author
Rev. Thomas Perkins
1842–1907
Best remembered for clear, approachable books on English cathedrals and abbeys, this Anglican clergyman wrote with the eye of a guide and the care of a historian. His church studies were often illustrated with his own photographs, which gave readers a vivid sense of the buildings he loved.
4 Audiobooks
Bell's Cathedrals: Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory A Short History of Their Foundation and a Description of Their Buildings
by Rev. Thomas Perkins
Bell's Cathedrals: A Short Account of Romsey Abbey A Description of the Fabric and Notes on the History of the Convent of SS. Mary & Ethelfleda
by Rev. Thomas Perkins
About the author
An English clergyman and architectural writer, he served as Rector of Turnworth in Dorset and became known for a series of concise books on cathedrals, abbeys, and historic churches. His works include studies of Romsey Abbey, Manchester Cathedral, Saint Albans, Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory, Bath and Malmesbury, and the churches of Rouen.
His writing is notable for being practical and welcoming rather than academic for its own sake. He helped general readers understand how great church buildings were planned, altered, and used over time, and he frequently paired that historical commentary with photographs he had taken himself.
He was also connected with the Royal Astronomical Society as a Fellow. After his death in 1907, Memorials of Old Dorset appeared with notice that he had planned the volume, written several parts of it, and gathered material for much of the rest before illness cut the work short.