Videos

NPPF HO11e Explained

August 2026

Architect Francis Terry and planning specialist Martin Leay discuss how to get planning permission for a new country house in practical terms using examples of their many past successes of using 'HO11e'.

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The Five Classical Orders

April 2025

The proportions and defining features of the five orders of columns are a fundamental part of classical architecture. In this video, Francis and his father Quinlan Terry CBE delve deep into this cornerstone of the profession. From the rustic undecorated Tuscan order to the detailed and ornate Composite, they reflect on their usage over the years, their rich symbolism as well as the mysterious question of their distant origins.

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Francis Terry interview on A is for Architecture podcast.

January 2026

A is for Architecture Podcast, neoclassical architect Francis Terry, founder of Francis Terry and Associates, discusses his upbringing, education, drawing, work, practice and the imposed politics of it all.

Francis Terry: New classical architecture. A is for Architecture Podcast.

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How to Draw like Raphael

April 2020

The highest praise one can give an artist is to say he or she draws like Raphael. It comes in the same package as writing like Shakespeare or ‘bending it like Beckham’. As I can’t write poetry and don’t play football the latter two challenges are not open to me, but drawing like Raphael... how hard can it be?

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Why does my Puppy like Mozart?

August 2025

We recently bought a puppy and discovered that he much prefers classical music to pop. It seems that dogs are born with discernible musical tastes which effects their moods and this seems to be consistent throughout the species.

...and what does this tell us about classical architecture? A discussion with Alfie and Francis Terry.

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Glad to be Pastiche

August 2025

The definition of Pastiche is 'an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period.' I imitate historic buildings, rather than inventing new styles, and with this in mind, it may seem fair game to direct the word at my work...

A discussion with Alfie and Francis Terry.

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Proportions in Architecture and Music

August 2025

Architects for millennia have sought to find rules to determine the proportions of every aspect of a building. A window, for example, can look too narrow and thin or conversely it can look squat and fat.

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Fortune Favours the Friendly

August 2025

On occasions I meet architects who think that they are, or more often should be, 'in charge' of every aspect of their buildings. These people are either very naive or deluded. They harp back to a golden age when architects were taken seriously like doctors or lawyers...

A discussion with Alfie and Francis Terry.

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Should Architects Just Do as They Are Told

August 2025

How much should I, as an architect, push my opinions? Should I simply take instructions from clients and blindly obey, or should I insist on buildings being a particular way?

A discussion with Alfie and Francis Terry.

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What Is More Important, Materials or Form?

August 2025

alladio's villas in the Veneto are made from render which is a cheaper alternative to stone, but it looks similar from a distance ... I think even if the Villa Rotonda was made of cheese, it would still look splendid from afar.

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A Life in Sketchbooks

April 2022

Francis gave a zoom talk on his sketching through the decades to the Traditional Architects Group recently. In this talk, Francis discusses his work from his various sketchbooks and focus on how these drawings inspired his work.

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NPPF Paragraph 84e Explained

December 2021

Architect Francis Terry and planning specialist Martin Leay discuss how to get planning permission for a new country house in practical terms using examples of their many past successes of using 'Paragraph 84e'.

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NPPF Paragraph 80e Explained

November 2021

NPPF paragraph 80e is the planning legislation which is specifically written to allow this to happen. The clause states that the new house has to be an ‘exceptional’ work of architecture and so it is not easy to get planning permission… but not impossible. In this video architect Francis Terry and planning specialist Martin Leay discuss how this can be done in practical terms using examples of their many past successes of ‘paragraph 80e’ houses.

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NPPF Paragraph 79e Explained

October 2020

Many people, perhaps you, would love to build yourself a new house in the country where you could live with your family and work from home in rural tranquility.

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