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REVIEW BY AB
It is easy to think of castles as a static part of the historical landscape, towering relics of a bygone era, but these buildings have rich stories, many of which are still being written. In Castles of Kent through Time, John Guy traces the changing fortunes of many of the county’s castles – Kent is home to more than 60, in various states of survival – through rich visual records, contrasting pictures of the sites today with drawings, prints, postcards, and photographs from the last few centuries. These images tell the tales of castles with roots in Iron Age hillforts and Roman military camps, Tudor and Elizabethan artillery forts, Jacobean manor houses, and 19th-century Gothicised mansions, as well as, of course, the quintessential medieval castle. Some of these structures have remained in almost constant use over the years; others have recently been restored to their former glory; several have fallen into ruin or been lost completely, only earthworks remaining. All offer an insight into the dynamic nature of these integral features of Kent’s past, and its present.
John Guy Amberley, £15.99 ISBN 978-1398110878
