England's cathedrals are the nation's glory. They tower over its landscape, outranking palaces, castles and mansions. They attract roughly half the nation's population each year. For a millennium they have been objects of pilgrimage for those seeking faith, consolation and beauty. Still at the start of the twenty-first century, they remain unequalled in their size and splendour. More than any other English institution, cathedrals reflect the vicissitudes of history and should be treasured as such. They are custodians of culture and of the rituals of civic life. They offer welfare and relieve suffering. They uplift spirits with their beauty. In a real sense they are still what they were when first built a millennium ago, a glimpse of the sublime. Gloriously illustrated throughout, England's Cathedrals not only offers us a companion to England's Thousand Best Churches, it takes us on an enthralling tour of the nation and its history, through some of our most astonishing buildings.

The first history of all the English cathedrals, from Birmingham and Bury St Edmunds to Worcester and York Minster England’s sixty-two Anglican and Catholic cathedrals are some of our most iconic buildings, attracting millions of worshippers and visitors every year. Yet although much has been written about their architecture, there is no complete history of their life and activities. This is the first such book to provide one, stretching from Roman times to the present day. The History of England’s Cathedrals explains where and why they were founded, who staffed them, and how their structures evolved. It describes their worship and how this changed over the centuries, their schools and libraries, and their links with the outside world. The history of these astonishing buildings is the history of England. Reading this book will bring you face to face with the Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans, Reformation, Civil War, Victorian England, World War Two, and finally modern democracy.

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.

This book sets the work of Frank Selwyn Macaulay Bennett, Dean of Chester 1920–37, in context, and traces the influence on other cathedrals of the changes he instituted at Chester. His earlier work as parish priest and his interrelated writings on theology and on education, health, and ecumenism are examined for the light they shed on his practice. Despite the efforts of his predecessors, Bennett found Chester Cathedral in need of much repair and renovation if it were to match his ideal and fulfill the purpose he had in mind for it. In the early twentieth century Anglican cathedrals in England were generally perceived as remote and unwelcoming places and of interest mainly to antiquarians seeking to inspect their monuments; admission charges were levied on visitors. Frank Bennett changed all this. In 1920, he promptly declared Chester Cathedral "open and free"; he would lock up nothing except the safe. "Visitors" now became "pilgrims", whose voluntary offerings rapidly surpassed the sums previously raised by compulsory entry charges. By the time he retired in 1937, the Cathedral’s finances were in credit; the fabric of the church and adjoining monastic buildings had been repaired, renovated, and developed, and all were fully in use, as Bennett had planned in 1920.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1873. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.