Publisher's Synopsis
The summation of a lifetime's study, this volume presents a comprehensive and fully-illustrated analysis of Anglo-Saxon architecture that was widely acclaimed when it first appeared in 1978. The principal architectural features and ornament of the 267 Anglo-Saxon churches surveyed in Volumes I and II form Dr Taylor's raw material. Four introductory chapters establish from first principles the logical basis for believing that these churches do indeed contain pre-Norman fabric. Individual elements like towers, arches, doorways, windows and capital decoration are then examined in detail. Comparisons are drawn wherever possible with contemporary continental practice and deductions are made about the reasons for important architectural features and the extent to which they had their origins in the requirements of monastic communities or the liturgy. The format of the hard cover edition has been reduced to match that of the paperback editions of Volumes I and II, (published in 1980).
