Publisher's Synopsis
A group of Cambridge undergraduates succeeded in transforming the appearance of every Anglican church in the world. (J. Mordaunt Crook). The vehicle for this transformation was, to a considerable extent, the items reproduced in this book, and rarely in the history of publishing can a set of pamphlets have had a more profound influence. In the course of Victoriaìs reign, the setting of Anglican worship was transformed: out went the galleried 'preaching boxes' with their cosy box-pews, plaster ceilings and unsightly stove pipes; in came long chancels lined by choir stalls and focusing on the altar raised on steps, open seats for the congregations, and all dressed in the Gothic style of the Middle Ages. A substantial introduction tells the story of this revolution and the facsimilies of the eight documents - which have never been reproduced before and are only available in a small number of specialized libraries - make this a key volume for both research scholars as well as those with a more general interest in Victorian architectural church history.
