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REVIEW BY KATE GILES
Do secret tunnels connect the ruins of ancient castles, churches, and lost monasteries across England? Are spiral staircases designed to favour the right-handed defenders of castles against disadvantaged attackers? And what about the strange burn marks found across so many timber-framed buildings in England – are they the traces of unattended historic lighting or something more apotropaic, designed to protect the occupants from the fear of fire and witchcraft?
These and other myths and stories about historic buildings form the focus of James Wright’s engaging and entertaining book. At one level, it is a conversational canter through the local myths and legends that attend most historic building sites. Yet rather than dismiss these ideas and explanations as popular but usually misguided assertions of ‘fact’, Wright takes them seriously. Writing from personal experience, he considers how and why these stories are so widespread and compelling, leading us on a journey into individual buildings to understand and explain the myth – and the alternative explanations – for historic building enthusiasts.
Wright’s distinctive contribution lies in the identification of the quirky and unusual features of buildings that so often capture popular attention and get repeated without critical interrogation. Some well-worn debates, such as the definition of a castle, seemed slightly out of place in the volume, whereas ritual deposits and concealed garments could have been given greater prominence given recent studies and disagreements about their meaning. I would also have loved to see more illustrations supporting the many sites and features discussed in the text, although this might have pushed the cost of this book beyond its very reasonable £20 price tag.
In his conclusion, Wright emphasises the importance of ‘debunking’ historic myths to reveal the ‘truth’ behind the meaning of historic buildings. But perhaps the real importance of this book is the way in which it highlights the function of historic buildings as providing places for local knowledge and storytelling to intersect engagingly with antiquarian and contemporary academic study. We need more of this kind of study if we are to reach new audiences to help us care for our built heritage – and inspire the next generation of historic building specialists.
Historic Building Mythbusting: Uncovering Folklore, History and Archaeology
James Wright
The History Press, £20
ISBN 978-1803994475
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