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Church Crawling

The Secret Lives and Hidden Stories of England’s Churches

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Church Crawling

By: Rachel Morley
Narrated by: Rachel Morley
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A transporting and gloriously entertaining journey through the hidden lives of England’s rural parish churches – from building conservator and church ‘rescuer’ Rachel Morley

The poet John Betjeman coined the phrase ‘church crawling’ to describe his days out visiting churches. In the spirit of Betjeman, Rachel Morley’s book captures the magical experience of poking around a dusty village church, only to have it transform – through her expert eyes – into a portal to the past, one that brings England’s people and history to life in the most colourful, moving and unexpected ways.

Through their wall-paintings and monuments, their graffiti and plaques, their jumble of furniture and curios, Morley shows these buildings to be the expression of centuries of communal memory and folk culture – time capsules of connection to ancient and medieval ways of thinking, to revolutions and wars, to lives both glorious and humble.

Too many of England’s fifteen thousand parish churches are now neglected and crumbling. Church Crawling helps us to see them for what they really are: places that thrum with the drama of life, and an incomparable treasure trove that offers as close an encounter with our past as it is possible to get.

© Rachel Morley 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Architecture Christianity Europe Great Britain England Middle Ages War Village
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Critic reviews

A glorious journey into England’s past, written with infectious wit, flair and passion. This isn’t just an exploration of England’s churches; it’s a book about history and memory, ghosts and relics, full of extraordinary stories and unforgettable characters. It’s a work of rare historical insight and dazzling poetic beauty. I loved it (Dominic Sandbrook, author of Who Dares Wins and co-host of The Rest is History)
Rachel Morley[‘s] excellent collection of tales about our nation’s churches . . . is awash with interesting nuggets . . . a fascinating book, charmingly illustrated
Glorious . . . as [Rachel Morley’s] new book so persuasively argues, churches are much more than medieval walls and a bell tower; they are numinous spaces that contain traces of the lives of the people who once worshipped there over hundreds of years . . . Together, they serve as an extraordinarily rich crucible of English social and spiritual history
Wonderful . . . a highly individual and illuminating exploration of our parish churches and the many stories they have to tell us . . . [Morley] cares deeply about our precious legacy of twelve thousand-plus parish churches, almost every one of which contains something of interest, and most of which have a great deal more to offer in terms of beauty, heritage, architecture and history. Morley is alive to all of this, and her book is not only learned and wide-ranging but eloquent and heartfelt
This charming guide . . . makes a convincing argument that [churches] are the key to English art, architecture, the national character and even the language (Harry Mount)
Cleverly converts the delights of discovery into a cumulative and purposeful argument about why we should cherish these buildings and what makes them so special . . . an engaging mix of autobiography, literary reference and analysis . . . perfect for the bedside . . . an absorbing read . . . Morley writes beautifully
Written with astonishing craft, this is a captivating and original telling of the stories of England’s history, geology and theology (Suzannah Lipscomb, author of Six Lives)
Just as the Lorax spoke for the trees, so Rachel Morley speaks for the churches of England. To read her enchanting book is to be granted the chance to share in her love for them: a wonderful thing indeed! (Tom Holland, author of Pax and co-host of The Rest is History)
Hugely enjoyable – I read it in one sitting. This is a thrilling, brilliant book which will make you see these beautiful buildings with new eyes. As churches face growing crises, Church Crawling will be one of the most important books you’ll read this year (Alice Loxton, author of Eighteen)
A wonderful book, learned and yet enjoyable. Rachel Morley gets to the heart of the parish church. It could have no more faithful friend (Simon Jenkins, author of A Short History of British Architecture)
All stars
Most relevant
An incredible book inter weaving human stories, key moments in history and architectural insights that utterly opened my eyes to the wonder and importance of our church buildings.

Utterly beautiful story telling.

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an in depth appreciation of the pursuit of church crawling- composed with insight and intelligence- and delivered with panache as an audiobook

eloquently written and read

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The author's knowledge of these forgotten churches is striking, but what really drew me into this book is how her narration communicated her passion and made each of the stories so much more personable. You get to see the human stories behind each of these structures, their impact on their communities, and the reasons why Rachel and many others work to maintain and share them.

Great trip into this fascinating world!

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