Synopsis:

During the early 13th century the north of what is now France went to war with the south in a bloody crusade aimed at destroying the heretical sect know as the Cathars.  The conflict was characterized by vicious guerrilla actions and the besieging of the innumerable fortified sites that dotted the landscaped of the south.  Illustrated with full colour artwork and stunning photographs, this book describes the castle and the fortifications of the Cathar period, examining their design, construction and the role that they played during the Albigensian Crusade.

Review:

The book gives a concise  overview of the political and religious history of the time and how the tensions led to the Albigensian Crusade.  It then moves on to the Castles as featured in the title.  The book details the design and development of the fortifications along with the history of the sites and where they were located. The book goes into further detail describing the sites when they were at war and what happened afterwards.

The final chapter provides information on ‘visiting the sites today’, it gives brief details of the major sites, their opening times and where to find out more information about them.

The book has many photographs and  illustrations in both colour and monochrome which enrich the text.

I found the book informative and concise.  It left me wanting to find out more about the fortifications that played such a big part in the Albigensian Crusade.

…Churches, Houses, Castles

This was one of the books that I received for my birthday.  I also received England’s Thousand Best Houses, England’s Thousand Best Churches (both by Simon Jenkins) and The Garden’s of English Heritage (by Gillian Mawray and Linden Groves).  It has been one of my lunch time reads at work and if I left it lying around on the desk someone else was bound to pick it up and browse through it.

The book covers buildings that are great like the big Marcher castles and Cathedrals along with the small little known churches that are off the beaten track.  The criteria for inclusion in the book is that they must at least be open and accessible to the public.  Each building is given a star rating from 1 to 5, this does not relate to the quality or importance of the building but rather to the pleasure that is experienced during a visit to the place.

In addition to the architectural delights that are to be found between the covers there is also a wealth of information about the people who were associated with the buildings. This builds up a cultural history of Wales and brings the buildings to life.

I really enjoyed the book and found some little gems that I must make time to visit.  The book is well worth a read.  Each chapter covers a different county with a map to show where the properties are located, making it ideal to have to hand if you are visiting a specific area, either on holiday or for a day trip.