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Through the Windows of an Ordinary House: A History of England
A thousand years of history. One house. Countless lives. This is the extraordinary story of England told through one ordinary house – from the bestselling author of the acclaimed Time Traveller’s Guides.
'It is great stuff … [an] original history of England …Mortimer has established himself as a fine teller of tales about people, rather than kings … A book rich in anecdotage' MAX HASTINGS, Book of the Week, Sunday Times
‘Endlessly fascinating … a must-read for history lovers everywhere’ TRACY BORMAN, author of The House of Boleyn
‘An intimate portrait of a thousand-year sweep of England’s history … Intriguing and compelling’ DAN CRUICKSHANK, author of The English House
This book tells the history of England from the point of view of the people who lived in Mearsdon – a house in Moretonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor, where historian Ian Mortimer now lives. Remarkably, Mortimer has been able to trace daily life here from the coming of the Saxons to the present day.
Blending the broadest national history with the most intimate local events, Mortimer acquaints us with those who occupied the building – from the first known owner, a thirteenth-century priest, to his own family living there today. Along the way he illustrates important social changes – such as the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, and the two world wars – through the experiences of the house’s inhabitants and their neighbours in deepest Devon.
The result is a unique and fascinating perspective on English social history. Looking through the windows of Ian Mortimer’s house, we not only see the people who lived there over the ages, we also gaze through their eyes as they witness the world changing around them.
'It is great stuff … [an] original history of England …Mortimer has established himself as a fine teller of tales about people, rather than kings … A book rich in anecdotage' MAX HASTINGS, Book of the Week, Sunday Times
‘Endlessly fascinating … a must-read for history lovers everywhere’ TRACY BORMAN, author of The House of Boleyn
‘An intimate portrait of a thousand-year sweep of England’s history … Intriguing and compelling’ DAN CRUICKSHANK, author of The English House
This book tells the history of England from the point of view of the people who lived in Mearsdon – a house in Moretonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor, where historian Ian Mortimer now lives. Remarkably, Mortimer has been able to trace daily life here from the coming of the Saxons to the present day.
Blending the broadest national history with the most intimate local events, Mortimer acquaints us with those who occupied the building – from the first known owner, a thirteenth-century priest, to his own family living there today. Along the way he illustrates important social changes – such as the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, and the two world wars – through the experiences of the house’s inhabitants and their neighbours in deepest Devon.
The result is a unique and fascinating perspective on English social history. Looking through the windows of Ian Mortimer’s house, we not only see the people who lived there over the ages, we also gaze through their eyes as they witness the world changing around them.
- GenresNonfiction
475 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2026
About the author
Ian Mortimer
35 books1,522 followersAKA James Forrester.
Dr Ian Mortimer is a historian and novelist, best known for his Time Traveller's Guides series. He has BA, MA, PhD and DLitt degrees from the University of Exeter and UCL. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was awarded the Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 2004. Home is the small Dartmoor town of Moretonhampstead, which he occasioanlly introduces in his books. His most recet book, 'Medieval Horizons' looks at how life changed between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries.
He also writes in other genres: his fourth novel 'The Outcasts of Time' won the 2018 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction. His earlier trilogy of novels set in the 1560s were published under his middle names, James Forrester. In 2017 he wrote 'Why Running Matters' - a memoir of running in the year he turned fifty.
At present he is concentrating on writing history books that have experimental perspectives on the past. One example is a study of England as it would have appeared to the people living in his house over the last thousand years. This is provisionally entitled 'The History of England through the Windows of an Ordinary House'. It is due for completion in December 2024 and publication in 2026.
Dr Ian Mortimer is a historian and novelist, best known for his Time Traveller's Guides series. He has BA, MA, PhD and DLitt degrees from the University of Exeter and UCL. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, and was awarded the Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 2004. Home is the small Dartmoor town of Moretonhampstead, which he occasioanlly introduces in his books. His most recet book, 'Medieval Horizons' looks at how life changed between the eleventh and sixteenth centuries.
He also writes in other genres: his fourth novel 'The Outcasts of Time' won the 2018 Winston Graham Prize for historical fiction. His earlier trilogy of novels set in the 1560s were published under his middle names, James Forrester. In 2017 he wrote 'Why Running Matters' - a memoir of running in the year he turned fifty.
At present he is concentrating on writing history books that have experimental perspectives on the past. One example is a study of England as it would have appeared to the people living in his house over the last thousand years. This is provisionally entitled 'The History of England through the Windows of an Ordinary House'. It is due for completion in December 2024 and publication in 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
October 4, 2026
Well this was a tome and a half I must say!
Ian Mortimer certainly doesn't cut any corners when it comes to presenting the history of a place. I got to 200+ pages in to this and we were still on the 1800's!
I liked the premise of this, taking one property and looking at it through the ages from pre-Medieval right through to modern day. There was a lot of supposition and summation for the pre-Medieval period as records don't exist and Mortimer had to rely on what was likely for that time.
There is a lot of information to get through with this book, lots of names, dates and transactions which you can get a bit bogged down in to be fair. There were some periods (particularly discussing religious disputes) that seemed to go on for far too long. My head was a bit battered with all the facts. I had to read like a chapter or two at a time then put it down and read something else. The latter part of the book regarding when Mortimer bought and subsequently lived in the house felt a little rushed and sparse compared to the other sections, which is a bit disappointing.
All in all this is a good history book if you're prepared to put in some serious hours. But be warned, it is extensive aka lonnng!
Ian Mortimer certainly doesn't cut any corners when it comes to presenting the history of a place. I got to 200+ pages in to this and we were still on the 1800's!
I liked the premise of this, taking one property and looking at it through the ages from pre-Medieval right through to modern day. There was a lot of supposition and summation for the pre-Medieval period as records don't exist and Mortimer had to rely on what was likely for that time.
There is a lot of information to get through with this book, lots of names, dates and transactions which you can get a bit bogged down in to be fair. There were some periods (particularly discussing religious disputes) that seemed to go on for far too long. My head was a bit battered with all the facts. I had to read like a chapter or two at a time then put it down and read something else. The latter part of the book regarding when Mortimer bought and subsequently lived in the house felt a little rushed and sparse compared to the other sections, which is a bit disappointing.
All in all this is a good history book if you're prepared to put in some serious hours. But be warned, it is extensive aka lonnng!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review