Taught as either a day school or course, this subject ranges across architectural history, buildings archaeology, art history and landscape studies as the purposes, status and developments of mediaeval castles are scrutinised in depth.
The course draws on the practical experience of fieldwork and research into a wide range of sites in Britain and is set against the backdrop of contemporary approaches to castle studies.
Initially discussing the definition of what a castle is (and isn’t), the architectural development of castles, great houses and palaces is traced from the late Anglo-Saxon period through into the seventeenth century. Subsequently, a more thematic approach is taken, looking at castle builders, landscapes of lordship and the role of non-elites in castle life.
