Staffordshire

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.

“[The guides] communicate extraordinary respect for, and devotion to, their subject, which are in themselves things of wonder. We won’t see anything like this again.”—Rowan Moore, The Observer“The Staffordshire volume in its current form is a handsome memorial stone to an extraordinary endeavour, and to the scholarship, tenacity and wit of its originator.”—Gillian Darley, APOLLO“The version is a great improvement in terms of the splendid illustrations alone, replacing the somewhat murky half-tones of the original, though many of the new, coloured plates show the same buildings, but with far greater clarity. I have been awaiting this tome for some time.”—James Steven Curl, The Critic“Wakeling weaves in social details alongside architectural descriptions, placing people back in the frame, while maintaining Pevsner’s knack for brevity.”—Guy Newton, Victorian Magazine“A hugely-detailed, elegant volume. . . . The legacy of two brilliant gurus in architecture.”—Marvyn Edwards, The Sentinel“The variety of the Staffordshire entries will remind any reader of the architectural wealth of the area and its significance in our national story.”—Friends of the Friendless ChurchesChosen by Nicholas Boys Smith for Engelsberg Ideas “Books of the Year 2024”“I am still digesting the detailed descriptions of buildings and structures as well as the personal observations offered by the late Mr Wakeling in this, his sumptuously-illustrated legacy book. . . . The revised Pevsner [is] an invaluable addition to our bookcase.”—Mervyn Edwards, The Sentinel