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The Castle: A History
A vibrant history of the castle in England, from the early Middle Ages to the present day.
The castle has long had a pivotal place in English life, associated with lordship, landholding, and military might, and today it remains a powerful symbol of history. But castles have never been merely impressive fortresses—they were hubs of life, activity, and imagination.
John Goodall weaves together the history of the English castle across the span of a millennium, from the eleventh to the twenty-first century, through the voices of those who witnessed it. Drawing on chronicles, poems, letters, and novels, including the work of figures like Gawain Poet, Walter Scott, Evelyn Waugh, and P. G. Wodehouse, Goodall explores the importance of the castle in our culture and society.
From the medieval period to Civil War engagements, right up to modern manifestations in Harry Potter, Goodall reveals that the castle has always been put to different uses, and to this day continues to serve as a source of inspiration.
The castle has long had a pivotal place in English life, associated with lordship, landholding, and military might, and today it remains a powerful symbol of history. But castles have never been merely impressive fortresses—they were hubs of life, activity, and imagination.
John Goodall weaves together the history of the English castle across the span of a millennium, from the eleventh to the twenty-first century, through the voices of those who witnessed it. Drawing on chronicles, poems, letters, and novels, including the work of figures like Gawain Poet, Walter Scott, Evelyn Waugh, and P. G. Wodehouse, Goodall explores the importance of the castle in our culture and society.
From the medieval period to Civil War engagements, right up to modern manifestations in Harry Potter, Goodall reveals that the castle has always been put to different uses, and to this day continues to serve as a source of inspiration.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
7 people are currently reading
211 people want to read
About the author
John Goodall
35Ìýbooks1ÌýfollowerJohn Goodall is the architectural editor of Country Life magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 19, 2022
قلعه‌ه� بناهای رمانتیکی هستند
April 15, 2022
Thanks to publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for open and honest review
Detailed and insighted history of the castle from its Norman origins through to the modern day as the role of castle changes over time
Detailed and insighted history of the castle from its Norman origins through to the modern day as the role of castle changes over time
October 21, 2023
I found this very informative. Enjoyed reading it
abandoned
March 15, 2022I received this courtesy of NetGalley.
This is not the book I was expecting it to be! That's largely because of this line in the blurb:
"John Goodall weaves together the history of the British castle across the span of a millennium, from the eleventh to the twenty-first century, through the voices of those who witnessed it."
I was expecting, from that, to read a heavily primary-source based narrative about the use and development of British castles. Instead, it's a chronological series of texts (and occasionally photos or images) about different castles mostly in England that Goodall uses to illuminate different aspects of "the castle" as a physical site, a social site, a military site, and so on. Each vignette is only a couple of pages long, and certainly does meet that brief - to show the myriad of roles that castles played. It is an interesting idea... but it's not what I was after. Very much a 'me not you' situation.
This is not the book I was expecting it to be! That's largely because of this line in the blurb:
"John Goodall weaves together the history of the British castle across the span of a millennium, from the eleventh to the twenty-first century, through the voices of those who witnessed it."
I was expecting, from that, to read a heavily primary-source based narrative about the use and development of British castles. Instead, it's a chronological series of texts (and occasionally photos or images) about different castles mostly in England that Goodall uses to illuminate different aspects of "the castle" as a physical site, a social site, a military site, and so on. Each vignette is only a couple of pages long, and certainly does meet that brief - to show the myriad of roles that castles played. It is an interesting idea... but it's not what I was after. Very much a 'me not you' situation.
May 24, 2022
A detailed account of the history of castles in England. The book follows through the chronology of castles from Normans to modern day. As a history teacher I absolutely loved this book and learnt some new facts along the way. The book provides a great glossary related to castles which can help readers who are not familiar with key terms. Each chapter is a few pages long about different castles in England. The chapter provides specific evidence relating to the timeframe in which the castle was built and or changed. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to learn about castles, even if you're not an expert as the book provides an intelligent account, whilst not shying away from specific evidence. It is definitely an accessible read.
Thank you to net gallery and the publisher for this advanced copy.
Thank you to net gallery and the publisher for this advanced copy.
March 18, 2022
The Castle by John Goodall, provides the reader with little nuggets of interesting facts about the castles we love and those lesser known ones.
It is a chronology of castle history which also has an index of themes to help with particular searches. Easy to read but intelligent and does not dumb down the information. This book makes sense of castles: how the idea of what a castle actually was changed throughout history; the fantasy and the reality of castles. It even deals with modern day castles. It doesn’t get bogged down with detail and yet there is a lot of interesting facts in the book. If someone was wishing to visit a selection of castles, this would be an excellent pointer for the would-be explorer. It is broken up into handy sized chapters which makes it a very accessible read.
It is a chronology of castle history which also has an index of themes to help with particular searches. Easy to read but intelligent and does not dumb down the information. This book makes sense of castles: how the idea of what a castle actually was changed throughout history; the fantasy and the reality of castles. It even deals with modern day castles. It doesn’t get bogged down with detail and yet there is a lot of interesting facts in the book. If someone was wishing to visit a selection of castles, this would be an excellent pointer for the would-be explorer. It is broken up into handy sized chapters which makes it a very accessible read.
September 26, 2022
A very enjoyable, interesting and informative book. A book packed full of information and interesting tidbits.
Although I enjoyed it I did find it slow going at times and it was a relief to finally finish it. It wasn't the book I was expecting, an in depth study of castles over time. Instead it is a selection of castles over time with a brief quotation from the period which the author then remarks upon. I would have liked narrative to tie it all together and perhaps the book would work better if broke down into parts of era's of castle building.
A good read but could have been a great one.
Although I enjoyed it I did find it slow going at times and it was a relief to finally finish it. It wasn't the book I was expecting, an in depth study of castles over time. Instead it is a selection of castles over time with a brief quotation from the period which the author then remarks upon. I would have liked narrative to tie it all together and perhaps the book would work better if broke down into parts of era's of castle building.
A good read but could have been a great one.
August 10, 2022
Very interesting collection of primary sources. As others have noted, the description of the book is fairly misleading. The Castle is organized into short 2-5 page entries on specific castles, from the eleventh century to the present day. Each entry has a picture of the castle, a primary source, and an explanation of the primary source.
There's very little narrative holding the book together - it is a sourcebook. Readers looking for an explanation of how castle life developed and evolved will be disappointed.
There's very little narrative holding the book together - it is a sourcebook. Readers looking for an explanation of how castle life developed and evolved will be disappointed.
October 7, 2022
Interesting perspective on castles that I know and that I don't know.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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