Jonathan Foyle

Beverley Minster is one of the most spectacular and impressive of English non-cathedral churches. It owes its origins to the Saxon St John of Beverley, who is buried here, though most of what we see today dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, when Beverley was one of the largest and wealthiest towns in England and the Minster was a major pilgrimage centre. Despite a long building programme, the church was constructed in a consistent architectural style which gives the interior, in particular, a pleasing harmony. Dr Foyle traces the importance of St John as both the founder and the inspiration for the continuing development of the Minster, and the book is lavishly illustrated with specially commissioned photography.

The story of one of Britain’s greatest buildings and its spectacular architectural evolution – reissued in a stylish hardback for the first time.As the seat of archbishops, Canterbury Cathedral has been one of Britain's most important buildings for over 1400 years. The cathedral as we know it evolved spectacularly between the eleventh and the fourteenth centuries. Within its designs are references to a world we have forgotten: its relationship to Rome, mythology, hidden geometry and the display of saintly relics.Architectural historian and broadcaster Jonathan Foyle explains how Canterbury's turbulent past – including a catastrophic fire, an earthquake and the murder of Thomas Becket – shaped the building, leaving us today with an extraordinary composite work of architecture as well as a unique repository of European arts and crafts. He reveals the fascinating stories and iconography behind the design of this medieval masterpiece.The book features specially commissioned images by the photographer Robert Greshoff as well as carefully selected archival illustrations, and includes a number of the author's own drawings. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, provides the foreword, while an additional chapter by Heather Newton covers the cathedral's modern conservation programme.

Nine hundred years ago, foundations were dug for a great church in Exeter which would develop into the beautiful cathedral that still marks the heart of the city. It is distinctive among English cathedrals for its twin transept towers, and unbroken vault stretching from the entrance to the high altar, and the sheer profusion of carving of plants and animals throughout. Exeter is a heavenly garden in stone, and this new book, illustrated with specially commissioned photography, draws on archaeology, archives and imagery to explain what its builders in a surprisingly cosmopolitan city were trying to tell us about their understanding of the world, and the realm they envisioned beyond us.

Peterborough Cathedral is one of England's finest Norman buildings and, with the addition of its uniquely arranged west front, also among the most individual. Architectural historian Dr Jonathan Foyle combines the wealth of his specialist knowledge with the recent findings of other historians in this study and elucidation of a truly impressive building. He shows how its liminal position between land and water reflects the mediating role of the medieval Church between the terrestrial and the celestial realms. It is fundamental to the Saxon abbey's dedication to St Peter, bearer of the key to heaven, and is reflected in the construction, decoration and symbolic language of the twelfth-century building. Engagingly written and beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photography and the author's own architectural drawings, Peterborough Cathedral: A Glimpse of Heaven offers a superb tribute to one of England's most beautiful and enigmatic medieval buildings.