Janet lecturing to the Arts Society Thanet
Janet Gough
Apsidal Heritage
“Janet is a leading authority on historic churches. Working at a national and local level, she is a true champion for the care, celebration, study and survival of the country’s greatest architectural legacy.”
Rachel Morley, Director of Friends of Friendless Churches and interim co Chair the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
“I have worked with Janet on several initiatives to conserve church architecture and church treasures so they can be enjoyed within church buildings, including projects with the V&A, the 100 Church Treasures Campaign, addressing elderly loneliness via programmes in London Churches and raising £40 million for repair grants to cathedrals. Always enthusiastic, efficient and creative, Janet is a great partner.”
Sir Paul Ruddock, former Chairman the Victoria & Albert Museum
About Canon Janet Gough OBE
Formerly Director of cathedrals and church buildings at the Church of England, a Director at Sotheby’s with City and finance experience, studied history and history of art at Cambridge and was awarded an OBE for services to heritage in the New Year’s Honours 2017 and in 2021 she became one of the first lay canons of Bangor Cathedral. See LinkedIn for more biographical information.
I’m an architectural historian and senior heritage manager specialising in historic churches.
I deliver lectures
give bespoke tours
advise on fundraising and campaigning
advise on conservation, renewal and new uses for churches and develop options and business plans
write books on historic churches
commission beautiful, accessible books for historic religious buildings across Europe
present and produce on heritage for television.
Church Times Interview of Janet Gough
Click here for article.
Social Media
You can contact me by email: janet@janet-gough.com or phone: +44 (0) 7967 581517 or via the form below which I check daily.
I’m embracing the digital age and producing short-form video content, so be sure to follow my social media channels to stay updated with my latest work!
Author & Commissioning Editor
I’ve written three books on England’s cathedrals and churches.
I am currently working on a new book in collaboration with cathedrals across the UK, on the stained glass of British cathedrals.
I commission books and souvenir guides on European places of worship.
Deans’ Choice
Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales
My paperback featuring 50 extraordinary treasures – including an Anglo-Saxon portable sundial, the Magna Carta, and a pair of pilgrim boots – selected by the deans of all the cathedrals of the Church of England and the Church in Wales, is available for purchase in cathedral shops, on Amazon UK/US, and through CPO/Yeomans (link below).
Selected by National Churches Trust for summer 2023 reading list
Cathedral Treasures - summer reading pick
V&A on site and online lecture 2 March 2023
Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales
Simon Heffer in the Telegraph “Cathedrals aren’t just buildings - they are treasure houses. So why are they overlooked as museums?”
Featured in Association of English Cathedrals Advent/Winter campaign:
50 #CathedralTreasures!
“An absolutely delightful book, a perfect size to have in the car when visiting the cathedrals which of course are one of the great glories of England.”
“This little book is a terrific account of what is actually interesting about England's cathedrals reflecting the modern taste for concise text that takes the reader straight to the most illuminating points and covering all the cathedrals (in England).”
“Janet’s knowledge and passion shine through the pages of this small but perfectly formed paperback. The book is a slim 96 pages, so it is portable and won’t take up valuable space on your bookshelves. The high production values of the book make it ideal for a coffee table, or even a breakfast bar and it serves as a thorough introduction to the glories of England’s 44 cathedrals.”
After sales of over 5,000 copies, Cathedrals of the Church of England has been completely updated with input for each cathedral and new entries on Westminster Abbey and St German Cathedral of the Isle of Man. Published 2020.
My books are available for purchase in cathedral shops, on Amazon UK/US, and through CPO/Yeomans.
Latest News
UK Cathedrals Inspire Royal Mail's 2024 Christmas Stamps
I was honoured to have had the opportunity to work closely with the Royal Mail on their 2024 Christmas stamp collection, featuring five iconic UK cathedrals: St Mary’s, Edinburgh; St Patrick’s, Armagh; Liverpool Cathedral; Bangor Cathedral; and Westminster Cathedral.
These stamps reflect the enduring significance of each cathedral, showcasing its unique history and beauty. I hope they inspire people to visit and connect with these extraordinary places this Christmas.
V&A Talk: Wren rebuilds London out of disaster
Join Janet Gough for a look at how Sir Christopher Wren rebuilt the City of London out of the Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666.
Church historian Janet Gough uses Sir Christopher Wren’s buildings and 52 new churches and St Paul’s Cathedral to tell the incredible rebuilding of London out of the badly handled Plague and disastrous Great Fire of 1666 when like today icons of renewal and triumph were desperately needed.
HAILEYBURY ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY IN COUNTRY LIFE
As Chair of Haileybury’s Estates Committee I was delighted by the beautifully illustrated, six-page article on the history of Haileybury and its buildings in Country Life magazine - 24th February by Architectural editor, John Goodall.
In the context to of a new conservation management plan, 15 year masterplan and the publication of a Haileybury, a short architectural guide 2020
This stained glass portrait of St Thomas Becket from Canterbury cathedral isn’t quite all it seems. Can you spot the tell tales?
Talks & Tours
I give illustrated talks on church heritage to many different audiences and I’m an accredited Lecturer on the Directory of Lecturers of the Arts Society (formerly NADFAS).
