Books
Stones of Witness by Colin Cunningham (Sutton, 1999) - looks at the changes that have been made to parish churches as patterns of worship have changed. The author covers all periods, but he has most to say about 19th- and 20th-century worship.
English Heritage Book of Victorian Churches by James Stevens Curl (Batsford, 1995) - this examines the development of Victorian ecclesiastical architecture, and sets it into the context of the religious developments of the 19th century. As well as Anglican churches, Curl also looks at Roman Catholic and Non-conformist buildings.
Church Builders of the Twentieth Century by Edwin Heathcote and Iona Spens (Academy Editions, 1998) - don’t be put of by the coffee-table size and glossy pictures. This is a serious yet entertaining book that looks at 20th-century developments in ecclesiastical architecture around the world.
England’s Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins (Penguin, 2000) - a good introduction if you want to start looking at churches. Organised by county, it uses a star system to rate parish churches. Its great advantage is that it includes as many post- as pre-Reformation churches, including a number built in the 20th century. The photographs are mouth-watering.
Tudor Church Militant by Diarmaid MacCulloch (Allen Lane / Penguin, 2001) - Edward VI was the originator of real liturgical reform in England, and changes made during his reign still influence modern Anglican worship. He tends to be overshadowed by his father and sisters, however. This book redresses the balance in a lively and readable fashion.
Links
: This organisation cares for churches that are no longer used for worship. Many have Jacobean and Georgian fittings, which have often disappeared elsewhere. The site has regional guides to churches you can visit. It also has information about specific aspects of church architecture, such as wall paintings.
: The Society is interested in church fittings, furnishings, and architecture. As well as picture essays, such as one on post-Reformation communion arrangements, it also has a featured ‘site of the month’ and good links, mostly related to sites with photographs of UK and other churches.
: This site, dedicated to the history of the Book of Common Prayer, includes online editions of English language liturgies going back to 1544. It also has editions of the liturgies of other Anglican (Episcopal) churches around the world.
: A project to digitise a major archive of church plans from the 19th and 20th centuries. As they are from applications to alter the buildings, many have before and after plans.
: This site has a fantastic glossary of terms related to architecture, and excellent guides to architectural styles. Related to the Pevsner Architectural Guides (otherwise known as the Buildings of England) series of books - indispensable reference guides to historic architecture.
: This organisation is charged with preserving England’s historic buildings and presenting them to the public. Their website has information about many buildings you might like to visit - select 'Understanding the past' to search the National Monuments Record archive of photographs, and 'Images of England' to discover history about England's 370,000 listed buildings.
: Details of Scotland's listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments, plus educational resources for schools and information on conservation.
: Details of historic buildings and heritage sites in Wales, with detailed access to events across Wales.
Places to visit
Croscombe, Somerset: The church is medieval but it has a very complete set of Jacobean fittings, notably a delicate screen surmounted by the royal coat of arms.
Roker, Co. Durham: A massive church, built 1906-7, with a wonderful Arts and Crafts interior.
Whitby, Yorkshire : A cruciform medieval church with a complex history, but primarily notably for its 17th- and 18th-century fittings. This is probably the best surviving example of what a parish church would have looked like at the beginning of the 19th century.
All Saints, Margaret Street, London W1: Just behind Oxford Street and wholly uninspiring from the outside, this church is a riot of colour, pattern and decoration. Built in 1849-9, it has been described as ‘England’s most celebrated Victorian church'.
, Nottinghamshire: A fascinating house converted out of an ancient abbey. Here the house is literally inside the church. It later became the home of the poet Lord Byron.
[The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is not responsible for the content of external websites.]
Published: 07-02-2005
