The story of one of Britain’s greatest buildings and its spectacular architectural evolution – reissued in a stylish hardback for the first time.

As the seat of archbishops, Canterbury Cathedral has been one of Britain's most important buildings for over 1400 years. The cathedral as we know it evolved spectacularly between the eleventh and the fourteenth centuries. Within its designs are references to a world we have forgotten: its relationship to Rome, mythology, hidden geometry and the display of saintly relics.

Architectural historian and broadcaster Jonathan Foyle explains how Canterbury's turbulent past – including a catastrophic fire, an earthquake and the murder of Thomas Becket – shaped the building, leaving us today with an extraordinary composite work of architecture as well as a unique repository of European arts and crafts. He reveals the fascinating stories and iconography behind the design of this medieval masterpiece.

The book features specially commissioned images by the photographer Robert Greshoff as well as carefully selected archival illustrations, and includes a number of the author's own drawings. Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, provides the foreword, while an additional chapter by Heather Newton covers the cathedral's modern conservation programme.