New publication: Westminster Abbey: A Church in History edited by David Cannadine

The new Paul Mellon Centre publication, Westminster Abbey: A Church in History edited by David Cannadine, is now published and available to purchase from Yale University Press.

Westminster Abbey was one of the most powerful churches in Catholic Christendom before transforming into a Protestant icon of British national and imperial identity. Celebrating the 750th anniversary of the consecration of the current Abbey church building, this book features engaging essays by a group of distinguished scholars that focus on different, yet often overlapping, aspects of the Abbey’s history: its architecture and monuments; its Catholic monks and Protestant clergy; its place in religious and political revolutions; its relationship to the monarchy and royal court; its estates and educational endeavours; its congregations and its tourists.

Clearly written and wide-ranging in scope, this generously illustrated volume is a fascinating exploration of Westminster Abbey’s thousand-year history and its meaning, significance and impact within society both in Britain and beyond.