Skip to main content

Hawksmoor’s London Churches

Architecture and Theology

Six remarkable churches built by Nicholas Hawksmoor from 1712 to 1731 still stand in London. In this book, architectural historian Pierre de la Ruffinière du Prey examines these designs as a coherent whole—a single masterpiece reflecting both Hawksmoor’s design principles and his desire to reconnect, architecturally, with the "purest days of Christianity."

200 pages | 12 color plates, 65 halftones | 8-1/2 x 9-1/4 | © 2002

Architecture: British Architecture

Art: Art--General Studies

Reviews

"Du Prey’s well-argued book enhances our understanding of Hawksmoor’s design processes, and sheds light into the murky corners of early 18th-century theological and political concerns. This latest book adds lustre to an engaging writer’s reputation."--James Stevens Curl, Building Design

James Stevens Curl | Building Design

"The close study of Nicholas Hawksmoor’s churches in London extends du Prey’s fascination with the legacy, appropriation, and adaption of classical principles and motifs in the evolving pattern of architectural representation. . . . The resulting book is a fascinating reconstruction of the social networks and cultural resources upon which Hawksmoor drew in designing his remarkable churches, enriched by intelligent analysis of the architectural fabric."

Choice

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Prologue
List of Abbreviations
1. Wren, Hawksmoor, and the Wonders of the World
2. Hawksmoor and the Divines
3. Hawksmoor’s Aspiring Steeples
Conclusion
Appendix 1. Chronological List of Representations of the Temple of Jerusalem in the English Language, 1627-1741
Appendix 2. Sir Christopher Wren’s Letter of Recommendations to a Friend on the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches
Appendix 3. George Hickes’s Observations on John Vanbrugh’s Proposals about Building the Fifty New Churches
Appendix 4. Rules for the Fifty New Churches Set Down by the Commissioners and Their Subcommittee
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press