How the Anglican church responded to population growth and the need for more accommodation, with the building of 1500 new churches, many of the finest quality. This book is the first comprehensive study of late-Georgian church-building. After centuries of post-Reformation inactivity, the Church of England began to address the desperate shortage of accommodation and build on a huge scale. Almost all the leading architects were involved and, amongst approximately 1500 new churches there are some outstanding designs; buildings of the very highest order architecturally. In this pioneering study, the churches are considered free from the Ecclesiological zeal that condemned them and has, for so long, prevented their serious study. It will celebrate the best of them and provide valuable insights into the design and planning of the whole corpus. There will be many revelations. Included is a thorough examination of the stylistic alternatives and contemporary liturgical imperatives, along with their architectural implications. And the book explores a lost world of late-Georgian churchgoing: what people expected and experienced in a church service. Also considered are some of the period's remarkable material and constructional innovations, ones often exploited in church-building, along with the provision of architectural services in the era that preceded full professionalisation.

About the Author
Christopher Webster is an architectural historian who has published extensively on late-Georgian and early-Victorian subjects. Following a career in Higher Education, he is now a Research Associate at the University of York

Reviews
This is a rich, readable book, from which all who are interested in both church and chapel architecture will profit. It is to be recommended highly. -- Ted Royle * The Chapels Society *
Anyone with an interest in church architecture will find much that is unfamiliar and fascinating here, presented in readable prose and shown in excellent illustrations. -- Peter Howell * Art Newspaper *
Let me state at the outset that this is a fine piece of book-making in every way. Beautifully and comprehensively illustrated, well designed and printed on good paper, with a text that is both scholarly and readable, it is also a much-needed volume, dealing with a neglected and under-valued period in the history of English church-building. -- James Stevens Curl * New English Review *
The book is beautifully produced, and written in an accessible style. Its nationwide coverage and well-informed commentary entitle it to be considered as the definitive work on the subject. -- Graham Parry * Ecclesiology Today *
Filled with wonderful illustrations, a comprehensive bibliography and full-bodied index, this beautifully presented volume is, by its own admission, 'the first comprehensive study of late-Georgian church-building'. -- Paul Holden * Journal of Historic Buildings & Places *
Through a multitude of examples and a profusion of stunning photographs, Webster successfully shows the real originality and interest of many of these projects. His text will open a whole new world to readers - one in which circular churches, octagonal churches, and churches supported by iron columns all seemed highly desirable. -- Revd Dr William Whyte * Church Times *



Book Information
ISBN 9781739822903
Author Dr Christopher Webster
Format Hardback
Page Count 320
Imprint John Hudson Publishing
Publisher John Hudson Publishing
Weight(grams) 2g