"Hugely important... a tool to revolutionize our understanding and enjoyment of churches."
The English Parish Church
Daily life & spirituality, art & architecture, literature & music
This stunning new interactive DVD-ROM traces the development of the country's most iconic ecclesiastical buildings across the centuries, and is intended for students, teachers and anyone with an interest in the rich heritage of England.
This major new digital resource combines easily accessible introductions to the latest academic research on parish churches and the influence of Christianity on literature, music, art and society, with images from national and international collections.
The resource explores every aspect of church and parish life, from the Anglo-Saxon Church to the present day, and includes:
- Contributions from over 225 leading academics and practitioners
- Video introductions by leading authorities on several parish churches, including Ranworth Church, Norfolk
- Examples of music, including specially-recorded pieces, from the Anglo-Saxon Church to the 20th Century
- 3-D modelling of the development of interiors and exteriors of churches through the centuries
- Christianity and writers such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Donne, Milton, Dickens, Brontes, Wordsworth, TS Eliot, Tolkien, DH Lawrence
- Case studies detailing individual churches from around the country
- Practical sections on care, conservation, creative use, re-ordering and interpretation of church buildings and their contents
This interactive DVD-ROM is designed to run on Windows (Vista, 7) and Mac (OS X) computers, and requires the following additional specifications:
- 1024x768 minimum screen resolution (standard for most computers)
- A DVD-ROM drive
- 1.2GB of hard disk space (optional - only required for installation. Resource can also be run from DVD-ROM directly.)
Structure and samples
>> Click to view English Parish Church full contents
Periods
The DVD-ROM is structured around the following six period-based sections. Examples of content from each section are available below as PDF files.
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The Early Centuries to c.600
Example: 'The Church in Italy' - Mark Humphries
Example: 'Architecture and Worship' – Allen Doig -
The Church in England c.600-c.1066
Example: 'The Conversion of the Anglo-Saxons' – Barbara Yorke
Example: 'The Synod of Whitby' – Sarah Foot -
The Church in England c.1066-c.1534
Example: 'Historical and Political Context' – W. Mark Ormrod
Example: 'Books of Hours' - Professor Eamon Duffy -
The Church in England c.1534-c.1689
Example: 'Lifecycle' - John Craig
Example: 'Diversity and Dissension' - W.J. Sheils -
The Church in England c.1689-c.1945
Example: 'Context' - Jane Garnett, Matthew Grimley, William Whyte
Example: 'Lifecycle' - W.M. Jacob and Frances Knight -
The Churches to the Present Day
Example: 'Multi-Faith Britain' - Alana Harris
Themes
Each period, left, contains the following themes:
- Context (historical/political/cultural)
- The Daily Life of the Church
- Development of Church Art and Architecture
- Interaction with Society
- Interaction with Culture
Contributors
The 225 contributors include Julia Barrow, Michelle P. Brown, Clive Burgess, Arthur Burns, Eric Carlson, Mary Clayton, Jeffrey Cox, John Craig, Claire Cross, Catherine Cubitt, Eamon Duffy, Kenneth Fincham, Andrew Foster, Katherine French, Sarah Foot, Paul Fouracre, Jane Garnett, Gary Gibbs, Jeremy Goldberg, Ian Green, Jeremy Gregory, Vanessa Harding, Richard Helmholz, Steve Hindle, Leslie Howsam, Michael Hunter, Martin Ingram, Bill Jacob, Beat Kumin, Judith Maltby, Chris Marsh, Peter Marshall, Rosemary O’Day, Nicholas Orme, W. Mark Ormrod, Richard Pfaff, Tom Pickles, Ashley Rogers Berner, Alec Ryrie, Diarmuid Scully, James Sharpe, W.J. Sheils, Donald Spaeth, Andrew Spicer, Robert Swanson, Paul Szarmach, Diana Webb, John Wolffe, Barbara Yorke
Gallery
Comments and quotes
Loyd Grossman
Chair of the Churches Conservation Trust
"A brilliant resource for mission and ministry today... a veritable treasure-chest of information."
The Most Revd Dr John Sentamu
Archbishop of York
"The English Parish Church DVD-ROM is an extraordinarily rich resource. Without this knowledge people are strangers in their own churches."
The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams
Former Archbishop of Canterbury
"What a rich resource this is, as stuff ed with varied treasures as the best medieval English parish church... Scholarly and accessible, it provides a rich seam of high quality material for researchers, teachers and students alike."
Prof. Diarmaid MacCulloch
St. Cross College, University of Oxford
