Peter Ryder has worked as a Historic Buildings Consultant since 1986; prior to this he worked on the National resurvey of Buildings of Historical and Architectural Interest (for English heritage, and then for some years with the South Yorkshire County Archaeology Service. He has special interests in medieval buildings and sculpture, and has written several books including Timber-Framed Buildings in South Yorkshire. (1978), Medieval Buildings of Yorkshire. Moorland Publishing (1982) (reissued in paperback 1993) Saxon Churches in South Yorkshire. South Yorkshire County Archaeology Service (1982) The Medieval Cross Slab Grave Cover in County Durham. Architectural and Archaeological Society of Durham and Northumberland (1985), Northumberland (Buildings of England Series), Penguin books.(Part author of revised edition. 1992) Medieval Churches of West Yorkshire. West Yorkshire County Archaeology Service. (1993) and Bastle Houses in the Northern Pennines. Northern Pennines Heritage trust (1997), in addition to a considerable numbers of articles in periodicals such as The Archaeological Journal, Archaeologia Aeliana etc..

His work includes historic building assessment and detailed recording including rectified photography and production of detailed survey drawings. Examples of recent projects include Structural Recording at Coverham Abbey in North Yorkshire for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, a survey of Nonconformist Chapels and Meeting Houses in the Northern Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Study of Historic Parish Churches in West Yorkshire for the West Yorkshire County Archaeological Service, a Survey of Historic Buildings in Castle Donington for Leicestershire County Council, an Historical and Archaeological Assessment of Belsay Castle, Northumberland, on behalf of English Heritage, and many smaller projects for private individuals and local authorities. He is engaged in a long-standing series of archaeological assessment of historic parish churches on behalf of the Diocese of Durham.

If one type of project can be identified as typical, it is an assessment and interpretation of an historic building (such as may be asked for by English Heritage or a local planning authority in advance of an application for Listed Building Consent), consisting of an historical introduction, a detailed description of the building, an interpretation of its structural development and an assessment of its importance, produced in the form of a ring-bound A4 report, of c 15 pages including photographs, drawings and plans.

His daily rate is currently (January 1999) Ł150, plus expenses. A typical report of the type cited above, which make take around 5 days of work, will cost around Ł900

To contact Pete about work, email PFRWork@broomlee.demon.co.uk