NASArchitects / Neil Andrew Spacey

Another hand drawn relic, this a barn conversion near Banwen, within the Brecon Beacons National Park.

This new website’s got me reminiscing & dusting off old portfolios not un-zipped since the jurassic!  I figure I’m probably one of the last of the dinosaurs, having started out on a real drawing board [even T square at one steam powered practice - in 1998!] using ink, razor blades,  pounce, stencils, letraset, adjustable set squares, faber castell, rotring, 0.35, 0.18,…aahhhhhh nothing like shaking your pens into life the first 15mins of the day. Thankfully computers emerged & accelerated quickly, I went fully digital in 97 with my first pc, a mindblowing 233Hz, now being used by Bethan my daughter.

I still have a romantic idea to do more hand drawing. I invested in a very solid 1960′s cast iron Admel board a few years back, like the one I remember sitting at aged 8 in my dad’s office on Castle Street drawing Caerphilly castle [that drawing didn't survive & neither did Castle St!], but having it hasn’t really inspired a return to the pen, yet, maybe one day…?

Hand drawing may have declined in business for good reason, but I still think the impact of a beautifully toned architectural drawing can’t be beaten. I’ll post some fine examples [by others!] when I uncover them, until then here’s a very small selection of my early works…

1990/1991? Llanhilleth miners institute – a full detailed measured survey, even up on the roof!  emerging through that roof ‘turret’ you see via the top floor ballroom, no ‘fall arrest’ systems in those days! Intricate survey & refurbishment, I remember difficulties reproducing the decorative moulded string course bricks [acorns?].

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