Philip Wilkinson

The English Buildings Book Philip Wilkinson

The English Buildings Book is the most comprehensive single volume on English architecture for the general reader and it celebrates the English built environment, which is the richest and most diverse in the world. Where most general books on English buildings are arranged chronologically, The English Buildings Book is arranged by building type and use. The chapters deal with distinct groups of buildings from parish churches to railway stations. This arrangement makes the book more accessible for general readers, who will find it easier to navigate their way around a book arranged by types rather than one organised by historical styles.
The English Buildings Book is truly broad in its coverage. Over 700 buildings are described and illustrated, ranging from the architectural icons - such as castles, cathedrals, and country houses - to the less noticeable but equally fascinating buildings of our towns and villages - parish churches and meeting houses, shops and hotels, town halls and market halls, windmills and lighthouses, barns and bars. All are represented in superb colour photographs, many specially commissioned, which are arranged to enable easy comparison between buildings with each double-page spread presenting a theme that the reader can take in at a glance or read about in greater depth.
The English Buildings Book is also a personal book; the author and photographer, who have collaborated together for many years, have made their individual choice of buildings. There are plenty of examples of each type and style, allowing the reader to follow the evolution of architecture from the Saxon period onwards. But there are also the architectural `eccentrics' - houses shaped like aircraft hangars, mills that look like palaces, stations or cinemas in the shape of 1930s radio sets.
The book is an architectural feast, from beginning to end.