Oxfordshire’s Best Churches HARDBACK

Description

‘The churches of Oxfordshire brought gloriously to life … a masterful survey.’ – SIMON JENKINS

The churches of Oxfordshire are among the richest and most diverse of any county. They range from colossal treasure chests to simple boxes; their building materials from chalk and flint in the south, through creamy limestone, to rust-coloured ironstone in the north. They include exceptional examples from each of the main periods of church architecture, and contain some of the finest works of art and craftsmanship to survive from the last thousand years.

Oxfordshire’s Best Churches brings together 116 of the county’s churches, exploring their art and architecture, stonework and woodwork, stained glass and wall paintings; the conspicuous features for which they are famed and the often-missed details that make them sing. A wide-ranging introduction identifies their sources and describes their evolution, while at the core of the guide is a gazetteer, richly illustrated with 340 colour photographs and numerous plans – making this the ideal companion for those wanting to explore the churches of Oxfordshire.

Richard Wheeler combined work as a conservation officer with writing and professional photography. He is the author of The Medieval Church Screens of the Southern Marches. Matthew Saunders is Secretary of the Ancient Monuments Society and Director of the Friends of Friendless Churches.

‘Beautifully done … the book is an outstandingly good example of its type, whether for people going out to look at church buildings, or those who just want to read about them. No-one could come away from it without gaining a keen sense of the variety, interest and beauty to be found in Oxfordshire’s churches.’
Richard Deane, Churches Conservation Trust Newsletter

‘Clear and always engaging, the beauty of Oxfordshire’s churches never obscured through unintelligible jargon … a must-have.’
Letty ten Harkel, Church Archaeology

‘A richly illustrated account … attractive, well-written, and beautifully produced.’
Jon Cannon, Oxoniensia

‘This is a book to be treasured by any lover of English churches and Richard Wheeler … has done Oxfordshire proud.’
Richard Lethbridge, The Tablet

‘An attractively produced celebration of the pleasures available in a single county …Those who know these churches well will relish the stimulus of a fresh point of view and all will find Wheeler a perceptive and lively companion.’
John Sims, Ecclesiology Today

‘A pleasure to read, and accessible both for long-time church-lovers and for non-specialists, being enlivened by many evocative turns of phrase … worth a place on any church enthusiast’s bookshelves.’
Sally Badham, Church Monuments

‘Wheeler’s continued passion and charming writing guides the reader on an awe-inspiring architectural and historical journey … This wonderful book … would provide as much delight and architectural interest from the comfort of your favourite armchair as it would meandering around the Oxfordshire countryside.’
Hannah Reynolds, SPAB Magazine

‘Lavishly illustrated with excellent photographs … a delightful record.’
Richard Lofthouse, Oxford Today

‘[A] wonderful new book … I’d have wanted it for my birthday if I hadn’t already bought the book.’
Christopher Howse, The Telegraph

‘… a gloriously produced book, a pleasure to read and the photography and the way it is placed is spell-binding. Just the perfect companion for me to pop into churches.’
P.R., Witney

Paperback | 280 pages | 228 x 152 mm | 2013
340 colour photographs, 15 plans, 13 line-drawings, 1 map
ISBN 978-1-907700-00-2