Geoff Brandwood Memorial Lecture: Historic building mythbusting – investigating mediaeval parish churches

This is the second annual lecture in memory of the late Geoff Brandwood, a member of the Society’s Council, who through his writing, lecturing and photography did so much to raise awareness and appreciation of our architectural heritage.

Mediaeval parish churches are some of the oldest and most loved buildings in the British Isles. However, many unverified stories have grown up around them. This talk will look at some of the commonly repeated tales about the architecture of churches, which are widely assumed to be true, but which ultimately fall into the realm of folklore and myth.

These stories include doorways apparently blocked to keep the Devil out and windows said to allow lepers to view the Mass. These are tales repeated in good faith but are invariably without substance. We will look at the how churches were actually used before the Reformation. By applying contextual archaeological and historical evidence, the architectural functions of churches will be investigated and unlocked.

The speaker, Dr James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is a buildings archaeologist and the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog. His book Historic Building Mythbusting was released via The History Press on 6 June 2024.

The lecture will take place in the parish hall (former school) at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate, Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3TL https://botolph.org.uk/plan-a-visit/

It will be followed by wine and light refreshments. The parish hall has its own entrance and is behind the church off Bishopsgate.