In terms of those functions, the Abbey is the most complex church in existence - perhaps the most complex of all buildings. It has been abbey, pilgrimage church, cathedral; and it is now a collegiate church and royal peculiar. The foundation document of modern Presbyterianism was written within its walls; and its chapter for centuries served as a house of parliament. In a highly original book classicist and cultural historian Richard Jenkyns shows us how to look at this microcosm of history with new eyes.
