Religious buildings – The Bell Bookshop

Steeple chasing

Emma — Thu, 11 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘What makes Steeple Chasing so compelling – and it is a wonderful book; thoughtful and challenging – is Ross’s essential kindness, his unfailing empathy with the people he meets on his pilgrimage.’ – Daily Telegraph *****

‘Steeple Chasing is a beautiful and brilliant book; written with such care and deep, abiding interest in its subject matter as to entrance the enthusiast and amateur alike. I loved it.’ – Fergus Butler-Gallie

‘Ross has always had a quiet charm, and it is perhaps displayed best in this book. ‘ – The Scotsman

From the author of A Tomb With a View – Scottish Non-Fiction book of the Year

Churches are all around us. Their steeples remain landmarks in our towns, villages and cities, even as their influence and authority has waned. They contain art and architectural wonders – one huge gallery scattered, like a handful of jewels, across these isles.

Award-winning writer Peter Ross sets out to tell their stories, and through them a story of Britain. Join him as he visits the unassuming Norfolk church which contains a disturbing secret, and London’s mighty cathedrals with their histories of fire and love. Meet cats and bats, monks and druids, angels of oak and steel.

Steeple Chasing, though it sometimes strikes an elegiac note, is a song of praise. It celebrates churches for their beauty and meaning, and for the tales they tell. It is about people as much as place, flesh and bone not just flint and stone. From the painted hells of Surrey to the holy wells of Wales, consider this a travel book . . . with bells on.

Praise for Peter Ross

‘Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book.’ – The Guardian

‘Fascinating . . . Ross makes a likeably idiosyncratic guide and one finishes the book feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable.’ – The Observer

‘The author’s humanity has acted as a beacon of light in the darkness.’ – The Sunday Times

Ships Of Heaven: The Private Life of Britain’s Cathedrals

Emma — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

‘Somerville is one of our finest gazetteers of the British countryside. He brings his formidable knowledge to bear on his personal quest to explore the cathedrals in this entrancing book’
The Spectator

Christopher Somerville, author of the acclaimed The January Man, pictured cathedrals as great unmoving bastions of tradition. But as he journeys among Britian’s favourites, old and new, he discovers buildings and communities that have been in constant upheaval for a thousand years. Here are stories of the monarchs and bishops who ordered the construction of these buildings, the masons whose genius brought them into being, and the peasants who worked and died on the scaffolding. We learn of rogue saints exploited by holy sinners, the pomp and prosperity that followed these ships of stone, the towns that grew up in their shadows.

Meeting believers and non-believers, architects and archaeologists, the cleaner who dusts the monuments and the mason who judges stone by its taste, we delve deep into the private lives and the uncertain future of these ever-voyaging Ships of Heaven.

‘Somerville paints word pictures of exquisite quality’
Church Times

Cathedrals Of Britain

Emma — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 00:00:00 +0000

For centuries the great religious buildings of Great Britain have inspired and fascinated pilgrims and visitors from around the world. The beauty and diversity of British ecclesiastical architecture is superbly captured in this guide to over 60 of Britain’s finest cathedrals.

This definitive guide contains over 130 magnificent colour photographs that capture the enduring appeal of these great monuments to the Christian tradition.

Extended entries are included on Durham Cathedral, York Minster, Lincoln Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, St Paul’s Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Glasgow Cathedral, St David’s Cathedral.

This definitive guide contains over 130 magnificent colour photographs that capture the enduring appeal of these great monuments to the Christian tradition.

Extended entries are included on Durham Cathedral, York Minster, Lincoln Cathedral, Norwich Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral, Exeter Cathedral, St Pauls Cathedral, Canterbury Cathedral, Glasgow Cathedral, St Davids Cathedral.

How to Look at Stained Glass: A Guide to the Church Windows of England

Emma — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0000

The magical qualities of stained glass have an enduring appeal, but church windows tend to be ignored as a form of creative and artistic expression. How to Look at Stained Glass is a fresh, unstuffy guide, which explores the medium by themes, patterns, designs, and effects. Using an A-Z format to reveal a multitude of fascinating details – all the way from apples to zig-zags – it makes looking at gloriously colourful, artistically important windows entertaining and rewarding. This layman’s guide requires no previous historical, artistic or religious knowledge and the A-Z miscellany is in keeping with the pot-luck mix of windows to be found in most churches. It covers all the major periods and styles from medieval to modern, Victorian to post-war, eighteenth century to Arts and Crafts, figurative to abstract, and examines the fascinating and evolving iconography of stained glass. Illustrated in black & white and colour and with a list of the top 30 places to see outstanding examples, How to Look at Stained Glass is all that is needed to make sense of and enjoy the array of stained glass windows in the churches of England.

