English Victorian Churches: Architecture, faith, & revival

Author: James Stevens Curl

Churches built in England during the reign of Queen Victoria are not only numerous, but offer a range of architectural styles, fine fittings, and much else to those interested in ecclesiastical architecture. Often exquisitely furnished, they were visible expressions of the presence and importance of religion at the time. Their architectural qualities reflected aspirations of clergy, laity, and individual benefactors. The finest were the results of passionate commitments to scholarly studies known as Ecclesiology.

James Stevens Curl is well qualified to write on the subject, because he helped to pioneer a shift in values that we now take for granted. He harnesses his prodigious knowledge of the period to produce a well-balanced overview of the 19th-century’s highly-charged religious atmosphere, and places English churches of the period in their complex social and denominational settings. He charts the progress and development of the Gothic Revival, explains differences in the churches of various denominations, outlines the influences of the chief protagonists involved, and describes the demands made on craftsmen and industry to produce the materials, furnishings, and fittings necessary in the making of some of the finest buildings ever created in England.

His book reveals something of the individuals and events that shaped the religious climate of the epoch, while the outstanding illustrations, many of which, in colour, were specially commissioned, reveal the rich variety and great beauty found in Victorian churches.

Publication – September 2022
240 pages, 246 x 189mm, with 140 illustrations, mostly in colour and commissioned for this book
978-1-7398229-3-4  Hardback  £50 ($75)
978-1-7398229-4-1 PDF Ebook £19.99 ($29.99)