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The English Soul: Faith of a Nation
From celebrated historian and writer Peter Ackroyd, a magisterial portrayal of English Christianity over the centuries.
This book portrays the spirit and nature of English Christianity, as it has developed over the last fourteen hundred years. During this time, Christianity has been the predominant faith of the people and the reflection of the English soul. This fascinating new history is an account of the Christian English soul, which recognizes the fact that Christianity has been the anchoring and defining doctrine of England while accepting respectfully that other powerful and significant faiths have influenced the religious sensibility of this nation. Peter Ackroyd surveys the lives and faith of the most important figures of English Christianity from the Venerable Bede to C. S. Lewis, exploring the mysticism of Julian of Norwich and William Blake; the tumultuous years of the Reformation; the emergence of the English bible; the evangelical tradition, including John Wesley; and the contemporary contest between tradition, revival, and atheism. This is an essential, comprehensive, and accessible survey of English Christianity.
This book portrays the spirit and nature of English Christianity, as it has developed over the last fourteen hundred years. During this time, Christianity has been the predominant faith of the people and the reflection of the English soul. This fascinating new history is an account of the Christian English soul, which recognizes the fact that Christianity has been the anchoring and defining doctrine of England while accepting respectfully that other powerful and significant faiths have influenced the religious sensibility of this nation. Peter Ackroyd surveys the lives and faith of the most important figures of English Christianity from the Venerable Bede to C. S. Lewis, exploring the mysticism of Julian of Norwich and William Blake; the tumultuous years of the Reformation; the emergence of the English bible; the evangelical tradition, including John Wesley; and the contemporary contest between tradition, revival, and atheism. This is an essential, comprehensive, and accessible survey of English Christianity.
384 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2025
About the author
Peter Ackroyd
195 books1,522 followersPeter Ackroyd CBE is an English novelist and biographer with a particular interest in the history and culture of London.
Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age of 7.
Ackroyd was educated at St. Benedict's, Ealing and at Clare College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a double first in English. In 1972, he was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University in the United States. The result of this fellowship was Ackroyd's Notes for a New Culture, written when he was only 22 and eventually published in 1976. The title, a playful echo of T. S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), was an early indication of Ackroyd's penchant for creatively exploring and reexamining the works of other London-based writers.
Ackroyd's literary career began with poetry, including such works as London Lickpenny (1973) and The Diversions of Purley (1987). He later moved into fiction and has become an acclaimed author, winning the 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the biography Thomas More and being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987.
Ackroyd worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and 1977 and became joint managing editor in 1978. In 1982 he published The Great Fire of London, his first novel. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. The novel set the stage for the long sequence of novels Ackroyd has produced since, all of which deal in some way with the complex interaction of time and space, and what Ackroyd calls "the spirit of place". It is also the first in a sequence of novels of London, through which he traces the changing, but curiously consistent nature of the city. Often this theme is explored through the city's artists, and especially its writers.
Ackroyd has always shown a great interest in the city of London, and one of his best known works, London: The Biography, is an extensive and thorough discussion of London through the ages.
His fascination with London literary and artistic figures is also displayed in the sequence of biographies he has produced of Ezra Pound (1980), T. S. Eliot (1984), Charles Dickens (1990), William Blake (1995), Thomas More (1998), Chaucer (2004), William Shakespeare (2005), and J. M. W. Turner. The city itself stands astride all these works, as it does in the fiction.
From 2003 to 2005, Ackroyd wrote a six-book non-fiction series (Voyages Through Time), intended for readers as young as eight. This was his first work for children. The critically acclaimed series is an extensive narrative of key periods in world history.
Early in his career, Ackroyd was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and, as well as producing fiction, biography and other literary works, is also a regular radio and television broadcaster and book critic.
In the New Year's honours list of 2003, Ackroyd was awarded the CBE.
Peter Ackroyd's mother worked in the personnel department of an engineering firm, his father having left the family home when Ackroyd was a baby. He was reading newspapers by the age of 5 and, at 9, wrote a play about Guy Fawkes. Reputedly, he first realized he was gay at the age of 7.
