"The Treasures of Westminster Abbey" celebrates an iconic building and its rich artistic heritage. The Abbey, one of Britain's greatest medieval buildings and among the best-known churches in the world, has a history stretching back over a thousand years. Founded as a Benedictine monastery in the mid-tenth century and with the shrine of its principal royal founder, St Edward the Confessor, at its heart, it is also the coronation church where monarchs have been crowned amid great splendour since 1066. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, was planned with that in mind and is a treasure house of architectural and artistic achievement on which each succeeding century has left its mark.Seventeen out of the thirty-nine sovereigns crowned in Westminster Abbey also lie buried within its walls. Their medieval and Renaissance tombs, though among the most important in Europe, form only a small part of the extraordinary collection of gravestones, memorials and monumental sculpture for which the Abbey has long been famous and which is comprehensively surveyed in this lavishly illustrated book.Many of the most significant individuals in British history are remembered here: royalty and aristocracy, clergy and politicians, writers, scientists and musicians. Ranging from the thirteenth-century shrine of St Edward and the Renaissance splendour of Henry VII's Lady Chapel, to the literary memorials of Poets' Corner and the statues of Twentieth Century Martyrs on the Abbey's west front, "The Treasures of Westminster Abbey" describes the stained glass, furniture, sculpture, textiles, wall paintings and many other historic artefacts found within this remarkable church.
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About the Author
Tony Trowles joined the staff of Westminster Abbey Library in 1993 and has been Librarian since 1998. He previously worked at the Institute of Historical Research, London University. In 2005 he compiled A Bibliography of Westminster Abbey.
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Inventory
15 Aug 2010
By Rick Kaneen
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
The previous reviewer is exactly right. This is a lovely book visually - filled with all color photos of some of the most beautiful monuments and dedications in the Abbey plus several pages of plans of the church that are (unlike many books like this) large enough to read without a magnifying glass. Very nice. Unfortunately, while every monument in the Abbey is listed with a few lines about who created it and for whom, there is no commentary whatsoever. So this beautiful book becomes nothing more really than an inventory of the contents of the Abbey. For great history and commentary on Westminster try the little volume "Westminster Abbey" by Richard Jenkyns from Harvard's The Wonders of the World series. I actually looked at the photos in this book while reading Jenkyn's candid and entertaining comments about the statuary and inscriptions and found them to be good companion books. So buy this one for the photos and Jenkyns for the story.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect low-cost memento of the Abbey
22 May 2011
By Jean E. Pouliot
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
My family and I visited Westminster Abbey last fall and were so awed that we wanted to bring something back as a memento. The abbey bookstore was chock-full of colorful and EXPENSIVE books describing the abbey's many tombs and monuments. But I wasn't ready to part with the better part of $100. This book, at about $25, was perfect. It describes just about every tomb and monument in the place, provides a short history of the building, a summary of each chapel and space, and provides a useful layout. This last item came in handy during the recent wedding of William and Kate, helping us understand where the couple was standing at any particular moment.
Though the book is crammed with beautiful color images, I wish that it had even more. Some of my favorites monuments -- like the monument to General Wolfe -- aren't as well represented as I'd like. But that's what you get when you scrimp on the price! Overall I am thrilled with the book and enjoy thumbing through its many gorgeous pages!
Though the book is crammed with beautiful color images, I wish that it had even more. Some of my favorites monuments -- like the monument to General Wolfe -- aren't as well represented as I'd like. But that's what you get when you scrimp on the price! Overall I am thrilled with the book and enjoy thumbing through its many gorgeous pages!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Laundry list
30 Mar 2010
By DW
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This nicely illustrated book provides a fairly comprehensive listing of the monuments, tombs, statuary and memorial plaques in Westminster Abbey, but to my disappointment, does not offer any commentary about the artistic merits, of lack thereof, of these items.
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