I have given five live talks at the V&A, here exploring the remarkable 15 or so medieval cloisters still serving English cathedral churches despite Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. - https://www.vam.ac.uk/event/b8kME2xG/cloisters-remarkable-cathedral-survivors
I have been invited to give the 2025 the annual Maurice and Shelagh Bond Memorial Lecture at St Georges chapel to Windsor to mark the 550th anniversary of King Edward the 4th and bishops Beauchamp’s great project to rebuild Saint Georges chapel, becoming the great late perpendicular we know today. This is a lecture open to the public to be given on the Wednesday 15th October 2025 within St Georges chapel windows.
I can be commissioned to deliver bespoke talks and tours on subjects relating to church buildings and their history, sustainability, future use and funding.
For more info contact me: janet@janet-gough.com
My most popular talks are:
Cathedral Treasures of England and Wales
Cathedrals are monumental constructions, representing the greatest effort of Christian dedication in our landscape. They also house the most important objects associated with Christianity. In Janet Gough’s lecture accompanying her paperback, 50 of these astonishing artefacts on display in the cathedrals of England and Wales and selected by the cathedral deans are brought to life. Ranging from sundials and astronomical clocks to stained glass, and pilgrims’ boots to Early English books and the first Welsh Bible, the National Churches Trust describes the treasurescovered as ‘simply mesmerising’.
Christopher Wren rebuilds London out of disaster
Setting off from the Monument to the Great Fire of London designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, the talk examines Wren’s buildings to tell the story of the incredible rebuilding of London after the badly-handled Plague and disastrous Great Fire of 1666. We see how Wren drew on royal patronage, up-to-the-minute science, on an understanding of classical, other early and contemporary building styles and his deep insight into beauty and craftsmanship. Wren worked with a team of eminent collaborators to rebuild 51 new churches, crowned by the extraordinary domed Baroque St Paul’s Cathedral to quickly, efficiently and permanently redraw the skyline of London as well as developing a new built liturgy for the Church of England.
Cloisters: remarkable cathedral survivors
Medieval cloisters, originally spaces linking monastic buildings, are miraculous survivors of Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries. English cathedral communities recognised the practicality of cloisters and experimented with cutting edge architecture to build, improve and embellish them. The result is that England’s cathedral cloisters are some of the most extraordinarily beautiful spaces in the world. This talk explores the 15 or so cathedral medieval cloisters in England with spectacular photos and encourages audiences to venture beyond the nave when they next visit a cathedral.
What have the Victorians ever done for us? - George Gilbert Scott and Victorian church architecture
Misquoting Monty Python’s, What have the Romans ever done for us? sets us thinking of the many imaginative inventions and contributions to church architecture by the Victorians, looking beyond an oft-expressed mid-20th century popular dislike of Victorian architecture. As one of the most prolific church architects who also restored many of our cathedrals, George Gilbert Scott’s ecclesiastical work is a good place to start examining Victorian church architecture in England and across the UK.
Cathedrals, safe places to do risky things
A ravishingly illustrated virtual tour of the Church of England’s magnificent 42 cathedrals, jewels in the crown of our built heritage, some recognised as World Heritage Sites. Audiences will be treated to an overview of cathedral history and architectural evolution including their surprising stories and extraordinary treasures. The changing role of cathedrals in society both in the past and present day is also discussed.
Relates to my book: Cathedrals of The Church of England
Presenter
An excerpt from Australian production company Off the Rails series commissioned by PBS USA on the Secrets of Britain’s Great Cathedrals.
You can preview the series on Vimeo or via the video opposite.
Off the Rails has also produced a new TV series on cathedrals and another on the Pilgrim’s Way, exploring pilgrimage in the Middle Ages and the resurgence of modern-day pilgrimage in the UK.
For more info about my presenting work please contact me
View interview from 1.45
Inspecting new PV cells on Chester Cathedral nave roof
Consultant & Campaigner
I advise on campaigning, fundraising, conservation and development.
I consult to churches and cathedrals on project management, options appraisals, conservation and fundraising.
For eight years I was Secretary to the Church Buildings Council and the Cathedral Fabric Commission for England. I led a team which secured £40 million in new money for repairs under the First World War Centenary Cathedral Fabric Repair Fund and a total of £55 million for the Church Roofs Fund. Working with others in telecommunications and transport we achieved a private member’s bill, the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 to curb metal theft and I oversaw church chair and parish church art competitions to raise design standards.
As a Governor and Chair of the Estates Committee at Haileybury we commissioned a conversation management plan and estate masterplan for an ambitious development of a major school and the site of England’s first Greek Revival buildings by William Wilkins and landscaped by Humphry Repton. In 2024, we opened an ambitious new science research facility, SciTech, built around a cloister with a listed building on one side.
As a Trustee of the Priory of St John I chaired the Heritage Committee where we are engaged in a lighting project in the 12th-century crypt of the Hospitaller’s church in Clerkenwell.
Since 2021 I have been a Lay Canon of Saint Deiniol’s Cathedral, Bangor, Northwest Wales.
I charge a daily rate for my consultancy services. For a proposal please contact me
Contact
I can be contacted via the form below or email: janet@janet-gough.com or phone: +44 (0) 7967 581517
Or connect with me through my social media channels (click the icons below)!
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Photos: Kevin Caldwell and Janet Gough