| Extent | 6,000 books; 9,000 journals, theses, ephemera; 30,000 slides; 15,000 photographs and negatives; ~2,000 postcards and stamps; ~400 drawings and maps |
| Description | The collection consists primarily of books, of which some 1,500 are at Oxford Brookes University (CAVES). Also included is a collection of slides of vernacular architecture taken in all continents over a period of 45 years, booklets, folders, leaflets, regional guides and other small publications, as well as a large collection of photographs and ephemera. Journals are not numerous in the vernacular field, but the collection includes complete runs of 'Vernacular Architecture' (UK), 'Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review' (US), and shorter runs of 'Architecture Vernaculaire' (France), 'Maisons Paysannes', 'Architectural Association Journal', 'RIBA Journal', and others. |
| Administrative History | Dr Paul Oliver MBE was an associate lecturer for the Department of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University. He wrote numerous publications in vernacular architecture, and is the editor of the four-volume Encyclopaedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (CUP). Dr Oliver was connected with Oxford Brookes for many years, and was Associate Head of the School of Architecture between 1978 and 1988. He died in 2017 aged 90 |
| Custodial History | The material was transferred from Paul Oliver's office at the University and from his home. |