English Castles: A Guide by Counties [Hardcover]

Adrian Pettifer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1995

With concise descriptions and history, this is a guide to all medieval English castles of which something can still be seen. They range from the massive keeps which still dominate the landscape, to grassy earthworks and border pele towers. True castles are a medieval phenomenon, spanning the centuries from the Norman Conquest to the accession of the Tudors. The book includes a few medieval fortifications, such as town walls and Tudor coastal forts, which, although not castles, are too closely related to ignore. A short introduction supplies the historical background to the great explosion of castle-building in the Middle Ages, and there are over 500 main entries, grouped in traditional-county order. Full Ordnance Survey map references are given in the index.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A well-written contribution to the literature on the subject, and will interest both the historically minded tourist and, as a reference book, the scholar. --War in History --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 344 pages
• Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Inc (November 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0851156002
• ISBN-13: 978-0851156002
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,426,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Highly Accessible Reference, November 11, 2002

By 

Merry Guido (Salt Lake City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: English Castles: A Guide by Counties (Hardcover)

This is a very unassuming, but perfectly nice book. Despite tackling a subject that has been done to death, Adrian Pettifer still manages to bring charm and interest to each subject.

This is a very reader-friendly book. Descriptions are bite-sized, so the book can be picked up and put down at a moment's notice. Whole counties can be skipped, or it can be devoured cover to cover, depending on your need and interest. Refreshingly unlike many books of this type, it is logically organized--alphabetically by county, and by castle name within each county. Useful ancillary information includes a short history of castle development, a small but legible map of the counties of England, an extremely informative glossary, an abbreviated bibliography, and a site index to aid in finding locations on the Ordnance Survey grid, just in case you decide to visit.

County sections begin with a brief overview and end with a short listing of nearby sites that have not been treated in detail. Descriptions of each castle are typically a page or less, but usually include something about the surrounding geography, style of structure, outstanding architectural features, accessibility, and opening hours.

The several monochrome photographs are unremarkable, particularly in light of the fact that many other books on the subject are chock full of color photos.

However, the hidden treasure in this book is that in over 3 dozen instances, a plan view drawing of the castle and environs is included. Labeled rooms, land forms, and out-buildings provide a much more intimate idea of what life inside was really like than any number of exterior photos could do.

Because I have this book mainly for genealogical research, the information I find most helpful and fascinating is historical: when each castle was built and by whom, who lived in it or conquered it, what its current condition is, and what part it played in history. Dates and historical anecdotes are abundant, and the cast of characters reads like a 'Who's Who' of England in the mid- to late-middle ages.

The next best thing to living there, this book should definitely be in the library of every Anglophile, researcher, and castle hunter.