220 pages, 385 illustrations (town maps, gate plans, photos)
This book describes the history and features of walls and gates of towns up until the mid 16th century. The fairly complete walls at Caernarfon, Chester, Conwy, Tenby and York are well known but there are many other places still with some sections of walls or a gateway or two to be discovered. Most people will be surprised to learn just how much still remains of medieval walls at Canterbury, Chepstow, Chichester, Colchester, Denbigh, Exeter, Great Yarmouth, London, Newcastle, Norwich, Oxford, Stirling and Southampton, plus Fethard, Kilkenny, Waterford and Youghal in Ireland. At several towns in England the walls are of Roman origin.
An introductory section analyses the remains and how, why and when town walls and gates came to be built. Gazetteers for each of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland featuring over 150 towns describe their development and medieval layout with churches and monastic houses as well as defences. There are detailed descriptions of surviving defensive features illustrated with sketch-maps and plans of gateways and towers, plus photographs.