Tagged: guidebooks

Segontium Roman Fort

2005

2005

The Roman fort of Segontium lies on the edge of Caernarfon in north Wales. The fort is the property of the National Trust but was placed in state guardianship in 1958. The original National Trust guidebook was by C.A. Ralegh Radford who prepared so many of the guides for sites in the care of the Office of Works. The fort was excavated by (Sir) Mortimer Wheeler in 1920-23.

1963 [1972]

1963 [1972]

The original ‘blue guide’ was written by G.C. Boon, Assistant Keeper of Archaeology at the National Museum of Wales (1962; 2nd ed. 1963). My MPBW ‘Official Guidebook’ is the fourth impression of the second edition (1969) costing 2 s 6d [12.5 p]; the DOE ‘Official Guidebook is the fifth impression (1972) costing 15 p. The guidebooks have a section on ‘The visible remains’ and ‘The historical background’, with a summary in Welsh. There is a foldout plan inside the back cover. I also note the presence of a quote by Professor Robert Carr Bosanquet, a former Director of the British School at Athens (and later at Liverpool University), to introduce the guide: ‘These ruins are the title-deeds of the ancient borough of Caernarvon’. There are a number of plans and photographs, including a reconstruction of the fort by Alan Sorrell.

The DOE edition differs by stating the name of the fort in Welsh on the title page: Caer Rufeinig Segontium, Sir Caernarfon. And inside the cover is a paragraph on DOE Season Tickets in both English and Welsh.

A.L.F. Rivet and Colin Smith  note that the fort’s name was turned into Segontion and then into the form Caer Segeint and Caer Seint.

2005

2005

The new bilingual Cadw guide by Jeffery L. Davies (2005) uses the Welsh form of Segontiwm. This guide with new reconstruction by John Banbury, a plan and small finds has sections on the History of the Fort / Hanes y Gaer; Tour of the Fort / Taith drwy’r Gaer; and Environs of the Fort / Yr ardal o amgylch y Gaer.

Advertisements

Segontium Roman fort

2005

2005

The Roman fort of Segontium lies on the edge of Caernarfon in north Wales. The fort is the property of the National Trust but was placed in state guardianship in 1958. The original National Trust guidebook was by C.A. Ralegh Radford who prepared so many of the guides for sites in the care of the Office of Works. The fort was excavated by (Sir) Mortimer Wheeler in 1920-23.

1963 [1972]

1963 [1972]

The original ‘blue guide’ was written by G.C. Boon, Assistant Keeper of Archaeology at the National Museum of Wales (1962; 2nd ed. 1963). My MPBW ‘Official Guidebook’ is the fourth impression of the second edition (1969) costing 2 s 6d [12.5 p]; the DOE ‘Official Guidebook is the fifth impression (1972) costing 15 p. The guidebooks have a section on ‘The visible remains’ and ‘The historical background’, with a summary in Welsh. There is a foldout plan inside the back cover. I also note the presence of a quote by Professor Robert Carr Bosanquet, a former Director of the British School at Athens (and later at Liverpool University), to introduce the guide: ‘These ruins are the title-deeds of the ancient borough of Caernarvon’. There are a number of plans and photographs, including a reconstruction of the fort by Alan Sorrell.

The DOE edition differs by stating the name of the fort in Welsh on the title page: Caer Rufeinig Segontium, Sir Caernarfon. And inside the cover is a paragraph on DOE Season Tickets in both English and Welsh.

A.L.F. Rivet and Colin Smith  note that the fort’s name was turned into Segontion and then into the form Caer Segeint and Caer Seint.

2005

2005

The new bilingual Cadw guide by Jeffery L. Davies (2005) uses the Welsh form of Segontiwm. This guide with new reconstruction by John Banbury, a plan and small finds has sections on the History of the Fort / Hanes y Gaer; Tour of the Fort / Taith drwy’r Gaer; and Environs of the Fort / Yr ardal o amgylch y Gaer.

Step into Castle Acre

1952 [1970]

1952 [1970]

The original Office of Works guide to Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk was prepared in 1936.It had been placed under state guardianship in 1913. The guidebook was split into two distinct sections: the history by Frederick J.E. Raby, Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and the description by Paul K. Baillie Reynolds, foermly Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments. (The pair also collaborated on the guidebook to Framlingham Castle.) My Ministry of Public Buildings and Works (MPBW) ‘Official Guidebook’ is the eleventh impression (1970) of the second edition (1952). The cost was 2 shillings [10 p].  There is a fold-out plan inside the back cover. The cover shows the crest of the priory taken from the gatehouse (see the English Heritage guidebook, p. 22 [for position]).

1952 [1979]

1952 [1979]

My 1979 Department of the Environment (DOE) ‘Official Handbook’ (note the change from ‘Official Guidebook’) is the fourteenth impression (1979) of the second edition (1952). The price is now 50 p. Essentially the text and images are the same although there are minor changes. Raby is now listed as ‘Sometime’ Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Works.

2008 [2013]

2008 [2013]

The English Heritage guidebook by Edward Impey covers Castle Acre Priory and Castle (2008; revised reprint 2013). This colour guide has a Priory Tour  (pp. 4-23), a Castle Tour (pp. 24-31), and a History (pp. 32-48). There are fold-out plans of the village and priory inside the front and back covers. There is a wonderful archive photograph of the first uniformed custodian, William Savage, who was appointed in 1929.

