Eric Fernie

In 1066 William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxon army and became King of England. This change in ruler brought with it a significant transformation of English society and this is reflected in the architecture of the time. Nowhere more visibly is this change reflected than in church architecture, particularly in the Canterbury diocese of East Kent, an area rich in parish churches of the Norman period. With a foreword by Eric Fernie, it is richly illustrated with detailed plans, line-drawings and photographs, tracing not only the history and development of over 120 churches in this diocese, but also the story of the Anglo-Norman families who were patrons of these churches and paid for the building of these monuments.

Professor Fernie's research has done much to clarify the development of architecture in England and France from the Anglo-Saxon and Carolingian periods, through the Romanesque to the development of Gothic. Of particular interest has been his studies of architectural proportions and systems of length during this period. This volume make available thirty studies published over the last twenty years on buildings as varied as the pre-Conquest Abbey at Westminster and the church of St Magnus at Egilsay. There are two studies on sculpture, and a number of studies on the St. Gall plan and architectural proportions in English churches. The author has contributed additional notes and an index.