Great British Architecture
Remarkable Stories of Our History and Heritage
Will be published approx. on 8. October 2026
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-1-80570-256-6 (ISBN)
Description
Discover the extraordinary stories written into Britain's historic buildings - and the people, power and ideas that shaped them.
From time-worn ruins and cathedrals to tucked-away country churches and elegant stately homes, Britain is full of genuinely incredible - but often surprisingly overlooked - historic buildings.
Laden with character, style and deep layers of heritage, these structures each represent something unique: they are the bearers of natural history, examples of our curious mish mash of architectural styles and monuments to civic pride, power and creativity.
Each of their stones tells a remarkable story, including:
St?Magnus' Cathedral in Orkney, glowing with red sandstone and blending Norwegian, Norman and Gothic influences.
East Anglia and Scotland's medieval round-tower churches, ingenious responses to local geology and cultural exchange.
Layer Marney Tower, a Tudor display of status showcasing rare Italian terracotta ornament.
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where a 21st-century Gothic tower carries medieval craft traditions into the modern age.
Great British Architecture brings together the stories behind 86 great buildings from across the nation and, with illustrations throughout, celebrates their beauty, charm and national significance.
From time-worn ruins and cathedrals to tucked-away country churches and elegant stately homes, Britain is full of genuinely incredible - but often surprisingly overlooked - historic buildings.
Laden with character, style and deep layers of heritage, these structures each represent something unique: they are the bearers of natural history, examples of our curious mish mash of architectural styles and monuments to civic pride, power and creativity.
Each of their stones tells a remarkable story, including:
St?Magnus' Cathedral in Orkney, glowing with red sandstone and blending Norwegian, Norman and Gothic influences.
East Anglia and Scotland's medieval round-tower churches, ingenious responses to local geology and cultural exchange.
Layer Marney Tower, a Tudor display of status showcasing rare Italian terracotta ornament.
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where a 21st-century Gothic tower carries medieval craft traditions into the modern age.
Great British Architecture brings together the stories behind 86 great buildings from across the nation and, with illustrations throughout, celebrates their beauty, charm and national significance.
Reviews / Votes
'A beautiful book and veritable treasure trove of some of the incredibly varied architecture this country has to offer, from awe-inspiring cathedrals down to humble and overlooked gems'. -- Jack Chesher, author of London: A Guide for Curious WanderersMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Quarto Publishing PLC
Dimensions
Height: 210 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
600 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80570-256-6 (9781805702566)
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
Persons
Daniel Wilson has become huge across social media by exploring Britain's incredible built heritage. Under @greatbritisharchitecture he posts the stories he uncovers about the nation's incredible array of historical buildings for a fast-growing audience.
Chris Henton is an illustrator from Edinburgh. Having studied History at university, his work is inspired by a deep fascination with traditional architecture. Combining a love of travel and drawing, he explores the character and detail of buildings through intricate, hand-crafted illustrations. His approach reflects a passion for uncovering the rich heritage and stories embedded in architecture, using pencil, pen and watercolour to bring them to life on the page.
Chris Henton is an illustrator from Edinburgh. Having studied History at university, his work is inspired by a deep fascination with traditional architecture. Combining a love of travel and drawing, he explores the character and detail of buildings through intricate, hand-crafted illustrations. His approach reflects a passion for uncovering the rich heritage and stories embedded in architecture, using pencil, pen and watercolour to bring them to life on the page.
Content
Introduction
1. Built in the Mists of Time: Architecture before the Norman Conquest
Broch of Mousa, Shetland
Pevenesey Castle, Sussex
The Temple of Augustus, Surrey
St John's Escomb, County Durham
St Peter's Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire
St Andrew's Greensted, Essex
St Andrew's East Lexham, Norfolk
St Mary's Wortham, Suffolk
St George's Shimpling, Norfolk
St Andrew's Bramfield, Suffolk
Abernathy Round Tower, Perthshire
2. The Evolution of Ecclesiastical Architecture: Religious Buildings in Medieval Britain
St Mary's Lastingham, Yorkshire
St Magnus' Cathedral Kirkwall, Orkney
St Michael's Garway, Herefordshire
St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire
Binham Priory, Norfolk
St Andrew's Cathedral, Fife
Leominster Priory, Herefordshire
Ottery St Mary, Devon
Free Chapel, Hodgeston, Pembrokeshire
Cartmel Priory, Cumbria
St Peter and St Paul Lavenham, Suffolk
St Peter's Mancroft, Norfolk
St Mary's Boxford, Suffolk
St Endmund's Southwold, East Suffolk
St Peter's Walpole, Norfolk
Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire
Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian
