Exeter Cathedral: The Garden of Paradise

Nine hundred years ago, foundations were dug for a great church in

Exeter which would develop into the beautiful cathedral that still marks

the heart of the city. It is distinctive among English cathedrals for

its twin transept towers, and unbroken vault stretching from the

entrance to the high altar, and the sheer profusion of carving of plants

and animals throughout. Exeter is a heavenly garden in stone, and this

new book, illustrated with specially commissioned photography, draws on

archaeology, archives and imagery to explain what its builders in a

surprisingly cosmopolitan city were trying to tell us about their

understanding of the world, and the realm they envisioned beyond us.