Parish Church Treasures: The Nation's Greatest Art Collection

by John Goodall, Paul Barker (Photographer)

English parish churches constitute a living patrimony without European parallel. Their cultural riches are astonishing, not only for their quality and quantity, but also their diversity and interest. Fine art and architecture combine unpredictably with the functional, the curious, and the naïve, from prehistory to the present day. Because church treasures usually remain in the buildings they were created for, when properly interpreted they tell from thousands of local perspectives the history of the nation, its people, and their changing religious observance.

John Goodall's weekly series in Country Life has celebrated particular objects in or around churches that are of outstanding artistic, social, or historical importance, to underline both the intrinsic interest of parish churches and the insights that they and their contents offer into English history of every period. Parish Church Treasures incorporates and significantly expands this material to tell afresh the remarkable history of the parish church. It celebrates the special character of churches as places to visit while providing an authoritative and up-to-date history at a time when the use and upkeep of these buildings and the care of their contents is highly contentious.

304 pages, Hardcover

First published December 8, 2015

About the author

John Goodall is the architectural editor of Country Life magazine.

Reviews

[Gareth Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marvellous. The combination of a very succinct history of English church architecture and its relationship with the liturgy and a set of pages with a short textual description and excellent photograph for 178 church's works so well. There isn't a great deal of text, but the words are carefully chosen and the photographs are excellent. Informative, interesting and restful. Marvellous

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this wonderful book in the window of my local Oxfam and had to have it
I am currently undertaking research in medieval Kent churches and I have always been very pleasantly surprised to arrive at one for the very first time to discover a unique gem behind its door.
This was a book that filled in some of the gaps in my knowledge of churches and churchyards. The accompanying photos by Paul Barker really enhance the text and bring the church’s hidden glories to their best.

The book arose from a weekly column in Country Life written by Goodall with photos from Barker which featured ‘particular objects in and around churches that are of outstanding, artistic, social or historical importance.’
It consists of 9 chapters, each spanning 100 years from pre- 1000AD up to the present day and with an introduction to each. There is also an informative introduction at the start of the book. The chapters reveal John Goodall’s extensive knowledge of church fads, decoration, the destruction wrought by the Reformation and Cromwell’s army and architectural decorative styles amongst others.
I have read that many churches are built over previously pagan sites and Goodall quotes the Pope, in 601, urging early missionaries in England to turn pagan sites into Christian ones. Goodall also states that Christianity was and is manifestly fascinated by places, the connection between churches and a modern visitor to a ‘sacred topography more ancient than Christianity’.
Each chapter is accompanied by a lovely collection of photos of churches of the period and their treasures. These include richly carved fonts, wall paintings, sculptures, monuments, pillars, archways, stain glass windows and many others. The accompanying text to them is equally as wonderful as when Goodall describes ‘capitals of stylized leaves crimped like Elizabethan collars’ in a church in Winchfield, Hants.
Goodall is so knowledgeable and has such an easy, accessible style that I really felt that I’d learned a lot about parish churches and the background to their creation and development over the centuries with ever changing tastes. The churches featured in this book are well chosen but, as the author says in his introduction, he hopes ‘that the reader will be inspired to go out and look afresh at churches and chapels. I am not only confident that every visit will reveal some furnishing, ornament or work of architecture that could have graced the pages of this book. They will also derive from the experience more delight and information than from any book that I could ever produce.’
I intend to follow his advice.

[David Bisset · Rating 5 out of 5]

Parish churches are probably the most important buildings in England. John Goodell reveals that they are also an artistic depository of supreme value. This is a timely and important volume with excellent photographs.