Historic Gardens and Architectural History
Books
After publishing 14 books in his Historic Gardens of England series, county by county, begun when he was teaching an MA in Garden History at the University of Bristol, Tim has revised his 1988 biography of John Wood and the creation of Georgian Bath – Architect of Obsession (2022); written two books, with Julian Orbach, on unrealised architectural schemes in Bath and Cambridge (2023 & 2025); together with Barbara Hardy, has published a cultural biography of the late-Victorian architect, Basil Champneys (A Most Brilliant Outsider, 2026); and produced the first study of historic gardens in the Regency – All Around is Fairy Ground – Pleasure and the Regency Garden (2026).
Articles
Tim writes for Country Life – his most recent article on the Pulhamite garden at Highnam Court in Gloucestershire appeared in October 2026 – and reviews regularly for the magazine.
Academic and Lecturer
He is Emeritus Professor in the History of Architecture & Designed Landscapes at the University of Bristol and Honorary Professor in the Cultural Heritage Institute at the Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester. In his academic role, Tim continues to supervise doctoral students and carry out external examining, while engaging publicly through lively and provocative illustrated lectures on a whole range of topics derived from his research. His most recent lecture for the Jane Austen Festival in Bath was entitled: ‘A prettyish kind of a little wilderness’ – Landscapes and Gardens in the Novels of Jane Austen.
Consultant
Together with Dr Carole Fry, Tim is Co-director of Architectural History & Conservation, an independent consultancy offering specialist advice to any project affecting historic buildings, landscapes or gardens.
Bookshop
Tim’s most recent books are all available to buy on this website. They include two about failed architectural schemes in Bath and Cambridge - the city and the university as they might have been - the first cultural biography of late-Victorian architect, Basil Champneys, an early champion of women’s rights, and a groundbreaking study of the ornamental gardens of the Regency, designed for alfresco entertainment and sheer pleasure.
