دانلود کتاب the cathedrals of britain

Britain has some of the most beautiful
cathedrals in Europe. Like all cathedrals,
those of Britain are a testimony both to the
driving power of faith and human ambitions
to leave monuments that are lasting and
beautiful.
Whether at Canterbury or Durham,
massive and awesome in their grandeur
and majesty, or at Oxford, where Britain’s
smallest cathedral, Christ Church, has a
diminutive jewel-like beauty, the cathedrals
of Britain are a part of living history. In an age
when almost all buildings were only one or
two storeys high, the great medieval
cathedrals towered inspiringly over the
surrounding countryside and often took
their builders many generations to finish.
The creation of a cathedral was truly an act
of faith. Everything present in the building
was put there to praise God the Architect;
and the unique power of the cathedral to
impress us — which is as powerful today as
it ever was — has rightly been described as
‘frozen music’.
In his lively and stimulating text David L.
Edwards, Provost of Southwark Cathedral in
London and a well-known historian, looks at
eighteen of the most beautiful and
interesting of these ‘Palaces of God’. He gives
each cathedral a separate chapter in which
he outlines its history and development.
The text is lavishly illustrated with
outstanding colour photographs and with
superb black-and-white photographs that
show details of especial interest. A special
feature of The Cathedrals of Britain is an
introductory section which concisely
surveys all the cathedrals ancient or modern,
Anglican or Roman Catholic and gives the
reader a firm understanding of the different
styles of cathedral architecture and a clear
view of the cathedral’s place in history.
Here in words and over 115 illustrations
is a celebration of a heritage.

David L. Edwards was a schoolboy in the
shadow of Canterbury Cathedral, at the
King’s School. As a scholar of Magdalen
College, Oxford (1949—52) and a Fellow
of All Souls Oxford (1952-59) he often
attended services in the city’s little
cathedral, Christ Church and in the great
chapel of King’s College, Cambridge, where
he was Dean (1966-70 ). He was a canon of
Westminster Abbey (1970-78) and Dean
of the magnificent Norman cathedral in
Norwich (1978-82) before moving to
London in 1983 to become Provost of
Southwark Cathedral, which is his present
responsibility and love. He was Chaplain to
the Speaker of the House of Commons
1972-78. His other publications include a
history of Christian England from the
Romans to 1914 in 3 volumes (Collins, 1981-—
84) and The Futures of Christianity
(Hodder & Stoughton, 1987). He is a weekly
contributor to the Church Times as chief
book reviewer and leader writer, and is an
expert on church history.