[English History Collection] – Jenkins, Simon.

England’s Thousand Best Churches.

London etc., Allen Lane, 1999. 16 cm x 24 cm. XLIX, 822 pages. Original hardcover. Excellent condition with only very minor signs of external wear.

Includes for example the following essays: Introduction: The Museum of England / Sources / The Top Hundred / Victorian and Later / Bedfordshire / Devon / Essex / Huntingdonshire / The City of London / The City of Westminster / Suffolk / Warwickshire etc.

″Simon Jenkins has travelled the length and breadth of England to select his thousand best churches. Organised by county, each church is described – often with delightful asides – and given a star-rating from one to five. All of the county sections are prefaced by a map locating each church, and lavishly illustrated with colour photos from the Country Life archive. Jenkins contends that these churches house a gallery of vernacular art without equal in the world. Here, he brings that museum to public attention.” (Amazon)

″This excellent county-by-county survey celebrates the classic beauty, quirky individuality, and, in most cases, sublime resilience of England’s parish churches, large and small, old and new, in city, town, and village. Jenkins, a veteran journalist and prolific author, shares his knowledge of the artistic and historic treasures stored in English churches with the gusto of a connoisseur, leavening his precise and vivid descriptions of each church’s features with wry observations about the foibles of man, medieval or modern. He also ranks the churches using a five-star system. The text does assume some familiarity with the terminology of church architecture and the regions of England; fortunately, a glossary clarifies most terms, and maps and brief introductions to each county should help non-Anglophiles get their bearings. The general introduction outlines English church history and explains the criteria for evaluating the churches, emphasizing accessibility. Over 100 stunning color photographs from the archive of Country Life magazine, along with two indexes, one of artists and one of places, add to the appeal of this irresistibly browsable volume. Students of history, religion, and architecture will enjoy the lively insights, while the armchair traveler will be taken on a delightful odyssey across time and space. Highly recommended.” (Library Journal)

• Keywords: Architecture · British History · English History Collection · Heritage · Library & Collection Building
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0713992816
• Inventory Number: 72374AB