Description
Book SynopsisThis comprehensive overview provides the first detailed account of the phenomenon of the Arts & Crafts church, examining 150 of the finest examples, mostly built between 1884 and 1918 in England, Scotland, and Wales. Arts & Crafts studies tend to focus on houses and furniture; churches were no longer central to architects' practice. A handful of well-known churches have been written about extensively, but these famous examples obscure the existence of scores of churches that express Arts & Crafts ideas every bit as vividly. They also are rarely set alongside each other, nor seen within the wider context of not only how they were built, but why. These churches are visually arresting, with often quaint, far-fetched, or capricious exteriors. Internally, they often contain beautiful elements, including reredoses, pulpits, stained glass, and altars. They also tell a fascinating story about religion as Britain entered the age of modernity. While the architects were often religiously skeptical, they were still committed to making beauty. Author Alec Hamilton sets out the social and political context in which these churches were designed and constructed in the introductory section. The book is then divided into regional sections. Each section is headed by a short essay highlighting key architects and descriptions of notable churches within each region.
Trade Review'So pleasantly written, and so comprehensively and beautifully illustrated, that it will surely attract many new enthusiasts.' –
The Victorian Web'A beautifully written and designed gazetteer, illustrated in colour throughout with the author’s own excellent photographs, it provides detailed information, lively anecdotes and firm opinions in equal measure.' -
Spectator, 'Books of the Year'
'This book is a truly major contribution to the study of Victorian and Edwardian church architecture and a wonderful travelling companion.' - Ken Powell, The Victorian magazine
'beautifully illustrated' - Ayla Lepine, Church Times
'an excellent introduction' – Pre-Raphaelite Review
Table of ContentsWhat is an Arts & Crafts church? Architecture as Art. Religion in an age of irreligion. The cultural context. Regional Sections: The West Country; The South; The South East; London (and Middlesex); Home Counties; The Marches; The West Midlands; The East Midlands; The East of England; The North West; Yorkshire; North of England; Wales; Scotland. Key figures include J.D. and E.H. Sedding, Norman Shaw, E.S. Prior, W.R. Lethaby, Robert Weir Schultz, Sidney Barnsley, Henry Wilson, W.D. Caroee, Robert Lorimer. Local Heroes: Edgar Wood, Charles Ponting, Percy Currey, W.J. Hale, Herbert Luck North, W.G. Rowan, John Douglas, Richard Bassnett Preston. Artistic innovators: Heywood Sumner, Phoebe Anna Traquair, Sarah Losh, Mary Seton Watts, the Pinwills, the Ropes, the Bromsgrove Guild. Also sections on: Birmingham and Byzantium; Arts & Crafts Oxford; the Quakers; Unitarians on Merseyside; the self-built, the hand-made and local grown. Appendices
