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In 1881, after decades of mouldering into ruin, the grand fifteenth-century church of Blythburgh, Suffolk, "The Cathedral of the Marshes", was closed as unsafe. The church was saved - but its rescue involved a bitter twenty-five year long dispute between Blythburgh vicars and committees, and William Morris and his Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, who feared that the medieval fabric would be over-restored and the character of the building lost forever. This volume presents an edition, with notes and introduction, of original documents from both sides - providing unique insights into a rancorous conflict, with vicars pitted against patrons as well as the Society.The need was local, but the significance national, with elites ranged against another. From a description of the Blythburgh committee headed by a royal princess, to accounts of lavish fund-raising fetes and garden parties, the story is vividly brought to life. Alan Mackley, an honorary research fellow at the University of East Anglia, studied history after a career as a scientist in the oil industry. He has lived in Suffolk for over 35 years.
List of contents
Introduction
Editorial Practice
Glossary
Correspondence
Blythburgh Church Restoration Committee Minute Book
Churchwardens' Accounts
Appendix A: Architects' and Contractors' Reports and Costs
Appendix B: Appeals and Donations
Appendix C: Printed Notices, Reports and Articles
Appendix D: Notes on People
Bibliography
About the author
Alan Mackley
Summary
Edition of original letters and other documents sheds light on a major ecclesiastical controversy.
