Description
Book SynopsisThe countryside, towns and cities of Britain are full of churches. They represent some of the most iconic, beautiful and occasionally bizarre buildings in the country. They have a lot to say about our history, our art and our ideas. But how do you read them? Through charming illustrations, Rice''s Church Primer reveals the basic grammar and vocabulary of church architecture throughout the United Kingdom.
As Matthew Rice says, ''Once you can speak any language, conversations can begin, but without it communications can only be brief and brutish. The same is the case with Architecture: an inability to describe the component parts of a building leaves one tongue-tied and unable to begin to discuss what is or is not exciting, dull or peculiar about it.''
Rice''s Church Primer explains the language of architecture in churches, from the restrained Norman style of William the Conqueror to the gilded excesses of the Baroque. The primer begins with an explanatio
Trade Review
The perfect stocking filler for the ecclesiastical enthusiast * House & Garden *
The words are as engaging as the illustrations, for Mr Rice is a wordsmith as well as a penman, and manages, through both skills, to bring an understanding of the development of church architecture within reach of any reader whose depth of ignorance is matched by the breadth of their curiosity. -- Alan Titchmarsh * Sunday Telegraph *
Charming, wittily illustrated ... Definitely one to slip into the glove apartment * Saga *
Delightful * Country Life *
Beautifully illustrated throughout ... It’s easy to not only be enlightened but also delighted by Rice’s drawings, which border on impish and quirky at times ... This is a delightful book, a welcoming introduction that’s perfect for anyone who doesn’t know their Perpendicular from their Decorated * BBC Countryfile *