Collins Little Books English Cathedrals

Emma — Thu, 04 Oct 2018 00:00:00 +0000

The perfect stocking filler for lovers of English Cathedrals.

A handy guide to England’s most famous cathedrals and abbeys. Includes an eight-page map section showing the locations of cathedrals covered in the book.

Historical background and architectural details for each of the cathedrals, accompanied by beautiful colour photographs. Includes the major sites of world famous St Paul’s Cathedral and Canterbury Cathedral, home to the leader of the Church of England, and details of location, websites and opening times.

A concise guide to English cathedrals in an accessible format.
Of interest to English, local and architectural historians, visitors to England and the English themselves.

Short History Of The Normans

Emma — Sat, 30 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The Battle of Hastings in 1066 is the one date forever seared on the British national psyche. It enabled the Norman Conquest that marked the end of Anglo-Saxon England. But there was much more to the Normans than the invading army Duke William shipped over from Normandy to the shores of Sussex. How a band of marauding warriors established some of the most powerful dominions in Europe – in Sicily and France, as well as England – is an improbably romantic idea. In exploring Norman culture in all its regions, Leonie V Hicks is able to place the Normans in the full context of early medieval society. Her wide ranging comparative perspective enables the Norman story to be told in full, so that the societies of Rollo, William, Robert (Guiscard) and Roger are given the focused attention they deserve. From Hastings to the martial exploits of Bohemond and Tancred on the First Crusade; from castles and keeps to Romanesque cathedrals; and from the founding of the Kingdom of Sicily (1130) to cross-cultural encounters with Byzantines and Muslims, this is a fresh and lively survey of one of the most popular topics in European history.

Bells & Bellringing

Emma — Thu, 10 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Handel called Britain ‘The Ringing Isle’ because he heard bells ringing everywhere he went. Behind the quintessentially English sound of bells ringing lies a unique way of hanging bells and a special way of ringing them that evolved in the late sixteenth century. Ringing has since developed and spread, with some 6,000 towers worldwide with bells hung in the English style, and most of them in England. Over 40,000 active ringers keep alive the traditions and skills of change ringing that have been handed down over many generations.The book is an introduction to the world of bells and bell-ringing. It explains how bells are made and how a ringing installation works. It explains the nature of change ringing, which has mathematical as well as musical aspects. It provides insights into the ringing community its origins and culture as well as its relationships with the Church and the community.

Cathedrals Of Britain

Emma — Sun, 10 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Cathedrals are awe-inspiring buildings. Most are grand medieval structures, while others appear simple and unpretentious – yet all were designed to reflect the glory of God and have a profound impact on us. As trailblazers of architectural development, each cathedral has distinct individual features – such as the powerful Norman Romanesque west towers of Durham, the unique octagonal tower at Ely, and the daring late Gothic finery and spaciousness at Gloucester. In this lavishly illustrated guide to cathedrals from Bangor to York, with profiles of Roman Catholic and Scottish cathedrals, David Pepin outlines the evolution of architectural style, each building’s key features, and the ongoing story of daily worship, wide-ranging ministry, conservation, the new work of craftspeople, and the increasing numbers of pilgrims and visitors.

Rices Church Primer

Emma — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 00:00:00 +0000

The countryside, towns and cities of Britain are full of churches. They represent some of the most iconic, beautiful and occasionally bizarre buildings in the country. They have a lot to say about our history, our art and our ideas. But how do you read them? Through charming illustrations, Rice’s Church Primer reveals the basic grammar and vocabulary of church architecture throughout the United Kingdom. As Matthew Rice says, ‘Once you can speak any language, conversations can begin, but without it communications can only be brief and brutish. The same is the case with Architecture: an inability to describe the component parts of a building leaves one tongue-tied and unable to begin to discuss what is or is not exciting, dull or peculiar about it.’ Rice’s Church Primer explains the language of architecture in churches, from the restrained Norman style of William the Conqueror to the gilded excesses of the Baroque. The primer begins with an explanation of the basic ‘Grammar’ of churches: elevation, plan, fronts, vaults and towers. This allows the reader to easily understand what follows. Next comes the ‘Vocabulary’ of styles in chronological order, from ancient Saxon churches to modern cathedrals. Each period covers component parts like doors, windows, towers, pews, panelling and pulpits. Finally, there is a map pinpointing some of the best churches around the country, so you can practise your newfound fluency in real life.With Matthew Rice’s elegant and witty illustrations to guide you, suddenly you’ll understand why naves are necessary, why towers are built as tall as possible and why sometimes even the most respectable church needs a good flying buttress.