The Herefordshire School of Romanesque Sculpture
Malcolm Thurby
Logaston Press 2006

This highly illustrated book serves as both a Guide to the surviving work of the Herefordshire School, and provides history of the school itself.

It compares the surviving work, both in stone and other materials. in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and beyond, with that of other styles both at home and abroad - Celtic motifs, Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon work, as well as sculpture in France and Spain.

The sources of inspiration are considered. Clearly the Bible provides some, but by no means all. The Bestiary, the Book of Beasts, provides others. Derived from Greek sources translated into Latin, this book described the nature and/or habits of many creatures, both real and fantastic, and reflected on the world of mankind in the realm of nature. The earliest surviving copy of this book is dated c.1120, and a copy appears to have been used by the patron of the Hereford shire School.

The book, therefore, also considers who the patrons were and their motives. It looks at the training of the sculptors and their role in the building work, and considers whose hands may have been at work on which sites.

The Hereford School of Romanesque Sculpture is an attempt to bring together the people behind the work, both patrons and carvers, with the architectural and sculptural styles in order to provide a comprehensive whole.

Contains 240 illustrations.