Architecture of Canterbury Cathedral
Published on 8. May 2025
Book
Hardback
208 pages
978-1-78551-606-1 (ISBN)
Description
The story of one of Britain's greatest buildings and its spectacular architectural evolution - reissued in a stylish hardback for the first time.
As the seat of archbishops, Canterbury Cathedral has been one of Britain's most important buildings for over 1400 years. The cathedral as we know it evolved spectacularly between the eleventh and the fourteenth centuries. Within its designs are references to a world we have forgotten: its relationship to Rome, mythology, hidden geometry and the display of saintly relics.
Architectural historian and broadcaster Jonathan Foyle explains how Canterbury's turbulent past - including a catastrophic fire, an earthquake and the murder of Thomas Becket - shaped the building, leaving us today with an extraordinary composite work of architecture as well as a unique repository of European arts and crafts. He reveals the fascinating stories and iconography behind the design of this medieval masterpiece.
The book features specially commissioned images by the photographer Robert Greshoff as well as carefully selected archival illustrations, and includes a number of the author's own drawings. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, provides the foreword, while an additional chapter by Heather Newton covers the cathedral's modern conservation programme.
As the seat of archbishops, Canterbury Cathedral has been one of Britain's most important buildings for over 1400 years. The cathedral as we know it evolved spectacularly between the eleventh and the fourteenth centuries. Within its designs are references to a world we have forgotten: its relationship to Rome, mythology, hidden geometry and the display of saintly relics.
Architectural historian and broadcaster Jonathan Foyle explains how Canterbury's turbulent past - including a catastrophic fire, an earthquake and the murder of Thomas Becket - shaped the building, leaving us today with an extraordinary composite work of architecture as well as a unique repository of European arts and crafts. He reveals the fascinating stories and iconography behind the design of this medieval masterpiece.
The book features specially commissioned images by the photographer Robert Greshoff as well as carefully selected archival illustrations, and includes a number of the author's own drawings. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, provides the foreword, while an additional chapter by Heather Newton covers the cathedral's modern conservation programme.
Reviews / Votes
'This is a book that - for believer or unbeliever - will bring some stillness and enlarging of the heart.' - Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury 2002-2012, from his Foreword.More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
200 colour photographs & illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 281 mm
Width: 244 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
1436 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78551-606-1 (9781785516061)
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 Classification
Person
Jonathan Foyle worked as a surveyor on Canterbury Cathedral before serving as curator of historic buildings at Historic Royal Palaces and chief executive of World Monuments Fund Britain. He has authored six architectural histories of English cathedrals or minsters, all published by Scala, and has 22,200 followers on X.
Content
Foreword by Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury 2002-2012
Introduction
1. Origins: The Anglo-Saxon Churches
2. The Norman Building
3. The Early Gothic Cathedral
4. The Later Medieval Era
5. From the Tudor Age to the Twentieth Century
6. Stone Repair and Conservation since 1945 (by Heather Newton)
Appendix: Tomb Monuments to c.1650
Further Reading
Notes
Index
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Origins: The Anglo-Saxon Churches
2. The Norman Building
3. The Early Gothic Cathedral
4. The Later Medieval Era
5. From the Tudor Age to the Twentieth Century
6. Stone Repair and Conservation since 1945 (by Heather Newton)
Appendix: Tomb Monuments to c.1650
Further Reading
Notes
Index
Acknowledgements