| The Restoration of Blythburgh Church, 1881-1906: The Dispute Between the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Blythburgh Church Res Contributor(s): Mackley, Alan (Editor) |
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ISBN: 1783271671 ISBN-13: 9781783271672 Publisher: Suffolk Records Society OUR PRICE: $42.75 Product Type: Hardcover Published: May 2017 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Europe - Great Britain - General - Architecture | Buildings - Religious - History | Modern - 19th Century |
| Dewey: 726.509 |
| LCCN: 2017394688 |
| Series: Suffolk Records Society |
| Physical Information: 1.3" H x 9.3" W x 6.2" (1.95 lbs) 383 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - British Isles - Chronological Period - 19th Century |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In 1881, after decades of mouldering into ruin, the grand fifteenth-century church of Blythburgh, Suffolk, "The Cathedral of the Marshes", was closed as unsafe. The church was saved - but its rescue involved a bitter twenty-five year long dispute between Blythburgh vicars and committees, and William Morris and his Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, who feared that the medieval fabric would be over-restored and the character of the building lost forever. This volume presents an edition, with notes and introduction, of original documents from both sides - providing unique insights into a rancorous conflict, with vicars pitted against patrons as well as the Society.The need was local, but the significance national, with elites ranged against another. From a description of the Blythburgh committee headed by a royal princess, to accounts of lavish fund-raising fetes and garden parties, the story is vividly brought to life. Alan Mackley, an honorary research fellow at the University of East Anglia, studied history after a career as a scientist in the oil industry. He has lived in Suffolk for over 35 years. |