Kingdom, Power and Glory: Historical Guide to Westminster Abbey: Amazon.co.uk: John Field, Malcolm Crowthers: Books

Product Description

Book Description

Westminster Abbey is arguably the single most important historic building in the United Kingdom. For over a thousand years it has stood at the centre of British History.

It contains the shrine of its saintly founder King Edward the Confessor. It has been the coronation church for thirty-nine successive monarchs, from William the Conqueror in 1066 to Elizabeth II in 1953. It has been the burial place of seventeen monarchs and of many of the great (as well as the not so great) of the nation. On many occasions it has been the focus for national joy or grief.

The Abbey has also been the stage for bitter power struggles; it has survived religious and political upheaval; and it has been the scene of many spectacular and turbulent episodes. Yet it has never lost its essential purpose as a place of worship, contemplation, and pilgrimage.

In this brilliant historical tour the author tells the story through the words of kings, nobles, priests and chroniclers. His account brings to life not only the big events but also the day-to-day existence of the Abbey and its people, from monastic times to the present day.

The book is richly illustrated. Pictures include many reproductions from ancient illuminations and paintings. Scores of superb photographs have been especially taken for the book. They capture the beauty of the building as an outstanding example of Gothic architecture. They show, too, monuments, effigies and decoration. Captions explain the historical significance of each subject.

The book is thus on the one hand a compelling story in its own right, and on the other a practical guide to the building and its monuments. Interweaving the two functions it enriches and informs our understanding and appreciation, not only of Westminster Abbey, but also of the history of the nation in which this great institution has played such an illustrious part.

About the Author

English teacher and director of plays at Westminster School, John Field lived and worked in the Abbey precinct for thirty years. It is possible that 'Westminster'; is engraved on his heart, but he now lives in Northumberland where the air is breathable, and the Scottish hills closer. Theatre, music, India and friends have claims upon his time. He is the author of The King's Nurseries, the story of Westminster School.