Rochester Cathedral, 604-1540 : an architectural history / J. Philip McAleer.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The aim of this study is to provide an architectural history of the medieval fabric of Rochester Cathedral, from its Saxon origins to the time of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

The first comprehensive study of Rochester Cathedral in more than 100 years, and the first ever to consider it critically within the context of contemporary architecture in England, McAleer's book applies a self-acknowledged "traditional" approach to the analysis of the entire structure. Scant medieval documentary sources and multiple restorations over the centuries combine to justify the author's primarily visual and archaeological methodology. McAleer (Dalhousie Univ.) carefully sifts through medieval and 19th-century documents and gives a close reading of the building fabric of the cathedral itself, proceeding chronologically from the remains of a pre-Romanesque structure through the late medieval alterations to the nave clerestory. Cautiously reinterpreting available evidence, and bearing in mind 20th-century scholarship, McAleer relates both the nave and the transept and also reassesses the relation of the building campaigns at Rochester to the more important ones at nearby Canterbury. A nice feature is the discussion of liturgical arrangements for each section of the church. To be lamented is the format of the book: McAleer's visual approach would be better served by a separate volume of plates, with more, larger, and clearer illustrations enabling readers to participate more fully in his reasoning process. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. E. B. Smith; Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus