John E. Vigar – författare

Kent is often referred to as ‘the cradle of English Christianity’. Canterbury is not only home to the Anglican Communion but also the location of St Martin’s Church, the oldest church in England in continuous use. Kent’s religious heritage has benefitted from this, as has its proximity to both the Continent and London. Architecturally, the churches of Kent range from premier Norman churches to tiny manorial churches that still sit in sequestered churchyards having, apparently, been forgotten for centuries. These churches are distinguished by a greater than usual diversity of building material, from the poor-quality but distinctive Kentish ragstone or flint nodules from nearby fields to excellent-quality limestone imported from Normandy and locally produced bricks. Kent’s churches also display glimpses into national history with links to early saints like St Mildred and St Sexburga through to Archbishop Thomas Becket, Anne Boleyn, Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill.In this book author John E. Vigar examines not only examples of the great church building campaigns of the medieval period but also later churches. Many have furnishings and memorials where individuals showed their importance in society by beautifying churches to their own glory, including Lullingstone, which was brought up to date in the early eighteenth century by its rich patron, Sir Percival Hart, and examples where new money from industry influenced the county’s churches in the Victorian period, outstanding among which is Kilndown.This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Kent over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

The churches of Hampshire are as varied as the landscapes they occupy. Remote rural churches that have changed little in 900 years are so far removed from those found in medieval market towns or bustling seaports that one might imagine that they have little in common. Yet the building materials of natural flint, imported stone from Normandy or the Isle of Wight and, later, local brick hold these diverse buildings together.As an early regional capital Winchester attracted powerful individuals whose influence spread through the county. Monastic houses flourished and have left us grand churches. Courtiers and courtesans have left their marks across the county, as have eighteenth- and nineteenth-century industrialists, many of whom rebuilt or restored churches.This book looks at fifty Hampshire churches from the Saxon gems of Breamore and Titchfield through Romsey Abbey to isolated churches in the folds of the Downs at Idsworth and Wield to nineteenth- and twentieth-century churches that rank amongst England’s finest. Together with their rich memorials and furnishings there is something for everyone, and Churches of Hampshire will encourage all those who live in the county or are visiting to discover the history on their doorsteps.

Cambridgeshire is a large and diverse county, and this is reflected in its churches. In the south, chalk provided flints for even the grandest of churches. The Fens in the north and east had no building materials of their own, so limestone was transported from further north and may best be seen in those churches that were owned or established by monastic houses. In the former county of Huntingdonshire limestone dominates, and bricks made from the local clays make an early appearance. In this book author John E. Vigar presents a selection of the most interesting churches from across the county, including the former counties of the Isle of Ely, Huntingdonshire and Peterborough, covering every period and type of church, from simple Saxo-Norman churches such as Hauxton, to late medieval churches where money was plentiful such as Whittlesey. Former monastic houses are represented by March and Ramsey, a rare seventeenth-century church at Guyhirn and one of the most important nineteenth-century churches in England at Cambridge All Saints, as well as many other ecclesiastical gems in the county.This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Cambridgeshire over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

Sussex runs in an arc along the south coast of England. Inland from the coastal towns, the South Downs cross East and West Sussex. Although built up in places, much of the county is still rural, with a wide variety of churches dating back to Anglo-Saxon times. In Churches of Sussex author John E. Vigar presents a selection of the most interesting churches from across the county, covering every period and type of church, from late Anglo-Saxon churches such as Bosham, which appears on the Bayeux Tapestry, to Victorian churches such as the imposing St Bartholomew’s in Brighton. Alongside Sussex’s most well-known churches, unusual and lesser-known churches are also included among the many ecclesiastical gems in the county. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Sussex over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

Essex boasts a large number of important religious buildings, yet many are little known despite the county containing churches of Saxon origin, the oldest timber-framed church in the country and one of the best Arts and Crafts churches in Europe. In Churches of Essex historian John E. Vigar shares the wealth of religious architecture to be found in the county, from the plain and simple to huge, impressive buildings displaying medieval wealth. Several parish churches were originally home to a monastic community, and Waltham Abbey can boast of the tomb of a king of England. Flint and timber are the usual building materials encountered, together with brick. The furnishings of Essex churches can be in a league of their own, with a huge range of monumental brasses and magnificent monuments to families with London connections. In the nineteenth century few Essex churches escaped wholesale improvements by the Victorians, and in the twentieth century many churches were beautified by the gift of stained-glass windows. Here, readers will find churches both small and large, simple and quirky, each one representing the tastes, finances and lives of generations of Essex residents. This fascinating picture of an important part of the history of Essex over the centuries will be of interest to all those who live in or are visiting this attractive county in England.

Lincolnshire is a large county with a legacy of historic churches. Medieval Lincolnshire owed its wealth – and churches – to maritime trade and wool production and the influence of a myriad of monasteries and its famed cathedral. However, changing economic conditions have also seen depopulation and remote churches remind us of communities that didn’t survive. As populations moved to towns and manufacturing centres during the Industrial Revolution, new churches were built. These changes are reflected in the parish churches of the county, which range from large Saxon structures at Barton-upon-Humber, tiny Norman churches like Coates by Stow, through grand wool churches at Swineshead and Gedney to a Georgian gem at Oxcombe. Churches of Lincolnshire looks at all of these and more in this fascinating picture of an important part of this attractive county’s history.