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Review
"handsomely produced... a celebration of 2,000 years of Christian belief that is at times shocking, but always engrossing and richly entertaining" --The Times, July 23, 2011
"A really, really lovely book" --Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2 'Good Morning', July 10, 2011
"This is an outstanding new book... authoritative but not pedantic, enthusiastic, gently humorous, but never intrusive."
--The Bridge, July 7, 2011
"You can tell when a book is a labour of love, and this is just such a book. Every car should carry a copy"
--BBC Countryfile Magazine, July 2011
"A really, really lovely book" --Aled Jones, BBC Radio 2 'Good Morning', July 10, 2011
"This is an outstanding new book... authoritative but not pedantic, enthusiastic, gently humorous, but never intrusive."
--The Bridge, July 7, 2011
"You can tell when a book is a labour of love, and this is just such a book. Every car should carry a copy"
--BBC Countryfile Magazine, July 2011
Book Description
The history and heritage of every holy place in Britain
Inside This Book
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is an excellent book for both the arm chair reader and the explorer on foot. In fact there is something for everyone. The detail and study that the author has clearly spent time researching pays off the moment you start to read it. The book has drawn me to explore some local churches that I had not been to but better still I have been able to read about places that I am unlikely to get to for many years and learn about them not from traditional guide book that lacks the human touch and inability to express the sheer sense of God. This guide book does just that, it expresses the sense of God and in a increasing secular world I say AMEN to that!
The reader can appreciate from a real person who has (as Mr Mayhew states) sat in the churches and holy places and prayed. Perhaps that part alone makes this book unique, exciting and inspirational! To be fair we loved it so much we bought three copies of the books, one to keep and two that we have given away. The recipients of the other books have also said 'what a fun book the detail in the indexes of how to rate a holy place inspires me to visit, read and then make my own mind up!' The other who lives abroad has simply enjoyed reading about some of Britain's finest churches and cathedrals and is now planning to visit to see some in 2012! They have been inspired and have changed their holiday plans because of this book!
Well done Mr Mayhew,your an author that we will definitely keep an eye out for future plublications!
Jenny and John Challis
The reader can appreciate from a real person who has (as Mr Mayhew states) sat in the churches and holy places and prayed. Perhaps that part alone makes this book unique, exciting and inspirational! To be fair we loved it so much we bought three copies of the books, one to keep and two that we have given away. The recipients of the other books have also said 'what a fun book the detail in the indexes of how to rate a holy place inspires me to visit, read and then make my own mind up!' The other who lives abroad has simply enjoyed reading about some of Britain's finest churches and cathedrals and is now planning to visit to see some in 2012! They have been inspired and have changed their holiday plans because of this book!
Well done Mr Mayhew,your an author that we will definitely keep an eye out for future plublications!
Jenny and John Challis
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At over 500 full colour pages, a labour of love over a five year journey, Britain's Holiest Places covers a huge range of sites from inspiring cathedrals, through Quaker meeting houses to hidden holy wells. Each holy place is described, photographed and rated from both a practical and ecumenical spiritual perspective. Clear directions are provided as well as useful details like GPS coordinates, very handy for the more obscure spots.
This is more than a simple guide book; Nick's style draws the reader in. The descriptions of each location weave together the historical and numinous preparing the visitor not so much for an interesting architectural diversion, but an experience of the spiritual essence of the place:
"The hard black walls of the nave, worn smooth by the passing of centuries, have echoed with the voices of a Christian community each Sunday for the past 1,000 years. And the huge oaks themselves would have been around 1,000 years old when they were felled. They might have been acorns and saplings at the time Jesus was born ... Much has been added and modified at Greensted's church during a millennium of worship - but the heart of oak continues to beat."
St. Andrew's church in Greensted (9 Stars), resting place of St. Edmund, and now an irresistible pilgrimage destination. 'There is no sanitisation of Christianity's troubled history. Oxford's Martyrs' monument is here (5 Stars), but Hugh Latimer's own complicity in the death of John Forrest is acknowledged. It is the puritan bullet holes in the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are described as `her wounds, the most eloquent monument of all in Oxford'.
A respectful realism that permeates the text; origin and authenticity are both carefully weighed, especially of the relics of saints. There is both joy and sadness at times, but little sign of the over romanticism that can plague popullar British church history.
