Spiral stairs, galleries and upper chambers in medieval cathedrals, abbeys and parish churches have been an enduring source of fascination to scholars since the eighteenth century. But what were these secret stairs, mysterious galleries and hidden upper rooms actually used for – and how can we know? This book presents the evidence for the practical functions of ecclesiastical upper spaces from c. 1000-1550 as revealed through the widest selection of medieval visual, documentary, and artistic media ever assembled for the purpose, taking in treasuries to dovecotes, libraries to lights, and secret games of skittles over the vaults to the daring exploits of the twelfth-century 'Flying monk'. Toby Huitson considers these topics with many others, offering a radically new understanding of medieval high-level function.

Dr Toby Huitson teaches at the University of Kent, Canterbury.

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• List of Figures
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Architecture of Medieval Upper Spaces
  • Part 1: Stairs
  • Part 2: Upper Spaces
• Chapter 2: Devotional Spaces
  • Holy Spaces
  • Sacred Sights
• Chapter 3: Performing the Liturgy
  • Lights
  • Sound
  • Drama
• Chapter 4: Supporting the Liturgy
  • Organising the Liturgy
  • Intellectual Life
• Chapter 5: Behind the Scenes
  • Accommodating the Community
  • The Building Fabric
  • Hidden Assets
• Chapter 6: Beyond the Everyday
  • Dangerous Men
  • Experiment and Entertainment
• Chapter 7: Forms and Functions
  • Conventional Approaches and Problems
  • Re-thinking Functional Attribution
  • New Interpretations of Medieval Buildings
• Chapter 8: Conclusions
• Appendices
  • Appendix 1: Principal functions associated with medieval ecclesiastical upper space
  • Appendix 2: A high-level Liturgical year
  • Appendix 3: Measuring the step angles of spiral stairs
• Reference section
• Notes to text
• Bibliography