Description
Book SynopsisThe reports of the surveyors of Westminster Abbey in the nineteenth century provide a treasure trove of information on this most important building. `A fundamental resource for anyone interested in the Abbey's architecture and contents.' Dr Richard Mortimer. The papers of the nineteenth-century Surveyors of the Fabric are an essential resource for anyone interestedin the building and contents of Westminster Abbey. The Surveyors, Edward Blore, George Gilbert Scott and his son J .O. Scott, J. L. Pearson and J. T. Micklethwaite, wrote an annual report describing their activities, and these arethe core of the volume, supplemented with letters and other papers. Christine Reynolds, the Abbey's Assistant Keeper of Muniments, adds invaluable notes from many other sources in the archives to round out a fascinating account of interventions in the stonework and monuments of the most historically significant church in England. On the way we learn what Gilbert Scott thought of William Morris, what the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings thought of J. L. Pearson's reconstruction of the north rose window, and the dim view of Pearson taken by his successor Micklethwaite. Richard Halsey's introduction sets these eminent Victorians and their work at Westminster in the wider context of the great age of cathedral restoration.
Trade ReviewA highly accomplished edition. The text is clear, the index is excellent, and the critical apparatus is extremely helpful. [...] This is a valuable contribution to the history of the Abbey. One can only hope that it prompts archivists at other cathedrals to prepare comparable publications. * ARCHIVES *
A most important source book for the history of the fabric of the abbey in the nineteenth century. * CHURCH MONUMENTS *
[A] fascinating compilation which throws valuable new light on important aspects of the Gothic Revival. * ECCLESIOLOGY TODAY *
Will be of great interest to students of Westminster Abbey. * FRIENDS OF THE CITY CHURCHES NEWSLETTER *
A book of surprisingly gripping narrative force to anyone who enjoys Westminster Abbey. Christopher Howse, * DAILY TELEGRAPH *
Table of ContentsAbbreviations and Bibliography Introduction: The Nineteenth-Century Surveyors of Westminster Abbey Edward Blore Sir George Gilbert Scott John Oldrid Scott John Loughborough Pearson John Thomas Micklethwaite