Sitting on a coffee table it is tempting to pick up the book, open at a random page and make a new discovery. You might then miss the appendix which offers guidelines for the spiritual encounter, reflections on the communion of saints and spiritual exercises for pilgrims at shrines and wells. Churched or un-churched, I would not hesitate to buy this book for anyone, whatever their spirituality. The only wish for a second edition might be the inclusion of more maps, but a good GPS device or basic smartphone is all that is needed to find your way.
This is more than a simple guide book; Nick's style draws the reader in. The descriptions of each location weave together the historical and numinous preparing the visitor not so much for an interesting architectural diversion, but an experience of the spiritual essence of the place:
"The hard black walls of the nave, worn smooth by the passing of centuries, have echoed with the voices of a Christian community each Sunday for the past 1,000 years. And the huge oaks themselves would have been around 1,000 years old when they were felled. They might have been acorns and saplings at the time Jesus was born ... Much has been added and modified at Greensted's church during a millennium of worship - but the heart of oak continues to beat."
St. Andrew's church in Greensted (9 Stars), resting place of St. Edmund, and now an irresistible pilgrimage destination. 'There is no sanitisation of Christianity's troubled history. Oxford's Martyrs' monument is here (5 Stars), but Hugh Latimer's own complicity in the death of John Forrest is acknowledged. It is the puritan bullet holes in the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are described as `her wounds, the most eloquent monument of all in Oxford'.
A respectful realism that permeates the text; origin and authenticity are both carefully weighed, especially of the relics of saints. There is both joy and sadness at times, but little sign of the over romanticism that can plague popullar British church history.
Sitting on a coffee table it is tempting to pick up the book, open at a random page and make a new discovery. You might then miss the appendix which offers guidelines for the spiritual encounter, reflections on the communion of saints and spiritual exercises for pilgrims at shrines and wells. Churched or un-churched, I would not hesitate to buy this book for anyone, whatever their spirituality. The only wish for a second edition might be the inclusion of more maps, but a good GPS device or basic smartphone is all that is needed to find your way.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As someone who considers Richard Dawkins to be a bit too soft on religion I might not be seen as the typical reader of a book on Britain's holiest places.
However, you cannot and should not ignore the social and cultural influences of Christianity on this country. It's an integral part of our history. From my secular perspective, this book provides an excellent and comprehensive guide to sites that are of interest to anyone with a love of art, architecture and history. It's well written and beautifully photographed. Any book that convinces me that Barking is worth a visit is impressive indeed.
However, you cannot and should not ignore the social and cultural influences of Christianity on this country. It's an integral part of our history. From my secular perspective, this book provides an excellent and comprehensive guide to sites that are of interest to anyone with a love of art, architecture and history. It's well written and beautifully photographed. Any book that convinces me that Barking is worth a visit is impressive indeed.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Not just for the religious-minded
I'm not religious, but I have a love of old English buildings; this is a pleasure to read, and having visited a couple of nearby churches mentioned in this book, I was really... Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. Hennessy
Fabulous gazetteer guide to Britains Holy heritage
This new guide book is the result of a five-year journey from Orkney to the Channel Islands, It opens up Britains landscape which has been shaped by centuries of faith. Read more
Published 3 months ago by M Raven
A personal guide to British Christian heritage
For most writers, setting out to chronicle the most significant holy sites of Britain would be a daunting, if not forbidding, task. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Steve Benner
Perfect Planning Reading for the Pilgrim
And by "pilgrim" I'm not suggesting that this is a book only for the religious traveller. Anyone who is interested by the cultural and spiritual context of the British Isles would... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Mrs. Jane Hawkes
The perfect present for my Father
This is a bit of an odd review as the book wasn't for me... however it was the perfect gift for my Father. Read more
Published 6 months ago by A. Robinson
A Real eye opener of a book.
A wonderful book filled with photographs of the sites and good instruction as to location and access. Read more
Published 7 months ago by A. Aldred
Places to see
Beautiful photographs with equally informative descriptions and directions the book allows the enthusiastic traveller to see, select and prepare for their trips of exploration to... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Amex Angel
collecting cathedrals
This is a flippant review title for a book that is decidedly not flippant. It is not only a beautiful book that will make a wonderful present for anyone who loves visiting... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Book fiend
Britain's Holiest Places
Excellent photography makes the book a pleasure to work through with informative descriptions. The only disappointment was the exclusion of Come-to-good Quaker Meeting House near... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Keith Burdett
Compelling guide for every would-be pilgrim
This impressive tome reached me at just the right time. With a few days leave coming up, I certainly intend to visit some of the ancient churches, ruined abbeys, mysterious stones... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Cartimand
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