A Pattern of Building Written and presented by Alec Clifton-Taylor 1: Chichester, Sussex
' The cathedral apart, brick and flint are what give Chichester its essential character; the right materials in the right place.'
England has more unspoilt towns than any country in the world. In this series, the architectural historian ALEC CLIFTON-TAYLOR has made a personal choice of six, based not so much on the historical appeal of a fine cathedral, a castle or a church but the range and quality of the ordinary domestic houses and the use made of the traditional building materials of England - stone, brick, wood and plaster. ' I'd like every programme to be an exercise in looking.'
At Chichester the local stone was flint; the Romans used it for the city walls, and it is still being used today. The cathedral is mainly built of imported limestone from Caen in Normandy, while the Georgian houses with their fan-lights and doorways - ' Chichester's special delight' - are built from some of the finest brick in the country. All in all, ' a perfect pattern of English building'.
Titles BOB ENGLISH
Photography GODFREY .JOHNSON Film editor KEITH RAVEN
Executive producer BRUCE NORMAN
Producer denis MORIARTY. Preview: p 15