Extracts from a review in Country Life, March 2008:"This is a long-awaited and very comprehensive survey of church wall paintings that will be of major interest to all those interested in exploring ancient parish churches ... Roger Rosewell introduces the reader to the amazing breadth of subjects and styles of church wall paintings ... The 260 colour plates are of remarkable quality ... For many, the main glory of the book is the hitherto unachieved photography of the very important tomb of Alice de la Pole, Duchess of Suffolk, at the church of St Mary, Ewelme, Oxfordshire..." By Clive Fewins Extracts from a review on the Norfolk Churches Website, March 2008: "Roger Rosewell's splendid book, now available on Amazon, is typical of this new generation in historical publishing. It is a book written by an enthusiast for enthusiasts, lavishly illustrated, and including photographs by some of those gifted amateurs. In 380 pages, Medieval Wall Paintings can offer no less than 252 colour photographs ... For many people, the most useful and enjoyable part of the book will be the gazetteer. This contains five hundred churches with significant schemes of wall paintings, with descriptions of what you will find when you get there. Many of them are illustrated elsewhere in the book. I have to say that the sections for Norfolk and Suffolk, the two counties I know best, appear exhaustive and flawless. Finally, an excellent subject guide tells you where to find particular images around the country ... I have carried this hugely enjoyable book about the house for a couple of weeks now, dipping into it with delight. I can't imagine that anyone with more than a passing interest in wall paintings would not similarly fall upon it and feast. At 24cm by 17cm, the book is big enough to accomodate detailed images of all but the most complex schemes, and as they are printed on quality paper, some of the details are superb." By Simon Knott. http://www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/zwallpaintings/zwallpaintings.htm Extracts from The Guardian, Friday March 21 2008: "...my Easter book of the year, Roger Rosewell's Medieval Wall Paintings, a magisterial compendium of this most elusive English vernacular form." By Simon Jenkins Extracts from The Telegraph, Saturday March 29 2008: "A splendid new book. Mr Rosewell knows what he is talking about, and explains how the paintings were made, what they mean, who paid for them, and how they've fared since. But the immediately impressive aspect of his book is its illustrations. ... colour printing has reached an accuracy whereby even quite faint murals transfer faithfully to the page. In fact, they can be clearer in the book than on a dull day in a church." By Christopher Howse Extracts from The Oxford Times, Friday April 11th 2008: "Rosewell has done us an invaluable service with his critical appreciation of this precious heritage...Rosewell's chapter Making Wall Paintings is a fascinating survey of changing techniques..." By Jan Lee Extracts from British Archaeology, May June 2008, page 69 "This is one of the most interesting, useful and attractive books on the medieval church to appear for some time...Via 250 generally high-quality colour plates (the book is good value) all aspects of the subject are explored.....Well written and accessible chapters... By PS Extracts from BBC History June 2008 pp 66 -67 "Much studied though they are, there has long been room for a book that sets wall paintings in their broader architectural, liturgical, devotional and social contexts for a non-specialist audience.... Roger Rosewell has met this need with a well-written and handsomely presented book, certain to appeal to a wide readership. It includes..interesting perspectives..interesting thoughts..on subjects..original and interesting chapters..a thorough gazetteer..and a good up-to-date bibliography. A great strength of the book is in its wonderful colour pictures..usually of higher quality than any published before." By Professor John Blair Extracts from ' The Round Tower': Journal of The Round Tower Churches Society, Vol. XXXV No 4 June 2008 , p. 91 " The author's depth of knowledge is amazing, as is his ability to put it over in a readable and understandable manner. ..This is a book to be enjoyed and made use of by every person interested in our church heritage..very high quality" By 'Lyn Stilgoe, Secretary of the Society Extract from Cornerstone, the magazine of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Volume 29, Number 3, (Autumn) 2008 , p 84 " The publishers' contention that this is the first major study for more than forty years is true....Indeed, it could be fairly said, given the high-quality photography accompanying the text on virtually every page and supporting almost every point, that this is the first fully-illustrated, readily portable and easily accessible and useable book on this topic. The book should be widely welcomed by visitors to churches who know little about the topic....it will also be equally valued by those who may already have a general knowledge of, or a specialism in, associated subjects, but wish to extend this into a more detailed understanding of this particular medium. No reader, whatever their level of expertise, can fail to find the photographs wholly illuminating" Judith Leigh SPAB Wales Officer Extract from The Medieval Review, October 3rd 2008 "How welcome the publication of this book is! Unlike stained glass..
…. wall paintings have remained a specialist, even an exotic
interest because of their difficult access, their imperfect
preservation, their scarce reproduction--and consequently, the limited
scholarship on them.
Now comes Roger Rosewell's book with its hundreds of color
photographs. Excluding its gazetteer, subject guide, and index, the
book has 224 pages of text, and every one of these pages offers a
color illustration. Indeed there are a good many in the book's back
matter as well, for a total of 255 color images. The photographs are
for the most part satisfyingly close up and sharp, and the choice of
subject is remarkably fresh. It is genuinely exciting to turn the
book's pages and to see these vigorous, relatively unknown designs.
Who is responsible for this wealth of new material? Overwhelmingly, it
is the author, who by my count is credited with 177 photographs, and
secondarily, C. B. Newman, with over fifty.
… the effort and ingenuity that has gone into presenting and
synthesizing this material makes the book extremely valuable. Its
productive approach is summed up in two remarkable series of
photographs. At Ewelme, the cadaver tomb sculpture of Alice de la
Pole, duchess of Suffolk, has been frequently photographed. A few
yards above the recumbent stone figure, however, lies a painted
ceiling depicting the annunciation, its intimacy here photographed by
C. B. Newham. The author has used the same technique to give us the
ceiling painting from the tomb of Bishop Walter de Stapledon in Exeter
Cathedral: a beautiful image of Christ displaying his wounds. Each of
these painted ceilings, lying just above the sculpted corpse, has
hitherto been seen only by the cadaver whose eyes are fixed upon it.
Successful recovery of these paintings from their obscure positions
symbolizes this book's larger recuperative achievement.
Professor Mary Erler, Fordham University, USA Extract from the Times Literary Supplement, October 24th 2008 Thoroughly up to date in its field…. Rosewell has collected .. visible wall paintings in English and Welsh churches ..and done a service to readers, learned and unlearned, by….providing an illuminating commentary..250 excellent photographs Alexander Murray, Praelector of University College, Oxford.
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