From the Shadows: The Architecture and Afterlife of Nicholas Hawksmoor

Description

Nicholas Hawksmoor (1662-1736) is considered one of Britain's greatest architects. He was involved in the grandest architectural projects of his age and today is best known for his London churches - six idiosyncratic edifices of white Portland stone that remain standing today, proud and tall in the otherwise radically changed cityscape. Until comparatively recently, however, Hawksmoor was thought to be, at best, a second-rate talent: merely Sir Christopher Wren's slightly odd apprentice, or the practically minded assistant to Sir John Vanbrugh. This book brings to life the dramatic story of Hawksmoor's resurrection from the margins of history.

Owen Hopkins is a writer, historian and curator of architecture at the Royal Academy of Arts where he is manager of the architecture program. He is the author of "Reading Architecture: A Visual Lexicon" and "Architectural Styles: A Visual Guide."

'A valuable new chart of Hawksmoor's potent and mysterious creations. Its originality lies in the way Owen Hopkins traces the influence of the great Baroque architect on our present moment. Written with the verve of an enthusiast and the rigour of a scholar.' - Iain Sinclair, author of London Orbital, Lights Out for the Territory, American Smoke and Lud Heat.