Church and State

Another oldie but goodie, this time a series of articles I wrote for the BBC website on the relationship between the English Church and the English State. By looking at the buildings and their architecture, I explored how secular and religious power came together to create England's churches, both large and small.

There were four main articles, looking at cathedrals and parish churches in both the medieval and post-Reformation periods. Here are the links - just click on the titles.

Medieval Cathedrals and Monasteries

Medieval Parish Churches

Cathedrals after the Reformation

Parish churches after the Reformation

I also did two articles on how to "read" a church, one using a cathedral and the other parish church, both looking for clues in the architecture that can tell us about the history of the building. Here they are...

Clues from the Past: Ely Cathedral

Clues from the Past: Kirtling parish church

And some of the fun stuff that went with the series. Test your knowledge with these quizzes, also written by me!

Church architecture quiz

Medieval church quiz

Modern church quiz

Medieval Masons

It seems appropriate to start this blog with a look back at past things. I don't get that much fan mail, so it is always gratefully received. This morning's letter liked an article I wrote for the BBC website ages ago on medieval masons http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/architecture_medmason_01.shtml. It originally accompanied a series that Janet Street Porter did on cathedrals for the BBC, but has had a long after life, including a lovely electronic facelift a few months ago. Mr P wanted to know what else he should read to learn more about masons and medieval building practices. Here are some suggestions:

Nicola Coldstream, Masons and Sculptors (1991)

Malcolm Hislop, Medieval Masons (2009).

Jean Gimpel, The Cathedral Builders (1961)

D Knoop and G P Jones, The Medieval Mason (1967)

More technical things, and things in other languages, include

J S Alexander, ‘The Introduction and Use of Masons' marks in Romanesque buildings in England’, Medieval Archaeology 51 (2007), 63-82

John Harvey, English Medieval Architects: A Biographical Dictionary (1984)

S Kostof, ed. The Architect. Chapters in the History of the Profession (1977)

L R Shelby, 'The role of the master mason in medieval English building', Speculum 39 (1964), pp. 387-403

P Colombier, Les chantiers des cathedrals: ouvriers, architectes, sculpteurs (1990)

R Recht, Les bâtisseurs des cathédrales gothiques (1989)