|
Author
|
Topic: Guide Books
|
AJR
Senior Member
|
posted 01-15-2001 04:53 AM
 
Now that my posting on "Postcards of Castles" has expanded to include the subject of guidebooks, perhaps there ought to be a separate posting on this subject.
I wonder just how many castles (for me, the interest being limited to England, Wales and Scotland) have had guidebooks produced. Perhaps it would be useful to post a list of such on the Book Nook - I'll start one anyway, and hopefully others will be able to add to it.[This message has been edited by AJR (edited 01-15-2001).] |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
|
posted 01-16-2001 01:54 AM
Just what qualifies as a guide book.
I have visited many castles which give you a single A4 page(sometimes folded) with a map/plan on one side and a description on the other.
I haven't read the postcards thread lately, so this may have been a dumb question.
Erik |
AJR
Senior Member
|
posted 01-16-2001 06:28 AM
This is not a dumb question. No doubt I'll be shouted down by many, but for me, even the provision of details as you describe constitutes a guide-book. Any printed matter giving the history, etc. could be counted. |
Erik Schmidt
Senior Member
|
posted 01-16-2001 02:02 PM
I've never been to England, so I don't know about the English castles, but I have visited quite a few castles in other parts of Europe and the Middle East.
It seems to me that most castles for which you pay entry have some form of guide book. I have a stack of them which mostly came with the admission ticket, some I had to ask for and others I picked up at tourist information offices.
Would you like numbers? I can go through them and check against the castles I have visited to give a percentage.
I'll gladly write them in on any list you want to make.
Erik |
Philip Davis
unregistered
|
posted 01-17-2001 02:01 AM
I imagine that it's fairly true that most castles requiring an entry fee will have some sort of guide book and that is my experience in England and Wales. I have guide books for 176 site in England and Wales. These range from 100 plus page books for Dover Castle and the Tower of London to slips of paper picked up at the local parish church for Richards Castle.
I have to say that the CADW (the body with responsibilty for Welsh historic monuments) produces such excellent guide books well illustrated with reconstructed drawing, cutaways, plans, medieval illuminations, photo's and quotes from historic texts. The latest English Heritage guides are of a similar good quality.
Actually I'm of the opinion that you can learn more about castle in general from a 50 page CADW guide than from many of the large coffee table Guides to the castles of the world published at five times the price.------------------
And the astronomyours beheldyne the constellacions of hys bryth by thare castle, and foundyn that he sholde bene wyse and curteyse, good of consaill
Secreta Secretorum Visit Castellarium Philippis |
Merlin
Senior Member
|
posted 01-17-2001 07:37 AM
My experience is that most castles in Germany, France or Switzerland that try to attract visitors have a guide book (mostly a small, cheaply printed paperback). The quality of the information they contain is not always the same. Some will be updated to the newest archealogical and historical knowledge now and then and contain exact groundfloor plans etc. Others provide information that is incorrect (sometimes because the castle's history is put in too dramatic or romantic light to be interesting to the tourists eye) and contain only fotos taken long before the last restauration. I only buy this kind of literature if I can't find anything better.Merlin |
Marko
Senior Member
|
posted 01-17-2001 05:16 PM
In the Netherlands all the castles, which I have visited until now, that require an entrance fee have some sort of guidebook for sale. They differ in size and quality but most of them consist of some 20 odd pages with historical info, plans, colorpics and earlier images.
In Belgium and Luxembourg the most you can get is a small stenciled b/w folder (if you're lucky) but mostly just a single A4 sheet.
About the guidebooks in the UK, I must agree with Philip about the ones from English Heritage; they are excellent.------------------
"A man's house is his castle"
Visit my website at http://www.castles.nl/ [This message has been edited by Marko (edited 10-30-2001).] |
wurdsmiff
unregistered
|
posted 01-17-2001 05:27 PM
As are those in Scotland, those produced by Historic Scotland at any rate. Written by experienced archaeology staff from the Commission, and the detail and reconstructive drawings are generally of high quality.
AJR's list in the Book Nook is fairly comprehensive, and I'd recommend them.
Of course you need not visit to get them, they're available by mail order from the web site book shop or by mail application.
http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/sw-frame.htm
Demeure par la verite
Visit my web-site at
www.castlesontheweb.com/members/wurdsmiff/castles.htm
Gordon.
[This message has been edited by wurdsmiff (edited 01-17-2001).] |
Peter
Member
|
posted 01-18-2001 12:38 PM
It must be agreed (as already pointed out) that guide books, be they 1-page, or a hundred are a great source of information. sometimes the one page can be more valuable if it is a minor site.
If it is a private site with very little income, the visitors on open days, and the seperate selling of such guides often go to the upkeep.
I can mention two that do this (and I have tried to help through Postern), the first is in Yorkshire, Sheriff Hutton. A lovely little booklet for £2. 00: from
Dr. Richard W Howarth
Castle Farm, S. Hutton. York. YO6 1PT.
And the second, perhaps not a true castle, but it was certainly a 'Strong House', is Gwydir Castle here in North Wales. Still in the midist of refurbishment, but well worth a visit. See the site from the new owner Peter Welford (with holiday cottages) at; www.gwydir-castle.co.uk
An excellent new guide book is now available. |
A Knight
Senior Member
|
posted 01-18-2001 04:25 PM
Have just done a quick check on British Castles and I have what I would class guidebooks for 301 sites - although many have been purchased 2nd hand and some are for sites rarely open. This includes Scotland and the Channel island etc. I have about 40 for Irish sites.
For many sites I have multiple guides - a good example is Caernarfon where you have the
Sir Charles Peers version (starting 1921), followed by A J Taylor's in many forms and the odd glossy guide (Alan Phillips and Charles Knightly) - in fact I have 27 different versions a bit sad perhaps - but all the 2nd hand have been relatively cheap.
Will have to enquire about Sherrif Hutton - it's impressive from the outside.
The DOE blue guides are to me by far the best - probably because I was brought up on them - big folding plans (Rochester is great) and why do you need lots of photos - you were at the castle. These reached a peak I believe with CN Jones 1978 guide to Caerphilly and Allen Browns and P E Curnow 1984 guide to the Tower of London - both 90 pages plus. |
AJR
Senior Member
|
posted 01-19-2001 01:09 AM
Wow !!! That's far more than I thought were even available. Your shelves must be overloaded - a library of information !! |
Philip Davis
unregistered
|
posted 01-19-2001 10:36 AM
I agree that the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works Blue Books are a joy to read and still have the best architecterial discriptions and plans (which makes them worth looking out for). The early Department of the Environment book were actually appalling. (I have a 70's copy of the guide to Kenilworth which is idea example of how to make design work against clarity and how to avoid content). The first white English Heritage guides were OK (better than the much thicker and more expensive National Trust guides) but the latest EH guides are excellent. It's not the photo's that add to this quality but the skilful use of reconstructions and cutaway drawings and, even more so, the illustration of a sites history with images of contemporary historial documents and artifacts (For instance the guide to Carlise castle has pictures of Stefan von Haschenperg's 1542 plan of the castles on town walls - fascinating documents)------------------
And the astronomyours beheldyne the constellacions of hys bryth by thare castle, and foundyn that he sholde bene wyse and curteyse, good of consaill
Secreta Secretorum Visit Castellarium Philippis |
A Knight
Senior Member
|
posted 01-19-2001 04:29 PM
Philip
When I talk in terms of DOE blue guides - these were the successors of the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works Guide - I was brought up with the DOE guides and I always think of them in that way.
I assume when it comes to Kenilworth you are referring to the Derek Renn 1973 guide - a bit of a one off - I have a guide for Hampton Court Palace in a similar design - I put this down to the 70's.
I agree that the latest guide make good use of reconstructions etc. - although I believe CADW led the way in this area - in particular using sketches instead of photographs to highlight details.
One interesting item I once picked up in a 2nd hand bookshop was a two volume bound set of Ministry of Public Buildings and Works guidebooks from the 1930s - a real gem.
One last point - lets hope EH produce or re-issue a guide to Donnington Castle - a real gem (I was brought up in Newbury - 2 miles away) and EH never carried on the DOE guide. ------------------
Andy Knight
|
Philip Davis
unregistered
|
posted 01-19-2001 05:26 PM
I suppose me age is showing since I was brought up on Ministry of Works books. I see I do have a DoE Blue Book but it seems a straight copy of the MoW book. I was talking of 1973 guide for Kenilworth with text by Renn though even Renn doesn't really pull this out of the mire. Certainly CADW have led the field in producing quality guide books (but rather lag behind in several other areas notably their website and their inexcussable bad manners in not recognising Jeff Thomas's website and the solid support he has given them over the years when they had no online presence.)
What I would like to see all the agencies do is make use of the internet to publish guides to the lesser sites in their care. These small, unattended sites (such as Doddington Castle in Oxon), often have well illustrated infomation boards but don't have guide books. It would seem a simple enough task to put these information boards online and the statutory bodies (EH, CADW and HS) do have a duty to inform the public.
If the statutory bodies could move away from the idea of websites as Notice Boards (as Jeff Thomas said to me) and into the idea of them having worthy and deep content then, perhaps, the local authorities who hold so many other sites in care may follow that lead. Anyway that's another topic.------------------
And the astronomyours beheldyne the constellacions of hys bryth by thare castle, and foundyn that he sholde bene wyse and curteyse, good of consaill
Secreta Secretorum Visit Castellarium Philippis |
Peter
Member
|
posted 01-20-2001 03:44 AM
Regarding the production of guide books, or any other mention of sites, it is knowing whaat is available.
John Kenyon (Univ. Wales, Cardiff), produces his bibliography every year for the Castles Study Group, a must.
There are also his three volumes (CBA Research Reports), Castles, town defences, and artillary fortifications in Britain and Ireland. I have the second (No 53, 1983) & third (No 72, 1990) of these, there is talk of a fourth.
One of the strangest that I was very lucky to find is 'The Story of Stokesay Castle', by H. Edward Forrest (1925), signed & dedicated by him to the artist who supplied the drawings for the booklet !
Has anyone else seen this item ? |
UBBFriend: Email This Page to Someone!
Castle Quest
