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REVIEW BY RP
To those who regularly stroll the streets of London, the churches of Nicholas Hawksmoor might be a familiar sight, even if the architect’s name is not. Perhaps overshadowed by contemporaries such as Sir Christopher Wren and Sir John Vanbrugh, Hawksmoor is hardly a household name. Terror and Magnificence, at once a biography, architectural commentary, and guidebook to the churches of London, seeks to bring the story of this 18th-century architect’s influence on London’s ecclesiastical skyline to light. Of particular interest are the passages explaining the inspiration Hawksmoor took from Classical architecture, despite having never travelled abroad. Confessing to knowing little about Hawksmoor’s architecture or life before beginning to research the book, the author takes us with him on his journey of discovery, uncovering details about the towers and spires, as well as the life of the man himself, all presented alongside a wealth of beautiful images by Stuart Vallis.
Terror and Magnificence: The London churches of Nicholas Hawksmoor
David Meara
Amberley, £15.99
ISBN 978-1398116283
