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3 comments about Hawksmoor's London Churches: Architecture and Theology.

1. Having read Kerry Downes' standard monographs on Hawksmoor, Du Prey's "Architecture and Theology" is very disappointing. Du Prey does not, to begin, bring the book to its logical conclusion; despite commencing with a gushing account of Anglican Divines in Augustan England (Atterbury and Aldrich, though not, rather surprisingly, Sacheverall), the way in which contemporary religious thought might have conditioned the form of the churches built is inconclusive and not argued with the conviction that made an old article on the matter by Du Prey himself (ie., 'The Basilicas of the Primitive Christians') worthwhile. Furthermore, broad, out-of-context and misleading generalisations (such as a description of the Tory party of 1711 as 'right-wing') mixed with pockets of narrative make the book extremely irksome to read. As if that were not bad enough, Du Prey proves himself a brazen and misguided name-changer: St. George-in-the-East becomes 'St. George's-in-the-East', whilst St. Alfege, Greenwich, is nicely modernised as St. Alphege (which is, in fact, in dioscean records, a completely different church!). These observations might seem pedantic, but such mistakes are quite surprising from a Professor of Architectural History. Du Prey does not mention the churches of Gibbs (St. Mary-le-Strand, St. Martin-in-the-Fields), Archer (St. John Smith Square, Westminster, St. Paul, Deptford) or John James (St. George Hanover Sqaure), even though the latter collaborated on St. John Horselydown and St. Luke Old Street with Hawksmoor himself! Neither of the churches, not surprisingly, are studied at all. This is a flaw which Kerry Downes highlighted in a review of the book; it ought to have elicited a little caution on my part, because "Architecture and Theology" is definately not worth the asking price.



2. There is so little available on the architecture of the eccentric architect Nicholas Hawksmoor, that this book on his wonderful parish churches in London would be welcome in any case. But the book is a gem--well written, elegant...and goes far in explaining the theological and cultural issues behind Hawksmoor's odd choices in designing these buildings. The book also served as a very useful guide as I traveled around London in search of Hawksmoor projects.



3. This survey of architecture and theology examines London church structures built by Hawksmoor from 1712-1731. From a review of the architect's education and designs to church politics and issues in structures, Hawksmoor's London Churches: Architecture and Theology provides a lively, involving account with plenty of color photos.

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