In 1950 Nikolaus Pevsner opened his Buildings of England Series guide to Cornwall with the words ‘Cornwall possesses little of the highest aesthetic quality though much that is lovable and much that is moving’. Sixty-four years later Pevsner’s iconic work was updated and revised.
To celebrate this achievement the Cornish Buildings group, in conjunction with the Yale University Press, Cornwall Heritage Trust and the National Trust, held a two-day conference that championed the Cornish built environment, thereby proving that Cornwall has a rich and varied architectural heritage and examples of some of the most important building types in the country.
This book draws on the papers delivered at the conference. Each chapter has been written by a recognised expert in their field, taken together this collection of essays constitute the most important contribution to Cornish architectural history for several generations.
Chapters include
- A Brief History of the Pevsner Architectural Guides – Charles O’Brien
- A Personal Reflection on Revising Cornwall – Peter Beacham
- ‘A large block of granite’ or a unique piece of sculpture? – Ann Preston-Jones
- Beasts and Beakheads: Romanesque Sculpture at Morwenstow – Alex Woodcock
- Exeter Cathedral and church architecture in Cornwall in the early 14th century – John Allan
- ‘The Longest, Strongest and Fairest that the Shire Could Muster – Wade-Bridge’ – Andrew Langdon
- If only Pevsner had started in the Midlands: making sense of Cornwall’s perpendicular church architecture – Joanna Mattingly
- ‘Ghastly Good Taste’: the Cornish country house 1540–1840 – Paul Holden
- Gothic Survival or Revival in Cornwall? – Patrick Newberry
- A Victorian Vision Re-discovered: the stained glass windows of St Carantoc, Cornwall – Michael G. Swift
- George Wightwick (1802–72) ‘an architect of much ability and a man of exquisite taste’ – Rosamund Reid
- A Cornish Connoisseur and Builder: Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Lygon Cocks (1821–85) – Jeremy Pearson
- Goth or Vandal? A re-appraisal of James Piers St Aubyn and Cornwall’s Anglican churches. – Michael Warner.
- East Cornwall Churches: does lightning strike twice? – Simon Crosbie
