Review of Isobel Combes's book Anglican Churches of Derbyshire, by Julie Bunting
This review is by Julie Bunting, and was published originally in
The Peak Advertiser, the Peak District's local free newspaper,
on (date of publication unknown), and is reproduced with Julie's kind permission.
ANGLICAN CHURCHES OF DERBYSHIRE
by I.A.H. Combes
Compiling this new addition to Landmark Collector's Library would be a
daunting prospect for any writer, but Isobel Combes has wide experience of
teaching and writing on the subject of early church history, in which she
completed a PhD at the University of Cambridge. Her wide-ranging study
incorporates each of the 300 Anglican churches in Derbyshire, illustrated
with 600 high quality colour photographs of the buildings and some of their
most interesting features.
The author also gives an introductory overview of the establishment of our
churches from early Christian times, noting that their obligations were not
always honoured, and she explains the sorry reasons for neglect and even
destruction of ancient church architecture. At the other end of the time
scale we are shown churches built in modern times, as recently as 1993.
It is beyond the scope of this book to offer an exhaustive history of each
church but Isobel Combes embellishes the basic facts - architectural style,
dates, building materials etc. - with fascinating detail. Surprises include
the only church in Derbyshire built with flint walls; the last remaining
‘tin tabernacle’ still used for worship (as remembered at Bakewell for
example); a churchyard where permission was obtained to mine lead; a church
tower with rare crossbow loop-holes; a possible lepers’ window; and a
startling fibreglass church resembling an aeroplane fuselage - in yellow.
Every church in our own area is here, many of which have featured in the
Peak Advertiser over the past 20 years, from Tideswell’s magnificent
‘Cathedral of the Peak’ to a tiny chapel in the fields at Ballidon.
This long overdue publication has a detailed place-name index, a glossary
and a comprehensive summary of church architects giving examples of their
work in the county. Published in hardback by
Landmark of Ashbourne, Anglican
Churches of Derbyshire is available locally priced £24.95
(ISBN 1-84306-152-X).
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[Created 16 Jan 2005. Last updated 20 Dec 2007 - 11:08 by Rosemary Lockie]