English Heritage
Delamotte's crystal palace; a Victorian pleasure dome revealed.
This volume recounts the history of the Crystal Palace at Sydenham, through narrative and 47 b&w photograph prints by Philip Henry Delamotte taken in the 1850s and newly acquired by English Heritage, as well as other b&w and color photos. Chapters are devoted to Delamotte, designer Sir Joseph Paxton, architect and designer Owen Jones, photographer Henry Negretti, and the palace's park and gardens. The second half of the book is taken over by full-page reproductions of Delamotte's photos. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The English grand tour; artists and admirers of England's history sites.
In a "sequel" to Turner: Painting the Nation (1996), his study of one artist's views of such sites, the English Heritage's former chief curator explains the Grand Tour concept and explores 60 of the country's most iconic historic sites in its care. Sites from Apsley House, London, to Wrest Park, Bedfordshire have inspired diverse artists, Victorian photographers, modern poster designers, and visitors. The color illustrations are indexed by artist and site. The landscape-format volume includes further reading. The author is currently with the Victoria & Albert Museum. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
The English seaside.
Williams presents color photographs and descriptions of scenes from the coast of England that he took during trips as an architectural photographer. Focusing on resort areas, the photos feature fishing villages, lighthouses, clock towers, ships, castles, carnivals, piers, beach huts, hotels and other buildings, sculptures, gardens, and items or places relating to war, religion, bathing, and food. No bibliography is provided. Distributed by The David Brown Book Co. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Pastoral peculiars; curiosities in the countryside.
In this country counterpart of his London Peculiars, the photographer for the companion books to the BBC2 Restoration television series focuses on quirky features in rural landscapes. Ashley's color photos reveal enigmatic monoliths, mazes, statutes, aircraft in fields, and signs (e.g., "Please dip headlights when ships are approaching"). Further reading is listed. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Seahenge; an archaeological conundrum.
This narrative, punctuated by many color photographs, tells the story of the 1998 discovery and subsequent excavation of Seahenge, a ring of timbers found at Holme-next-the-Sea in Norfolk in the UK, which was removed and placed in the King's Lynn Museum. He describes its Bronze Age origins, the ecology of the area, how the team decided to excavate despite protests, analysis of the timbers, and possible reasons for its construction. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
Wearmouth and Jarrow monastic sites; v.1.
The twin monastery in Northumbria was founded in the late seventh century and by the time they were destroyed in the ninth century, had achieved European importance as a center of culture and learning, but particularly for its most famous monk, theologian and historian Bede. They were rebuilt in the 11th century, and survive as religious centers to the present. This report on the excavations, however, focuses mostly on the periods before the dissolution of English monasteries in the middle 16th century, when the occupation changed from ecclesiastical to secular. After an introductory section on the excavations themselves, the pre-monastic period back to Roman times, and the documentary history, the chapters detail features first of Wearmouth then of Jarrow. Several fold-out site maps are included. (Annotation ©2007 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)
