Ecclesiology Abroad: The British Empire and Beyond

Victorian architecture is a diverse and multifaceted phenomenon the manifestations of which can be found not only in Britain but across the world. Ecclesiastical architecture in particular was widespread, carried to Britain’s colonies and beyond by clergymen, architects, engineers, as well as via the numerous specialist publications in circulation at the time. This movement of people and ideas around the globe led to an especially rich period of church building activity, involving architects as acclaimed as A. W. N. Pugin, G. G. Scott, William Butterfield, William White, and many others.

The essays in this issue of Studies in Victorian Architecture & Design, which originate in a Victorian Society symposium held in 2010, bring together noted scholars from a variety of countries in an analysis of the commonalities and peculiarities of ecclesiastical architecture in the wider Victorian world. Comprising eight major articles, and spanning four continents, including Canada, India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States of America, these essays shed new light on the advent of ecclesiology and its influence abroad.