Oxburgh Hall: guidebooks

Oxburgh_2015There is a new National Trust guidebook to Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk, by Anna Forrest (2014). There are 56 pages with plans, archive photographs, and colour images.

There are five main sections: Survival and Continuity (2-5), The Exterior (6-9), Tour of the House (10-29), Landscape and Gardens (30-39), and Oxburgh and the Bedingfields (40-56). The guidebook includes a feature on Caring for Oxburgh today (51) describing the work of the National Trust team.

It is a beautifully designed guidebook with a generous amount of information.

Oxburgh_2010

The 2014 guidebook replaced the 2000 guidebook (reprinted as recently as 2010). This was divided into Introduction (4-5), Tour of the House (6-27), The Grounds (28-31), Oxburgh and the Bedingfields (32-47). Unlike the more recent guide this includes listings of significant paintings and works of art. This one includes colour images as well as archive photographs.

(1989)

(1989)

Oxburgh contains the hangings associated with Bess of Hardwick and Mary, Queen of Scots. The National Trust used to have a dedicated short guide (16 pp) with a number of black and white images. The hangings are on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum.

National Trust guidebooks are available to order online here.

Guides to Framlingham Castle

1959 (3rd impression 1965)

1959 (3rd impression 1965)

Framlingham Castle came into state guardianship in 1913. The castle still retains some of the original Ministry of Works signs. My oldest blue guide is by Frederick J.E. Raby, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Works (history), and Paul K. Baillie Reynolds, Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments (description). My 1965 MPBW edition is the third impression of the 1959 guide consisting of 32 pages, including black and white photographs and a plan. The text is divided into a History (pp. 8-14, plan p. 15), and a Description (pp. 16-31), with a glossary (p. 32). The cover is decorated with the arms of the Howard Dukes of Norfolk that stands above the main entrance gate of the castle.

1977 (9th impression)

1977 (9th impression)

I also have a ninth impression (1977) issued by the Department of the Environment at 50p. The guidebook notes revisions based on published excavations by J.G. Coad (1971) and Derek Renn (1975). The plan has moved to the start of the guide (p. 4) although the handwritten caption has been replaced by a more standard typographic font. The guidebook follows the earlier one with Summary (pp. 5-7), History (pp. 8-16), Description (pp. 17-37) and glossary (p. 38). Pictures have been placed in text rather than in a single block.

Framlingham

Guide to Framlingham Castle

Alongside this is a small card guide to the castle, c. 1977.

Framlingham

2009 (revised reprint 2011)

The present English Heritage fully illustrated guide by Nicola Stacey was published in 2009 (revised reprint 2011). This consists of 40 pages with foldout plans inside the covers. It consists of a tour (pp. 4-21) and the history (pp. 22-40). The Howard coast of arms (see covers above) features in an early 20th century black and white photograph (p. 6).

The guide also includes information about the Howard Tombs in the adjacent church of St Michael, and a discussion of the ‘Flodden Helm’.

Shortened guide to Kidwelly Castle

1946, reprinted 1948

1946, reprinted 1948

C.A. Ralegh Radford was appointed Inspector for Ancient Monuments in Wales and Monmouthshire in 1929. He then prepared a series of guidebooks for sites in Wales (and England), including one for Kidwelly Castle (1935). A shortened version of this Ministry of Works guide was published in 1946 (and reprinted in 1948) at the price of 2d (as opposed to 6d for the illustrated guide). The fuller guide ‘is not available at present’. This ‘abridged guide’ was still the only one available in 1954 (see list here).

This short guide includes a short history and a description. The centre pages feature a plan of the castle.

Guides to the Tower of London

Tower of London © David Gill

Tower of London © David Gill

The Tower of London is now part of the Historic Royal Palaces. However it was formerly in the care of the Office of Works.

1948 [reprinted 1958]

1948 [reprinted 1958]

I have two post war guides. The first is the 1948 edition (reprinted 1948) at a cost of 4 d and was issued by the Ministry of Works, Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings (24 pp.). This informs the visitor that the cost of admission is 1 s (6 d for children) and ‘allows a general view of the Tower of London, and includes admission to the WHITE TOWER (Armouries), the NEW ARMOURIES, the BEAUCHAMP and BLOODY TOWERS, and (on application in writing to the Resident Governor), the MARTIN, BROAD ARROW, SALT and BELL TOWERS’.

There is a short history starting, ‘The Tower of London was first built by William the Conqueror, for the purpose of protecting and controlling the city’. There is then a description to each feature of the Tower with a black and white plan printed at the centre of the guide.

My copy has a single page insert dated June 28, 1961 that includes the statement that ‘the top floor of the White Tower has been closed for repairs’.

1967

1967

The second is in the ‘blue guide’ format of the Ministry of Public Buildings and Works (1967). In the history it notes the ‘confinement’ of ‘state prisoners’ including Rudolf Hess, ‘Hitler’s deputy’, in May 1941. Like the earlier guide it is 24 pages long and includes a black and white plan in the centre.