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The newly revised Pevsner guide covering the very best of Staffordshire's buildings and architectural featuresThis expanded and updated guide to the architecture of Staffordshire completes the revised Buildings of England series. The county's highlights include the cathedral city of Lichfield, the surprisingly little-known county town of Stafford, and outstanding country houses from the Tudor, Stuart, and Georgian centuries, such as Wootton Lodge, Weston Park, and Shugborough Hall with its internationally important garden buildings. A rich and distinctive industrial history is reflected in the pottery buildings of Stoke-on-Trent and the breweries of Burton-upon-Trent. Among the smaller towns, Leek was the centre of a thriving Arts and Crafts community. Staffordshire's best timber-framed houses rival those of Cheshire, and its building stones reflect the varied geology of a landscape that extends to the wild country of the Peak District and Cannock Chase. The county was also a stronghold of the Gothic Revival, represented by such masterpieces as Pugin's St Giles, Cheadle, and Bodley & Garner's memorial church at Hoar Cross.Each city, town, or village is treated in a detailed gazetteer. A general introduction provides a historical and artistic overview. Also included are plentiful maps and plans, over 120 new colour photographs, full indexes, and an illustrated glossary. The result is both an indispensable reference work and an invaluable guide.
About the author
Dr Christopher Wakeling (1948–2023) was an Honorary Fellow of Keele University, where he taught for more than thirty years, and a former chair of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain. He had a special interest in religious architecture, and his book
Chapels of England: Buildings of Protestant Nonconformity remains the standard work. He chaired Historic England’s Places of Worship Forum and served as a trustee of the Historic Chapels Trust and as a member of the listed buildings advisory committees of the Baptist Union and the Methodist Church. A longtime resident of Staffordshire, he was chair of the county’s historic buildings trust and a founding director of the local architecture centre, Urban Vision North Staffordshire.
