Researching Rutland
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Book Review
The Parish Churches of Rutland
- Pauline Collett
Spiegl Press 2012 - 209pp - £9.99
This book is full of useful information, written in a very readable style. It has been written by local
teacher and artist Pauline Collett, who has produced the excellent illustrations, and includes
photographs taken by Barry Collett.
The introduction gives a review of the development of the design of churches in Rutland, including a
reference to the types of stone used in construction, and also an indication of where in the county to
see examples of the more important church features such as woodwork, stained glass, wall paintings
and monuments.
The main part of the book contains an interesting description of the location and history of each
church, a review of the architecture, and a panel summarising the main features, such as the font, the
pulpit, stained glass and items of furniture.
There are four appendices. One gives a brief biography of those Victorian architects who were
notable for their work on churches, pointing out where their work can be seen in Rutland. Another
notes the more important stained glass artists whose windows are to be found in the county. The
third is a valuable glossary of the terms used in describing the architecture of the buildings, and
finally there is a bibliography of relevant publications.
Simon Jenkins in his book England’s Thousand Best Churches says the county ‘has more good churches per square mile than any other’.
Rutland is fortunate in having such an abundance of fine churches and many people are keen to visit these historical and architectural
gems. No such visit is complete without reliable information about what there is to see, and so we must be grateful to Pauline Collett for
having provided us with this comprehensive guide.
Peter Tomalin