Parish churches have been at the heart of English villages and towns for over a thousand years. The Medieval Styles of the English Parish Church is a wide-ranging, detailed and immensely authoritative guide to the ways in which their architecture evolved during the Middle Ages. Churches are an enduring barometer of change, and this in-depth volume reveals how one country's turbulent history and ever-shifting cultural influences produced a wealth of distinctive styles, from the grandest spire to the most humble carving detail. The Saxon, Norman, Decorated and Perpendicular periods are all analysed, with numerous photographs and illustrations showing their variations and the ways in which one building can carry the mark of many styles. Originally published in 1936, The Medieval Styles of the English Parish Church was the final book by FE Howard, and shows beyond doubt the dedication and rigorous expertise of a man considered a leading architectural historian of his time.