'A joyous and illuminating exploration of our glorious heritage of old churches. A must for anyone who's ever stared at an apse or a misericord with no idea what they're looking at' - Sir Tony Robinson
'Captivating ... Brims with humour and humanity' - 'Book of the Week', The Times
'There are few better means of discovering local history than from a parish church: Ziminski gives us a
penetrating insight into the craftsmanship of the Middle Ages' - '50 Best Books of 2024', Telegraph
'Andrew Ziminski's books are treasure troves of lived and learned experience. They have changed the way I look at buildings and Britain'- Max Porter, author, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers
'From bulletholes in weathervanes to beehives in church walls, Ziminski has an eye for charming details and an ear for a good story' - Peter Ross, author, Steeple Chasing
Churches are many things to us - they are places of worship, vibrant community hubs and oases of calm reflection. To know a church is to hold a key to the past that unlocks an understanding of our shared history.
Andrew Ziminski has spent decades as a stonemason and church conservator, acting as an informal guide to curious visitors. Church Going is his handbook to the medieval churches of the British Isles, in which he reveals their fascinating histories, features and furnishings, from flying buttresses to rood screens, lichgates to chancels. Beautifully written and richly illustrated, it is a celebration of British architectural history.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
A beautiful book - in which curiosity, hand-skill and creativity combine in a hymn to craftsmanship, and vernacular and sacred architecture. Ziminski is a rare and wonderful voice -- Rory Stewart A lively and loving anatomy of church architecture ... Every seat and stone has a story to tell. Ziminski tells them with aplomb, leading us through parish church graveyards, up spiral staircases and to the tops of spires and towers, uncovering what has been hidden -- 'Books of the Year' * The Times * There are few better means of discovering local history than from a parish church: Ziminski gives us a
penetrating insight into the craftsmanship of the Middle Ages -- '50 Best Books of 2024' * Telegraph * Joyous ... this insightful book is stuffed full of ecclesiastical wonders * Daily Mail * Captivating ... brims with humour and humanity ... A lively guide to the features and furnishings of some of our nation's most evocative buildings * The Times * Peerless ... if there is one thing even better than taking a turn around old churches, it is doing so in the company of an expert * Church Times * Atmospheric ... a deep delight * The Tablet * With humour and enthusiasm, Ziminksi illuminates fascinating details of construction and decoration - you will never look at a church the same way again -- 'Books of the Year' * Countryfile * Charming ... Ziminski has dug deep into the stone skin of these buildings and can tell you exactly how they were made ... Ziminski provides non-stop revelations ... pitching expert knowledge to the non-expert ... He finds treasure in the unlikeliest of places * Spectator * Fascinating - a masterly guide to the detail and meaning but also to the glory of Britain's heritage -- Simon Jenkins A wonderful paean to the medieval parish churches of the British Isles ... readable, genial, and well seasoned by long practical experience ... quietly moving * The Critic * [Ziminski] can write with real authority - and no little style - on that fascinating alchemy by which masons turn living stone into standing structures ... recommended to anyone who shares Ziminksi's joy in church crawling * History Today * Utterly, utterly fascinating, from start to finish. One of the most enjoyable books I've ever read. Thank you, Andrew Ziminski, for opening our eyes to the vast treasure trove of thrilling history which lies in the churches across Britain. The wonders of this book will stay with its readers for years to come -- Alice Loxton Beautifully written, informative, often moving. Do read this, if you think you're not into churches now you will be -- Ned Palmer, author * A Cheesemonger's Tour de France * Fascinating stories about the UK's churches ... [Ziminski] has an unparalleled understanding of the UK's stones * Saturday Live * I learned so much from it * House & Garden * An entertaining book ... it is personal; it is entertaining; it is delightful * Irish Theological Quarterly * This book is an anatomy of buildings we take for granted, an opening-up of architectural bodies to reveal marvellous mechanisms in gold, bone, ancient stone and holy wells of stories -- Amy Jeffs, author * Storyland * Ziminski is the perfect Church Going guide, having worked for several decades as a stonemason and church
conservator. Through his expert eye, we learn of flying buttresses, rood screens, lychgates and chancels. Not only is Church Going a glorious read, but it has a lasting legacy: it equips the reader with the ability, on visiting any British church, to decode its secrets and uncover its delights - and find joy in these mysterious buildings, for years to come. -- Alice Loxton, 'Book of the Year' * BBC History Magazine * A joyous and illuminating exploration of our glorious heritage of old churches. A must for anyone who's ever stared at an apse or a misericord with no idea what they're looking at -- Sir Tony Robinson Andrew Ziminski's books are treasure troves of lived and learned experience. They have changed the way I look at buildings and Britain -- Max Porter, author * Grief Is the Thing with Feathers * From bulletholes in weathervanes to beehives in church walls, Ziminski has an eye for charming details and an ear for a good story -- Peter Ross, author * Steeple Chasing * Andrew Ziminski's joyful, fascinating and often funny book will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of church detectives - and encourage a host of young stonemasons, too. A treasure -- Victoria Finlay, author * Fabric * As a 'son of the manse' I like to think I can tell a doom painting from an embrasure. After joining Andrew in these pages I now understand a whole lot more -- Jeremy Wade The medieval churches of the British Isles are among the finest and most diverse anywhere in Europe. This superb book brings them to life by examining the details of their construction and decoration. Only a stonemason could explain and reveal the motives that inspired the craftsmen who gave these ancient buildings their unique grandeur, beauty and magic. Ziminski's churches are like people - and many still possess a lively sense of humour -- Francis Pryor, author * The Making of the British Landscape *
Sprache
Verlagsort
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
100 integrated b/w illustrations
ISBN-13
978-1-80081-870-5 (9781800818705)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Andrew Ziminski is a stonemason, church conservator and author living and working in Frome, Somerset. He has four decades of experience working on some of the greatest cathedrals and churches in Britain, including the tower of Salisbury Cathedral and the dome of St Paul's in London. He is a SPAB William Morris Craft Fellow, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and conservation advisor to the Salisbury Diocesan advisory committee for the care of churches. He is the author of The Stonemason: A History of Building Britain.
