A History of England in 100 Places: From Stonehenge to the Gherkin

by John Julius Norwich

From battlefield to sacred building, from castle to cottage, from the Bridgwater Canal to Blackpool Pier, historian John Julius Norwich tells the political, cultural, social, religious and economic story of England through one hundred key places you can still visit today. Part narrative history, part exploration of our national heritage, his wide-ranging selection of sites will stimulate, entertain, inform - and certainly provoke - a debate about the most significant moments in English history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, British Literature, Travel, Reference, Historical

492 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

John Julius Norwich was an English historian, writer, and broadcaster known for his engaging books on European history and culture. The son of diplomat and politician Duff Cooper and socialite Lady Diana Manners, he received an elite education at Eton, Strasbourg, and Oxford, and served in the Foreign Service before dedicating himself to writing full-time.
He authored acclaimed works on Norman Sicily, Venice, Byzantium, the Mediterranean, and the Papacy, as well as popular anthologies like Christmas Crackers. He was also a familiar voice and face in British media, presenting numerous television documentaries and radio programs. A champion of cultural heritage, he supported causes such as the Venice in Peril Fund and the World Monuments Fund.
Norwich’s wide-ranging output, wit, and accessible style made him a beloved figure in historical writing.

Reviews

[Cecily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun and interesting way to get a crash course in English history (just English. Not Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish). The author picked 100 places and told the story in chronological order using these places as jumping off points. Some of the associations were a bit of a stretch, but it was good fun. There are smatterings of colored pictures throughout, but I found that they weren't pictures of what I wanted to see. (How many manor houses can you talk about without actually putting a picture of one of them in there?) And the author has been around for a while, so he had first-hand memories of things that were a REALLY LONG TIME AGO. I found his pompous windbaggery amusing, but I wasn't so in love with his raging and slightly douchey nationalism. However, it was a fun read.

[Helene Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review - I was a little disappointed with this book. I was hoping to find out a lot more about the places listed but, for instance, in the section on Hampton Court there is a lot of the history of Henry VIII and his six wives, but little mention of the changes to the palace made by William and Mary over 100 years later. The section on the Tower of London is also very focused on the Tudors, with a little mention of the Princes in the Tower. I think that the sections could have been more detailed, especially some of the more popular places, to give a bit more of the history of these places than just the same well-known titbits.

General Subject/s? - History / Places / England

Recommend? – Maybe

Rating - 14/20

[Mary Keen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I didn't actually read all of this book due to lack of time, but choosing "read" is the only way to review parts i did read or scan.)

Beautiful photos and interesting text, altho' i don't see the reason for some of the choices and vice- versa! Some noteworthy spots have been omitted, but of course, that's the author's option.

I wish an edition of this book had been available back when we lived in England! Now we have to be satisfied with choosing areas to visit on trips.

A general map of England with the numbers of these places would have been invaluable and saved us and others time. Many locations are obvious, but others in rural areas.

[Jean Marriott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this book only two stars mainly because there are factual errors in it. This was such a good idea for a book I had looked forward to reading it. It did not however live up to my expectations I felt that the book did not appeal to myself having read a great many historical books or to anyone with a passing interest in history.

[Johnny · Rating 1 out of 5]

There are wonderful little facts to be found on every page. Some including personal notes and thoughts of the writer. Every chapter aims to focus on a building or establishment in England but always deviates into other topics. Quite a few fun facts surrounding English History

[Michelle allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF

[Keith Hudson]

Surprising how much you can read when you can't sleep

[Andy Hinsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lacking a conceptual or thematic approach, inconsistent. Gains a star for mentioning Harry Hinsley!

[Sharon Zink · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains 100 short descriptions of important places in England. Illustrated. Very enjoyable.

[Soeren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about English history through these small snippets.

[Lizzie Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting read whizzing through the history of England. It certainly whet my appetite to visit some of the 100 places!

[Frank Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely enjoyable read, and was a rapid summary of the author’s views on English history and historic sites in England. I cannot think of anyone who is better suited to writing the book, and learned a great deal throughout. Early in his career, Norwich took many years researching each book, but now as an elder statesman, Norwich was able to polish this one off rapidly following his disappointing book on the Popes. This had me quite concerned, since I did not really want to read another similarly written book. Thankfully, my worried were quite unfounded! Norwich has returned to his previous writing style, where he comments on those aspects of history that he (and I) finds important and entertaining, and thankfully avoids pretending he knows anything about philosophy or theology. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, and learned a great deal throughout.

My only criticism of this book is Norwich’s really annoying tendency to write “as everyone knows” far too often. This was especially annoying for me, as I am somewhat educated (have a PhD) and yet did not know most of those things that “everyone knows”. I wonder who Norwich’s “everyone” is! It is very possible that a properly educated Englishman fits his category of “everyone”, but surely Norwich should understand that his readership is considerably broader than Englishmen (and women). As someone from North America (both Canada and the USA) who lives is Ireland, I only know the English history that I learning in Canada or through my casual reading. This is one of the reasons why I purchased the book! But, this is a petty criticism for a seriously enjoyable book.

[GaiB · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent and interestingly written short history of England, which helped me plan my trip there and educated me along the way.

[Denise · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in the book. The author's writing is amateurish, or he is trying too hard to come down to the level he suspects his readers to be on. He does a lot of supposing. Maybe this happened, maybe that happened, or it could have even been this way. I think if you are that unsure, you should admit it, delete it, or write about something you know. It was just all too much. Not only did I find the writing difficult, but I found little new information included. That may not be his fault, as I have always done a lot of reading about England's history, as well as exploring for myself. This book could be okay for those who don't have much knowledge on the subject, but it wasn't the book for me.

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the history of England for the Wikipedia generation. Short, sharp snippets of history, a lot of which most of my generation would be vaguely aware of from school history lessons. It scored points for reminding me of things I should know more about, but lost them for some very tenuous links, particularly in the chapters covering the more modern era. As, I suspect, with all books of this type, the older the history, the more safe the choices; I saw little of merit in the 20th century chapters, and no doubt a different author would choose different subjects.

Overall, this wasn't what I expected it to be and as such was disappointing.

[Derek Baldwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be ideal to have around if you're one of those people who quite likes to read something for a very short while without worrying about narrative or logical flow. indeed the chapters here are about the right length to tide you through a TV ad break. Unfortunately this copy belongs to our local library so I had to choose some bits and flick through the best. of course, being a pretty conventional English history, this is the usual array of kings and aristocrats and Horatio Nelson, the Roman and pre Roman eras are dismissed in 10 pages.....

[Filip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceptively unconnected vignettes provide a delightful sweep of English history. Norwich is getting on a bit, and isn't writing any large-scope histories anymore (like his works on Byzantium or Venice). But these 100 places end up giving a full history of England, whereby the geographical location of each chapter is only a starting point for broader considerations, occasional humour and moral admonishments from a well-read, kind and super-intelligent uncle.

[Andrea Zuvich · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, particularly the parts mentioning the Stuarts (of course!), and I am very glad Norwich included Brixham Quay, Devon, Banqueting House, and Coughton Court, among others. I particularly enjoyed Norwich's description of William III's entry into England.

[Geoff Cumberbeach · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's given me a really good summary of Britain's history.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but so biased it was amusing at times. A bit like watching the news with your non-PC uncle.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book looking at the selection of places that have made, or been part of the history of England.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief chapters, sometimes not about the actual sites, but a related historical event. Enjoyable reading though.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, an enjoyable new way of reading our history. Learnt a lot of new facts.