The River Thames from Mouth to Source - An Architectural Journey

Overview

An Architectural Journey up the Thames from Mouth to Source.

Whilst not the longest river in Britain its history has been at the heart of the nation. This course will look the architectural heritage of riverside London, and Thames-side towns and villages from the mouth between Kent and Essex, to the Cotswolds beyond Lechlade in Gloucestershire. We will also look at the Medway which flows into the mouth of the Thames. The course will be constructed in ten section as if the student was walking or cycling the Thames path. The reason for using the Thames as a theme on which to trace the story of English architecture from the medieval to the present day is that so many famous buildings, from castles to former royal palaces, churches, houses for rich and poor, industrial buildings and numerous bridges of different shapes and sizes.  Where appropriate old master paintings such as those by Canaletto, engravings such as those by Whistler, and early photographs may be introduced. 

Students will be given notes, maps and lists of buildings as the course progresses; also appropriate books may be suggested as well as buildings to visit. 

Programme details

Course begins: 23 January 2025

Week 1: Introduction: a broad pictoral survey of two hundred miles of waterway

Week 2: Woolwich and Greenwich

Week 3: Through Docklands, old and new landscape

Week 4: Through Tower Bridge and past the City

Week 5: Westminster to Chelsea

Week 6: Up river to Hampton Court and Windsor

Week 7: Windsor to Reading through the Chiltern Hills

Week 8: The Thames Valley to Oxford

Week 9: Oxford's controversial riverscape

Week 10: The infant Thames or Isis;  from Oxford to Lechlade & Cricklade

Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
course fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Hubert Pragnell

Tutor

Hubert Pragnell has been a part-time tutor for OUDCE since 2003. He trained in fine art at the Ruskin School of Fine Art in Oxford, as well as holding a masters degree, and doctorate in history from the University of York. He is a tutor in history of architecture and has written and illustrated a number of books on British architecture. He has a special interest in buildings including industrial from the 16th to the 20th century.

Course aims

The aim of the course is to look at the architectural heritage as well as the landscape setting.

Course Objectives:

1.  To be familiar with the major architectural landmarks on the river

2. To recognise architectural style

3. To know something of the broader history of the river beyond the architectural

Teaching methods

The course will be delivered by power-point, however additional notes and diagrams will be given out at appropriate points during classes. Students will be encourage to ask quessions, discuss and indeed offer their own impressions of places they have visited and which are seen on the course. 

it may be that the progress or journey up the Thames is adjusted from week to week to spend more time discussing a specific topic or building. So the course weekly outline is not rigid. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

1. Be familiar with the architectural character of major towns and settlements on the river bank from Gloucestershire to the mouth in the North Sea

2. Understand the reason for the commercial development of specific areas such as Docklands

3. Put the buildings seen into the boader context of England's architectural development.

4. To know somethig of the social and economic conditions  and changing landscape of the regions  through  which the Thames flows

Assessment methods

All students taking the course are expected to complete the following coursework:

A piece of coursework of about 1500 words on an aspect of the course. It can be a study of a specific riverside building, or a broader theme such as the development of a riverside village, town, or industrial settlement. Although students are free to choose their own topic, advice and suggestions will be given at the commencement of the course, and students may discuss their chosen topic with the tutor during the course.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.