English travel writer Richard Ford (1796 - 1858) was immediately captivated by Seville’s mystique when he visited in the 19 th century, claiming it was his preferred Spanish city. Ford noted that the cathedral offers ‘a most interesting epitome of the rise, progress and decline of Spanish church architecture’. Born into a wealthy family in Chelsea, London, Ford was educated at Oxford. His first trip to Spain with his first wife, Harriet, in 1830, resulted in A Handbook for Travellers in Spain , which was published 1845. The book has been republished numerous times and is still considered one the greatest pieces of travel literature ever published. Following the premature death of his second son, and the consequent depression and decline in Harriet's health, Ford decided to spend the winter in a more suitable climate. After consulting several friends, like William Mark, English consul in Málaga, and Henry Unwin Addington, British ambassador in Madrid, Ford decided that southern S...