Death, Destruction and a Packet of Peanuts: A Rollicking Pub Crawl Through Four Years of the English Civil War

by Chris Pascoe

Chris Pascoe is fascinated by the English Civil War, but he also likes beer. When the thought came to him to set out on a pub crawl around the sites of the English Civil War, it was an idea too good to ignore. In this witty account that is part travelogue, part history lesson, and part bar crawl, Chris sets out to see for himself the sites of four years of English carnage and their nearest watering holes.

Genres: History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[1000rpm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for (strangely) light relief as a counterpoint to The Fireman.
Like most Brits I am sadly ignorant of a lot of our history, including the Civil War. I read a few pages of this in the library and it seemed an entertaining way to learn something, whilst also hearing about men drinking beer in pubs (something dear to my heart).

The book pretty much delivers. Less than 200 pages and not much text to a page and it is about half history and half the silly adventures of a pair of guys touring battlefields and drinking in pubs near them.

I feel like I know more about English history now.

[James Slaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book that gives fun English Civil War information without going overboard and wonderful English pub experiences that went with the author’s trips.

It is a bit dated, as some pubs have closed and some have changed names, but most of the beers are still around!

I could smell the gunpowder, the cask ale, and sadly his companion on occasion.

Really 4.5 stars, as having a few pictures of the battlefields, pubs, monuments, or even sketches of battles would’ve made this ultimately superb.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated the tone this book is written in - a touch of whimsy, a touch of laddishness/anti-laddishness but I don't have any suggestions for a better tone. It did drag some chuckles out of me and even the odd laugh, and is not bad on the pubs and beer, but what I enjoyed a lot is his synopsis of the battles and general maneuvers of the civil war and he made a great job of standing in fields, on hills and the odd recreation ground and conjuring up the people and times of 350 odd years ago.

[Dex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started this book on the recommendation of the landlady of the Castle Inn, Edgehill; one of the pubs mentioned in the book. By coincidence I was staying at the Castle Inn precisely because I was intending to visit the English Civil War battle site. This book acts as a primer for a number of the significant encounters of the war, )it does miss out some theatres entirely such as the campaigns in the West Country or in Scotland (although possible sequel material?). If you already know a bit about civil war battles then this book is unlikely to add to your knowledge of such. As a travel/pub guide the book has a bit more mileage. Dependent upon your personal tastes some of the pubs mentioned may now be enticing and others you will probably give a clear berth. If you already know a bit about any of the pubs mentioned this is unlikely to add to your knowledge of such. There is a bit of humour thrown in with an unlikely but real travelling companion but this adds little overall. So, it's a bit of a history book, a bit of a pub guide (with sprinklings of ale/brewery factoids) and a bit of a comedy.

In short, this is a book without a real identity and without any real depth. As such it would make a perfect travelling companion if you feel the need to visit English Civil War battlefields and try out the local pubs. By coincidence, having now read the book, that's probably exactly what I intend doing (but including the West Country and Scotland where this book will be no help at all)!

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very funny and entertaining account of a Civil War geek (ahem) travelling around the major battlefields (he doesn't do Stow where it all ended though) of the Cavalier/Roundhead conflict accompanied by Piloc, who seems to be little more than a mad drunk. Said Piloc is also occasionally hilarious, particularly in his attempts to scale the Battle of Naseby memorial, all 30 feet of it, losing, in the course of it not only his dignity but trousers and boxers as well.

Pascoe successfully incorporates accessible historical detail (though he does seem to have an attachment to Prince Rupert, but who doesn't?) and illuminating travel writing. Infinitely more engaging than Ian Marchant's The Longest Crawl which I had to read last year (not through choice, though Marchant in person was much more engaging than Marchant in print) and much more credible.

The writing is fresh and funny. I found myself laughing out loud at times, such as Pascoe's discovery of Dave the shed-eating dog in Piloc's spare bed and his failure to understand Dave from Leeds' broad Yorkshire accent. Can't understand why my Amazon copy was an ex-library book having been withdrawn from the shelves. Sad, considering the book is less than five years old. It deserves a wider audience.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'M sorry to say I was disappointed. Having read the author's previous 2 books I did have high expectations. There were a few amusing moments but on the whole found the book rather dull. It does chart the progress of the main civil war battles but I would have preferred to have learned some more of the characters and policitics. I highly recommend his cat books: "A Cat called Birmingham" and "You can take the cat out of slough" which contain hilarious accounts of his cat Brum.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A humorous, enlightening (a nice synopsis of the English civil war for an undereducated American) read that was right down my alley.
The author took the time to describe every pub in detail and even, much to my delight, the ales available in each pub. I would have liked to join the author in his travels and, as is the point of any such book, I almost felt like I did.

[Sharon Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny look at two guys who decide to visit various of the Civil War battlefields...or rather, one guy wants to visit the battlefields, and the other wants to get roaring drunk! Several light-hearted accounts of the battles, but told in a way to arouse the interest. The highlight for me was the duck attack...