Sacred Modernity

Anglican Church Architecture in Mid-Twentieth Century Britain
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-032-89940-4
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 240 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm

Reihe: Routledge Research in Architecture

This book examines mid-20th-century Anglican church architecture in Britain, from the 1935 to the 1975, exploring how it was shaped by liturgical changes, social shifts, and artistic influences. It investigates the theoretical foundations of modern Anglican church design and the contributions of various denominations to shared worship spaces.

Amidst the rise of research groups, publications, and photographic documentation, the book highlights the subject’s significance in this period. Inspired by the liturgical reformation within the Church of England, it analyzes churches in their urban contexts and the communities they served, revealing the complex interplay between architects, engineers, artists, local authorities, and clergy.

The book also addresses post-war church reconstruction, the adaptation of existing buildings, and the integration of new construction technologies. It explores how churches accommodated secular functions alongside sacred spaces to reduce maintenance costs and foster communal identity. As secularization grew—particularly affecting the Church of England—it also considers the transformation of redundant churches into secular venues.

Adopting a cross-disciplinary approach, the book situates Anglican church architecture within broader religious, urban, and social contexts, offering a comprehensive perspective for scholars and practitioners alike.

Zielgruppe

Academic, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Advanced

Autoren/Hrsg.

Grieco, Lorenzo

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Gebäudetypen Wohngebäude
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Gestaltung, Darstellung, Bautechnik
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Architektur: Berufspraxis
• Geisteswissenschaften Architektur Geschichte der Architektur, Baugeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Religionsgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen
• Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein Theologie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of figures

Acknowledgements

Preface

1. Introduction

2. ‘We build the meaning’: Liturgical Advancement in the Church of England

3. ‘There spring the perfect order of speech’: Reordering Church Spaces

4. ‘Much to cast down, much to build, much to restore’: Post-war Reconstructions

5. ‘New life, new form, new colour’: The Languages of Anglican Modernity

6. ‘Let them waken the suburbs’: Churches as Urban Catalysts

7. ‘A Church for all’: Interconfessional and Ecumenical Experiments

8. ‘We have too many churches’: Redundancy and Conversion

9. Conclusion

10. Final note

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Lorenzo Grieco holds a PhD in Civil Engineering: Architecture and Construction from the University of Rome Tor Vergata and in Architecture from the University of Kent, Canterbury. His research focuses on modern and contemporary architecture, with particular attention to construction aspects. His main research interests include the study of wooden ceilings, architectural photography, the relationship between architecture and propaganda in the interwar period, as well as post-war religious and industrial architecture.