Canterbury Cathedral

About the Book

Belief in the heavenly nature of geometrical forms has existed since prehistoric times, but only now, in these pages, can we see and understand how this belief inspired the design of a great religious building. Without mathematical complexities, but in simple language and with many clarifying illustrations, the author demonstrates the geometrical constructions that the great architects of Canterbury Cathedral devised to bring the geometry of their building into harmony with that of the Universe, and with the geometries of their predecessors. The secret but simple means that they must have used to transfer plans to scale from parchment to building site is also brought to light, as is the geometry and remarkable history of the Cathedral’s superb “marble pavement:.

About the Author

From 1963 to 1983 Colin Dudley was Head of Visual Arts Studies at what became the University of Canterbury Christ Church. A member of the Executive Committee of the Friends of the Cathedral, he became an authority on its architectural history, and published a number of substantial papers on his discoveries. Previously he had created the School of Foundation and Teacher Training Studies at the Loughborough Colleges, combining the work of the College of Art with that of the College of Education. An artist of note, many of his works are in public and private collections. Retiring from academia in 1983, in 2002, at the age of 79, he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural History for his thesis on the architectural geometry of Peterborough Cathedral.