St Winefride's Well, Flintshire
3. From Reformation to Revolution: Two Centuries of Change and Experimentation
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Hampton Court, Middlesex
Chester Cathedral, Cheshire
Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire
Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk
The Vyne, Hampshire
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
St Mary's Hospital Chichester, West Sussex
Charterhouse, London
John Cowane's Hospital, Stirlingshire
Gascoigne Almshouses, Yorkshire
Fosters Almshouse, Bristol
Culross Palace, Fife
Banqueting House, London
Feathers Inn Ludlow, Shropshire
Rycote Chapel, Oxfordshire
Rhug Chapel, Denbighshire
Dore Abbey, Herefordshire
St Mary's Grandtully, Perthshire
Holy Trinity Chapel, Staunton Harold, Leicestershire
Stokesay Castle, Shropshire
4. Bringing the World to Britain: The Extravagant Eclecticism of Georgian and Victorian Architecture
Radcliffe Camera, Oxfordshire
Duff House, Aberdeenshire
Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire
St John's Shobdon, Herefordshire
Dunmore Pineapple, Stirlingshire
National Monument of Scotland, Edinburgh
Penshaw Monument, Tyne and Wear
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
Sezincote House, Gloucestershire
Egyptian House, Penzance, Cornwall
Watts Warehouse, Manchester
Red House, Bexley Heath, London
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol
Bristol University Wills Memorial Tower, Bristol
St Giles' RC Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire
Cardiff Castle, Glamorgan
King's College, Aberdeen
Glasgow University, Glasgow
Birmingham University, Birmingham
Cardiff University, Glamorgan
Lord Street, Southport, Lancashire
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
5. Architecture of Broken Dreams: The Fateful Optimism of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
Castle Drogo, Devon
St Conan's Kirk, Loch Awe, Argyle and Bute
Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk
Barbican Estate, London
Orford Ness, Suffolk
Liverpool Cathedral, Merseyside
Poundbury Estate, Dorchester, Dorset
St Paul's Heights, London
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Norfolk
Glossary
Indexes
About the author and illustrator
1. Built in the Mists of Time: Architecture before the Norman Conquest
Broch of Mousa, Shetland
Pevenesey Castle, Sussex
The Temple of Augustus, Surrey
St John's Escomb, County Durham
St Peter's Barton-upon-Humber, Lincolnshire
St Andrew's Greensted, Essex
St Andrew's East Lexham, Norfolk
St Mary's Wortham, Suffolk
St George's Shimpling, Norfolk
St Andrew's Bramfield, Suffolk
Abernathy Round Tower, Perthshire
2. The Evolution of Ecclesiastical Architecture: Religious Buildings in Medieval Britain
St Mary's Lastingham, Yorkshire
St Magnus' Cathedral Kirkwall, Orkney
St Michael's Garway, Herefordshire
St David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire
Binham Priory, Norfolk
St Andrew's Cathedral, Fife
Leominster Priory, Herefordshire
Ottery St Mary, Devon
Free Chapel, Hodgeston, Pembrokeshire
Cartmel Priory, Cumbria
St Peter and St Paul Lavenham, Suffolk
St Peter's Mancroft, Norfolk
St Mary's Boxford, Suffolk
St Endmund's Southwold, East Suffolk
St Peter's Walpole, Norfolk
Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire
Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian
St Winefride's Well, Flintshire
3. From Reformation to Revolution: Two Centuries of Change and Experimentation
Layer Marney Tower, Essex
Hampton Court, Middlesex
Chester Cathedral, Cheshire
Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire
Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk
The Vyne, Hampshire
Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire
St Mary's Hospital Chichester, West Sussex
Charterhouse, London
John Cowane's Hospital, Stirlingshire
Gascoigne Almshouses, Yorkshire
Fosters Almshouse, Bristol
Culross Palace, Fife
Banqueting House, London
Feathers Inn Ludlow, Shropshire
Rycote Chapel, Oxfordshire
Rhug Chapel, Denbighshire
Dore Abbey, Herefordshire
St Mary's Grandtully, Perthshire
Holy Trinity Chapel, Staunton Harold, Leicestershire
Stokesay Castle, Shropshire
4. Bringing the World to Britain: The Extravagant Eclecticism of Georgian and Victorian Architecture
Radcliffe Camera, Oxfordshire
Duff House, Aberdeenshire
Wentworth Woodhouse, South Yorkshire
St John's Shobdon, Herefordshire
Dunmore Pineapple, Stirlingshire
National Monument of Scotland, Edinburgh
Penshaw Monument, Tyne and Wear
Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire
Sezincote House, Gloucestershire
Egyptian House, Penzance, Cornwall
Watts Warehouse, Manchester
Red House, Bexley Heath, London
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Bristol
Bristol University Wills Memorial Tower, Bristol
St Giles' RC Church, Cheadle, Staffordshire
Cardiff Castle, Glamorgan
King's College, Aberdeen
Glasgow University, Glasgow
Birmingham University, Birmingham
Cardiff University, Glamorgan
Lord Street, Southport, Lancashire
Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, County Durham
5. Architecture of Broken Dreams: The Fateful Optimism of the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
Castle Drogo, Devon
St Conan's Kirk, Loch Awe, Argyle and Bute
Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, Norfolk
Barbican Estate, London
Orford Ness, Suffolk
Liverpool Cathedral, Merseyside
Poundbury Estate, Dorchester, Dorset
St Paul's Heights, London
St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Norfolk
Glossary
Indexes
About the author and illustrator