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| A Little History of the English Country Church | 
 enlarge | Author: Roy Strong
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Category: Book
List Price: £16.99
Buy New: £8.99
You Save: £8.00 (47%)
New (26) from £8.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 48453
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 6.1 x 1.3
ISBN: 0224075225
EAN: 9780224075220
ASIN: 0224075225
Publication Date: September 6, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: dusty page edges
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| Customer Reviews:
 A long overdue general history and introduction July 19, 2008
Periodically books are written on the subject of the parish churches in England. The wealth of beautiful churches that this country has is one of the most unappreciated aspects of England's architectural heritage and many urban and rural parishes are struggling in the upkeep of these edifices, some of which are of cathedral like proportions to services villages of a few hundred. This is the motivation that Roy Strong states in his introduction for writing this book - to highlight the country church's plight and highlight the challenges we will face to preserve them in the twenty first century. Whereas the twentieth century saw the preservation of the country house, the twenty first century will have to deal with the challenge of preserving the parish church building.
The book is however mainly an overview of the way that the building and in particular the furnishings of English parish churches have changed from the early medieval era which saw church interiors lavishly decorates and furnished through the period of the Reformation and the Commonwealth which saw the destruction of a massive amount of church art and furnishings which tracked the interpretation of Protestant theology in its manifestation in the decoration and liturgy of the parish church. The book describes in vivid detail the rituals and ceremonies at the heart of the parish throughout history tracing their changes with the contemporary religious and political events that occurred in England, particularly momentous events such as the Reformation and subtle changes brought about by the Oxford Movement in the mid nineteenth century which has shaped the liturgy and decoration of modern parish churches to this day.
The book however is popularist rather than academic. In that sense it is a pretty easy read and the plethora of illustrations including well know examples of surviving medieval furnishings makes this a solid read. However, the academics may wince a little bit at the presumptions that are made and conclusions that are drawn. However, reading the book does not really answer the issues raised in the introduction - namely how will the English parish church survive in the twenty-first century and beyond? Strong has a one or two ideas in the epilogue - namely more of a community use for the building. But this does leave the reader a little unsatisfied, making the book feel like a good overall history of the parish church surrounded by an introduction and conclusion which does not fit the subject matter in the middle of the book.
 A Book In A Million December 31, 2007
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
Anyone wishing to see how church architecture and spirituality were affected by political and theological developments in England should purchase this book. It is a wealth of information, extremely well written and illustrated throughout with excellent examples of church architecture.
The beauty of this book is that is explains the essence of continuity in English Christianity as perceived through the experience of ordinary worshippers and does not get embroiled with the relative merits of theological standpoints.
An excellent book, buy one for the Vicar!!!
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