The Cult of St Thomas Becket – Murder, Miracles & A Challenge to Royal Authority
Main Picture: Wall Painting of Thomas Becket restored in 1984 at St Thomas a Becket Church, South Cadbury, Somerset. The year 2020 was the 850th anniversary of Thomas Becket’s death and the 800th anniversary of the translation of his body to a new shrine in Canterbury...
The Elizabethan Church: Books, Pulpits & Hourglasses
According to popular myth it was on the 31st of October 1517 that Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-five Theses disputing the Roman Catholic Church’s practice on indulgences to the door of Wittenberg Cathedral. Whether this act was true or not does not dispute the fact...
Gaumont Palace Taunton: Art Deco Architecture & the ‘talkies’ in 1932
Art Deco was an international movement that had a variety of influences, innovative and decorative. There were several drivers behind the movement. The post WWI generation, the invention of new and improved materials as well as the advances in providing an electricity...
Montacute House: Building History – Introduction to the Elements of a Building
In understanding historical buildings there exists the possibility of coming at an analysis from different fields of study and viewpoints. This can make it exciting and complex. Archaeology looks at the material culture, Art History the ideas, designs, techniques and...
ISLE ABBOTS TOWER: Early 16th C Medieval Statues – A rare survival
On the Somerset Levels is the medieval parish church of Isle Abbots. The village gets its name from its position on the river Isle and its former connection with Muchelney Abbey.[i] The tower contains niches within which are a rare collection of medieval statuary....
Somerset Hunky Punks: Isle Abbots & Curry Rivel Parish Churches
A feature that occurs on many churches in Somerset is the Hunky Punk. The grotesque carvings are particularly numerous in the county and the term comes from Somerset dialect. The term derives from 2 old English words – ‘hunkers’, which is squatting on haunches, and...
Exploring Building History
Exploring Building History is a website and blog dedicated to establishing a resource of historical information related to the built heritage of England. The regular blog posts aim to provide the reader with a diversity of architectural history subjects. This could be a particular building, individual, monument, subject area, architectural element or historical source. Downloadable factsheets, produced on a regular basis, provide a snapshot of relevant historical data for building history study.