The Association has hosted a series of Study Days to provide an opportunity for a small group to meet at a building to discuss particular themes and problems under the guidance of experts. The BAA is committed to running two Study Days a year – one in Spring and one in Autumn – and occasionally offers additional continental study days in conjunction with exhibitions.
What is a study day
For Association Members and postgraduate students, a Study Day is the perfect opportunity to gain privileged access to art and architecture in the company of experts and fellow enthusiasts. Launched in 2008, these events encourage students to engage with methods and approaches employed by specialists in particular areas of the history of art, architecture and archaeology. Whether out in the field analysing architectural monuments, sitting in a historic library turning the pages of world famous manuscripts, or studying the individual brushstrokes of a stained glass panel set on a light box, Study Days bring together world experts, established scholars and students in a forum which encourages engagement, discussion and the sharing of ideas as well as knowledge. With around 20 participants each event is designed so that everyone can engage directly with the artefacts and take part in the discussions. A number of places are always reserved for postgraduate students and financial support is available to help them attend.
Each year the Association organises at least two Study Days. In the Spring we make the most of long light days by visiting architectural or archaeological sites. The Autumn Study Days move indoors and, being artefact based, are held at a museum, archive or library.
The current Honorary Study Day organiser is Dr Jana Gajdošová. Suggestions for study days are welcome, particularly if you can help the BAA access parts of historic sites not usually open to the general public which are of particular interest to its members.
The next study day is on 25 February 2023 with a visit to Bristol’s St Mary Redcliffe led by Jon Canon. More information can be found Bristol study day.
2013 (May) Southwell Minster: site history Roman to post-medieval
Led by Dr Philip Dixon
2013 (January) Lambeth Palace: building history and conservation
Led by Tim Tatton Brown
2012 (October) Trinity College Library, Cambridge: manuscripts (led by Christopher de Hamel and David McKitterick)
2012 (May) Harmondsworth: timber barn and Romanesque architectural sculpture at the parish church (led by Dr Edward Impey and Dr Ron Baxter)
The Romanesque doorway at St Mary, Harmondsworth, 2012
2011 (April) York: stained glass in the chapter house, east window conservation, parish churches of All Saints North Street, St Michael Coney Street and St Martin-cum-Gregory
Led by Prof. Sarah Brown and Prof. Tim Ayers
2010 (October) Atcham: lapidary collection (led by Dr Richard Morris and Prof. Martin Henig)
2010 (September) Cluny: special exhibition (led by Prof. Neil Stratford)
2010 (May) Shorthampton church in Oxfordshire: wall paintings
Led by Dr Mellie Naydenova-Slade and Mark Perry
Shorthampton church, 2011
2009 (October) Lincoln cathedral: choir stalls and roof
Led by Dr Charles Tracy, Gavin Simpson and Prof. Peter Draper
Delegates in the roof space of the Angel Choir at Lincoln, 2009
2009 (March) Bosham church, Sussex: building stones
2008 (June) White Tower in the Tower of London: architectural history