Saturday, September 24, 2016

Required reading - some important journals

Required reading.

Every so often, some important articles are written, that impart important information, reshape our ideas regarding specific castles or buildings, and expand our knowledge of castles, towers and other fortifications. Here are some links to some very important documents and articles, produced by experts and researchers who continue to bring castles, towers and fortifications to life.

Lancaster Castle Revealed - The Keep part 1 by Neil Guy.

Lancaster Castle's Great Tower, interim report.

Castle Gatehouses in Northwest England by Richard Nevell.

English Licenses to Crenellate 1199 to 1567 by Philip Davis and a comprehensive list of Licenses to Crenellate 1264 to 1294 also by Philip Davis.

Original Castle Gates and Doors by Peter Burton.

These all represent good starting points in formulating a good understanding of English castles, their forms, their symbolic and real world uses and the intentions behind their construction. Castles and towers are strange beasts....sometimes simple on the outside, but with complex hidden lives that can take a lot of reading and research to truly understand. 

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Breaking news - Gleaston Castle survey results.

Breaking news.......more information emerges regarding Gleaston Castle, the enigmatic ruins of which were surveyed during 2015 and 2016. Louise Martin, Cultural Heritage Officer of the Morecambe Bay Partnership has written an excellent article for the Castle Studies Trust, detailing some of the information that has come to light following the surveying that was undertaken in April 2016. See here for the full article.















My short piece can be found here, written in May following the week of surveying the ruins at Gleaston.