The English Castle: 1066-1650

by John Goodall

From coast to coast, the English landscape is still richly studded with castles both great and small. As homes or ruins, these historic buildings are today largely objects of curiosity. For centuries, however, they were at the heart of the kingdom's social and political life. The English Castle is a riveting architectural study that sets this legion of buildings in historical context, tracing their development from the Norman Conquest in 1066 through the civil wars of the 1640s.

In this magnificent, compellingly written volume, which includes over 350 illustrations, John Goodall brings to life the history of the English castle over six centuries. In it he explores the varied architecture of these buildings and describes their changing role in warfare, politics, domestic living, and governance.

Genres: History, Architecture, British Literature, Nonfiction

480 pages, Hardcover

First published September 28, 2007

About the author

John Goodall is the architectural editor of Country Life magazine.

Reviews

[Alister Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book that will probably always be on your 'still reading' shelf. It is so vast and all-encompassing that only a dedicated academic reader will be likely to read it cover to cover. If there is anything you need to know about the English Castle this book will tell you. Lavishly illustrated with full colour photographs and, my favourite, fantastic cut-aways. We learn the history of the castle and how it evolved to fill more that just a military function. In fact, one of the first things I learned from this book was that the castle began to move away from the military function almost from its inception.

This book also explains the historical background that influenced the development of the castle, but it is not a history book primarily. I found that there were plenty of cues to go and learn more about particular events from other books.

Have a read of the English Castle, and next time you are looking around an old castle you will understand a great deal more about its functions and history. Oh, and there are a few Welsh and Scottish references in there too.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good history of castles with many photos and diagrams.

[Pete Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A behemoth. While it has nice pictures it is not a pretty coffee table book; it is a meaty history book. Some may use it as a reference book but there is a narrative here. It will take commitment to read it cover to cover but it is well worth it in my opinion.

Although it is about the history of English castles it unavoidably also covers English history and geography. As one who was only marginally familiar with English history and geography at times my head was swimming with names of people and places which I couldn't keep straight. Still I came away with a much better grasp of those things.

It may dispel some of your romantic storybook notions but if you are willing to put in the time you will appreciate the broad perspective it will give you

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ultimate reference work when it comes to English castles. Now, as I encounter the mention of a castle in my reading, I can look it up, read its history, see photos of the castle or ruin as it exists today, and very often, see a diagram of the actual layout.

It's an enormous and heavy book. Too big to comfortably browse through with the book in your lap. I keep it on a library table. It includes an exhaustive index, making it easy to refer to places, historic battles, people, and almost anything else associated with castles built during this period.

[Susan]

My Mother's Day present!

[Fred Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has been on my "reading" shelf forever. I mostly just skimmed it some time ago, it's a very large coffee table book, more of a reference book really, good for holding my computer monitor.