Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style

Welsh Castle Builders - The Savoyard Style written by John Marshall and published by Pen & Sword Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 344

The Edwardian castles of north Wales were built by a Savoyard master mason,

but also by many other artisans from Savoy. What is more extraordinary, is that

the constables of Flint, Rhuddlan, Conwy and Harlech were also Savoyards, the

Justiciar and Deputy Justiciar at Caernarfon were Savoyards and the head of the

English army leading the relief of the sieges of Flint and Rhuddlan was a future

Count of Savoy. The explanatory story is fundamentally of two men, the builder of

castles, Master James of St George and Justiciar Sir Othon de Grandson, and the

relationship of these two men with King Edward I. But it is also the story of many

others, a story that begins with the marriage of Alianor de Provence to Edward’s

father, Henry III, and the influx of her kinsmen to England, such as Pierre de Savoie.

It is impossible to understand the development of the castles in north Wales without an understanding of the Savoyards, where they came from and their impact on English and Welsh history. The defining work of Arnold Taylor in exploring the Savoyard history of Welsh castles is now many years past, and mostly out of print, it is time for the story to be revisited and expanded upon, in the light of new evidence.

I have to say that this book for me was a book of two halves, firstly it was a fascinating book and subject, with many interesting features and relationships and I really enjoyed it. The second part of the book was that I think you needed more of a knowledge of the subject to get the full impact of the book and what was happening. With the relationship between France, England and Wales throughout the book, it was a little complicated in parts, which is why a reader with a bit more in-depth knowledge would get more from the book. But I don’t want to deter people from this book but I found parts of the book revealing and it answered a couple of long standing questions. The book seems very well researched and the book contains many notes and sources, and I plan to do some further reading on the subject, it inspired me that much. An excellent book for those in the know, and certainly one I would recommend on this subject. 

A History & Guide to Scottish History

A History & Guide to Scottish Castles written by Jenna Maxwell and published by Pen & Sword Books - £22.00 - Hardback - Pages 220

At one time, Scotland was home to more than 4,000 castles. It’s an extraordinary

number for such a small country and today, around 3,000 still stand.

Some are world famous, others have inspired great works of literature, while others have lit up the silver screen.

There are grand, ticketed visitor attractions but there are others which are unassuming structures so tucked away that only the locals seem to know about them.

From the triangular-shaped Caerlaverock Castle in Dumfries and Galloway to the imposing New Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, and from the magnificent fortress that dominates the Edinburgh skyline to the haunting battlements that stand on the banks of Loch Ness, each tower tells a story, every turret holds a secret and, together, they span centuries of fascinating Scottish history.

A History and Guide to Scottish Castles explores the history, architecture, and legends of some of these fascinating fortresses and looks at why they are so appealing to visitors today.

A History & Guide to Scottish is a fantastic little book that explores all the castles in Scotland, from the forgotten and neglected to the immaculate and well-known. Having spent 10 years of my childhood living in the fair Scottish land, I have visited a few of these castles. An excellent book that separates the castles into regions and then supplies great local history connected to the castles and provided with the excellent little stories of history and suspense. Visiting Crathes Castle as a child always amused me with the story of the ghost in the window, and finding it in this book, only for the ghost to move to the fireplace in the book. An excellent book with lots of information contained within, a really interesting read and ideal as a guide.

Castle Builders

Castle Builders written by Malcolm Hislop and published by

Pen & Sword Books - £18.99 - Hardback - Pages 272

In Castle Builders, Malcolm Hislop looks at the hugely popular subject of castles from

the unusual perspective of design and construction. In this general introduction to the

subject, we discover something of the personalities behind their creation - the architects

and craftsmen - and, furthermore, the techniques they employed, and how style and

technology were disseminated. Castle Builders takes both a thematic and a chronological

approach to the design and construction of castles, providing the reader with clear lines

of development. Themes include earth, timber and stone construction techniques, the

evolution of the great tower, the development of military engineering, the progression of

domestic accommodation, and the degree to which aesthetics contributed to castle design.

This book looks at the creation and building of castles and types of castles from all around Europe. This book looks at the design, reasons, materials, fortifications, living conditions, military, aesthetics, and even the personalities of those commissioning the building and how this is impressed upon the building. The book is also full of great diagrams, drawings and photographs which really do complement the text and just help advance the learning from the book. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish and loved all the design, engineering and the process of how castles were built. As a fan of castles full stop, this was like a dream book. All I can say is that if you are a fan of castles, you will love this book.

Castles of Wales

Castles of Wales written by John Paul Davis and published by Pen & Sword

Books - £25 - Hardback - Pages 264

In 1277, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd, met with Edward I of England in

Aberconwy to finalise a treaty that would change the fate of both nations. His hand

forced by Edward’s invasion earlier that year, Llywelyn’s acceptance of the terms

confirmed not only short-term peace but also that the rule of Wales would pass to

Edward on his death. To augment his rising dominance, the English king embarked

on a building project that saw the rise of some of the most recognisable fortresses

in Europe. Quite literally, an ‘Iron Ring’ of castles.

Even before the construction of Edward’s infamous ‘Iron Ring’, castles were by no means rare in Wales.Both before and simultaneous to William the Conqueror’s establishment of timber and stone fortresses in the south and borderlands, a process continued by many of his descendants, native structures also existed. Though often more palatial than protective, such constructions proved decisive to the ongoing wars and were often chosen as sites for future castles. Just as had been the case in England, the story of the castle crosses many centuries. Many began as Roman forts, whereas others date from more modern times. While many are now romantic ruins, others remain cherished family homes, if not hotels or museums.

By adopting an identical approach to that seen in Castles of England, the purpose of this book is to throw light on the stories behind them. For as long as there have been castles in Wales, there have been mysteries within their walls. Murders that remain unsolved, treasures unfound, prisoners left to rot in the darkest pits and valiant warriors whose heroic deeds have become a cherished part of the Welsh identity.

From blood-soaked heroes to long-lost legends, despotic pirates to wailing hags, Castles of Wales offers a fresh investigation into many of its fascinating fortresses. No country has more castles per square mile than Wales. Even today, there are more than 200 to be enjoyed. Inspired by such a rich tapestry of tales, this book provides an essential introduction to the nation many regard as ‘The Land of Castles’

I love books on castles for some reason, and I especially enjoyed the Castles of England, so I was really looking forward to this book Castles of Wales. As a good book on castles, it is full of vivid descriptions, histories and great long tales. Some of the tales I would be a little dubious of, but that’s what we love about old buildings and castles. But considering Wales has over 500 castles, it obviously couldn’t fit in everyone but certainly, it has all the popular and well-known ones. Living in my part of Wales, it certainly has all the popular castles but I must say I used to live near one castle and my boys used to spend all their time as kids playing in the castle but we’d never heard of the story attributed to that one. A really good book and an informative read.