The English Castles Story by Marc Alexander (Hardcover) (2016)

The History Press Ltd

The English Castles StoryAuthor(s): Marc Alexander\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: The History Press Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: The History Press Ltd\nISBN-13: 9780752491103, 978-0752491103\nSynopsis\nIt was not until after the Norman Conquest that British castles, as we think of them today, came into being. Before this point, the only fortifications in England were Iron Age hill forts surrounded by deep trenches and timber palisades. More so than anything else, the English castle symbolises the long and tumultuous struggle for dominance and control in a realm where the threat of invasion or attack was never far away. From Corfe Castle, where Lady Mary Bankes defended her home against besieging Parliamentarians, to the Tower of London, where Sir Walter Raleigh conducted chemical experiments whilst in prison, to the photogenic castle at Alnwick, which provided the setting for the wizards school in the Harry Potter films, these great strongholds powerfully evoke the rich and varied hi.