Stairway to Heaven

This is a well-written and authoritative contribution to a relatively neglected area of ecclesiastical architecture. Beautifully illustrated and competitively priced, this will appeal to anyone interested in medieval churches. ~Vanessa King, Journal of Kent History, Issue 79 (Sep 2014)

One evening not so long ago, Toby Huitson clambered up the 58 steep spiral steps to the clerestory passage in the church of St Leonard, Hythe, in Kent, laden with good fat beeswax candles. The result of his labours is shown in a photograph in his splendid new book, Stairway to Heaven (Oxbow, £35) … a thorough and fascinating exploration of it, with the role of lights, music, ceremony and dramatic special effects exemplified from medieval sources, with plenty of colour illustrations to show what is meant. If I hadn’t got a copy already, I’d have asked for one for Christmas. ~Christopher Howse

This is a ground-breaking study, packed with fascinating information: it opens our eyes to many largely forgotten aspects of life and work in the upper parts of medieval religious buildings. ~Warwick Rodwell, , 3.ii.2014