Oxford University Press Architecture and Power: The Town Hall and the English Urban Community c.1500-1640

The town hall in early modern England was the seat of civic government and the architectural embodiment of power, authority, and legitimacy in the community. Robert Tittler's imaginatively conceived and wide-ranging study, based on extensive research in local records, explores the town hall and its role in civic culture and urban life. The multi-disciplinary approach of Architecture and Power generates architectural, anthropological, literary, and historical insights into politics and society in England's provincial towns in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century. Professor Tittler explores the connection between the boom in town hall building in this period and the cultural and political evolution of the provincial urban community. From the function of decorations and furnishings to the political activities and self-image of the urban élite, every aspect of the town hall and its place in civic culture is rigorously examined. This is a fascinating and scholarly contribution to the urban history of England.