Ackroyd was educated at St. Benedict's, Ealing and at Clare College, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a double first in English. In 1972, he was a Mellon Fellow at Yale University in the United States. The result of this fellowship was Ackroyd's Notes for a New Culture, written when he was only 22 and eventually published in 1976. The title, a playful echo of T. S. Eliot's Notes Towards the Definition of Culture (1948), was an early indication of Ackroyd's penchant for creatively exploring and reexamining the works of other London-based writers.
Ackroyd's literary career began with poetry, including such works as London Lickpenny (1973) and The Diversions of Purley (1987). He later moved into fiction and has become an acclaimed author, winning the 1998 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for the biography Thomas More and being shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1987.
Ackroyd worked at The Spectator magazine between 1973 and 1977 and became joint managing editor in 1978. In 1982 he published The Great Fire of London, his first novel. This novel deals with one of Ackroyd's great heroes, Charles Dickens, and is a reworking of Little Dorrit. The novel set the stage for the long sequence of novels Ackroyd has produced since, all of which deal in some way with the complex interaction of time and space, and what Ackroyd calls "the spirit of place". It is also the first in a sequence of novels of London, through which he traces the changing, but curiously consistent nature of the city. Often this theme is explored through the city's artists, and especially its writers.
Ackroyd has always shown a great interest in the city of London, and one of his best known works, London: The Biography, is an extensive and thorough discussion of London through the ages.
His fascination with London literary and artistic figures is also displayed in the sequence of biographies he has produced of Ezra Pound (1980), T. S. Eliot (1984), Charles Dickens (1990), William Blake (1995), Thomas More (1998), Chaucer (2004), William Shakespeare (2005), and J. M. W. Turner. The city itself stands astride all these works, as it does in the fiction.
From 2003 to 2005, Ackroyd wrote a six-book non-fiction series (Voyages Through Time), intended for readers as young as eight. This was his first work for children. The critically acclaimed series is an extensive narrative of key periods in world history.
Early in his career, Ackroyd was nominated a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1984 and, as well as producing fiction, biography and other literary works, is also a regular radio and television broadcaster and book critic.
In the New Year's honours list of 2003, Ackroyd was awarded the CBE.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 30, 2024
A highly researched book covering the history of English Christianity. At times the book was a little slow nonetheless it was a good read overall.
May 18, 2026
The wonderful achievement of prolific biographer and historian Peter Ackroyd in this book, The English Soul, is managing to condense around 1400 years of the Christian faith into just under 400 pages. Dare I say that is a miracle, given how much has happened and been recorded in all those years, including all the sudden and violent convulsions, when the religious mode of England has been turned on its head and flipped back around again: Catholic to Protestant, Catholic again, Protestant again, and now generally ecumenical. Composed of various micro-biographies, of characters as diverse as the Venerable Bede, John Bunyan, and CS Lewis, you can learn about the many different shapes and facets the faith has taken on through the years, including the original, medieval Catholic faith of England, through the Reformation, Protestant Dissenters, and today’s evangelicals.
While I’m Catholic and particularly enjoyed the parts of this book that taught me more about my own faith, I appreciate the author’s lack of bias: there is as much in here of Methodism as there is Catholic, Church of England, Quaker, or any other flavour of faith for that matter. Ackroyd doesn’t pick a side but gives every denomination a fair, non-judgmental hearing, which prevents this history from becoming mired in a kind of literary sectarianism. I was especially interested in learning more about those groups that I didn’t know much about at all; having never had the chance to meet a Methodist, for example, I can now say I know at least a little bit more about that branch of the Christian faith after reading about it here.
