The British Archaeological Association Conference held at Peterborough in 2015 provided a welcome opportunity for a new analysis of the cathedral's architecture, sculpture and artistic production, and a reassessment of the relationship between the former abbey, the city and its institutions, and the Soke over which it held sway.
This ambitious volume casts new light on the Roman occupation of the Nene valley, and the rich Anglo-Saxon sculptural and manuscript context that preceded the construction of the present cathedral, as well as exploring the vital Romanesque tradition of the Soke and the essential contribution of the Barnack quarries.
But inevitably the most exciting new disclosures concern the church: its high-quality building campaigns during the 12th to 16th centuries, its abbots' tombs and the reconstruction of the lost 14th-century High Altar screen from descriptions and loose fragments. Peterborough has attracted the attention of antiquarian scholars since its sacking by Cromwell's men during the Civil War, and as its secrets are gradually revealed it continues to stimulate the historical imagination.
About the Author: Ron Baxter is an art historian, Research Director of the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland, and a member of the Fabric Advisory Committee of Peterborough Cathedral. He specializes in the study and recording of medieval architecture and sculpture, especially in England.
Jackie Hall is the archaeologist for Peterborough Cathedral, and also Southwark Cathedral. She specializes in buildings archaeology, especially relating to ecclesiastical complexes, and has a particular interest in building stone and how that relates to different periods and uses. She also works on monuments and loose assemblages.
Claudia Marx is an architect and architectural historian. She is Professor of Architectural Conservation and Design at TU Dresden and has been teaching at the University of Cambridge. She also practices as a conservation architect, and has worked on several English cathedrals. Her research interests include 19th-century cathedral restoration and early-20th-century reform movements in architecture.
