An insightful and charming history of Britain's churches - by an author who spends his life working in them

'Joyous and illuminating' Sir Tony Robinson A Book of the Year in The Times, Telegraph, Church Times and BBC History Magazine Churches are many things to us - they are places of worship, vibrant community hubs and oases of calm reflection. To know a church is to hold a key to the past that unlocks an understanding of our shared history. Andrew Ziminski has spent decades as a stonemason and church conservator, acting as an informal guide to curious visitors. Church Going is his handbook to the medieval churches of the British Isles, in which he reveals their fascinating histories, features and furnishings, from flying buttresses to rood screens, lichgates to chancels. Beautifully written and richly illustrated, it is a celebration of British architectural history.

"A lively and loving anatomy of church architecture" - The Times

"A penetrating insight into the craftsmanship of the Middle Ages" - Telegraph

"Peerless ... if there is one thing even better than taking a turn around old churches, it is doing so in the company of an expert" - Church Times

"Joyous ... this insightful book is stuffed full of ecclesiastical wonders" - Daily Mail

"Captivating ... brims with humour and humanity ... A lively guide to the features and furnishings of some of our nation's most evocative buildings" - The Times

"Atmospheric ... a deep delight" - The Tablet

"With humour and enthusiasm, Ziminksi illuminates fascinating details of construction and decoration - you will never look at a church the same way again" - Countryfile

"Charming ... Ziminski has dug deep into the stone skin of these buildings and can tell you exactly how they were made ... Ziminski provides non-stop revelations ... pitching expert knowledge to the non-expert ... He finds treasure in the unlikeliest of places" - Spectator

"[Ziminski] can write with real authority - and no little style - on that fascinating alchemy by which masons turn living stone into standing structures ... recommended to anyone who shares Ziminksi's joy in church crawling" - History Today

"Beautifully written, informative, often moving. Do read this, if you think you're not into churches now you will be" - A Cheesemonger's Tour de France

"Fascinating stories about the UK's churches ... [Ziminski] has an unparalleled understanding of the UK's stones" - Saturday Live

"This book is an anatomy of buildings we take for granted, an opening-up of architectural bodies to reveal marvellous mechanisms in gold, bone, ancient stone and holy wells of stories" - Storyland

"Ziminski is the perfect Church Going guide, having worked for several decades as a stonemason and church conservator. Through his expert eye, we learn of flying buttresses, rood screens, lychgates and chancels. Not only is Church Going a glorious read, but it has a lasting legacy: it equips the reader with the ability, on visiting any British church, to decode its secrets and uncover its delights - and find joy in these mysterious buildings, for years to come." - BBC History Magazine

"Andrew Ziminski's books are treasure troves of lived and learned experience. They have changed the way I look at buildings and Britain" - Grief Is the Thing with Feathers

"From bulletholes in weathervanes to beehives in church walls, Ziminski has an eye for charming details and an ear for a good story" - Steeple Chasing

"Andrew Ziminski's joyful, fascinating and often funny book will no doubt inspire a whole new generation of church detectives - and encourage a host of young stonemasons, too. A treasure" - Fabric

"The medieval churches of the British Isles are among the finest and most diverse anywhere in Europe. This superb book brings them to life by examining the details of their construction and decoration. Only a stonemason could explain and reveal the motives that inspired the craftsmen who gave these ancient buildings their unique grandeur, beauty and magic. Ziminski's churches are like people - and many still possess a lively sense of humour" - The Making of the British Landscape