‘To what extent has the role of Roehampton’s Grove House and Parkstead House changed from being under the influence of Georgian London compared to modern London?’

Week 12 – 15/01/18

This week, our introductory session to spring term was a short class discussion of our finalised essay questions and projects.

I have not done much on my project or essay other than an initial idea; I had not looked at or searched for any sources yet as I found it difficult finding available sources in the library that were relevant. My planning has been minimum, limited to a vague essay title and few bibliography picks, as I try to find accessible and cheap sources for my research question. I struggled a little with the lack of suggested articles or books offered within the source list, yet the week’s listed introductory reading provided a nice starting point to my research.

My research question, ‘How impactful was Roehampton’s Grove House within Georgian London compared to modern London?’, was criticised for its vagueness and limitedness. Because of this, I changed the question: ‘To what extent has the role of Roehampton’s Grove House changed under the influence of Georgian London compared to modern London?’ Within my creative project, I have only so far conceived of the idea of a small architectural handbook of Grove House, with interior and exterior.

Week 11 – 11/12/17

WEEK 11, 11/12/17

This week was individual tutor sessions within our course lecturers, discussing ideas on our creative projects and essay for fifteen minutes.

Beforehand, I research using the Moodle suggested sources, the weekly reading on Moodle, and my weekly notes to decide upon my topic. From this meeting, I was under the construction of an essay title and project concerning Grove House. This session helped me to debating upon a scholarly approach: art historian, architectural, or geographical. My question was soon developed slightly into one concerning the purposing of Grove House within Georgian London compared to Modern London: ‘How did Grove House change architecturally/ geographically/ etc. under the influences of Georgian London to Modern London?’

This conversation also helped to develop my ability to think critically about how to conduct a research question, keeping in mind the need to bring the London context into the essay but keep my Roehampton topic centrepiece. Likewise, it tested my creative abilities in considering the logistics of how I would go about creating a handout – considering digital applications Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher. Afterwards, I tested such applications to learn new skills and renew my ability to use these digital tools.

Week 10 – 04/12/17

WEEK 10, 04/12/17

Within our last session on Roehampton topics, we investigated Roehampton’s role within the Arts and Crafts movements on Whitelands campus with Gilly King, talking on the effects of key proponents – such as John Ruskin and William Morris – on Roehampton University.

From the set reading, I have learnt about online resources useful to the topic, inlcuding the Victoria & Albert biography of Morris. It has also revealed relevant musuems and socieites within and near London to visit for further information about key proponents such as William Morris Gallery, Brantwood House, and the William Morris Society. Likewise, set reading of reviews of film ‘Effie Grey’ (2014) and BBC tv drama ‘Despreate Romantics’ (2009) has revealed informative and dramatised resources to use. These could also be used in terms of reception of these key figures of the Arts and Crafts Movement as well, especially given the dubbed William Morris lecture threatre within Whitelands College currently.

From our final session on Roehampton project topics, I could research and consider questions relating to the effect of the Arts and Crafts Movement on Roehampton: ‘To what extent did William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement impact and shape Roehampton’s Whitelands and its architecture?’

Week 9 – 27/11/17

WEEK 9, 27/11/17

Within this session, we learnt the history of Catholicism within the British Army and the history of the Roehampton war memorial. We also make a visit to the memorial where we investigated in person the aspects we learnt in class.

After visiting the memorial, we entered the library where speaker Dr Richard Keogh planned to hold an exhibition on it. Surrounded by the audience and atmosphere he planned to exhibit in, he asked us to offer engaging ideas. Discussing his own research project within this immersive creative workshop, he became an exemplar for my own research; it increased my group working skills and enabled me further inspiration for my creative project next term, usefully contextualising it.

I gained new research resources through weekly reading and the session. Dr Keogh promised availability for queries on the memorial, gaining access to specialist information from a Doctor. Furthermore, use of the highly informative Imperial War Museum website allows for an inventory search of UK memorials, providing accurately catalogued information.

From this session, I could research the relationship of power with commemoration and memory: ‘Why does the Roehampton memorial wall commemorate a select group of diverse individuals?’

Week 8 – 20/11/17

WEEK 8, 20/11/17

This week’s session looked at classical reception of Greco-Romano culture within Roehampton, through its neoclassical exteriors and interiors, including temples, and historical figures associated with such recpetion – this includes Robert Adams and Sir William Chambers.

We were in Adams Room of Grove House, approriately a neoclassical manor where the dicussed Herclean chimmney piece resides. Utilisation of a receptive location on campus during such a lecture highlighted the importance in seeing studied pieces in person if possible; it enababled a more critical understanding of the piece and more easily critical approach to scholary interpretations.

Being provided specialist vocabulary, as supplied in Lorna Hardwick’s works, was incredibly invauable. Using learnt tenchical terms, such as foreigisation and acculturation, enables a heighten undertanding and a more sophisicated, indepth discussion on reception in research. Educated in different topical approaches – Classical Traditionalist, Classical Reception, and Deep Classics – I am able to discuss reception studies within a essay papaer or an oral presentation through theses newfound techniques

Given everything I’ve learnt this week, I could conduct research into acculturation of the Heracles myth in 18th century Britian: ‘What is explored in the neoclassical chimmney piece, ‘Choice of Hercules’?