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Historic Building Mythbusting: Uncovering Folklore, History and Archaeology
'Funny, occasionally filthy and ultimately fascinating.' - Richard Herring, comedian
Go to any ancient building in the land and there will be interesting and exciting stories presented to the visitor. Tales of secret passages and hidden tunnels, strange marks and carvings left by stonemasons – all commonly believed and widely repeated, but are they really true?
From ship timbers being repurposed on dry land to spiral staircases giving advantage to right-handed defenders, and from archers sharpening their arrows on church stones to claims of being the oldest pub in the country, Historic Building Mythbusting seeks to uncover the real stories.
Buildings archaeologist James Wright explains and unpicks the development of these myths and investigates the underlying truths behind them. Sometimes the realities hiding behind the stories are even more engaging, romantic and compelling than the myths themselves...
Go to any ancient building in the land and there will be interesting and exciting stories presented to the visitor. Tales of secret passages and hidden tunnels, strange marks and carvings left by stonemasons – all commonly believed and widely repeated, but are they really true?
From ship timbers being repurposed on dry land to spiral staircases giving advantage to right-handed defenders, and from archers sharpening their arrows on church stones to claims of being the oldest pub in the country, Historic Building Mythbusting seeks to uncover the real stories.
Buildings archaeologist James Wright explains and unpicks the development of these myths and investigates the underlying truths behind them. Sometimes the realities hiding behind the stories are even more engaging, romantic and compelling than the myths themselves...
- GenresHistoryArchitecture
348 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2024
11 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
James Wright
503 books105 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
On December 13, 1927, James Arlington Wright was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His father worked for fifty years at a glass factory, and his mother left school at fourteen to work in a laundry; neither attended school beyond the eighth grade. While in high school in 1943 Wright suffered a nervous breakdown and missed a year of school. When he graduated in 1946, a year late, he joined the army and was stationed in Japan during the American occupation. He then attended Kenyon College on the G.I. Bill, and studied under John Crowe Ransom. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1952, then married another Martins Ferry native, Liberty Kardules. The two traveled to Austria, where, on a Fulbright Fellowship, Wright studied the works of Theodor Storm and Georg Trakl at the University of Vienna. He returned to the U.S. and earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Washington, studying with Theodore Roethke and Stanley Kunitz. He went on to teach at The University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and New York City's Hunter College.
On December 13, 1927, James Arlington Wright was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio. His father worked for fifty years at a glass factory, and his mother left school at fourteen to work in a laundry; neither attended school beyond the eighth grade. While in high school in 1943 Wright suffered a nervous breakdown and missed a year of school. When he graduated in 1946, a year late, he joined the army and was stationed in Japan during the American occupation. He then attended Kenyon College on the G.I. Bill, and studied under John Crowe Ransom. He graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1952, then married another Martins Ferry native, Liberty Kardules. The two traveled to Austria, where, on a Fulbright Fellowship, Wright studied the works of Theodor Storm and Georg Trakl at the University of Vienna. He returned to the U.S. and earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Washington, studying with Theodore Roethke and Stanley Kunitz. He went on to teach at The University of Minnesota, Macalester College, and New York City's Hunter College.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 11, 2024
I've been excitedly waiting for this book to come out for a long time, being a big fan of Dr Wright's work and his talks.
The book is written in his tone of voice, which makes it feel like a good balance of a conversation over a pint (ironically, perhaps) and well researched, academic arguments.
While the book is about mythbusting, it doesn't take the fun out of any of the stories we've all been lead to believe. It gives suggestions on where these tales likely come from, and in some instances offer us a truth which is actually more exciting than the fiction we have been fed!
The book does require a basic understanding of historic buildings and terminology before reading to get the most from the book. Ie, if you don't already know about dendrochronology, do a quick Google search of that first in order to have a better understanding. I was previously unfamiliar with "leper squints", I think they're perhaps a bit less common in my neck of the woods so I did have to do a little bit of reading about the perpetuated myths before reading that chapter, for example.
Overall, an excellent, well researched book which has me nicely set up to ruin (in a jovial way) my friends next trip to the Adam and Eve in Norwich.
The book is written in his tone of voice, which makes it feel like a good balance of a conversation over a pint (ironically, perhaps) and well researched, academic arguments.
While the book is about mythbusting, it doesn't take the fun out of any of the stories we've all been lead to believe. It gives suggestions on where these tales likely come from, and in some instances offer us a truth which is actually more exciting than the fiction we have been fed!
The book does require a basic understanding of historic buildings and terminology before reading to get the most from the book. Ie, if you don't already know about dendrochronology, do a quick Google search of that first in order to have a better understanding. I was previously unfamiliar with "leper squints", I think they're perhaps a bit less common in my neck of the woods so I did have to do a little bit of reading about the perpetuated myths before reading that chapter, for example.
Overall, an excellent, well researched book which has me nicely set up to ruin (in a jovial way) my friends next trip to the Adam and Eve in Norwich.
June 21, 2024
This is a very cool book. James Wright is a buildings archaeologist and here he debunks urban legends such as the ubiquitous idea that castle staircases go clockwise so swordsmen can defend them. He also looks at the ‘Oldest pub in Britain’ stories, lepers’ squints and medieval burn marks and a whole host of other stuff. The truth is FAR more interesting than the myth and this is a great read.
February 7, 2025
Having heard Wright speak on three separate occasions I guessed that this book would be good and I was not at all disappointed. Reading the text is like hearing him speak and his arguments are well-reasoned and supported by references and evidence (which won't stop some nay-sayers of the type often referred to give give more credence to "my friend's aunt's cousin's best friend says..." than to actual evidence).
A well-written book, full of fascinating information and highly recommended to anyone interested in history but most especially those of us who seek out the 'buildings of character' when visiting any locality.
SUPERB!!!
A well-written book, full of fascinating information and highly recommended to anyone interested in history but most especially those of us who seek out the 'buildings of character' when visiting any locality.
SUPERB!!!
April 7, 2025
One of the best history books I have read. Wright is extremely scholarly about his own discipline but has a fine ability to convey that very readably. He addresses such myths as tunnels, the purpose of castles, spiral staircases, stonemasons' marks and carvings, church features such as leper squints, ships' timbers, the age of pubs, and more. It is quite easy, if entertaining to read, for him to debunk the myths of certain pubs' ages: they sometimes claim vast antiquity based on the Domesday Book (which in fact, unsurprisingly, mentions no pubs by name.) But the same time he is not afraid to explore much deeper philosophical questions, such why as 'Sheela-na-gig' images, pornographic to our eyes, were knowingly included in the decoration of medieval churches. He provides an explanation to do with the church encompassing good and bad, clean and 'dirty' within its view, which seems plausible in light of Roman Catholic teaching, though raises the question over whether there was, in medieval times, any attempts to safeguard children from incidences of sex and violence. Wright is witty and lucid, and the references are impressive. My only slight disappointment was to find that the whole book had been set in a sans serif font. A fine book I can whole-heartedly recommend to anyone with an interest in any aspect of buildings history, and which also includes a fount of little-known tales from the byways of history. It make a great research source for any writer of history or historical fiction.
February 18, 2025
This entertaining and thought-provoking book blows apart many of our long cherished ideas about medieval buildings. Forget those stories about right-handed spiral staircases designed for sword fighting, secret tunnels, boiling oil, and witches’ marks. Buildings archaeologist James Wright gently debunks some oft repeated tales, while providing a wealth of accessible information that will help you see medieval buildings anew. An excellent read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews