In this lecture, Fergusson – one of the prime colonial historians of India – discusses the architectural history of India to make two arguments: that architecture is one of the best ways to understand the history of a civilisation, and that architecture in Britain has much to learn from India. Read here.

One of the oldest texts to discuss the practice of architectural history without labelling it as such. Tasked with documenting the architecture of Rome, Raphael describes periods and styles, and urges the pope to protect the city’s architecture from further destruction. Read here.