Highways and Byways: Discovering Catholic England, by Nicholas Schofield

England is full of reminders of its deeply Christian roots. Some are obvious, like the great medieval cathedrals or the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham. Others take a little more searching. This fascinating book traverses the highways and byways of Catholic England: ancient churches, ruined abbeys, little-known saints, recusant houses, and stories of courageous witness to the Faith. It shows that the Christian Faith is in the very DNA of England, and reminds us that round every corner there is often a surprise. The book does not claim to be a comprehensive guide to religious 'sites', but offers an intriguing celebration of our Catholic patrimony across the nation - art and architecture, classic spirituality, popular piety, venerable tradition and folk memory. Dissolution and martyrdom, foundation and revival: each place has its own unique colour and its own lessons for us today. Although the focus of the book is largely Catholic, a number of the buildings it features are now in the care of the Church of England and so also relate to the wider Christian story in this land.