Steeple Chasing

Featuring a brand new chapter!

From the author of A Tomb With a View - Scottish Non-Fiction Book of the Year

Steeple Chasing by Peter Ross takes readers on a captivating journey through Britain's architectural and cultural treasures—its churches. With an eye for historical detail and a love for personal stories, Ross explores these structures not just as buildings, but as places rich with art, history, and human connection. From the modest and unassuming church in Norfolk hiding a disturbing secret, to the grand cathedrals of London laden with tales of fire and love, each stop on Ross's journey offers a new facet of Britain's soul.

In this beautifully written travelogue, readers will encounter a host of intriguing characters including monks, druids, and even the occasional church cat. Ross engages not only with the physical beauty of these buildings but with the lives entwined within their walls. His exploration delves into the less obvious inhabitants as well, such as the bats that share these sacred spaces. Through his elegant prose, Ross presents a compelling argument for why these ecclesiastical structures should be celebrated for their stories and their place in our societal fabric.

While Steeple Chasing may at times evoke a sense of wistfulness for a fading era, it is overwhelmingly a celebration of beauty, heritage, and the human spirit. This is more than just a travel book; it is a love letter to the enduring power of place and history, and a reminder of the narrative threads that bind us all together. Whether you're intrigued by the medieval paintings in Surrey or the sacred wells in Wales, you'll find something to marvel at in Ross's lyrical narrative.

Praise for Peter Ross

'Never have the joys of exploring the churches and cathedrals of this country been so vividly conveyed as they are in this engaging and elegiac book.' – New Statesman, Book of the Year pick 2023

'A delicious treat' – Financial Times, Travel Book of the Year pick 2023

'A charming odyssey' – The Times

'A wonderful book; thoughtful and challenging' – Daily Telegraph, *

'A beautiful book' – Gabriel Byrne

'Beautiful and brilliant. I loved it' – Fergus Butler-Gallie

'Ross is a wonderfully evocative writer, deftly capturing a sense of place and history, while bringing a deep humanity to his subject. He has written a delightful book.' – The Guardian

'Fascinating... Ross makes a likeably idiosyncratic guide and one finishes the book feeling strangely optimistic about the inevitable.' – The Observer

'The author's humanity has acted as a beacon of light in the darkness.' – The Sunday Times