R.J. Brown is an acclaimed writer on English vernacular architecture and a member of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. His books include The English Country Cottage, English Farmhouses, Timber-framed Buildings of England, Old Houses and Cottages of Kent and The English Village Church. He has been an acknowledged graphic artist for some years specializing in fine pen-and-ink drawings of period buildings and has exhibited both in East Anglia and in London. In recent years he has accepted commissions specializing in 'house portraits'.