Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1350-1550

Donington: Shaun Tyas, 2019. Book. Fine. Hardback. First Edition. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Cloth-bound sewn hardback with colour dustwrapper. Many illustrations in full colour, index. Essays by Nicola Coldstream, John Harper, Sarah Brown, Philippa Turner, Cathy Oakes, Glyn Coppack, Richard Oram, Richard Fawcett, Lizzie Swarbrick, Rachel Moss, Madeleine Gray, and P. S. Barnwell. 280pp. This book is the fourth in a series on Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, which will ultimately extend to the twenty-first century. The period covered by this volume is often seen as one of decline and is over-shadowed by the great changes of the sixteenth-century Reformation. Taking the period on its own terms, however, the contributors to this volume show that there was much innovation, vitality and creativeness as much in worship as in architecture. The main focus for much of the innovation was in collegiate churches, but parish buildings and worship continued to evolve, and established institutions, including cathedrals and many monastic houses, adapted to the new circumstances. The richness of the period, and variations across Britain and Ireland, are such that comprehensive treatment is not possible. There is an emphasis on the main types of institution, on those of which there are good physical remains, and on what was distinctive to the age. Cathedrals, monasteries of some of the larger orders, colleges and parishes are all discussed. Themes include the kinds of architectural expression adopted by different institutions in the various parts of Britain and Ireland, the adaptation of earlier buildings to meet changing requirements, the elaboration of both buildings and the liturgy, and the near saturation of society with a religious culture. As in other volumes in the series, consideration is, wherever possible, given to the ways in which the buildings were used and experienced..