The overarching theme of the book is that there is a unique expression of the faith that we can call English. It can be found in the chronicles of the Venerable Bede, the mystical visions of Julian of Norwich, the poetry of George Herbert, the enthusiasm of John Wesley, and the theological searching of John Henry Newman, not to mention the arguments of GK Chesterton and the crystal-clear testimony of CS Lewis. But can our faith take on so many aspects and yet simply be called ‘English’, I wonder? I don’t think the conclusion of this book satisfactorily answers that question given the vast collection of eccentric individuals this book covers - does John Wesley, the fiery founder of Methodism, really have much in common, beyond sharing the same Christian name, with St John Henry Newman, a high church Anglican who converted to Catholicism and became a Cardinal? - but there is definitely a lot to ponder over here.
Overall you’re going to get broad brush strokes from this book that could lead you on to further research depending on what part of it you’re most interested in, so it’s a fine beginning for any reader who wants to explore the religious history of the nation.
While I’m Catholic and particularly enjoyed the parts of this book that taught me more about my own faith, I appreciate the author’s lack of bias: there is as much in here of Methodism as there is Catholic, Church of England, Quaker, or any other flavour of faith for that matter. Ackroyd doesn’t pick a side but gives every denomination a fair, non-judgmental hearing, which prevents this history from becoming mired in a kind of literary sectarianism. I was especially interested in learning more about those groups that I didn’t know much about at all; having never had the chance to meet a Methodist, for example, I can now say I know at least a little bit more about that branch of the Christian faith after reading about it here.
The overarching theme of the book is that there is a unique expression of the faith that we can call English. It can be found in the chronicles of the Venerable Bede, the mystical visions of Julian of Norwich, the poetry of George Herbert, the enthusiasm of John Wesley, and the theological searching of John Henry Newman, not to mention the arguments of GK Chesterton and the crystal-clear testimony of CS Lewis. But can our faith take on so many aspects and yet simply be called ‘English’, I wonder? I don’t think the conclusion of this book satisfactorily answers that question given the vast collection of eccentric individuals this book covers - does John Wesley, the fiery founder of Methodism, really have much in common, beyond sharing the same Christian name, with St John Henry Newman, a high church Anglican who converted to Catholicism and became a Cardinal? - but there is definitely a lot to ponder over here.
Overall you’re going to get broad brush strokes from this book that could lead you on to further research depending on what part of it you’re most interested in, so it’s a fine beginning for any reader who wants to explore the religious history of the nation.
January 18, 2026
This book was quite interesting, but I am not sure that just because someone is English, and theologically minded, that Ackroyd can conclude that they represent an aspect of the 'soul' of the English people. A book made up of short Wiki style biographies is bound to feel a little unsatisfactory, and if some of these 'representative' people are actually rather obscure or marginal, you begin to feel your time is being wasted on the personal whims of the author. However, some of these pencil sketches I really enjoyed and I found the division Ackroyd identified between those supporting the established state church and those who believed in freedom of conscience helpful and thought provoking.
March 23, 2024
An interesting if loose survey of the evolution of Christianity in England. The book is structured largely around thematic mini-biographies of various figures that were key in the development of Christianity in England. Although this approach can feel a little scattershot compared to a more conventional history, it does give you a good sense of how the various denominations (Catholic, protestant, Anglican etc.) began and waxed and waned over the centuries. An enjoyable read.
September 21, 2025
Ackroyd may be a ‘celebrated historian and writer’ but there is just a whiff of the emperor’s clothes here. A perfunctory introduction leads into what could be a fascinating overview of the subject if it were not marred by his sniffy - a nasty head cold on all your houses - tone. In place of any sort of conclusion, there is - well - a full stop.
June 12, 2024
An informative, well researched history book full of details. It made me learned a lot and I appreciated the style of writing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
May 27, 2024
Loved his history books, really struggled with this for 2 months…
April 15, 2025
Gives a real context to the history and development of Christian thought/action. Show a different attitude to God through England.
December 17, 2025
Excellent History of the the Church in England told through the lives of various well known lives.
June 20, 2026
Unsure why this book jumps from Bede to Julian of Norwich missing hundreds of years of history but all in all great read.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews