English Heritage
Acton Court; the evolution of an early Tudor courtier's house.
Acton Court was a moated manor house constructed in the 13th century, but until excavations in 1985, its unique artifacts had been unseen for centuries. This report of the excavations covers the house's topographical setting, architecture and interiors from the 13th to the 17th century. Special reports explain the structural materials, tree-ring dating and the Latin texts found in the long gallery. The volume includes numerous maps, plans, photographs and illustrations describing the original structure, its alterations and its treasures. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Historic airports; proceedings.
Sponsored in part by the European Commission, an international project on aviation's architectural heritage was undertaken between 1999 and 2001, resulting in several workshops (in Liverpool, Berlin, and Paris), a website, and publications concerning the heritage and conservation of European airport architecture. This volume contains papers presented at the three workshops, arranged in sections on Europe's heritage of aviation architecture, historic airports, airports in transition, and the future of the historic airport. Coverage includes such topics as the birth of the terminal, the evaluation of military aviation sites and structures in England, historic transport landscapes in Berlin, and the history and future of various airports in Paris, Antwerp, Munich, and New York, among other topics. There is no index. Material was prepared pre-September 11 2001, when the project was suspended. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
London peculiars; curiosities in a capital city.
Filled with many photos and anecdotes about history, people, and places, this volume will amuse visitors and all who love London and its history and culture. Statues, commemorative plaques, roadside madonnas, grain elevators, tombs, lamp posts, and significant corners, streets, and posts are some of the fascinating oddities whose histories are portrayed. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Medieval floor tiles of Northern England: Pattern and purpose; production between the 13th and 16th centuries.
Based on an analysis of tiles associated with 118 sites, this comprehensive study describes the production and use of floor tiles in the north of England and a few sites in Scotland. Central themes are the design, manufacture, and distribution of the tiles; 35 different workshops are identified and traced. The tiles and their chronology are discussed at length, with a wealth of supporting plates, drawings, and maps. The volume, which is oversize (8.5x12 inches), concludes with an exhaustive site gazetteer in which entries are included for all 118 sites, with description of the tiles found there, their provenance, location, characteristics, dating, and information about the site itself. Distributed in North America by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The North Manor area and North-West enclosure.
The ninth in the projected 13-volume series Wharram: A Study of Settlement on the Yorkshire Wolds, which details excavations at Wharram Percy in North Yorkshire, focuses on excavations carried out in the northern part of the village, the Northern Plateau area. Most of the reports describe evidence for occupation during the later prehistoric, Roman, and early Anglo-Saxon periods. Others deal with the North Manor homestead that occupied much of this part of the village during the Middle Ages, and with medieval occupation in adjacent peasant farmsteads. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Restoration; the story continues...
This volume is a companion to the second series of BBC's Restoration, a show that visits important buildings throughout the UK to call attention to their decline. Beautiful and alarming photographs reveal the merits and decay of the endangered structures and the accompanying text explains their historical significance. Introductions from Prince Charles and Wilkinson, a writer on architecture, explain the importance of preservation. Other chapters report on progress made on the restoration of the buildings from the first series. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Scene/unseen; London's West End theatres.
London's West End boasts more than 50 theaters within an area of two square miles. Aimed at general readers, this volume considers the cultural and physical aspects of West End theaters and gives a brief history of their architecture. Color photographs lead the reader on a tour that encompasses everything from front-of-house areas through rehearsal spaces and dressing rooms. The volume is not indexed. Distributed in the U.S. by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Stonehenge; a history in photographs.
Richards is a UK archeologist who directed a major study of the prehistoric landscapes surrounding Stonehenge and was involved in a BBC program on the building of the monument. Drawing primarily from English Heritage's National Monuments Record, he shares his expertise and fascination with the famous symbol. Ground and aerial images include early excavations, restoration efforts, tourism since the 19th century, modern-day Druids performing rituals at the site, and alas, vandalism. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Written in stone.
Armchair travelers, Anglophiles, and visitors to England will enjoy this attractive volume on English architectural monuments and literary writings associated with them from the time of Bede to the present. Castles, churches, abbeys, and other sites are presented in alluring color photos accompanied by a lively text describing their literary lives and associations in the works of such writers as Malory, Tennyson, Swinburne, Walter Scott, and Conan Doyle, with quotes from each. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. (Annotation ©2006 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
