Reading has many places of worship, serving a number of faiths. This book profiles the ten most interesting, both historically and architecturally, inside and out: including the three medieval parish churches; Greyfriars; Roman Catholic St James’s; and the Friends’ Meeting House, where prominent Quakers Huntley and Palmer are buried.
Further chapters cover the rise of other faiths, some of which worship in former Christian buildings. Together the book embraces a variety of architectural styles: medieval gothic, classical, Victorian neo-gothic and neo-Norman, Moorish-Byzantine and Islamic, plus the work of architects like Waterhouse, Bodley and Comper.
Adam Sowan’s previous books about Reading, all published by Two Rivers Press, include The Reading Quiz Book (2011), A Much-Maligned Town: Opinions of Reading 1126-2008 (2008), A Mark of Affection: The Soane Obelisk in Reading (2007), The Holy Brook (2003) and Abattoirs Road to Zinzan Street: Reading’s streets and their names (2004).